Hemutian

Oh, I was asking about when we apply for my son's visa at the Chinese consulate in San Francisco later this week. But you're talking about once we're in China and checking in for our return flight to the US? Our return flight leaves from Hong Kong, not mainland China, so I don't think this should be a problem.

Hi again Randy. I thought of another detail related to my wife's green card. As you probably know, the processing time/waiting time for "Removal of Conditions" right now is very long. We sent in her ROC application in October 2022, 90 days before the Expiration Date written physically on her Green Card (January 2023). The current estimate is August 2024 before it's approved. So, her Green Card that we're going to bring to my son's visa appointment appears as if it's Expired. Of course, we have her I-797 from DHS which states that her Green Card is extended for 24 months (or January 2025). We'll rely on US Immigration letting her back into the Country after our trip to China with the combination of her Expired Green Card and the I-797 letter. I just wonder if the Chinese side is familiar with the I-797 letter and will allow it. Or do I need to have it translated into Chinese? Have you heard of anyone with travel experience to China in this situation? Thanks

Thanks for this advice. My wife DID have green card status at the time of our son's birth, so I believe that means my son is only a US citizen and not a Chinese citizen.

We're planning to travel to China for 3 weeks. About 1 week of that time would be visiting her family, and the other 2 weeks would be visiting her friends and traveling. So, purely based on the way we're spending time, I'd say that L might be more appropriate than Q2. However, I just wonder if the consular official sees that we're planning to visit relatives, and then thinks well we should be Q2 instead of L. I guess I don't have to worry about what they think, though. They'll use their discretion, and either way, it doesn't really matter for my son. I think we'll have my wife's brother be the "inviter". That seems safer since he actually lives in China. The official seal requirement is probably only if the inviter is a travel agency, which is not the case for us. Thanks, Randy. I remember you giving us lots of advice 4 years ago when my wife was still a K1 applicant. Now she's 2.5 years into her green card and almost eligible for citizenship! Time flies

We need to figure out which Visa we're applying to before we go to the Consulate because the rules and requirements are different depending on the type of visa applied for. The instructions I quote are from the website of the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco: http://sanfrancisco.china-consulate.gov.cn/eng/lszj/zgqz/202303/t20230314_11040155.htm

Question #1: Which visa is the better choice for my infant child? Q2, or L? Context: My child is a US citizen and will be 5 months old when we plan to travel to China in October 2023. I (the father) am a US citizen. My wife is a Chinese citizen with a US green card who lives in the US. She has relatives who live in China (her parents and brother. We expect that this is my son’s first of many trips to China over the next several years, so we’d like to get the longest visa possible. Are they issuing 10-year visas right now? Is there a greater likelihood of getting one through a Q2 or a L? Question #2: For the Q2 visa, is my wife eligible to be the “inviter” (i.e. write the invitation letter) even though she doesn’t live in China? If not, is her brother eligible? Context: The Q2 invitation letter instructions say the inviter should list “current address in China.” My wife doesn’t have a current address in China, so does that mean she cannot be the inviter? Of her relatives who live in China, my wife would prefer that the invitation letter come from her brother rather than her mother or father? Is that allowed? Question #3: For the L visa invitation letter, is my wife eligible to be the “inviter”? Context: The English-language instructions aren’t specific about who is eligible to be the inviter, but the Chinese-language instructions provide more detailed guidance. They list different rules for inviters who live in China and “华侨” inviters (“Huaqiao” or “oversees Chinese”). We assume that my wife belongs to this “Huaqiao” category. The instructions say that if the inviter is “Huaqiao”, they must submit A) a photocopy of their Chinese passport, B) a photocopy of their foreign residence permit (i.e. my wife’s US green card), and C) a Chinese residence permit valid for more than 6 months. I’m confused by this requirement C) . My wife doesn’t have a “Chinese residence permit”. Does this requirement C) only apply if the inviter is a “Huaqiao” foreigner residing in China? Question #4: For the L visa, it looks like there are two options. Option 1 is to provide round-trip air tickets and hotel reservations. Option 2 is to get an invitation letter. Is my understanding correct that for the invitation letter, it is NOT necessary to list round-trip air tickets and hotel reservations? Context: Instructions say to list “place of visit” but that doesn’t include air tickets or hotel reservations, right? Question #5: For the L visa, the instructions state that the inviter’s letter of invitation requires an “official seal”. Where/how is this official seal obtained?

Sorry to resuscitate an old post like this, but something in this old my answer caught my eye and made me anxious. This 2014 answer says that OP's never-married fiancee will need a "Certificate of no marriage". Is this still the case in 2019? Or was this requirement cancelled some time between 2014 and 2019? Because I have not seen any mention to this requirement in my research in 2019. What I do see as a requirement is a "certificate of single status" for fiancees who were previously in another marriage but are now divorced. But this should not apply to OP's never-married fiancee, right?