Warning: You may not be cleared after all

[AngryTexan]

I have some very bad news, which I hope applies to my case only, because I would not wish what my fiancee and I have gone through on my worst enemy, much less the people here who I have found so helpful and encouraging throughout this nightmare.

In any event, I got through to a fairly significant person at GZ tonight, and told this individual that all I was trying to find out was whether or not our clearance was sent to GZ on 2-13, as I was told by DOS. I was not asking if, or when the EMS had been mailed out, or anything else for that matter. I just wanted to know if the clearance had been sent.

Remember the duplicate submission problem in January, when many of us, including my fiancee and I, were told that our clearances had been received, only to be told days later that such was not the case? Remember when we learned that the reason for that was that the FBI was simply kicking back resubmissions as duplicates, without actually clearing them? Well, it has happened again.

I learned tonight that what I was told by DOS (i.e. that our clearance was sent on 2-13) was not correct, and that what happened was that the FBI simply returned it as a duplicate. No clearance - no EMS arriving anytime soon - and very little hope at this stage.

Since the good news started rolling in for so many of you, I have slept very little each night, hoping that I would get a call from her at some ungodly hour, giving me the good news that the EMS arrived. Now I know better.

For all of you who have been so supportive, I really appreciate all of your assistance and encouragement. At this point, I am totally deflated, discouraged, numb, and defeated. I feel nothing anymore. And for those of you who have gotten the good news recently (Eric, Owen, JonInDenver, Ana, Tine, so many others, and now Mick), I am very happy for all of you. You have all fought so hard, and you truly deserve the good news you have received. And Eric, Owen is right - don't feel guilty for a second. There is no reason for it.

I am leaving for China on Tuesday - at least I should be thankful for being able to see her. I simply don't know how I am going to be able to give her this latest news.

For those of you who have been told by DOS that your clearances have been sent, but your fiancee/wife has not received the EMS yet, please be advised that you may have a problem. And, most importantly, I want to make clear that I do not, in any way, shape, form, or fashion think that anyone at DOS has deliberately misled me, or told me something that they knew was not true. I continue to be a strong supporter of Maura Harty and A.S., and appreciate everything they have done for so many of us. I am now starting to think that the real culprit here is the FBI, but that is another story.

When I planned this trip, I thought it was going to be a joyous event, and that we would be spending our time preparing to return to Texas together. Now I know better.

Best of luck to everyone.

[JonInDenver]

hey tex, you and i have been on the same side of this fight all along. so you know i understand where you are coming from.

 

let me say first... any moment you can spend in her presence IS a joyous event. and i'm sure she can load up four or five big suitcases for you to bring home - so you are technically preparing for her move to texas...

 

i would go back to AS - or whoever in Harty's office is handling these things now, and see if they have any answers for you. if GZ says they only got the dupe, and not a clearance, this is a road we've been down before - and should be easily mended. perhaps follow up by having them search by name and birthdate - maybe if we're lucky - they just changed your case number.

 

as this "duplicate" thing has happened to you TWICE now - and that after getting "lost" in the first place - i would push for getting this sewn up while in GZ. see if you can get an e-mailed EMS, i remember reading that someone here on Candle did that a while back.

 

i know you're at your wits end, but you may be closer than you think. stay on them. also, if you have time before you go, contact your congressman or senator's offices again. let them know that you've been "blackholed again" and see if they can make some calls on your behalf.

 

keep pushing. for anyone out there who doesn't have a definitive answer on their case yet... push - push - push... DOS, DOJ, GZ, INS... collectively they have found so many ways to bungle our cases, it's hard to imagine that they have actually gotten it right in every case.

 

battle on...

[rfsun]

Guangzhou is such sloths (I edited my intended word so Don doesn't have to). You have done so much and had been given so much hope, you must be crushed. If there is anything I can do let me know.

Randall

[Littlebear]

Thank you for giving that infomation AngryTexan. This is really something should be verified.

[Lurker]

Texan: Twice you've been told you've cleared. Twice you've been told you haven't. This really is a recipe for insanity, and if it were me, I wouldn't have been able to compose myself to write the coherent, compassionate post you've written.

 

Your trip is not what you expected, what you deserved to expect: and yet I do hope it brings you, and the lucky lady you are going to see, joy.

[Mick]

Texan:

 

This is beyond the realm of sanity and something totally out of the Twilight Zone. I am so very sorry to hear this. I don't know who you talked to at GZ but what he told you, in terms of the duplicate business, has a certain ring of truth to it. When Owen and visited there and we viewed the computer screen, quite a few cases had "DD", which is duplicate submission, in the all important clearance column. That can only mean that the case was returned as "duplicate". Our case, for example, had nothing in that column. It just was blank meaning they had heard nothing from the "Stateside Authorities".

 

But keep in mind something else. Last time I spoke to CA, the officer told me that his screen showed no record of the January 13 resubmission and that the case had been cleared through the November 16 submission. So it may mean that, although the last resubmission may have been returned as duplicate, the case has been processed through the first submission. I don't want to offer a thread of hope where there is none, but this is exactly what happened in our case. The January 13 resubmission bounced back and just disappeared. Case cleared through first submission which, again, was November 16. So although we were not cleared through the duplicate submission, we received EMS today.

 

I would suggest trying to raise someone at CA and really press for details if at all possible. I know I, Owen, Eric, and others have questioned this resub business all along. And Snowbeast, who just received EMS also, had two resubmissions in the space of about ten days or so, (sometime around mid-January). I think most of the resubmissions were bounced back as duplicates, but that does not mean the case has stopped being processed.

 

Like I said, try to raise CA and see what you can find out about what shows up on their screen. In the meantime, enjoy your trip to see your lady and relish every moment together. If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know.

[Guest chary]

Sorry to hear this not good news from you. And thanks for you to post this important information. I think you have got the right process of clearance, so it will become easier to track, to check, to find the right person to help you.

 

Good luck with you.

 

[Eric&Yuhui]

This is a total disgrace.

[owenkrout]

If anybody has a good reason to get an audience with a consular officer at GZ, it would be you Tex. Your case is starting to sound like ours, one mistake after another. Even worse in that they keep teasing you with, "Case cleared! Oh, wait, never mind!"

[JoeLiyan]

Tex,

 

Hope you get this BEFORE you leave...I now know there's someone worse off than me, but like you, I too am going over to visit...a thrill in/of itself.

 

I won't offer an explanation, nor get your hopes too high, but there's an obvious phopah (? spelling) that's screwed your relationship royally and needs to be rectified quickly.

 

I am so sorry you're the victim of poor communications between agencies. I'm likewise, willing to bet the suckers' over there.

[AngryTexan]

There may be hope after all. I learned today, in writing, that what was sent on 2-13 was, in fact, a clearance, and NOT a duplicate response, as I was told last night by GZ. Leave for Hong Kong in about 12 hours, then on to Shenzhen. What a roller coaster ride. Thanks to everyone for all your support. It should be an interesting couple of weeks.

[Robert S.]

YES!!! When I saw the original post this morning I was a little worried but just did not believe that it was possible that CA could have told you wrong. Sorry you had to go on that emotional runaway mine car ride.

[Mick]

There may be hope after all.  I learned today, in writing, that what was sent on 2-13 was, in fact, a clearance, and NOT a duplicate response, as I was told last night by GZ. Leave for Hong Kong in about 12 hours, then on to Shenzhen.  What a roller coaster ride.  Thanks to everyone for all your support.  It should be an interesting couple of weeks.

Thats good news Tex. Stay in touch ok!

 

Have a great trip. You have our number if you want to call. We will most likely be in GZ on Saturday the 8th and Li will go to the Consulate on Monday the 10th. If you are in town or around the Consulate at that time, hope to see you. We will probably be encamped in the Shamian Hotel, between the White Swan and Lucy's Bar and Grill.

 

That is, if I survive the bus ride.

[Eric&Yuhui]

There may be hope after all.  I learned today, in writing, that what was sent on 2-13 was, in fact, a clearance, and NOT a duplicate response, as I was told last night by GZ. Leave for Hong Kong in about 12 hours, then on to Shenzhen.  What a roller coaster ride.  Thanks to everyone for all your support.  It should be an interesting couple of weeks.

GOOD NEWS !! Yeeeehaaaa !!!!

Have a great trip to HKG !

[Guest Snowbeast]

This is great news! I too thought we were in real trouble when I found out about the resubmission within two weeks. I worried that it was getting returned as a duplicate. That's why I just could not really feel certain until we received the EMS.

 

Hopefully it will work out well for you!