Filed I-130 in Guangzhou, now what? Medical, etc?

[djkasumi]

So I filed my wife's I-130 in Guangzhou a few days ago. So I have a few questions about what will come next.

 

Can the medical exam be done in advance? I've read some conflicting information. First, I read that you don't need an appointment to do the medical for starters. But, while this may be true, I also read that you must have your interview with the IV unit scheduled before you can go do the medical. Then on the "US Travel Docs" website it says that the medical must be done 2 weeks before your interview. So... what's the real situation? Can my wife go do the medical now even though the I-130 is still being processed?

 

Next up, we have read that she will be asked to provide documents such as criminal history, birth certificate, hukou, etc. Is this info still up to date? She already got the criminal history letter from the police at her registered hukou, and she got a copy of her birth certificate... but is she really gonna need to notarize/translate the hukou sheet as well? Anything else besides these 3 documents?

 

The I-864 stuff I'm feeling ok about, I'm filling out my copy and my parents who are joint-sponsoring have already done theirs. When my parents mail their I-864 over here to China, they will just need the original signed form, copy of their passport(s), and copies of tax returns, yes?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

EDIT: One last quesiton, what are the other fee amounts we should be expecting? I know of the 1100 RMB medical, the visa fee of 160 USD, what else is there that I'm missing?

Edited August 17, 2015 by djkasumi (see edit history)

[dnoblett]

The medical center will request to see interview appointment notice.

 

The next stuff to do is gather the tequired documents needed for interview, start preparing affidavit of support, and perhaps joint sponsor.

 

DS-230 visa application fee paid at consulate before interview $325 or equal RMB

[dnoblett]

Study topics tagged http://candleforlove.com/forums/tags/forums/I-864/

[djkasumi]

Study topics tagged http://candleforlove.com/forums/tags/forums/I-864/

 

Thanks for the help!

 

So, we've just today received the letter from USCIS in Guangzhou that the I-130 was approved! It was approved within 5 days (filed on August 14, approved August 19), but the notice only came today. Of course, it says that the DoS people will contact us, but we've heard nothing, no e-mails or anything yet. Even with a signed G-1145 e-notification paper they never sent a text message or e-mail...

 

Can't call the consulate today, so I'll try and call them tomorrow. It's nice to see that the I-130 part went quickly, just hope that means the DoS or Immigration Visa Unit guys will be fast too...

[dnoblett]

Consulate typically will not answer anything over the phone, they prefer you use the email web page here:

 

http://guangzhou.usembassy-china.org.cn/contactiv.html

[yuehan123]

Can the medical exam be done in advance? I've read some conflicting information. First, I read that you don't need an appointment to do the medical for starters. But, while this may be true, I also read that you must have your interview with the IV unit scheduled before you can go do the medical. Then on the "US Travel Docs" website it says that the medical must be done 2 weeks before your interview. So... what's the real situation? Can my wife go do the medical now even though the I-130 is still being processed?

As Dan stated above, you must have the Interview Appointment letter in hand to be given a medical exam. No, you cannot do the medical in advance of that document in hand.

 

You must take into account the possibility that during the medical exam, particularly the x-ray, the testing may include a 3-day wait for TB tests results. Heavy emphasis on may. If you don't leave enough time and then they require a 3 day TB test well, plan accordingly.

 

Have all your medical paperwork filled out in advance of going to the medical. Go early on your chosen day, they will check your documents. If everything is in order, including your possession of 8 passport photos, you will be given a number and told to sit down and wait. There are a limited number of numbers given out these days. (At least as of July 2015)

 

The USCIS encourages you to "...call the approved medical facility of your choice in advance of your arrival for a medical in order to make the proper arrangements..." or, words to that effect.

[djkasumi]

Thanks again guys.

 

So, I should be a little more patient. The email from IVU came at 11am China time. We immediately got to work on the DS-260 and finished all of the first step, then took those documents to the Zhujiang Xincheng CITIC Bank 20 minutes before closing for drop-off.

 

Initially the DS-260 system gave an error about unmatched case numbers and invoice numbers, but after a few hours, it was fine. Also the IVU people actually got my wife's last name wrong too, but after using the e-mail form on the website, they responded and fixed it within 1 day.

 

Looking forward to the response and next step after DS-260.

[Bill610051]

We just finished the interview at Guangzhou today. I can offer you the following based on our experience...

 

We arrived in GZ on Saturday 8-29. Prior to arriving, I had used a link from this forum to make an appointment for the medical exam http://www.gdwbzx.com/Booking/SelectModule.aspx Please note that one may only make an appointment for up to five days in advance... you will need to wait until you have planned your visit to GZ, then go on that page and make the appointment. That being said, the advance appointment was more or less worthless. We planned to go to the medical center on Monday 8-31 and we arrived at 7:20am, there were about 15 people in line at the time in the 5th floor lobby at the elevators. They opened the doors to the office at 7:35am and we all lined up at the reception desk, very orderly by Chinese standards. My wife was given a paper with the number 18, her "advance appointment" number had been 25, so we ditched the appointment paper. Make sure you bring all the confirmation emails you received from GZ, as I had to go back to our hotel and retrieve one I had not chosen to bring to the medical exam. We also had to get new "passport" photos because they said the head size was not correct, so another delay and short visit to a photo shop on the first floor. We got out at about 10am, and the paper they gave my wife said to pick up the medical report at 3pm on Wednesday 9-2. The interview at the consulate was scheduled for the next day, 9-3, so they wait until the last minute to give you the report, as mentioned elsewhere on this forum.

 

The immigrant visa fee of $325 mentioned above can be paid at the interview, just make sure you have cash in rmb, they would not permit using any debit or credit cards, even UnionPay. The papers we prepared for the interview included wife's police criminal report, birth certificate, marriage certificate, prior marriage termination papers, and resume of wife's school/work history. These will all be in Chinese and you will need certified translations to English. You will also need a completed I-864 form with supporting documents. All of these are listed in an email from GZ with convenient little check off boxes. We also took copies of all these documents.

 

Although she had many photos of us together, the visa officer didn't look at any of them. She also had the two required passport photos, but those were ignored too.

 

I scheduled my wife's immigration interview following GZ's guidance and instructions. It was set for 8:40am on Sept3 and we arrived outside the consulate at 8:20am, walked right past the guards without them asking a single question or looking at her papers and lined up at the door to the CIS entry to the left of where all the other folks were waiting in line (see photos for clarification elsewhere on this forum). There were only six or so other people waiting and my wife's papers (the GZ and CGI Stanley docs) were checked and they attached a pre-printed sticky with her name, etc to her papers and she was admitted to the staging area, then on to the 3rd floor for the interview. Relatives are not permitted to accompany the applicant.

 

There were two female visa officers present for my wife's interview, one to assist with translation apparently. She was asked about ten questions, almost all related to our relationship and family history... how many times had I/she been married before, how many children did I/she have, what did I do for a living, where was I born, how many years had we been married, how many times had I traveled back to the US during our seven-year marriage, etc.

 

My main concern regarding her ability to get a visa centered on the I-864 sponsorship papers. I am retired and living solely on my SSA benefit check, which does not meet the US poverty level for a family of two. I also had not filed IRS tax returns for the past seven years due to income lower than the amount necessary to file a return. I hoped to overcome these obstacles by 1)submitting copies of an IRS worksheet for the past three years showing that I was not required to file and 2)bank statements showing we, together, had sufficient monies to make up for the shortfall in income. Since my wife had her visa approved, these explanations were apparently adequate.

 

Regarding staying in GZ, there is an apartment rental building within two blocks of the medical center and three from the consulate that we booked for seven nights for 1836rmb. Name of the place is Huamei apartments and I booked it on Travelocity. Just make sure you show them a copy of the confirmation, otherwise they will try to jack the price up. We stayed there for both the June 11 visit when I filed the I-130, and this week for the visa interview.

 

Sorry this is so long, hope it is helpful. You can email me at yazzart@yahoo.com if you have any questions. And good luck!!

 

Bill

[Randy W]

Well, that's good to hear that SS income is enough, since that's exactly where we are. But we're NOT applying for a visa, and I have enough additional income that I have to pay taxes.

 

Good job!

 

Congratulations!

 

Congratulations !!

[djkasumi]

We just finished the interview at Guangzhou today. I can offer you the following based on our experience...

 

Thanks for all the info!!! And congrats on the successful interview!

 

We live in GZ anyway, so dropping off the DS-260 and part 1 of documents at the CITIC Bank on Tuesday evening resulted in an email from the consulate that arrived today around 3pm China time. Not too bad. This e-mail was the confirmation that we can now schedule an interview and such.

 

So we rushed to the CGI website and scheduled an appointment initially for Oct 6... super disappointed because we saw that Sept 9th was available only less than a day ago! I called CGI and asked about it and they confirmed that Oct 6 was currently the earliest available... the only choice was to refresh the page and wait for someone to cancel. And luck would have it that someone cancelled on Sept 14th, so we took that immediately.

 

We'd still like to "steal" an earlier date, but the CGI Reschedule Website actually warns you that you can only view the Reschedule page a limited number of times. Who knows if we'll be able to pick up something earlier.

 

So now that we've got the appointment good to go, we'll be heading off to do the medical next week Monday or Tuesday. My parents (co-sponsors) documents from the US will also arrive at that time, next week Monday most likely.

[djkasumi]

Ok, so our latest problem is this: my wife got her police certificate and birth certificate from home in Chongqing, but we live in Guangzhou...

 

We went to one of the local Guangzhou Notaries (Gong Zheng Chu) and heres the issue: the "registered" translation company can translate the documents and then the notary people can stamp it, but according to my wife who went there today (I was at work so I didn't hear this personally), this is NOT the same as an official "gong zheng" notarization who will write a separate document or something that explains the content of the birth certificate (or other document).

 

In contrast, the translation people would simply directly translate any words on the document, then the notarization place will stamp it and say their translation is approved.

 

Are both of these methods ok? Because they said if we want them to write a separate statement (that style), then we have to take them or mail them back to Chongqing to do that...

[Randy W]

Ok, so our latest problem is this: my wife got her police certificate and birth certificate from home in Chongqing, but we live in Guangzhou...

 

We went to one of the local Guangzhou Notaries (Gong Zheng Chu) and heres the issue: the "registered" translation company can translate the documents and then the notary people can stamp it, but according to my wife who went there today (I was at work so I didn't hear this personally), this is NOT the same as an official "gong zheng" notarization who will write a separate document or something that explains the content of the birth certificate (or other document).

 

In contrast, the translation people would simply directly translate any words on the document, then the notarization place will stamp it and say their translation is approved.

 

Are both of these methods ok? Because they said if we want them to write a separate statement (that style), then we have to take them or mail them back to Chongqing to do that...

 

If the Guangzhou notary is telling you they cannot issue it, you will most likely need to go to the Chongqing notary. The required documents are the GongZhengShu 公证书.

 

If you have her hukou book, the Guangzhou notary may be willing to issue it from that.

[djkasumi]

If the Guangzhou notary is telling you they cannot issue it, you will most likely need to go to the Chongqing notary. The required documents are the GongZhengShu 公证书.

 

If you have her hukou book, the Guangzhou notary may be willing to issue it from that.

 

 

Guangzhou notary refused and said no matter what it was impossible. We only need the birth certificate and police certificate, because we got married in the US. Anyway, so we mailed the docs back to Chongqing (Kaixian) for my mother-in-law to get the notarization done for us... and the people there want to charge 1600RMB for translation and notarization. Pretty sure they're just trying to cheat my MIL, because others on Baidu and such claim that the price should be in the range of like ~400-500 per document (including notarization fee and translation fee). But, nothing can be done about that it seems.

 

In case anyone needs to know -- and as others have said on this forum -- if you have someone go do notarization on your behalf, then you should write a letter explaining that you allow them to do so and provide your Chinese ID / passport as well.

 

Anywho, looks like we'll be able to get it all mailed back here in time before the interview. Wife's interview is currently set for next week.

[djkasumi]

Wife's interview was approved today! Was pretty confident it would be no problem going into it and my wife reports that it was very easy. We'll write a "full report" in the interview results forum later on this week maybe.

 

After arriving at the consulate, the full process took about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Her actual talk with the officer was 5 to 10 minutes, like most other people report.

 

Hope to see that passport with the visa soon

[tsap seui]

Glad to see it worked out okay. Have a happy future.