My fiance is pregnant, questions about DCF in Guangzhou

[ferg9 0]

Hi guys. My fiance is 7 months pregnant and we are just starting the CR-1 process. We plan to get officially married in the next week or two before we file the I-130 in Guangzhou. When we file the I-130 she will not have given birth yet, but she may have given birth by the time the interview comes along.

Will it be a problem if on the I-130 we don't include any children, but then during the interview she will indeed have a child?

Also, if she is still pregnant at the time of the medical examination, will that be a problem? I know there are supposed to be vaccines and an x-ray.

[ferg9 0]

Also, could someone please explain the process of getting a notarized police certificate, birth certificate, and marriage certificate? From what I've gathered we must go to her home town to get those certificates, and then we must go somewhere else to get them translated into English and notarized. My questions about that are:

1. Where do we go to get the translations and notaries done? I assume we can't get that done in her home town because it is a small place.

2. Is it the actual certificates that must be notarized or is it the translations that must be notarized?

Thanks!

[Moustafa/Crystal 65]

You will be lucky to see complete the visa before your child is one...a few people seem to get lucky and finish in less than 6 months, but most of us seem to be closer to the 10-14 month range....then there seems to be some that are caught in the endless abyss of immigration. Do not worry about her being pregnant for the medical examination unless, of course, it is with your second child.

I had several translations done by a business that had an official sort of stamp, but it is my understanding you can do the translations yourself. Nothing as far as I know needs to be notarized. You do need to include a letter with the translations saying they have been translated correctly..there are examples on this website....just look through the wikis. They have lots of good information about how to complete this process.

As far as your child being born after the I-130 is sent, what great additional evidence that will be for the interview. Your I-130 is dated. You have to fill it out truthfully....at this point you do not have a child. You should include proof of your wife's pregnancy as evidence.

Good luck.

[Confusedtinybird 41]

Moustafa,

OP is interested in doing DCF which moves much faster.

[CowBoE 429]

Hi guys. My fiance is 7 months pregnant and we are just starting the CR-1 process. We plan to get officially married in the next week or two before we file the I-130 in Guangzhou. When we file the I-130 she will not have given birth yet, but she may have given birth by the time the interview comes along.

Will it be a problem if on the I-130 we don't include any children, but then during the interview she will indeed have a child?

Also, if she is still pregnant at the time of the medical examination, will that be a problem? I know there are supposed to be vaccines and an x-ray.

First congrats. I forget the specifics, but there is a way to get your oversea child US citizenship/passport

once the child is born overseas, and you should be able to include the baby in the processing.

As for the x-ray and vaccination, there must be a way to medically safe way to handle this situation.

It might be worthwhile for your wife to call one of the medical facilities that actually do the examination

and get clarification ASAP so that you know your options up front.

Also, could someone please explain the process of getting a notarized police certificate, birth certificate, and marriage certificate? From what I've gathered we must go to her home town to get those certificates, and then we must go somewhere else to get them translated into English and notarized. My questions about that are:

1. Where do we go to get the translations and notaries done? I assume we can't get that done in her home town because it is a small place.

2. Is it the actual certificates that must be notarized or is it the translations that must be notarized?

Thanks!

She has to go to Gong Zheng Chu (she'll know what that means) to get

1. No marriage certificate (or final divorce decree)

2. No criminal certificate

3. Birth certificate

She needs to tell them to translate them to English (I think they already ask

but she should make sure).

Each certificate comes in ~6 pages that's bound like a thin book, and sometimes

it's called the "White Book" by some because the cover pages are white.

Each certificate will have Chinese pages and English translation pages.

Its very nicely done.

And have her (pay little more) and get 3 copies made (I learned this from Darnell),

so that you have extra copies handy for possible future use, as it will be a major

pain in the butt to get them, especially once she is in US.

These documents are already certified so no notary is needed. This is official as it gets.

That said...

If she has any possibility to wanting to attend the school here,

look into necessary transcripts she needs to bring to US.

My wife has 2 bachelor degrees (one from China and the other from Russia),

but in order to strengthen her career, since her experience and school from

overseas doesn't carry much weight in US...she may be looking at some US college studies.

Lastly, recently "I love San Diego" poster ran into this...

If you wife has lived in different cities and her hokou has moved around,

then she will need to get above certificates from multiple Gong Zheng Chu

as single (and present location) seems unable/unwilling to provide certificates

that cover complete history.

[ferg9 0]

First congrats. I forget the specifics, but there is a way to get your oversea child US citizenship/passport

once the child is born overseas, and you should be able to include the baby in the processing.

As for the x-ray and vaccination, there must be a way to medically safe way to handle this situation.

It might be worthwhile for your wife to call one of the medical facilities that actually do the examination

and get clarification ASAP so that you know your options up front.

She has to go to Gong Zheng Chu (she'll know what that means) to get

1. No marriage certificate (or final divorce decree)

2. No criminal certificate

3. Birth certificate

She needs to tell them to translate them to English (I think they already ask

but she should make sure).

Each certificate comes in ~6 pages that's bound like a thin book, and sometimes

it's called the "White Book" by some because the cover pages are white.

Each certificate will have Chinese pages and English translation pages.

Its very nicely done.

And have her (pay little more) and get 3 copies made (I learned this from Darnell),

so that you have extra copies handy for possible future use, as it will be a major

pain in the butt to get them, especially once she is in US.

These documents are already certified so no notary is needed. This is official as it gets.

That said...

If she has any possibility to wanting to attend the school here,

look into necessary transcripts she needs to bring to US.

My wife has 2 bachelor degrees (one from China and the other from Russia),

but in order to strengthen her career, since her experience and school from

overseas doesn't carry much weight in US...she may be looking at some US college studies.

Lastly, recently "I love San Diego" poster ran into this...

If you wife has lived in different cities and her hokou has moved around,

then she will need to get above certificates from multiple Gong Zheng Chu

as single (and present location) seems unable/unwilling to provide certificates

that cover complete history.

Thank you so much for that info DualityOneness!!! Just one thing to clarify... Will she need the "no marriage certificate" even if she's never been divorced or married? Will she need to get this before she and I get married?

She will also need to have our marriage certificate translated. Is this also done at the Gong Zheng Chu or is it done at the office where you actually get married? Thanks again!!

[Pitaya 2,576]

Hi guys. My fiance is 7 months pregnant and we are just starting the CR-1 process. We plan to get officially married in the next week or two before we file the I-130 in Guangzhou. When we file the I-130 she will not have given birth yet, but she may have given birth by the time the interview comes along.

Will it be a problem if on the I-130 we don't include any children, but then during the interview she will indeed have a child?

Also, if she is still pregnant at the time of the medical examination, will that be a problem? I know there are supposed to be vaccines and an x-ray.

Welcome to the forum.

Check out these informative links:

http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/immigrate/immigrant-process/interview/prepare/medical-exam-faqs.html

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/393969-chinese-marriage-visa-terms-and-definitions/

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/433399-dcf-in-guangzhou-your-advice-please/

HTH,

Best wishes and good luck on your immigration journey.

[CowBoE 429]

Thank you so much for that info DualityOneness!!! Just one thing to clarify... Will she need the "no marriage certificate" even if she's never been divorced or married? Will she need to get this before she and I get married?

She will also need to have our marriage certificate translated. Is this also done at the Gong Zheng Chu or is it done at the office where you actually get married? Thanks again!!

The purpose of "no marriage certificate" is to prove that she is able to marry,

but since you are applying for the spouse visa, I don't think she will need the "no marriage certificate".

Instead, if you are getting married in China and register the marriage there,

then Gong Zheng Chu should be able to provide the marriage certificate

in the same terms mentioned above (English translated and certified).

Now...I don't know where you have to register the marriage and

how long it will take for it to show up at Gong Zheng Chu.

Perhaps, she can look into this from her side. She can probably call

Gong Zheng Chu, or wherever she is going to register the marriage officially.

[asisflyer 47]

FYI: The Child

I presume one of you is a US Citizen.

For a child born to 1 US Citizen and 1 Foreign Citizen overseas, you will need to file the CRBA Consular Report of Birth Abroad.

For that child to be deemed a US CITIZEN HOWEVER, the U.S. Citizen will need proof that at ANY POINT in LIFE, that that US Citizen resided in the United States for 5 -year (unless military or foreign service brat). Often this can be 5-years of tax returns or ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT from childhood.

You can handle the U.S. passport at the embassy and file for it at the same time as the CRBA. If you are not US military, the embassy can process the Social Security number request also. If US military, there is a separate channel for the SS-5.

[jan22 2,898]

FYI: The Child

I presume one of you is a US Citizen.

For a child born to 1 US Citizen and 1 Foreign Citizen overseas, you will need to file the CRBA Consular Report of Birth Abroad.

For that child to be deemed a US CITIZEN HOWEVER, the U.S. Citizen will need proof that at ANY POINT in LIFE, that that US Citizen resided in the United States for 5 -year (unless military or foreign service brat). Often this can be 5-years of tax returns or ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT from childhood.

You can handle the U.S. passport at the embassy and file for it at the same time as the CRBA. If you are not US military, the embassy can process the Social Security number request also. If US military, there is a separate channel for the SS-5.

Clarification -- the five year physical presence requirement cannot all be "at ANY POINT in LIFE". They must all be before the birth of the child and two of the five must have been after the US citizen was 14 years old.

[ferg9 0]

Thanks for the info everyone, this has been amazingly helpful.

A few questions about the CRBA and getting the baby a US passport... What else can be used to prove five years of physical presence? Can college and/or high school transcripts be used or only elementary school? For college transcripts, must the be official or will unofficial work? I think I would have to get them in person if I want official transcripts. Can it be a mix of tax returns and school transcripts?

What's this about getting an exit visa and possibly being denied? Would I get the exit visa for the baby after I get it a US passport? How do I go about getting the exit visa and making sure it is not denied? If it is denied and I get the proforma visa, would it be simple enough to change the baby to an American citizen once we are in America?

This makes me worry about my timeline here. If we get caught up going back and fourth to Guangzhou, first getting an American passport and then being denied an exit visa and applying for a Chinese passport and proforma visa, it seems like that can be quite the drawn out process and I don't plan on having a job here after July. To be clear - I can stay here past the expiration date of my residence permit because I am married to a Chinese citizen right? I just need to go to a PSB and apply for... what?

Sorry to open up a whole new can of worms on you guys. Thanks again for the help!

[leishi 11]

Thanks for the info everyone, this has been amazingly helpful.

A few questions about the CRBA and getting the baby a US passport... What else can be used to prove five years of physical presence? Can college and/or high school transcripts be used or only elementary school? For college transcripts, must the be official or will unofficial work? I think I would have to get them in person if I want official transcripts. Can it be a mix of tax returns and school transcripts?

What's this about getting an exit visa and possibly being denied? Would I get the exit visa for the baby after I get it a US passport? How do I go about getting the exit visa and making sure it is not denied? If it is denied and I get the proforma visa, would it be simple enough to change the baby to an American citizen once we are in America?

This makes me worry about my timeline here. If we get caught up going back and fourth to Guangzhou, first getting an American passport and then being denied an exit visa and applying for a Chinese passport and proforma visa, it seems like that can be quite the drawn out process and I don't plan on having a job here after July. To be clear - I can stay here past the expiration date of my residence permit because I am married to a Chinese citizen right? I just need to go to a PSB and apply for... what?

Sorry to open up a whole new can of worms on you guys. Thanks again for the help!

where are you currently living in china? You don;t have to go to guangzhou for your child's american passport if it's not close to you. If you live let's say close to shanghai, you can go to the shanghai consulate. Just something to keep in mind.

[ferg9 0]

I'm living in Shenzhen so it's actually not that bad going to Guangzhou. I'm just concerned about the time it will take getting and American passport, getting rejected for an exit visa, getting a Chinese passport, getting a proforma visa, etc.