AmericanRooster
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Posts posted by AmericanRooster
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Hi USCONGUZ,
I'm curious about the number of old forms that remain on the official USCONGUZ website... these old forms can cause quite a bit of confusion for US Citizens and their families.
One example that bit me was "Letter to K1/K2 Applicant". As of right now I can find four copies posted on the website... at least two or three have different requirements...
Letter to K1/K2 Applicants (Example 1)
Letter to K1/K2 Applicants (Example 2)
Letter to K1/K2 Applicants (Example 3)
Letter to K1/K2 Applicants (Example 4 - May 2009)
I am very glad that the USCONGUZ publishes these on the official site, but leaving older copies laying around can cause signficant challenges... immigration forums like CFL and VisaJourney link to your pages as the authoritative source. Currently it seems that the webmaster simply creates a new HTML page when the list of required forms changes, and he leaves the old pages online at their original hyperlinks. Since people have hyperlinks to your site and the obsolete pages are still lying around, it is easy to mistake obsolete information as the most current available.
I would like to suggest a new method... let's use http://guangzhou.usembassy-china.org.cn/vi...ket_forms2.html as an example.
Today visa_packet_forms2.html retains the original content, even though forms_and_packets.htm seems to be newer (but even this page is missing the May 2009 copy of K1/K2 applicant letter).
Instead of visa_packet_forms2.html retaining its original content when it is obsolete, could you either designate a permanent page that is always the most recent copy or html-redirect (please see URL for how to do it) obsolete pages to the most recent copy?
Sorry if this is a bit technical... I'd be happy to elaborate further if you like.
Many thanks for the valuable services you provide to US citizens and their families.
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Actually the link that you provided is obsolete and is not what the Consulate's website currently has posted. The current link with the most up to date forms is http://guangzhou.usembassy-china.org.cn/fo...and_packets.htm - this is what a user is taken to when they follow the Forms/Packets link on the GUZ website. For whatever reason that obsolete web page can still be accessed however no link on the current GUZ website takes you to it.
Hi Eric,
I got that link off google... you are right, I should have used the link off the CFL FAQ. Nevertheless, even the link you posted above still has an outdated copy of "Letter to K1/K2 Applicant".
The latest copy says:
- Two copies of the DS-156 form in English and Chinese with original signatures (with Chinese name and telegraphic code)
- Two copies of the DS-157 form in English and Chinese (only applicants aged 16 or older need to submit this form)
One example is This K1/K2 applicant letter (pdf - May 2009).
With so many stale hyperlinks and forms floating around the USCONGUZ web page, it's no surprise people are having these kind of problems. I have asked GUZ to help in this thread
- Two copies of the DS-156 form in English and Chinese with original signatures (with Chinese name and telegraphic code)
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I'll add another testimony to how helpful Mr Yang's family is...
We contacted Mr Yang about staying at his hotel; however, I was going to be in town with Julie for the interview, and Mr Yang's rooms tend to be focused on unaccompanied female occupants. However, Mr Yang has a relative named Pi Zhen Shu, who owns private apartments that are suitable for couples; the apartment is less than a 3-minute walk from the GUZ consulate building.
We opted to stay at Mrs. Pi's apartment. Our apartment was well-maintained, had free DSL service, and was very reasonably priced; even more so when we consider the Yang's excellent visa consultation services that are bundled with the price of our room rental rent.
I would recommend that anyone interviewing with GUZ should also consider staying with the Yangs. Many thanks to your family for your services and all the happiness you help bring those who get their visa with your assistance.
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FYI so others can avoid the same problem...
We showed up in GZ with lots of confidence that things were well under control thanks to the good info CFL keeps here...
However, it seems that some of the paperwork requirements changed. Formerly, it seems that GUZ let the applicant choose whether they submitted two copies of DS-156 and DS-157 in EITHER Chinese OR English.
Now they insist on two copies in BOTH Chinese AND English... to be clear, this now is...
* DS-156 (English) in duplicate
* DS-156 (Chinese) in duplicate
* DS-157 (English) in duplicate
* DS-157 (Chinese) in duplicate
I'm still recovering from the mopslap I got... and it cost me an extra day in Guangzhou. At least the kind folks at the Consulate let us come back the next day with updated papers.
Mods may want to mention to USCONSGUZ that the GUZ forms page currently has an older copy of the "Letter to K1/K3 Applicant" that doesn't reflect the changed requirements. -
China is not strong enough to compete with the United States and its allies alone. The country does not have a good perspective without Russia. The two giants are doomed to cooperate.
I agree Jaikun, the OP didn't really elaborate much on what the concern is. The Shanhai Cooperation Organization has been making some headlines lately and perhaps that's the basic idea here?
I'm not sure I see a lot of economic promise yet for booming trade between the two countries. I also think China and Russia are more along the lines of wary allies than close buddies. Both are vying for power in the developing world... certainly there are areas for cooperation today, but they both want to be viewed as the top dog. Scarce resources and water will become major economic issues in the future... Ultimately as the US declines as the biggest common rival in the coming decades, I believe their brotherhood will become more strained.
The combined armies and will of SCO is nothing to dismiss... this is the new soviet bloc in my mind... reborn and revised. Equally disturbing to me is the combination of large military, political clout in the Arab world, oil access, and China's economic leverage.
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My recent experience affims Dan's comment above.
I didn't know I had the old I-134 (which is still easily stumbled upon via google) and I recently made an appointment with GUZ to get it notarized; one of the Consulate staff politely informed me that I-134 is no longer required to be notarized. So Mr USC, please get the new form and fill it out.
After filling out the new form with all the supporting evidence required (like statement from bank, statement from employer, house deed, et al), the only thing they asked for during the interview was last year's tax return.
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I'm very glad to hear it jimi... best wishes of luck in her transition from China to the US.
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Jimi, How's it going? What's the latest?
Hey,we are still hanging in there,10 days now,my wife is yet to recieve her passport/visa....she is still in guangzhou in a hotel all by herself,racking up a nice hotel bill.she is depressed,she goes to the post office everyday,and sees all the other girls picking up their visas.I ve emailed them everyday,no reply.my wife got one reply from them(posted on here).i have telephoned dos 3 times,first time,the girl said,once in Guz,we no longer have information(she sounded new,and didn't know what she was talking about)second time,i got the answer,it is in administative processing.....i asked for what....."don't know"...third time i called,i asked how long will it take...wife is waiting in a hotel...."don't know"
so there you have it ,from the greatest nation on the planet....the answer"don't know"!!!
anyway,all i can say is,we are waiting,which we have learned to do real well.hopefully she will get it soon.
Jimi as we posted before we waited 11 days post interview for the visa and like you I had to return too. Hang in there. Also as posted Fax to GUZ works the best, in our case they even called jin on her cell to explain things.
Hope shes at the Yangs , and yes tough time very frustrating. There is a internet bar across the park on the second floor, cheap, good cam.
give us a pm for our phone # if you want chat
Yeah I'm going to fax them monday.She is staying at a hotel,next to the consulate,in fact it is connected to the consulate building.She has her computer that i bought her,a laptop,and can connect to internet,we chat,but no cam..well all we can do is wait.
jimi
Hi Jimi,
My fiancee and I are in GZ now for our interview and met YingYing at the Mr Yang's hotel... she seems like a real sweetheart; she and my SO hit it off very quickly. If there is something we can do while we are here, PM me and let me know.
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sorry for the delay, I've been in China for the last couple of weeks...
1. did you use electronc translators was that enough or do you think hiring a human translator is worth the cost
Julie knew practically zero english the first time we met... she had one of those little white electronic dictionaries that helped considerably, but doing any kind of travel together is still a significant pain in the rear when it comes to choosing hotels, getting information on where you are now, etc...
2. How difficult was that first trip
It had some difficult moments, but nothing exceptionally bad. At the end of our first trip together, we knew we were right for each other in spite of the communication challenges. You can know a lot about a person from watching how they treat others... in Julie's case, it was easy to see what her heart was like.
3. WHat did you do to make it bearable
Patience, laughter and that little white electronic dictionary.
4. Upon your SO's arrival to US how fast b4 conversational skills reached criticall mass
Julie started taking full-time english classes in February 2007. After about 8 months of classes, we talk a lot and only look up about 5 or 7 words a day. Her grammar isn't perfect but it's almost good enough for any english speaker to understand her meaning. Most of the issues now are just expanding her vocabulary to include things like "mop", "garlic", "preference", etc... I'm impressed with how quickly she picked up english.
To add a flip side... this easily could have been a disaster... it depends on the emotional maturity of both... there are plenty of motives for either person to be deceptive... if that happens, your friends could wind up with a lot of heartbreak down the road. Nothing can replace good communication... I think I was very blessed to find Julie the way I did.
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It says nothing about either culture, except that the US is a better place to get your PhD.
... And that there isn't much competition for those same PhD slots from American citizens... I can assure you that we will not choose to admit 25% foreign nationals, if there are equally qualified US candidates. The sad reality is that the US is bleeding badly when it comes to this area. Thankfully many of those foreign PhDs stay here.
An interesting outlook, but most of the schools consider foreign students to be desirable and actively recruit them, with some being offered full scholarships. 25% is more or less of a healthy balance.
We will disagree on this one...
American universities do indeed recruit foreign students believing the increase in student diversity will serve to further enrich the education of their students and increase their prestige as a top University. The University I used to teach at also recruited heavily overseas for financial reasons. The foreign students almost always paid cash instead of using financial aid and cost a lot less administratively because of this.
In order for me to believe it, you have to prove that an AVERAGE of 25% of doctoral candidates are preferred INSTEAD of Americans... nation-wide. That is a very high standard to achieve, and it is no secret that we have trouble finding American doctoral candidates. That is the point... not that universities don't like foreigners... the issue is a question of why you have 25% foreigers... my contention is that we can't find enough Americans anyway.
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It says nothing about either culture, except that the US is a better place to get your PhD.
... And that there isn't much competition for those same PhD slots from American citizens... I can assure you that we will not choose to admit 25% foreign nationals, if there are equally qualified US candidates. The sad reality is that the US is bleeding badly when it comes to this area. Thankfully many of those foreign PhDs stay here.
An interesting outlook, but most of the schools consider foreign students to be desirable and actively recruit them, with some being offered full scholarships. 25% is more or less of a healthy balance.
We will disagree on this one...
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It says nothing about either culture, except that the US is a better place to get your PhD.
... And that there isn't much competition for those same PhD slots from American citizens... I can assure you that we will not choose to admit 25% foreign nationals, if there are equally qualified US candidates. The sad reality is that the US is bleeding badly when it comes to this area. Thankfully many of those foreign PhDs stay here.
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If having an accent really troubles you, the only way to really get rid of it is to go to a speech pathologist. They aren't cheap, but will be very helpfull if you really think it is worth it.
Definitely not cheap... For certain job functions, my former employeer would sponsor speech therapy sessions for foreign nationals... IIRC, it came out to about $12000/year.
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Looks like this couple settled with the developers... their house will be torn down soon...
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-04...tent_841969.htm
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Wow, just read the story. How awesome. I believe it's good for people to stand up for their legal rights.
Actually I read that a Chongching court already ruled against them... however, it's a married couple that lives there and the man is a former kung-fu champion. He has been flying banners over the house saying something like "I'll pulverize anyone who touches my house".
I don't think the construction workers will be in a hurry to mess with that guy. He also has most of China very interested in the case... a lot of Chinese seem to be tired of the collaboration between land developers and the local government.
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That reminds me of a political cartoon I saw in the paper back in the early '90's when this very subject had risen in the limelight.
The cartoon showed a fellow going to his office one morning with his hand over his mouth,holding up a sign that said "GOOD MORNING" as he walked by the secretary's desk!...........
God help you if you say the wrong thing!
Remember- the policies are in place.
haha... that reminds me...
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I almost dont even know what to say...when I hear things like this from American women, I am reminded of why I didnt want to be with any of them anymore. I am just twisting and turning and writhing in my skin.
I even asked Jie......."Do I try to stifle or control you?" She said "No, not at all!"
I said "Thank you, you can go back to the dishes now"
I have two standard responses to this question...
If they ask nicely, I usually tell the truth... no relationship I had with an american woman in the last 17 years worked. My brother and some friends suggested "going international". Suddenly everything was easy.
If they are catty, I point out that there is a big difference between unselfishness and submissiveness. Julie is by no means a wet rag that I can twist under my thumb... on the other hand, she is genuinely giving and puts other people before herself in _all_ her relationships. And... if someone sees her giving attitude as a bad thing, perhaps it's time for them to check their own values. In recent history, unselfishness and kindness were qualities that many women aspired to.
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Currently my employer pays $1385/mo for our health insurance. At my age of 65 it would be $855 for me to continue that full coverage even though I would be on Medicare. I think for that I could purchase very good health insurance in China. If that is not an option I would buy a high deductible plan to cover my wife in the US and then return here for any major medical issues. I also will receive a medical account from my employer of about half a years wages when I retire to use anywhere, anyhow I wish.
Please let us know how medical insurance in China shakes out... I talked to my insurance agent about it a few months ago, and he left me with the impression that long-term individual medical insurance coverage in China was quite challenging... he said most insurance companies will only cover an individual for short periods of time (i.e. vacations)... he also said that he has seen cases where the USC had to be flown back to the US for treatment. If you have a group plan, this may be very different.
I'm young and have a lot of time to consider the options, but so far I'm not thrilled about being subject to the Chinese medical system... I have blood issues now, and who knows what by the time I'm retirement age.
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Well, Pat, I appreciate the information. I tried it exactly like the instructions and I get nothing. It still types in English. Oh well, thanks anyway.
Look at the lower right-hand side of your screen. Have you selected 'CH' as the input method?
Thanks for that tip. Now I've got it so it types Chinese characters, but I can't make heads nor tails out of it. It gets stuck on one word and I cannot get off that word unless I backspace it out. I cannot type a whole sentence. There has to be something easier than this.
You need to be comfortable with Pinyin input for this to work. What input method were you expecting to use?
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Well, Pat, I appreciate the information. I tried it exactly like the instructions and I get nothing. It still types in English. Oh well, thanks anyway.
Look at the lower right-hand side of your screen. Have you selected 'CH' as the input method?
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Yeah, and try to get a rental car without a cc!
I know this is an old comment, but I'll add something here...
I normally use a Visa debit / check card exclusively for the same reasons Joanne mentioned. I have been refused rental cars in the past because I didn't have a credit card with me... so I wound up getting one for that purpose. I recently forgot to bring my credit card on a trip and discovered that this rule is not as inflexible as I once thought...
I pleaded with the rental agent to rent the car against my debit card... The agent said that normally they must rent cars on a credit card unless you can prove that you really are scheduled to fly back on the rental return date. I showed him my airline itinerary from travelocity and that did it... I walked out with keys in my hand!
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<...>
It is hard to find in the U.S. as some tea shops sell it but advise that it isn't fit for consumption. One specialty shop I visited told me it was "too old", which, of course, simply makes it more valuable. I don't know whether this attitude is a result of liability issues or if it's just ignorance, but I lean towards ignorance as most Americans don't know tea from corn chowder.
<...>
I looked into it, and some forms of Pu'erh have high concentrations of flouride... frequent usage of said Pu'erh can cause dental / skeletal flourosis. I don't know if that is what they were referring to when they said it "isn't fit for consumption", but it does give you reason to be a little careful. AFAIK, not all forms of Pu'erh have this problem, but I have no way of knowing how to identify the good / risky stuff.
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Here it is. On my last trip to China I took mini-maglite flashlights as gifts for the men. This time I was thinking of taking Leatherman multi-tools or something similar. I have heard that in China you do not give knives as gifts. Does this cross that line of NOT giving knives as gifts? Would I be creating bad feeling or playing into some superstition?
David you insight would be helpful.
Thanks in advance
interesting... I gave a high-end meat cleaver to my SO's mother on the last visit and she loves it... then again, I know there are lots of sticky details about things... for instance, you should not give a clock (symbolic of your time expiring on earth or something like that), but you can give a watch.
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This URL gives some information on why Great Britian and the US scored poorly...
http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/ar..._child_welfare/
Required: DS-156 / DS-157 in BOTH English & Chinese
in Consulate Process: P-3 ~ Interview
Posted · Edited by AmericanRooster (see edit history)
The code is a four-digit number used to uniquely identify and electronically transmit chinese characters (pre-internet)... I think you can look them up here -> CTC - Indexed by radical