Following K2

[Kalli and Greg Oveson]

Compared to all the information here on the fiancee and spousal visas, there is very little on K2 visas where the child will follow after the K1 visa holder. I recently sent an e-mail to GUZ with some questions on my situation--their answer may be helpful to others:

 

My e-mail:

 

My fiancee has an interview appointment August 10th and plans to leave China 2 weeks later. Her son will remain in China until July 2007 to finish high school and then join us in the United States. My fiancee plans to bring her son with her on August 10th so they can both interview at the same time. He will have all the normal P4 documents with him and a recent police report and physical examination.

 

Since his departure date will be more than six months in the future, what will be the procedure for receiving his visa in the future?

 

Should he pay the visa fees now and leave the receipt with the other documents at the Consulate?

 

As long as he leaves China before the normal expiration date of the police report and medical exam is it appropriate to do them now and leave them at the Consulate?

 

Is there a better way for doing this, or one that you would prefer?

 

And the GUZ response:

 

If the child shows up for the interview on 8/10/06, he should pay the visa fees now and bring with him the receipt.

 

If both are approved of visa, the son in this case, can request to withhold issuance of the visa until he contacts this office.

 

If the visa can be issued before the expiration date of the police report and medical exam it is appropriate to do them now and leave them at the

Consulate.

 

However, the namecheck of this applicant expires on 3/5/07. So he is advised to contact us in Feb 2007 and have the visa printed in Feb or early March.

[david_dawei]

Their response sounds as expected, except their recommendation to get the visa issued by a certain time.

 

I think follow to join has a year; but would require another namecheck due to the current one expiring...

[Guest pushbrk]

Their response sounds as expected, except their recommendation to get the visa issued by a certain time. 

 

I think follow to join has a year; but would require another namecheck due to the current one expiring...

232472[/snapback]

If the visa is printed in late February or early March it will beat the expiration of the name check and be usable until late July or early August. Since leaving China is planned for July, the Consulate's advice looks spot on to me. What am I missing?

[Kalli and Greg Oveson]

If the visa is printed in late February or early March it will beat the expiration of the name check and be usable until late July or early August.  Since leaving China is planned for July, the Consulate's advice looks spot on to me.  What am I missing?

232485[/snapback]

Nothing. I thought it was very kind of GUZ to alert me to the expiration of the name check. I would never have known about this as a potential problem or how easy it will be to avoid. Now my SO can join me without worrying about problems with her son's visa.

Edited July 21, 2006 by Travelers (see edit history)

[jim_julian]

It's precisely the same thing they told us. Our K2 is coming in May 2007, after an early completion of high school.

 

Be aware that they will probably issue your K2 a "blue slip" with reference to requiring updated documents. This is apparently the way they establish a case for the K2. Be sure your fiancee knows that this blue slip is not a bad thing and if it doesn't mention anything but updating documents then it's no problem.

 

The K2 must enter the US before one year after the K1 visa is issued. The K2 visa itself, when issued in the passport, is good for six months.

[Kalli and Greg Oveson]

Be aware that they will probably issue your K2 a "blue slip" with reference to requiring updated documents.  This is apparently the way they establish a case for the K2.  Be sure your fiancee knows that this blue slip is not a bad thing and if it doesn't mention anything but updating documents then it's no problem.

232552[/snapback]

Jim,

Thanks for the heads-up on the blue slip. I know that this advance warning will greatly reduce the anxiety when my SO sees the blue slip.

Greg

[MRMC]

If it was me, I would have the child leave with your SO. He is coming here to live, the last year in a US High School might not be a bad thing. yes with language barriers, that does pose a problem; however, soon or later the child needs to learn. The high school may have such a program. I would look into it. Also you never know what can happen with Immigration policy in any country. Just my 2 cents.

[Kalli and Greg Oveson]

If it was me, I would have the child leave with your SO.  He is coming here to live, the last year in a US High School might not be a bad thing.  yes with language barriers, that does pose a problem; however, soon or later the child needs to learn. The high school may have such a program. I would look into it.  Also you never know what can happen with Immigration policy in any country.  Just my 2 cents.

232787[/snapback]

We have considered this very carefully and I appreciate your comments. Our son wants to finish high school in China. If he came now, his last year of school would be spent in Deming, NM (my legal residence). I see no advantage to finishing high school there and I believe that not being either Anglo or Mexican would leave him on the outside of most activities.

Historically, when government policies are changed, people already eligible or qualified under the old system are ususally "grandfathered" and retain the status they had before the changs. That is why it is so important to us to have his visa approved and merely waiting to be entered into his passport, it greatly reduces our stress level about the future.

I live full time in a motor home traveling throughout the country and seldom stay in one place more than a month, a life style that my SO believes she will also enjoy. To accomodate a son in high school, I would have to make permanent and irreversible changes in my life and the plans for the future. I am more than willing to do that, but not until I know more about my son and his plans for his life.

It seems to me that there is an advantage to my new wife and I having an opportunity to learn about and adjust to each other first, before introducing a third person into this new family. The very close quarters in which we will live seems to make this even more important.

From a purely selfish standpoint, a 10-month honeymoon alone with Mama is an added plus. After a Las Vegas wedding in September we will slowly travel east on I-10 to Florida with many stops along the way. Then we will do the Disney World thing and the other attractions around Orlando and move up the east coast with the springtime temperatures to Washington, DC, so she can see her new capital city.