Aliases and Passports?

[JaxFlorida 0]

I have a unique situation here and am hoping some of you might have some advice or suggestions.

 

I met a single Chinese girl through a mutual friend.  She was working in Dubai.  After 3 months of online chats and stuff I flew to Dubai to meet her.  Spent a week with her.  We fell in love and discussed the next steps.  One of those was a trip to China to meet her family.  That trip is slated for June.  I made a second trip in Dubai in February where we spent another week together.  On the face of it we were quickly satisfying the "meeting within past two years" requirement.  We have lots of pictures and documentation too.

 

I later found out she is living and working in Dubai under an alias passport.  When she first went there to work there five or so years ago, she was refused entry/visa (not exactly sure) because she had a common Chinese name (like Jane Doe in the USA) and the UAE folks already had too many Chinese Jane Does in country.  The Chinese Consulate in Dubai gave her a new passport with a new name.  That is what she uses coming and going from there and for her Dubai work Visa.  I do not know if this passport was officially approved or a backdoor deal among the Chinese clerks there.

 

As I pre-fill both the K1 and CR-1 forms, there is a section for aliases and I am tempted to fill in the second passport info.  There is also the work history.  For five years it has been in Dubai exclusively.  But if I disregard the alias passport and her work history in Dubai, I do not have much to go on related to "establishing the relationship."   Her comment is to avoid all talk of Dubai and simply rely on her local work "history" taking care of mother back in China.  But I know how sometimes this sort of subterfuge can bit you in the butt.  Anyway, appreciate any thoughts on the matter.

[EmilyW 1,443]

This sounds all kinds of shady.  

 

The consulate gave her a passport with a fake name?  First red flag.  That's like saying there are too many people called Mohammed in UAE so we're going to give you a passport with the name 'Chip'.  Makes zero sense.

 

The fact that she is all a-ok with lying to US immigration? Second red flag.  It seems like she has already worked out the subterfuge not realizing that USCIS have seen this all before.

 

Proceed with utmost caution I say. 

[JaxFlorida 0]

First of all, i am new here and i appreciate the insight and advice you all have offered.

 

Next week I will be traveling to China to see my girlfriend and at that time we will be making a decision on the "way ahead."  I have read that Guangzhou has a higher than usual denial rate for both CR-1 and K-1 Visas.  A certain "Visa Coach" cites reasons as (1) Chinese spouse inability to speak English; (2) Single visit together; (3) Wide age difference; (4) Multiple marriages before by the petitioner.

 

In our case, she does speak English but is certainly not fluent; this will be our first meeting in China; our age difference is 12 years (I'm 62 and she is 50); and I am a widower only having been married once and she has never been married.

 

Now it could be the Visa coach is merely promoting his services (claims a 100% success rate).  For those of you with China fiancees or spouses, what do you say?  Many thanks!

[JFH 12,190]

When we talk of "large age differences" in terms of immigration, we mean age differences of 20 years or more. And in particular we are referring to cases where one party is still a very young adult (a 20-year-old woman and a 45-year-old man, for example, where the officials would find it hard to believe that they have the same interests and plans for the future). Later in life this is less of an issue. You are both mature adults and at a similar stage of life. There are big concerns where one party has yet to experience parenthood but the other party is approaching middle age.

 

Time spent together is very important regardless of where the beneficiary is from. You should try to visit each other as much as possible. Obviously that involves considerable expense and taking time off work but if you can reasonably afford it, take another trip to see her.

 

Prior marriages are not an issue for you. Eyebrows are raised if there have been several short marriages or where the beneficiary has recently been divorced. Not the case for you. And it's not always a problem - I was still legally married when I met my husband and we were approved with no issues. 

 

Your case does not appear to be problematic from what you have mentioned here. 

[Dashinka 24,519]

4 hours ago, JaxFlorida said:

First of all, i am new here and i appreciate the insight and advice you all have offered.

 

Next week I will be traveling to China to see my girlfriend and at that time we will be making a decision on the "way ahead."  I have read that Guangzhou has a higher than usual denial rate for both CR-1 and K-1 Visas.  A certain "Visa Coach" cites reasons as (1) Chinese spouse inability to speak English; (2) Single visit together; (3) Wide age difference; (4) Multiple marriages before by the petitioner.

 

In our case, she does speak English but is certainly not fluent; this will be our first meeting in China; our age difference is 12 years (I'm 62 and she is 50); and I am a widower only having been married once and she has never been married.

 

Now it could be the Visa coach is merely promoting his services (claims a 100% success rate).  For those of you with China fiancees or spouses, what do you say?  Many thanks!

You say this will be your first meeting together in China, have you met before in person elsewhere?  I agree with evertything JHF says, in person meeting can be the most influential item a couple can have when applying for a CR1 or K1.  More than likely the Visa Coach is just blowing smoke, I don't know of anyone that can honestly claim a 100% success rate.

 

Good Luck!

 

Edited May 27, 2017 by Bill & Katya

[JaxFlorida 0]

1 hour ago, Bill & Katya said:

You say this will be your first meeting together in China, have you met before in person elsewhere?  

Actually this will our third time together.  The story is complicated.  A mutual friend introduced us before my wife died.  At the time the China girl was living and working in Dubai.  Our correspondence increased after my wife's passing and after 3 months I traveled to Dubai (Oct 2016).  We hit it off right away.  I later returned to Dubai in February 2017 for another week with her.  It was then she invited me to visit her and her family in China when she is home on month long holiday.  So far so good, right?

When she originally landed in Dubai about 6 years ago she was declined a Work Visa by the Emirates.  The Chinese Consulate then issued her a new passport under a different name.  That is the passport she uses exclusively in Dubai.  She still retains a China passport under her real name too.  I do not how "official" the second passport is - meaning sanctioned by the government or an under the table arrangement.

For all intents and purposes I likely have to write off the Dubai trips unless there is legal precedence for the second passport.  Needless to say,   The upcoming trip to China will be thoroughly documented.

Thanks!

[millefleur 5,046]

I was about to say that I don't see any red flags here until you mentioned the whole second passport under a fake name part.

 

You cannot just "write off" the whole Dubai part simply because of this second passport/fake name situation. That makes no sense. If you "write it off" that means you have to lie (or at least misrepresent) your relationship and how it unfolded. That is a huge no-no and can end up getting your spouse/fiancée permanently banned.

 

You have to tell them the entire truth, second passport and all. Maybe she can get some kind of official letter from the Chinese authorities explaining this whole second passport deal? Honestly, I find the second passport story a little odd. Why all of a sudden would she be able to work there with this second passport if she was originally denied a work visa? 

 

I don't know anything about either of these countries (China or the UAE) but it comes across as very fishy to me. I sense we're not getting the whole story here.

[EandH0904 1,184]

Yes you wrote about this before. 

 

I dont think you need a visa coach, I think you need an immigration lawyer. Having multiple passports and aliases is not going to go over well. You'll likely get caught if you try to hide it under background checks/fingerprinting, etc. gaps in employment, gaps in addresses, not to mention she's fine with all the glossing over of this to immigration. 

 

How do you feel about moving to china? 

 

 

[Crazy Cat 41,904]

8 hours ago, JaxFlorida said:

The Chinese Consulate then issued her a new passport under a different name.  That is the passport she uses exclusively in Dubai.  She still retains a China passport under her real name too.  I do not how "official" the second passport is - meaning sanctioned by the government or an under the table arrangement.

Her Real name???  I'm certainly no expert, but I suggest you:

 

1.  Seek the help of a good immigration attorney.  I would be very surprised if a DIY effort succeeded.........just my opinion.

2.  Tell the whole truth....period.

3.  Be prepared for a LOT of scrutiny

4.  Be patient........this process is usually long and stressful

 

Good Luck.  I hope you can both be together soon.

[geowrian 22,337]

A second passport under a different name? That sounds really shady. You cannot just write off an international trip...trips to all countries must be disclosed on the DS-160/DS-260. Also, she's lived there over 6/12 months, so she will need a police certificate from them. Also, your history as the petitioner will show that you've been there, and you will need to disclose your first meeting. There's simply no way to legally do what you are talking about (and it's very simple for them to detect anyway). Do NOT lie on any forms to US immigration...there are severe consequences for doing so.

 

I concur with the above...you need a good immigration lawyer at this point.

[Ryan H 3,812]

***Similar topics merged and merged thread moved to What Visa Do I Need - Family Based Immigration as multiple processes are being discussed.  One hijack post removed.***