Michael and Manyun

Ummmm....so David (Randy & Frank). Just what is it that you do with your FREE time????? Is there truly life after CFL????? Or does CFL become, at some point, your life????? As one of the hundreds of people that you have helped, I thank you. Mike

Frustration, Thy Name Is GUZ....... Or something like that. Hang in there, buddy. It's all about waiting....and waiting, and waiting. The folks at GUZ actually get paid to shuffle your life around their desk while you attempt to try to put some semblance of order back. See that little carrot dangling in front of your face????? We got Blue Slipped on Sept. 14th, and as of this past Friday (the 22nd) have yet to be able to even make a frikken appointment to try to overcome (5 phone calls using up one Citic phone card.....a joke in itself). From what I understand, the "Overcome" is NOT an interview, but merely an appointment to drop off the requested information. Why an appointment is needed is beyond me. After that, you are "PROMISED" that you will get a response (good or bad) by the end of the second business day. If they then want additional info, you'll get to wait some more. Cool, huh? Seriously, I wish you the best of luck, Chuck. You are right, that Blue is better than White. But don't make too much noise!!!!! You don't want to wake the Wonderful Wizard of GUZ who is sleeping behind that curtain over there......... Mike

Question of the Day... Question of the month... Question of the year... Question of the Century... All of these are available to the VO, and the right to screw with your life has been given to that person behind the glass. I was told that the VO can use any/all/none of the questions during the interview. They have broad discressionary powers. Manyun's VO had information before him that was flagged sometime during the previous months. Our results were predetermined. He only asked for passports and Pictures (what the hell, since he already knew). He wrote the blue slip without asking another question.

I put down that I do NOT intent to make SPECIFIC contributions, as I will support Manyun and her daughter on a daily basis. I think that this question is for those that come here to join a sponsor, and will be going to school/work.

When I came to Guangzhou last week to meet Manyun for the interview-that-never-was, I had ALL of the evidence in my carry-on. I figured that everything else was expendible. Now that we are Blue-Slipped, and Manyun is moving from Nanning to Guangzhou to live with her sister until this is over, the evidence will be safe with her. HOWEVER, I will remind her what you said, that the most important information HAS to be in the carry-on luggage. Thanks for the reminder. Mike

Thank you very much. I completely understand now

Sorry about the schedule but great news just the same. Good luck, Randy.

Thank you very much for the response. Sorry, but something is still confusing me. After asking Manyun repeatedly about the envelope, she said that she handed it to the VO. Well, come to find out (since I found the torn envelope) that the VO asked her to rip it open and hand him the contents. This is normal? Do they repackage everything when they give it back? Thank you in advance. I tried a couple of searches on CFL but couldn't come up with an applicable post or thread.

I remember doing some reading several months back about the sealed brown envelope being opened when you hit the POE. I asked Manyun where hers was, and she said that the VO took it during her non-interview last Thursday. As we were blue slipped, will this envelope be returned to Mayun when we get off of this merry-go-round called "Overcome", or should the VO have handed it back to her before she left the window? I leave for the US Friday, I will not be here to help her with this, so I want to know if there is something I need to do before we hit the Thursday evening Nanning-to-GUZ sleeper-bus Express. Hell, we can't even get an overcome date yet. Thanks

We spent all of last week with the Yang's. Very highly recommended. Both went out of their way to help us, came to visit at odd hours to see if we needed any assistance, and offered advice during the first gloomy days after the blue slip last Thursday. They are:

Best of luck to you.

Paul, my friend. I have know about this potential situation for some time now, and I am sorry to hear that you are now caught up in the midst of having to make a very difficult decision. You have some pretty hard and fast timelines to follow, and I don't envy you your decision, but I know that whatever you decide, it will be based on what you and your SO feel is the best for the both of you. To me it looks like your best guess based on the facts as you've presented them with maybe a little gut feeling and some divine inspiration thrown in. I think that you've also been given pretty good information so far. I've always been a little short on the information side and a little long-winded with the suppositions. Whatever you decide, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Michael

Just and update: I called this morning at 7:05 (I thought that maybe there were a certain amount of dates given out every day, and I wasn't sleeping anyway). The woman recognizes my name. No interview dates available. Now, instead of telling me to call back tomorrow, she says to call back "some other day". I ask her about tomorrow, and her response was "maybe". I was wrong about the charges to the card. It appears that you are charged once you start speaking to someone, not when you are wading through the menu options and other stuff. Sorry, I hope I didn't put you off with my ranting last night.

Here's the next little game that we are now involved in..... We bought a 54 RMB phone card. Called Saturday morning, no available appointments, call back Monday. Called this morning (Monday). No available appointments, call back tomorrow (Tuesday). With all of the crappola ya gotta listen to before talking to a live person, we will use up the card tomorrow morning. What do they mean, "no appointments available?". Don't you just drop off the info they asked for, and then put your life on hold to see if they actually will call you back by the end of two business days? We took the overnight sleeper train to Nanning (got in at 4:30 this morning...do I sound a little crabby???). Manyun is moving in with her sister in Guangzhou until this is settled. Here is my take: As the outcome of our application was predetermined, the VO did not conduct any sort of interview. No questions at all, and only asked for passports and pictures. I can easily see them now conducting the interview by blue slip. We submit for one question, they ask for something else. And so on, and so on. I can see this dragged out for months. And let's see...use a minimum of one phone card to get an overcome? Quite the racket, methinks. You pay to get a nothing answer. As there is little I can do here once I get Manyun back to Guz, I am heading out Friday morning, arrive DTW Saturday afternoon. Need to save some vacation days, not to mention money. I will wait until this is over, and Manyun and Lingyi are home with me. Then, I will sound off to anyone and everyone I can think of about this. I believe it was Marvin the Martian from Buggs Bunny that said this, and I have never forgotten it: Don't make me angry.....You wouldn't like me when I'm angry!

Thank you all for your support and your suggestions. We will try everything we can to resolve this unfortunate circumstance before I have to leave for home. In a perfect world, one phone call and a fax would clear this right up. But this will not happen. I have a fight on my hands, and I believe that I am up for it. After a bad night it's going to be another long day here in the Land O' Guz. Thanks again. sanshanghai.....good luck with your interview on Monday. Mike

Ok, Boys and Girls. If I sound pissed, it is because I AM!!!!! I'll skip all of the preliminary crap and cut to the chase. I am not a believer in conspiracy theories (quite the opposite) but I have seen things happen during the visa process that has convinced me that games are being played behind the scenes. And now I am convinced. This is how Manyun's interview went: Manyun: Good morning VO: May I see your passport? (At this point, she handed over 3 passports...hers, her daughter's and mine. And with the passports went an "Index of Documents" listing everything that Manyun had with her. I believe that AmeriKen did this. I thought it was a great idea. It was pushed back without a glance) VO: Do you have pictures? (She passes through the nice folder of pictures separated by date and location). Not a further word came out of the VO. Manyun is waiting for the questions that we practiced so much. She had a 6" thick pile of folders containing evidence on her lap. The VO passes through the paper...Blue Slip...and calls the next number. Manyun is totally bewildered. I am waiting in the coffee shop when she comes down. With me are some people I met during the morning's wait. I am overjoyed, until I see her face. She pulls out blue, and I am stunned. We were so well prepared. I read the slip for what is required: "A handwritten, signed statement from the petitioner explaining why he was willing to come meet and stay with a married woman." What the F**k are they talking about. I am LIVID at this point. On the back of the attached peachy-colored slip if the following requirement: ¡°The consulate has insufficient evidence about the residency of the following people marked with an X... Your ex-spouse ..... You.¡± ¡°Provide evidence to verify residency for a significant length of time and as close to the current date as possible¡­¡­¡­such as, Lease/mortgage statements (they do not live in a house), Utility bills (paid for by his wife¡­the guy can¡¯t keep a Yuan in his pocket), Bank statement, (yeah, right), Household Registry (proves nothing as far as I can tell), Driver¡¯s license¡±. Now I am on FIRE¡£I cannot believe the stupidity, and sheer, blatant ignorance. They are hitting us with a blue slip for evidence we have right in front of their faces. They are thinking FRAUD, for god sake! We search out any help available, but everyone is at a loss. We go back to the hotel in a state of enraged shock. Upon reaching the room, I hit the ¡°Library¡±. For those of you who don¡¯t know, I am an Engineer, rightly accused of deep thought and flagrant over-analysis. In the peace and quiet, my mind begins to chew through what my anger prevented me from seeing. Way-back-when, Manyun sent me the required documents for the I-129F. One of them was the Certificate of Divorce. I received these items after I returned from my first visit in late September-early October 2005. I remember seeing the date of October 27, 2005 as the date of Manyun¡¯s divorce. It struck me funny, but when I asked the guy who was our interpreter at the time, his response was that it was the date the Notary was able to certify the document. OK. The ONLY place this date appeared was in the 129 submittal. After today¡¯s events, I pressed Manyun for further information. It turns out that her ex is a real bastard. He would not agree to a divorce from Manyun for several years, but in the meantime married another woman and has a child by her. Manyun thought that this caused her marriage to be dissolved after two years. Nope! She found out after she met me that she was still lawfully married. She threatened the guy with exposure, and he relented. And so, her actual, recorded, legal divorce date is October 27, 2005. I indeed went to Nanning in September to meet a married woman. We are talking a matter of a few weeks. Someone, somewhere (NVC, USCIS) caught this, did the math, and flagged it for GUZ to find. We all know that GUZ will often ask for the same documents that were already submitted with the 129, so I don¡¯t think they caught it. If it was caught at GUZ, it wasn¡¯t by the VO. He didn¡¯t have enough time. Someone had to dig deep by reviewing the file ahead of time. Manyun called the bastard ex today, and he refuses to help her in any way. He laughed and hung up on her. So now we have a blue slip that cannot be overcome. The evidence to prove his residence, and when they actually separated is unavailable, and Manyun doesn¡¯t really know for sure where the guy lives. All she has is his cell phone number. Tomorrow afternoon is the ¡°Ask the VO¡± session. I will write a statement, take whatever we have, and ask if there is any way to overcome this. I know that this was long and whiney. I guess what I am trying to say is to expect the unexpected as best you can. If something does not seem right, investigate it until you are sure that it is correct. If I can¡¯t straighten this out by early next week, I will be heading home alone to regroup. I realize that this problem pales in comparison to other on CFL, but I needed to vent somewhere. Thanks for being here, everyone. We¡¯ll figure something out. More as it develops. Mike

We are here right now, and I can only say that Mr. Yang and his staff takes personal responsibility for our comfort and convenience. Mr. yang is a real ball of energy. This morning he took personal care of a group of us, herding us into taxis and getting us over to the Island for our medicals. He stuck with us until he was sure that we were in the system and on our way. Mike Thanks, Paul. Wish you coulda been here, like our first meeting last September. We got HISTORY, man. Michael

wish you good luck and let us know the good news. Thanks. I will Mike

Ron, my friend. They can't keep a good guy like you down and out of the loop forever. Glad to hear that you've started to make your move. I sincerely hope for some quicker movement to make up for lost time. Good luck, and just keep plodding along. A little noise now and then doesn't hurt, either. Mike

Michael, best wishes to your SO on the interview! Thank you. It's about 12 hours to show time. Manyun is practicing questions with Lingyi, and I think we've pretty much done everything we can do. Fewmgf reports only about 4 or 5 of the very usual questions, a gander at the I-134 and income tax...not much else. If only we'll be so lucky. I can only wish for a good night's sleep...haven't had one yet (including first and second visits ) Internet is working good tonight, so I am doing some catch-up. I'll let everyone know what happens tomorrow. Mike

I am at Mr. Yang's hotel at the moment. It is clean, comfortable, and for a two bedroom with shower and full kitchen, 280 RMB. Even a small washing maching so that you don't have to lug so much clothes to China. It ain't the Ritz, but are you here for a vacation or to pass the interview? Need something? Just call Mr. Yang. Someone will be knocking on your door shortly. It's in the same building as the consulate (Building "B" of the complex), but a different entrance. Tomorrow morning, we go down the elevator, go around the corner to the west side of the building, and get in line. Citic bank to pay the visa fee is a long block away, and there are two 7-11's (no coffee, can you believe it???). Mr. Yang and his staff have been most helpful, and have spent a lot of time with Manyun. He goes all out to ensure that you are comfortable, satisfied, and ready for the interview. They found a glitch that could have caused a blue slip (my I-134 was notarized, but she didn't put the actual stamp on the page. I walked over to the consulate, went up to ACS, and had it notarized by a consulate officer for free). Hope that helps. Questions? We'll be here through the weekend. Mike

While I was out, manyun received a call from fewmgf. They also passed this morning. I will leave the details up to him, but I am sure that he would love to see a few Congrats upon his arrival home this weekend. Let me be the first, However. Congratulations to you both, and best wishes for a long and happy life. Michael

Fantastic news. Let's hope this September ball keeps rolling Mike

Thanks to all of you. I am on a different computer at the moment (visiting family somewhere outside of GZ...I fell asleep in the taxi...lol.), but I understand what you are saying. Sounds like we might have a 3-some for lunch on Friday, but we will wait and see. The hot, humid rainy weather predicted so far by weather.com before I left has to date not materialized. Thank Goodness. Fewmgf and Bill23 will be in town. Anyone else? Good thing I reviewed Manyun's P4 forms. We have to re-do all of them. No big deal, but I am thinkful that I asked to see them. The med check was little more than controlled chaos, but Mr. Yang accompanied a group to the hospital on the island, and stayed long enough to ensure that we were all in process. After that, it was just waiting (and waiting and waiting). That's when fewmgf and I started talking, and ended up having a great time. We both took a picture at the hospital worthy of TC. He'll be home before I will, so he may get to post it first. Also, fewmgf does not have a computer here. I told him that if he wanted the results of his Wednesday interview posted on CFL, to let me know and I would do it for him. He can fill in the rest after he gets home during the weekend. I will be here about one more week after that. Going back to Nanning to pack. The panic I felt before leaving home has pretty much subsided, taken over by sheer fatigue (damned matresses). Once Manyun fixes the P4 forms, there is nothing else I can do except go over the last few pointers. Hopefully I brought everything we need. I made sure that all of the evidence was in my carry on bag. Whatever I had in checked baggage was replaceable (except for my deoeorant. I forgot it, and can't find any). The evidence was not. Will pick up the med report Wednesday, with Interview on Thursday. I'll be in touch when I can. Michael

Due to a flaky internet connection I just lost 30 minutes worth of typing. As it has been a busy day, I am beat and do not feel like typing it again, so I'll give iit a shot tomorrow. By they way, met up with fewmgf by chance at the med check this morning. More later. Mike