Looking for help

[enlijoe 20]

I'm an American Citizen and my girlfriend is a Chinese Citizen and we are just starting out with the K-1 visa process. My girlfriend is still leaning English so she can speak very little English but is able to read and write it a bit better. I on the other hand have been trying to learn Chinese but it is very slow going so I can not speak or read and write Chinese at all.

We are able to talk quite well over email but anything complicated seams to be very difficult. I was wonder if there was any couple out there similar to us that is hopefully farther along with there process that would be willing to help us out. I've been over this site and see it is very complicated to get a K-1 visa and being that she is from China it is even more so.

It would be a great help to both myself and my girlfriend if someone would be able to help us with what needs to be done and also if there was a Chinese woman that is going through this also to help explain some of the things that need to be done to my girlfriend as some of the things that have to be done I am having a very hard time explaining to her.

Thanks in advance for any help any of you out there can give us and good luck to you all in your own visa journeys.

[Pitaya 2,577]

Welcome to the forum.

You are certainly not alone in this process. There are many of us who are, or have been, in a similar language and cultural situation as yourself and fiancee. There are also many of us who are involved with, or have successfully completed, the US immigration process with their Chinese fiancee or spouse.

One helpful option is if your GF has a QQ email account. My wife was able to hook-up with a group of other similarly-interested Chinese ladies in a QQ chat group. I know that my wife found her QQ group of ladies quite helpful to her in navigating her way through the US immigration process.

Be sure to become acquainted with the "Chinese Marriage Visa Terms and Definitions" pinned thread at the top of the China regional forum page. There is a lot of good information there.

HTH,

Good luck on your immigration journey.

Edited August 3, 2013 by A&B

[bigdog 376]

A few of us have been there, check out QQ they have a forum that lot's of Chinese use. You can do most of the forms for her and if she is internet savvy you will be ok, Checkout the Chinese members and forum for similar assistance. Several of the main players are in our group, so you will get great advice here. Hang in there. Later in the stage stuff form the embassy will be in both languages. I am sure some one will step up to help, sorry the wife is in China, internet poor for her for some reason. See the guides and the WIKI. Most of us did the K-1, the big changes are after NVC.

[Ighaepero 2]

What you need right now is to plug in to a community of people who are going through the same process are you, both bureaucratically and psychologically.

Have your fiancee join this group 82977653 and start chatterboxing away. The girls there are all in a later stage of the process, it will be a few months before their discussions become relevant to you, but all the ladies there are helpful and are always exchanging information. Have her join right now. Talking with others will instantly eliminate this foreboding feeling you guys have of being alone and not knowing where to start.

A few of the guys here on the forum have also made our own group. You should join us here: 129658817

There is nothing complicated about applying for the K1 and don't let yourself be influenced by whatever you've heard about China being "especially complicated" or whatever else. One of your biggest challenges throughout this process will be developing critical thinking skills that'll cut through the rumours, opinions presented as facts, and cloaked negativity from the frustrated and disappointed. And hey, if you're really lazy and don't want to prepare the paperwork yourself, you can also pay a service to do it, though most people prefer to do it on their own.

I don't want to overwhelm you with info, so I'll stop here.

[Daveykins 17]

The QQ groups are great, my Fiancee loves them.

We have the interview on Tuesday, so we're almost done with the State department process.

Word of advice: don't use a lawyer to submit for you. Do it yourself, with the resources on visajourney I've had every question I've ever needed answered by searching the forums. Incredible resource on here. Check candle for love too, google search it. Not nearly as active as VJ, but it's still a great resource as well. I never got a RFE by doing it myself. It's been a ton of work, but so worth it in the end! Feel free to ask questions if searching doesn't help, lots of us are pretty active on here and happy to help.

When I'm back in the states I'm on here almost hourly, lol.

Welcome to the Journey!

[bigdog 376]

^{Right on, its great to see a positive forum for a change.}