Russell T

Thanks guys, I was planning on her taking a copy of the marriage cert.

I have checked with the Chinese consulate and they sent us to a web site where you can get a form to change the name on her passport, I'm just not sure if we have the time to do this because we have to then go to the consulate. If the advice here is good it would be much easier to go this route since we already have these documents.

Yes, the Chinese do need a visa to come to the US, before I met my wife she wanted to visit the US and was turned down and my stepson had to get a student visa to go to school here.

Stevo, I agree, they both help a lot of folks!

I haven't posted in some months either, been very busy working, lucky for me I do a lot from home so I get to spend time with my wife. She loves it here and goes to English classes 3 days a week to improve her English which is actually pretty good.

This forum and the folks on it really helped make it all happen.

Hi all, I have a question I hope you can help me with.

My wife came here on a K-1 visa from China and we were married last may. She received her green card last Nov and now needs to go back to China to visit her sister. I have read that she just travels home on her Chinese passport which is in her maiden name and when she returns to the US in 3-4 weeks she uses her green card here. My question is how does she leave China to come back, won't they require an exit visa? I haven't been able to find any good answers about this so I'm looking for help.

Thanks, this forum has always been a big help, could not have gotten my now wife here with out it! :-)

Congratulations!!!!!

I'm leaving in two weeks for Chengdu to get my future wife, I haven't posted much lately , been pretty busy getting things ready here! :-)

I flew Cathay Pacific last Feb. The food was the worst airline food I have ever had. When arriving in HK I couldn't even make it to the bathroom intime, if you know what I mean. :-( It was just as bad on the return flight.

I'm going Singapor Airlines this time.

I just got tickets this week. I'm flying over to Chengdu to pick up my fiance. I'm flying from SF to HK then on to Chengdu. This trip is in the middle of Feb and my round trip was just over $1700. Booked it through a friends travel agent.

Thanks for all the input folks.

If she gets the shots over in China does she have to get them at a specfic place? Or can she go to a local clinic?

She lives 30 min from Chengdu.

Hawkeyes, yes, I understand that fee and I'm a bit luckier then you and it's just my fiance!

Should I try and get her to go get the shots there? We have a month and a half.

If we wait until she comes what is the cheapest way to get it done. I can start checking prices but I'm not sure where to start. My comapany pays my health ins. I guess I should check and see what I would have to pay to get her added.

V&T, what is CS you refer too?

As always, THANKS!

Sorry this took so long, I was finally able to Skype with my fiance and get more details.

The interview date was Nov. 28 so she and her sister traveled there a few days early so she could do the medical. They stayed at the small place in the same building as the consulate, the owner of the place was very helpful and got them a taxi for getting to the medical.She said the place was VERY simple. She went early,7am,so she could get the papers back later the same day. The wait was about one hour and the exam was 30 min. The only problem was she has a slight cold so they would not give any shots and gave her what looks like a CD to give to the doctor here when she gets to the US.

Turn in day was also a easy day other then the waiting. She had to wait outside about 1 hour before getting in and the weather was very cold. She said the man was very nice and told her which papers they wanted her to pull out of her stack. It was basicly just the ones listed on the P4, nothing else was looked at. He asked her some simple questions one of wich was if she belonged to the party. They also asked if she would like to do the interview in Manderin, her english is fairly good but it helped her to relax by being able to speak Manderin so that is what she chose.

The interview day was raining and she again had to wait outside for about 1 hour, after getting inside the wait was about 3 hours. The interviewer was American and spoke very good Manderin. The interview lasted only about 5 min. and she was asked how we meet, internet, how much a month I made to which she answered that she did not know, that is the mans business. :-) She did tell him what I make for the year because I told her that.He asked if I lived in Richmond, Virginia, she replyed, no, I lived in Richmond, across the bay from San Francisco. He asked about her English and asked if I spoke Chinese,no. He asked how many times I had been to visit,once, how long I was there, 3 weeks.

He did not need to see any of the other things she had with her, she was a little disapointed because she wanted to show the book I had printed of my trip with her around China.That was it, very easy and the Visa arrived at her sisters home about 10 days later.

She did meet another girl whose bf lives in my area and they have been keeping in touch, she also passed the same day but is still waiting for her visa a month later, I think it might be the same thing that happened to A&B, some kind of review.

Now I am geting my visa and making plans to go back to get her right after the Sping Festival ends in Feb.

Thanks guys for all your help. now I need to start reading about all the next steps once we get back!

I'm making plans to go get my fiance right AFTER the holiday! I'm flying from SF and since she wants to spend two days in HK on the way back I'm thinking about going to Chengdu via HK. I'm gessing it will be easier booking the flight if the round trip is through the same places but really don't know.

I am having her check on getting the return tickets from Chengdu to HK over there because she did what A&B suggested and got all our flights when I was there last Feb. I'll keep you poated on what I find out.

We got ours through EMS in about a week but a girl that got approved the same day, Nov. 29th is still waiting for her's and here it is Dec.21st. I have no knowledge why, I'm getting this via texts.

A&B, I will, I've just been waiting until I can actually talk with her about it, right now she's in Shenzhen with her sister and won't be back so we can Skype for another week or so.

I got a text today from my fiance about the interview. They asked a few questions like how we met,where our house is, if I told her how much I make each month, how many times we met how long I stayed, she said they asked to see nothing and it took about 5 min.

She was able to give them my yearly income, I was there once for three weeks. They inetrviewed her in Chinese and then asked about her English which is pretty good and asked about my Chinese which is almost nill.

Just got a text from my fiance, we got her Visa approval!!!

What a relief to finaly feel like you have control of your life again!

My fiance got her P3 so fast we didn't have time to use the shortcut!

I'm the petitioner and when I submitted the 1-129F forms to the USCIS I didn't send my fiance's birth cert because it wasn't required, it is required when she sends the paperwork in at the consulate. I was approved with no RFE's

Thanks guys.

Unlockingsky, when you say "all the papers you submitted to the NVC" I take your refering to the 1-129F papers we submited to start the K-i Visa process. I did send her that stuff and she will have it.

I'm glad to hear they will go thru the papers and take what they need.Will they take stuff like the proof of ongoing relationship papers, email copies and Skype time papers I sent or does she take it to the interview incase they want to see it?

Thanks this kind of info really helps.

Operator, No, I don't see any red flags. I'm trying to pass as much information on to my fiance as possible so she can remain calm.

The only concern I have is the paperwork she did there like the Police cert, birth cert etc. She went too her hukuo for everything but had to go get those papers translated and I keep hearing they come translated and norerized in what is called the "white book' a term she does not understand.

I'm hoping that as long as she has the required papaers and they are translated and notarized she is giving them what they asked for. This is my only concern.

Thanks for your input Operator. This is what I have been telling her to do and she has the papers organized so she knows where everything is. I told her to keep the second copy of the DS-156 and DS-157 in a seperate envelope and ask if they want both copies. I also told her they were likely going to take just what they wanted and to take everything left over to the interview.

Each time we Skype and in my mails we talk of staying calm so I hope it helps. It's hard becaues this is the biggie. This is the one that brings great joy or turns it back to a big ordeal!

I asked this on the China forum but after several days I haven't gotten a reply so I'll try here, hopefully I'll have better luck here. Thanks.

Our consulate interview day is quickly coming up on the 28th and I have a few questions. We have all the P4 papers ready and I'd like to get some feedback from you recent folks.

They request 2 copies each of the DS-156 and DS-157, do you actually turn in both or keep one for your copy, seems I read this somewhere in the consulate instructions but would like to confirm this. Next on the on going relationship stuff I sent samplings of our emails over the last months, print outs of our weekly Spype times and Skype video pictures, new letters of intent and since I won't be there I was adding my evolution of relationship letter, cards I sent, ring receipt ect. My fiance is also taking more photos I sent of us together and some I sent of our home and some of just me, pictures a couple would exchange in my opinion. When you turn this paperwork in do they just take it all in or do they pick what they want at least picture wise? This is what I'm un clear of. Then one last question, what else do you take the next day when she go for the interview? I was thinking she could take the original 129F packet I sent over and a photo book I had printed show our travels around China when we were together.

Any suggestions would be very helpful. Thanks for all of your continued help, we are getting very close

So no one can offer any help with these questions?

Our consulate interview day is quickly coming up on the 28th and I have a few questions. We have all the P4 papers ready and I'd like to get some feedback from you recent folks.

They request 2 copies each of the DS-156 and DS-157, do you actually turn in both or keep one for your copy, seems I read this somewhere in the consulate instructions but would like to confirm this. Next on the on going relationship stuff I sent samplings of our emails over the last months, print outs of our weekly Spype times and Skype video pictures, new letters of intent and since I won't be there I was adding my evolution of relationship letter, cards I sent, ring receipt ect. My fiance is also taking more photos I sent of us together and some I sent of our home and some of just me, pictures a couple would exchange in my opinion. When you turn this paperwork in do they just take it all in or do they pick what they want at least picture wise? This is what I'm un clear of. Then one last question, what else do you take the next day when she go for the interview? I was thinking she could take the original 129F packet I sent over and a photo book I had printed show our travels around China when we were together.

Any suggestions would be very helpful. Thanks for all of your continued help, we are getting very close

Why coudn't she get a second copy? Or are the sealed papers the same as the yellow book?

And this is the first time I heard they want you back in 6 weeks for more shots?

Can someone help clear this up, we are almost at this point.

Thanks

Congratsulations!!!

We are just ahead of you and the process has been going so fast we did not even have time to do the shortcut. It seems they are trying to do everything via the computer now. My fiance did get the P3 in the mail but they sent the P4 and interview via an email. You print it off and download the P4 forms off the Embassy website. Hope this helps a bit.

Otherwise the steps you have listed are the same as what I think is how it works!

Thanks guys, couple more questions. Leishi, did that cost extra? I read one post saying they paid and extra fee to get same day docs. How early does the place open and are they open on Fridays? And I almost forgot, this is strictly walk in apointments?

A&B we have the same days as you guys and mentioned doing the same as you but my fience is thinking she wants to do the medical on Friday, not sure the exta days are worth the waiting in between.

This helps making the plans for sure.

Well the P3 package arrived at the White Swan on 10-10 and today both myself and my fiance received emails from the embassy with the interview date. The email states they no longer mail the P4 papers and sent the link to the embassy site for the P4 forms. The date for the interview is Nov.28th.

I figure this is why they no longer list the EMS label on the embassy site form 169, now they need to stop mailing out the form asking for it!

The turn in day is Wed. so I'm hoping we can she can do it the same as A&b and do the medical on Monday. Question, do you stll need to go back the following day at 3pm the get the medical records?