alec_bauserman Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 How long does the marriage process in China take? A few days? Weeks? Months? I am ready to send out a I-129F but Ive been told a DCF of the I-130 can get us back quicker. However we are not married yet so would the extra time it takes to get married make a I-129F better? Oh yeah, one more ? Has anyone called the Chengdu or Guangzhou consulates? Are they helpful with advice or do they only answer case-specific questions? THANKS!!!Alec & Elf Link to comment
Martytb Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Chengdu was very helpful when I emailed them several times before going to China. I had to stop there on the way to Chongqing to get my Certificate of Marriagability. The Chinese military there was a bit intimidating, but other than that it was a nice experience. How fast it takes to marry depends on where you are. It took us about an hour and a half. It's like applying for a drivers license in the US with out the long lines Link to comment
aqua8lung Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 We tried to get married in Xi'an but we needed proof that I was not married. They said I could get that from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Since it was Chinese New Year it was not possible to get to Beijing and back before I had to return home. When I returned I consulted an immigration lawyer and he said the K-1 was the fastest way to get her here.We tried to get married in Xi'an but we needed proof that I was not married. They said I could get that from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Since it was Chinese New Year it was not possible to get to Beijing and back before I had to return home. When I returned I consulted an immigration lawyer and he said the K-1 was the fastest way to get her here. Link to comment
alec_bauserman Posted July 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 We tried to get married in Xi'an but we needed proof that I was not married. They said I could get that from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Since it was Chinese New Year it was not possible to get to Beijing and back before I had to return home. We tried to get married in Xi'an but we needed proof that I was not married. They said I could get that from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Since it was Chinese New Year it was not possible to get to Beijing and back before I had to return home. When I returned I consulted an immigration lawyer and he said the K-1 was the fastest way to get her here.135336[/snapback]When I returned I consulted an immigration lawyer and he said the K-1 was the fastest way to get her here. So you are living back in the states? I guess a K1 would be faster for yall then. Im living here and I could file a I130 through a DCF. Some have told me its faster, some say slower. Link to comment
frank1538 Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 In case you haven't seen it, here's a link to the U.S. Embassy website that gives some general information on marriage in China. Assuming you meet the residency requirements, etc., DCF may be faster in that it allows you to bypass many of the filings with USCIS in the states. http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/us-citizen/mrginfo.html Link to comment
Katrina Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 We tried to get married in Xi'an but we needed proof that I was not married. They said I could get that from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Since it was Chinese New Year it was not possible to get to Beijing and back before I had to return home. We tried to get married in Xi'an but we needed proof that I was not married. They said I could get that from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Since it was Chinese New Year it was not possible to get to Beijing and back before I had to return home. When I returned I consulted an immigration lawyer and he said the K-1 was the fastest way to get her here.135336[/snapback]When I returned I consulted an immigration lawyer and he said the K-1 was the fastest way to get her here. So you are living back in the states? I guess a K1 would be faster for yall then. Im living here and I could file a I130 through a DCF. Some have told me its faster, some say slower.135338[/snapback]I was married in China. It took one week. We could have done it in two days if we payed extra money. Drop off one day and pick up the next day. It is just like an application and not complicated at all. You can get your certificate of marriageablity from any consulate. That only takes a few mins. Take your SO and run up to the consulate. From what I understand it is faster. But, we filed our I-130 more than two months ago and still have not recieved the first Notice of Approval. So, who knows? Link to comment
jbray Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 In case you haven't seen it, here's a link to the U.S. Embassy website that gives some general information on marriage in China. Assuming you meet the residency requirements, etc., DCF may be faster in that it allows you to bypass many of the filings with USCIS in the states. http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/us-citizen/mrginfo.html135343[/snapback]First, you need the Certificate of Marriagability (sorry for my spelling...). You are going to have to get that at a consulate. You have to fill out a short form, pay $35 (I think, or $30... Payable in RMB), and swear before a consular officer that you have never been married. You need a photo of you and your soon to be wife (together)... Then you go to the DMV to get your license... Oh wait... No, strike that last part... You go to the marriage office, sign some papers and an hour or so later you are married... Since I live in Chengdu, I went to the consulate in the morning. Then in the afternoon I met my then fiance at the marriage office and we were married. There isn't much to it... The actual wedding is another story... For those interested, you can see our wedding pictures at www.worldsonlinebydesign.com/joshinchina/honeymoon/album.asp Link to comment
jbray Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 Katrina, by the way, I DCF-ed in Chengdu and it took me 2 months and a week from the time I filed until I got NOA2 (I never got NOA1) Link to comment
aqua8lung Posted July 11, 2005 Report Share Posted July 11, 2005 So you are living back in the states? I guess a K1 would be faster for yall then. Im living here and I could file a I130 through a DCF. Some have told me its faster, some say slower. I filed in April and now I we are waiting for the interview (P-4).Since we hope for that by the end of year, I am traveling over to China next week to be with my fiancée. I hope it is faster! Link to comment
aqua8lung Posted July 12, 2005 Report Share Posted July 12, 2005 Has anyone called the Chengdu or Guangzhou consulates? Are they helpful with advice or do they only answer case-specific questions? Here is the U.S. Government opinon on marriage in China, Check it out... http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/us-citizen/mrginfo.html Link to comment
jbray Posted July 12, 2005 Report Share Posted July 12, 2005 Has anyone called the Chengdu or Guangzhou consulates? Are they helpful with advice or do they only answer case-specific questions? Here is the U.S. Government opinon on marriage in China, Check it out... http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/us-citizen/mrginfo.html135552[/snapback]I've gone in person to the Chengdu consulate to ask questions. They are polite and nice, but they don't know much about our situations. See, we are dealing with DHS, and they are DOS. You go their to get forms, and file forms, and they share the building, but the people you are talking to at the window are DOS. If you have a question about a tourist visa, or student visa, they can answer, but for immigration visa's, do just don't know... Think of it this way... You work as a computer programmer at a company. A customer calls asking about marketing stuff. Well, you work for the same company as the marketing department. You are in the same building, but you are a programmer, what do you know about the marketing department? GUZ might be different. If you can talk to someone from DHS, they might be able to help you better. Link to comment
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