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My wife is non-Chinese, we live in China (I am employed here). For various reasons we have to plan out the timetable for our application process as best we can. So I wanted to confirm rough time frames for what I understand to be the various stages: Stage 1 - We filed the I-130 in Beijing and were told it takes "3 months" for them to process it and send to Guangzhou. But I saw a post online from one applicant that had it processed in 10 days. Another person online said 1 month. So is the "3 months" the standard answer and actually it's more like one month? Stage 2- Once GZ receives the case, how long does it usually take for them to issue a case number? Stage 3 - Once we have the GZ case number and can submit the DS260, roughly how long before we're told we can book an interview (assuming no problems of course) Stage 4 - After we are approved to book an interview, how long does it usually take to get the interview? I read someone said 3.5 months - that was a year ago. Any recent experience? Stage 5 - After the interview, how long does it take to get the passport back (I read 2 weeks). Thank you!

Candleforlove has been such a huge help. I've put together this guide to an IR-1 visa to share our experience and give back to the community. Hopefully it will serve as a centralized source of information for future IR-1 applicants. This is a guide for Americans interested in getting their Chinese spouse an immigrant residence visa (i.e. a green card) for the United States. This guide is based on my experience of personally preparing and filing all documentation for the entire immigration process. All requirements, forms, etc. were current as of April 2014. Please ensure the forms enclosed herein are current at the time you file. I am a firm believer of being over-prepared. As such, some of the documents I prepared early were not collected early in the process. For example, even though the criminal background check is collected until the visa interview, which is the final step in the process, I had it prepared at the time we filed the initial application directly with the embassy in Beijing. As such, while some of the documents I prepared (see the table of contents enclosed) were not required in advance, it is still a good idea that you prepare them. Lastly, the information below is for filing for an IR-1 visa. Couples who have been married for longer than two years are eligible to file for an IR-1 visa. Our Timeline November 12, 2013: DCFed in Beijing November 14, 2013: DCF approved and forwarded to Guangzhou December 2, 2013: I-130 approved; asked to complete DS-260 online December 30, 2013: DS-260 approved; asked to scheduled interview and complete medical *April 7, 2014: Completed medical (morning) and picked up results the same day (afternoon) April 10, 2014: Visa interview successful April 22, 2014: Received passport (with visa) and immigration packet *As my wife was pregnant at the time we received her notification to schedule the interview and medical, we opted to wait until after she had given birth before proceeding. This is because we did not want to expose the unborn child to any medical risks, regardless of how small, via x-rays, vaccinations, etc. Had we proceeded with the interview after receiving the notification on December 30th, it is very likely we would have completed everything within just two months’ time. Step One: Start Preparing Before you Start Preparing Part of the application process requires proving that your life in America will be better than your life in China. This also requires proving that you have maintained a residency in America while you have been abroad. Historically, applicants have been rejected both because A) The immigration officer believed the life the couple/family had in China was better than what they could have in America (i.e. property and lots of income in China, but none in America) and B) the petitioner (i.e. the American citizen filing on behalf of his/her spouse) had failed to maintain sufficient ties to America. Additionally, part of the application process requires providing tax records. Regardless of where your income originates, all American citizens are required by law to submit a tax return each year. If you cannot provide at least three years of tax returns, your case will likely be thrown out. Tax records not only illustrate that you have maintained ties with America, but also show the immigration officer that the beneficiary (i.e. the Chinese spouse being issued the visa) will not become a public charge (i.e. that he/she will not move to America and then immediately apply for welfare). So, what does all this mean? It means that before you consider beginning the immigration process, you should ensure that all your ducks are in a row years in advance. To do so, ensure you are doing the following: Maintain a US residence This does not mean that you must own property in America. Maintaining a residence simply means that you have a home in America. While this could be property that you own, it could also simply be a mailing address to where various entities post bank statements, credit card bills, magazines, etc. I used my mother’s address. I’ve continued to have mail sent to this address while I’ve been abroad. This is also the address I use whenever registering for various services (e.g. credit cards), etc. Maintain a US bank account Maintaining a bank account in good standing helps satisfy the residence criterion discussed above. Own (and regularly use) a US credit card Maintaining a credit card account in good standing helps satisfy the residence criterion discussed above. Regular use and repayment of a credit card also illustrates that you value maintaining a good credit score, which is important for purchasing a home or car in America, etc. File your taxes each year that you are abroad As an American citizen, you are required by law to file taxes each year even if you do not earn any income (e.g. you are studying abroad). The final stage of the immigration process also requires that you provide tax returns for the last three to five years. Keep a photo album Another part of the application process is providing evidence of a bona fide marriage (i.e. that your marriage is legitimate). Photos are an excellent way to illustrate that your relationship is legitimate and has been established for some time. Take regular photos of you two with friends and family, Chinese and foreign, and on vacation, etc. If you have, or are planning on having, children, take photos throughout the pregnancy as well. These will be needed when applying for the child’s American citizenship and passport. Plan your “exit strategy” As mentioned above, you will have to prove to the visa officer that the beneficiary will not become a public charge. The only way of doing this is by proving that you have regular income in America which exceeds the poverty line. The specific figure used by the visa officer is 125% of the poverty line. For example, if the poverty line is US$25,000, you will need to prove that you have an annual income of at least US$31,250. As the poverty line changes each year, you’ll need to do the math at the time you apply. Also note that having children increases this amount. The 125% is for the beneficiary only. If you have children, you’ll need to exceed this. Many sources state that while income per se is not the deciding factor, it is certainly the visa officer’s most concrete factor in assessing whether or not the beneficiary will become a public charge. Many sources also state that substantial savings may be considered in lieu of income (e.g. perhaps you do not have a job lined up prior to departing for the States). However, to share some personal details, substantial personal savings and liquid assets which exceeded the poverty guidelines were insufficient in our case and a joint sponsor (i.e. someone who assists the petitioner in sponsoring the beneficiary) was required. Luckily, I was prepared and had had my mother fill out a joint-sponsor I-864. So, how does this coincide with an exit strategy? Essentially, you will need to know what you are going to do for employment in America prior to beginning the application process. It would be best if you already had a job, had received a W-2 from your American employer, and also had a letter from your American employer commenting on the security of your position, etc. Without this, you will need a joint-sponsor who will be jointly responsible for the beneficiary. Step Two: Direct Consulate Filing (I-130) As the beneficiary is a Chinese citizen, his/her application is eligible for Direct Consulate Filing. This cuts out a huge step involving the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and National Visa Center (NVC). Beneficiaries who are not citizens of countries which allow DCF can wait up to eighteen months for their application to be approved. - this paragraph is not correct - see below In order to file your application directly with a nearby consulate, you will need to prepare and bring the following documents: Evidence of petitioner’s American citizenship Copy of petitioner’s passport Copy of petitioner’s birth certificate Evidence of petitioner’s domicile (i.e. that you’ve maintained a residence in the US) Copies of petitioner’s financial records Copies of petitioner’s American tax returns, financial statements (e.g. savings account statements, credit card statements, IRA statements, etc.) Evidence of a bona fide marriage Photo album Copies of marriage certificates Copies of child(ren)’s passports, birth certificates, Consulate Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) certificate Beneficiary’s G-325A Form Petitioner’s G-325A Form I-130 Form G-1145 Form Documents proving petitioner’s eligibility to file at the Beijing American embassy. In order to be eligible for DFC, the petitioner must have resided in China for six months prior to filing. The document used to satisfy this criterion is a copy of your resident permit/visa. 2 passport photos for the beneficiary 2 passport photos for the petitioner Cover letter outlining the contents of your application (see example enclosed herein) Once you have prepared the following, make an appointment with American Citizen Services (ACS) with the nearest US embassy or consulate. I chose to file with the Beijing embassy even though the Shenyang consulate is closer to my home in China. This is because the Shenyang embassy would have to forward the documents to Beijing for processing. You will notice in my cover letter that I had prepared a number of documents not included above. This is because some documents I had prepared were not required at that time. You can choose whether or not to prepare these items in advance. As stated above, you will need them all at one point or another. Step Three: DS-260 (online) Approximately four to six weeks after you file with the embassy, you will receive an email from the Immigration Visa Unit of the US Consulate General in Guangzhou. This email will outline the next steps in the immigration process. The email is very detailed. As long as you follow the directions, this step will go smoothly. Briefly, the actions required in this step include: Completing the DS-260 application online. This is an online form, as such it is not included herein. Registering a document pick-up location via http://ustraveldocs.com. Note that this address is both a pick-up and drop-off location. You’ll drop off the supplemental documents requested in the email and pick-up the beneficiary’s passport and immigration packet once the visa has been issued. Prepare supplemental documentation (if required) and drop this documentation off at the address registered above. We were only required to submit a scan of my wife’s passport, a copy of the pick-up registration document (which you’ll get once you register on the website), and two passport photos. Print and save a copy of this email for future reference. You will need to take it with you on the days in which you do the medical and immigration interview. Step Four: Medical and Interview Approximately four weeks after submitting the DS-260 online and the supplemental materials via中信银行, you should receive another email from Immigration Visa Unit to schedule your medical and interview. This email includes a link to the website where you’ll schedule the interview. It’s the same website you will have used in step three. Medicals are not scheduled in advance. You simply show up and take a number. Hundreds of people do the medical exam each day. As such, it is important that you arrive early. To give you an idea of how many people do the medical each day, we were one of the first people in the door that morning and drew number 41. Medicals can be done in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Immigration interviews for Chinese citizens immigrating to the US are only held at the consulate general in Guangzhou. To save time and money, many people choose to travel to Guangzhou for the medical on Monday or Tuesday and schedule their interview for Wednesday or Thursday. If the medical is done early in the morning (e.g. at 7 am when they open), the results are available the same afternoon. This allows you to get everything done in one trip as opposed to doing one trip for the medical and another for the interview. The medical examination is thorough. If the beneficiary does not have records of prior immunization, then immunizations will be required. In my wife’s case, even though she had had the required immunizations as a child, the hospital at which she received the immunizations did not keep good medical records. As such, she was unable to provide evidence of immunization and required to receive the immunizations once again. The interview was also very straight forward. My wife would have been done much faster had the visa office not had so many questions regarding our financial situation and required a joint sponsor in the end. (Many of the extra questions asked concerned me returning to school in the fall and how we’d support ourselves while I pursued my Ph. D.) Some individuals are done in as little as two minutes. My wife’s took a little under ten minutes. For the medical examination, you must prepare and bring with you: Copies of the two emails sent to you by the Immigration Visa Unit (i.e. the one giving instructions for the completion of the DS-260 and the one allowing you to schedule your medical and visa interview). Copy of the visa interview confirmation page (you’ll get this once you schedule your interview). Six two-inch passport photos with a white background (the picture should be taken without glasses, if the beneficiary wears glasses). For the interview, you must prepare and bring with you: Forms: Visa appointment confirmation I-864 (completed by petitioner) DS-260 Consular Electronic Application Center - Print Application DS-260 Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration - Confirmation Page Notarizations and translations (see example of format required by the US embassy attached): Notarization/translation of beneficiary’s birth certificate Notarization/translation of beneficiary’s hukou Notarization/translation of beneficiary’s criminal background check Notarization/translation of beneficiary’s marriage certificate Notarization/translation of petitioner’s marriage certificate Notarization/translation of child(ren)’s birth certificate Proof of bona fide marriage: Photos US Consular Report of Birth Abroad for children (if applicable) (copy) Child(ren)’s passport’s biodata page (if applicable) (copy) Any other evidence which proves the legitimacy of your relationship (e.g. marriage certificates, joint apartment/housing lease, matching passport stamps for travel abroad, etc.) Financials: Petitioner’s 1040 tax returns (at least three years) Petitioner’s savings account statements Letter from petitioner’s US employer (if applicable) Beneficiary’s savings account statement Misc. financials (e.g. IRA statements, etc.) Supplemental Financials (if required): Joint-sponsorship I-864 (completed by petitioner’s relative) Joint-sponsor’s passport biodata page (copy) Joint-sponsor’s 1040 tax returns (at least three years) Copies: Beneficiary’s passport biodata page (copy) Beneficiary’s national identification card (copy) Petitioner’s passport biodata page (copy) Petitioner’s birth certificate (copy) Petitioner’s Chinese resident permits (copy) Miscellaneous: Beneficiary’s six 2-inch passport photos Beneficiary’s resume Copies of two emails sent by Immigration Visa Unit The beneficiary will be required to pay for the visa immigration interview prior to the interview. This fee is not refunded if the interview is unsuccessful. If successful, the beneficiary will submit his/her passport. It will be returned via post to the 中信银行 within 15 business days. The visa will be included in the returned passport as will be the immigration packet. This packet must remain sealed until it is handed over to the border official upon entering the United States. Altogether, the process is straightforward and painless. Hopefully the information provided above can assist you in this process. Good luck!

My wife and I are living in Chengdu. We need a little advise on what we should type on the address part of the Form I-130 sections B.2 and C.2. The section B.2 is my section to type the address. Should the address be where we are living in Chengdu? The section C.2 is my wife's section to type the address. Should the address be where we are living in Chengdu? Thank you Nick and Hua

Hello everyone! We need your advise. Background is following - we are couple of married foreigners who are currently living (working visa) in China and planning our relocation to the USA (my husband is from the USA and I am from Ukraine) . On September 6th we have applied our i-130 petition at the Consulate in Guangzhou. On 18th of October we got their email with the request to give them an additional postal address, as they sent a letter to providen address, but it was not delivered. In a couple days we got their mail with the request of sending them our passport size photos. The date on the letter, however, was listed as September 19th. We sent them photos asap and still then we haven't heard anything from them. Shall we send them and email or just wait? Kind regards, Natalia

I have a question about the submission for the i864, as well as other documents for both the I130 petition and interview document submission stages. 1. My father will be our co-sponsor, and I'm wondering, if he fills out and signs and dates the form in the States, can I just have him email me a scan and use that for the submission? Or will I require the original document? 2. If the original is required, my father will be visiting a couple of months before we will need to submit the i864. Can he sign and date it at the time of the visit, or will the length of time between the signed date and the submission matter? Is there a time frame that these documents are valid for once signed? 3. Is there any kind of general guideline/list of documents that originals are required for vs. scans/copies are acceptable? For the I130 and interview submission stages? (sorry I don't know the technical names for the different stages - too many acronyms) Thank you in advance for any help and suggestions

Hello community. Me (American) and my husband (Spanish) are both living and working in China and are in the process of doing DCF in Guangzhou. We already submitted the I-130 and my husband has already filled out the DS-260. Do I have to e-mail all the materials (I-864, police certificate, marriage certificate, etc.) to the NVC like the travel.state.gov website instructs? I just want to make sure because it is not that clear, and looking at other people's DCF experiences, nobody mentions the step of e-mailing materials to NVC. That makes me think they didn't do the e-mail part. My other question involves police certificates. Do I, the petitioner, have to get police certificates from China and USA also, or is that job only for the beneficiary? My final question involves the I-864. I want to make sure that the signature of my joint-sponsor has to be original and not a scanned a printed signature. Is this true? Does this mean my joint sponsor has to mail the I-864 and all documents physically to me? Thank you very much!

Hello everybody. I am new here. I am thinking of getting ready for my wife’s IR1 visa application to start soon. I was Chinese citizen before but now US citizen. My wife is Chinese citizen, working and living in Beijing currently. I have recently retired. From now on I probably would be able to spend majority of the time in Beijing, with my wife until she is ready to retire, but periodically returning to US for relatively shorter time as needed during the years to come. Am I eligible to do DCF in Beijing on behalf of my wife? Any comments would be really appreciated.

Hey guys, another quick question. Hypothetically speaking, if the petitioner applying in GUZ for their spouse was in China as a missionary, would this cause any issues? Because it is technically illegal according to China's laws to live here as a full-time missionary, so I'm wondering if the US Government would take any issue with this or if they don't have a problem with it? I know that there are mentions of missionaries in the I-864 as to retaining domicile, but presumably this is in countries where being a missionary is legal. Thanks for your help!

Hi Everyone. I've been reading up on a lot of forums on this site over the past few weeks and really appreciate all of the great input offered from those who have been down this path before. I have many questions about this process still actually, but will just ask a few for now, and post others later as time goes on. First a little background: My plan is to file DCF for a CR1 visa. We are not actually married yet, but this seems by far the fastest and least "mafan" of all of the options available for those who are able to use it. We have known each other for 3.5 years, and have been dating for only the last year. We plan to marry in spring 2017 and file immediately after. I have been in China for 3.5 years, the first two years as a student, then one year on the business "M" visa, and now just recently on a "Z" visa, with a residence permit, so by the time we apply it will have been over 6 months of being on a residence permit which meets the DCF requirements. From moving to China until now, throughout my time here, I've continually received income through the US, through a non-profit organization that I receive donations through, which is taxable income, and as such I have filed taxes each year since residing here. I have recently also started earning income here in China, and will begin filing this foreign income along with my US income on my next tax filing. I do not meet the financial requirements for support, so my father will be our joint sponsor. We also plan to stay with my parents when we move back, which is where I have maintained my permanent address. The bona fide marriage doesn't concern me as much, as our relationship is bona fide and we have evidence such as photos, chat logs, etc., though no joint bank accounts or leases yet as we're not living together at this time. But this doesn't seem to be as big an issue for DCF filers. My main concern is with domicile. And I'm still a little confused about which way to file, either as having maintained domicile, or intent to re-establish. When filing, do you have to claim one or the other? Or can you just include evidence that I believe proves I have maintained domicile, with additional evidence showing intent to move back? So far my available evidence is: active voters registrationactive drivers license, recently renewedmultiple credit cards with parents address as permanent addressmultiple bank accounts with parents address as permanent addressretirement account with parents address as permanent addresscontinually active health insurance, with parents addressletter from my father stating we will live with themWould the above be enough to qualify as maintaining domicile? Or should we go the re-establish route? Or again, do I have to choose? Another question is, if we were to be denied based on domicile, is it an outright visa rejection, or is there time to re-submit or change my claim from having maintained domicile to re-establishing? Also one last question, unrelated to domicile. Like I mentioned before we plan to marry and then begin filing immediately for CR1. Does any time need to pass before we begin filing, or could I theoretically file the petition in GUZ the next day and have no problems? Thank you in advance for your help, really appreciate your guys' assistance.

I'll be going to the Guangzhou Consulate this Wednesday for my I-30 appointment and I'm reviewing my I-130, G1145 & g-325a's one last time. Does anyone know if the Physical addresses we use on these forms will have mail sent to them or will the subsequent communications be through email? We may be moving from our present location in Shanghai to another location in Shanghai within a few months and I don't want to cause problems or delays in the process. Thanks for you help!

So a few weeks ago my wife and I went back to her hometown to get all of the whitebooks and also to have her old divorce certificate made into a whitebook. Anyway, the local ֤ couldn't get it done in time, so they said they would send the documents to us in Shanghai. We got back to Shanghai during the time when the Typhoon was rolling in. It was raining non-stop throughout most of China for several days. When the documents arrived, they were pretty wet and a few of the corners/edges of the Whitebooks were a little worn down and ripped from the water damage. We dried them out and there is no damage to the ink or anything. You can still read them without a problem. There simply isn't enough time to get new ones made and sent to us, as I go to Beijing on Monday (3 days from now) to file. My question is: Will the consular officers care about the minor damage to the corners and the documents not being in perfect condition? Thanks for your help! -Flash

Hello Everyone, My wife passed her IR1 interview!! We celebrated by booking an earlier flight back to Shanghai. Firstly, I want to say how much I want to thank this forum and everyone’s effort in sharing their experience and expertise. Because of your generosity and warm-heartedness, you’ve helped a lot of people out there desperately need of assistance. THANK YOU!! I want to share my experience with the rest of you out there putting all your effort into bringing your love ones closer to you. Just a quick background introduction of myself, I’m a Chinese American in Shanghai. I moved to Shanghai five years ago and met my lovely wife (from Sichuan). We registered and got our marriage certificate back in 2010. And after our summer trip to the U.S. in 2012, we decided that it is better to start a family in the states. TIMELINE: -Jan. 2010, got married in China -Summer 2012, took a trip to the states for our wedding celebration -Sept.27th 2012, started the DCF in Beijing -Oct. 18th 2012, our case file was forwarded to GZ for further processing -Nov. 21st 2012, received PACKET 3 (NOA #3) -Dec. 12th 2012, received visa appointment confirmation email -Jan. 22nd 2012, document in-take and finger printing -Jan. 23rd 2012, interview DOCUMENT IN-TAKE DAY: -Scheduled for 12:30 p.m. -We got there at 11 and there were already tons of people. -Make sure you get into the right queue (there are queues for non-immigration visas, immigration visas, submitting additional documents, etc.) -They started letting people in at around noon and you must show them your passport (beneficiary) and the appointment letter. -They check off your name on the list and give you a plastic card -Take the escalator up to the third floor, that’s your first security check (they take away your plastic card, so I guess if u don't have the card, you'll have to go back in line to get one. Also, they'll take away any food or water from you) -Go up to the fifth floor, this is the second security check. (they'll take away all electronics and store them for you till you leave) -And then they'll give you a ticket number (do NOT lose this number, they'll ask for it when you go to the window) -Then you sit and wait till they call your number (they will NOT call the numbers in order, but most likely by the type of visa you are applying for) -Document submissions are different for different people. Just give them what they ask for. (some people after submitting their documents will be asked to pay a fee) -After you submit your documents, stay put and wait for finger printing (they will call the same number again) INTERVIEW DAY: -Scheduled for 7:30 a.m. -We arrived at 6:30 a.m. and there were already several lines (for different visa applicants) -By 7:30, make your way up to the fifth floor and get ready to wait again. -Before they begin interviewing, all the applicants are required to take an oath to answer all questions truthfully. -They'll call your number (same number from yesterday) -Make sure you bring along all the documents, even though they may not have asked for them yesterday. -If you didn't pass, you can go to a window to request for details regarding what you need to re-submit. COUPLE THINGS TO NOTE: -Document submissions are done by local Chinese -Actual interviews are done by foreigners who can speak insanely good Chinese OUR CHECKLIST: 1. Appointment Letter 2. Beneficiary passport bio page 3. U.S. Visa Photos x6 4. Notarized birth certificate 5. Nortarized marriage certificate 6. Nortarized police records 7. Evidence of financial Support (I-864 form) I-864 one for the petitioner A letter explaining why I did not file for tax return 8. I-864 from joint sponsor Tax returns from joint sponsor (W2 and 1080) Proof of employment from employer Joint sponsor's passport bio-page 9. Proof of domcile U.S. Credit card statements U.S. driver's license Student loan statement U.S. Bank statements (with both my name and my wife's name) 10. 50 photos of us, with family and friends (from 2008 - 2012) 11. Medical exmination packet (sealed envelope) and x-ray film

Hello, I'm not new to this site, and I just can't seem to find information about this: My wife is J-1 Visa 2 year rule bound, and so she can't get her green card until living here in China for 2 years (we arrived July 8th, 2015) When should I start filing at GZ? We would like to get to the states without delay, and since she is a CCP member (rank and file) she will need the extra bit of time to do a background check or whatever the USCIS does with that time. Could I potentially just apply right now and then have the interview next year, and then get the visa whenever the 2 years are up? Thanks Nathan

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...)

My wife had her interview in GZ yesterday, and came away with an expected blue slip for Administrative Processing due to CCP membership. Given how much I enjoyed reading other people’s posts with their own timelines and interview experiences, I thought I would do a writeup of our own. Since the process seems to have changed a bit lately with CGI Stanley taking over part of the process, I hope this can be helpful for others who are starting out. As a bit of background about ourselves, my wife and I met in graduate school (in China), have been living together since 2010, and got married in 2011. We are planning to move to the States in the fall after our second anniversary. DCF We DCF’d in Beijing on March 27. DHS were very quick in their response to my initial email, and we were able to get an appointment two weeks from when first I wrote to them. Their email to me included a pdf of documents to bring. We took the required documents and an inch-high stack of photos, which the CO flipped through, taking out dozen of them and returning the rest. The CO accepted a photocopy of the notary copy of our marriage license after comparing the two. Nine working days after our DCF, I received an email from the Embassy with a pdf’d scan of our Notice of Approval of Relative Immigrant Visa Petition. The approval date was April 5, and the letter was dated April 8; quick turnaround! Packet 3[?] Ten days later we received an EMS envelope with two sheets of paper in it. One was a covering letter telling us to read and follow the directions on the next page and listing our Case Number; the other was the Notice For Immigrant Visa Applicants, which instructed us to fill out and submit DS-230 along with a copy of the info page of my wife’s passport, two photographs, and with the Notice For Immigrant Visa Applicants. Be sure to write your case number on the Notice before mailing it back; a friend forgot to do this and had his wife’s application delayed. Packet 4[?] We sent the DS-230 and related materials to GZ via EMS and three days later my wife received an email from CGI Stanley instructing her to log in to the website and make an appointment. The website showed wide availability; we could have made an appointment for the next day, if we’d been ready for it…of course, you have to have your medical completed at least two weeks before the interview date, so we couldn't have scheduled it for the next day. My wife had hers done in Beijing on the last day that the old clinic was in operation. Results were not made available that day, she had to go to the new location to pick them up after either three or five working days (I can’t remember which). Also, she wasn't able to get all the shots she needed on one day and had to return in a few days for those. Guangzhou We both liked Guangzhou more than we do Beijing. Clear air, what a miracle. We went to GZ on Saturday for a Monday interview, figuring it would be much less stressful to get in early. We stayed at the Westin, which is less than two minutes from the Consulate. We had a great stay, and I can’t imagine having stayed anywhere else. (I’ve had enough of hard Chinese beds for several lifetimes.) We relaxed, explored Guangzhou, and ate some great dim sum – I'd highly recommend the Guangzhou Restaurant (ݾƼ, located on the east side of the sports complex south of the Consulate. Interview Day We arrived at the Consulate around 6:50 to find long lines. We stood in the 7:00 appointment line until we realized that immigrant visa applicants were supposed to stand in another line. We went to the back of that line and inched our way to the front, where a CGI Stanley employee checked my wife's passport and appointment paper and put a barcoded sticker on the back cover of her passport. We went in up to the third floor to security, where I left my wife to continue on her own. She went up to the fourth floor where everyone went through a proper metal detector (no shoes) and had their things x-rayed. No bags/purses, cell phones, or bottles allowed. In my wife’s pack today were: Appointment receipt, instruction letter (sent via email and printed), and sheet for paying her fee.DS-230 (listed in the P4 materials, but they didn’t want it)Her passport and my passport and photocopies of both (they didn’t look at my passport)Two visa photos of herself (they didn’t want them)Certified copy of her birth certificateCertified copy of our marriage certificatePolice certificateNote that even though she has lived in the Beijing for the last 4.5 years we didn’t get this done in Beijing. Instead, it was done in her hometown (where her hukou is). They accepted this without complaint…so you may not need (or be able) to get one from each city your spouse has lived in for 6+ months. This (and the birth certificate) look nothing like its counterpart in the States, so don't be freaked out when/if your spouse comes home with nothing but a letter.Medical exam resultsFive things: X-rays (didn’t look at them), the big brown envelope that we can’t open, two books for shot records (they didn’t keep them), and another paper about vaccinations. They only kept the brown envelope.Evidence of SupportI turned in an I-864 with my last two tax returns (didn’t file three years ago b/c I was a student and didn’t make enough money to file – I wrote an explanatory statement). I am employed in China by a Chinese company, so even though I earn more than 125% of the poverty line I took the advice of folks on the forum and (a) included evidence of savings and (b) got a co-sponsor since my employment is in China. Even though I turned in bank records showing $50k+ in savings, they still wanted the cosponsor’s I-864…go figure.Evidence of RelationshipThe CO had the photos from the DCF in Beijing and didn’t want any of the others my wife had brought. (Just as well; the ones she took with her today were picked from the stack the CO in Beijing didn’t want.)Resume (Chinese & English version on separate papers)CPC statements from her and from me.We really appreciated the information on the site about CCP issues. I printed the Word document and my wife read through it before writing her own letter.Evidence of domicile: my expired and current drivers licenses (I renewed while in China), latest AmEx bill with US address on it.Her China Merchant’s Bank credit card (Dual currency card, she used it to pay the filing fee in USD.) Document Intake My wife mentioned that it’s not necessary to have your documents separated into different packets. Instead, it might speed up document intake to have all the forms and other documents listed on the instruction sheet already put together. The document intake folks had her take everything on the list out of the individual folders she had put them in, and they (doc intake) put them together into a stack. They then took all other documents she brought (co-sponsor, domicile, etc) and put them on the bottom of the pile of documents. Like other people, my wife reported that document intake was the slowest part of the process. She was one of the last people through it, but got called for her interview relatively quickly. (She was through security around 7:30 and back at the hotel at 10:50.) The Interview My wife was quite happy with the interview. She said it was relatively short (5-10 minutes), including time for the CO to record her answers in the computer after each question. The CO asked what I do, how we met, how many times my wife has been to the US, when we are planning to go to the States, who our co-sponsor is, and finally asked my wife if she is a Party member. She answered yes, and he asked when and if she has stopped paying the membership fee. She told him she stopped paying several years ago, and then said that everything looked good and that the Administrative Processing would take about a month(!). He gave her a blue sheet of paper, and she was out the door. Final thoughts The whole process was much, much faster than I expected. We started in March assuming that it would take about a year to get through everything, and now here we are three months later with visa close to being in hand. If we had wanted to rush things we could have interviewed several weeks earlier; pretty impressive, I'd say. Throughout the process we have had nothing but positive experiences with Consular, State Department, and DHS staff. I’m planning to write to the embassy and let them know how pleased we were with it all. I’d like to offer my thanks (and a small donation that’s on the way just after I post this) to CFL and everyone on these forums who have answered my questions, given advice, and posted their stories for posterity. All the information on CFL has kept me calm and helped us both to know what to expect during this process. Thank you all. That’s it for us…until we get to the States, that is. We are planning to enter after our second anniversary, so my wife should get permanent, rather than conditional, residence. Thanks for reading, and I’ll update this thread once AP is through so folks can keep tabs on what CCP wait times are like in mid-2013.

We received an email saying that our I-130 paperwork had been approved and to begin work on DS-260, but we still haven't received a hard copy in the mail. Should we be concerned? If so, whom do we contact? Been searching the site, but don't see an answer yet. Thanks so much!

Hi all, I am partitioning my wife to immigrate to the US and currently I submitted the DS260 confirmation a few days ago. I want to get a head on some of the things we'll need and one of this is the police report. Now my wife is originally from ChongQing and we moved to Guangzhou for about 5 years now. Where should I get the police report from? From her home town CQ? Or here in GZ? Or both? Or doesn't matter? How long do the police reports lasts? I mean I don't want to get one, then it expires before I get a notice from the consulate that I can move ahead. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Hi all, I only found this website a month or so ago, but it's been so helpful in explaining the whole visa process. I wish I would have found it sooner! I'm hoping to get some advice on our current position. I was teaching in China for 3 years, and we submitted the I-130 in April of 2015 while I was still under contract for a couple of months. Since we had no idea how long this whole thing would take, we figured that I should go back to the US instead of coming back for another year of teaching. If only we had known! My wife had her visa interview for a CR-1 back in August of 2015. She had answered truthfully to the question about being a member of the CPC, so she needed to submit more information regarding her involvement. I helped her draft the answers. It seemed pretty straight forward to me. She had only joined before getting out of college because her parents said it would help her find a job post graduation. It didn't end up doing anything overt. She's a music teacher by trade so maybe being a CPC member looked better on her job application, but their was never any express statement that it was a requirement for her job. She worked at that school for 2 years, then we moved so I could take a new teaching job. At that point she stopped paying her dues, which she said was a simple way to have her membership lapse. I knew that that the CPC membership would be an issue, but I felt her particular case was so superficial that it wouldn't really be a hangup. I was dead wrong. I went back to the US in July and was living with my parents while looking to move. I contacted the local Congressman in November. They got the same reply from the embassy: "administrative processing." After I moved I was in a new congressional district, so in January I reached out to that Congresswoman. Her office was much nicer, but in the end they got the same answer. With February being Spring Festival this year, my wife was pretty miserable and begged me to come back to spend some time with her. Her parents, who she's been living with, have been particularly awful throughout this whole process. They don't understand anything about how the visa application process works and won't listen to my wife when she tries to explain the realities. Her dad still doesn't believe it has anything to do with her CPC membership. I had a job that I could do remotely, so I booked a ticket and came to China just before Spring Festival. I've been here about 3 months on a 120 day visa. We keep expecting there to be a change with her visa status, but there's been no movement at all since she submitted the additional documentation at the beginning of September. I contacted a sentor's office about a month ago, and they're still getting the same stock response. Needless to say my wife and I are pretty miserable and tired of the not knowing. At this point, I'm wondering if talking to a lawyer about a writ of mandamus would be worth the money. Does anyone have any advice for this particular situation? I could recontact the congresswoman's office since it's been more than 90 days since they asked, but I feel like the 3 separate government officials have had no effect. Any advice you all have would be greatly appreciated!

Well, I'm hoping this is the last odds and ends questions. I'm finished with putting together almost all of my forms and evidence. I just have some small questions. Can the I-130 fee, when done by DCF, be payed in RMB in cash in person? If not, can it be payed by a debit card with USD? I speak fluent Chinese, my wife doesn't speak a lot of English. Do I need to prove I speak Chinese and that we have a common language? How would I do That? I remember seeing elsewhere someone had a video of them speaking Chinese requested. I'd like to prepare in advance. If my wife doesn't speak English too well, will that be a problem during her interview? How should I arrange my packet of photos and relationship evidence? All the photos in a zip lock back? In a separate folder/envelope? Should me sheets of paper with forms and letters be stapled, paper clipped, in a binder, or loosely put into a large envelope? This is a more complicated question. In most of the forms, addresses simply don't fit, domestic and Chinese ones. Should I not type them then hand write the address portions into the form? Or should I include a separate paper and write them on that? This is a question about all forms - I-130, g-325a, and the I-864. We will be living in my father's home when we go back to the US. He is going to be a joint sponsor. Since we are going to be in a single household, should he fill out an I-864a or a separate I-864? Back to addresses. I don't know which ones to write. My wife has lived in her grandma's home for years, but that house doesn't have a mailing address. It is also not the address on her hukou. It is not the one under her father's name either. Whenever she applies for things, she usually uses her uncles address as the mailing address. She has also lived there before. Should I just use that address on the forms? This part has been giving me, and her family, a headache. They All feel like its not something that our government will investigate into, but I want to fill things out correctly. I've been doing research and asking others about the whole communist party thing. My wife, before she was 16, was a Ա in school, something everyone was required to enroll in. She never paid any dues or went to any sort of meetings. She is not a Ա. Its probably more like the cub scouts than anything else. Do I need to make note of that and how/when? I haven't seen anything in the I-130 or first step forms. Is it at the interview stage? I think that's it for my questions. If anyone else has last minute advice please let me know! My hope is that we can get the visa in 2 to 3 months....it looks like recently DCF has been that fast if there are no hookups. Is that a realistic goal?

This is my first time to post; I'm thankful for all the great information that you guys have put out there. My husband and I currently live in Chengdu, but he is from Fujian. We want to file our address in Chengdu for the I-130 paperwork so that we can receive them there, rather than them being mailed to his parents' village, which is where his hukou is. His residency card in Chengdu has expired. At the moment we cannot renew it (that's another story). Is it possible to submit paperwork for the I-130 with a different address than our "white books"? Do we just need to submit a letter explaining why? Can anyone advise on this? Thanks so much. ZHWei

I am writing this for a few reasons. First, I have questions and wanted to make sure this was a good cover letter. Secondly, if it is, I hope it can be a good resource for others to use. For 4 I write a copy of my passport. Do I need a copy of my passport if I include a copy of my birth certificate? If I do need it, is it a copy of every single page? I only have a single visa and 1 page of stamps in my entire passport...so if I do that, can I put multiple pages of my passport onto one page for the application? For 6, do I make a photocopy of the white book that I got for our wedding certificate, a copy of our original wedding certificate, or both? For 7, this just happens to be the evidence that I have. Does this look like enough, or too much? For those who would like to use this as a guide later, add or subtract what evidence you have or don't have! Thanks to those who have helped me, will help me, and my best wishes to those who might benefit from this!

First, I'm just going to say thank you to all the members on the board for explaining so many things so well. I've read a few other topics on this, which have been really helpful, but we've a (seemingly) insurpassable wall here. My wife was born in 1992, and where she lives in Qingdao they didn't produce birth certificates until 1994. I know what document we need for the interview and exactly what it looks like, the 顣When we went to the notorial office, they said we couldn't get a unless we had a birth certificate (even though we had her parents' ID cards, wedding certificate, and the hukouben). They told us to go the to get that. We went to two of them, one being her hukou, the other in the city. However at both of those we were told that her ڱ and all of her other documents were enough to prove her birth, and we couldn't get any kind of birth certification. We've made many calls to /notary offices and different paichusuo, and they say we can't possibly get the documentation we need in order to get that notarized document. Any body else with similar problems, and what did you do to get past them? I have a feeling this is just bureaucracy in China, but I'm worried if we can't get this if it will be an issue come time for my wife's interview and the final issuance of her visa. I also have a few other questions that I hope can be answered. In terms of notorized documents, I need (I don't know the English names, but I can explain them): 1) notorial certificate of birth 2) notorial certificate of criminal background check 3) notorial certificate of wedding certificate (hers) 4) notorial certificate of wedding certificate (mine) Am I missing anything there? Also, do I need to go in person to the. Guangzhou consulate to submit my application, and how do I set up that appointment? Do I need to have lived in China for 6 months to do DCF still? I heard you didn't. Becauese it's convenient for me to go at my 5 months and 20 plus days mark of being in China. On my travel visa I'm required to leave every 60 days, so I go to Hong Kong, spend the night, then fly back the next morning. Are my visa stamps enough proof for 6 months, if it is still needed? Thank you very much!

Information here is current as of April 26, 2017. For up to date information, click on the link to the specific office, or check the USCIS web site. The Guangzhou USCIS office can accept walk-ins - the Beijing office states that they do not. American Citizen Services can also help Chinese citizens who need American services provided . China - USCIS Guangzhou Field Office Guangzhou - Petition for Alien Relative (Form I-130) USCIS Guangzhou Field Office - consulate's USCIS web page China - USCIS Beijing Field Office USCIS Beijing Field Office - the embassy's USCIS web page (information about filing the I-130 is included on this page) Storage lockers outside of Beijing US Embassy

Eventually, my spouse will be interviewed in Guangzhou for IR1, and will bring all of the originals and photocopies necessary. Our case number begins with GUZ. We both reside in China. I'm the sponsor and putting together the Financial Documents aka I-864 aka Affidavit of Support. My immigrant spouse is gathering the Supporting Documents aka IV aka Immigrant Visa packet. All of the above will be organized and delivered together at one time. Looking at the NVC website below, it appears we have a choice of processing, or we can decide how to submit our documents: email or mail I haven't noticed this question being addressed, so I wanted to check to make sure I'm understanding it correctly. To me, it seems that organizing and submitting PDFs by email will be easier than mailing printouts. I want to double check that DCF really can do email processing. Step 6: Submit Documents to the NVCAfter you collect your Affidavit of Support form(s) and financial evidence in Step 4, and supporting documents in Step 5, you must submit all of your forms, financial evidence, and photocopies of your original civil documents inONE package to the NVC. Your case may be significantly delayed if you fail to submit all of your documents in one package. Review the methods below, and choose the one that applies to your case. Method 1: Email processing If your NVC case number begins with one of the following prefixes: AKDAMMDMSGZOMEPSAAScan and email your financial forms and evidence, supporting documents, and translations to nvcelectronic@state.gov. Please place your case number in the subject line of the email and keep your attachments below five megabytes (MB). If you have more than one case, use a different email message for each case. For more information, review our Document Scanning FAQs. Method 2: Choice of processing If Your NVC Case Number Begins With And Your Visa Category Is You Can Choose Either MTL Any immigrant visa category Email Processing or Mail Processing GUZ CR1, CR2, F1, F2A, F2B, F3, F4, IR1, IR2 or IR5 Email Processing or Mail Processing BNS, FRN, HNK, RDJ, or SYD IR1, IR2, IR5, CR1, or CR2 Email Processing or Mail Processing Important: Once you select a method, you cannot switch methods later in the process. Method 3: Mail processing If neither Method 1: Email processing nor Method 2: Choice of processing applies to your case, mail your financial forms and evidence, supporting documents, translations, and photocopies, with the Document Cover Sheet included with your NVC Welcome Letter, to the following address: National Visa Center Attn: DR 31 Rochester Ave. Suite 100 Portsmouth, NH 03801-2914 NVC cannot accept documents saved on any form of electronic media, including CDs and memory cards. If you send any electronic media to NVC, we will return it to you unopened. Please allow 30 days for NVC to review your forms and documents once they are received. We will let you know if there are additional items required or if we have received all the requested documentation. http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/immigrate/immigrant-process/documents/Submit_documents.html

We are DCF, and therefore my Chinese income for past 3 years (even though it does just barely qualify in USD at the 125% poverty threshold) won't matter. I understand what's important is showing how I can support my spouse in the USA. My question is what is the golden number to hit for the value of my assets? EXCERPT from I-864 instructions: Part 7. Use of Assets to Supplement Income (Optional) Only complete Part 7. if you need to use the value of assets to meet the income requirements. If your Current Annual Household Income (indicated on Part 6., Item Number 15.) is equal to or more than needed to meet the income requirement as shown by the current Federal Poverty Guidelines (Form I-864P) for your household size (indicated on Part 5., Item Number 8.), you do not need to complete this Part. If your total household income does not meet the requirement, you may submit evidence of the value of your assets, the sponsored immigrant’s assets, and/or assets of a household member that can be used, if necessary, for the support of the intending immigrant(s). The value of assets of all of these persons may be combined in order to meet the necessary requirement. Only assets that can be converted into cash within one year and without considerable hardship or financial loss to the owner may be included. The owner of the asset must include a description of the asset, proof of ownership, and the basis for the owner’s claim of its net cash value. You may include the net value of your home as an asset. The net value of the home is the appraised value of the home, minus the sum of any and all loans secured by a mortgage, trust deed, or other lien on the home. If you wish to include the net value of your home, then you must include documentation demonstrating that you own it, a recent appraisal by a licensed appraiser, and evidence of the amount of any and all loans secured by a mortgage, trust deed, or other lien on the home. You may not include the net value of an automobile unless you show that you have more than one automobile, and at least one automobile is not included as an asset. Item Numbers 1. - 4. Assets. To use your own assets, you must complete Part 7., Item Numbers 1. - 4. and submit corresponding evidence with this affidavit. Supporting evidence must be attached to establish location, ownership, date of acquisition, and value of any real estate holding. ### My spouse and I jointly purchased two rental properties in 2014 and 2015. Both generate some rental income. They are townhouses, and 90% paid off in cash already. Still, I'm not sure if the appraised value of our real estate will be high enough? That's why I was wondering what the golden number is to hit for asset value... (Additionally, I don't have employment lined up yet, so I'm unable to show proof of that point. The only proof of future income is from our rental properties, but the net income falls short of the 125% threshold.) (And, we really don't want to obligate a joint sponsor to sign a 10-year contract for us.)