when do you think the VOs make the decision

[march]

i have gone through some interview related post here, i find VO could ask who is your husbend in the photo and then gave the red slip.

i was wondering if they have made the decision before the interview. maybe that is why it takes a while for us to get P4 even we are told our interview is eligible.

when do you think the VOs make the decision before the interview or at the interview?

[Randy W]

USCONGUZ claims that the VO does not review the file before interview time. My suspicion is that someone does, whether its the VO or someone else, in order to flag specific concerns.

 

In any event, I would hope that they wouldn't have someone (the VO)make such a life-changing decision with only 5 minutes exposure to the particulars of our case.

[ameriken]

When does a VO make the decision?

 

I agree that if a red flag comes up during the course of processing, maybe someone notes the file, but I dont think each and every file is reviewed before the interviews, nor is a decision made. The consulate said they do 30,000 per year. Thats 2500 per month, and if they interviewed every Monday thru Friday, that would be over 100 per day. Do you realize how much time that would take to review one hundred files every day?

 

I asked Jie if she felt someone decided her case before the interview? She said no......she really felt the VO saw the file for the first time, because the VO reviewed the file right there at the interview. She scanned through every page and stopped and read our intent to marry letters right there in front of Jie.

 

So, we do not believe they are decided in advance. Remember, the case is processed and decided from P1 to the interview. Name checks, paperwork, all help to decide the case. So if there are no red flags, and everything appears to be in order and you feel good about the person standing in front of you, then issue the visa.

[georgeandli]

There must be some kind of filtering going on before the interview. No way the VO can digest the file as they ask questions and not deny all cases at least one time for overcome in a 5 minute interview. I'm not being callus because of my situation, and great news for those that do pass. Maybe the VO doesn't see the case before hand, but it seems that there are at least a few different piles in the back room. Looks OK, check this part out, and look at this with a microscope.

[ameriken]

There must be some kind of filtering going on before the interview. No way the VO can digest the file as they ask questions and not deny all cases at least one time for overcome in a 5 minute interview. I'm not being callus because of my situation, and great news for those that do pass. Maybe the VO doesn't see the case before hand, but it seems that there are at least a few different piles in the back room. Looks OK, check this part out, and look at this with a microscope.

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"Filtering". Great word. Now why didnt I think of that?

[march]

The consulate said they do 30,000 per year. Thats 2500 per month,

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There are 2500 people getting involved into immigranting to the states per month ? that is a large volume. i am afraid someday there would not be any chinese in china

[C4Racer]

GUZ processes 30,000 visas a year, but only 4,000 are for family (immigrant type) visas from what I understand. The rest are for travel, business, student or adoption type of visas. GUZ is the only post to process family visas for China. While they do this they must also process the other types of visas for their area.

 

My wife's interview lasted 2 minutes with only 6 questions. It would be crazy to think some kind of pre-processing was not done before hand. How can you possibly catch a fraud case in 6 questions while letting the valid relationships through. Most of these questions were not even about the case, but regarding issues about the son in China she had to leave behind. Do you see him very much? With whom does he live? Who is responsible for his care?

 

These are highly trained professionals who are trying to catch prepetrators of fraud. Will they give you a glimpse their hand or a stone cold poker face? My view is they will never show you what they are holding or when and how they make the decision. This would allow the people who commit visa fraud enough information to re-design their tactics. They must do some pre-processing or as George puts it, filtering. This does not mean the pre-processing is done by the person conducting the interview. It very well could be the VO sees this information for the first time.

 

If it was only the VO making the decision, they would not need to wait so long for the interview. My mother-in-law was scheduled for an interview within three weeks when we applied for her visitors visa. We are told, GUZ gives our types of visas priority. Why else does it take months to schedule a priority case and weeks for a non-priority.

[rlheim]

I am sure someone proofs the applications BEFORE the VO sees it. There are a lot of factors that happen in this process. All of which can not be done in 1-5 minutes. I do not understand how someone can accept or reject someone in this short of time.

 

And there are many factors in the applicant that can make them give a wrong answer, or forget something, or get something mixed up. Being nervous, not being good under pressure, excitement, misunderstanding. Just examples.

[david_dawei]

This has been asked so many times and polled, and argued... it does feel a little disturbing, as Randy said, that they will decide your fate in 5 minutes.

 

My position has changed little over a year or more... I've always felt this is more like a credit card application; You fill out forms, people are reviewing it at EVERY STEP for compliance and meeting requirements... and you get someone at the very end who looks at the entire 'application' (marked throughout the process) and makes the decision whether you qualify or not.

 

I don't see it as the VO simply being the one who decides.. the entire case has been 'touched' a hundred times or more.. any one of those touches could be the cause of the VO saying NO... The VO is simply the one to tell you this... in almost interrogation-like conditions.

 

I do think they are professionals who are meant to 'sniff' out problems in their review of what is marked throughout the case and 'face to face'... That they are looking for any bodily/verbal indications consistent with a mark in the file, etc.

 

One thing that bothers me is the inevitable human factor.. meaning, that one VO interprets the file differently and requests something that another might not.

 

I don't know the extent of all that they are faced with and doing on a daily basis.. I am sure this is not an easy job.. So I tend to withhold negative judgement over their work, and prefer to think that they are trying to do their job the best they can. But I would be amiss not to think that the consulate is immunized to bad characters/judgment/decisions.. Every organization has this... fact of life.

[georgeandli]

I totally agree. The bad thing is the VO is at the bottom of the chain. They are the only face/person our SO deals with on a personal level. Stands to reason they get the barbs as well as the pats on the back. The system is wackey, but the only system to work in. Definatly not for the faint of heart or someone in a hurry.

[Thomas Promise]

I have a friend who worked in the Guangzhou consulate and he told me that it is already decided if the person gets the Visa or not. The VO just asks some simple questions to see if the beneficiary will "screw up".

[david_dawei]

I have a friend who worked in the Guangzhou consulate and he told me that it is already decided if the person gets the Visa or not. The VO just asks some simple questions to see if the beneficiary will "screw up".

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Only problem is, in my book, is that this is not completely consistent with the interview experiences... After studying and collecting all the past interviews I could get my hands on over a year ago, it was clear (to me) that it is not determined beforehand for every visa.. Also, directives change with time and there are subtle changes that appear to occur... not sure if this changes with VO turnover or not...

 

I saw too much give and take going on at times.. some VOs admitted directly [and changed their mind] to the beneficiary they had doubts but issued it anyway after lengthy discussions...

 

That's why I like to look at data and experiences together.. Rarely does one side (or one person) truly have the complete answer...

[lou]

I would tend to agree with David, there are many checks on the case

during the entire process. I don't understand why GUZ claims the files are

not reviewed before the interview. I would hope my file is looked at many times before the interview, it is impossible for the VO to do this in a 5 minute

span at the interview.

 

Now, the problem I have with this. If the files are reviewed and the outcome is decided before the interview, don't schedule the interview! I have no problem waiting a little longer, send me a RFE and I will send anything they request to overcome any red flags. Don't use the interview as an opportunity to hand out a blue slip that was already decided.

[Guest pushbrk]

I would tend to agree with David, there are many checks on the case

during the entire process. I don't understand why GUZ claims the files are

not reviewed before the interview. I would hope my file is looked at many times before the interview, it is impossible for the VO to do this in a 5 minute

span at the interview.

 

Now, the problem I have with this. If the files are reviewed and the outcome is decided before the interview, don't schedule the interview! I have no problem waiting a little longer, send me a RFE and I will send anything they request to overcome any red flags. Don't use the interview as an opportunity to hand out a blue slip that was already decided.

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GUZ does not claim the files are not reviewed before the interview. They claim "the VO" does not see the file until moments before the interview. I envision...

 

1. Interview completed

2. Go pick up another file

3. Call the applicant to the window.

 

Like David says, the files are reviewed and notes made as needed, at many stages of the process. One of the last times is when the P3 is returned. Somebody looks at the documents and decides if everything is complete and the applicant is eligible for an interview. Then somebody else at a later date looks again, schedules the interview and sends out the P4. There may be at least one other time the case is reviewed between sending the P4 and the actual interview. This is evidenced by Rick and Yanlan getting a phone call between P4 and interview about a birth date discrepancy for Yanlan's daughter.

 

I don't pretend to know all the answers but I'm quite certain our cases are reviewed at least a dozen times by at least a dozen people before the VO conducts an interview.

[david_dawei]

I'm just trying to apply some logic and common sense... certainly I don't have the answers.. just some ideas... BUt if we follow through on the interview day:

 

The VOs don't know who actually shows up for the interview till the beneficiary's check in, sign papers, swear in and the case is marked up..

 

After the morning checkin, the VOs get the cases.. When do they have time to look at it before the interview ??? Experience after experience relates the VO studying that file with a fine tooth comb look... [ I had the same impression at our AOS interview.. same review of the case, etc]

 

I recall the comments of one VO who said they get a stack of cases and must get through them all before the day is over... This was at a time when they were running below their daily 'quota'.. Their daily quota, when looked at from the perspective of overcome, suggests that it makes sense they would push a case into overcome if something seemed amiss. They don't have time nor is the interview structured to review in detail too much information. That is what overcome is for. Although some exceptions occur and some review more than others during the interview...

Edited June 17, 2006 by DavidZixuan (see edit history)