K1 Visa Application sent to Guangzhou Consulate, need help with next steps

[Carcharodont 2]

Hi Everyone,

I am the petitioner and our application has been approved, we've been assigned both a case number and invoice identification number, and our application has been sent to the Guangzhou Consulate (first it was ready, now it is undergoing administrative processing). I know that the Guangzhou Consulate will send me the Packet 3 (her address is in care of mine), but I am wanting to know what all can I get done for my fiancee to help expedite the processing of our application and scheduling of the interview date?

I've sent her a copy of the master binder I created that contains the entire I129F application, including an I-134 affidavit of support (and all supporting documents) as well. I have her focusing on getting the notarized letter of no criminal record (police certificate) and notarized letter regarding the details of her birth (birth certificate). I have downloaded Packet 3 and could theoretically begin filling everything out (DS-160, DS230, Resumes, etc), but anyone familiar with the process and can help step by step (or point to a guide), and tell me what and where to file would be greatly appreciated!

I focused probably too much on frontloading of the I129F and apologize for lack of due diligence in researching everything after NOA2 approval (we were biting our nails regarding potential RFEs or denials for obscure reasons). Thanks again and look forward to hearing everyone's input!

[NAT2016 18]

I think your fiancee will need the notarized marital status certificate (single, divorced) when she gets Packet 3 because the validity of certificate is not very long. She can apply for visa now (DS-160), submit it and print out the confirmation page. Once she gets Packet 3, she can submit required documents, pay visa fee, schedule interview (or the Consulate schedules for you), print out interview confirmation page and take to schedule a medical, wait for Packet 4 (email), gather all documents and go interview. Well, those are the information I got after researching. We are still waiting for Packet 3.

[Chris and ZhiJia 146]

For Packet 3, the only thing you will do is prepare the following

1. 2 Passport Style Photos

2. Copy her Personal page of her passport (the one with her picture)

3. DS-160 confirmation page (do not use DS-230, this is for DV Lottery, and Cuban Family Reunification applicants)

4. You will also need to return the Packet 3 instructions that were mailed.

Here is a picture of Packet 3 (http://imgur.com/iIxkC7Z)

Packet 4 is where the large amount of leg-work is required. Packet 4 will be downloaded from the ustraveldocs website. (http://imgur.com/P9BER1x).

Here is a direct link to Packet 4

The most important things for Packet 4, are the following.

1. Certificate of Marriageability (translated and notarized)

2. Police Certificates (translated and notarized)

3. Resume (translated and notarized)

4. Medical Exam (this can be scheduled any time in advance, but is best scheduled 1-2 weeks before the interview. The validity of the K-1 Visa is based on the Medical date) You must bring your DS-160 confirmation page or they won't admit you for the medical.

5. Birth Certificate (translated and notarized)

6. Proof of continued relationship (chat logs, additional photos, phone records, ect..)

7. Another copy of the DS-160 confirmation page

In total you will want 4 copies of the DS-160 confirmation page. This page needs to be in English for Packet 3, and Packet 4, and in Chinese and English for the Medical Exam. (My wife brought English only to her medical and they told her to provide the Chinese copy).

[Carcharodont 2]

Hi Chris and ZhiJia,

Thanks for the wonderful information and steps! I'd sent her a full copy of the I129F application I'd sent in, which also contained several passport style photos, and a complete i134 as well. I don't know if she mailed in the Packet 3 yet or not, but I really hope she has as I don't know whether packet 3 and/or packet 4 are time sensitive upon the consulate's receipt of the petition.

Also she is currently working but her job has her working so many hours....is it better she go ahead and quit, or try to get all the papers while working? I keep telling her that if work is the issue, to just quit and I will support her for the time being as I don't want our petition to expire and frankly her current job doesn't matter compared to getting the interview done. This whole process is becoming pretty stressful and I wish I could help, but everything feels out of my hands now. :/

Also, should I have her go ahead and pay the CITIC visa fee, and will the interview be scheduled for us or will we have to select an interview date on ustraveldocs? Thanks again!

[Chris and ZhiJia 146]

Hi Chris and ZhiJia,

Thanks for the wonderful information and steps! I'd sent her a full copy of the I129F application I'd sent in, which also contained several passport style photos, and a complete i134 as well. I don't know if she mailed in the Packet 3 yet or not, but I really hope she has as I don't know whether packet 3 and/or packet 4 are time sensitive upon the consulate's receipt of the petition.

Also she is currently working but her job has her working so many hours....is it better she go ahead and quit, or try to get all the papers while working? I keep telling her that if work is the issue, to just quit and I will support her for the time being as I don't want our petition to expire and frankly her current job doesn't matter compared to getting the interview done. This whole process is becoming pretty stressful and I wish I could help, but everything feels out of my hands now. :/

Also, should I have her go ahead and pay the CITIC visa fee, and will the interview be scheduled for us or will we have to select an interview date on ustraveldocs? Thanks again!

The Passport Style photos need to be of her, and they need to be originals, not copies. You have plenty of time to do Packet 3 and Packet 4. Unless you forsee it taking more than a year to collect the documents (it shouldn't), you don't need to worry about the time it takes.

This is very hard to answer. If she is comfortable with you supporting her, and you are comfortable supporting her during the process she can definitely quit her job. But, please keep in mind, that it can take as little as 2 weeks from Packet 4, to upwards of months before the interview, and even after the interview, you have the chance to get stuck in AP for a lengthy amount of time. Most people don't have this happen, but you need to plan for it to happen as a just incase.

So if you are going to have her quit her job and support her, plan to funnel money to her in China for atleast 2 months or longer.

It is recommended to not pay the CITIC visa fee until you are working on Packet 4, but you can pay for it anytime after you have completed your DS-160. I cannot say if they will schedule, or if you will have to. Most of us had to schedule our interviews, but recently several people had their interviews scheduled for them.

[Carcharodont 2]

Hi Chris&ZhiJia,

Photos were of her, she sent me a passport style photo of herself and I made somewhere on the order of 24 photo prints for her and myself because I didn't want at any point in the process to not have passport photos if/when they were required. Also as far as the affidavit of marrigeability, that's simply the declaration that she is single right? But isnt that for if we were to get married in China? I was looking over packet 4 instructions and saw that they require marital status certificates, but didn't see a reference to an affidavit of marrigeability, only divorce decrees and marriage certificates from a public notary in China. Thanks again for the information, she'll be heading to Wuhan soon to get many more pieces of information. I will go ahead and have her pay the CITIC fee then if she is confident she can get all the necessary information soon. Thanks again for everything!

[Carcharodont 2]

Hi Chris&ZhiJia,

Photos were of her, she sent me a passport style photo of herself and I made somewhere on the order of 24 photo prints for her and myself because I didn't want at any point in the process to not have passport photos if/when they were required. Also as far as the affidavit of marrigeability, that's simply the declaration that she is single right? But isnt that for if we were to get married in China? I was looking over packet 4 instructions and saw that they require marital status certificates, but didn't see a reference to an affidavit of marrigeability, only divorce decrees and marriage certificates from a public notary in China. Thanks again for the information, she'll be heading to Wuhan soon to get many more pieces of information. I will go ahead and have her pay the CITIC fee then if she is confident she can get all the necessary information soon. Thanks again for everything!

[Chris and ZhiJia 146]

Hi Chris&ZhiJia,

Photos were of her, she sent me a passport style photo of herself and I made somewhere on the order of 24 photo prints for her and myself because I didn't want at any point in the process to not have passport photos if/when they were required. Also as far as the affidavit of marrigeability, that's simply the declaration that she is single right? But isnt that for if we were to get married in China? I was looking over packet 4 instructions and saw that they require marital status certificates, but didn't see a reference to an affidavit of marrigeability, only divorce decrees and marriage certificates from a public notary in China. Thanks again for the information, she'll be heading to Wuhan soon to get many more pieces of information. I will go ahead and have her pay the CITIC fee then if she is confident she can get all the necessary information soon. Thanks again for everything!

The "Single Status Certificate" is something that she will need to get issued from her local marriage registration office. It basically says that she has not registered a marriage in China, It's not listed in the requirements, but it is required, kinda like one of those unwritten documents.

[Carcharodont 2]

Gotcha,

Next question: because we are currently having a back and forth of when to pay the CITIC fee. I've read previously that once the case is undergoing "Administrative Processing" we can pay the CITIC fee (after filing, sending in Packet 3). She's saying from what she is reading we have to wait for a confirmation email and Packet 4 before we can pay CITIC fee. Can you provide clarification on this, and your experience on when the fee was paid?

Just for the record, I called Guangzhou yesterday and spoke with someone, they told me not to schedule interview or pay visa fee until we receive packet 4 and confirmation email, but this person I spoke with also said we needed our resumes notarized (#######?) and no single status certificate (double #######). I trust this forum versus someone who may have been having a bad day at the office. Thanks again!

[james1520 4]

Gotcha,

Next question: because we are currently having a back and forth of when to pay the CITIC fee. I've read previously that once the case is undergoing "Administrative Processing" we can pay the CITIC fee (after filing, sending in Packet 3). She's saying from what she is reading we have to wait for a confirmation email and Packet 4 before we can pay CITIC fee. Can you provide clarification on this, and your experience on when the fee was paid?

Just for the record, I called Guangzhou yesterday and spoke with someone, they told me not to schedule interview or pay visa fee until we receive packet 4 and confirmation email, but this person I spoke with also said we needed our resumes notarized (#######?) and no single status certificate (double #######). I trust this forum versus someone who may have been having a bad day at the office. Thanks again!

We just go approved at the Interview! I only visited her for 2.5 weeks once and wasn't able to make it to interview. So let me tell you from my experience.

We paid the CITIC fee a few days after we sent packet 3. But you can also pay it after you get the Packet 4 e-mail. You pay it online on the CGI Stanley site with UnionPay (3% fee) through their Citic Bank portal. You can use do it for her. Or you can print cgi reference number and pay at citic bank. Then you Receipt number will be attached to account as proof of payment. After you pay, it will let you select a date for interview. We choose to exit the browser at that time to see if Packet 4 assigns us a date.

So we get Packet 4 e-mail asking us to pay Visa fee if not done so, select Interview Time, and finish preparing documents. So we log back in to CGI and picked a date. Lots of appointments. Pick the 7:45 am time if you can. So I recommend don't schedule an interview as it tells you to wait for packet 4 before scheduling anyways. No need to rush things. Pick a time at least 2 weeks so you have time for medical, pick up medical results, and other documents.

Yes, bring a Resume in Chinese and English. No, I don't think it has to be notarized because it's not a government document.

At the interview, they only collected the i-134, cgi stanley appointment letter, packet 4 e-mail, unmarried status cert, police cert, and birth certificate. They did not collect or ask to see pictures, phone records, wechats, or resume. However, bring them anyways because you suppose to. Remember the i-134a must be wet signature and all government docs must be whitebooks from your local public notary.

The place is packed. There are like 20 banker like windows. You get in line to get two numbers. They call up your number. They will ask for items one at a time. Then you wait for your 2nd number to be called. It was about a 40 minute me wait. Then you go another banker like window for interview.

The interview questions are from http://www.visajourney.com/content/exampleq. More specific to us.

What is your fiance's name? How did you met? Does he speak Chinese? (a little, so guys switched to English haha, but you can also for all chinese interview I assume better to say your petitioner speaks alot of Chinese?) Who introduce you two? When did visit you? What is his birth date? Why do you like him? You been approved. Here is a visa approval letter. Let's take your fingerprints. You will get your passport with visa in a week or two. Done. Total interview time was 10 minutes. Total time was 1.5 hours.

Edited October 13, 2016 by james1520

[james1520 4]

I wanted to add they do collect ur chinese passport, ds-160 confirmation, and 2 US passport photos at the windows 1. For the passport photos, get it done at a shop to make sure it's 2x2 on white background and meets requirements. Refer to "K1 Visa Instructions Sept. 2016" to see all documents required.

Additional interview questions. Are you affiliated with chinese communist party? Have you travel outside of china before or to US?

Like I said, the place is noisy and there are other people on windows next to you. So ask to repeat or clarify questions if needed.

[NAT2016 18]

We just go approved at the Interview! I only visited her for 2.5 weeks once and wasn't able to make it to interview. So let me tell you from my experience.

We paid the CITIC fee a few days after we sent packet 3. But you can also pay it after you get the Packet 4 e-mail. You pay it online on the CGI Stanley site with UnionPay (3% fee) through their Citic Bank portal. You can use do it for her. Or you can print cgi reference number and pay at citic bank. Then you Receipt number will be attached to account as proof of payment. After you pay, it will let you select a date for interview. We choose to exit the browser at that time to see if Packet 4 assigns us a date.

So we get Packet 4 e-mail asking us to pay Visa fee if not done so, select Interview Time, and finish preparing documents. So we log back in to CGI and picked a date. Lots of appointments. Pick the 7:45 am time if you can. So I recommend don't schedule an interview as it tells you to wait for packet 4 before scheduling anyways. No need to rush things. Pick a time at least 2 weeks so you have time for medical, pick up medical results, and other documents.

Yes, bring a Resume in Chinese and English. No, I don't think it has to be notarized because it's not a government document.

At the interview, they only collected the i-134, cgi stanley appointment letter, packet 4 e-mail, unmarried status cert, police cert, and birth certificate. They did not collect or ask to see pictures, phone records, wechats, or resume. However, bring them anyways because you suppose to. Remember the i-134a must be wet signature and all government docs must be whitebooks from your local public notary.

The place is packed. There are like 20 banker like windows. You get in line to get two numbers. They call up your number. They will ask for items one at a time. Then you wait for your 2nd number to be called. It was about a 40 minute me wait. Then you go another banker like window for interview.

The interview questions are from http://www.visajourney.com/content/exampleq. More specific to us.

What is your fiance's name? How did you met? Does he speak Chinese? (a little, so guys switched to English haha, but you can also for all chinese interview I assume better to say your petitioner speaks alot of Chinese?) Who introduce you two? When did visit you? What is his birth date? Why do you like him? You been approved. Here is a visa approval letter. Let's take your fingerprints. You will get your passport with visa in a week or two. Done. Total interview time was 10 minutes. Total time was 1.5 hours.

Thank you so much for sharing the experience.