Quick e-mail response from DOS

[tparrent]

I sent a note yesterday to Maura Harty asking if Ling's security clearance was really underway or had been lost.

 

The following response came this morning:

 

Dear Mr. Parrent:

 

Assistant Secretary Maura Harty has asked us to respond to your e-mail of

May 4 requesting information about the fiancée visa application of Wan Ling

Chen.

 

The U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou is currently handling a very large number of

immigrant and fiancée visa cases. The State Department is committed to

clearing this backlog in an expeditious process and has already taken many

steps, including providing additional staff to Guangzhou, to help process

these visa cases as quickly as possible. Nevertheless, most of Guangzhou's

resources are now devoted to processing and printing visas for applicants

who were interviewed and approved months ago. Processing of new cases has

slowed as a result, but all are handled in order of receipt during regularly

scheduled overtime.

 

We checked the records of the Guangzhou Consulate and are happy to report to

you that Ms. Chen's Packet 3 documents have been received. When her

clearance process is concluded, the Consulate will notify her.

 

We hope this information is helpful.

 

Sincerely,

 

Kathryn Cabral

Chief

Public Inquiries Division

Visa Services

 

I'm glad that they responded quickly but the response does not actually confirm that the name check has been started and is on track.

 

The statement

 

"Processing of new cases has

slowed as a result, but all are handled in order of receipt during regularly

scheduled overtime."

 

is interesting. It seems to imply that "new" cases are not handled in the regular process/schedule yet. I wonder if the black hole was much deeper than we thought (our sample size is a bit small). Perhaps the relatively quick clearances in February/March occurred BEFORE they found a new group of delayed applicants who had already been interviewed.

 

If there are truly still a lot of people out there who have been interviewed and not cleared, I sincerely hope DOS devotes all possible resources to clearing them even if that means we have to wait a little longer. I simply cannot imagine the torture those people must be suffering with this wait.

 

Good luck to all of you.

[Jerry]

I got the exactly same email from Cathryn Cabral on behalf of Marty. I was a bit happy since I thought I was "special". But, you ruined it .

 

BTW, my wife's last name is also Chen and the only difference between your email and mine is our wivies' first names.

 

Good luck!

[juz]

Hi:

 

Just a quick question, how did you send a note to Maura Harty?

 

I really need to contact her to get my case resubmitted. I am in this mess 8 months and waiting...

 

 

Thank you very much for your help.

 

Ju

[tparrent]

Hey Jerry!

 

You're raining on my parade! I thought my note was special too.

 

Your fiancee has the same last name? Ummm, she's not short with black hair and a Chinese accent, is she?

[rocksplit]

When it rains it pours: same reply here

 

Absolutly boilerplate and not addressing my question asked.

I therefor faxed back:

 

Dear Maura Harty,

This morning I sent you an e-mail. It was promptly answered on your behalf by Kathryn Cabral. Her reply unfortunately did in no way address my present problem but a past one overcome.

 

Therefore I resend this request for clarification on the process of the name check of my wife , DOB, case # GUZ 2002xxxxxx.

 

I suspect a glitch in interagency communication.

 

For the past six weeks my wife’s name clearance submitted by GZ on 3/24/03 is “pending”.

 

I am worried. This past Friday one of the Visa specialists advised to wait two or three weeks before checking back; she did or could not offer me any clarification on what kind of information her estimate was based on.

 

How long does a Security Advisory Opinion reasonably take? If the process of the necessary security clearance can not be brought to conclusion in a timely fashion any possible concerns or problems should be revealed. Are there any?

 

Could you please clarify the process of my wife’s name check for me?

 

Please advice if there is a better way or place to address this request.

 

Thank you, Sincerely

 

 

NB: I support “secure borders”. As a citizen waiting under the Legal Immigration Family Equity Act for well over 8 months there is diminishing little of any “open doors” evident. Instead I am deeply aware of the many difficulties in and among the various agencies and departments involved in the visa process.

 

My family longs to be united and I do wish to trust in a working and competent government.

 

 

Well this sums up where and how I stand Daniel

[juz]

Thank you guys very much for the heart-warming help. I really appreciate it.

 

Thanks a lot guys.

 

Best wishes to all of us.

 

Ju

[Jerry]

Rocksplit's information makes it even more clear that it was a standard boiler-plate reply.

 

I send my email to Harty on Sunday and the reply was sent to me at noon on Monday. They had about 3 hours on Monday morning to check the info with GZ, but it was at night in China during those three hours (Monday morning in the US and Monday night in Beijing).

 

Clearly, they are making things up. But, I did call DOS today and the lady confirmed my wife's name check submit.

 

These people are borderline liars. Sigh......

[rocksplit]

Jerry

I don't think they make this up: computer database in GZ and stateside DoS shows similar or same stuff. If the systems were a little better fine tuned there would be less screw ups. The proper feasibility studies are underway I guess. So it is more of the later then the former: screw ups then make ups... But "secure borders and open doors" is appealing! boy do I need a sarcasm cure!

But the biggest leaps forward usually seem to require data entry after a strictly secret aging process with luck, possibly crosslinked as previously stated to pollen count

 

So: Good luck to all! We all obviously need it, included the ones working on our behalf! The fruits of our labor certainly make it worth while... and it is a long while

[AZwolfman]

Nevertheless, most of Guangzhou's resources are now devoted to processing and printing visas for applicants

who were interviewed and approved months ago.  Processing of new cases has slowed as a result, but all are handled in order of receipt during regularly scheduled overtime.

I also received at least 2 almost identical replies from Harty and Cabral, several months ago. However this quote seems to be a new paste version.

[Stats]

BTW, my wife's last name is also Chen and the only difference between your email and mine is our wivies' first names.

 

Good luck!

I don't want to "rain on your parade" but Chen is a very common family name in China. By the way, my fiancee is aslo a Chen

[Tom & Jen]

Yes, boiler plate. Jen received the same exact reply except for the name. Her name check was also submitted on 3/24/03. So GZ seems to work things in batches.

[Jerry]

Guys,

 

The reply does say that they checked with GZ and our wives name checks were submitted. Has anyone confirmed this with live operators either in GZ or with DOS or NVC later. I called DOS right after getting this reply and the person did tell me my wife's name check was submitted.

 

Just want to make sure that they did check into it although it is a standard reply. Of course, if they did check with their database, I am fine with standard reply.

 

Jerry

[rfsun]

I am jealous that you all are getting such fast replies from CA. I sent a email to them and GZ over a week ago. I received a direct reply from GZ officer

 

"... stateside law enforcement agencies have not issued a

clearance for your fiancée. I agree that there is nothing about her that

indicates she shouldn't get a clearance,...".

 

I hope it means CA is still trying to get a thorough answer.

[wolf]

Fact or Rumor

Need to ask> I heard today that GZ doesn't except any name or security clearences if they are over 3 months, so if the security clearence goes longer than 3 months, DOS, in the States resibmits it again< Hope this is not true. Any experience from anyone about this?

[owenkrout]

Name checks always have expired after three months. That is no problem as long as you have your interview when scheduled.