daveblax

I have been working at some different schools part time to make extra money. How can I be more careful so I don't get accused of working illegally? Since I should have around 35k USD saved up, I wouldn't be able to carry that amount of cash into the United States, correct? Even if my wife and I both carried 10k each, I am not sure what I should do with the rest of my money. I am leaning towards sending it to myself using paypal. Thanks a lot for your advice. Your help is always greatly appreciated. -Dave

I have been saving up my money here doing a lot of part time jobs at night and on the weekends. By the time I leave China this summer, I should have around 35-40K saved up. All of my money is deposited into my Chinese bank account. I am not sure how I should transfer my money back to the United States. Should I use Paypal? Western Union? Bank wire transfer? I feel like they all have their advantages and disadvantages. Another option could be to leave a large portion on my money in my Chinese bank account. The Chinese Yuan has been appreciating, and I believe it will continue to do so. When I return to the United States, I will be student teaching and finishing my masters degree. This is a huge time commitment, and will not allow me to earn a lot of money during this time. I am not sure what my wife will do for work during this time. What kind of work have other people's Chinese wives found? My biggest problem is that I have a massive amounts of student debt. How much of it should I pay off? I enrolled in the income based repayment program, so at this time my payments are really low. I know debt is terrible, but I am not sure if I should use all of my money towards this. I would love to save up for a house sometime within the next five years. Any advice for me would be greatly appreciated.

I called the consulate and asked after I posted the question on this forum. They seemed to think it was OK, but I am going to call back again to double-check and make sure. Thanks again for your help guys

Where on the website does it say this? I can't find that. I called the consulate, and they told me they would hold it for me if it is addressed to the Immigration Services Unit and it includes the case number.

We received a notice of action email on January 27th which included our case number and we sent our DS-260 receipt and required documents to Guangzhou the next day. Today we got an email from Guangzhou with instructions to schedule our interview. This process is moving much quicker than I originally anticipated. My co-sponsor, a close family friend, wants to mail the I-864 form directly to the embassy. Is this possible? She would feel much more comfortable doing it this way because a lot of her personal information is included and I have had trouble receiving packages at my apartment in Suzhou in the past. Also, we never received the A#. Are we looking in the wrong place? We need to include the A# when we fill out the I-864 form. This is different than the case number, right?

Thanks so much for the help man!

How do you file your taxes online without an employer identification number? If your employer doesn't have this number, do you just file your taxes by paper and mail them in? How long does it take for you to get your tax returns?

Thanks guys! Sometimes it is hard for us to stay patient.

Does my joint sponsor need to send her 2013 tax returns with her I-864 form? She doesn't plan on finishing her 2013 returns until April. Also, does anyone know if my joint sponsor needs to be a family member? In the instructions it doesn't say anything about providing pay stubs. Some people on this forum said pay stubs were necessary. Which is it?

My wife is worried that we haven't received a notice of action in the mail already. Does anyone know about a number I can call to talk to someone in the Immigrant Visa Unit? I was directed to this link, but I do not yet have a case number. http://guangzhou.usembassy-china.org.cn/immigrant-visa-unit-question.html

Thanks! Today I emailed USCIS to ask them about the progress of my I-130 petition. I got this reply a few hours later. Dear Mr. Solow: Your petition was granted on January 2, 2014, and delivered to the immigrant visa unit in Guangzhou. They will be contacting your wife about the next steps. Sincerely, USCIS Guangzhou Department of Homeland Security WOW! That was fast. I handed in my paperwork on December 31st. I then asked around when my wife would be contacted and how she would be contacted. He wasn't able to answer me, and then directed me to Consular section of the US Consulate General website. Should we be expecting a directions in the mail any day now? How else would she be contacted?

Thanks! Do you know if my wife receives an alien registration number when we receive the I-130 acceptance?

Thanks for your help guys! We handed in our I-130 petition on December 31st. When can we expect to have our interview? I know there is no sure way of knowing, but I want to give my joint sponsor an accurate time table so they know how much time they have to finish the I-864.

My mom agreed to be help sponsor my wife for her spousal visa. The problem is, she doesn't make very much money. She has a small condo in America, and makes a secretary salary. Also, last year she was out of work for 8 months because she moved from New York to Florida. If she makes around 20,000 USD per year, with some assets including her condo, do you think I need to consider getting a different sponsor? Is it possible to have two different people co-sponsoring my wife at the same time? It is possible for my mom to ask one of my friends. I am only 26 and don't make very much money myself. I love my wife and really want to move with her to America this year. I would appreciate any help answering my questions. -Dave

I have another question about one of my documents for the I-130 petition. My wife and I are on the same China Mobile plan, and have been since before we were married. Is it a good idea to get one of our China Mobile invoice/bills translated to English. There are so many Chinese words on the bill, it would be difficult to get it all translated. Would this fit the criteria of "co-mingling of finances"? Does every Chinese character need to be accounted for and translated?

I would like her to use my family name, but her passport and the marriage certificate still have her Chinese family name. Thanks for the help guys!

On the 1-130 form, for my wife's family name, do I include her Chinese family name or my family name?

Thanks for the help!

I just booked my appointment for December 31st to hand in my I-130 petition. I have a few questions regarding the petition and my upcoming trip to Guangzhou. On the G-325A form, there is space for 5 addresses for my residence the last five years. I have moved A LOT over the last five years, and I definitely have had more than 5 addresses. Should I include more than 5 addresses? If I leave out an address, can it come back to bite me? Also, is it better to fly or take the train? I haven't gotten my tickets yet because I wanted to make sure I could get an appointment. I live in Jiangsu Province. I really don't mind taking a long trip if the train ride isn't too bad and I can save a little money. Does anyone have any recommendations relating to the city? I have never been to Guangzhou. For those of you who have been there, are there any hotels, restaurants, attractions I should consider/avoid? I will only be staying for two nights and don't want to break the bank during this trip. (The $355 Petition fee is bad enough). I would appreciate any help! -Dave

I am trying to decide when I should go to Guangzhou to file my I-130 petition. There are only 3 dates available on the Guangzhou embassy Infopass website. The dates are in late November and early December. If I were to go there on one of these dates, I would have to use at least 2 sick days from work. I already used up my sick days at my school when I got married last month. I hate losing money, but I know I should get this process started ASAP. Do you think if I wait until late December, when I have off from work, it will be difficult for me to get my wife's visa by July 2014? I am asking because my contract ends July 2014 and I would love to go back to America with my wife this upcoming summer. Can some people here tell me how long it took for them to get their wife's visas? I would appreciate any advice or tips on this matter.

I tried emailing Beijing to see if I can go there instead of Guangzhou. They told me I am under Guangzhou jurisdiction, so I must go there.

Answering my own question... I finally got someone helpful on the phone who DID NOT need my wife to have already been registered in their website in order to answer my questions. I have to schedule my appointment in Guangzhou, not Beijing. Does anyone have experience booking an appointment in Guangzhou? The only available date they are letting me choose is November 26th. I can't afford to take more sick days from work to go there on that date. Why won't it allow me to book my appointment during December? I only have time to do this during the few days following Christmas when I have off from work. Will the office be open during this time? I would appreciate any help in this regard. -David

I am having trouble figuring out if I need to file my I-130 in Beijing or Guangzhou. I am not able to get anyone on the phone who can help me after looking through the Guangzhou or Beijing sites. I was able to reach someone in Beijing, but I could not get her to answer any questions because I haven't registered my wife inside the Beijing US Embassy website. Can anyone help me with my problem?

According to your link, I need to go to Beijing. I will call Beijing, Guangzhou, and the consulate in Shanghai to double-check. I will let everyone know what they say. Thanks again for the help!

Thanks for the help guys! I live in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. It appears as if I need to file my petition in Guangzhou. Does anyone have any experience going to the US consulate in Shanghai and paying a fee for the I-130 petition?