Yes, you can get married in the US while on a tourist visa. It happens all the time, and doesn’t always have anything to do with immigration. For example, two Japanese tourists getting married in Hawaii.
Read More »02Apr2018
Direct Consular Filing in China – Faster or Better?
We have a question from Yan, and she asks: "Is it faster or better to file my IR1 spousal visa directly with the embassy in China, or by mailing it off to the USCIS?" Because direct consular filing bypasses the USCIS and National Visa Center, the process can be quicker than the normal inquiry process. […]
Read More »03Nov2017
Will the Lack of a Chinese Birth Certificate Be a Problem for a Visa?
Live from Las Vegas, what’s our next question?
Joseph Clifton. My girlfriend is Chinese, she is not born in a hospital so she doesn’t have her birth certificate, but a household registry, which is an official Chinese document.
Read More »25Apr2014
The Chinese Hukou System
Hukou is built upon a history of family registries that dates back to the Xia Dynasty (2100 BCE- 1600 BCE). The modern usage takes this and is applied similar to the internal passport system used in the former Soviet Union.
Read More »05Oct2013
Getting Married in China
Marriage in China is based on China’s laws regardless of nationality of the individuals marrying. Getting married in China requires at least one of the applicants is either a citizen or has a long term resident permit. China requires applicants for marriage to meet minimum age requirements of 22 for men and 20 for women.
Read More »04Feb2011
Getting a Chinese Birth Certificate
Chinese birth certificates are available in the form of notarial certificates (Chu Sheng Gong Zheng Shu or Chu Sheng Zheng Ming Shu).
While some notarial birth certificates will list stepparents or adoptive parents along with natural parents this is not always the case. In some cases the certificates will list only the natural parents covering up an adoption.