Any Americans married to a Chinese girl?

[jeffcarruthjr]

I am in the long and painstaking process of bringing my fiance' from Tianjin to the U.S., and due to the overwhelming numbers of false marriages that apply, it makes it very difficult for those of us that have real relationships. I need someone to tell me EVERYTHING that I need to do, prepare, and any information about the affadavit of financial support. I have an Immigrations attorney but I know that sometimes other peoples experiences can save a lot of time. I am just a bartender that used to live in China and met the girl of my dreams. I am not wealthy on any scale, but I do ok. I have recieved my request for evidence and am now waiting for the decision from USCIS. I just want to avoid as many bumps in the road as possible. Tell me about your experience........ ANY INFORMATION WOULD BE GREATLY GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!!!

[griz326]

I jumpped through the hoops, but we decided not to marry.

Here's what I learned...

* She must never have been convicted of a crime

* She must be in good health

* She must be allowed to withdraw from her job

* She must have a passport

* She must have proof of eligibility to marry

Once that is all in order, a GOOD immigration lawyer and about 7500 USD will have your girlfriend in your arms on US soil.

Do not attempt the process yourself.

[slyhsu]

My advice is NOT to get married with the Chinese gal. I have many friends who "imported" Chinese gals into the US. They got married, and get divorced as soon as the gal got Permanent Residency. Most Chinese gals want to marry an American to gain US citizenship, apply for her whole family to come, then find out how many better guys there are in this Country - run away quicker than you blink......

Real world, real experience................

[md1101]

Based on what the Australia procedures are i would advice you to start collecting evidence that your relationship has been long and is real. Things such as phone bills that provide evidence of you calling her often while you're in China and while you're overseas. Love letters and such are also good. Baisically anything that you can think of that you can show to immigration officials that you have had a long relationship together.

Would it help if you married each other in China first?

[mpallard]

Have you ever studied Chinese or lived in China? Do you have a knowledge of Chinese culture at all?

My reccomendation is that you go to China and make a serious attempt to learn the language. In the process you will begin to understand a little about the Chinese culture and how different it is from Western culture. After doing that for 2 years you should have had enough of an exposure to make an informed decision. At the very least I guarantee you your thinking will be very different by the end.

Considering how diificult it is to make a marriage work, no mater who your partner is, it shocks me when I hear about westerners "blindly" marrying Chinese girls. I would love to know what the divorce rate is for these kinds of marriages is but if it's 50% for the average population it's go to be near 75% for Chinese/Western (wild guess). Although I only know 5 people to have married Chinese girls they all ended getting divorced, again usually after the girl had permanent residency (one couple made it 10 years though). Small sample I know so take it with a grain of salt.

[atitarev]

I know a lot of successful marriages here in Australia (between Chinese and non-Chinese), which is also very attractive for immigration. I wouldn't brand everyone without knowing people.

The advice to know the culture and the language is good. More importantly, is to know the person.

[self-taught-mba]

Come on guys! He said "how" not if he should or not. He said he used to live in China so there is no indication he is doing it "blindly" or that he should live there X number of years first. How do you know he didn't live there for 5 years, and is time in country an appropriate metric for cultural understanding?

True many of the horror stories are true but he says this is a real relationship--why do people have to doubt that right away--it's not very polite.

[csit]

Are you in the US or China?

Basically what you need to do is to submit the relevant applications and meet the standard criteria. Then you also need to wait--a while. As long as you fit the normal categories, a lawyer is not necessary.

The application process will be different depending on whether you are in the US or are applying from China, and it will also be different depending on whether you are applying for a visa for a spouse or fiancee.

My wife found a lot of good information and people's current experiences about applying for visas on the website mitbbs.com -- We successfully applied for visas for her parents to visit while our daughter was born last month.

[csit]

Take a look at the website for the State Department on Fiancee Visas and also the one for Citizenship and Immigration Services. They give you the information on the forms you need to file and where:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_2994.html

http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/howdoi/fiance.htm

You should also check out the relevant pages at the consulate in Guangzhou:

http://guangzhou.usconsulate.gov/fiancee_visas.html

Basically you need to file a petition for alien fiancee followed by the application for fiancee non-immigrant visa. Once she's in the US, you have 90 days to marry; then you file to change her status to a permanent resident (ie, green card as an immigrant).

For the peition for alien fiancee, you need to show that you are a US citizen, met in person, and intend to marry. You file this in the US, then she gets an appointment at the consulate in Guangzhou, provide the necessary paperwork, and have an interview. This is where you provide her birth certificate, clean police record, etc. with English translations. She gets these from the local "notary office" where her hukou (resident permit) is held.

I don't know how long the I-129 form takes. It probably depends on which service center is responsible for your geographical area. Some are quicker than others. Once you have that approved, then you wait for the interview in Guangzhou. From what I've heard, that wait is 6 months to a year.

Tips for specific parts of the process:

For the affidavit of support, they want your tax returns for the past 3 years showing that your salary was some percentage more than the poverty level. (There's a table with the minimum values that you're trying to meet.) If you are working in China and your salary in dollars is low, the solution is to get a relative to submit a co-affidavit along with you. The affidavit makes you (and any co-sponsors) legally responsible to repay the government if your fiancee/wife collects benefits in the future from the governement.

For the interview, your fiancee should be as honest and straightforward in answering the questions as possible. Don't try to answer what she "thinks they want to hear."

The other non-obvious thing I would recommed you do, is to visit your local congressman's office. Someone in the office is responsible for dealing with government agencies, and they can give you useful tips and suggestions. Furthermore, it's good to have them aware of your process even if you don't need their help right away. They are the only third party that can contact the consulate directly on your behalf. So if you need help, they are the ones that can help you.

For demonstrating your relationship, it's good to give them a lot of photos--you and your fiancee, the two of you and her family, etc. You can also have her family write a letter, and provide it with a translation, to show the seriousness of your relationship--also photos or letters from your family as well.

[Yumirainy]

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?autocom=custom&page=k1guide#proof This is the step to step guide for K-1 Visa

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?autocom=custom&page=k1flow This is a K-1 flow chart, basically telling you how long it will take...etc.

http://usa.bbs.net/bbs/01/index.html And this, is very useful forum/BBS site that is for your Girlfriend/Fiancee. Its in chinese, make sure that she will read it, its made for all those girls whos in a process of waiting for a K-1/K3/CR1 type of visa. A very helpful friendly site.

Hope these 3 sites may help, I do not think you have to do too much on your side, you just gotta wait for the confirmation from USCIS, then the case will be sent to the US embassy in Guangzhou, China, the rest of the things will have to be done by your fiancee including the interview.

Im a chinese in a relationship with my fiance whos in the U.S. too, we've been together for about 2 years...We plan to get married soon too, but I know the fastest way for now is to get a K-1 Visa.

Another thing is, if seperating with each other is torturing, you could also think about coming to China again after you receive the approval from USCIS, and help your fiancee walking thru the long, difficult process, so she wouldn't feel so stressed and helpless.

Don't be depressed too much, I believe that everyone would get a good result if their relationship was real, and don't forget, even she can not go to US that fast, China will always open its door for you. The most important thing is, to be with her.

Wish you good luck.