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The USCIS has announced that same sex couples can file for spousal visas. http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=2543215c310af310VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=2543215c310af310VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD It is possible that we may get new members who are same sex couples with questions. If we do please give them the same consideration you would any other member with legitimate questions.

from the Sixth Tone Beijing Approves Mutual Guardianship for Gay Couple Gay couples are opting for the legal agreement in lieu of same-sex marriages or civil unions, which are not recognized on the Chinese mainland. http://image5.sixthtone.com/image/5/19/587.jpg

UK consul-general Brian Davidson marries same-sex partner in Beijing, shares the love on Weibo http://shanghaiist.com/attachments/shang_kenneth/brian-davidson-scott-chang.jpg The marriage, of course, is registered under the laws of Great Britain, NOT China. The Chinese partner is an American citizen.

in the WSJ Court Rules Against Couple in China’s First Gay Marriage Lawsuit http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-NN470_cmarri_P_20160413071615.jpg

As we've heard from some of our own gay couples, their marriage certificates will be useless in China. Contest-winning gay couples from China wed in West Hollywood More pictures on their Facebook site - https://www.facebook.com/shanghaiist/photos/pcb.10153412323506030/10153412316766030/?type=1&theater

Hi All, Me and my spouse are in CR1 process and we are really worried about it because our story is complicated, we are same-sex and we have a age difference of 25. I studied in US for 4 years majoring in Engineering and it was during this time I met my spouse. We met online during my freshmen year,2010 and then we became friends afterwards. After I got back to US in summer 2011, I was homesick and having a hard time getting used to fraternity life. He invited me to stay with him and his uncle for a while and I did. One night, he made dinner for me and said" this dish is from your hometown and I hope it will make you feel better". I flipped right at that second and our relationship went beyond friendship but less than a serious relationship for the following 2 years (2011-2013), meaning friends with benefits. It was during these 3 years(2010-2013) , we got to know each other more and more. we went out for dinner, we enjoy listening to the music and watching tv and movies(especially horrors) together, we did grocery shopping together, he took me on for motor rides, he taught me how to drive in US, great sex, meeting some of his family members, etc... I stayed in US for summer 2013. We saw each other every day. One night I was stuck at Chicago Train Station till 2am in the morning, he drove there with his nephew to take me home and one day, he was helping me cleaning my apartment, I saw him got down his knees scrubbing my toilets and bathtub, I fell in love with him. (How can I not fall in love with him when a guy drove two hour to pick me up at 2 am and on his knees cleaning my dirty bathroom!?)We then started dating each other from summer 2013. We got married in US in May 2014 and i went back home in June 2014(china) because I had an internship that fit my career objective and i had to come back to sign some docs in person(my family bought an apartment under my name for investment a few years ago and i came back to sign the docs to apply ownership certificate). Now,we r in CR1 process and I flew to Canada to see him this past December. And I know I should have just stayed in US with him going through Adjustment Status. Keys: We never moved in because he stayed home(uncle's place) taking care of his uncle who had cancer and passed away in 2013 and then he succeeded his uncle's money and house We dont have many evidence because from earlier years because we weren't even dating and we kept our heads low because of our special relationship. I have met his families but he never met mine because i am not out. No weddings because same-sex marriage has to be officiated by a judge When we got married, it was just two of us because his families live in another state. My concern is: How am I gonna explain our relationship evolvement to the CO. it's so complicated. is the CO able to handle our crazy dramatic love story? Any advice from your guys will be appreciated except those that are full of hate Thanks.

Not a common topic in the Communist Party rags. Three different cases are covered, one couple are both U.S. citizens. The story is credited to, "By Xie Wenting Source:Global Times" Gay couples in China set sights overseas to realize dreams of raising children

Hello all! Glad I came across this forum, I've found a lot of useful information. One thing I haven't been able to find, and I'm surprised, is how the heck do we get a proper Chinese address on the "mailing address" sections? Both my fiance and I are living in China at the moment, and on the other fields like the G-325a, I'm not too worried about abbreviating/shortening the addresses, but the mailing address needs to be totally correct or the paperwork will never arrive here as it should! Plus, as I'm sure you already know, the Chinese way is to give a call when a package arrives, and there are no fields to put in your delivery phone number. What have the rest of you done in this situation? Also, a simple second question for the future interview -- can I join my fiance at the visa interview in Guangzhou?? All stories I read of other people they are not attending the interview. I thought it was an option, but I never see people attending together in anyone's personal story...

Our journey progresses... GOOD NEWS! After a quick trip to the US, I submitted our I-130 paperwork in Beijing on 12/19. Today we received an email with the PDF "Notice of Approval" attached, dated 12/20! We are so excited to see things quickly moving in the right direction. I'm sure you'll be hearing more from me as we wade into the paperwork abyss. Hopefully readers getting their I-130 packets together will find the following info useful. For the record, in addition to the required forms (I-130, a G-325 for each of us and the G-1145) and supporting materials, such as copies of all my Chinese visas (aka "Residence Permit" or "work visa") 2005 to present, a copy of our marriage certificate, etc., I provided: 1) English translations of our leases, 2007 to present (since they show both our names and ID info). I had a friend translate them and had him sign an attached statement attesting to the translation's accuracy and providing his name, contact info, credentials and signature (using a template gleaned from this website). Note: I also brought copies of the original Chinese leases, but the guy at the window didn't want them. 2) A one-page photocopy of the faces of US credit card that we share (I will do almost anything for air miles). I just put both the cards side-by-side, facedown on the glass and made a copy. 3) Photos of us out and about in Beijing and abroad, starting in 2005 and leading up to our wedding. I know there are different theories about how best to submit photos. Since we have everything in digital format, I simply dragged the photos (along with our wedding invitation and some old digital holiday cards we've sent out over the years) into a PPT photo album template, added some very basic labels (i.e., "X-mas 2006, Beijing") and then converted the PPT into a PDF ("Save as…"), printed it out and put a single staple in it. It was around 15 pages with maybe 45 photos total. The cover shows a pic of us at our wedding with the obvious title stating our names and that the packet is being provided in support of the I-130. I made an appointment via phone to submit the I-130 (with follow-up via email). Everyone at the embassy in BJ / USCIS was very friendly and the process was quick and easy. We are a same-sex couple and this was a non-issue. I can sometimes sense that people struggle with the terminology ("your…husband?"), but that's to be expected, as the law only recently changed and it's an adjustment for everyone. Even I'm sometimes unsure about the most PC terms. Now we are awaiting instructions from Guangzhou, which I assume will come via snail mail, hopefully within a week or so. Please someone correct me if I'm wrong. Once we hear from GZ, is this what I can expect? (I realize I'm simplifying here): >Submit D-260 online; hard copies of other forms (I-864, etc.) sent with $ via CITIC >GUZ notifies us of receipt (also via snail mail?) and we can schedule interview via website >Hubz schedules and get medical and goes for interview in GZ (with all the requisite docs on hand) >Passport with visa and not-to-be-opened packet mailed back to our address in BJ CNH (Chinese National Hubz) has already been to his hometown to get all of the materials he needs to provide. His police certificates are from July and he is concerned that they may be viewed as outdated. However, I've assured him that this isn't the case, as on the "IV Instruction DS-260 Sept2013" from GUZ it states that "Police certificates are valid for one year." I wonder if anyone has thoughts about this? From my side, I am pulling together I-864 data and other supporting docs. I also have a signed letter (on letterhead) from my new US employer stating salary and indicating that both hubz and I will be getting medical insurance benefits; also a 4-month US lease signed by the new landlord, me and hubz, clearly stating the new US address. I hope the duration of this lease doesn't raise eyebrows. Because of the uncertainty of exactly when hubz will arrive in the US, we thought it best to do a short-term rental so that we can be sure to be together when seeking more permanent accommodations. This seems reasonable to me, but let me know if you have other opinions. I welcome any and all advice regarding the various steps to come, and will be keeping our journey updated here and likely posting more questions in the weeks to come. Thanks and Happy Holidays, David

Dear Candle for Love Community, After several months of reading and learning from so many of you, my husband and I are ready to start the DCF process. We are excited and nervous, and thank you all in advance for all the invaluable help this site offers. About us: We are a recently married same-sex couple (two guys) who have been together in Beijing for the last 8 years—cohabiting for the last six. We have been wanting to marry for some time but were waiting for the Supreme Court to give us their blessing. This summer, they did, so we tied the knot in the US. Like clockwork, I now have a job offer in the US (and a lead on a rental) and we feel we are ready to pull the trigger and DCF. Assembling the materials for the first step has raised some questions and I suspect this will be the first of several posts as we muck our way through the process. Hopefully others can also learn from our shared experiences. While I don't anticipate that being a same-sex couple will change our process, I'll post here if I find it does. Right now, the initial filing packet is looks like this (I have highlighted items in red that I'm unsure about): I. USCIS Forms: I-130G-1145G-325A (husband’s)G-325A (mine) II. Docs to prove my US citizenship: Copy of my current passport’s biodata pageCopy of my prior passport’s biodata page (Since some of our previously leases and my residency permits are keyed to this passport number—should this be a concern? How best to avoid confusion?)Copy of my birth certificate (Is this needed if I have the passport copy? Does it need to be notarized? The original is in storage in the US) III. Docs proving marriage bona fides: Copy of our marriage certificateCopy of “official” translations of our leases (2007 to present)Letter from friend attesting to our relationship (Do these letters need to be notarized?)Letter from relative attesting to our relationshipLetter from relative attesting to our relationshipPhotos dating our relationship from 2005 to present (may include some travel docs, too, since we have many pics to trips to the US, Europe, Asia, etc. over the years) IV. Docs to prove my residency in jurisdiction covered by Beijing American embassy to be eligible for direct filing: Copies of my Chinese residency permits (2005 to present) V. Other documents Copy of hub’s passport biodata pageCopy of notarized English translation of hub’s hukou2 passport photos of me2 passport photos of my husband Also: For the scheduled appointment at the US Embassy in Beijing for filing all this, do we both have to be present? I would appreciate it if any of you could weigh in about the items in red—and anything else we might be missing or doing wrong. I will keep everyone appraised of our process, from start to finish, as I suspect this is the first of many posts. Thanks so much for your help, D