ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaFuera de Lugar!!!!
QUOTE (pedroh @ Feb 6 2008, 06:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
mexico vs usa

vamos mexico!


I know this is way off the discussion but...

.. biggrin.gif don't Phenylketonurics have to avoid aspartame...not sucralose (splenda). (Yeah I know it's just as bad if not worse....)

Edited by Gringita/Morenito, 06 February 2008 - 08:58 PM.

Gringita/MorenitoFemalePeru2008-02-06 20:58:00
Chinacheap flight home to usa
For domestic I flew US airways. International I used Cathay Pacific and Dragon air. I like Cathay because they still serve drinks on their flights not just wine, and their seats are more comfortable. I did fly round trip, price for the dates I flew was around $1500. The average I found was between $1900 and $2100, so I was happy. I took into consideration what pushbrk mentioned about the airlines not having responsibility for any missed flights, it is a good point. So for the domestic portion I used Travelocity, so if I did wish to reschedule flights due to a missed connection, they charge $150 if I needed to call them. I guess I could also reschedule at the airport if needed. Plus I usually try for a 2+ hour layover. My last flight I had 3 hours coming Back home which was good in San Fran, baggage was very slow, Immigration and customs was not too bad. Actually the worst part for me was San Fran to Phoenix. My final leg was boarding in Phoenix when we landed, but I made it. So it all worked okay for me.

Greg
greg584MaleHong Kong2009-02-24 19:07:00
Chinacheap flight home to usa


For what it's worth. I just returned from China last month. I also booked my own flights, OKIE2 is right, it is worth the time to look and book yourself. I had 2 checked bags. When I landed in San Fran and went to check them in again. US Airways from San Fran to Phoenix to El Paso TX. The clerk asked how I wanted to pay for my baggage overages. I just explained that I was traveling international, showed him my itinerary from China and he just checked my bags, no surcharge. Before I left I also had looked at the airlines baggage policy which stated no surcharge for international flights. I also had a copy of that with me, didn't even need it. I guess though depending on the airlines it is one of those YMMV situations.

Greg
greg584MaleHong Kong2009-02-23 23:29:00
ChinaMail TO China
QUOTE (pushbrk @ Mar 2 2009, 10:21 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (spritz2 @ Mar 2 2009, 06:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I used USPS to send papers a couple of times. Never had a problem. Good Luck


USPS Global Priority or Global express are fine if you have a week or two. Otherwise DHL would be my choice for China. It's much more expensive though and not necessarily much faster. China Post didn't deliver your package though. It would have been delivered by EMS.

Wow pushbrk you were not kidding about DHL being more expensive, $78 for a 1-3lbs package! 3 day delivery time though, which is sweet. If they can actually adhere to that time frame. I appreciate the suggestion. I had thought I had read somewhere they were closing up some offices or something like that. Perhaps they did near me. The closest facility for me is 40 miles away. Which I guess is nothing to drive for the important stuff.

What is the difference between China post and EMS? Is one more reliable than the other? Silly guy that I am and knowing what EMS means here, I immediately pictured my package in the back of an ambulance with the sirens and lights going!
greg584MaleHong Kong2009-03-02 11:41:00
ChinaMail TO China
I just received an e-mail from my honey. The mail I sent to her on 2/12 arrived in Guilin 2/28. I used USPS, sent in one of their priority envelopes for $11.48. I sent a letter and some chewing gum (unused...he-he), and I noted the gum on the customs sheet. The package arrived unopened.

I had her address in both English and Chinese on the envelope, as well as her telephone number.

I tried searching and was not able to locate anything much about sending mail from the US. So I tried a test mailing before I sent any important papers. I wanted to have some idea of the time frame and package condition upon arrival. I am pretty satisfied with the results. Are there any horror stories out there about using USPS? Or suggestions about using any other companies?



Greg
greg584MaleHong Kong2009-03-02 02:04:00
Asia: SouthVISA APPROVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wonderful! Enjoy your life together.

Greg
greg584MaleHong Kong2/27/2009 17:04
Chinawifes kids from philippines doing interview in hong kong
ok heres the deal my wifes sister is going to ,hopefully have a fiance visa interview in hong kong .what does she need to do to have here children do there interview in hong kong instead of manila . when i brought my wife here her kids folowed to join and the interview peocess in us embassy manila is a pain in the rear, not to mention all the money you can save by not having to file seperate removal of conditions papers if they come follow to join
rcrgeMalePhilippines2012-09-02 21:05:00
IndiaInterracial couples, post here!
Visa type: CR-1

Consulate: Mumbai, India

Visa issued (if applicable)? Yes. Interview lasted 3 minutes.

Second interview? No.

AP? No.

221 g issued? No.

Gender of beneficiary: Female.

Religious difference? Yes

Religious background of beneficiary: Hindu

Age Difference? Insignificant. He's 4 months older than I am.

Method of meeting (online, in person, etc): In person while I was in the US on a 5 year F-1 visa. We met February 2008, junior year.

Engagement Ceremony? None.

Traditional (Indian) Wedding Ceremony (N/A if going through K-1)? Civil ceremony. We wore traditional Indian attire, exchanged rings and garlands in front of close friends and family. Then we had a reception for 200 guests.

Has beneficiary ever been to the US? Yes, twice.

Does beneficiary have relatives in the US? None from immediate family.

Family approval? Yes

Co-Sponsor required? Yes

How much time has petitioner spent with beneficiary in person? Total, before visa issuance, probably 2 years. We lived together briefly post-engagement.

Edited by sachinky, 01 March 2012 - 08:50 AM.

sachinkyFemaleIndia2012-03-01 08:46:00
IndiaInterracial couples, post here!
Edited to add later.

Edited by sachinky, 01 March 2012 - 08:43 AM.

sachinkyFemaleIndia2012-03-01 08:42:00
IndiaHindu Marriage Act

With a denied K1, this is going to be an uphill battle for you, to put it quite bluntly. It seems that there's an age gap - how significant is it? How'd you two meet? What consulate are you going through? The Dilli Embassy is quite tough.


Edited by sachinky, 18 February 2014 - 05:13 PM.

sachinkyFemaleIndia2014-02-18 17:12:00
IndiaHindu Marriage Act

My husband and I spoke to a lawyer before getting married and he suggested that since U.S. immigration would be involved at some point, it would be best to do things as properly as possible and to avoid any hiccups, we registered via the Special Marriage Act. No issues whatsoever.

 

I do agree with the comments stated above - I know they allow "conversion to Hinduism" under the Hindu Marriage Act but really, religiously speaking, there is no converting to Hinduism. You are either born a Hindu or you're not. You cannot become one. Hinduism, unlike other major world religions, does not believe in proselytizing. 


sachinkyFemaleIndia2014-02-10 17:02:00
VietnamHCMC is a high jump compared to most consulates
Good luck--let us know how it goes!
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-01-26 00:59:00
VietnamThuy's Interview @ HCMC
I hope everything works out for you and your fiancee. Good luck to you both! :)
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-01-26 12:13:00
VietnamThuy's Interview @ HCMC
While I know nothing about your case, given that your case had red flags (I'm just going on what other members here have said) and HCM is known as tough consulate, I'm just wondering why you were not there at the interview to dispel any doubts? Vietnam is one of the high-fraud consulates and there's a reason why the COs do the job they do. Not that it excuses rude behavior but fact of the matter is places like Vietnam, China, India are deemed to be high-fraud countries. Thanks to a few bad apples, those with genuine relationships get caught up in the mess.

However, I hope you can overcome this obstacle and give them what they want. And hopefully, get what you want. Good luck.
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-01-26 09:15:00
VietnamHOW to cash refund a married file jointly
Lucky you.
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-02-08 13:10:00
VietnamHow to assemble IV Bill?
Join the March 2010 NVC thread, ya?
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-03-25 13:24:00
VietnamAnthony Bourdain
I love that show. Tony Bourdain is fantastic. His blog is a lot of fun to read as well.
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-03-25 06:02:00
VietnamIR-1 Approved
Congratulations and good luck with everything else! :)
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-03-25 13:24:00
VietnamOnly Use Internet Explporer to paid your bills
I had issues with IE, but no problem once I switched to Google Chrome to pay my IV bill.
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-04-19 12:52:00
VietnamWhat is the best option for someone who got his I-130 denies?
There are NO consular officers in the U.S.
Do you mean USCIS?
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-04-20 02:11:00
VietnamGuess what?
Wonderful news--congratulations! :)
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-03-05 14:23:00
Vietnamup for the interview: the first time vs. the second time
I just wanted to wish you all the very best. Good luck!
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-06-04 16:36:00
VietnamAny quick tips on interview preparation?
Jim gave great advice.

Obviously, I didn't go through Vietnam but what I noticed is they don't care so much as to what the answer is (to random questions, obviously not the fact-ones) as opposed to how quickly do you respond to it. Do you look nervous, shifty? Are you comfortable, at ease? The COs are trained to gauge body language and speech pattern. How much do you 'uh' and 'um' -- they don't care where the petitioner's best friend works and it's highly unlikely they know who he goes fishing with but they want to know if the beneficiary does, indicating a bonafide relationship where the couple talks about everyday stuff. Names, dates, addresses are a must and obviously there should be no discrepancy in the facts presented in the forms and those mentioned at the interview.

I wish you all the best. I know it's easy to say, don't be nervous, heck, my knees were shaking, but smile, and always maintain eye contact. Answer precisely, to the point. Don't volunteer more information than what is asked for. Treat it like a normal conversation. Anything over 10-15 minutes is probably not going to end well so I agree with Jim in that there's no point answering questions like "What is the population of Kansas?"
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-06-06 10:31:00
VietnamHCMC Keep the big picture in mind
Over-submission or front-loading can, I suppose, be taken as 'over-compensating' which I read somewhere is usually a 'fraud indicator.'
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-06-14 23:23:00
VietnamBlue Sheet requesting I-864
Awesome! Many congratulations! :)
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-06-25 02:41:00
VietnamAnother Blue
Sorry to hear that.

Hang in there!
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-06-15 08:50:00
VietnamWhy is divorce a red flag? Just wondering.
Would both the petitioner and beneficiary going through simultaneous divorces 'just to be together' be a red flag? I'm thinking probably yes, but I was just wondering what the more experience VN members thought?

Edited by sachinky, 12 August 2010 - 01:47 AM.

sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-08-12 01:44:00
VietnamHoly Coprolite, Batman! ---APPROVED!
Many congratulations!
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-11-06 13:08:00
VietnamWhat do you do for a living?

So did my wife when she was in Vietnam! She desperately wants to do it again. :blush:


Aw. Me, I love my job! Well, on most days. Running around after five year olds can get extremely tiring, very quickly.

Mr. Sachinky, on the other hand, works in the marketing department of a sports institute.

Edited by sachinky, 08 December 2010 - 09:11 AM.

sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-12-08 09:10:00
VietnamWhat do you do for a living?
I teach kindergarten.
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-12-07 22:01:00
VietnamNeed help with gift ideas for recent VN immigrants
Sounds fun! Good choices on the gifts. Happy Holidays to you and yours, Jim.
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-12-21 11:17:00
VietnamNeed help with gift ideas for recent VN immigrants
Women usually like the the pretty stuff like lip-glosses and body-washes, etc.
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-12-20 19:04:00
K-3 Spousal Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsK3 Interview at Mumbai
Congratulations, Baltar!

Thanks for the quick update.

I have wedding and dinner reception pictures. But not of a Hindu ceremony in particular because, well, we didn't have one. My husband is not a Hindu so I thought that made us ineligible for Hindu rituals. And I'm not really big on traditional rituals. We had a civil ceremony (signing in front of the district marriage registrar), followed by an exchange of rings and flower garlands in front of select family members, friends and guests. And then a dinner reception for about 150 guests. Hopefully, that will be sufficient.
sachinkyFemaleIndia2009-12-26 01:09:00
K-3 Spousal Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsI-129 NOA1 taking long...Is this unusual?
Our NOA1 took 26 days because USCIS had CANCELLED our petition. They said we had filed in the wrong place when we had filed at the Chicago LB like everyone else. It took a lot of yelling and the NOA1 was issued in ONE day exactly. So give them a call. And ask them what is going on.

Edited by sachinky, 26 January 2010 - 10:31 AM.

sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-01-26 10:31:00
K-3 Spousal Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsWhat the heck...?!!
Yes, I do. Don't even get me started on the endless supply of K-1 approvals from CSC.

On the other hand, K-1 is a non-immigrant visa and most of the work is done during the AOS stage. Similar to K-3, as I believe that too is classified as a non-immigrant visa.

CR-1s are essentially green cards on arrival.
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-01-12 23:37:00
K-3 Spousal Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsK3 Administratively closed
Here's the thing: visas aren't tailor made for unique situations like the one you described that might apply to you and a handful of other individuals. Visas reflect the time in which they were created and for the average, general applicant's situation. The K-3 had a time and a place and now it's essentially a dinosaur that has been dealt a deathblow by the NVC. Now, of course it sucks to be in your place as you were obviously not prepared to go the CR-1 route and had this dumped on you last minute but you'd need the AOS/DS230 anyway for the interview so might as well prepare it now. Good luck. :) You need to relax.

Also, I'd check with someone regarding your wife working in Canada full-time. Potential issues with the permanent residency/citizenship.

Edited by sachinky, 12 February 2010 - 04:53 AM.

sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-02-12 04:51:00
K-3 Spousal Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsK3 Administratively closed
Look, man, I wasn't talking about you and your wife or Canada or a specific country. Only particular U.S. consulates in a country process immigrant visas. This is a known fact. I live in Calcutta, I have to interview in Mumbai. The K-3 was introduced when CR-1/IR-1 used to take years to process. Now it's about 3-4 more weeks if you're prepared for the NVC stage. GENERALLY, (see what I did there?) the CR-1 is considered to be a much superior visa as it is a green card on arrival and you can work straight away. Cheaper and you don't have to waste time, money and effort on AOS. I'm glad they're closing down the K-3 and all those USCIS folks can now concentrate on the K-1s and CR-1s that have been waiting in line for months. Yes, your particular situation as you outlined it might be unique but on the whole, the K-3 is a waste of time and money.

And having an opinion and expressing it doesn't make me a moron. I'm entitled to my opinion as you are to yours. It does, however, make you one, if you can't get past your own situation and see the bigger picture.

Edited by sachinky, 11 February 2010 - 06:06 AM.

sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-02-11 06:06:00
K-3 Spousal Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsK3 Administratively closed
Are they closing down the K-3? Really? Smart move.

Jessarien--Join the February 2010 NVC thread if you're going for a IR1.
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-02-09 21:02:00
K-3 Spousal Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsWhy it seems I-129F is taking so long...
Man, during my four month coma at USCIS, I came up with so many theories and analyses of graphs and charts that I don't even remember any more.
sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-02-10 03:27:00
K-3 Spousal Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsHelpless and devastated
If she's not gonna do it, she's not. I doubt there's any "self-adjust" from a K-3. The entire premise of the K-3 is to allow the spouse to enter the U.S. and then Adjust their Status to that of a LPR.

Consult two lawyers. One for immigration. One for child rights/divorce. Good luck.

Edited by sachinky, 23 February 2010 - 11:51 PM.

sachinkyFemaleIndia2010-02-23 23:50:00