dave & joy

A notarized document looks more professional and as we all have said the more professional you seem the better. If you can do it then do it.

Flying from Beijing through Chicago soon with my wife and son.

She just got her CR-1 and he although born in china has his USA passport.

This will be our point of entry and we have a 2 hour layover should I be worried?

My opinion is all posts should start with "Darnell what do you think about this?"

I have read a lot and learned from your answers even where professional help was not clear. I am sure many people here appreciate your answers.

My opinion is all posts should start with "Darnell what do you think about this?"

I have read a lot and learned from your answers even where professional help was not clear. I am sure many people here appreciate your answers.

Don't forget, there's an Ikea round the corner, and the food there is much cheaper. Lean to the left at the front entrance, find the hidden stairwell or elevator, and you not need to go round the store to get to the food section.

Across from IKEA there is a mall and a grocery store for the thrifty travelers. Also I have been to over 20 places in China and never did I see so many 7-11 stores as I did in Guangzhou.

so, no telling on the final delivery point (ie, which city?)

OK! Sorry, I seem a bit dense. with more info , i can be less dense.

Shijiazhuang Hebei Provence not far from Beijing but that's for now. On the 25th we go to Beijing and on the 28th we fly for home!

Before you ask home is Covington Louisiana,near New Orleans.

I had this problem for over a week and my advisor just told me to send money orders. I did not know the details of where to send so I sent them to my advisor who then mailed them out.

Beijing to new Orleans we are paying $800 per person one way plus $250 for the baby. Not bad I think.

PS we fly end of may and booked a last week.

Kayak.com (I use the android app) found us this and other on American airlines

it depends on where the final delivery point is.

if she stayed in Guangzhou, then she's gonna pick up at the special EMS post office. So that notice that it arrived somewhere, well, the package arrived there yesterday.

Where's the expected 'final delivery point' ?

Got it today and the delivery person wanted another 68rmb

Ems is the worst in china but at least we got it

How soon do you guess we will get it after EMS website says....

Your item was collected(City of Guangzhou) at 2012-05-14 10:32:00

Update

2012-05-14  10:32:00 City of Guangzhou  Posting   2012-05-14  17:46:00 City of Guangzhou  Despatch from Sorting Center  

We wrote the number in pencil on the top right corner of each page and document we submitted. As EAbbas said, just in case anything got separated from the file.

Our advisor did the same in pen. The more professional you look and act they more they will respect your case. I like the label idea.

My wife and I went so far as writing notes on each of our 63 pictures to end result they even when my wife asked if they want to see pictures they said no.

My case is unusual though I have basically been in china 4 years and taken my wife to Europe and the Caribbean for work for both of us and we have a baby so I am unsure if they just hustled us through because we have a million good things on our side or if it was because we were organized.

Good luck! My wife had her interview on the 9th and ems has already received her visa package!

How soon do you guess we will get it after EMS website says....

Your item was collected(City of Guangzhou) at 2012-05-14 10:32:00

...where you can get your Medical Exam???

1st floor of the embassy on the right side.

PS this in not where we got ours but they have a huge sign outside.

We brought everything on document day and so do many people. Then they take what they need and give you back what they don't. Also they will tell you if anything is missing.

Then on interview day bring everything's again. I think if you are organized and bring a lot they tend to look less. If you are unorganized or don't bring what they think is enough they will dig for reasons to deny.

Also it could depend on what side of the bed they woke up on or if they went to the wrong 7-11 for their morning coffee.

$50US is only expensive by Chinese standards. Also like I said there is a medical place right next to the embassy.

I am here now I can tell you if you face the consolate building to the left and around the corner is apt style hotel 350rmb per night 2 bedroom kitchen everything with internet

Down stairs from the consolate office is a medical center and many visa advisory companies.

PS document intake for my wife was yesterday and today she passed her interview.

First let me say this is what we did take it as you want.

1 there is plenty of places right next to the embassy and we stayed in one apt in the same building for $50 per night.

2 very close there is a super market with everything so pack light.

3 if you can bring a friend or family member to help. We brought my mother-in-law who does not speak English but that is OK.

4 arrive the day before document drop off day. In the embassy building there are services that can look over you case they didn't charge us but they tried to sell us practice interview sessions and we declined.

5 day before document drop off we went around 5PM and were able to walk right in and take the escalator up to the 4th floor this was good we notes on the 3rd floor there was nothing . The 4 the floor was for me to wait and the 5th is where the consulate is.

6 document drop off day at 10 am we went just my wife and I baby and no stayed in the room we spoke to the guards and said we have a baby and can my wife get to the front of the line so he does not make trouble. They said yes. (Later we found out some people pay them)

12 noon we went and we got in first my wife had to take the baby all the way in but she was done in 90 minutes.

7 talk to the guards and remind them not to forget you tomorrow

8 interview day arrive 7am we were first again thanks to the guards but also we sent mom to the 3rd floor once there we handed the baby to her and continued on our way.

9 no matter what people tell you as an american you cannot stay with your wife. There is a cafe on the 4th floor bring your iPad and wait.

10 90 minutes later my wife came out very sad because now she has no excuse and has to come to America with me and our baby.

This interview was today and I will not talk about questions asked. These are a case by case thing . All I will say the guards are super nice. The document taker was firm but accurate. The VO was happy with our case and polite.

All said we are happy with the process.

We are bringing the baby to Guangzhou as my wife is breast feeding but reading this we will also bring the baby to the embassy.

Original plan was the baby would stay in the hotel with my mother in-law.

How about just relax and be honest. All the questions above should be known if you 2 communicate properly and really know eachother.

Sorry to rant but the comments about staring got to me

Just to mention as well I have been coming to china since 2008 been to over 10 places including Chengdu, Xi'an, Dali, Hangzhou, of course Beijing and many more. Joy and I hold hands and by American standards would be average in affection in public but we have never felt too many people were starring. We ride the Beijing subway often.

Only 2 times did I feel the requests door picture talking were a bit much. One year after the quake I was Jiuzhaigou. If you have not been it is awesome. A lot of people were there to see the valley but I did not see a single foreigner and many asked for pictures Joy and I joke that I have a fan club.

The other time we went at 5am to watch the flag raising in Tiananmen square and a lot of people asked for pictures and if I like yao Ming. But that was right after Tue Olympics.

Me New York( but work on cruise ships for over 8 years)

Her Shijiazhuang

We setting in Louisiana

We met through Asianpromise.com I was interested in meeting a Chinese girl to assist me in touring china.

We started talking through MSN chat and video. I was supposed to go to china soon but due to a job promotion we ended up talking online as friends for 6 months almost every day.

Needless to say we got to know eachother well so when I did make it to china in November 2008 we realized it was more then friendship.

I stayed one month in china and met her brother his wife and her parents.

A year later and my 3rd trip to china (2nd and 3rd trip were 2 months each) we got engaged. Within a year after that she came to work with me and we travelled all over the Caribbean and got married in grand Cayman. After getting married and spending another 2 months in china we went back to work and toured Europe! Joy then came home for a year to do some investing in china as i worked on her visa and our plans to settle down.. PS she was pregnant!

Months later here we are already dine with our 45 day old babies passport interview and now waiting until may 9 for joys interview then we move north of new Orleans to start a normal life whatever that is! Provided I find a job off ships!

PS EasyFianceVisa.com walked us through the entire cr1 process and we thank them for it. I see visa journey as very useful but feel if we did not use a service we would have wasted 'fun time' doing research and I would have lost more hair over details. I highly recommend them.

May 8th we give docs and may 9th interview, hope it goes as well as you.

We just had a baby 45 days old. Applied for his passport in Beijing and it was similar to what you posted fast and easy. The officer even said Thanks for being so organized. I know the process is different but glad to hear someone had a nice experience.