Need some advice

[JohnB]

hey Martin,
your wife is very sweet looking!
I guess 'perseverance' is the word of life. Never say never.

CypherDragon,
you may want to give a try to:
http://www.chinalovecupid.com/logon_do.cfm?timeout&page=/en/home/showMenu/00
you can get a year's subscription for $120 for all the roaming you want. direct contact, no liaisons,
'one- on- one'. it's fun. I played with it a few years back.
many of the ladies here are also on chnlove.

[CypherDragon]

Hey guys, I don't think I ever actually thanked you all properly for your help, so
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!

I have moved on and joined China Love Match (since it was recommended by Gerry, relatively cheap, and included other countries without having to create a different profile) and the difference is shocking. It's very nice to be able to chat and get to know someone without having to worry about the costs involved.  So now on to the next step...actually planning a trip to China! 

I've been looking over the Visarite instructions, and I had some questions for someone that's been through it before. Some of them might just need pointers in the right direction....

1) Is it better to select the box for "Tourism" or for "Short-term visit to citizen..."? I'm guessing that Tourism is the better choice here?

2) Should I put in an inviter's name, or leave this blank and substitute hotel reservations/plane tickets?

3) I'm guessing that it would be a very good thing to make sure the plane/hotel tickets are fully refundable in case the visa isn't granted?

4) This is the big one...I had a minor run-in with the law over a decade ago. It was a minor state-level misdemeanor (I was young and stupid, bounced a check and didn't take care of it before the business referred it to the state DA). The charges were dismissed with costs and a fine, but I did spend an overnight in county jail over it. (I did say I was stupid, right? and I believe it does show up on a background check. Does anyone know if this will cause me any issues, or if maybe I should look in to getting it expunged from my record? I know it didn't cause me any difficulty with my current job, but work is a bit different than travelling to another country...

[Robertt S]

They are really only concerned with felonies and crimes involving moral turpitude, so I doubt the check incident will be a problem. This link is for the Chinese Embassy right down the road from you so you can check with them to see what you actually need. http://houston.china-consulate.org/eng/

Visarite is a pretty good outfit also, I have used them in the past for 2 visas and my Affidavit of Marriageability Certificate needed for marriage in China.

Here is the guidelines for a Tourist Visa ( L )

L Visa
Documents showing the itinerary including air ticket booking record (round trip) and proof of a hotel reservation, etc. or an invitation letter issued by a relevant entity or individual in China. The invitation letter should contain:
(1) Information on the applicant (full name, gender, date of birth, etc.)
(2) Information on the planned visit (arrival and departure dates, place(s) to be visited, etc.)
(3) Information on the inviting entity or individual (name, contact telephone number, address, official stamp, signature of the legal representative or the inviting individual)