Additional Material for K-1

[Henry and Mei]

Hello everyone. This is my first post although I have been looking at this site for several months.

 

My friends, Jerry Davis (who recently married his Chinese fiance) and Howard Hashida, recommended this site to me.

 

Thanks for all the resources that you have made available here. My friends both used Cherry Blossoms to help them prepare their I-129Fs, but told me to do the research, ask them questions and submit, which I did on January 16. Received NOA1 on January 21 after my return from my second trip to China to be with Mei and family for CNY.

 

Several thoughts here so please bare with me.

 

When I was in the Navy, I left the ship early as we soon were leaving the Gulf to see my sister in the Miss America pageant. Caught back up with the ship in Hong Kong and met a wonderful woman, but lost touch with her.

 

So after 3 years of Howard and Jerry talking to me, they convinced me to take a leap of faith and go to China.

 

Does it affect our case that I spoke to several women before I went to China? Actually met 3. I took 66 days. I met one in Hong Kong, Mei flew down from Qingdao to meet me in Shenzhen and one in Guangzhou.

 

Quickly, I realized that Mei was real and the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. So I spent the last month in Qingdao, where here company promoted her to regional sales manager and for the first time in my life I bought a diamond ring and got down on one knee.

 

She is from Yingde, so I only had a few days to get photos with the family. My return trip for the CNY and an engagement dinner included hundreds of photos.

 

Right now, our I-129F is at VSC. Should I send more photos, emails, phone records, tax transcripts, etc. to VSC?

 

Jerry made 3 trips and did not send additional material. Just gave his fiance the remaining documents for interview.

 

Also my fiance, likes to call me laogong in emails. Does this look bad, since we are not married and I have chosen to go the K-1 route?

 

Side note at a bus station terminal in Shenzhen I along with several other Americans had their passports stolen. Mine was taken when Mei and I were walking hand-in-hand on a non-crowded street with her sister in front of us. It was 2:30 PM and only a couple of hundred yards between buses. I dropped my guard and my passport, wallet and camera (valet) were stolen from my backpack. In 4 days including the weekend, my flight was leaving. I will spare the issues faced except the Chinese government charges you the same fee as a regular visa (over 900 RMB) for a 10 day exit only visa. And they do not like to call it "Stolen", but "Lost". Really enjoy China, but dealing with getting an exit visa was not a highlight. Getting another passport in about 4 hours though went smoothly.

[Sebastian]

It shouldn't matter on the 'other women', unless you've filed a I-129F petition for them.

 

IMO, it's too late to get something added into your K-1 petition (with the caveat that you SHOULD have put in as much as possible for the initial submission) - but... she can certainly bring it with her during the day of the interview.

 

If I understand what you've written about the theft .. Now you don't have CHINA VISA stamps in your passport (cause it's gone), and maybe you don't have any receipts from the hotel stays (where they stolen too?) ... Find your airticket receipts /invoices from when you purchased the tickets, and also show any credit card statements that have the air ticket purchases listed.

 

Good Luck, and Welcome Aboard !!! You'll find the head 2 decks down and starboard, ships mess abaft of the CIWS, and yer own yer own re: laundry...

Edited April 17, 2009 by Sebastian (see edit history)

[Henry and Mei]

It shouldn't matter on the 'other women', unless you've filed a I-129F petition for them.

 

IMO, it's too late to get something added into your K-1 petition (with the caveat that you SHOULD have put in as much as possible for the initial submission) - but... she can certainly bring it with her during the day of the interview.

 

If I understand what you've written about the theft .. Now you don't have CHINA VISA stamps in your passport (cause it's gone), and maybe you don't have any receipts from the hotel stays (where they stolen too?) ... Find your airticket receipts /invoices from when you purchased the tickets, and also show any credit card statements that have the air ticket purchases listed.

 

Good Luck, and Welcome Aboard !!! You'll find the head 2 decks down and starboard, ships mess abaft of the CIWS, and yer own yer own re: laundry...

 

You are correct, I lost my China visa stamps from my first passport for my first trip and the entry for the second trip.

 

That was also a concern for me although I already send a premium glossy letter size photo of my passport with visa stamps in the original packet.

 

Right now, only have exit visa stamp with basically a temp passport. About to mail in for another one... Plan to photoscan the temp before I mail in.

 

Just not sure how much the VO reads the emails. I sent about 80. One from Mei and I for each week. I was open and upfront to Mei about my plans on my initial trip.

 

Have my airline stubs and stayed with the family at 3 different places, since I was accepted as her husband to be especially enjoyable since I did not get much sleep playing with the kids and trying to keep up with her brother's drinking Henessey.

 

I have been pretty much resting since doing all the work for the I-129F, but I have today off and started looking at the rest for the P3/4 phase, so it is also done. Had me looking back at the initial packet.

 

And hey neighbor , when you are in the area, let me know. Which also reminds me that on my first trip, I lost most of my hotel receipts and I do not know where they went. I mentioned in packet that I stayed mostly in Qingdao at the Jinjiang Inn and sent the receipts that I still had.

[Sebastian]

I think if you sent off copies of the visa stamps and copies of the airline stubs on initial submittal, you'll be ok.

 

But - start preparing that 'kitchen sink' of evidence - she'll bring it to the interview. She may be asked something that's covered in the 'kitchen sink', or not - it's really hard to forecast. But if she's asked, and can pull it out of her hand-carry file - makes it dead easy.

[david_dawei]

how can they know about 'other' women? your filing for Mei... she is the focus of your relationship anyways.

 

A VO will likely skim or read the emails... Mei should have copies of anything you sent since the VO could ask a question from an email!

 

Calling you 'lao gong' is common, even as a K1... she can simply be prepared the comment on it if needed.

 

Word of advice: I read she was recently promoted... tell her NOT to tell anyone at work about her filing. They may not like promoting her if they know she is leaving.. and co-workers can be both happy and jealous.

[Henry and Mei]

how can they know about 'other' women? your filing for Mei... she is the focus of your relationship anyways.

 

A VO will likely skim or read the emails... Mei should have copies of anything you sent since the VO could ask a question from an email!

 

Calling you 'lao gong' is common, even as a K1... she can simply be prepared the comment on it if needed.

 

Word of advice: I read she was recently promoted... tell her NOT to tell anyone at work about her filing. They may not like promoting her if they know she is leaving.. and co-workers can be both happy and jealous.

 

On my second trip to China, I took a 13-section clear divided folder that contained the 4.5 lbs of paperwork that I sent to VSC. Each section had documents, receipts and all the required information for the petition. I left her the labels and explained to her, her elder sister and her cousin, the contents so she could quickly access, if needed for her interview.

 

I had hundreds of photos to chose from from the first trip, but only about 10 good ones from the family.

 

My second trip, I had over 500 photos. Over 300 hundred downloaded fortunately to my laptop before my camera was stolen. The police were sympathetic that I had the memories, but I really wanted the photos. But that is another thing. Fortunately on this trip I also took my video camera. Now I just have to see if I can capture quality photos from video, since I lost everything from having fireworks with her 91-year old grandfather to the engagement dinner party. (I thought about asking someone here for advice on that also, but first I am going to transfer to DVD and see what I have.)

 

So I took one of the best thoughts that I had seen on CFL for photo presentation and combined 2 photos per page on premium glossy paper pasted them into a Word document and labeled. The dates, places and names and what we were doing plus a couple of photos of us welcoming Jerry and Ling at the airport in IAH. Plus my friend Howard went to see Mei in October when I could not go to give her some things from me. So I sent a photo of Mei and his fiance.

 

This evolution has been like my life. Not always easy.

 

And I could share Howard's experiences, but it has taken him 3 trips/years. He has been scammed and robbed. If one thinks that finding the perfect/right one simply through emails and phone calls, I hope you are blessed.

 

So I will spare you the details, but my friends were already well versed in what I was trying to do and were watching over my shoulder the whole time especially for SCAMMERS.

 

The woman that actually helped me take this leap of faith to go back to China was a huge SCAMMER. It took me 4 months to discover this and my friends missed this, but my gut was telling me she was NOT REAL. Her final slip was wearing a wedding band in a photo.

 

But I kept my mind and options open and my friends did find 4 other women that were trying to scam me.

 

I do not know how familiar you are with CB, but I only spent one week looking and writing to women in September 2007. And for the next several months, I only wrote to those women. Thankfully, it narrowed quickly and the few remained until I went to China.

 

A lot of work for me personally, but I wanted to finally find HER.

 

So either you will understand this or not.

 

But to my defense and Mei's, when I saw her photo and learned about her, I told my close friends that she was the ONE.

 

Meeting her in person confirmed it.

 

So I want to keep this short, since it is already long.......... I had finally become jaded here mostly due to TRUST issues and I was quickly learning, it does not change just because you are speaking to someone across the pond.

 

So anyway, I am sure this is somewhat reflected in my emails to Mei. I did not go through each one with a fine tooth comb wondering what a VO would think.

 

I am a person with nothing to hide, so I did not even read the emails I chose. I was just being real, open and honest to her --ALWAYS.

 

Back to her promotion and company. That was also a real concern of mine ESPECIALLY since her bosses love her work. But Mei gave me a surprise birthday party and all of her colleagues and bosses were there. They like her brothers drank me under the table. CHEERS

 

Also every 6 months, she takes her colleagues on a trip. This time to pick cherries. BUT YES, I ALSO HAD YOUR CONCERNS ON MY MIND. But I was there for 2 months and how much are you willing to hide. Plus, she works in the clothing industry and we traveled constantly.

 

And in my research I had heard of third parties (mostly agencies) sometimes trying to upset the apple cart. Mostly, my concern was with ladies connected to agencies. As you may know many use agencies due to the language barriers and customs differences. Those agencies never seem to be a plus, so I mostly avoided women connected. And that took research and time as well to discover...........

 

So I do not want to go through all that I have been through for over 20 years here and a couple of years lately.

 

But my nerve has been struck a few times including this process, when I was questioned on basically, you should know the right person from the internet. I am sorry, I cannot without spending time with that person.

 

But for all my efforts, I have found the ONE. Now, it is all about making IT HAPPEN!!! And I am confident it will, but I am not going to shun helpful advice from people that have gone before me on this......

 

I think my ducks are all in a row and I probably do not need to add any additional work to our petition, but I wanted some advice on this. And I missed my chance to talk to a VO about it in China.

 

Thanks for your thoughts and help.

 

Henry

[david_dawei]

hey henry,

 

I know what you mean about your experience and CB... your obviously careful and have a keen eye... two things which will go a long way in ensuring not just the relationship but the petition process!

 

You seem to understand my thoughts. Good luck and look forward to following your case.