RandyW

No, it does not.  At least not in the context of US immigration.
 
I don't think you fully understand what "notarized" means.  A notary cannot verify the truth of what is contained in a document - only the identity of the person signing it.

It's fairly rare that one is needed.
 
If one is required, it will be asked for AFTER the interview. Here is one recent story
 
http://candleforlove.com/forums/topic/49904-ap-approaching-7-months/
 
 

Great. I have the white bounded book. It is not sealed, and is not a copy. Thank you!

That's what I wanted to hear. I'll let her know. Thanks, @RandyW. 

" the cases you speak of where it takes months or even years" are usually cases where CCP or National Security is involved.
 
They DO NOT take the passport unless they intend to put a visa in it. 

I didn't submit tax returns in lieu of tax transcripts. I submitted both.
 
Forgive me for seeing this in the instructions and assuming I should follow them:
 
If my only crime was submitting more evidence than necessary I hardly see what all the fuss is about. Better to over-submit than under-submit. 

Thanks, @Randy
And thanks for all your help along the way.

Since I'm the one who started this thread, and my fiancee's interview is finished as of today (she passed!), I just wanted to bring some closure to this thread by answering my own questions for the reference of others who may come across this thread in the future.
 
a) I listed the value of my stocks and bank account based on the value in the letters I had from the bank. Decided it was better to have those values match, even if the actual value today is different than the day when the bank wrote the letter. After all, the CO knows that the market fluctuates from day to day. 
 
b) I only listed the value of my bank accounts for which I had a letter from the bank. Didn't want to risk getting flagged for "incomplete documentation".
 
c) Didn't bother listing my car under personal property. Seemed too complicated to assess a value on a used car, and didn't have the proof of purchase handy.
 
d) I did list mutual funds along with stocks. After all, mutual funds are just bundles of stocks.
 
e) The the "list of stocks and bonds" required in the "additional information" section, I decided to be as complete as possible, and attached all the relevant pages from the most recent client statement from my broker. That included the names of the stocks in my portfolio, as well as a bunch of other information like date of purchase, number of shares, and total market value of each stock holding. I used a highlighter to highlight the stock names. I attached these pages to the back of my I-134 with a paper clip. It may have been overkill to include all of that, but I felt it was better to err on the safe side. My fiancee tells me that during the interview, the CO and his colleagues spent a significant amount of time studying this very document, and that it seemed to play a decisive role in his decision to approve her visa, so I'm glad I decided to include this. 
 
I know that other VJers said if your income is enough, you don't need to list assets, but since I am not currently employed I thought it was better to err on the side of caution and demonstrate both that my income meets the standard, and that I have additional assets, to overcome any doubt the CO might have. I suspect that this evidence will be even more important at the next stage in this process (AOS), and wanted to establish it on the record as soon as possible, assuming that the record of her K1 interview will follow her to the AOS stage. 
 
I also read other VJers warning that if I included assets information it "opens up a whole bottle of worms", and that the Guangzhou consulate in particular (our consulate) likes to ask the beneficiary a bunch of tough questions about the assets if you list them. Well, in my fiancee's case, they were very interested in the assets, but they did not bother her with a single question about them. They just quietly studied the documents and discussed them on their own. 
 
One other thing I thought I'd share from the process. My fiancee reports that at one point during the interview, they took my tax transcript (or tax return, not just which one), disappeared for several minutes, then reappeared seemed satisfied. She suspects that they may have called the IRS during those several minutes to confirm that my taxes were accurate. Is this normal? Have others had the same thing happen? Due to the time difference between China and the US, I would have assumed that the IRS offices were closed then, but maybe the IRS has its own division within the Consulate? Or maybe they have a 24 hour line for this very purpose? Just curious the logistics of it. 

The USCIS approved your case and handed it off to the Dept. of State. It is the Dept. of State that conducts the SAO-M background checks, NOT USCIS. The NVC is Dept. of State, so they may or may not have additional information.for you.
 
The case most likely WAS sent back to the US as part of the SAO-M investigation. That is normal procedure. It is, as you say, "not actually returned". It goes to Washington, D.C., but NOT the USCIS.
 
Again - "Apart from the Department of State, the process involves other agencies of the federal government of the United States, especially those under Department of Homeland Security. Some of the agencies involved are: FBI, CIA, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, and the Department of State's Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation. The process may also include checking with Interpol."
 
You are unlikely to find out any additional information until the Consulate tells you the investigation is complete, but something may shake out when you rattle the cage.
 
Hang in there - that is all you can do until they get back with you.

A lawyer could only tell you what triggered the investigation. Maybe not.

It's fairly rare that one is needed.
 
If one is required, it will be asked for AFTER the interview. Here is one recent story
 
http://candleforlove.com/forums/topic/49904-ap-approaching-7-months/
 
 

You are within a reasonable time frame for that kind of background check. Refiling under a different category would simply restart the same clock.
To determine the reason would require a knowledge of your fiance's career, resume, past interactions with the consulate, and possibly those of family members.
To find out more, including possibly information about others in the same boat and your best strategy going forward, you should contact Marc Ellis at http://www.marcellislaw.com/. He has had extensive involvement with the GUZ consulate in cases like this.
Hang in there a little bit longer.

from Wikipedia
 
Security Advisory Opinion (SAO) or Washington Special Clearance, commonly called security clearance, administrative clearance, or administrative processing, is a process the United States Department of State and the diplomatic missions of the United States use in deciding to grant or deny a United States visa to certain visa applicants. The process involves sending a request from the visa issuing post to the Department of State's headquarters in Washington, D.C., to investigate an individual's case for possible espionage, terrorism, and illegal export of technology out of the United States.
 
 
 
Apart from the Department of State, the process involves other agencies of the federal government of the United States, especially those under Department of Homeland Security. Some of the agencies involved are: FBI, CIA, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, and the Department of State's Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation. The process may also include checking with Interpol.

It's not specific to anything, anywhere, or any tier - you simply do what they tell you to do.
 
Like I've said, the family's hukou ben (and any ID's they ask for) is generally enough.

You are within a reasonable time frame for that kind of background check. Refiling under a different category would simply restart the same clock.
To determine the reason would require a knowledge of your fiance's career, resume, past interactions with the consulate, and possibly those of family members.
To find out more, including possibly information about others in the same boat and your best strategy going forward, you should contact Marc Ellis at http://www.marcellislaw.com/. He has had extensive involvement with the GUZ consulate in cases like this.
Hang in there a little bit longer.

from Wikipedia
 
Security Advisory Opinion (SAO) or Washington Special Clearance, commonly called security clearance, administrative clearance, or administrative processing, is a process the United States Department of State and the diplomatic missions of the United States use in deciding to grant or deny a United States visa to certain visa applicants. The process involves sending a request from the visa issuing post to the Department of State's headquarters in Washington, D.C., to investigate an individual's case for possible espionage, terrorism, and illegal export of technology out of the United States.
 
 
 
Apart from the Department of State, the process involves other agencies of the federal government of the United States, especially those under Department of Homeland Security. Some of the agencies involved are: FBI, CIA, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, and the Department of State's Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation. The process may also include checking with Interpol.

This is NOT a birth certificate - it is simply a hospital receipt.
 
The notation on the Notarial Birth Certificate is 出生公证书, or chu sheng gong zheng shu, which is what you need to ask for at the Gong Zheng Chu, or 公证处 - it is produced from her hukou book.
 
If you are unable to obtain one, you will need to explain why. You apparently have yet to even try.

Ahhh... They meant the date and place of birth of the fiancee, not of the parents. For the parents, all they need are the names. I see that now. 
I read too much into this sentence. The comma did make it somewhat ambiguous. They could make this sentence more clear if they'd indicated that the date and place of birth are for the applicant, and that's a separate clause than the names of the parents.
In any case, hopefully my being overly detail-oriented here helps others avoid this confusion in the future.
Thanks for all those who helped to clarify.
 

She needs to present her hukou (household registry) and her Chinese ID. What did they tell her when she asked for one at the Gong Zheng Chu?
Chinese Notarial Documents - see DOS China Reciprocity Schedule
NOTE: Try http://travel.state..../fees_3272.html or go to http://travel.state.gov/ and search for "Reciprocity by Country" (they seem to change this periodically)
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 公证书
Sample application for documents (your province or hukou may vary):

http://www.bnpo.gov....72115331419.doc
http://www.bnpo.gov....ide/detail1.asp
A discussion of the huji (or hukou 户口) system can be found at Hukou System. Chinese residents should go to their hukou for all notarial documents (birth, divorce, and/or single certificate, and police records). For the police record, one obtained at the hukou will cover all of China.
A notarial document will be in the standard white notarial booklet, have an official red seal, an English translation, and an attestation to the true translation.

Do NOT get a "birth certificate" - it WILL be rejected, since they were not issued in China prior to the 1990's, as you have been told. What you need is known as a "notarial certificate of birth" - basically, a statement from the notarial official as to the circumstance of your wife's birth.
Chinese documents are issued by Chinese authorities, NOT to standards set by others. The Consulate is well aware of this, and WILL ACCEPT the Notarial Certificates, which ARE generated at the Notarial offices.
Notarial Certificate of Birth
Most confusion with the Chinese Notarial Documents is with the Notarial Certificate of Birth. Prior to 1991, birth certificates were not issued at birth. A notarial certificate with translation must be generated from the hukou.
The notation on the notarial birth certificate is 出生公证书, or chu sheng gong zheng shu, which is what you need to ask for at the Gong Zheng Chu, or 公证处֤֤֤.
A sample Notarial Certificate of Birth may be found at http://candleforlove...books/?p=626052
Chinese Notarial Documents - see DOS China Reciprocity Schedule


NOTE: If the link is broken, try http://travel.state.gov/ and search for "Reciprocity by Country" (they seem to change this periodically)

Most of the documents needed can be obtained from one of China's Notarial Offices (Gong Zheng Chu, or 公证处֤֤). All Chinese documentation to be used abroad is processed through the notary offices and issued in the form of notarial certificates (known as "white books"). Notarial offices are located in all major Chinese cities and in rural county seats

The documents required are the GongZhengShu (公证书֤) ֤֤ or Notarial Certificate.

Sample application for documents (your province or hukou may vary):

http://bnpo.gov.cn/en/en_index
A discussion of the huji (or hukou system can be found at Hukou System. Chinese residents should go to their hukou for all notarial documents (birth, divorce, and/or single certificate, and police records). For the police record, one obtained at the hukou will cover all of China.

A notarial document will be in the standard white notarial booklet, have an official red seal, an English translation, and an attestation to the true translation.

Note that police records and single certificates are valid for one year from the date of notarization. Others are valid indefinitely.

I'm following this post because we will need to get the police certificate soon and I wasn't sure how long it would take.  There are a few comments on this thread that i think only people who deal with China would understand.  The advice that would have to agree with most:
 
- Misinformation in the Wechat groups is very real and can cause unneeded stress
- Navigating bureaucracy is true anywhere - take your fiance's lead 
- We haven't experienced any need for bribes; in fact most people have been very willing to help
- I think a lot of the horror stories are due to misinformation or not not going to the right source
 
Just my opinions based on what I have experienced in the last two years.  I realize there scammers all over the world and maybe we've been lucky, but the only real "unethical" event I had was when a man at a florist tried to greatly over charge me for flowers 😆
 
 
 
 

Your white book serves as a legal marriage certificate in the U.S.

Exactly - the mayor here in Yulin (where I've lived for 10 years this Dec.) was executed around 20 years ago for demanding bribes in the execution of his duties. My brother-in-law has been under a self-imposed exile ever since (except for a quick early morning visit a couple of weeks ago), since he was a major contributor. The word 'bribe' doesn't seem to exist around here.
 
Be careful, and FOLLOW YOUR WIFE'S LEAD.

Submitted an inquiry to ustraveldocs.com and they just responded with a generic stock answer, nothing of use to my specific question.
 
However, a visajourney.com user on another thread says that my fiancee can simply change her Weibo account handle. We haven't tried yet, but if that's true then that's probably the easiest way of solving this particular problem.

Not really. I just got my police certificate from a small town. Not technically a 'rural' area since mine is a 'urban' based hukou register, but I do come from a small small town. You can ask your fiancee contact the local notary office first, check online get the number to call. If there is no local notary office in her born place, contact the upper level. Check first what documents they do really need. This is what I did. No bribe at all.

What horror stories?
 
Simple answer - ask at the PSB. If they won't issue you one, take names (at a minimum, the office where you asked). Report these to the consulate, along with the REASONS you were denied, in lieu of the police report.
 
See http://candleforlove.com/forums/topic/48295-chinese-essential-documents-white-books/?p=629619