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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!

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, We received an email notice from the Guangzhou US consulate and registered at ustraveldocs.com. We were able to pay the fee and schedule an interview. However, in various places, the instruction mentions that there should be a "K1 instruction packet" that we should have received. From what I understand, that should be a packet listing the specific approved centers for medical examination. We never received that packet, but I googled and found a PDF listing the location of 4 centers. I don't know whether what I googled was the latest information, and I was wondering what else were in that packet. Does anyone have a link to that packet? I am also asking the consulate this question. Thanks in advance.

So here's my dilemma... The whole K1 process has been going, until now, smoothly for my Chinese fiancee and I. Our documents were electronically mailed from the NVC to the consulate at Guangzhou, China and we got our notification. We then started completing and collecting necessary documents in preparation for the future interview as well as educate ourselves on the process a the consulate. We submitted the DS-160 online before getting the P3. Then sometime later (Dec 19th) we got the P3! requesting that we send them back a copy of the personal information page of the passport, 2 inch square photographs, and the letter they sent to us back to them. No more, cause submitting any other documents to the Consulate at this time would be destroyed. We got confirmation that they received them. Last week with no follow on instructions. We went to the CGI Stanley site and began filling out all the stuff and paid that 1 time fee. On Dec 29th we got and email, the P4, from Chief immigrant visa unit: "Dear Applicant, Petitioner, or Agent of record: This office is ready to begin final processing of the immigrant visa applicant(s) named above in this case. Please follow these steps to schedule and prepare for your visa interview:" We've done all of it already, besides scheduling appointment cause we can't, but when we go to the the page after the fee payment, receipt number is already there, all we get is: "There are currently no appointments available." I've been reading into this for hours and people have gotten the same message but they at least have a calendar, I don't. Also when my fiancee was looking into it she noticed other applicants say they had a "DS-160 confirmation number" on their "update profile" tab in CGI Stanley appointment scheduling site. I don't see that for us either. Also on the dashboard of the CGI Stanley site the payment fee still shows as $265. Does that mean I've paid that amount already or that's how much they still need. What should I do? Please help. Should I try to resubmit the DS-160?

After waiting for nearly 2 months here in Beijing (filed on March 19, approved May 13), we got the I-130 approval notice (email/post). But I'm not sure what's next...Do we wait for some other information from GZ? In the I-130 approval letter, it states my husband's "Beneficiary A Number" as all zeros - what does that mean? Thanks!

K1 case filed in December, 2013. Case approved early May, 2014. Case arrived GZ, May 2014. No P3 ever issued. GZ repeatedly states they returned case to USCIS. Explanation. None. Directed to contact USCIS for explanation. Dozens of written and telephone contacts to USCIS state: "We don't have the case. Case is at the consulate. Contact them." Repeated contacts to NVC produce same result. Repeated contacts to the consulate achieve increasingly belligerent replies that include, "Do not contact us anymore. Your case was returned to USCIS, contact them. Today, more than 491 days have elapsed since filing for K1. No interview was ever provided. No explanation was ever provided. Two senators and two members of congress have been unable to learn what happened to the case or why. Case still appears on the NVC website as: Note, that daughter's number rolled off after her 21st birthday in 2014. Torture of American citizens at the hands of American immigration is permitted.

Hey everyone! First post, but have been lurking for a while. This site has been a fantastic resource for my wife and I, and I'm hoping to get some help with a problem we've run into. Back in January, my wife and I filed a DCF for a CR-1 visa in Beijing. A week and a half ago, we received an email from the Guangzhou embassy informing us that our application for a CR-1 visa had been approved and had been passed on to Guangzhou for the next stage. In the email, it told us to fill out the DS-260, get photos, etc. The email also said the following: " Please follow the instructions to submit the items listed below along with this letter to the Consulate." So far, we haven't received a letter from the embassy. We're wondering if the instructions mean to print the email and submit it, or if we should wait for an actual letter from the embassy and submit that. It should only take 3-5 days for the letter to arrive by EMS (I'm assuming they would use EMS), but it's been about 10 days and still nothing. We've sent an email to the consulate, and haven't heard anything back. Any suggestions? Do we need to wait for a letter, or can we just print out the email?

Per request, I've submitted supplemental materials to GZ via CITIC bank pick-up. Anyone have any idea how long it will take for the documents to reach GZ? We've been told to keep an eye on the ustraveldocs website. However, after we enter my wife's passport number, the message says "Your passport is still with post." It's read this way for close to two weeks now. Additionally, we were requested to submit a scan of the biodata page of her passport, not her actual passport. Thoughts?

My Wife and I have been going through the process to obtain a CR-1 visa so she can come to be with me in the US. We have passed through the Homeland Security abd NVC and the file was sent to the Embassy in Guangzhou last September. In December, we received an email from the embassy stating they were ready to process our application but we had to register on a new website. The purpose - apart from adding another confusing step (Government websites are the pits!!!) - seemed to be to provide an address for the embassy to send documentation. It wasn't clear if we should schedule an interview before the famous package would be sent to my Wife or after she receives it. It has now been 3 months and no package received and the guy at the official drop off collection is saying we should have an interview first!!! This doesn't seem to make any sense and we are wondering if anyone has had experience of the way that this part of the process works. We've been married over 2 years now and we want to be together!!!

Hi, Being a non-chinese applicant, do my birth certificate and non-criminal record require an apostille stamp? The instructions request a "certified copy of his/her birth certificate" and my birth certificate is certified by the Ministry of Interior. Is that not certified enough?

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

My IR1 visa status is in transit.Right now I am double checking the checklist and I have some questions.Please help! I sent all the original documents of police record and birth certificate to NVC.But the instruction says I will have to present the original copies at the interview. Will I get them back before the interview or do I have to get another one?( I chose the electronic process) I was living with my husband in Japan before I came back to China in the July of 2013. Since then I have been waiting for the immigrant visa in China. I have my police certificates from Japan.Do I need to get another one to cover the period of time from July 2013 till now? Approximately how long will it take before my interview is scheduled? My status just turned from "in NVC" to "in transit" yesterday.Happy new year to you all! Thanks! Wanbin

A few questions relating to K1/K2 1. Does anyone have specific information as to what documents are included in the K1 P3 and when and how they arrive to the beneficiary? Via email, snail mail, both? 2. What documents/forms are included in the P4, and when and how is the P4 information sent? 3. I think the police reports are good for only 30-days from date of issue. Are they requested during P3 or P4? 4. When are the K1/K2 medical testing and information taken (P3 or P4)? Pre-interview? How much does it cost? I have looked around a bit, but am not able to find a list of what documents and forms are requested after the P2 and when they arrive. I've seen a short list on VJ, but it's not specific. Thanks guys....

I've just completed the online DS-260. I'm now being told that we need to send in supporting documentation. The email we've received only states that we submit the following: 1. Completed DS-260 (printed from the website) 2. Copy of biodata page of passport 3. 2 2-inch photographs However, the website link provided immediately after submitting the DS-260 states that we need to submit more than the email states we should (e.g. birth certificate, police records, marriage certificate, etc). So, who should I trust? The email or the website? I have everything the website requests, so providing more than the email requests is not a problem. However, the email explicitly says not to submit more than is requested as extra documents will be destroyed. I'm just confused as two authoritative sources have conflicting requests.

Hello all, Just a quick update and alert that the Guangzhou consulate now requires the beneficiary to fill out and send a DS-260 along with a copy of the photo page of the passport and two US-sized passport pics. After that's completed, the consulate then sends instructions on setting up the visa interview (in the meantime, we're collecting the necessary documents). It took us about a week to get the I-130 approved, and a month to get this notice from Guangzhou, which has the case number. I'm hoping we're a pretty straight-forward case as we've been married almost nine years and have a child, who is a US citizen. Question -- is the expedited service at the Citic branch on Financial Street reliable/worth it? And does anyone have experience with these new steps? How long is the wait for the instructions on setting up the visa interview? And here's to hoping the government shutdown in the US doesn't occur. Best, Jennifer

Hello. We recently received the letter approving my petition for a IR-1 visa for my husband and our case has been sent to Guangzhou. We're doing direct consular filing, and was wondering how long it took for people to receive the initial P3 packet from Guangzhou. I also have these questions: 1.) What documents are required for the P3? Once we get the documents together, we send them via CITIC branches listed on ustraveldocs.com? And is there one in Beijing that people generally go to? 2.) I've been working as a freelance writer and worked a lot less last year as I was pregnant. My brother, who's a doctor in the States, was going to be a co-sponsor. What documents do I need to get from him? 3.) Between mailing off the P3 and getting the P4, what sort of wait times have people been experiencing? 4.) How easy is it to schedule an interview once you receive the P4? A little bit of background on us: I am Chinese-American and my husband is British. We've been married for 9 years and have a baby, who is an American. We're currently residing in Beijing. My husband has never had any issues with US immigration and we're hoping to get the visa by November. (How realistic is that?) I realize that this forum is for people trying to get visa for their Chinese loved ones, but it's been hard for me to find information on the DCF process in China. I'd appreciate any guidance and advice.

Ay carumba, this process is somewhat confusing. My British hubby was asked to fill out a DS-230 online, print it up, and then submit it with other documents to a CITIC branch. He followed all these steps and went to the CITIC branch that does the express service. This happened before the October holiday, and we've been twiddling our thumbs since. Just out of curiosity, he went into the VIsa Status Check page online, typed in his case number, and a pop-up with a large "Ready" appeared with this text: "Your case is ready for your interview when scheduled at the U.S. Consular section. If you have already scheduled an appointment for an interview, please prepare your documents as directed in your appointment letter and appear at the consulate on the appointed date and time. Otherwise, please wait until you have been notified of your interview appointment. Additional information about how Immigrant Visa interview appointments are scheduled can be found at:http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_3731.html We haven't received instructions yet about scheduling the interview yet. Possibly missing in the mail? Sit tight and wait for them to send? Or call and gently prod? Has anyone been in the same situation? Many thanks. Jennifer

Hello all, Our I-130 petition was approved on August 17, and we're waiting around for the P-3. I see here that some folks received an email while others received the P-3 via the mail. What's the usual way of receiving the P-3? And without a case number, is there any way to check out what the status of our application is with the consulate in Guangzhou? Many thanks. Jennifer

Hello we have a K1 visa in process and she should be getting the P3 packet soon. What is the new appointment process (see below from consulate)? Perhaps they let you call and make an interview appointment (would be much better)? What is the new document delivery system? New Process for U.S. Visa Applications As part of the U.S. Mission China efforts to streamline the visa application process, the Embassy and all Consulates General that issue visas are implementing a new visa appointment, fee payment and document delivery system starting on March 16, 2013. These services will be provided to visa applicants by our authorized partner, CGI Stanley. Immigrant visa applicants who are qualified for an immigrant visa interview will be contacted directly by the U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou with instructions for making an appointment. Please do not try to schedule an immigrant visa interview until you have been contacted by the U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou.

My application for my spouse has been sent to GZ for review now. I need to tell my employer when I will be leaving for GZ. Anyone know how long the review is before they schedule an interview for us?

Is there a deadline to send back the P3 forms? Would like to delay returning them to have more time before going to the interview. Thank you

I have received the NOA for my wife and I'm waiting for the NOA for my step-daughter. What documents do I do need to file next? I am currently working on my I-864. Do they mail the P3 packets or do you download the forms. If you down load the forms what forms do I need to download? Bubba

My wife received her NOA and Packet 3 from Guangzhou last week. We are preparing the required documents and filling out the OF-169 and DS-230 form. Here are the documents that are listed on the OF-169 form and what we're planning on doing about them: MAILING ADDRESS LABEL: Pretty self-explanatory here. Get a return address label so that Guangzhou can send Packet 4 to us. Status: Check marked. PASSPORTS: Wife's passport is valid for a couple more years and she has no expired or cancelled passports, which from OS-169 asks for if they exist; good to go here. Status: Check marked. SIX PHOTOGRAPHS: Six 2x2 unmounted full-face colored photographs with white background and glossy paper. Status: Check marked. TRANSLATIONS: Documents we'll be getting translated: marriage certificates, birth certificate (see below for details on this - my wife wasn't issued one at birth), police report Status: Check marked (but with caveats - we have not had my wife's birth certificate or police report generated yet.) BIRTH CERTIFICATE: As stated above my wife was not issued a birth certificate at birth - however her family's household registry (hukou) is available and accurate. We will be taking that to the notarial office in my wife's home city, along with her mom as a witness, to have a certified document prepared. In addition we will be having my wife's parents provide an affidavit which we will have translated and notarized. Status: See TRANSLATIONS and BIRTH CERTIFICATE sections (but check marked so we can get on with the program) POLICE CERTIFICATES: Same deal here. My wife has called the police offices in her home city and made sure that she will be able to procure one of these. It'll be translated and certified at the notary office at the same time as the birth certificate and affidavit her parents are making about her birth information. Status: Check marked COURTS AND PRISON RECORDS: Left unchecked - my wife has never been involved in litigation of any kind, convicted of a crime, or spent time in a correctional facility. MILITARY RECORDS: Left unchecked. My wife has never been in the Chinese military. EVIDENCE OF SUPPORT: A couple questions here: we have a co-sponsor who has already filled out the I-864 form and sent photocopies of her tax transcripts. At the interview how many I-864 forms are we submitting? One that I fill out as the petitioner, the one our co-sponsor has filled out, and...does my wife need to fill one out too? At any rate - Status: Check marked MARITAL STATUS DOCUMENTS: We will have our marriage licences translated by the notary office (again) in preparation for the interview. Status: Check marked ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS: It looks like they're asking for more evidence of our relationship here? In that case we'll come with our son's birth certificate, passport, and photos of our relationship including of our wedding, her time spent in the USA with my family and I and...anything else that would be beneficial? Am I understanding this section correctly? Status: Check marked CUSTODY DOCUMENTS: Not applicable. Status: Left unchecked RESUMES: The OF-169 form indicates that if my wife's profession requires a large and complex array of skill and/or education then to include a resume. My wife has a bachelor's degree in English and was a teacher when we met (currently a homemaker). We'll include one anyway. Status: Check marked VISA EXTENSION NOTICE: Not applicable here Status: Left unchecked OK - I am sorry for the length of this post but it helped to get everything written out. It helps for me to organize things - sorry to have to subject you to it! If there is anything I have left out or that you think would be beneficial to know please do chime in - I'm hoping that the above is good enough. The only issue that I can see is that we don't actually have the birth certificate/affidavit thing sorted out or the police check completed. Our plan is to get the Packet 4 and interview date and then head to my wife's home city to have it done. Then from there just go to Guangzhou. Is that wise?

Is anyone received P3 for K1 visa recently?

This may be a stupid question but I'm pulling together an I-134 right now and I'm not sure what to include. It's my first year working, so I don't have tax returns from past years. What I do have: Photocopies of W-2 (for this year's returns) Letter from my bank Photocopies of Recent Pay Stubs Letter from my employer I also have my Photocopies of my W-4 and M-4 for Masssachusetts although I don't know if that's relevant My income is above the 125% of poverty. Is this enough or do I need to keep looking for other things? Thanks Guys!