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We submitted the application, and she received what I imagine is the blue slip (am i right?) Which states: "Your case requires additional processing, We will contact you and inform you of our decision. You may want to contact us every few months to check your case's status via the online form available" it says CCP with the box checked requesting explanation about her party membership affiliation. Also, it said it has insufficient information about my (I am the american) residency in USA, and asked me to submit evidence of job search and residency in USA. (they hand wrote "job search" on to the form). They also requested an I864-A and tax returns. Anyway, we submitted these about 65 days ago, and I have contacted them by the "online form" several times, but every time they just say "if you haven't heard back from us within 90 days then contact us again" What is the average wait time for people in my situation? Is there anything I should be doing in the mean time? Did I get the "blue slip"? how common is it and what does it really mean? My wife is worried and doesn't understand the situation very well, I try to console her, but I don't really understand the situation well myself. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks blue.rock

I know Randy sort of answered the question before when I asked if we needed to bring all original documents we sent copies of to NVC to GUZ for my wife's daughter's interview, but do we need to supply my birth certificate? Last 3 years of tax returns (which I sent to NVC)? Proof of my employment? Our marriage license from USA? I need to be sure. If they go and don't have something because I said we didn't need it you know who's gonna pay! Thanks!

Hi, Every Friend here. After a long 10 months wait and NBC for no reason sending my wife and kid's I130 to field office for judication, I received the notice from my local field USCIS office to have an interview with me. I just finished the interview and was told both cases are approved. The officer who interview me told me there was no extra notes on our cases and he didn't understand why the NBC took so long and why they didn't approve the case by themselves and sooner. When I filed my application, my daughter was only three month old, she is now 13 month old. I missed all the happy time being with her since she and my wife are still in China. Since I filed I130s myself (I checked with the USCIS field officer, there was no errors on our applications), I would like to have your help again to complete the Visa application process. I have a few questions for the Visa process: 1. My wife and daughter are living in Shanghai, even there is a consulate in Shanghai, their interviews will still be in Guangzhou, correct? 2. Is the efiling for the Visa still available for our cases? 3. I have not yet filed my 2013 tax return. I did obtained 2010-2012 tax transcript. It is obvious not enough time to get the tax transcript even I am filing now. Can I send in the 2013 tax filing without the IRS approval? 4. What kind of time frame currectly for getting the green card visa after the I130 approval? Thank you in advance!

Our interview was scheduled for 8:50. My wife was not able to go inside until 9:10ish, and I waited outside. Inside, they took her police, marraige, and birth certificates. They also took the I-864 I filled out and my 2013 and 2012 tax return copies. Everything else we brought, including all my domicile information and evidence of relationship documents were not looked at. My wife was asked around 7 questions, about half English, half Chinese. Some questions included: Where/how did you meet? What language do you speak at home? What's your job? Where will you work in America? Where will your husband work? My wife was preliminarily approved. She received a white and pink form. What they need is our co-sponsor's husband to fill out an I-864A and they need proof of US residency of our co-sponsor. Since our co-sponsor is not family, I hate asking them for all of this. They already helped us so much. Do you guys think it would be OK to find a new co-sponsor at this point, and send a whole new I-864 instead? Let me know what you think.

Hello All, I am a newbie on this site and am already super pleased with all the useful information I have found on this former. My husband is American and i am from Zimbabwe. We got married in January and have since submitted the I-130 application which has now been approved (yay!) and are now waiting for further instructions. Regarding the next steps, I wanted to ask about tax filing in particular. I know my husband will need to submit some sort of proof of filing but given he has been in China for 4 years, he has not had to file in the US as his wages fall beneath the threshhold. My question is then, what does he need to show as proof of taxes? I also wanted to find out if it would be worth having a co-sponsor (ie his mother) to help to support the move. We are in a good position financially, but will not have jobs when we get to the US. Will this be an issue? I also wanted to find out whether the Guangzhou field office will be contacting us via email or snail mail. Thank you so much!!

Ugh. I've been filing my taxes this whole time a single, also because my wife does not have a SSN. We have plenty of evidence for a bonafide marriage, including a four-year-old son, a bun in the oven, and heaps of photos with various family. Is this a problem? What should we do?

Of course, NVC made a mistake and said we had not filled in certain parts of the 864 AND 864A!!! So no matter what, even though they said THEY made the mistake after I called them, we have to send in another copy. BUT...going over the form (actually the 864A instructions) it says this..... If the sponsor you are promising to make your income available to is sponsoring the the principal intending immigrant (the sponsor should have “Yes” as his or her answer to item number 8 of his or her Form I-864), you should list the intending immigrant on line “a” of Item 13 and then list on lines “b” through “f” any spouse and any and all children that appear on lines 9a through 9e of the sponsor's Form I-864. WHAT is ITEM 8????? on the 864???? I look and can not see what they're talking about. Was proof reading all the forms again before I sent them back and saw this. Thanks!!

Hi, My husband, who is my sponsor, has been working in China for a non-American company for the past few years, therefore he does not have the W2 and 1099 forms. Would copies of his income tax returns from the past three years, along with the 1040 and 2555 forms provide enough evidence for the Affidavit of support? Also, regarding the I-864EZ eligibility requirements: 1. You filed a Form I-130 petition, for your relative (He filed for me) 2. There is only one applicant on the Form I-130 petition (Only me) 3. The income you are using to qualify is based entirely on your salary or pension and is shown on one or more forms W-2 provided by your employer. (All the qualifying income does come from his salary only, however, as mentioned earlier, he does not have the W2 to prove it, only the 1040 and 2555.) For the third requirement, would the 1040 and 2555 forms qualify, or should we go for the I-864 to be on the safe side? Thanks!

Hi all, this is my first post. The site was recommended when I had some questions, so I hope you can help me. I'm Alex, an American. Vivienne is my wife, she is Chinese. We want to move to the US in August/September of this year. We're hoping to get a CR-1 visa for her. Our situation is really complicated, so I will do my best to explain it... I moved to Beijing on an F visa in February of 2012. In June of 2012, I moved to Hong Kong on a work permit. Since September, I have lived in Xiamen, first on a long-term F visa (I was at Xiamen University) and now on one of those you-must-leave-the-country-every-30-days business travel visa (Vivienne owns a small market research firm in HK, and sponsored me for this visa) Our combined income should be sufficient to fill out the I-864, but only for 2013, so I'm asking my parents to fill one out as well, which brings me to my first question, 1) If I fill out an I-864, does that make my parents "the only joint sponsor" or the "first / second of two joint sponsors"? 2) Am I eligible to apply through the Guangzhou consulate? I have lived in Greater China for two years now. I have a Chinese and Hong Kong bank account, and together with Vivienne I rent an apartment here (though the lease is in her name). 3) If I'm not eligible because of my F visa, I have an opportunity to apply for a Q1 visa here while Vivienne and I head to her hometown for Spring Festival. Once I'm on a Q1, could I apply right away for the CR-1, or would I have wait until I've been here for six months? Of course, I'd much rather be on a Z visa, but it's hard to find work when you won't be around for a year. I think that's it.. Please let me know if you have any advice. Sincerely, Alexander & Vivienne

Sent in all papers for Affidavit of Support (I-864/I-864A) for my wife's daughter. Got a reply from NVC that a number of mistakes were made. NOT! Each area they said had an issue was right on! Some they said weren't filled out (like where my wife was born, SSN#, etc.) but they were all filled out! They also said the fields that indicated the number of immigrants had to coincide with each other throughout the form (there is only one (1) immigrant) and they did! I of course called up NVC and the woman just said, "Oh it must've been someone new and they made a mistake." So we have to send them all in again even though the mistakes they said we had...we didn't. Another delay. As I said in the subject, sometimes you wonder if it will ever be done. Have a great day!!

It's been quite awhile since I've posted around here, thanks to all my questions having readily available answers. Hubby and I had our petition approved on January 23 after submitting it on January 14 in Guangzhou. We have since submitted the DS-260 (P2 packet, correct?) and received the email to schedule the interview. First, it's my understanding that you don't receive the medical exam information until after you have scheduled the interview. Have any recent interviewees had issues getting expedited medical exam results or having the medical exam done the day before the interview? What about the fee? Second, is the hukou, or household registration needed at the interview? Third, my list of items to give the hubby to submit at the interview: - DS-260 confirmation page - my passport (does a copy suffice?) - hubby's passport - passport photos (how many?) - notarial birth certificate - white books (I thought they already collected this...do they want additional copies and/or the red books?) - police certificate - medical exam docs - sponsor's I-864 form (that's me) and last three years (2011-2013) of tax returns (I filed back taxes as I didn't owe anything) - joint sponsor's I-864 form including a copy of her birth certificate, tax transcripts, pay stubs (no W-2 as she just started her job in January), letter regarding her new employment - a letter explaining my domicile (I am also including mail sent about student loans and my US bank account) - originals of photos submitted in I-130 packet (the intake officer specifically told me to have my PDF of photos printed as actual photographs) - additional photos from our wedding and "honeymoon" trip Lastly, I'm concerned about the affidavit of financial support from the joint sponsor. My parents have sent everything via DHL. There are no W-2s (and I can't recall the reason why my mom declined to do so.) My mom just started a new job in January so she has included a letter stating her employment along with pay stubs. Most importantly, they haven't filed their 2013 taxes. Will the VO automatically make us wait for that information? My mom always files at the last possible minute, and we plan on scheduling an interview before the April 15th deadline. Any thoughts on this? I am aware that the P3 packet will provide specific instructions about what is needed and the medical exam, but if there is anything else I may be overlooking, by all means say so. I am really grateful for this forum because I would feel entirely overwhelmed without having some pros to receive sound advice from. A very big thank you in advance, Marissa in Xi'an

I am still waiting for my tax returns from the IRS and it has been almost 4 months. I have tried to access my tax transcripts online, but it is not working for me. My co-sponsor has included her past 3 tax returns with the I-864. Does this mean I don't need to show mine as well? Would my wife's visa be automatically denied without my last 3 years tax returns? I feel like time is running out and I am feeling stressed about this.

So last year we filed I-130's for each of Jie's parents. It's at NVC and each just got assigned their NVC case#'s. We got 2 invoices, 1 for each of them to pay the $88 AOS processing fee and I'm getting ready to pay it at www.ceac.state.gov I enter moms NVC# and then the invoice # and it takes me to a new screen where I'll enter payment info. I assumed there would be an $88 fee for each parent, but here is what is a bit confusing: on the screen where I pay it says Payment Amount: $88.00 Payment For: 1 AOS Fee for 2 Related Cases 1 fee for 2 related cases? Again, I figure there are 2 fees, but is this saying we only need to pay one fee for both parents, or one for each? I just don't want to overpay our govt.

My husband has asked his grandma to be my sponsor. He will not be involved in sponsoring me coz his income was not enough. Does it work this way or does the petitioner have to be the main sponsor? Thank you for your help Mia

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

The I-864 is a long lasting commitment between the petitioner and the beneficiary. So, how does it apply to those who have previously filed a K1 and their ex-spouse has a ten-year green card and lives in the US. I know the obligation to the I-864 continues until: 1. 40 consecutive quarters of working in USA (that's ten years) 2. Becomes a US citizen 3. Abandons US residency 4. Dies This means, as far as I can tell that I am still obligated to my ex-wife. Will that slow the approval process of the K1 I recently submitted? When it comes time for the I-134 and I-864 what are the income requirements? Is it a household size that includes my previous K1/K2 and current K1/K2 (five people including me)?

I know it may seem like I ask a lot of questions about everything, but I just want to make sure I get this all right. Would my wife need to fill out the I-864EZ? The qualifications to do so are.... All three of the following are true: You filed a Form I-130 petition for your relative, andthere is only one applicant on the Form I-130 petition, andall your qualifying income comes from a salary or pension and shows one or more W-2 Forms that you receiveAll of the qualifying income DOES come from a salary...mine. The W-2's are through my company and come to me, but we file jointly. So my wife doesn't actually 'receive' the W-2s. But does the above allow us to use the I-864EZ or should we use the I-864? Thanks and sorry for all the questions. Marc

Dear CFL members, I have a basic question about the I-864 and have read conflicting answers on this and other websites. Basic scenario: In addition to my I-864, my sister is filing an I-864 on our behalf. She is married and files taxes jointly. However, her individual income (Part 6, Item 5) exceeds 125% of the federal poverty guidelines. So according to the instructions: "If this amount [item 6.5] is greater [than the 125%]...you do not need to include any household member's income. Ok, got it. But then under Part 6 items 13.a.1 - 13.c.1, it's asking for AGI "as reported on my federal tax returns." Seems straightforward enough. Since my sister filed jointly, her AGI includes her husband's income. So the amount listed on Part 6 item 5 ("current individual annual income") is different from AGI on taxes. This would be the case for anyone filling out this form who is married, files joint tax returns and makes enough money individually to support the I-864 without counting his / her spouse's income. Note: my sister will be including copies of last three years' 1040s and her personal W-2s. We see three possibilities: 1) Under Part 6, 13.a.1 - 13.c.1, list reported (joint) 1040 income for each year. Sister's husband does not complete I-864A. (Add or do not add a simple attachment breaking out sister's income for each of the three tax years, as shown on W-2s, as suggested here: http://www.immihelp.com/affidavit-of-support/federal-income-tax-documents.html ?) 2) Under Part 6, 13.a.1 - 13.c.1, make a note on the form and list only individual income from W-2s in each blank. Highlight W-2 copies so it's easier to connect the dots. Sister's husband does not complete I-864A. 3) Under Part 6, 13.a.1 - 13.c.1, list reported (joint) 1040 income for each year. Sister's husband is listed as Person 1 in Part 6 and he fills out I-864A. We are leaning toward #1 but want to make sure we get it right. Any thoughts? Thanks! David

Sorry to stick my nose in here but had a question about the I-864. They finally got around to changing the LND to GUZ for my wife's daughters paperwork. So we'll pay the $230. My question is do I need to send in the I-864 now, or will NVC tell us when to do this. You said something about the P3. If you could clarify that would be great. THANKS!!

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 husband, the USC, currently has an annual income of $50K and upon our relocation to the US, it will increase to about $90K. We will of course be including an official letter from his employer stating these facts. Would you still advise for a co-sponsor even though these salaries are well above the required 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines? We have no problem finding a suitable co-sponsor, however, if there is no need for it, we would prefer to avoid the hassle.

I am filling out theDS-260 Online information page - in place of the old DS-230 form and the website keeps asking me for an Invoice ID number. I have looked over all of my information, especially the e-mails and letters from NVC (which informed me that I can now schedule for an interview) and I cannot locate the Invoice ID number anywhere. So, my questions are many-fold: 1) Where can this number be found and how do I request for one if it was not included in the information I have already been provided? 1.5) Is the Invoice ID number only given to me once I have paid for the interview? 2) Also, the payment for the interview and application, must it be paid before going in to the consulate for an interview or can it be paid in the consulate itself prior to interviewing? 3) Last question - do I need to complete the DS-260 form prior to scheduling for an interview or can I schedule an interview first without completing the DS-260 form, as I have only used and submitted the DS-230 form before?

I'm an American woman married to a Chinese man and we're DCF-ing from Beijing. We've scheduled our interview (hooray!) and are gathering the documents for my husband to bring to his interview. I've been doing some research but am confused about the I-864 because I am seeing different answers. I filled out an I-864 form as the petitioner and primary sponsor for my Chinese husband. However, I don't meet the poverty guidelines, so my mom will be the joint sponsor. I included her in our personal household size (just me, my husband, and my mom) because we will be living with her when we move back to California. I have a driver's license and bank statements to prove that my mom and I reside at the same address. In this situation, where we are from the same household and she is my joint sponsor, does she fill out the I-864A or the I-864? I originally thought that the joint sponsor who's in my household fills out the I-864A to supplement my income, but now I am going over the instructions again and wondering if I misread them. Please clarify!

Hi guys, I was wondering what you guys might think about my intent letter. This is the first and hopefully last time I have to go through this process. I have been told that my letter is too casual and that my letter about my relationship with my spouse has too much information, Any thoughts? What should I omit? My letters are below: Intent Letter: To whom this may concern: I am writing this letter to attempt to provide proof of my intent to re-establish domicile in the United States as per the requirements of the I-864 form. I currently live in Thailand with my wife. My wife and I intend to move to the United States and live with my close friend and his family at their residence in Redmond, Washington, temporarily, while we look for a home to buy. We intend to move there shortly after her immigrant visa is processed. I have a permanent mailing address in the US where my mail has been going and where all of my belongings are currently stored. I also have a current bank account in the state of New York through Bank of America which can be used nationally. I have had this account since 2005 and continue to pay my school loans and credit cards every month utilizing this account. I first came to Thailand to visit my family, who all live in Bangkok, in 2011. My mother had decided to return to the country of her origins in 2004. My parents were getting older and I hadn’t seen them for seven years since I was living in the states. I decided to stay awhile and shortly thereafter decided to start school there to get a degree that would allow me to work abroad and continue to travel. That all changed after I met my wife. She was already in visa proceedings to go study in the US. She had been accepted at a university in Oklahoma and she dropped all her plans to make a life with me. We got married and have been extremely happy since. I decided to stop going to school in mid-2013 and started making plans to return to the US to start a family and return to Washington State largely due the political situation here. I worry about our safety and it has gradually gotten worse. We actually came to this conclusion around May 26, 2013 when a bomb was detonated at a store front on our main road. Currently, we live across from Ramkhamhaeng University where 4 students were killed and scores were injured in shootings and a bomb attack on Nov 30, 2013. I feel Bangkok is no longer a safe place. Upon return, my close friends and I plan to start up an online business while I find employment in the tech sector and or customer service/sales sector. Returning to the games industry is also an option. I will also seek to finish my education in night school to open doors of opportunity in the future. My wife has completed her certification to teach Chinese and intends to finish her education in Washington State and then continue for a Masters in Education. I thank you for your time in this matter and hope we will have met all parameters and requirements needed to begin the rest of our lives in America. Sincerely, xxxxxxxxxxx Relationship Letter: To whom this may concern: I first met my wife at my professor’s birthday party. Interestingly, a few weeks before I was to attend his party, he told me “You know, there’s a girl I know, who would be perfect for you”. Little did I know that the woman he was referring to would become my wife. We met briefly and unfortunately, I was not able to stay at the party. A couple of days later I received a message on Facebook. It was her. She had “liked” one of my silly photos. I messaged her back and we started to chat…a lot. We found that we had a lot of things in common. Our favorite cartoons as children were the same and we started to notice that we would type the same things when we were talking. We talked and talked for hours on end about anything and everything. We were quickly becoming great friends. She later invited me out to dinner with a bunch of other students. It would be the first time seeing each other since the party. When I sat down next to her, I felt more comfortable than I had ever felt in my life. I wasn’t sure if she had feelings for me for more than a good friend, but the way she looked at me and smiled when I talked to her made me feel something I had never felt. It literally felt as if I had known her forever. We all went to a lounge afterward and we chatted some more and a man selling roses walked by. I decided to buy a rose in front of everyone. I then handed it to Jijun (Daisy). All of the other girls were jealous. It was a great moment. We became inseparable and started spending copious amounts of time together. We gravitated towards one another. If we weren’t near one another, we were chatting on various chat apps and sharing photos and ideas and bits of our lives to one another. I knew in my heart I had found my “soul mate”. The one I was supposed to be with. She was my dream girl. I had a fortunate opportunity in meeting her, yet there was a sad reality upon the horizon. Jijun (Daisy)had been accepted to a school in the USA and was planning on leaving in a few short months for the states. We hadn’t expected to meet one another. We hadn’t expected to fall so deeply in love. I decided to just take it one day at a time and to enjoy the time that we had together. Daisy’s parents had already made plans to visit and I was delighted to finally meet them. I didn’t feel nervous at all and we all had a great time. As the departure date approached for her to return to China with her parents, she dropped a huge bombshell. She had decided to cancel her visa appointment at great expense, as her parents had already paid the necessary visa fees, and told me that she was going to stay with me in Bangkok and see where our relationship would go. When she returned from her Phuket trip, our families had dinner and it was then I walked up to her father and told him how crazy I was about his daughter and that I wished to marry her. I had learned to say it in Chinese. He approved. I was so elated. Later that night as we said our final goodbyes, Jijun’s father pulled me aside and told me that he trusted in me that I would take care of his daughter and that he was very happy to see his daughter so happy. The most amazing aspect was what my mother did. There had been a ring she promised to give me one day to ask someone to marry me. Problem was that she had never liked any of the women I had dated, so I was not sure if my mother would accept Jijun. I was amazed at how nice and sweet my mother was toward her. She had refused to meet all but one of my exes in the past. I had asked my mother for the ring and she had told me that she had sold the ring long ago. I was quite upset. I had planned on giving the ring to Jijun. One day, my mother had asked her to meet her for the day. I was amazed that my mom would ask to spend time with her. When she returned from their meeting, she was beaming. She then showed me her hand. The “lost ring” was on her finger. My mother had lied to me. She hadn’t sold it. She was holding on to it for the right girl. She wanted to make sure I didn’t give it to another. So my mother, who has hated everyone I had ever dated, personally gave Daisy my engagement ring. It was an amazing way to show she had accepted Jijun as her future daughter-in-law. We began to live together and planned to go to China to get married. We went to Chengdu for a month-long vacation and the day finally arrived. I married my dream girl on April 18th, 2013. Things have been amazing since then and I couldn’t have dreamed to ever be so happy in my life. I have such a great reason to wake up each day. We have talked a great deal about our future and decided it would be best to return to the United States to finish our education and shortly thereafter, start a family. When I think about this future, I smile a great big smile and breathe a sigh of contentment that I have my life partner at my side each day, looking towards the future, together. Thank you for reading. Yours, xxxxxxxxxxx

Hello and thanks million to this website and its many helpful members? I have been living and sometimes working here in China for the last 12 years. I met my wife in my 3rd week here and we have been together ever since. I never planned to go back to the US, it was my dream to live and die here in the central kingdom, but now that our child is 5 and is already being influenced by the so called education system here I realise, as my mum said there is only one "i" in the word family and she deserves better... My main concern in filing the I-130 is not proving we are married or that I am a citizen, but my past, current and future income(s)?..aka the I-864... My family state side is all but broken after the Bush era..(all below poverty level) Although we will have a place to stay and the rental income from the family owns will be enough to survive, it is still below the amount required for a family of three.. What can one do if the have no cosponsor? Has anyone ever made it back with out one and no job stateside? I will be able to get one once I obtain my Acupuncture license... Thanks and Sorry for the negative nature of this my first post also I have been off the grid since 1992 (no 1040s filed)