K1 Question

[Keith-N-Min]

Hi All!

 

My SO asked me a question I was not sure of.. I think I know the answer, but wanted to ask here first before saying anything..

 

Does her daughter, who is 15, have to be there for the interview and or have a medical exam? I am sure she does not have to attend the interview, but I was not sure if she was required to have a medical exam or not... I think maybe she does...

 

Thanks!

 

Keith

[carhil24]

Hello Keith,

 

When we went through the process nearly 2 years ago, my wife's daughter, who was 12 at the time, had to attend the interview and was required to have the medical examination, which wasn't quite as extensive as the exam for my wife. She also had to have several immunizations as well. I believe you can wait and have the immunizations over here as well, but they are considerably cheaper in China. Now, that being said, I'm not sure what the age requirement is, but I believe at that time it was 12 and over. Maybe someone has completed this process more recently, and can tell you for sure, but at that time we were required to bring her daughter along for the ride!

 

Thanks,

 

Carl

[frank1538]

Is the daughter coming to the US on a K-2? If so, she will have to have an interview and a medical exam, particularly at age 15. What I don't know for certain is whether she must attend the same interview as mom if the daughter is not planning on coming to the US at the same time. But, I would encourage you to have the same interview for both even if the daughter will be coming later. Although a K-2er has up to a year to enter the US, I think the year starts to run from the date the K-1 is issued. Given GZ's pace, I'd hate to see a year run out before they got around to interviewing the daughter.

[carhil24]

Keith,

 

One other thing. There is an age requirement as to when they must have a passport, and I'm not sure what that is. At that time, we were told that my wife's daughter had to have a passport (she was 12 at the time), and therefore had to be at the interview with her passport in order to receive the visa, which is printed inside of the passport. Since that time, however, I believe I have read differently regarding the passport, but I am not sure. However, if she is able to get a passport in China, it does help over here for ID, especially for school registration, the Immunization Supplement, and SSN (Tax ID for minors) applications. Even if it is not required (and I'm not sure about this), I would recommend her getting the passport in China, attending the interview, and getting the visa placed into her passport. After all, you paid for it!

 

Thanks,

 

Carl

[carhil24]

Keith,

 

I apologize, but I keep having these additional thoughts come to mind after I've sent the post. Regarding the passport, it is also another method of proving to GZ that your wife has full custody of her daughter, as the local passport issuing agency will not issue a passport to a minor (not sure of the age requirement) without proof of full custody by the parent requesting the passport for the minor. Again, this is one of the hurdles we faced, and subsequently overcame, because for awhile, my wife's daughter's real father was fighting to not allow her to come to America. That was my introduction to the Chinese legal system, but that's another story.

 

Good luck!

 

Thanks,

 

Carl

[Keith-N-Min]

Thanks.... I wasn't sure if she needed to attend the interview or not. I told my SO if GZ requested it that it was so...

 

 

her daughter is coming on a K2... and she does have her passport

 

 

Thanks for the info... I am a little more enlightened....