owenkrout Posted March 10, 2003 Report Share Posted March 10, 2003 I just got off the phone with Mick and he asked me to post a message that they got their visa this afternoon. Everything went smoothly. He said that there were probably 200 people there today to pick up visas and that he thought there were 12 people from the CFL and 001 boards. He mentioned that the ladies all shopped until the dropped Sunday. Link to comment
Greg&grey Posted March 10, 2003 Report Share Posted March 10, 2003 Congratulations, Mick!! By this speed hopefully during this month, all of us still waiting for our visas could be liberated. Link to comment
Guest Jim & Ling Posted March 10, 2003 Report Share Posted March 10, 2003 GREAT!!! I am more curious where ladies go shopping,I will half day free if interview goes well in the morning..so WHERE TO GO SHOPPING ??? Link to comment
AZwolfman Posted March 10, 2003 Report Share Posted March 10, 2003 Congratulations, Mick!! By this speed hopefully during this month, all of us still waiting for our visas could be liberated. We are going to be liberated, yeah!! Link to comment
ChrisD Posted March 11, 2003 Report Share Posted March 11, 2003 Hey Owen and Mick...Congradulations on getting the visa's....you guys have to be celebrating like crazy. Good news.... My wife received EMS Notice (March 5,) to come to the embassy and will be in Guangzhou this wednesday March 12 to pick-up her K-3 visa and her daughter's K-4 visa. My wife is from the July 2002 interview period. The EMS Pick-up letter from Guangzhou Embassy states for my wife to bring her updated "police Certificate" which she already updated back in Dec. 2002. The question I have for you guys is : After she gives them her police report and pick-up letter she received in EMS....Will she be issued the visas' the "same day" or will she have to come back the "next day" to pick-up the visa's ?? Guys....what has been your personal experiences....did you submit the EMS Notice and had to come back the next day?? Also, my wife is a CR-1/K3 Immigrant Visa ....will she get a sealed envelope in addition to her visa stamped inside her passport or some sort of "printed halographic seal" that is a new tamper proof seal that the US Embassies have been talking about changing to ?? Will she have a visa glued inside her passport or printed in her passport ??? I have not slept all week long because of the excitement of my wife getting the EMS letter and her trip going to guangzhou for pick-up of her and her daughter's visa. I started back in Oct. 2001 with the INS paperwork, her interview in guangzhou July 2002 , cleared name check March 4, 2003 ....Wow, what a loooooooong time. I have not seen my wife and daughters faces for 17 months ( almost 1 1/2 years) ....I have telephoned her everyday from USA to China....my telephone bills have been 600 dollars every month for 1 1/2 years. The anger and fighting with DOS, Guangzhou, INS, and my lawyer in China will never be forgotten, but will fade with time. When my wife and daughter comes to the US this month....I will be crying like a baby when she gets off the airplane. It has been 7 months of waiting since her interview in July 2002 for name clearance to be completed, and finally EMS Notice arrived....now she will be in Guangzhou in 1 more day to pick-up her visa's.Everyday now I don't sleep because of the anticapation of her being in my arms again. We got married in China Oct. 2001 , and now March 2003 finally have a chance to breath....it has been like holding my breath for all this time I have been away from her. My job has kept me away from going back to China for all this time, but now I have hope. I sat in Chick-Fili-A Restaraunt tonight and cried on my chicken sandwich.....this visa has been like walking through fire !!! I bought candles tonight , cannot wait to have a romantic dinner again and go out dancing. I will update you guys and ladies on Candle of the process in the next 4 days. Take Care, ChrisD Link to comment
AngryTexan Posted March 11, 2003 Report Share Posted March 11, 2003 Count Xiaolu and I among those with Mick when the happy moment arrived!!! We had an excellent time in GZ. Besides Mick and Li, we also met Little Bear, Jennifer, Ana (not Boston Ana), Chary, and several other CFL members - all of whom got their visas as well. 480 days of waiting are over. For the last time: I129F - 11-15-01NOA2 - 02-20-02Interview - 08-05-02Visa in hand - 03-10-03Return to US TOGETHER!!!! - 03-16-03 There are still far too many waiting, and to paraphrase Jon in Denver, I will not rest until they get the happy news too. This hotel in HK is charging me an arm and a leg for internet access, so I have to go. GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!! Link to comment
owenkrout Posted March 11, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2003 Lately GZ has gotten back to collecting the pickup notice and the passport in the morning and then returning the passport with the visa in it in the afternoon of the same day. It is always possible, however, that they would require you to return the next day. So far, I haven't heard of anyone having to wait any longer than that though. I wouldn't make any travel plans that could not be changed until you actually have the visa in the passport. I don't know what the actual visa looks like since my wife had an IR-1. The IR-1 applicants are granted permanent resident status immediately, so they don't give them a visa stamp, just a full size page print out to present to the BCIS agents on entry along with the sealed brown envelope and her x-rays. She will then use her green card and her Chinese passport to travel on until she obtains her citizenship, which as an IR-1 she can apply for as early as 3 years after her entry. Glad that you were able to bring her daughter also. Due to GZ and Shenyang consulate screwing up we lost that opportunity after my wife's daughter passed her 21st birthday. Link to comment
AZwolfman Posted March 11, 2003 Report Share Posted March 11, 2003 ChrisD,Your timeline is almost identical to ours.........means maybe we should be getting visa pickup notice any day now Oops! There I go getting logical again Link to comment
ChrisD Posted March 11, 2003 Report Share Posted March 11, 2003 AZwolfman.....ChrisD here. Yes, your timeline is pretty close to ours. The only advice I can give people on Candle that has worked for me is.......There is conflicting information given out by everyone, there is no logic in how things are processed. I even have a lawyer in Guangzhou that is assisting me, but you have to be more vigilant yourself with contacting and coordinating by "telephone" all the parties involved. I didn't even write letters to Congressman and Government officials...."A TOTAL WASTE OF TIME....They are all talk and no action !! I am not wasting my breath voting for them. Also, I made alot of people angry with me a long time ago to get their attention....but be very careful how you do this. Finally after countless telephone calls to DOS,GZ, INS, in all strange hours of the middle of the night my time....finally after getting everyone crazy they knew that I was not going away....but again caution here.....You can get angry but in a diplomatic way. Eventually everyone will take notice that you are not a GUZ-000 number anymore, but a real person. EMS doesn't even give accurate information about delivery...they always gave false info., and they even delivered the EMS Letter to the wrong address. My wife and I had to ask her neighbors. EMS delivered to the neighbors house not my wife's....but my wife and I cleared that situation up. I now have good business relations with all parties involved now. I took the anger I had and re-directed that anger and transformed it into determination. I had to hide and put away my true feelings of anger.......It made me more determined and focused. When I was angry I lost focus and wrote letters and emails continuously. Letters, emails, and faxes were a total waste of time.....you have to talk with everyone and evenually gain trust and credibility with them. I would work a 14 hour day and later come home and work between 1 AM. til 4 AM. in the morning making telephone calls to China....again my telephone bills were 600 Dollars a month. I have many photos of my wife and daughter taped to my computer monitor, my bed post, and my refrigerator. Everytime I was tired physically/emotionally exhausted....I looked at the photos and it gave me the drive and determination to try ,try,try, try again !!! About 4 times in the 1 1/2 year time my body crashed from exhaustion and was bed ridden for 3 days straight. I was only living off of 4 hours sleep a night for 3 weeks...and then my body would crash. Then after crashing I would get up again and continue on. Do not wait for return telephone calls from anyone (DOS,GUZ, STATE,LAWYERS) .......go after them but be diplomatic about how you plead your case. Again, Stop calling Senators, Congressman ....They are Yes Men, All Talk !! Take care and good luck AZwolfman and everyone on Candle, ChrisD Link to comment
ChrisD Posted March 11, 2003 Report Share Posted March 11, 2003 Congratulations Mick !! Glod Bless You and Your Wife on a Wonderful and Happy Life !! Owen thanks for the info. also Anna, Congratulations on your visa for your husband. Angrytexan....Smile !! I have been to Texas before.....Everything is big, even the smile you have on you and your wife's face now !! AZwolf.......stay vigilant and focused...it will happen To All the French People .....french fries are now called "Freedom Fries" in USA now !!! Freedom Fries...Total Bull Hockey !!! God and Budda.....Bless China and America. When I look at my wife I don't see a Chinese women and me an American man........... "I see a woman and man that has given everything to make a happier life together !!A chinese woman and American man met in Saudia Arabia in 2001 and will soon be together again in USA 2003....a long journey !! Take Care Everyone, ChrisD Link to comment
Mick Posted March 12, 2003 Report Share Posted March 12, 2003 Thanks Chris and may God bless you and yours as well. I have read through your posts in this thread and can relate to your anger, your frustrations, and the myriad other feelings that we all share in common. Keep the faith and remain proactive. Like Owen always says, "you have to make your problem their problem". Link to comment
Jerry Posted March 12, 2003 Report Share Posted March 12, 2003 Chris, Thanks for the encouragment for those of us that just embarked on this long journey. Good luck and all the best to your family. Jerry Link to comment
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