shyaushu

Everyone on the CCFL is pulling for you both. The good part is you actually have people in power trying to help you. Keep your chin's up. There are so many ways things can go wrong with such an (unnecessarily) complicated process like this, it is almost a miracle we have been hearing so many successes lately. Of course we all hope we can add our names to that list. After NASA had some tragic failures in its launches, that guy Ruttan bumped a ship into space on a gallon of kikapoo juice or something. Twice. "KISS" (keep it simple, stupid) is always the way to go! As William of Occam stated in his famous "Razor" hypothesis more than 700 years ago -- the simplist model is invariably the best. Now, if the DOS could only learn that lesson?

So happy for you - Congratulations!

Frank's perspective is the one we have been operating under, and, thus, we did not file a petition for our daughter at this time. But the wealth of information provided by you all suggests the time frame for getting our daughter here may be as short as year or so, or perhaps 2 or 3 years. That's much better than nine! Zhenshu will be very pleased by this information, and so will Hong Ye. Thanks for all your advice and knowledge.

Zhenshu has her interview December 7, and we have every hope she will be here a few days later. Anything can happen, as we all know, and which was dramatically reinforced by today's denial reversal posting. Unfortunately, our daughter is 22 years old, so she was not eligible to join Zhenshu as a minor child on her visa. She and my wife have been struggling (we all have) because we will have to "leave" her. Is there any hope of being able to have her join us here in some reasonable time frame? I learned from INS that she is only eligible for a regular immigration visa, and that typically takes about nine years. We'll all be dead by then! Perhaps we could try for a student-type visa, but we want things to be legal, and more importantly, permanent. Any suggestions?

Good question, but who can really say? It's clear from the post today about reversing the grotesque decision the same day this is a crap shoot. If you've been together in China as much as is reasonably possible (work, finances, heartache, etc.) then you just go with what you have. Obviously, either decision could easily be the "wrong" one, depending on the interviewer.

Indeed, your story is both compelling and thrilling. Life at the brink. How great you took the Great GUZ's own advice, and paid no attention to the man behind the screen! Zhenshu and my heartiest congratulations, tempered by the incredibly tragic reality that some down-easterner yolkel can determine what is essentially a life and death issue for innocent people! A jury of one (some guy decides he "doesn't believe" a certain relationship is "real" and disregards any evidence to the contrary) is why I have been characterizing this process as "Kafkaesque" for months now. "The Hunger Artist" should be required reading for all CR-1 applicants! We are SOOOOOO happy for you.

I like the "great news; now go play" comment. That we all have as easy and as successful an interview. Congratulations.

We add our best wished to all the others. Congratulations. Zhenshu and Wally

Best wishes for a long and happy life together.

Our congratulations and best wishes as well. It's long; it's hard, but there's a visa at the end.

Best wishes to you both. You have obviously already had a long meaningful relationship, and we wish you many, many more.

A couple of us had 9 months from NOA1 to visa, so it can be done quicker (I think someone was only 7 months). Check the Timeline information pinned at the top of the General Visa forum, for recent projections. 170756[/snapback] Didnt someone just recently do 160 days from Noa1 to Visa? 170772[/snapback] 160 days? Really??? I thought that never happen in China. 171264[/snapback] I had the same response from the DOS in October, and our "received in GUZ date" was 8/18/05. I posted my dismay here and several members told me the same thing they are telling you: it's a standard time frame they give, and most members said we would actually get our interview date much sooner. Two or three predicted it would be in November. Alas, in early November we received our interview for December 7, 2005! So hang in there! There is every likelihood you will get an interview date by December or January. Keep calling them.

The info in that link is incorrect and some comments are absurd. Foreigners can own properties in China, specially apartments and homes. They do require some 40% to 50% downpayment, and there are additional holding period requirements to avoid special penalties for flipping properties for quick gains. It looks like the penalties are working because real estate values in Shanghai and Beijing have cooled off, i.e. dropped 15% off their peaks earlier this year. One does not own the land of the properties. They are leased from the government, on 50 to 99 years. It used to be 99 years, but now it's shorter duration. The owner of record has first priority to renew the lease when renewal time comes. It is no different than in the US, where property owners have to pay property tax, or the county government will take it away. Just think of the property tax paid every year over the last 20 years, and you see how much that is. Furthermore, in US, there is eminent domain that a city, county, state, or federal government can take away your property, with or without just compensation. Earlier this year, there was a landmark decision by the Supreme Court that allows cities to exercise eminent domain to take away properties for the sake of the betterment of the communities, i.e. generate more tax revenues for the city. Many of those comments in the above links are by simple minded American country bumpkins who are clueless on the reality of things. 170393[/snapback] "Simply minded American country bumpkins?" As a West Virginian, I resemble that remark.

It is wonderful you were able to quickly overcome this immensely cruel decision. It's not that different from requiring someone dying of thirst to submit a letter from a doctor stating they are dehydrated before giving them a drink! What are some of these interviewers thinking? Congratulations. All of us with upcoming interviews hope ours will end as successfully (albeit without the last minute jab).

Our heartiest congratulations. I smiled at the photo, too. The Chinese do have a knack fo taking some really interesting "classical" photos.

Lost in this discussion somehow is inquiry into the question of how a so-called "free society" can make immigration decisions based on a particular political orthodoxy. Is there not something fundamentally contradictory (and repugnant) for a society like ours to deny someone access to this country because of their personal political beliefs? It is all so MacCarthy-esque (being roasted because you were once a "member of the Communist Party"). And especially when it relates to a political philosophy whose basic tenet is "From each according to his (or her) abilities; to each according to his (or her) needs." It is not a very big step from that kind of political litmus test to a similar religious or racial one. I believe there was a country in Europe with similar policies regarding personal beliefs and traits we fought a war with about 60 years ago. What are we becoming? What have we become?

As my graduate advisor once observed, "this is not a system of thesis by the pound." (I hope he was referring to someone else's thesis). It's quality, not quantity that matters. This applies to people's individual traits, as well.

Not your flatulance?

I don't know why you ever had any doubts. Congratulations.

Zhenshu and I were in the same boat (the slow boat to China?) just three weeks ago. The Dept. of State told us Zhenshu was "eligible", and that we could expect an interview in "about nine months". I vented my dismay and frustration here, and a number of members were kind enough to bring me back to earth, some even predicting an interview date in November. And so it was! Just a few days ago we got a date in early December. So, hang in there!

Congratulations. I wouldn't dismiss the comment that this was all to make you sweat just to see how "serious" you were. If I were cynical I might call that . . . cynical.

I suppose each one of us feels some sort of "visa envy" when we see someone's visa approved in ten or eleven months and ours languishes in some bureaucratic (there's that word again!) black hole. I know I did. But it eventually does work out. The trick is, I suppose, to use your time productively and, hopefully, your relationship will actually strengthen because of the shared hardship. The way-too-long time gives you more time to learn more about each other and to have a jump start on things when you are finally united.

Our best wishes and congratulations, too. It is wonderful.

You 'de men, Randy W and Jiaying! I sent off a request a minute ago (with Zhen's address in Chinese) and now I've got three bases covered. We should get it done. Thanks.

I have already posted that my wife, Zhenshu, has her interview scheduled for December 7, 2005. We are both thrilled, of course. Trouble is, she has moved a great deal during the past 8 or 9 months, and, according to the Dept. of State, the interview letter and packet were sent to an address in Jilin Province where she was living back in May. As a precaution, I previously asked the Dept. of State to list me as the "agent of record", so they have already sent a copy of the packet to me here in the US (so they said). However, as of today the letters have not arrived at either location. Does anyone have any knowledge how to request that another packet and letter be sent to my wife's current address in Beijing? I called the GUZ Consulate number (2133881-4611) but of course got into their arcane computer answering system. I also learned I need to pay the 52 RMB before they will provide (probably no relevant) assistance. I don't mind paying the 52 RMB, of course, but nothing I heard in the recorded answers suggested they were prepared to actually help in this situation. Does anyone have any good ideas how to get them to send another set of papers to my wife in Beijing? Will they just re-schedule the interview (soon) if she cannot make this one?