Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
China	CITIC Bank information	Okay, I know from the P3 instructions that Yi has to go to the local CITIC bank branch to pay the visa fee. We are planning to wait until after March 1st, since that is when this price increase seems to go into effect. My question is this: what does she need to take to the bank to pay the fee? NVC letter with GUZ# or NOA2...eh? Thanks guys.	garfield529	Male	China	2010-02-03 10:59:00
China	bad time for Chinese visa application?	The saber rattling that is going on right now hads happened in the past as recent as 2008. It is standard protocol for Beijing, or they would appear deferential to the US policy towards Taiwan. The Chinese know that the weapons are purely defensive and that any act of aggression would completely destabilize the Asian markets and put an end to the Chinese economic bubble (hmm...growth) that has been rolling for the last decade. This is a defense issue, not domestic. Therefore, I don't see any issues with visas being given to foreigners, including Americans. Now if someone does something stupid...then that is a different story altogether..but the planners in Beijing know exactly what they can and can not get away with. Good luck! thank you for taking the time. sorry didn't make it clear. my gf is gonna apply for a CHINESE VISA. i am worried chinese govt overreacts to the arms sale and rejects her application.	garfield529	Male	China	2010-01-30 23:10:00
China	DS-157 question	My fiancee is working on the DS-157 form. For the previous employers, both companies are no longer in business. What do you guys think/know she should do for address and telephone number? Thanks!	garfield529	Male	China	2010-02-16 23:31:00
China	Undecided about the I-134.....	QUOTE (Moonandstar @ Dec 29 2009, 10:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I have heard many a horror story about people from guz with blue slips asking for the certified copies of income tax returns.... I have no income tax returns for 2007, i graduated high school that year. I will provide a letter for this. I had a job in 2008, but did not make more than a few thousand (~6) for the whole year. This year i have again been unemployed, and to this date have never filed tax returns. I have never filed for unemployment or other government benefits. Today i'm preparing to file my 08 & 09 tax returns, entirely for extra protection for this process. My grandfather is acting as a joint sponsor, qualifies with income and assets, but is also unemployed, is 90, and in light of all the circumstances i'm left wondering.... Should i pay $180 for him to get the certified tax returns, or should i take the risk and go with transcripts? Please give me some input... I think you will need more advice, but if you are filing your tax returns now...they won't be in the system for a while, so you won't be able to request certified copies. Most people go with transcripts because they are free...but again, they won't be in the system until after you have filed. Someone with more experience can clarify this, but I don't see why you can not send in copies of your returns that you are filing now, along with your letter (maybe get it notarized) explaining your tax situation and gap for 2007. I know with my embassy (Guangzhou, China), several VJers using sponsers have gotten blue slips for certified tax returns of sponsers. Some more experienced folks need to weigh in on this. Your case is more complicated than mine to give you any sound advice. Good luck!	garfield529	Male	China	2009-12-30 01:15:00
China	Visa in hand after AP 2 times	Hey! That is so great! I love it when the good guys come out on top!	garfield529	Male	China	2010-03-12 00:10:00
China	Interesting Facts from Guangzhou	Thanks Darnell, She is going to inform her company that she is quitting once she is paid next. Then, her contract requires that she works one more month before she can leave, or she will incur a financial penalty. She is worried that if she doesn't follow the rules and needs to come back to China, then she will have a more difficult time finding a similar job if she has a record. Then she will spend a couple weeks with her parents before jumping across in mid-May. We found a great deal on through Asiana, flying out of Shanghai to Chicago by way of Incheon for $650 total. I will take a train up from St. Louis to meet her and we will fly back together. Everything seems to be coming together well..we are just in the waiting mode. She didn't stay in Guangzhou to wait for her visa, we had it mailed to Shanghai and then reposted through a relative to Chongqing..and that only took 4 days. The visa looks awesome..it is amazing to see "your girl's" and not just the example posted on VJ. So, I am just chilling and organizing my place to make sure there is enough space to welcome her personal items once she arrives. Then, I am fairly convinced she will completely change everything in the apartment.... Gotta love 'em! garfield - thats excellent news ! Congrats on the Pink !!! What's the plan for jumping over?	garfield529	Male	China	2010-03-16 21:23:00
China	Interesting Facts from Guangzhou	Okay, so the most "critical" question requires a little back history. I was essentially "mentally" divorced for a couple years and living on my own for a year but not actually legally divorced because we were trying to determine the best course for our boys. 1. So the first question was "did you know that your fiance was still married when you began your relationship?" 2. Then she asked "do you know about his children?" and Yi told her my boy's names and ages and a little anecdote. 3. She asked when we have met in person. 4. She asked her how she learned to speak english so well. and finally.. 5. How do you communicate? At this point Yi told her and then tried to show our chat logs...but the VO said "no, no...I don't need to see them, you are approved." Now, my fiancee is very sweet, but she was really upset because she wanted to prove and share what we brought. She felt so happy that we passed so easily with our front-loading, but also amiss because we spent so much time with the supplements that she took. But all is well and now we are focusing on having her start to close out her job and organize her personal items for a May arrival in the states. So what were the 5 questions?	garfield529	Male	China	2010-03-10 15:55:00
China	Interesting Facts from Guangzhou	PINK!!! Wooohoo...well, it is actually orange..but we got it! Two minutes, two whole damn minutes...five questions..and didn't want to look at anything Yi brought!!! Yi almost demanded that she look at our logs and pics..but the woman said "you have more than proved a real relationship." And that is that. I am in a post-pink mental haze...I don't know what to do with myself.... Good to hear her medical is all done and went well (Except for having a man doctor). Wish you guys all the best at her interview as she is probably in the consulate about now. I was probably more nervous than my fiance was during her interview. All we can do is wait and wonder while they are inside whether we are with them or not in GUZ. I'm hoping to read about you getting pink soon.	garfield529	Male	China	2010-03-09 22:46:00
China	Interesting Facts from Guangzhou	Okay, today was the medical exam. Everything went well. Yi says that they did a chest x-ray, took vitals and metrics, and did a external visual inspection of her body to look for scars (suicide attempts?) or other markings that could indicate psychological issues or STDs. She was not happy that the doc was a man for the visual, but it is over and she is asleep for her 5:30am walkup call and get down to the embassy. I will get more details about the medical exam later, right now she is just very nervous.	garfield529	Male	China	2010-03-09 10:43:00
China	Interesting Facts from Guangzhou	Thanks Dan, The EOR and explanation letter are already folded and in her passport. Hopefully they will understand. Hopefully.... My wife stayed at Mr. Yang's apartment also back in December. Mr. Yang told my wife that I since I could not make it to the interview to write a letter telling how we had met, how much I loved my wife and most importantly why I could not make it to the interview. My wife says that one of the first questions they asked was if I had come to the interview, she told them that I could not make it but gave them the letter I had written to read. My wife says that she thinks this helped for her quick approval.	garfield529	Male	China	2010-03-08 15:31:00
China	Interesting Facts from Guangzhou	Okay, I am starting this thread to try and collect the information that I am getting back from Yi regarding her experience in Guangzhou. Hopefully someone will find it useful. She arrived yesterday for her interview on 3/10. She is staying at Mr. Yang's apartment that he rents and I had her mum go with her since my work (in the middle of a serious grant) won't allow for me to be there. I don't know if anyone else has posted about Mr. Yang on here, but you can find a lot of good information regarding him on CFL. Kyle and his wife JingJing posted a really nice write-up that everyone going to Guangzhou should read. I think that biggest thing that I have realized from her first day in Guangzhou is that VJ members only cover a small percent of the total Chinese K-1 or other spousal visas that get processed. I had just assumed that anyone with any sense would be here or on CFL...I am proved wrong. It seems that GUZ is giving out BLUE to anyone who is disorganized and also they are asking small questions to trip up those interviewing. Well, I just wanted to get this started, I will add more soon. She is going to the medical tomorrow, I will fill in more information at that point.	garfield529	Male	China	2010-03-08 11:59:00
China	Is it a good idea?	Hahaha.... I am just curious how you decided on "fattielittleslug" as your user name?? Good luck!! I think the shortcut idea is great, but wait and follow the directions carefully...	garfield529	Male	China	2009-10-27 11:56:00
China	NO P4 and only two weeks until interview..Whoa! Help!	Thanks Dan, I agree it is best for everyone to just download the forms and get them ready instead of waiting for the P4 to arrive. We had everything else ready to roll, just need the interview letter for gaining access to the embassy, paying the CITIC bank fee, and getting into the medical exam. One thing that we did find, is that Yi's P4 did not contain any of the medical forms. I had already sent her copies of the forms, but we were surprised. I wonder how often this happens that a form is not included in the packets. For future ref to others you can download the required forms. http://guangzhou.use...and_packets.htm If you are going to be in China with wife for interview, you can visit the Consulate Monday Afternoon for ACH and request a copy of the interview letter.	garfield529	Male	China	2010-02-28 12:51:00
China	NO P4 and only two weeks until interview..Whoa! Help!	P4 finally arrived today!! I guess I can switch my worrying to the interview itself now! haha... I have to ask her when she wakes up about the EMS tracking, but I did include in the email a request for a copy to be emailed to me and also included her contact information. Hopefully it shows up in the next day or two AND GUZ responds quickly. I just hate to get delayed. Thanks!	garfield529	Male	China	2010-02-26 01:54:00
China	NO P4 and only two weeks until interview..Whoa! Help!	I have to ask her when she wakes up about the EMS tracking, but I did include in the email a request for a copy to be emailed to me and also included her contact information. Hopefully it shows up in the next day or two AND GUZ responds quickly. I just hate to get delayed. Thanks! DID SHE send off an EMS label inside of the P3 packet , for the P4 packet ? (some do, some don't, is not 100 percent requirement). IF SHE DID. Did she make note of the EMS Tracking Number? If she has that, she can USE that on the EMS online tracking portal thingie. ---- The IV unit at GUZ can email PDF'd appointment letter to you or your lass - this comes in, sometimes - so when you prep that email (like Push mentioned) ask for a PDF'd appointment letter to be sent back via email. I think is easier to get in the appointment letter now, than suffer a 1 to 2 month wait whilst having interview RESCHEDULED. (duh - sorry, just saw yer reply that you've already sent an email - IMO, send another one, also send a fax . include the 'proper address' for her in the fax - just in case) Good Luck !	garfield529	Male	China	2010-02-23 14:42:00
China	NO P4 and only two weeks until interview..Whoa! Help!	Thanks Pushbrk, I did that earlier before I posted here....however the site said it takes 5-7 days for response so I was looking for any other alternatives. I will try to be patient...we've waited this long, a few more days should't kill us...right, eh? Email the Consulate and tell them the interview letter has not arrived. It sometimes takes 8 days or so but it's already been longer than that.	garfield529	Male	China	2010-02-23 13:13:00
China	NO P4 and only two weeks until interview..Whoa! Help!	Hello everyone, I called DOS on Feb 12 and they informed me that P4 had been mailed on Feb 11 and interview scheduled for March 10th. Cool. CNY comes and goes...but we don't have our P4 yet. I feel we are too close to our interview to not have this P4. We have already filled all forms that are required, minus her medical papers and paying the CITIC fee. Should I chill, or should I be calling someone?? I thought that the hotline for GUZ was shutdown. This is the time I really need the sage advice from the China forum members. Thanks!!!! I will sit here and eat all of my fingernails off while I wait for some responses.....	garfield529	Male	China	2010-02-23 12:05:00
China	Please, please, please update you status	I don't think so, cuz a couple of these guys were asking me a lot of questions on PM all the time, and post-interview date they just troll on here and no update. I feel bad, but also know that if they got blue then we can help them (possibly) or console them if white and try to see the options. I guess I just feel a little miffed when people just go "silent" in the water. Ya, I've been monitoring the China portal thingie each day, then looking at the timelines for China. It's strange, but I'm hoping it was all good news and those ppl got busy with leaving the country	garfield529	Male	China	2010-04-19 12:37:00
China	Please, please, please update you status	There have been a number of people on here who have had their interview date come and go, and their status is not updated and they do not post an interview review. Most of these folks also show up as being actively viewing the forums as of the last view days. My assumption is that something negative happened at their interview, they received blue or white. I want to encourage these members that they should feel no shame to post this on their status, it HELPS everyone else and keeps timelines current. WE are here to support you , help you solve the issues and get through the tough times. Please, don't just turn your back on this great community of friends. Thank you!!	garfield529	Male	China	2010-04-19 03:53:00
China	advice regarding I-134	You definitely want to get copies your returns for at least three years (because GUZ will mostly like ask for them given your situation) and to make it even easier you can order tax transcripts for fee from IRS. Since you have just filed your petition you have time to build up your income situation. If you are currently receiving a paycheck, that is what you use for computation of salary. Then, come interview time, you submit several months of paystubs with the I-134 to show your support. It is okay if you are laidoff for a while in 2009. The government wants to make sure that you are able to prevent your girl from going on tax payer programs if you can not take care of her. On the flip side, I have seen a lot of stories on here of guys asking about what to do if they have just lost their job prior to the interview. I think some of these guys are essentially asking if it is okay to not admit that their income situation has changed...and I guess if it is not asked you don't have to tell. Hope things work out for you. Put you waiting hat on....keep working hard..and it will be here before you know it.	garfield529	Male	China	2010-04-13 22:21:00
China	Limited Vacation, Which is better?	Yes, I agree..the second visit is a game changer and should make things better. If you have pics of your and her with her parents, then you are also golden in the absence of other red flags. Go pink!	garfield529	Male	China	2010-04-21 15:24:00
China	Limited Vacation, Which is better?	If you have only visited her once for 8 days, then this is red flag. I would recommend you take the time and go to the interview versus a trip between. The VO may not look at her evidence that you have been twice, but if she sticks your passport under their nose they will take a look. Many members on various forum sites speculate about how much weight this has. Many feel that depending on your frontloading, the VO has already decided to give you pink or to grill you and dish out what they want based on the responses. Many people have gotten the pink (well, light orange) with only one visit and not being in Guangzhou for the interview. It is a balance of time available, finances and the lengths you are willing to go to get her here. I wish you luck!! Jia You!!	garfield529	Male	China	2010-04-20 11:48:00
China	Suggestions for travel to Guz?	Southwest flies roundtrip to LAX from Lambert (STL)for about $300, so you just need to use Darnell's China Southern Airlines (CZ) from LAX (Los Angeles) to CAN (Guangzhou)and you are there.	garfield529	Male	China	2010-03-27 13:57:00
China	American Citizen's Hour	Most of the documents needed can be obtained from one of China's Notarial Offices (Gong Zheng Chu). All Chinese documentation to be used abroad is processed through the notary offices and issued in the form of notarial certificates. Notarial offices are located in all major Chinese cities and in rural county seats The documents required are the GongZhengShu ??? did you go to the ???? or some other place?	garfield529	Male	China	2010-05-13 23:42:00
China	American Citizen's Hour	that is a hard one...I suppose you can find someone that you can trust who has been through this already. maybe asking questions on here about specific areas you are not sure about is the best advice I can give. A couple of the folks who rent apartments near the consulate have good marks from previous members regarding their help in "double checking" paper work and helping with final interview prep. My fiancee stayed at such an establishment and they gave her good advice and looked over our papers. Just depends on your self-confidence and how much you trust others for help.	garfield529	Male	China	2010-05-13 23:39:00
China	American Citizen's Hour	ACH is for YOU to ask specific questions, not for the VOs to double-check your paper work. Others will chime in, but ACH has a specific purpose. If your case is straight forward, most guys will tell you it is not that beneficial...but it might take away your jitters and that is worthwhile. Good luck!	garfield529	Male	China	2010-05-13 23:26:00
China	I-134 question	Yes, please keep in mind that different countries will have different "expectations" on the K1 applicant and his/her SO. Since unfortunately China is a high-fraud suspect country, the burden of proof is significantly more than other countries (while anecdotes suggest not the worst). Most of us requested tax transcripts from the IRS, which are free and take about 2 weeks to receive in the mail. Since you already have NOA2 I would get these ordered ASAP and then mailed out (unless you plan to be in at GUZ for interview day). Good luck!	garfield529	Male	China	2010-05-11 22:19:00
China	Vaccination Help	Alright, so I called a few clinics here in St. Louis that are on the USCIS Civil Surgeon list and here is what I found out. For Yi, the only vaccines that she is required to have are MMR and Td(tetanus / diphtheria) for AOS. She would also need Varicella if she has not had chicken pox as a child or not been immunized in the past. Here are their fees: $125 for medical exam (ONLY need this if she didn't already have. We have done this.) In lieu of this, they charge $50 for transcription onto the immunization supplement, $30 for Td, $55 for MMR for a total of $135. I can live with spending $135 to not have Yi stress over the folks in Shanghai.	garfield529	Male	China	2010-05-10 13:28:00
China	Vaccination Help	When Yi was in Guangzhou she was told that she did not need vaccinations for her K1. Which I know is technically true, you don't need them for the visa, but you do need them for AOS. So, she did not get her vaccination card taken care of. I am trying to get her to go to the clinic in Shanghai and get what she needs. She has read too many stories online about girl who were told their vaccine card is worthless and then told they needed many vaccinations that they really didn't need. So my question is: should she even bother (yes, I know they are cheaper in China) to go to the clinic? I am having her call the clinic and ask some questions, but today they are not answering the phone, so I am throwing this out there for any help you can offer. Thanks!	garfield529	Male	China	2010-05-07 22:17:00
China	Waiting for Schedule of Interview	Did you call DOS to confirm receipt of your P3? Don't wait for the P4 letter to arrive, call DOS every couple days until they confirm the P3 has been received, then keep calling until they give you the interview date. I say this because our interview letter arrived less than two weeks before the interview date and had we not called DOS daily it would have made preparations for travel to GUZ very "difficult." Good luck!	garfield529	Male	China	2010-08-19 10:10:00
China	apply for SSN after entering the US	be cautious of what they tell you at the office. Unfortunately the SSN clerks tend to think they are also immigration attorneys. Just ask for what you need and smile/nod if they tell you things you know to not be true.	garfield529	Male	China	2010-09-17 12:04:00
China	Got my new China Visa	I am confused...why does a newly issued visa sticker matter if you are just now sending in your K1 packet. What is more important are the stamps from your previous trips you should have, ya? This week I got my new China visa, just in time to copy of entire passport for the K1 packet I am about to mail off. I was very happy I was granted the 1 year, ME, 90 day stay each time. Wish me luck!	garfield529	Male	China	2010-03-10 13:08:00
China	Is there a forum in Chinese?	The sad part, or sadder part, really - is that since it's a Chinese Woman giving advice to another Chinese Woman - the 'advice' is taken as gospel, always. You may find yourself actually arguing with your wife on some issues, on things she's learned at the 001 forum. She'll think she's right, because of that predeliction for a Chinese woman to believe another Chinese woman first, before listening to even her husband. there's a chinese language forum at http://www.candleforlove.com and some other support at http://www.chinafamilyvisa.com Good Luck ! DARNELL!! you beat me by less than a minute on that post, now looking back I see we were typing at the same time...ha!	garfield529	Male	China	2010-09-18 20:34:00
China	Is there a forum in Chinese?	Sorry here is the actual address. I thought I found the previous URL odd http://www.001.com.cn/ This one is it. Be VERY, VERY, VERY cautious about giving this site to any Chinese fiancee because there are a lot of women on this site who give bad advice and love playing "big sister" and causing trouble. You are better off directly asking members on this forum or over on Candle for Love for a direct line of communication. You can trade your girls QQ address and most questions can be answered based on the experience that each person has. A K1 is not going to be so helpful for a CR1, ect. Good luck.	garfield529	Male	China	2010-09-18 19:31:00
China	27th SEP 2010 Busy Busy!	Good luck everyone!!! Soon ya'll be saving your pennies for AOS and buying lots o' rice.	garfield529	Male	China	2010-09-24 11:49:00
China	K-1 Visa Questions	I don't know how difficult the J-2 rule is to overcome, but you can try for the wavier. As far as the police report, I seriously doubt that you are being discriminated against. There have been far too many USC-engaged Chinese women who have had zero problems with this. Perhaps it is more a problem of confusion on the part of your fiancee regarding exactly what she needs and the office is just giving her the run around. While many men in China have a negative view of inter-racial couples, they are typically non-vocal and just ignore the situation. Your fiancee can obtain her police report at the same office in where her hukou is registered and also get her translated birth certificate and singleness certificate at the same time.	garfield529	Male	China	2010-10-11 03:48:00
China	While we Wait	Two suggestions: 1. find online games that you can both connect through and play those together. She can create an account for you on Renren (www.renren.com) and there are a lot of games to play together. 2. while on skype you can "shop" together (www.taobao.com is great), find music together, ect. These activities will show her you are focused on her but without constant talking. Also, consider once she is here...there is no "logging off" from skype. She will want communication with you and her family back home. You are relocating a girl from her culture...and just like transplanting a beautiful flower from the forest, if you don't take special care........ You will know what I am talking about once she is here, but if you truly care for her you will understand and find the solutions. Good luck~!	garfield529	Male	China	2010-10-20 10:17:00
China	How do I end the K-1 process	I wish you the best of luck and hope for a happy life. No relationship is perfect, but the one thing I have learned is that it is 50/50, every problem should have a solution before you lay your head on the pillow each night. I didn't say solved, but if you are both loving and both communicating, then this will just happen. If you are both willing to work towards a mutual happiness, then give it all your fight. If it is one-sided, then eventually emotions will pull things down in ruins. All we can do as members is give advice, but ultimately it is in your heart and reason as to what is best for your path. Good luck!!	garfield529	Male	China	2010-09-24 11:58:00
China	You know you've married a Chinese when.....	So, the other day my wife and I are at the global market and discussing whether to buy a 20 or 50lb bag of rice. We decided on the 20lb because a 50lb bag is not convenient to store. At this point, I realized that never in my life have I EVER considered a 20lb bag of rice to be a wise purchase as a 5lb bag would last me FOREVER. Anyway, I realized that this was a pretty good indication that I am in fact married to a Chinese woman. Just felt like sharing! Feel free to add your own observations with your fiancee or spouse!	garfield529	Male	China	2010-09-06 23:29:00
China	stress in relationship?	The Chinese mail is really S L O W. I sent something express mail and it took a month to get there. Send her some flowers using a Chinese florist and she will get them in less then 24 hours. Sam is DAMN right...use this link and send her something NOW: http://www.cnflowernet.com/ With the lag time of the mail service, she has to continue to wait for you to do what you said originally. From my experience, nothing works better that to have sent her a package or a letter WITHOUT having told her. The distance of the relationship can be stressful, but relationships are works-in-progress. Remember, this girl is going to give up her whole world in China for you...so make sure that she is confident that she is making the right decision, okay? Good luck!	garfield529	Male	China	2011-02-21 12:49:00