pkroger

My wife's parents are returning to China after visiting us in America on a 6 month visa. They want to bring back some honey, olive oil, and wine. I know they are limited to 1500 ml of wine each, but are there any restrictions on food items for personal use? Is honey considered an "animal product" and subject to any restrictions? Thanks for the info. Peter

Has anyone had any experience with the companies that evaluate Chinese college and high school transcripts? My wife needs to have her Chinese college degree evaluated. Has anyone had any problems with this for Chinese college degrees? Did you need to provide anything besides official transcripts? Thanks a lot for any information. Hai Ying and Peter

My wife completed a bachelor's degree at a Chinese University and wants this to be considered when she applies for admission to an American college or university. Does anyone here have any experience in getting a Chinese college degree accepted by an American college or university? Is there a list of Chinese Universities whose degrees are generally considered the equivalent of degrees from American schools? Thanks for the info. Peter and Hai Ying

My wife has copies of her Chinese divorce documents that were translated into English in China. They were submitted with her K-1 visa application. Do you think they will be acceptable for the N-400 application? Do we need to get another translation here in the U.S.? Thanks for the info, Peter

Does anyone know where you can watch live converage of the opening ceremony? NBC is only broadcasting the taped ceremony on Friday evening. My wife and I would like to watch it live at 4:30 am PDT on Friday. Thanks Hai Ying and Peter

I went to the USCIS web site this morning to check on the status of our I-751 application. It hadn't changed, but I noticed that our original I-129 case from 2004, which I had never removed from my portfolio, had been touched on 5/31/08 ! Has this ever happened to anyone else ? Does anyone know what this means? There was no change in the old case description since 11/04 when it was approved. I haven't received any e-mails from USCIS. Thanks for any feedback, Hai Ying and Peter

Does anyone have any recommendations for the preferred way to submit photos with the I-751 application? Should they be attached to sheets of paper, are computer printer printouts acceptable or do they need to be real photo prints? What have other people done? Thanks, Peter

We happen to live near the USCIS processing center in Laguna Niguel, CA. Does anyone know if it's possible to submit an I-751 application in person at the processing center? Has anyone tried this? Thanks, Peter

Another question on this subject: Has anyone been required to appear for an interview to get their 10 yr green card? It seems that most people are approved w/o an interview. If you've had an interview, what was it like and what kind of questions were you asked. Thanks, Peter

What has been the recent experience of people applying for removal of conditions (I-751)? How long are the processing times now? Is it usually more than 3 months?

Does anyone have any experience with purchasing temporary medical insurance for visiting relatives from China? I've found a few web sites of various companies that offer this insurance, and would like to benefit from anyone's personal experiences with this type of insurance. Any recommendations for good companies? Thanks, Hai Ying and Peter

This article was in yesterday's (12/02/07) Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-to...1&cset=true It sounds like it will be easier for Chinese citizens to obtain tourist visas to the U.S. soon. Has anyone else heard about this? Thanks Hai Ying and Peter

Dennis, Where did you have your interview? I am also in S. Cal. and expect to have our AOS interview soon. Thanks, Peter

We submitted our AOS application in Sept. 2005 and received the NOA a short time later. Since then we did not receive anything until we received a notice for fingerprinting a couple of weeks ago. No picture or signature, they only wanted a set of 10 fingerprints. Has this every happened to anyone else? Does anyone know what it could mean, i.e. why they only wanted fingerprints and no picture or digital signature as with most biometrices for AOS? Thanks for the info. Peter

We're thinking of subscribing to italkBB too. Does this service support 911 calls or do you need to keep your local number for that? Also, I assume it doesn't work if there is a power outage. Thanks, Peter

My wife if very concerned about how long it is taking to process her EAD. Our receipt date is Oct. 4, 2005, but we still haven't received her biometrics appointment (the I-797C stated that USCIS would make the appointment for us). Her EAD case was touched on Dec. 2 amd Dec. 5, but I did not receive an e-mail and the on-line status has not changed. Are EAD's sent to the district offices before final approval? Is it possible to contact the district office to get info about an EAD application? Thanks so much for any info.

The law has been changed recently in California. If your K-1 visa expires in less than 60 days, the DMV will not allow you to take the road test to get a California drivers license. We were not aware of this and spent some money on driving lessons for my wife and then were told she could not take the test. There may be a way around this, but we haven't found it yet. I don't know if the situation is any different for K-3 visa holders.

Can someone please tell me what menu options you need to key in to speak to a customer service representative when you call the USCIS National Customer Service Center at (800) 375 – 5283? I couldn't seem to get out of the menu system when I called this morning. Thanks for the info. Peter

I actually found a paralegal to type up a "grant deed" for me. It needed to be notarized and signed by me and my wife. Cost (including notary) $65.00. There is an additional recording fee in California ($12.00). Thanks everyone for all of the info.

Does anyone know the general procedure for adding your spouse as co-owner of your house? I live in California, but I assume the procedure is basically the same in other states. Thanks for the info. Peter

Has anyone's SO been able to get a California drivers license before their AOS approval? California law does not allow someone to get a drivers license if their "legal presence" expires less than 60 days from the date they apply for their license. I don't know how the California DMV will treat someone who's AOS is pending, but not approved. Thanks for the info. I'm sure every state has different rules.

If anyone needs copies of their Federal income tax returns in a hurry, you can get them from this web-site: http://www.tax9er.com/. The cost of the first return is about $30.00. Additional returns are at a reduced rate. They e-mail a PDF copy of your return that you can print out on the same or the following day after your order. Only the previous 3 tax years are available. Peter

Actually I found the "60 day" requirement. In California you cannot apply for a learners permit or drivers license if the document given to you bh DHS expires in less than 30 days. If it expires between 30 and 60 days, you can take the test, but the DMV won't send the permit/license until you have a document that says you can stay more than 60 days. Anyway here is is from the California DMV web site: Limited Term Legal Presence All original and pending driver license or identification cards will expire on the expiration date of his/her birth date/legal presence document (BD/LP) issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Your BD/LP document must have an expiration date 30 or more days from your application date. If your BD/LP document has an expiration date less than 30 days, you will not be able to start a driver license or identification card application. If your BD/LP document has an expiration date of less than 60 days, you may complete your licensing requirements (written/vision/driving tests), but you will need to submit another BD/LP document with an expiration date of 60 days or more before your driver license or identification card is mailed to you. Before your limited term driver license expires, the department will mail out an “extension” letter with instructions on how to complete your application for a driver license. What exactly is someone's legal status after the 90 day K-1 visa expires and you are waiting for your AOS interview? Is there any document that shows that you are legally able to remain in the U.S.? Does it have an expiration date? Thanks, Peter

My wife called me today at work and was very worried because of something she read on the 001 site about needing to get a valid ID more than 60 days before her K-1 expires. I don't know where this could have come from. Has anyone else heard about anything like this "60 day limit"? Thanks for the info. Peter

Does my SO need to submit proof of her divorce with the I-485? I can't find this requirement in the I-485 instructions, but she read on the 001 site that she needs to include it. I'm pretty sure they only want the birth certificate (translated). Thanks for the info. Peter