garfield529

@Darnell, are you sure about that? I ask because my wife's name is listed on our marriage license and certificate as her maiden name. When then took those papers to SSN office and had name change done. As for AOS, no direct evidence was ever asked for except passport, EAD card, SSN card and marriage license per the name change. The courts don't control the SSN record which is what immigration will access...so I am just thinking about this.

if you're worried about it then take the notice (I797?) that you should receive from USCIS showing she has applied for AOS. I have been here over a year and the only time I got asked for ID was at a baseball game when I got a beer, (I am 54)

garfield529, congrats on the successful interview! Hope your wife gets oath letter soon and doesn't commit a crime until then

Just got my yellow letter, here's what it reads:
THIS IS NOT AN INTERVIEW NOTICE Subject Pre-Interview Case File Review, Prior to forwarding your case for interview, USCIS has performed a complete review of your file and Application for Naturalization (Form N-400). As a result of that review, we have identified additional documentation may be needed. We recommend that you bring the documents listed below to your naturalization interview to limit any potential delays that might result if needed documents are not available at interview. In the event additional documentation is required, you will be advised during your interview. All documents must be clear and legible. If you have a document in any language other than English, please provide an English translation along with the original document. The translator must certify that the translation is complete and accurate, and that he or she is qualified to translate. If you have any questions about your interview or about the information requested please contact USCIS National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283. Thank You. USCIS recommends you bring the following documents to your interview: o Bring your state-issued driver's license or state-issued photo identification card. o Bring all passports and travel documents (including expired and current) issued to you by any government. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- My questions 1. When they say travel documents other than passport, what else? all my previous I-20s too?

Ahhh, to be a VJ noob... Hang in there, bro, it feels like hell but will be over before you know it.

Ahhh, to be a VJ noob... Hang in there, bro, it feels like hell but will be over before you know it.

You mean getting a notice for your fingerprints before the I-797 ... Not seen that before
I don't think it's nothing at all to worry about.

Are you in the city or suburbs? My wife asked this. If your wife came from the city, the suburbs will be difficult for her. Give her some autonomy, control over her own life. Find out what public transit goes near your home, if any, and make sure she can travel to Chinatown or visit her friends while you are not available. Buy a transit card, auto reloadable so she will not run out of rides while she is away from home. Give her some cash to spend as she chooses.
Remember, your wife was a fully functioning adult in China. Now she has put herself in your hands, and the dynamic between you is more of parent/child, since she is dependent on you for everything. You must be more supportive than you ever thought possible, more understanding than you are used to, and more accepting than ever. You brought her over here, now you must man up and help her in the way she needs to be helped. "You help your wife=you help your marriage=you help yourself" That is a direct quote from my wife.
Your marriage depends on this.

to the OP
most of the raw data you need for filing AOS
is already on all of the paperwork submitted when you were chasing the K-1
so
if you can transcribe well, no need for the attorney.

Yes, use the Tax Return Transcript. The other is a summary and is not what is commonly used. While it might be fine to use the other, since it has the information required, the officer reviewing your case is used to seeing copies of the tax return or the transcripts. You should not risk confusing them. Just my "er fen."

sounds like seeking any status in the USA for her is useless.
I suggest not to pursue it, until and when, SHE is ready to live in the USA with YOU.
In the meantime? Shift a bit, get a job in her city, marry, and relax.

For those of us married to a Chinese wife, I can with high probability say that no one else is in this guy's similar situation. I have said this a number of times that you can not really generalize Chinese women (maybe you can in those over 40 that lived during the Cultural Revolution), even though some people try to run off the list of the "traditional" qualities...blah, blah, blah. My wife is in nursing school and she does ignore me these days because she is very focused on doing her best, but she reminds me that we will make up the lost time and she takes breaks after exams for family time. I don't worry about what she is up to because we talk before we go to bed and she tells me about her day and the gossips she hears. This is a normal relationship and one that the OP should strive to look for some day, but it is not going to appear with this current woman. Unfortunately, she seems to have other ideas about what she wants in life and is using him as a vehicle.
The closest thing to this that I have seen is the "over-bearing" Chinese wife syndrome. However, I have only seen this in dual native Chinese couples living here in the US. I work at a medical school, so it is usually a male post-doc that has brought his wife along to the "land of Disney riches" to live on his $35K salary. Once the allure of America is gone and the reality of life on a budget sets in, the wife "encourages" the husband to finish his post-doc so that he can look for a lucrative industry or faculty position and make money. She may seem self-centered, but she is really looking out for the future of her family, even though it usually involves a lot of complaining about a lack of ability to buy a new iPad or Coach purse.....

IMO, she has another life without you. It's contrived and planned.
I say cut yer losses now.
That's the short version, but I did read all of your stuff here, including the spoilers.

My wife wanted to do stuff in the USA after she recovered from the jetlag.

I know this is not going to add too much to the discussion, but a trick that we have learned for coming through entry is to HUSTLE from the plane to the POE area. Often times the spacing of incoming flights means that if you move it you can be at the front of the line are damn close. This solves the main problem of everyone else coming through the visitor line not knowing what is going on. And if you can be there with her it will be easier, one less stressful thing. I have heard many stories of ladies spending hours getting through POE to be annoyed by a "happy" man on the other side with no realization of the ####### she just endured. Also, if she is coming alone, remind her (several times) what she can and can not bring with her. My MIL was VERY LUCKY to not have her luggage searched on this last trip. She had enough dried/cured "things" to stock a shelf.

I agree with what some others have said, but also agree that while it may seem straightforward to generalize Chinese "behaviors" you really can not generally apply them. My wife (Chinese) only falls into the bin of respecting her parents in front of their face, but happily voices her opinions when they are not around. General respect, not control from afar. I find that Chinese women fall all along the spectrum of personalities and you have to choose if you want to conform to this relationship. While we do have some down days, I can honestly say that my marriage is easy because we both work at it and resolve our issues and build for our future...as a couple. I am fond of saying that nothing in life is set to a defined path, we have the choice to be content or to change and become something better. Good luck!

Harpa said it perfectly. You shot yourself in the foot already because you DID meet your fiancee before, just not within the last 2 years. And yet you want to claim it's against a religious custom when it's not. You met her before so you can meet her again under the same circumstances, just make sure you collect evidence of this new meeting. Laziness or lack of funds to travel is no excuse, which are the more likely reasons why you didn't meet the requirements.
You'd better hope they don't consider your 2 year meeting requirement waiver claim as fraudulent. When you make claims like a betrothed Muslim couple cannot meet each other prior to marriage, you are, in fact, LYING.
The system worked the way it is supposed to, in your case.

If you have clear documentation of a legitimate relationship and act as a couple in front of the officer you will have no problems. If your wife doesn't speak English well, you have no evidence of life together, and she is 30 years younger than you...well, you might have some tougher questions but that is still not a game breaker. Just make sure you have everything in order and that you are both on the same page with your life stories and you will be fine.

If you have clear documentation of a legitimate relationship and act as a couple in front of the officer you will have no problems. If your wife doesn't speak English well, you have no evidence of life together, and she is 30 years younger than you...well, you might have some tougher questions but that is still not a game breaker. Just make sure you have everything in order and that you are both on the same page with your life stories and you will be fine.

I supposed that I have two thoughts to add, having been in a successful relationship with my wife, who happens to be from China. The train wrecks, blow-ups, ect. that I have seen and read about tend to be a result of guys who fall head long into these online dating sites. Again, not judging those sites but there is anecdotal support for this. I really don't know how you two originally met, so I won't assume anything, yet the relationships that do work tend to be those that have a more traditional period of courtship (which can be done online with the right maturity level). With that said, if you go looking for a wife in China you will find a lot of lady-players among the flowers, especially if they are over 25-30 as this is when they fall into the 'left-overs' category. Do you really want someone just looking for an out?? Whatever your reasoning, the path you are on strongly predicts that you are going to have a lot of troubles. That was point one.
Point two: if you do find a good, solid woman from China...never let her know that you were shopping like at a meat shop. Be honest about your past, but you will lose a lot of face in her mind if she feels like a fish at market. Unless you are looking for that kind of woman, you know, the ones who want to shop on TaoBao all day and always eat out. Ultimately, good luck, but think about what you want and communicate openly and clearly.

Fire you lawyer....everybody join in.....fire your lawyer......cause he isn't up to date.......yeah! Darnell is spot on, they changed the process and you need to make sure that she takes her "kitchen sink" just in case. I have a HUGE stack of papers covering everything my wife (then fiancee) needed but was not asked for. The VO wanted to see a pic of me with her parents, asked a few questions and then sent her on her way. Good luck!

valid point. Direct flight time from Cairo to Miami is 11hours42mins and does not included taxi time, re-entry processing, picking up baggage, driving to hospital, assessing daughter and then logging back onto to VJ. Unless she has an SR-71 at her disposal, but I still hope the OP's daughter to doing well.

I love Mondays.....

The CBP officer can make notes under your I-94 number that can be accessed during your AOS interview. If you came into the country and were questioned by the CBP officer and then during your AOS interview they do not parallel then you have just committed material misrepresentation.
For example:
CBP: what is your purpose in the US during your stay?
you: to visit Disney World and feed the dolphins!
CBP: do you have any family or a boyfriend in the US?
you: No, I just want to feed the dolphins!!
CBP: okay... (type, type, type)
6-months later...(version 1)
IO: how did you two meet?
you: we met while I was feeding dolphins!
IO: okay, odd..I mean interesting! (type, stamp, approved)
6-months later...(version 2)
IO: how did you two meet?
you: we met online, he came to my country and we got engaged and talked about feeding dolphins!
IO: OH, r..e..a..l..l..y...... (evil internal laugh)
Sorry, it's Friday and I am having wine.... :innocent:

The CBP officer can make notes under your I-94 number that can be accessed during your AOS interview. If you came into the country and were questioned by the CBP officer and then during your AOS interview they do not parallel then you have just committed material misrepresentation.
For example:
CBP: what is your purpose in the US during your stay?
you: to visit Disney World and feed the dolphins!
CBP: do you have any family or a boyfriend in the US?
you: No, I just want to feed the dolphins!!
CBP: okay... (type, type, type)
6-months later...(version 1)
IO: how did you two meet?
you: we met while I was feeding dolphins!
IO: okay, odd..I mean interesting! (type, stamp, approved)
6-months later...(version 2)
IO: how did you two meet?
you: we met online, he came to my country and we got engaged and talked about feeding dolphins!
IO: OH, r..e..a..l..l..y...... (evil internal laugh)
Sorry, it's Friday and I am having wine.... :innocent: