A few thoughts

[david_dawei]

A few Thoughts, a reply to GUZ

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...ndpost&p=166727

 

excerpts only:

1. The idea that certain consular officers pursue vendettas or that we, in general, seek revenge against folks who hurt our feelings is misplaced. This is an idea that is kicked around fairly often and is one that kind of puzzles me.

2. Customs delays. This is a simple one - IV cases are not shipped via diplomatic pouch. The State Department does not use DHL to ship diplomatic pouch mail.

3. Pre-screening/pre-judging/pre-whatever of cases. Officers do not pre-judge cases.

 

---

 

I would like to make a few comments...

 

1) I agree that vendetta/revenge seeking by a VO is far-fetched and foolish idea to hold...

 

I would only state that what has been reported by CFL members is some unprofessional attitudes towards the chinese women during the interviews. This would include making references towards a woman.

 

As well during the interview, actions that are either jokingly condescending or impatiently rude, and in almost every case the visa was a denial. Of course, the ability to 'prove' all this is impossible... but I had only hoped to share what has been reported on CFL, and possibly this is a piece to the puzzlement.

 

2) Custom delays. I have no comment other than, thanks.

 

3) This is a difficult topic for most members to objectively comment on since the stakes are high and it is a very personal experience.

 

My feeling is that the reasons these thoughts arise are because the visa petitions are so similar in many regards (ie: K1s are very similar) and yet the items asked from the beneficiary during an interview seem to vary for reasons that cannot easily explained.

 

If the VO only see the petition information and application paperwork the same day as the interview, then it seems the denial rate should be very, very low. Only if one factors in the 'overcome' phase, do we see that this is the case (ie: overcome evidence is easy to provide and to overcome most any issue mentioned in the denial). We are aware that a denial means, "more time to review, or need to verify something"... and not an outright rejection.

 

If the consulate wants to see if their denial rate is accurately finding fraud, they should follow up on the relationships that 'fail' in the end and see if there was an initial denial or 'flag' that the VO should of seen.

 

If the consulate truly wants to figure out which relationships are shams or fraudulent, the the current process cannot do this well enough. If you want to know if a relationship is fraudulent, then the USC should be required to attend the interview as well. If a relationship is a sham one, then I suspect the couple will have a harder time concealing, where both are taking oaths, and then being questioned together in front of a VO.

Edited November 7, 2005 by DavidZixuan (see edit history)

[LeeFisher3]

Statement 2 raises the extremely interesting question of how the National Visa Center and the Consulate are able to maintain privacy act requirements for the documents in transit if a foreign government has the ability to physically inspect these documents?

 

I do not believe that the PRC has signed a privacy act statement or would be bound by US law if they did.

 

Perhaps you would share with the CFL members where USCIS or DOS policies, guidelines or directives authorize suspension the privacy act for petitioners?

[jim_julian]

Please excuse me for being simplistic ... I read the USCONGUZ post ... it seems straightforward ... I accept what was said.

 

I spent 21 years in the military, to include the last few as a senior officer in Washington working with DoS and many other entities. These guys are not out to get us. Yes, this is a laborious process driven in part by a real threat and in part by Washington politics. I do have a hard time understanding why a 95 pound 40 year old Chinese lady getting married to a guy making six figures could be any sort of a threat to the US ... but that's the way our government has it set up. We need to understand and work within the rules and, over the longer term, work through the political process to change them.

[warpedbored]

USCONGUZ

 

I doubt that the consulate has a vendetta approach to any petitioners but It also appears that one of our members has been singled out for some reason. To have a case denied then approved then denied again when they go to pick up the visa, have the case sent back to the USCIS then re-approved and sent back to GZ just to be jerked around some more is outrageous. I can also tell you first hand that not all the VOs behave in a courteous and professional manner. My own wife which I have been extremely happily married to for 1 1/2 years was treated very rudely by the VO at her initial interview. The interview went like this.

VO: Do you speak English?

Wife: Yes but sometimes I have a hard time hearing English.

VO says something she doesn't understand then yanks the folder out of my wife's hands rifles through it, pulls out the I-134 then writes out a blue slip. My wife then reads the blue slip asking for a video and promptly offers a video we had previously made. The VO refuses to see the video or any of the rest of our evidence of relationship and ends the interview. The woman was rude condescending and could not possibly have made an informed decision based on the evidence at hand. My wife was denied solely on the basis of her being able to understand the spoken English of the VO. The video demanded was an impossible request. She wanted a 5 minute video of me speaking and writing Chinese. I got on a plane and met my wife in Shenzhen. We made a 17 minute video speaking English and submitted it as overcome evidence. At the second interview the VO was much more profesional and very polite. Our visa was approved and we are both still very happily married.

I would suggest that the consulate take another look at how they base their decisions. You are not above error and there should be some accountability. My own pocket book was dented severely because of the incompetence of one VO. I have heard other reports of a VO making fun of a beneficiary during the interview to one of his co-workers.

 

You ask us to help you by reporting visa fraud. We would also like you to help us by taking seriously reports of abuse of power by a few VOs.

[Guest ShaQuaNew]

There appears to be an ever-widening culture developing amongst immigration officials that believes men that seek a female mate from another country are sexually sick and abusive.

 

see...

 

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...=0entry166850

 

and...

 

http://uscis.gov/graphics/aboutus/repsstudies/Mobappa.htm

 

I believe this cultural view coupled with a general suspicion that people are trying to skam the US is what's leading to the inhumane and inconsiderate treatment of both the American citizen, and their Chinese partner with whom they are so deeply in love.

 

Additionally, this is exacerbated by Visa Officers having large numbers of difficult decisions to make in a short time. The chances for error and mistreatment of others increases exponentially as workload increases.

 

GUZ states they do NOT review cases before the person to person interview. That to me is appalling. I don't care how much training one receives, if I ever told my boss that I never took time to review my workload before meeting with him, he would surely fire me on the spot!