GUZ and PINK

[clarejinjin]

Hi to all!!!

Ok, got my head back on so let me give you a step by step report of what we did to get PINK

.

First some background. I’m a US citizen and have been married for almost 3 years and living in Xiamen for 4 years. My wife has a daughter who is almost 11 years old who is going to the USA with us.

In December of 2009 we sent all of the first step papers to the USNVC. After that we decided to file electronically which really got things moving. We got our interview date which was scheduled on Aug. 26th.

 

Xiamen belongs to Fujian Province, there’s only one hospital which is xxxxx in Fuzhou. After talking to the hospital on the phone, we found out that we would have to go to Fuzhou back and forth 3 times to get the physical check up and then the results. Meanwhile, the cost for adult is more expensive than the cost in Guangzhou. So finally, we decided to go to the hospital in Guangzhou.

 

Some things to know:

If you have a child between the ages of 2 - 14 years old, they will need the TB test and that will take 48 to 72 hours AFTER the test is done to get the results.

 

We got the health checkup at:

Guangdong International Travel Health Center

No. 33 Shamian North Street

Liwan District

Guangzhou, PRC

PH. # 020-81219513/ 81219500

Fax # 020- 81219663

I recommend this Health Center because they will give all the injections required and are very efficient.

Follow the instructions in the website about photo’s and required paperwork. You DONOT need to download and print a copy of the health checkup paperwork as the health center will have them for you. What you need to take is the appointment letter, passport, 7 photos for each person (2 for the interview)

We got to Guangzhou on Monday morning about 8 am from Xiamen. If you go to the health center from the airport you can take the Airport Transportation Bus and the cost is 16RMB. Take Bus #5 and get off at the stop for the Oriental Hotel. Then take a taxi to the Health Center. (Less than 20RMB) If you get there in the morning before 9:30 and have no children you can get everything done and receive your papers that same afternoon. IF YOU HAVE A CHILD UNDER 14 I STRONGLY SUGGEST YOU GO 3 DAYS BEFORE YOUR INTERVIEW DATE BECAUSE OF THE TB TEST AND 48 TO 72 HOUR WAITING TIME. (The latest time is to get to the health center by 1:30 p.m. on Monday, you can get the result by Wednesday 3:30pm

After you get your tests done it is a 15 min walk to the Subway (5RMB), easy to find. Take Line #1 (YELLOW) to the last stop on that line which is a 10 min walk to the US Consulate. MUCH MUCH cheaper than the taxi.

 

Now for more of the interview day etc.

We rented a room with the “US Consulate rented an apartment upstairs short” Mr. Li Qiang Cell # 15817124988, PH # 020-85973738 The cost is 150 per night for a bedroom in an apartment with 2 full size beds. We shared a bathroom with two other rooms. Really no problem!! If you stay there take your own towels, soap, toothbrush etc. Rooms have AC and internet and were clean. The apartments are located in the same building as the US Consulate. Ours was in the building North of the Consulate on the 18th. floor. A short walk (3min) to the front of the Consulate entrance.

Our interview time was 7:30am and we got in line at 6:45am. Already about 150 people waiting but not all were for immigration. Be sure to have PK #4 invitation letter, passport etc to get in the door. He will check off your name on his list, give you a number tag then you can get into the Consulate. Go to the 5th. Floor and get in line. I had to go to the coffee shop and wait as ONLY the persons immigrating can go in for the interview.

 

 

 

The following is from my wife on her interview:

The first thing is all of the people will be in one big room, like a bank. Your name will be called to a window and a Chinese person will ask for some of your papers, photos, notarized papers etc that they will need. Then you will be asked to sign some papers and will receive a number and then told to go back and sit down and wait for the number to be called. They will call you by number to be fingerprinted (daughter was not fingerprinted) and told to sit down and wait. You will be call to an interview window by number and name.

 

Now for the interview questions:

1. What is your husband’s name?

2. When did you meet?

3. When did you get married?

4. Is he living in China with you? (he had my passport)

5. When did he come to live in China?

 

Financial questions

1. I see you don’t have a co-sponsor. (My wife told him we are above the 125% poverty level)

2. What did you claim as assets? ( On our I-864 form we hand printed “see attachment A, B, C, D, E” These attachments explained the assets such as the house in California Grant Deed, Bank accounts, Savings accounts, Cd’s, China fund account etc.

After looking at all the I-864 form, attachments and all the financial papers he said, OK, YOU ARE APPROVED.

 

Because our interview was on a Thursday we would have had to wait until the next Monday or Tuesday to pick up our visas as they will not mail the visas to Xiamen, only certain cities. So, we had them sent by EMS to Shenyang to a friend and she sent them to us by EMS. If we didn’t do it this way we would have had to stay in Guangzhou 3 extra days and pick them up.

 

I know this is a long letter but if I can help anyone go through this process easier and faster it is worth it.

Thank to all CFL people for your help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Steve, Clare and Jinjin

Edited August 30, 2010 by clarejinjin (see edit history)

[Stepbrow]

I am very happy to be the first to congratulate you

 

Just realized that you got the pink on the 26th Congratulations on your write up.

Edited August 30, 2010 by Stepbrow (see edit history)

[whatsthedeal]

Congrats!

[xiaofeizhu]

Congrats again! Your wife handled it all well, and I'm happy that your family will all be stateside soon!

[Zhou Zhou]

Congratulations!

[screamneagle]

Best of Luck! Job well done!!

[david_dawei]

nice info.

 

Can you explain further about mailing the visa to someone other than your wife? Do you have to further anything for that other person (is it addressed to them?) or you just give them any address and put anyone's name (or still is your wife's name on it somewhere)?

 

Does someone have the list of cities GUZ will mail to?

 

---

 

Concerning the younger children: Did you ask if there was an expedited fee to do this in one day?

Edited September 2, 2010 by DavidZixuan (see edit history)

[Kyle]

@ David,

 

Here is a link listing the various cities the consulate will deliver directly to.

 

Beijing, Shanghai, Fuzhou, Changle, Nanjing, Wenzhou, Tianjin, Shenyang and Changchun

 

http://guangzhou.usembassy-china.org.cn/china-post-delivery-throughout-china.html

 

When Jingjing and I went through this, we had them (the consulate) mail her passport to Mr. Yang who repackaged her packet (put the unopened package from the consulate into a larger EMS envelope) and mailed it to us in Wuhan.

 

After going through a successful interview, the applicant will fill out an ems label at the China Post located inside the consulate.

Edited September 2, 2010 by Kyle (see edit history)

[david_dawei]

Interesting... they say they will mail it to the visa recipient's home address but in fact they'll mail it to any address in one of those areas without concern of who it is really going to.

 

thanks.