C4Racer

Congrats.. It is always nice to have visa in hand. Helps you breathe easier. Now you can go whenever, get some last minute things done in China. Have a safe trip

Congrats.. Yeah, the nerves are still going until the visa is actually in hand, but you'll have no problems. Party Time !!!!

That's what I thought, but Carl seemed to mention my name in a post I saw earlier or so I remember. What do I know? I really don't care who puts it together. Get er done..... Jim wanna do it?

Seems like a little while back Carl mentioned it was that time in Oregon again and then tagged me for the dirty dead of arrangements. So for those of us in Oregon, I need to know what date everyone is available. Possible Dates: Month April 16 17 23 24 May 8 9 Looking forward to meeting everyone again. We will have some new faces there this time thanks to GUZ. Mike

When I was in GUZ at the beginning of this month the guard said, "Citizen hour is only on Friday." I think he said it was at 3PM. Don't quote me on the time, but it is definately only on Fridays.

Yes, Yes, Yes I am Late !!! Sorry for the hold up.. We have been super busy since I got back. What with the new change in filing AOS. We tried to see if we could beat the clock, but it looks like we will now have to send AOS to Chicago. Why when they do something right, like here in Portland, do they have to screw it up? The signature page is in the mail, honest.. Mike

Good luck. You shouldn't have any worries. Mike and Lisa

Should give you plenty of time if you receive just a blue slip. You would have Tuesday to submit overcome documents. They should tell you on Wednesday the outcome. If positive you should have the Visa no later than Thursday. I had several contingency plans, but luckily did not need any. Sometimes they place the case on hold though for no reason. These are few and far between, but you never know if yours will be the one. It all depends when they look at the case. Who knows what they are really looking for, not me.

No you must wait outside. I had legitimate business with the Visa section. My fiancee received her appointment letter with the date crossed out, but no GUZ stamp of approval. I went to the embassy to straighten it out the day before the interview. They made me wait outside while they fixed the error. The new date was correct, they simply stamped the paper with their approval. It took 45 minutes for them to have time to look up in their records. I had to wait outside the whole time.

Congrats.. Yes, I understand the nerves very well. You never know what the VO is thinking, no matter how well prepared you feel about your case. Good luck. It is so nice when she is finally home to stay.

The major advantage is you know it gets to the person you specify. International tranfers are great between certain countries. Each country has a rating which tells the risk factor. Between here and Switzerland you could be guaranteed of the tranfser. Russia and the former Soviet States have a high risk factor which means the bank will guarantee is departs, but can't guarantee it will arrive at the right bank. I am not sure what rating China has. I was told this by a bank officer.

Yes, the tickets are cheaper if you buy in China. The only reason to buy here is if you are going to the interview. Then you want to make sure she is on the same flight you are on. My ticket was a very cheap but non-refundable, non-changeable, so I bought hers here so we did not run the risk of being told that day was booked and she would have to fly the next. The two prblems were 1. You must make it late enough to fight any blue slip situation. 2. It is a gamble with X dollars that she gets visa. Good luck on your decision.

It all depends on the quality of the hotel you are looking for. If you want a five star hotel then by all means stay at the white swan. The Victory is probably a four star. My fiancee likes to watch money. We stayed across from the White Swan at the youth hostel. It was a nice clean hotel for the money. We paid 200 yaun, after several days they cut the rate to 180. It is maybe a two minute walk to and from the consulate. The medical exam is at the clinic by the consulate on Shamian Island. Why they call it an island?? Looking at the map you it looks like the rest of Guangzhou except for the islands. It must be at this clinic as the doctor will put all of the results into a consult packet, place all of the proper forms with it, these include the DS-156 and DS-157. Staple proof of payment for the interview and then seal it. Once she/he has the medical exam you must go to another clinic way on the other side of Guangzhou to get the results transfered into a health booklet. The best way to get there is via the subway. I think it cost 5 yuan a piece for the ride. Have your fiancee get their shots at the clinic. It costs less than having it done here. They will give you a shot record booklet. Then here you can find a civil physician to transfer this to the proper form. Good luck with the interview.

Congrats... Best wishes, Mike and Lisa

Trigg, I will print, sign and send mine as soon as I get back to Portland. We arrive Wed the 16th. You can expect it soon after, Mike

Knowing Mike's job I could understand the need for extra processing. He has a very sensitive job, but why when it is listed all over the application do they need to schedule the interview before it is ready. It is also highly unprofessional and shows no customer service skills to tell them just go home, we'll call you don't call us. They have no worries about Xiao, she doesn't care what he does. Do they think she was just lurking around the internet waiting for someone like him? It is just common curtesy to tell someone why. I think I would try and talk with someone before going home. Shake the tree and see what falls out. The worst thing can happen is they say not now.

It is inexcusable and unprofessional to place a petitioner's application on hold without reason open to the petitioner. Having met Mike and Xiao, my heart goes out to both of them. You can see the way they look at each other and interact with each other they definately have a valid relationship. I wish I had more time to help. Unfortunately my time is up real soon and we must get a few things done in Nanning before we leave. I would say, go to the embassy and demand an answer from someone higher up in the food chain. So let's get this letter rolling now !!!! Our hearts go out to Mike and Xiao Mike and Lisa

Congrats.. You will never be done cleaning. So if you think it is clean, do it one more time. She might think it is clean then. Mike and Lisa

Little early for what? Ask questions? Make Friends? We do both of those here at CFL and we always welcome new comers with open arms. So like Jim said, "Let's have a group hug!!" Just curious, do you have a petition filed? If so what way did you decide to go? Does not matter just curious. This is a great site no matter where you are in the process. Even if you haven't started yet. You'll just need to have a budget for your monthly quota of Cheetos.... Welcome to CFL. Mike and Lisa

Welcome to Candle. It can be a great source of information. Those of us in Oregon and some others across the country have made it more than that. Seems that here we can start friendships and a great support network for ours SO's. We recently had a get together in Guangzhou just before a few of us had our interviews. About the lawyers. In most cases lawyers are a watse of money. If your case is straight forward, it will go through no problems. A few cases have come up with problems. These are the cases that is best to hire a lawyer. You really don't know until the first interview. I would say though not to hire a laywer until you run into the first snag, unless of course you know there is going to be one. This opinion is based on watching how many people have received visas either on first or second try. I have seen only two cases delayed without GUZ stating reason. If you decide to hire a lawyer, then I would hire one who lives in Guangzhou, China. There is one (I think he might even be a member of candle) who visits the embassy daily. He knows the system quite well. Other lawyers based in the US can only check your paperwork. I am not sure how well they can make inquiries into your case. Time wise I think the K1 visa seems to be the fastest route to bring your fiancee stateside. Most married couples my SO and I have talked with tell us they have been waiting over a year. My fiancee received her visa Wednesday, one day shy of ten months. As far as I know they ask only for divorce papers if either of you have been previously married.

Happy Birthday Carl From Mike and Lisa

My So would like to be known as "Lisa Leard" once we are married. I know the name change has come up before, so I apologize for asking again, but what are the ways to make this happen? Carl thought maybe her legal name could be Pingxiu with Lisa as a nickname. Would it be possible to add "Lisa" as a middle name and then go by her middle name? What problems would it create by making Lisa her first name. I was thinking China passport only showing Yang, Pingxiu and US Documents showing Lisa Leard might create some travel problems. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks, Mike and Lisa

Congrats.. It's always nice to hear success stories. It is all about helping families reunite. I have to wonder about the treatment of the applicants. My So thinks I am upset even when I raise my voice a little to try and get a point across. This makes me wonder if the VO's are really only trying to get a point across. We won't really know for sure because we are not allowed in the interview area. Anyway, good luck and happy trails, Mike and Lisa

Congrats... It is always nice to here when someone overcomes a difficult situation. Love will always prevail. Good luck with your future. Mike and Lisa

The quota therory is an interesting idea, but after looking at how many visas they process I think they will find their quota in other types of visas. Blue slips mean more work on their part. If they are like any other government entity, why create more work for yourself when you already have enough? I think they look more at after then present. They must be willing to back up their decision. Once the applicant is in American, then they are monitored for any problems. The goal is to have zero theroists and zero visa fraud cases enter the US. The embassy will have questions to answer as to why they let a case through. Make sure all of your paperwork is complete and accurate. You will not have any problems. Why invite trouble where trouble does not exist?