Carl

Let me add my agreement to the last few posts. If you don't have any extrodinary circumstances but you are in the pipeline, being paitent and let the process run its course is all you can do. But if your case has something out of the ordinary then you might consider contacting someone in a position of authority to see if they can help.

As you know I recently e-mailed and recieved some help from Maura Harty's office, but then I had extenuating circumstances. I think that if you have extraordinary circumstances you should at least try, the worst they can say is there is nothing they can do. As of yet I only have the word of DOS and the Chief of the Consulate they will expedite Ying's case, so there is nothing certain as of yet. I am going to keep current on what is happening by first E-mailing Secretary Harty's assistiant who helped me thanking her for her help and let her know what the consulate has told me. Hopefully she will continue to follow up herself and make sure the Consulate keeps up their end of the bargain.

I hope so too. The Chief of the Consulate has assured our case will be expidited.....does that mean five months instead or six?

More progress has been made. I e-mailed GZ over the weekend and pasted in a copy of the letter I recieved from DOS. I recieved a response last night that they finally recieved the case on Sept 3. We are one step closer. On to the next.

Since I am not sure if this will make a return appearance in the near future, I am reposting the letterI recieved from Maura Harty's special assistiant (properly purged this time). Dear Mr. XXXXX, We have been in touch with the Consular Section in Guangzhou about your fiancee's case. They informed us that they have also had several email exchanges with you. As I understand it, your fiancee's case was forwarded on July 21 to Guangzhou by the National Visa Center in New Hampshire via DHL express mail. The Chief of the Consular Section has assured us that they will expedite the case as soon as they receive it. Unfortunately, Chinese Customs sometimes holds up the DHL boxes for several weeks. As soon as our staff in Guangzhou receives the case, they will contact your fiancee and invite her in for her visa interview. Hopefully, they will receive the case in the very near future. I hope this addresses your concerns. It took a while, but it looks like progress has been made. I talked to Ying last night and she thinks we will have a October/November interview, but I am thinking December is more realistic. Anybody have any thoughts?

I got another e-mail from Maura Harty's assistiant, Lynne P. Skeirik,Special Assistant, Bureau of Consular Affairs. She has told me she will look into the case right away. I am grateful for her quick response and hope the case will come to a quick resolution. Thank you all for your continued support.

I am talking to Ying right now and she seems to be feeling better. The news that we might be getting some high level help has given her a lift. The past few months have been an emotional roller coaster, and she like us all have our good days and bad ones. All in all we just need to thake things one day at a time and we both pray for a speedy resolution. Thanks all for your support. It means the world to me and Ying.

As most of you know Ying's son Peter passed away earlier this year. At that time I contacted Maura Harty and Senator Cornyn seeking their help is expiditing Ying's visa du to extenuating circumstances but got little if any help. Last night when Ying and I were talking she was so severly depressed, I was also hurting. In desperation I sent another e-mail to Maura Harty explaining that our situation has become grave. When I checked my e-mail after work I found the following messages. Lynne P. Skeirik Special Assistant Bureau of Consular Affairs Dear Mr. XXXX, If you would provide me with the birthdate for your wife and also, the name of the overseas Consular Section that is handling your visa case, I will investigate the case and get back to you. Please accept my sympathies for your loss. -----Original Message----- From: Harty, Maura A Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 7:20 AM To: 'Carl XXXXX' Subject: RE: CR-1 Visa Dear Mr. XXXX: I am so sorry for your loss. Let me see where your case stands now. Sincerely, Maura Harty While I am thankful for the timely responses and their offers to investigate, given Ying's current state of mind it could be to little to late. I wish I could go to her right now, but I won't have any vacation time till December. All I can ask of you are your hopes and prayers that this terrible chapter in our lives will soon be over and we can be the family I so dearly want. I want to thank all for the love and support you have offered in the past and ask you continue to send those good thoughts we so desperately need. Thank you all Carl

When I filed my I-134, I inquired about needing my banking information. They told that if my annual salary was over the 125% minimum (which it is), banking information was not necessary, It is only necessary if you made under it and needed additional proof of financial solvancy.

I am not surprised......BEAM ME UP SCOTTY, THERE IS NO INTELLIGENT LIFE IN GUZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well it looks like the packet with our case has finally cleared customs (and probably sent to another storage facility). But at least it has finally moved closer to the final stages. Anybody have an idea as to how long it will take for GZ to get their act together?

That song has always been a favorite of mine. I will send it to Ying.

Ying told me that she at one time lived and worked part of the year in Russia. because of that she has a more western outlook than other Chinese do. She says she likes Cheese and other western style foods, but she still does not like coffee. Oh well, such is life.

Bob, All this idiot has done has made the process of bringing our loved ones that much more difficult. And the actions of this Chinese woman has attached an unwarrented stigma to our loved ones that that they don't want to deserve. We need to make it known that we are not supporting this idiot because he has chosen to flaunt our laws and do everything in his power to violate them while we all have had to suffer the legal pitfalls and delays as we do the right thing and bring our loves here legally. Just my opinion and I hope we all can agree on this one.

Quote from Fitnlivly: "After walking miles over mainland China, and visiting a variety of places I counted fewer than 20 caucasian faces in a sea of thousands. China is after all a communist country with a totalitarian government......I dare say that Americans are safer in China than in America...." In all seriousness I was not be to worried in Ying's city of Yanji. While I was probably the only American in the city, there are many Russians in the area, Which I was taken for until I said something. But the main difference between the US and other countries is one fact in particular....The only Miranda they know about wore a hat made out of fruit. So I think terrorists would avoid any operations in China because when they get caught the only question asked is which ear do they want the bullet?

Mine was working as an English teacher until her son passed away, but working with children makes her feel to sad. Now she does English tutoring in her home. But so far her income has not been an issue, so I doubt it will come up in an interview.

Bob, hang in there. Ying and I have been apart for over a year. Now we are close enough I can almost taste it. Perseverance is always rewarded

Log on to www.dhl-usa.com/tracking Go to the top and click TRACK. On the drop down menu click Track by reference. In the reference box enter I-730 then in the date box's below enter the shipping date search criteria. This will show you all of the visa applications that were shipped from the NVC in portsmouth NH for that date. Scroll down to Guangzhou to find the status of your shipment. However the date that the NVC says it was shipped is not usually the date that DHL picked it up. It is usually 1 or 2 days after the date that the NVC says it was shipped. I tried the instuctions and found the most interesting thing. From the information I saw there, the I-730 sent out on the 22 July cleared customs and was delivered to the Consulate on July 26, but the I-730's sent on July 21st, 25th, and 26th are still in clearance delay. Strange how things like that happen.

Your question brings up something I have thought about for some time. Details about the IR1 CR1 visas. Just like the illusive DS-230 Part II, there has never been much info posted about this process. Do you think the ones that go thru this process are sworn to secrecy?....... 144161[/snapback] I know the DS-230 part II is in the P-4 that our SO's receive when they are notified of their interview date.

What fees are there for the CR-1 visa. I already paid the $380 for the visa fee to the NVC, but what fees will we have in GZ?

February..Carl..................07/21/05..01/06/06...02/16/06...210....169...CR1 Thanks, it is great to finally see my name among those who are waiting. But because of the recent death of Ying's son, once our case is entered into GZ's computer, I am planning on exerting some pressure on Senator Jim Cornyn, Congressman Henry Bonilla and Secretary Maura Harty to see if they could possibly expedite her visa due to extenuating circumstances. The other day when we was talking online she told me that while she was cleaning her house she found a small ball that he liked to play with. It brought back all the memories of that sad day crashing back and were had to console each other all over again. I feel that the sooner she gets away from all those constant reminders she and I will be better able to deal with our grief, and get back to building our lives together. I hope you all don't think less of me because of this, but I am thinking of her well being.

Now that I've read some these posts I geuss all I can do is just take up a seat and whistle while I wait.....any requests?

Who really knows how things work in GZ. All we can hope for is that our cases will eventually come to fruition and we are reunited with our loved ones.

I got the letter informing that our package was sent to GUZ. It says that our priority date is 15 September 2004. I looked up the DOJ website they suggested and they show the current Priority Date for China as 22 July 2001. Anybody know just what this means, and if this effects our visa, is it possible to jump 3 years in just a few months?

Yes the I-864 does not have a fee with the USCIS, but the State Department (NVC) charges you $65 to process the I-864. It probably is to pay the cost of the government paper-pusher to move your file from the inbox on one side of his desk to the outbox on the other side.