Another Guangzhou Blue slip story

[ChinaDavid]

Here is my story... my wife was denied her K3 visa November 13, 2007 (two weeks ago), and was given a blue slip which we hope to overcome relatively easily and in a relatively short period of time. But why?

 

I met her on-line July 3, 2006. We have had DAILY conversations since then except for the times I was with her. Before we met in person, we both suspected we had, against all odds, actually met our true soul mates. We met in person in September 2006 and it was pure

magic. 15 days of pure bliss. We found that everything validated what we had typed and said to each other each and every day for the prior two months.

 

As soon as I returned to the USA I booked my next trip for November 2006. In October we began serious discussions about the possibility of marriage during my second trip. She was reluctant. Too soon. But she was not completely forthright initially about why it was too soon. It was because of culture and family pressures.... no time to arrange the wedding celebration, send invitations, etc.

 

I dearly love my mother-in-law and the feeling is mutual. She agreed that if I returned in January 2007 to have the wedding celebration for family and friends, Shaofang could marry me in November 2006, which we did toward the end of my 21-day visit on November 23, 2006.

 

In December 2006 my wife and I purchased an apartment that was being constructed in Zhanjiang (her home city).

 

I returned in January 2007 for the wedding celebration. WONDERFUL!!! I returned again in April 2007, and then again for a month in June/July 2007 after our apartment's construction was completed and we furnished it.

 

At that point in time, we decided my next trip would coincide with her K3 visa interview..thinking it would be in September. Of course, it was delayed because the Packet #3 was returned to the Consulate as "undeliverable" and it took another 2 months, many emails, and Congressional intervention to get the packet resent. Then, they later sent the wrong Packet #4 with the wrong forms, but that was corrected within days.

 

Her interview was November 13. I arrived November 10, we went to Guangzhou on the 11th to get her medical papers and pay the interview fee on the 12th.

 

She was first in line and the first one called for an interview. I can go into details of the interview in another post if anyone is interested. All the paperwork was in order and accepted. No problems. Except she got the wrong guy on the wrong day. Blue slip.

 

He wrote: "We need a bit more clarity of the relation because the timing is not clear. Please have your husband hand write a statement of your first meeting."

 

She was very clear as to the dates of all my 6 visits. She had my passport and he looked at the entry and departure stamps. He spent much time looking at the 22 date-stamped photos of the first 5 visits (most of them were January 2007 wedding celebration photos, but there were at least 3 from each other visit). Yet he wrote, "the timing is not clear".

 

She had documentation of 648 internet "telephone" calls (microphone and webcam) by date, time and duration. Usually they were twice a day, 2 hours each time. She had documentation of 151 telephone calls from my telephone to her telephone for the 6-month period of May 2007- October 2007. She had documentation of DAILY internet contact from July 3, 2006 until the date I printed the documentation (October 15, 2007).... except for the dates I was with her. He refused to look at any of this documentation.

 

The Guangzhou Consulate is infamous for arbitrary visa denials for no apparent reason. He cited section 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act as a reason for denial. A careful reading of that section, and all other sections cited in THAT section shows that it is not relevant at all to his decision.

 

I truly believe that had she been called to any of the other windows that morning, she would now be here with me in the USA. We had hoped to return November 20. As things turned out, I re-booked my flight home (alone) to November 26 so we could be together in our Zhanjiang home on the first anniversary of our BONAFIDE marriage between two soul mates.

 

One good thing is that we were allowed to mail in my statement, instead of going through the arcane process of paying a fee, getting a PIN, calling a telephone number to schedule an appointment in Guangzhou (another 6 weeks or longer) in which to submit my statement.

 

I returned to the Consulate on Wednesday, November 14 to hopefully find out just what we could now expect, what additional steps we must take, what fees we must pay, what forms I must now prepare. I was told I must return on Monday at 2:30pm if I wanted to ask any questions about the visa process, and they must be general questions.. not specific to my wife's case. Only on Mondays at 2:30pm.... but do not be late, because they do not allow any entrance after 2:30pm. I asked, "Is there no one in the US Consulate who can answer a few simple questions from a US Citizen?" The Vice-Consul I spoke with finally agreed to answer some questions, with the caveat that he does not work in the visa section and if I want any visa-related questions answered I must return on Monday at 2:30pm.

 

For not working in the visa section, he was then a font of information. He told me that after they receive my mailed-in statement, it would take a few days to over a week to be processed and then routed to the official who denied my wife's visa. That offical would eventually find it at the bottom of the stack of his other denials, read it, and if it satisfied his curiosity about our first meeting he would then send my wife a letter telling her to return to Guangzhou.

 

Would I need to prepare another I-134? No. Would we need to pay another interview fee? No. Would my wife need to bring all the documentation again? No, it has already been reviewed and accepted at her interview. What does she need to bring? Her passport so we can put the visa in it. When will this happen? In 4 - 6 weeks.

 

We overnighted the statement, so we're supposedly now down to 2.5 -4.5 weeks.

 

We anxiously await the letter to see what it actually tells her what she must do, bring, and when.

 

It truly is a roll of the dice who you get and when for the interview and his/her mood at the time... assuming all the documentation is correct and proper.

 

Our case is so very different from a friend of hers (mine as well) who married a USA man in February 2006. He met her and married her on his one and only trip to China. He filed her K3 application as petitioner in May 2006. She received her K3 visa in May 2007 and came to the USA.... to be with her husband for the first time since they met and married last year.... the only time they were ever together from marriage to visa and entrance to the USA. It truly is a roll of the dice who you get and what mood they are in.

[chilton747]

It is my opinion that the VO was told ahead of time to give a blue slip. The VO was not well versed in how to go about this thus the issuance of a false but blanket reason for denial. JMHO

[Corbin]

Bummer..............

 

More I hear, the more I believe that at times they throw a dart, flip a coin or use some other means of coming to their final answer. "Yes" or "No". B)

 

Luck of the draw is right............

[MikeandRong]

We anxiously await the letter to see what it actually tells her what she must do, bring, and when.

 

The GUZ letter will arrive via EMS, same as your P3 and P4 did. If all is well, it will say to return to GUZ Mon-Wed 2pm-3pm with your passport to continue your visa application. Turn in your passport and wait 2 days for the pink. Then wait another 2 working days for the visa.

[ChinaDavid]

That is really good news. It's what I was hoping for and somewhat expecting, but you gave much more detail than anyone at the Consulate could. Many thanks!

[Shenzhen K-1]

We anxiously await the letter to see what it actually tells her what she must do, bring, and when.

 

The GUZ letter will arrive via EMS, same as your P3 and P4 did. If all is well, it will say to return to GUZ Mon-Wed 2pm-3pm with your passport to continue your visa application. Turn in your passport and wait 2 days for the pink. Then wait another 2 working days for the visa.

 

That is wonderful news, but how did you know that??

 

Coming from someone in waiting for a dange P-3????

 

[DMikeS4321]

It is my opinion that the VO was told ahead of time to give a blue slip. The VO was not well versed in how to go about this thus the issuance of a false but blanket reason for denial. JMHO

 

Hi Charles,

 

Why would this happen? Why would a VO be told ahead of time to issue a blue slip and who would tell the VO to do that?

 

Thanks

[chilton747]

It is my opinion that the VO was told ahead of time to give a blue slip. The VO was not well versed in how to go about this thus the issuance of a false but blanket reason for denial. JMHO

 

Hi Charles,

 

Why would this happen? Why would a VO be told ahead of time to issue a blue slip and who would tell the VO to do that?

 

Thanks

 

Hi Mike,

 

What I meant by this is what has been discussed here before. In other words, the initial interview result has already been predetermined largely based on the initial evidence with the initial filing. It's not necessarily "who" would tell the VO but rather "red flags" would tell the VO. You know, the SOP of "profiling."

Edited November 28, 2007 by chilton747 (see edit history)

[IllinoisDave]

David,

Sorry to hear about the blue slip.

I think we may need a bit more information if we want to figure out what the reason was. If you care to, could you please elaborate on some of your and your wife's backgrounds. Do either of you have previous marriages for instance? Kids?

 

Sometimes previous marriages/divorces are reasons for the "timing" of a relationship to be questioned. Could this be possible in your case?

 

If it's none of our business, you can just say so.

[Shenzhen K-1]

David,

Sorry to hear about the blue slip.

I think we may need a bit more information if we want to figure out what the reason was. If you care to, could you please elaborate on some of your and your wife's backgrounds. Do either of you have previous marriages for instance? Kids?

 

Sometimes previous marriages/divorces are reasons for the "timing" of a relationship to be questioned. Could this be possible in your case?

 

If it's none of our business, you can just say so.

 

I have read this post over and over again and can not make any sense of it. I hope in the near future we do not get this VO!!

 

Anything else you can tell about this problem, good luck for sure!!

[ChinaDavid]

It is my opinion that the VO was told ahead of time to give a blue slip. The VO was not well versed in how to go about this thus the issuance of a false but blanket reason for denial. JMHO

 

Hi Charles,

 

Why would this happen? Why would a VO be told ahead of time to issue a blue slip and who would tell the VO to do that?

 

Thanks

 

Hi Mike,

 

What I meant by this is what has been discussed here before. In other words, the initial interview result has already been predetermined largely based on the initial evidence with the initial filing. It's not necessarily "who" would tell the VO but rather "red flags" would tell the VO. You know, the SOP of "profiling."

 

There is absolutely nothing in any evidence, initial or otherwise, that would "red flag" my wife's visa. The application was reviewed and accepted by the NVC and Homeland Security. There was overwhelming evidence of a bonafide marriage. The guy just was flexing his muscles. In a year or two he will be more seasoned and better trained and not delay the visa because of reasons never to be known or understood.

[ChinaDavid]

David,

Sorry to hear about the blue slip.

I think we may need a bit more information if we want to figure out what the reason was. If you care to, could you please elaborate on some of your and your wife's backgrounds. Do either of you have previous marriages for instance? Kids?

 

Sometimes previous marriages/divorces are reasons for the "timing" of a relationship to be questioned. Could this be possible in your case?

 

If it's none of our business, you can just say so.

 

We both were previously married and divorced. She has two sons, I have four daughters. She divorced on April 18, 2000 and I divorced on October 4, 2004. It is doubtful that the dates of our divorces had any bearing on the decision. I think the issue was that we married on my second trip, hence the timing question. Perhaps he thought the marriage was not bonafide since we married so soon after my first visit to her. What he cannot know is what true soul mates we are, and that we saw no reason to delay our marriage knowing this. There was no documentation of what our hearts and minds knew, so he asked me to hand write a statement of our first meeting. My response was 5 pages, telling about all my trips and the exact timing of our meetings and our marriage and all the subsequent trips. I could have written a book, but chose not to.

[ChinaDavid]

We anxiously await the letter to see what it actually tells her what she must do, bring, and when.

 

The GUZ letter will arrive via EMS, same as your P3 and P4 did. If all is well, it will say to return to GUZ Mon-Wed 2pm-3pm with your passport to continue your visa application. Turn in your passport and wait 2 days for the pink. Then wait another 2 working days for the visa.

 

That is wonderful news, but how did you know that??

 

Coming from someone in waiting for a dange P-3????

 

 

The Vice-Consul I spoke with on the day following her interview told me essentially the same thing: she would soon get a letter telling her to bring her passport and the visa would be issued (assuming my statement satisfied the concerns). He did not go into the details of which days and times and how long she can expect to remain in Guangzhou awaiting her visa. That is what I meant by "that is wonderful news". It filled in some of the blanks.

[IllinoisDave]

David,

Sorry to hear about the blue slip.

I think we may need a bit more information if we want to figure out what the reason was. If you care to, could you please elaborate on some of your and your wife's backgrounds. Do either of you have previous marriages for instance? Kids?

 

Sometimes previous marriages/divorces are reasons for the "timing" of a relationship to be questioned. Could this be possible in your case?

 

If it's none of our business, you can just say so.

 

We both were previously married and divorced. She has two sons, I have four daughters. She divorced on April 18, 2000 and I divorced on October 4, 2004. It is doubtful that the dates of our divorces had any bearing on the decision. I think the issue was that we married on my second trip, hence the timing question. Perhaps he thought the marriage was not bonafide since we married so soon after my first visit to her. What he cannot know is what true soul mates we are, and that we saw no reason to delay our marriage knowing this. There was no documentation of what our hearts and minds knew, so he asked me to hand write a statement of our first meeting. My response was 5 pages, telling about all my trips and the exact timing of our meetings and our marriage and all the subsequent trips. I could have written a book, but chose not to.

 

No, the divorces don't seem to be the problem. Thanks for clarifying. I guess you're right, this VO just wanted to give you another hoop to jump through.

 

Good luck with the overcome.

[LeeFisher3]

We anxiously await the letter to see what it actually tells her what she must do, bring, and when.

 

The GUZ letter will arrive via EMS, same as your P3 and P4 did. If all is well, it will say to return to GUZ Mon-Wed 2pm-3pm with your passport to continue your visa application. Turn in your passport and wait 2 days for the pink. Then wait another 2 working days for the visa.

 

That is wonderful news, but how did you know that??

 

Coming from someone in waiting for a dange P-3????

 

That would be from first hand knowledge.

 

The general advice is to go to the Consulate on Monday or Tuesday to turn in the passport to have the visa ready for pickup on Friday or Saturday. Those who go on Wednesday end up spending an extra day in GZ to get the visa on Monday.

 

This is assuming everything went right and there were no hiccups in preparing the visa, such as someone unplugged the visa machine or they ran out of official US Government glue.