pingme

Jason, thanks for sharing your wonderful and positive story! it gives me hope that things could go well, and fair.

King, any comment from you on what is legal? Do the consulates operate above and beyond the law? Is there any history of lawsuits against a US consulate or particular Visa Officer? I am sure the ACLU could tell us, I've written to them, and have yet to hear back.

- Student Visas cost less, and are quicker to process than K1 or K3 visas. Is that fair and equal treatment? Could I pay less for my K1 visa and have it processed faster? It is discriminatory against fiancees and wives. - The US embassy/consulate is US soil and as such should observe the same laws and decencies as any place else in the US, including other embassies and consulates. So why does it take some consulates only 6-8 weeks for a K1 or K3 visa, while China takes 6-9 months? Is that equal or discriminatory? - Adoption vs K1/K3 visas, the Guangzhou website even states very clearly that they will give preferential treatment to adoption visas, and Maura's own words indicate the same. That is age discrimination. http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/guangzho...nnoucement.html "The American Consulate General in Guangzhou gives the highest priority to the adoption community. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions." Just imagine if such a similar policy were posted for US consulate in Africa: "The American Consulate General in <African Country Here> gives the highest priority to the white community." The ACLU would be all over them in a minute! I don't want to appear cold or without a heart to children, but in all fairness children and adults are still people, and we should all be treated fairly. Either way, the official policy in Guangzhou includes age discrimination. - For those waiting for their wives or fiancees to obtain their visa, it sounds like the general mentality with the VO is to assume that the women or relationship is not legit, they are just in it for the visa/green card, etc. Granted some of that may happen, but it can happen at any consulate anywhere in the world. In Guangzhou are they practicing sex discrimination against our loved ones, by assuming our loved ones are dishonest ? Some other points: - Students come to the US and stay for a year, or maybe a few years. We expect our wives and fiancee to stay for a lifetime. Which is more important? - Our wives and fiancees may be raising our children here in the US. Do we want them to have a positive experience with getting here? - The US consulate anywhere in the world, should be a model of American values. These include honesty, fair and equal treatment to everyone, regardless of race or nationality or age, and the preservation of basic human rights. I read stories about other consulates around the world, and for the most part, things are pretty fair. From Guangzhou I have read very little that seems fair, or honest. It makes me feel ashamed to be an American, and that should not be the case. And one question I keep asking myself, with all the blue slips, all the white slips that turn into blue slips over night, and the stories of the "lawyers" waiting outside the consulate to help these poor folks, I wonder how many VO have a deal with one or more of these "lawyers". How easy would it be to have a little side business. "I'll issue 10 blue slips today, and you give me 10% of your business" Better yet, I'll issue some white slips today, and tomorrow change those to blue slips. Those people will be extra devastated, and in need of you services. So how about 15% of their business too? And to protect ourselves, and you, we'll make a policy that the US citizen is not allowed into the interview, so there won't be any witnesses. It will make it easier to generate more blue slips.

i'll start a separate thead for this. I am no lawyer, but i can tell when one person is favored over another, especially when it is written in black and white on their website!

This is more meant to be a humorus topic rather than something serious. Maura Harty has mentioned: "She also said how adoptions are a priority. I asked her if they were more important than immediate family, more important than my husband? She said, no they are not.... " and on the Guangzhou website you can read their announcement: http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/guangzho...nnoucement.html "The American Consulate General in Guangzhou gives the highest priority to the adoption community. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions." So while driving home today, i wondered, should i have adopted my fiancee first? is there any age limit on how old someone can be and still be adopted? its probably not possible, but it would be nice. i adopt my fianceee, she arrives here with the highest priority and probably less cost. but i wonder can you marry someone you have adopted? as can be seen, there are all sorts of crazy senarios, if only Guangzhou would treat everything as a high priority. i wonder how much an adoption visa costs? my guess is less than a K1 or K3 visa. so isn't that a kicker, we wait longer, we pay more, and we receive more hassle and red tape. all the while paying more for it!

Some news items now appearing: http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=Maura+Harty http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2...tent_421352.htm

a possible plan of action here at CFL would be: here at CFL there are all kinds of people: 1) those who have finished the visa process, and have their loved one here (we can call this group the CFL Alumni! they have passed and received their graduation certificate, their visa!) 2) those who are just starting - (we can call these the "untested poor souls") 3) those are are in the middle of one of the many steps along the way (these are probably the most burt out or frustrated with the whole process) 4) those who are just reading for what ever reason (the lurkers?) each group can help in one way or another, that is after all one of the purposes or goals of CFL. I quote from the site intro, which we have all read before we signed up: "Our emotions have run the gamut. Sadness. Depression. Frustration. However, one emotion we have maintained during this entire ordeal is hope. Hope that the U.S. Government will come to understand the anguish its people are suffering as a result of being separated from their loved ones and act quickly to resolve the delays." - if you are in the first group, you can do something. write to Maura with the details of your actual experience. You have the most proof of what worked or did not work. The more actual details she gets the more informed she will be and know that it is not just an isolated case. - if you are in the second category, there is not much actual proof you can supply yet, but a request of the overall process to be reviewed and hope that she will do something before the end of your year of waiting may help her know and understand the problems are still happening. - for the third group, you are probably the most frustrated or burnt out of anyone else, and may not wish to reveal all the details of your case. but a camly worded letter with how you have been treated so far, and a request that she look into what can be done in the near term may be helpful. - for the fourth group, if you are reading this, please know that our hearts are sincere, and our wish to endure and get through this process is real. if you are willing and able to write a letter, please do so. I think kindly worded lettes to several people will help expose the problems. the most exposure we get, the more likely someone will listen and be able to do something about it. - Maura has oversight over all the consulates, so she is at the top and ultimtaly responsible for what happens. - Each of the consulates in China are responsible for what happens in China. A letter written to each of them, explaining the details of what you have endured, or what is going on in Guangzhou would be helpful. - Each of your senators or representatives, they are there to serve you, they are voted by you, and a kindly worded letter asking them to look into the problems in Guangzhou may help them get re-elected next time. - News local, national. I'm not sure how much the news can help us, but i would think if any one of these previous people begins to get calls from one or more news agencies asking for interviews to investigate problems, illegalities, and discrimination at the Guangzhou embassy, then some people will begin to wake up, realizing their names and jobs may be on the line. - President of the United States? It can't hurt to see if his office would respond or do anything about it. If anyone has a particularly painful expereince with Guangzhou, then maybe his office will respond, to get some good press. enough said, now to write some letters.

if this were true, then it would be wonderful. at any other consulate, it should not take more than 15 days for a background check. so maybe Guangzhou has put some new systems in place. i still wonder, with their volumn, even if they could clear all the background checks, can they still handle the volumn of interviews that would be required? They only have a limited number of VO, a limited number of places for interview and times. So i think there will still be other bottlenecks, but certainly the background check seems to be the one that is out of wackwith all the other embassies and would certainly help make the whole process more efficient. i hope the rumor is true. Did your Ying say where she heard the rumor?

Jenny, It is wonderful you made contact physical contact with someone who can do something about it. Now the only question is will anything be done about it. If there is someone who can, then Maura is the one. - Issues of space in Guangzhou: it certainly won't get any better. Each year there are more immigrant visa applicants to process, more interviews, etc. So offloading the work load from GuangZhou to one of the other consulates seems to be a logical next step. Its already done in many other countries, why not in the worlds largest country? - Adoption over husbands and wives: I don't agree with this. Both are important, both should be cared for in a profession and timely manner. We are both "customers" of the USCIS, we have both paid the required fees (and they are not cheap) so we should both be given fair and equal service. If Guangzhou cannot handle the work load themselves, then it should be given to one or more of the other consulates. At this point, I think it is important that our group (those waiting for K1 or K3 visas from China) should not grow silent. If anything, she is now aware of the issue first hand. She has agreed that there is a problem (at least she was aware of it, and did not sweep it under the rug) So let us keep her awareness up ... and also that of our senators and representatives. I also think a letter writing campaign (a friendly letter writing campaign) to the other consulates in China, asking how they can help would also be beneficial. I think the other consulates are happy that Guangzhou is stuck with this burden, so they don't have to deal with it, but if your loved one is from an area closer to one of the other consulates, then letting them know that you are not happy with the situation in Guangzhou, and asking why can't your loved one be interviewed at their consulate my help. Make it their problem, not just Guangzhou's problem, so they need to resolve it together. Jenny, again thank you so much for your personal effort and expense in this. Hopefully something will be done, maybe not for those currently waiting for Guangzhou, but maybe for those who come after us.

do you have any place i can find out more about it? if all goes well, i will be married to a chinese citizen (once she is able to come here) and we're planning on purchasing a place there together. thanks

does anyone know more about the new tourist visa to china? according to the following article, it should be available for business and tourist, be valid for 12 months and allow for multiple entries: ============== http://usinfo.state.gov/eap/Archive/2005/J.../13-789324.html The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also agreed to reciprocally issue to U.S. citizens visiting China on temporary business and tourism visas valid for 12 months and multiple entries. =============== has anyone received one of these? if so, how or where can i apply for one? thanks

a simple worded letter to American Citizen Services Consular Officer John Daniel Morris Monday - Friday Hours: 9:00-12:00, 14:00-16:00 Fax (86-10) 6532-4153 E-mail AmCitBeijing@state.gov ============ Dear John Daniel Morris I am writing to bring to you attention a situation at the Guangzhou consulate. As you know, Guangzhou is the only consulate where immigration visas are processed. With a country the size of China, and the number of visa applications and interviews they are asked to process, they are not able to handle the load in a timely manner. Often, to process a visa request takes 6-12 months. Guangzhou has the reputation of the only US consulate that takes such a long time. And China, with the volume of visas that processed each year, is one of the few countries were interviews are possible in only one location. Canada has two locations, one on the east coast and the other on the west coast. India also has 2 locations. As a law abiding, tax paying citizen, I am writing to ask to you what is being done about this situation? It is not a short term or temporary situation, this has been going on for years, and the delays and mismanagement continues to increase. Requests to Guangzhou continue to fall on deaf ears. I hope you will consider this matter and let me know what is being done to fix it. I will also ask the same of my Senators and Representative. Thank you for your time

When thinking about the whole situation in Guangzhou, the whole thing smells to me like mis-management or coruption from the top. Something this bad, going on for this long, without any remedy, is not the "work" of a few underling VOs. i would also suggest, to those so inclined, to write to the other consulates in China, pointing out the problems with Guangzhou, the inadequacies of the system, and ask what is being done to correct it. if your loved one lives closer to one of the other consulates, it would also be worth asking when they will allow interviews at the consulate closer to where they live. here is the contact information from the other consulates in China. No need to send anything nasty, just a kind letter pointing out what is going on in Guangzhou and a kind request to ask when the problems will be resolved. You can also mention that you have pointed out the issues to your senators and representatives. The are probably well aware that the situation in Guangzhou is a mess, but for some reason, they are unable to fix it. Its our tax money that pays their salaries, and we also pay for the visa processing. the least they could do is do their job in a professional and timely manner. a glitch in a system might last for a few weeks or months, but it seems the system, or lack of it in Guangzhou has been going on for years. That's not a glitch ... thats incompetancy, mismagement, coruption, its a crime. ======================== United States Embassy of Beijing, China Ambassador Clark T. Randt, Jr. Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, 100600 Phone (86-10) 6532-3831 Public Affairs Public Affairs Officer Donald Bishop Fax (86-10) 6532-2039 American Citizen Services Consular Officer John Daniel Morris Monday - Friday Hours: 9:00-12:00, 14:00-16:00 Fax (86-10) 6532-4153 E-mail AmCitBeijing@state.gov ========================== The US Consulate General in Chengdu No. 4 Lingshiguan Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, PRC 610041 Tel: (28) 8558-3992, 8558-9642 Fax: (28) 8558-3520 Email: consularchengdu@state.gov ========================== The US Consulate General in Shanghai 1469 Huai Hai Zhong Lu, Shanghai, P.R.C. 200031 Tel. (86-21) 6433 - 6880 Fax. (86-21)6433-4122 Consul General Douglas G. Spelman ========================= US Consulate in Shenyang 52, 14th Wei Road, Heping District, 110003 PSC 461, Box 45, FPO AP 96521-0002 Tel [86] (24) 2322-0848, Duty Officer Tel 137-0988-9307 Fax 2322-2374; PAO Fax 2322-1505; FCS Fax 2322-2206 Consul General David Kornbluth

i agree with you Hank, you can be sure my senators and representative already know about, and will continue to know about it, and my vote for them will rest on what they have done about this whole situation. i've also written to the ACLU about it. why in the world can't a US citizen, when at a US embassy, be present for an interview that he has paid for and has waited almost a year for (over a year in many cases) for his wife, finacee, child, etc. if course it is also discrimination since the same interview at another embassy (still US soil) they are allowed at the interview, sometimes even required. i can't think of a case of more clear discrimination than that!

i just sent her an email. I would encourage others to do the same. maura harty : hartyma@state.gov still searching for a fax number to her office, in case she does not have a chance to check email.

i was thinking of the same thing. she may not check her email before the 3rd, but at least if we could fax her office, and indicate to them that there is a serious, serious problem with the embassy in Guangzhou, maybe they will get in contact with her before the 3rd. at least then she will be aware of the issue when it is raised during the press conference or interiview (whatever the event is in beijing on the 3rd) here is information about her, but not a fax or email: http://www.progressivegovernment.org/appoi...ffairs%20-%20ST this site lists an email address: http://boards.immigrationportal.com/showth...577#post1065577 maura harty : hartyma@state.gov

where did you get this address and phone number for her? Is there also a fax number. I would be willing to write/fax her office to let our plight be noticed. thanks

having a list of local Legal help that we can trust and turn to in case we need it in Guangzhou is a great idea. I would feel much more secure and comfortable knowing that if there is an issue with my fiancee getting a visa, that i can quickly call or walk into someone's office and know they will help me and not rip me off.

i've tried to summarized in the letter below some of the many problems/issues with the visa process and Guangzhou. Feel free to edit as you wish, and forward to your local representative or news agency. i've tried to include the major issues dealing with the backlog, delays and unfair treatment we are being given by our embassy and officials in Guangzhou. Hopefully if they will not listen to us, their "customers requesting their service", then they will listen to our elected officials, the local or natioanl news. please read and consider if it is worth the cost of a stamp and envelop. thanks ================== Dear [senator, Representative, local/national CNN News, ACLU etc] Introduction: I am writing to you as one of your law abiding, tax paying, voting constituents, about a matter that is near and dear to my heart, as well as most likely many others in your voting area. I hope you will take the time to read my letter, and respond to me to let me know how, and when you will help. The United States is a country of immigrants. For most Americans, unless you are a Native American, we are all either immigrants, or descendants of immigrants. So Immigration, for Americans, is a very important and dear issue to our hearts. The words inscribed on the Statue of Liberty say: Give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free. This letter is an appeal to also include my loved one, as well as the countless thousands of loved ones. I am one of many thousands who are waiting for a visa for a wife, fianc¨¦(e) or family relative (loved ones) from China. I would like to bring to your attention several procedures that seem to affect this one embassy, and respectfully ask what you can do to correct these matters. These practices include discrimination, abuse of power, denial of basic US civil rights to US citizens, deception and break of contract or agreement. Imagine one of the following scenario happening to your wife, daughter, or loved one: You and your loved one, after living in China for several years, wish to return to the US and make your home here. You follow all of the legal routes, file all of the proper forms. After a year or more of waiting for the paper work to be process£¬the endless waiting and delay, the day finally arrives for your loved one to have their interview. They live in XinJiang China, which is in the western most part of the country, and it will take at least a 20hr train ride, following by a 6 hour plane flight to reach Guangzhou. She needs to leave a week early, so that she can have the required medical exams for the interview. She is traveling with all the possible proof of your relationship you have gathered, over 25 lbs of documentation, photos, papers, videos of the two of you together etc. When it finally comes time for the interview, you are not allowed to accompany her, but you tell her it will be alright, your relationship is legitimate, clearly documented, the US government is fair and equitable. At the interview few questions are asked, the Visa Officer can clearly see that everything is in order, and the evidence is overwhelming. A white slip is issued, (which means the visa can be picked up the following day). Your loved one surrenders her passport in good faith, and the Visa Officer says, welcome to American, come back tomorrow to pick up your passport with visa. You both are elated, and celebrate that evening, make plans for your return trip to the United States, and rest peacefully for the first time that night in over a year. The following day, when your loved one's name is called, you are informed that the Visa Officer was in fact not telling the truth, a visa will not be issued, but rather now a blue slip is issued and more evidence will need to be seen. Of course your loved one already had all the required evidence the day before, carrying the 25lbs of evidence, but at the time that was not asked for or needed. You have already now made your flight reservations for the return trip to the US, but now they need to be canceled due to this sudden change. It may take several days before you can schedule for your loved one to reappear in front of a Visa Officer, with the same 25lbs of evidence that she was carrying the other day, to present to them the one page or video evidence that is now being asked for. This is not an isolated story, in fact Guangzhou is famous worldwide for its delays, its mismanagement and inappropriate and at times, dishonest and unethical behavior. The following points summarize what has been happening at Guangzhou not just recently, but for the past several years. 1) Guangzhou - Longest Waiting time of any other Embassy. The waiting time to obtain an interview to finally receive a visa is one of the longest in the world. Obtaining an adoption visa from Guangzhou take a matter of days, but a visa for a loved one typically takes 6-12 months These are family based visas, for our loved ones, and they should not and do not need to take so long to process. China is a large country, and each month thousands of visas are processed. All the more reason that the current procedures and backlog be investigated, especially since many of the visas may affect people in your voting area. The UK has realized this and will begin opening several Visas Centers across China: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2...tent_417365.htm http://www.uk.cn/bj/index.asp?menu_id=321&artid=795 Why can the UK government take better care of its citizens and those wishing to travel to the UK than the US government? This also makes sense given how large China is, and the effort and inconvenience that is required for our loved ones to make the trip to Guangzhou for an interview. In some cases, the trip just to appear at a 5-10 minute interview can take over 25hrs by train and plane. Even in Canada, their citizens are not required to travel such far distances, as they can have their interview either on the east coast or west coast. And the time required to receive a similar visa from Canada is only on the order of 30-45 days. Obtaining the same visa from China should not take more than 10 times longer. When we petition for our loved ones to obtain a visa to come to the US, and if they are denied without good reason, or in some cases, given the white slip and then denied the following day, that is our government working on our behalf (since we have petitioned the US government for a visa for our loved ones.) Their slow response, their delays, their mismanagement, their incompetence, is their service to us, as well as our loved ones. Rather than a service, their current procedures are an offense to me and many others like myself. If the one embassy in Guangzhou is over burdened, then changes need to take place to spread the work to one or more of the many other embassies in China. This would also make sense given the large geographical area of China. 2) Accountability: We have paid the people at Guangzhou to perform a certain job, in a reasonable amount of time. This is paid through our tax dollars, as well as the large visa process fees that we must pay. The fact is, they are failing to do this, and should be held accountable. It is a Presidential goal to process immigration visa in 6 months or less: http://uscis.gov/graphics/aboutus/repsstud...ies/backlog.htm I would like to know what steps are being done in Guangzhou to reduce the current 9-12 month time frame to 6 months or less? why does it take so long? Is the fee we already pay too low, and so they cannot hire enough workers to process them in a timely manner? Is Guangzhou overburdened and cannot handle the current load? Then why don't they do something about it? Do they expect the burden to get any less? If anything it will get even worse, so what are they doing about the current situation to resolve it? 3) Unjust practice at the Guangzhou Embassy One practice that appears to be on the rise in Guangzhou is the issuing of white slips (meaning that a visa will be given the following day) only then to be issued blue slips the following day (meaning that it is now denied). This does not appear to be to be correct, fair or following procedures. The white slip is a form of contract. The applicant is given the white slip, is asked to surrender their passport, and told that they will be given their passport WITH VISA, the following day. The applicant surrenders his or her passport, an act of trust and good will, with the expectation that they will receive their passport back the following day with the visa they have been promised both verbally and in written form by the white slip. A contract can be both verbal or written, and in this case it is usually both. If they will not be given their visa, then why are they given a white slip, and told to pick up their passport and visa the following day, only later to discover they have been deceived and lied to, their visa has been denied? In these cases the Visa Officer has not faithfully completed their duties and should be held accountable to their superiors. While our loved ones are in the US embassy, they are on US soil, and as such they are government and protected by the same US laws that we know here in the States. Anyone and everyone should be treated with the same respect and dignity as if there were here in the US. They should not be lied to, they should not be deceived to , and if an agreement is reached, it should be honored. After receiving a white slip, a written agreement indicating that the US government has done its job and found the applicant suitable for a visa, I do not understand how during the nigh, everything could change, and the applicant, without any say or representation, is then found unsuitable for a visa. This is just wrong, unfair, unjust, and should be held accountable for their breach of contract. The Visa Officers who are doing this should be held accountable to their superiors as well as to us the tax paying citizen, the customer who has paid for the visa, and ultimately to you our voice in government. 4) American Civil Liberties The embassy in Guangzhou is one of the few, if not only embassy in the world, where the Petitioner, a US citizen, is not allowed to be present for the Visa Interview. In most other embassy's this is optional, and in several, it is required. It helps to demonstrate the requirement of a valid relationship. While at the US embassy, this is US soil, and the laws and operations should follow US standards and ways. The embassy in Peru is one of those that requires that the US citizen be present. While these two embassies are a far from each other in distance, they both represent US interest and are on US soil. Why is it, at only this one embassy, US citizens being discriminated against? The US citizen in Peru and the US citizen in China are still under US protection against discrimination, and are governed by the same immigration laws. Without allowing the US citizen the right to be present at his loved ones interview, there is no second witness to the mismanagement or incompetence that happens during these interviews. There is no second witness to the verbal agreement that a visa will be issued the following day, only to be denied within 24 hrs. 5) Delays Through out the Process There are delays built into the immigration visa process for China that do not seem to affect any other country. - After the petition is approved in one of the several services centers here in the US, it is send to the National Visa Center (NVC). There the petition can take several weeks to months for the required security/name checks that are completed. But for other countries, this may take only a matter of days. (UK, Canada, etc) Why are visa petitions for China discriminated against? - After the required name checks are completed. The petition will wait at the NVC for several weeks, until many thousands of papers are ready to ship to Guangzhou. As a petitioner, I have paid my fee not to have them wait for others, but to be processed in the quickest possible time. Petitions from other countries do not need such a long waiting time, and are sent directly to the consulate in the beneficiaries country as soon as possible. - After they are sent to the beneficiaries country, since there are now usually many boxes of papers, the papers sit in local customs for an unneeded amount of time. If each petition were individually sent, then there would be no need to have customs inspect and process every page. Again as a petitioner, I have paid a fee to have my petition processed, and that does not included waiting for other papers, or waiting in local customs with boxes of other petitions. A simple Fedex or DHL envelope would not only clear customs in a matter of days, but I would then be able to track where it is at anytime. I can send a Fedex or DHL package to China, and it typically only takes a matter of a few days, why cannot the US government do the same? - The longest delay, after all the papers have been received at Guangzhou, is spent waiting for Guangzhou to schedule the interview. This can take anywhere from 3-4 months. Again this is only happening at the one embassy in Guangzhou. If they are over burdened at that one embassy, then they should follow the example given by many of our other US embassies around the world, and spread the immigration visa processing around. This would not only simplify their operations, but also allow for quicker processing of the immigration visas, and allow for more local places for the interviews to take place. Contact Information To help you in your investigation, I have included a list of contacts from the Guangzhou embassy website the following contact information below: http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/guangzhou/index.html Contact Information Address: No. 1 Shamian Street South, Guangzhou 510133 Phone: 020-8121-8000 Fax: 020-8121-9001 Consul General: Edward Dong CG OMS: Martha Petitt ECO/POL: Harvey Somers COM: Robert Murphy Tel 8667-4011, Fax 8666-6409 CON: William Martin Fax 8121-8428 ADM: Jeffrey Rock RSO: Michael Brenn PAO: Wendy Lyle Tel 8335-4269, Fax 8335-4764 FAS: Keith Schneller Tel 8667-7553, Fax 8666-0703 DHS: Thomas Wong DHSGuangzhouGeneral@dhs.gov DHSGuangzhouAdoption@dhs.gov DHSGuangzhouV92@dhs.gov Tel: 020-8121-8000 Ext 5951 Fax: 020-8121-7735 Conclusion In summary, I am writing to find out how and when you and your office will help resolve these issues. The current situation and practices are unjust, unfair and are a disgrace to the US, and our loved ones. This is also not an isolated case. I am sure there are many, possible thousands of people in your constituency, who have experienced these practices, or who know someone who has. I am sure your efforts to look into this situation will not only be remembered by myself when it comes time to vote, but by many others in your district or state. To help receive some attention to these practices, I will also be forwarding a similar letter to my local and national news companies, as well as to the ACLU. I am not the only one affected by these practices of abuse and discrimination, but thousands each month are affected, many in my local area. I hope I can include your name as someone who has listened to these unfair and disgraceful practices and will be able to do something about them. Please respond to me within a timely manner (2 weeks) to let me know what specific actions you will be taking to review and correct this situation, so I can include you name among the list that are actively supporting their constituency, and is willing to do something about this. When it comes time to vote again, I will remember how you have responded (or not responded) and you can be sure I will let your support (or lack of support) be known among all of my friends and family. Immigration is an issue that affects nearly every American living today. The words inscribed on the Statue of Liberty say: "Give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free". Does this not also include the loved one of any US citizen? And if it were your spouse, your child, your fianc¨¦(e), what would you do about it? References: www.candleforlove.com You do not need to look far for countless stories about the misconduct of this embassy. The Candle For Love website has documented several years worth of stories from real live people, real live cases of everything that I have included in this letter. http://uscis.gov/graphics/aboutus/repsstud...resentation.pdf - Restore Public Confidence in the integrity of Immigration Services - Make certain the right applicant receives the right benefits in the right amoutn of time, and preventing the wrong applicant for accessing our benefits The right amount of time - The target 6 month cycle time USCIS Commitment - Six Months Every case type, Every Office http://uscis.gov/graphics/aboutus/repsstud...inal-signed.pdf It is a Presidential stated objective to eliminate the application backlog and achieve a cycle time of six-months or less. Objective: Achieve a high-level of performance by establishing clear, concrete milestones and actively monitoring progress towards these milestones. http://uscis.gov/graphics/publicaffairs/fa...ct_06_17_04.pdf Resource Allocations: The USCIS Headquarters Backlog Elimination Taskforce - staffed by highly experience senior staff members - will work to achieve the rapid adjudication of severely backlogged applications while ensuring the integrity of immigration services. USCIS will work to identify areas of greatest needs for resources to make sure that all offices are supported to meet monthly backlog elimination goals. http://uscis.gov/graphics/aboutus/repsstud...s/BEPQ3v2_1.pdf Cycle Time in months for Forms: Why is there no mention of I-129F backlog? http://uscis.gov/graphics/lawsregs/handboo...k/RFE021605.pdf http://uscis.gov/graphics/aboutus/repsstud...ies/backlog.htm http://www.aclu.org/ImmigrantsRights/Immig...sRightsMain.cfm

even though i am just getting started in the process, i have already read so many things that are slow or unfair about it. reading this topic gets my blood pressure going. 1) on the issue of getting white slips only then to be issued blue slips the following day: to me, the white slip is a form of contract. the meaning of it is that you will get you visa the following day. the applicant surrenders his or her passport with the expectation that they will receive it the following day with a visa inside. while the applicant is in the embassy, they are on US soil, and as such they are subject and also governed by the laws of the US government. I don't see how after receiving a white slip, which indicates that the US government has done its job and found the applicant suitable for a visa, how during the night time, everything could change, and the applicant, without any say or representation, is then found unsuitable for a visa. That to me just seems wrong, unfair, unjust, illegal. The Visa Officers who are doing this should be held accountable to their superiors as well as to us. 2) lengthy customs clearance: while the US government cannot control or tell the chinese government how to inspect their boxes, they can choose to send visa papers in smaller shipments, and more frequent shipments. the only reason they choose to send these massive shipments is to reduce costs from their point of view, and don't care if we, as US citizens and also the ones who have paid to have our visas processed as quickly as possible, need to wait for weeks before they are shipped out from the NVC and then wait weeks/months for the boxes to pass customs. So why not send each application in its own Express envelope? And of course if they were to process visa applications in more than one place in the country, as is already done in so many other smaller countries, that would reduce the size of the shipments to guangzhou. 3) the wait for the interview is a disgrace to each of us, as well as the US. these are family based visas, and these are our loved ones, they should not take that long to be processed. i recently read that the UK will be opening up many Visa Centers across China to help process visas from china. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2...tent_417365.htm http://www.uk.cn/bj/index.asp?menu_id=321&artid=795 why can the UK government take better care of its citizens and those wishing to travel to the UK than the US government? When we petition for our fiancee's to get a visa to come to the US, and if they are denied without good reason, or in some cases, given the white slip and then denied the following day, that is our government working on our behalf (since we have asked them to give our fiancee a visa) so their slow response, their delays, their mismanagement, their in competency, is their service to us, as well as our fiancees. so why is it that the US can't get its act together, assess the current situation in guangzhou and realize that one place cannot handle the work load, and distribute the work across the country. Guangzhou's problem is that they try to handle too much themselves, all of the K1,K3 visas for the whole country of 1.5 billion people. My God, even Canada has 2 places where they process these visa, one on the east coast, one on the west! You would think the people in GuangZhou would get the message that their operations cannot handle everything. I've got to wonder if the head of the Guangzhou embassy is some sort of masochists, wishing to inflict pain and long working hours for his or her employees, rather than seeking a better solution. Ask your senator or representative why the person in charge of Guangzhou still has their job? 4) no accountability: the people in guangzhou are being paid by us, our taxes and our application fees, to process our visa requests in a timely manner. as far as i can tell, they are failing to do this, and should be held accountable to someone. why does it take so long? is the fee we already pay too low, and so they cannot hire enough workers to process them in a timely manner? is Guangzhou overburdened and cannot handle the current load? they why don't they do something about it? do they expect the burden to get any less? if anything it will get even worse, so what are they doing about the current situation to resolve it? my recommendation, is to not only submit these grievances to these public forums, but also each of us to submit them to our senators and representatives. and if you're willing also to the local media. one of the stated goals of this site, in the intro is: "Our emotions have run the gamut. Sadness. Depression. Frustration. However, one emotion we have maintained during this entire ordeal is hope. Hope that the U.S. Government will come to understand the anguish its people are suffering as a result of being separated from their loved ones and act quickly to resolve the delays." for those who have already been through the process, and have had a good or bad experience, submitting a letter to your senator and representatives would go along with those stated goals. we also have from the guangzhou website the contact information for the people in charge there. A kindly worded letter or fax (or unkind if your treatment has not been fair) would at least let them know that you were happy or unhappy with their job as our representative in China. If your treatment was not kind, i would also include that you will be following up with your senator and representative demanding some kind of action or correction to the operations there. : Contact Information Address: No. 1 Shamian Street South, Guangzhou 510133 Phone: 020-8121-8000 Fax: 020-8121-9001 Consul General: Edward Dong CG OMS: Martha Petitt ECO/POL: Harvey Somers COM: Robert Murphy Tel 8667-4011, Fax 8666-6409 CON: William Martin Fax 8121-8428 ADM: Jeffrey Rock RSO: Michael Brenn PAO: Wendy Lyle Tel 8335-4269, Fax 8335-4764 FAS: Keith Schneller Tel 8667-7553, Fax 8666-0703 DHS: Thomas Wong DHSGuangzhouGeneral@dhs.gov DHSGuangzhouAdoption@dhs.gov DHSGuangzhouV92@dhs.gov Tel: 020-8121-8000 Ext 5951 Fax: 020-8121-7735 even though i am not yet at the P3 or P4 stage yet, i have already contact my senator and representative to let them know that the system is not working there, and asking them what they plan to do about it. if they plan to do something, i will vote for them next time. if they don't plan to do anything, they will not get my vote. Letting you senators or representatives know about CFL, and the fact that thousands of visas are processed at guangzhou each month, will let them know that if they do not act, they could be losing more than just your vote. there may be hundreds of spouses, fiances waiting in their state that are going though the same hassels.

it is really great to hear good stories coming out of guangzhou. it sounds like this VO did his job in a proper and professional manner. hopefully we will get the same person too! Congratulation! best wishes on your packing and flight to the states.

thanks. i've saved a copy to my machine. when it comes time, that i'm dealing with guangzhou i'll have it, along with the information for my senator and representative handy. it is true, they have a large task to deal with, but i also think, from all the stories i have heard, they are not managing their task well, and if anything, it can only get worse. the volumn of people requesting visas from china is going up, and probably will not go down, so they have to seriously thing of doing their job differently. allowing immigration visas from one of the many other US consulates in china would seem to be to be the first logical step. if my fiancee lived in her home town in XinJiang, she would need to take a 20hr train ride, followed by a 5 hour flight just to go for the interview. the US has other embassies that are much closer and could probably handle the job much more efficiently than how they are doing it in guangzhou.

one thought ... for all those cases such as this, where someone in our group has been screwed along the way,: - we write a collective letter, documenting the case - each of us sends it to our respective representatives/senators asking for some accontability on what is going on in our embassy over there. it is our tax payers money that is funding their operations, and we are the one who elect them to represents us. if my senator/representative does not want to bother with it, i'll let them know they are not getting my vote. just a thought pingme

does anyone know if this a DHL policy to let them sit and wait, or an embassy order to not recieve the packages for some reason? DHL prides themselves to deliver quickly anywhere in the world, it seems counter to their company goals, and reputation to deliver something and then just have them sit there idle, waiting to be stolen, lost or forgotten. and if it is the embassy's instructions, then another reason to contact our representatives/senators to look into the matter. if you have the tracking or package number for these shipments, we should be able to ask DHL why the mail is not being delivered in a timely manner. if they say it is the embassy that refusess delivery, ask the to put that in writing and forward that to your senator/representative. pingme

i'm also curious as to how this works, since i would like to be as prepared as possible. if during the interview, my fiancee already has all the evidence that is requested, does she still have to go through the appeal process. she will have a video tape of us speaking english, she will have at least 4 binders of any possible supporting material, financial material. so i can't imagine they VO could ask for anything else, than what she will already have with her. it seems there are cases where someone is giving the blue slip, and the VO won't even hear or look at any supporting evidence. it seems to remind me of the "soup nazi" on Seinfeld. you walk up to the window, and if you look at the VO in the wrong way, or don't walk and talk in the right way ... they just say ... "no visa for you!" so off our fiancees go carting their truck load of documentation only to have to wait for another day, to bring everything back and show that in fact they do have everything. pls someone tell me it isn't so!... pingme