Dear "New Here"

Congratulations on sendng the paperwork... We are NOT THERE YET and have lots of questions..

First, do you have a contact, an email address of someone who has "been there, done that", someone who can answer questions?

THis is the situation.

I am an American MARRIED to a wonderful Chinese girl and we live in China.
We have lived here for over 4 years together and have been married for about a year.
Well, as these things happen, we will be blessed soon with a new arrival, our first child.

And naturally we would like to share the bundle of joy with our friends and family, including those in the USA.

That is the situation in a nutshell, but.. how to proceed.

We have been told Chinese girls/women have a difficult time getting a Travel VISA to the US because many disapear once they arrive.
But, we have no intention of staying in the US. I have a great job here, have lived outside the US for over 25 years and this should count for something.
Then there is the issue of our new child. I have been told that once the child has been born, my wifes chances of getting a visa go DOWN instead of UP.

So, how to proceed? What forms, what to do first, so many questions and no one to talk to.

We had hoped to fly to the US during my summer vacation (I am a University Teacher, so have 3 months vacation a year :-)

Anyway, to apply for a visa or to start the immigration process (which we are NOT really interested in unless its an easy, fast way to get her into the US)

Again, any ideas, any suggestions, any websites or better yet, any email addresses of anyone who might be able to point us in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

I thank you in advance, I wish you luck and every success in your process, your relationship and your future life together.

Be happy, be healthy, care and love each other and everything will work out for the best...

From Aida and Robert in China...

Hi there...

Congratulations on your progress & the (soon) healthy arrival of your baby ... We are NOT THERE YET and have lots of questions..

First, do you have a contact, an email address of someone who has "been there, done that" regarding immigration vs VISA? You know, if you have the time and some ideas, great, if not, do you know someone who can answer our general questions?

THis is the situation.

I am an American MARRIED to a wonderful Chinese girl and we live in China.
We have lived here for over 4 years together and have been married for about a year.
Well, as these things happen, we will be blessed soon with a new arrival, our first child.

And naturally we would like to share the bundle of joy with our friends and family, including those in the USA.

That is the situation in a nutshell, but.. how to proceed.

We have been told Chinese girls/women have a difficult time getting a Travel VISA to the US because many disapear once they arrive.
But, we have no intention of staying in the US. I have a great job here, have lived outside the US for over 25 years and this should count for something.
Then there is the issue of our new child. I have been told that once the child has been born, my wifes chances of getting a visa go DOWN instead of UP.

So, how to proceed? What forms, what to do first, so many questions and no one to talk to.

We had hoped to fly to the US during my summer vacation (I am a University Teacher, so have 3 months vacation a year :-)

Anyway, to apply for a visa or to start the immigration process (which we are NOT really interested in unless its an easy, fast way to get her into the US)

Again, any ideas, any suggestions, any websites or better yet, any email addresses of anyone who might be able to point us in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

I thank you in advance, I wish you luck and every success in your process, your relationship and your future life together.

Be happy & be healthy. Care for and love each other, cherish your new bundle of JOY and everything will work out for the best...

From Aida and Robert in China...

Try contacting the US Embassy

If you are not going to live in the US and your wife is not looking to immigrate, I would think they will give you a tourist visa.

As long as you can show that you have strong interest in China and will not be moving to the US. I think that would be the fastest especially since you are expecting.

If you go the regular visa route, you can forget summer.

We applied end of August and don't expect to get an interview until June, hopefully, fingers crossed.

good luck

about your child, it will not burden your wife. since your child and u are already USC.

it take longer for visa to aproval, i seen it happen. if you live in beijing or guangzhou check with embassy/consulate you get the real answer

It is generally impossible for a single Chinese woman to obtain a visitor visa to the US unless for legitimate business purposes connected to her job or unless she can show significant property and ties to China.

Your situation might fly if presented well. Your child will simply need a US passport if you qualify. It takes more than citizenship. You'll want to look into whether you spent enough time in the US after age 15 to qualify your child for automatic citizenship. Perhaps you've already completed that exercise.

If you have a long standing carreer position in China and the two of you have significant assets and ties to China that would convince a Consular Officer, you will be returning to China after the visit, there's a good chance of success. The visitor visa process is fast but not assured of success.

I think in your particular situation the chances are pretty good to receive a travel visa for her. Also, have you considered a DCF? Because you are employed in China I think that she could be processed and even receive a Green Card as your job requires you to be overseas. Now this is based on heresay so I recommend that you contact the Consulate for more sound information. Either way Congratulations on the approaching arrival!