KevinNelson

The spouse visa will have an A# printed on it as well as an I-551 notation which indicates green-card status as well as work authorization. SSA will issue a SSN based on the work authorization and green-card status. However they will not issue it until USCIS updates their SAVE database system which usually takes a couple weeks after arrival in the states. Okay, I'm looking at my wife's CR-1 visa. I see noting like an A# on it, or that is identified as such.

Hi, We just got the CR-1 visa. We intend to go to the States for about two months starting June 23. Then, because both my wife and I have work here in China, we plan to return about August 22. I know we have a number of must-do's to keep that green card, without having to apply for it all over again. For us to give up the green card and then get a visitor's visa for my wife is out of the question, because the co-sponsor for the green card, my father, is elderly enough we don't know if he can so-sponsor a second green card in the future. At the same time, my step-son is a third year university student, who wants to go to graduate school. That means supporting him through four years more of schooling here in China. That is possible for us to do here in China, but unlikely easily done in the United States. Economically, the United States job market for me is horrible right now, whereas the job market for me in China is acceptable. My wife has a job she has had for fifteen years, which is best not let go of until we are really ready to move permanently to the States. So, we have a number of reasons to stay in China, but we have a very strong reason to keep that green card, too. I know the CR-1 is temporary, so that means that we will need to eventually apply for the 10 year permanent green card. Can that be applied for while in China? The summer of 2016, we can be back in the United States for maybe up to 90 days, but it is still too early to make firm plans. I heard there are extensions and forms and other ways to allow for extended stays outside of the States. Ideally, we do not want to have to try to pay for plane tickets and related travel expenses every six months. During those times we are in the States, there are certain minimum time lengths for residence purposes... what are they, and how long is each? Thank you

My father is retired, but still has a relatively large income. So what he needed to send was this: I-864 signed originalIRS transcripts for the past three yearsThe biographic page of his still-valid passport - He basically needs to prove he is a legal resident of the States, which the passport copy easily does. This information was accepted. For you, at this point, you will probably need the IRS transcripts for tax years 2012, 2013, and 2014. A nice thing about those transcripts is that they are obtained from the IRS in pdf form. Guangzhou accepted them printed out on A-4 sized paper. While you are at it, get a letter from your sponsor if he/she knows a lot about the history of your relationship with your spouse. That can be used to also substantiate you have a valid marriage.

Okay, a different take. For the I-864, part 4.2, I put my U.S. domicile address, not my address in China. I used the same address in part 2.2. There are other forms I discovered that you can use for your Chinese address. All the others, I agree with what has already been said. Basically, the form is used to prove that you have the financial ability to support your beneficiary, once you get back into the States. I guess the differing interpretation of these forms gives the government some legitimate work for its people.

I'm a HAM... Amateur radio preceded CB by about 70 years... and is still going strong.

From my perspective, U.S. citizenship is worth it. Reading the tea leave here in China, there is an ominous cloud on the horizon. My wife and a lot of Chinese agree, it is not a matter of "If..." but of "When..." We do not want anything to cause us to be separated if we are in China when that cloud bursts. If it burst and my wife is a Chinese citizen, I may not be able to leave China with her. Neither of us really like that idea. After I pass on, should she come back as a U.S. citizen, she would get a Chinese S-2 visa, which would allow her to stay with her relatives. Because she is a native of the area, it is unlikely she would be "caught" working illegally in many types of jobs.

At this point, my wife has passed the interview for the CR-1. So we still seem on track for getting to the States for my son's wedding. Thank you everybody for your input.

Does a person with a SSN also need an alien ID number? Or does one get the alien ID number before getting their SSN?

If you don't mind your wife working perhaps 72 hours per week for about $2,000 untaxed, under-the-table income, check out the Chinese restaurants anywhere. English often is not needed. Depending upon her work-ethic, et cetera, she will either do great at that work, or become highly motivated to learn English. The Chinese newspapers in New York and Los Angeles have contact information for the "employment" agencies that place mostly illegal immigrants into those jobs. In some cases though, those employers do like legal workers. I don't recommend those work environments, but they do exist. Most Americans simply don't know enough Chinese language to get to know them on a personal basis.

My wife went prepared for the interview (CR-1) with almost a complete set of everything file for the I-130. After all, that is what some sources said she needed to do. Even though we had paid $420 when submitting the I-130, we were told we would have to pay about another 2,000 RMB for the interview, as well as for the DS-260. But we didn't have to pay that money. Furthermore, all of the duplicate documents we prepared were not wanted. They even gave back to us the pictures we gave them the first time. We got a white paper from the interviewer, which said that her application for the CR-1 had been approved. Now we're waiting for the visa...

Uh, I have never heard of ANYONE being able to have the medical exam and get the results the same day. When my wife went to Beijing, she was required to go back to the medical hospital the next day to get a second set of inoculations. The results took about eight days to get mailed back to us. It is recommended you allow at least three days between the medical exam appointment date and the interview. We specifically went in and asked at the clinic in Guangzhou after we filed the I-130. While they said that they *might* be able to give the results the following day, two days would be better for planning purposes.

Just discovered I have to do the online DS-260. Is that also charged? And when do I get charged?

I love products made with Chinese red beans 춹 and Chinese green beans . But never in the past when I was in the States did I see them, nor products made by them. Are they called different names in the States?

Okay, my turn for a question: For the first job my wife took, she had to join the CPC. Now the 260 asks: "Have you ever served in, been a member of, or been involved with a paramilitary unit, vigilante unit, rebel group, guerrilla group, or insurgent organization?" Is the CPC considered an "insurgent organization"?

Okay, I knew that the I-130 for DCF filing would be U.S. $420. But now I am hearing about other expenses I was not aware of. The health exam... how much might that be? Are there costs for the DS-230? for the interview? for any other stages I am not aware of yet? (Since costs for transportation and other documents may be variable, I'm mostly just interested in those "predictable" costs...)

Well, we managed to get everything filed on January 29th... that is the DCF at Guangzhou of the I-130. Now the wait and prayers...

Hi Tsap, I read your story back going back to 2011. I just discovered this reply to my question... Thank you for your information and confidence. Kevin

Thank you all for your input. Do translations of divorce documentation need to be notarized? Or is a certified translation sufficient? Thanks, Kevin

I have been reading a lot of information. My wife has been reading a lot of information, in Chinese. We live in Xi'an, China. What has been happening is that I have been getting more and more confused. When I wrote to the consulate in Guangzhou, they wrote back that the only documents that needed were the certificates of marriage. That usually became a "white book ֤." All other documents only needed to be certified by the translator. I got the distinct impression, when looking at the U.S. websites, there were only TWO times documents were submitted in the process: 1) When the I-130 is submitted; and 2) at the time of the interview. Are there other times and places for submitting documents leading up the issuance of the temporary green card? The minimum documents to be submitted when the I-130 is submitted is rather clear. But a lot of folk on these forums state that the decision for granting a green card is usually decided by the time of the interview. So does that mean that letters stating written by those who know us are to be submitted at the time the I-130 is submitted? Do Chinese know the difference between notarization and certification? My wife, as well as a friend's wife, who both are looking forward to my friend and I getting them green cards, seem to find that every document needs notarization ֤. Is this a language problem? Or is this a situation where the embassy website is not up-to-date with the current requirements? This is really confusing. If the police report needs a notarized translation, as well as the divorce papers from other divorces, then that is what I need. But if those only need certification, then I'll be wasting a lot of money and time. In the "Guide to IR-1 (DCF)," it states in step three the preparation of "supplemental documents," without saying what they are. The Guangzhou embassy told me that if my wife had a passport, then there was no need for a birth certificate. Is that actual not true? Also, my wife's passport has the biographical page already with a English in each significant field. Does this really need a notarized translation for what is already translated in the original document? Finally, is there any one list of ALL the documents needed for the entire process for getting that first temporary green card? I have some other questions and confusion, but I'll await for replies to this before adding them. Thank you in advance.

I just realized my step-son turns 21 this coming May. I was planning to file the I-130 in a few weeks for my wife only. He is half-way through his third year of university studies. We were not planning to include him right now for the purposes of immigration; we were planning on just getting my wife her green card. So, now I am faced with a situation. Do I have to include my step-son in the process? Or can he be left, as originally planned, in China, to finish his studies?

Somewhat a similar question: My father will help me to sponsor my Chinese wife. But his passport is expired as of now. Since he is in his late 80s, it is not likely he will ever need to get a new passport for travel purposes. So, will photocopies of his expired passport satisfy the proof of citizenship required by the I-864? A decade ago, most agencies accepted expired passports. But I have noticed a trend lately where expired passports are no longer accepted. The instructions for the I-864 says "valid passport." If that expired passport is no longer valid, then what other means are available to prove his citizenship?

Here is my situation: I'm applying for a green card for my wife. (We have been married for four months now.) We hope to go to the States to attend my son's wedding. But we really do not have any immediate intention of remaining in the United States for more than a few weeks or a month. After that, we both return to Xi'an to resume our regular jobs. While here, I will be getting an MA degree which I trust can later land me a good job in the States later on. My work here is relevant to the MA degree (TESOL). (We are going for the green card simply because we have heard it is nearly impossible for my wife to get a visitors visa since she is married to me.) After I get my MA degree, we then plan to return to the States for a number of years, probably three or four years. (Without that TESOL degree, it would be nearly impossible for me to get a good job in the States that I can physically do.) Then after everything has settled with my father and family, we plan to return to China with both of us having U.S. citizenship. My question is this: Between the time we get that green card, and our first trip to the States, until the time we really can settle down in the States for any extended time, is between two or three years. What will we need to do during those three years to keep her card valid? Would it be better to simply let the green card expire while here in China and then re-apply later when I know we will be going back for a longer period of time? Thanks

Does this mean that my dad can simply fill out an I-864, and email me the transcripts for his tax returns? That would save a LOT of hastle and time. I am assuming the transcripts are in PDF format.

I am being paid through direct deposits to Chinese banks. I do not get bank check stubs. What should I do to prove I have income?

Anybody disagree with this evaluation? If it is the American address, then things are much simpler. Everything seems to assume that it is the current address, not the future address that counts.