Please help! Urgent

[sxl]

I have the interview date of May 15, but so far P4 has not arrived yet. I've tried contacting GZ with email and faxes to request pickup of P4 at consulate on 12th, but have got no reply. I will try to call but most probably will not be able to get throug at all. What can I do if I am not able to make the arrangements with the consulate for the pickup before I go to GZ? I'm sooo worried. Would someone please help?

[manhattanmoon]

Just wondering, are you applying K1/K3? "P4" might be different.

 

" Both my husband and I need to have the interview b/c it is an employment based application. Neither of us can go inside the consulate to get the P4. That's why we are so concerned. If we cannot get it outside, what should we do?"

[sxl]

Neither K1 nor K3. It's sponsored by the employer. Both of us are Chinese citizens.

[sxl]

Just stayed up for 2 hours (1am to 3am CST) to call GZ. Got the music 4 times but could not get connnected. I'm so frustrated. After the long and miserable wait for name check(submitted 9/6/2002, cleared 4/14/2003), I thought the worst is over. Now I'm not so sure after reading the several accounts of people having difficulties picking up P4 at the consulate. We'll need lots of luck, to make arrangements with GZ, to be able to pick up P4 in time for the interview...

Does anyone know how soon they respond to email requests for p4 pickup?

Thanks

[Charlotte]

Just a question: how did you know your interview date? If you know this through the info line, this has no bearing to GZ because they can always change it on the computer later. Like it or not, you have to wait for the mail from GZ to tell you the interview date, which is real; any other route info is not going to change the way GZ handling the business.

[sxl]

I did learn the interview date from the info line. Is it true GZ would change the date after it's been set? If so, shouldn't DOS be able to see it too on their computer? Does anyone know if that has actually happened before? Isn't it true that mails from GZ have a way of failing to show up from time to time?

Anyway, why are things always so difficult with GZ? Can't the staff at the gate just take a request and pass it along inside and have the documents prepared? Just wonder ...

[Jatuke]

I learned of my fiancee's interview date from calling GUZ a couple weeks ago. We still haven't received our P4, and our interview is on May 12. I'm leaving for GZ tonight, and I will arrive in GZ on Thursday at noon. Then, I will go to the Consulate during ACS hours and try very hard to make sure I get the P4 and appointment letter.

 

GZ would NOT change an interview date, unless you request it to be changed by fax or mail. If you knew of your interview date from DOS, then it was scheduled by GZ, because the Consulate schedules interviews not DOS. It is true that the computers at GZ and DOS don't always correspond with each other. It is true that some mails may have been lost or just fail to show up on time.

 

Have you tried faxing GZ? Do you have any emails from GZ stating the interview date? If you do, you can use that as a method to enter the Consulate. There's no staff at the gate, it's just two guards manning the gate entrance and they have no authority except manning the gate. Fax GZ and keep calling them. I tried to call them as well, but failed. However, I'm going there in person in a day.

[owenkrout]

Unfortunately, those are not just horror stories, they are all things that can and do happen. GZ makes the final decision on when you are to interview. That makes sense. They know when they can fit it in.

 

It takes amazing persistance to get through to a real person when you call GZ, but it can be done. If all else is failing, then dedicate the two hours to dialing and re-dialing until you do and then insist on getting the situation solved. You will have to get them to transfer you to an American officer. The Chinese staff can't help with this and tend to try to brush you off, sometimes rather rudely.

[sxl]

Thank you for your reply.

 

I've sent faxes to 86-20-8121-9001 and 20-8121-8341, and I've sent emails requesting confirmation of interview and arrangements of p4 pickup. So far, no reply yet. I tried the whole 2 hours early this morning dialing and dialing but was unlucky. A nice officer from DOS even helped by sending an email to GZ this morning but the earliest we can hear from her would be tomorrow. And we are leaving US for China on Friday.

 

Guess I'll have to try harder. But how?

[tparrent]

Get in touch with your congressman and make sure the immigration specialist understands the emergency nature of your request. They should be able to get through to an American at the consulate.

 

Do it today!

 

Good luck

[sxl]

Thank you, tparrent.

 

But I thought only American citizens would have the right to access their congressmen. Is that correct?

[tparrent]

No. Anyone can call a congressman. They aren't likely to ask your citizenship and even if they do it shouldn't matter.

 

Congressional offices serve the residents of their district, not just the citizens.

[sxl]

Jatuke, I just sent you a PM. would you pls read it? thx

[sxl]

I just found this number from some old post of CPers who were given this number to call when they arrived at the consulate to pick up P4

86-20-8121-8000-5661

 

I tried it just now, and it seemed to be a valid number with a voice mail. Any idea?

[shi2tou5]

With us it too was a very close call too. I think that we got Notice of interview (by chance GZ consulate answered one of our emails 20 Mar 2003 so we actually were notified earlier). But she only got the P4 Packet on 02 Apr 2003, and interview was on 14 Apr 2003. So it did work out, but it was a pretty close call.