Bill & Angel

Yes, I think that must be it. However, I don't think the sender is going to know the status of the consulate. I think we would probably need to contact the consulate itself, but maybe the DOS has a working number for them. They probably had to have a phone number to provide DHL when shipping.

DHL ships it express, so it is in Guangzhou in 3 days, then the "Clearance delay" (which, according to DHL, is when it sits in a dock waiting to be "received" by a consulate officer). Would you consider 2 weeks as normal? The delay on our shipping is at 2 weeks now, and still not received. Thanks for this number. What does DOS stand for? I figured that calling the consulate would be best, but I tried calling the number on the Guangzhou consulate website, and it is no longer a good number. The number you listed appears to be a US number, so I'm curious what location it is, and how they would know what is going on at the Guangzhou consulate. Thanks, Bill

yes, I have the same crazy virus. I check about 3 times each day, even after checking the 1st time and seeing the "delayed" marked for that day, I still check a couple of more times. Must have something to do with the connection we have with our fiancee's/fianc¨¦'s.

No offense intended, Bill. But, digging up and responding to a 5 year old thread really doesn't mean much today. But, I do understand. Some of the drivel posted here lately make this thread worthy of resurrection. Well, after the response that many CFL threads have died without closure, I felt that maybe throwing a little closure on this one would make one less thread in that category. FWIW. (don't worry, I don't plan on researching and resurrecting every thread that has gone unresolved ... this one just happen to fit into my current situation)

For what it's worth, I did hear back from DHL, and according to them, this delay is not truly a "held up in customs" delay (that's just how their automated website displays it). The package is actually out of their hands, but not yet processed by the US consulate. Because is it political papers, DHL will not change the status until the consulate processes in the package.

For what it's worth, I did hear back from DHL, and according to them, this delay is not truly a "held up in customs" delay (that's just how their automated website displays it). The package is actually out of their hands, but not yet processed by the US consulate. Because is it political papers, DHL will not change the status until the consulate processes in the package.

Is anyone from this original thread still around? I'm just curious what came of this. What was the final delay? Did you come to learn the cause for the delay?

I should have scrolled down the web page more. Doh! Sure enough, it shows that it is diplomatic papers leaving the US Dept of State. I called DHL to inquire as to the 10 day delay. They are supposed to call me back tomorrow.

Thank you! Okay, I tried that, and I did not see anything that went out from US Dept of State. I only saw a handful, and they all were coming out of NH, and only one was going to Guangzhou. The problem is, it showed delayed in Guangzhou. Do you think this is the right one? Why would it be delayed? Sent out: 5/9/2008 From: PORTSMOUTH, NH To: GUANGZHOU, CHINA, PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC Status: Clearance Delay, 5/18/2008 8:50 pm 5/18/2008 8:50 pm Clearance Delay Guangzhou, China, People's Republic 5/17/2008 2:25 pm Clearance Delay Guangzhou, China, People's Republic 5/16/2008 9:50 pm Clearance Delay Guangzhou, China, People's Republic 5/15/2008 9:07 pm Clearance Delay Guangzhou, China, People's Republic 5/14/2008 9:47 pm Clearance Delay Guangzhou, China, People's Republic 5/13/2008 11:06 pm Clearance Delay Guangzhou, China, People's Republic 5/12/2008 10:10 pm Clearance Delay Guangzhou, China, People's Republic 5/12/2008 3:47 pm Transit through DHL facility Guangzhou, China, People's Republic 5/12/2008 3:47 pm Clearance Delay Guangzhou, China, People's Republic 5/12/2008 3:47 pm Processing for clearance Guangzhou, China, People's Republic 5/11/2008 10:29 pm Processing for clearance Guangzhou, China, People's Republic 5/11/2008 10:25 pm Transit through DHL facility Guangzhou, China, People's Republic 5/11/2008 10:25 pm Clearance Delay Guangzhou, China, People's Republic 5/11/2008 2:30 pm Depart Facility Hong Kong - Hub, Hong Kong 5/11/2008 2:29 pm Processed at DHL Location. Hong Kong - Hub, Hong Kong 5/11/2008 12:33 pm Transit through DHL facility Hong Kong - Hub, Hong Kong 5/10/2008 6:14 am Depart Facility Wilmington, OH 5/10/2008 1:57 am Processed at DHL Location. Wilmington, OH 5/10/2008 1:36 am Transit through DHL facility Wilmington, OH 5/9/2008 10:35 pm Depart Facility Newburgh, NY 5/9/2008 10:15 pm Transit through DHL facility Newburgh, NY 5/9/2008 9:23 pm Depart Facility Portland - Airport, ME 5/9/2008 9:19 pm Transit through DHL facility Portland - Airport, ME 5/9/2008 8:45 pm Depart Facility Portsmouth, NH 5/9/2008 3:43 pm Processed at DHL Location. Portsmouth, NH 5/9/2008 2:52 pm Shipment picked up Portsmouth, NH

First of all, congratulations! Secondly, is this secret code? If I go to DHL.com and put EXP in the tracking field, I get an error. Can you be more specific how you used DHL.com to get your shipping status? Thanks!

Was beginning to think this day would never come. While I was in China visiting my fiancee, I checked my email, and lo and behold, there was the approval email! P2 completed on 5/1/08. Now we wait for P3.

Since it's a US consulate, I would guess yes. The Chinese form is probably for the chinese national who cannot read and write English well, and who then would have to get it translated to English (that's my guess anyway).

Great to hear! Congratulations.

I've read a lot about this dreaded question, which does seem to come up often enough. This prompted me to talk to my fiancee about this, especially since she had a government job. Oddly enough, she told me she was the only one in her department that was not a member of the CCP. When I asked why she did not join, she said it was because she didn't want to pay the dues. This made me laugh. Good luck with the final outcome. May 12 was the day I returned from my 5th trip to China, and while I was there, we received email notification of our NOA2 approval. We are also lined up for a GUZ interview. You got your NOA2 on 11/29 with a 5/12 interview, so that would indicate perhaps a 10/15 interview.

8 months! Holy crap. I'm very sorry to hear that. I can only imagine the agony that causes. Do you stay with her in China? If not, how do you cope with the distance? I imagine a lot of trips to China would be in store for me if this happens to us. Can you tell me through private email? Thank you for sharing your experience. You mentioned 26 questions. Did you happen to post these 26 questions somewhere?

I've read three of yours posts with references about receiving the blue slip, but I cannot seem to find the conclusion to this story. It's like watching a suspenseful TV series that gets canceled before the show is finished. Is there a post somewhere that details the reason for the blue slip, and how you overcame it?

Do you happen to remember which of those papers were the most important, and which ones you showed at the interview first?

Ouch! That's some expensive trial and error. I dream of a united planet without all of these ridiculous barriers.

Thank you!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is very very helpful.

Awwwww.... that's not very nice.

Hi All, Once my fiancee gets her K1 visa and comes to the US, we would really like to bring her parents to the wedding. They are Chinese nationals who have never been to the US before. Is there anything I can do from my side to help get them here? Or are they pretty much on their own in obtaining a visitors visa from the US consulate in China? I would think (hope) that there is some special "attend their daughter's wedding" fast track, but I cannot find anything of the sort. Anyone else find themselves in this position? What's the best way to go about it?

I consider myself to have "western" values, but I don't value any of the things you listed here. Maybe you just need to get new friends.

This is an intriguing post, thanks. I have definitely experienced the cultural difference between the west and the east, or more specifically, the US and China. The more intimate you are with the woman, the more intimate you become with these differences. Because I am deeply in love with my fiancee, I try never to judge these differences, despite how much pain and frustration they can cause sometimes. As a few others have said, of course not all Chinese women are the same, but make no mistake, these cultural differences exist regardless of the individual personalities. The differences run much deeper than the "cleanliness" issue. In my situation, our personalities are so strong, that these differences struck us hard. Sometimes it feels like riding a wild bull, and when this happens, we just grab on hard to the reins, and hope we're still on when the bucking stops. The good news is, the bucking always stops at some point. It's not always easy to predict when, just like it's not easy to predict what will cause the bucking to begin. I'm speaking in very general terms here, because if I filled in the examples and details, this would turn into a book. I would like to recommend to all those not deeply familiar with Chinese culture to rent (or buy) the following film: China: A Century of Revolution. This wonderful 3-disk documentary will give you some tremendous insight into why the Chinese handle hard situations differently than us. The Cultural Revolution of the last 60's and early 70's probably had the biggest impact on the generation that we are dating now. There have been so many events in Chinese history where most people really had no choice but to grit their teeth and bear it. If you are involved with a Chinese partner, you owe it to yourself and your partner to educate yourself on this deep and profound history. I know it made a big difference to me, and therefore to our relationship. Sometimes it's a wild ride, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

The phone number can be obtained from the USCIS website (for future reference). However, even with the phone number, it takes a bit of number acrobatics to get to a live person. Here's the sequence of numbers that will get you a real operator: 1-800-375-5283 Press 1, 2, 2, 6, 2, 4