That¡¯s is ridiculous -- given wrong package?

[Charlotte]

To the previous post: given a wrong visa package ---

As much as I don't like the way GZ handling the visa processing, I have some reservation to believe this story

There are too many loose ends need to be tied up before you post a story like this:

1. According to your posted case number, this is a 2003 case, which means your I130/I129 was not filed until this year; is it too fast to get her visa in early July, given that there were two big holidays in both US and China during this period?

2. Even with a hole in the envelope, how can she see all the information she needs to call you?

3. Why did you exchange the packages without notifying the GZ consulate? Under any circumstance, this is a serious case of gross negligence. Whoever made this mistake will result in dismissal if you report this to the consulate officials. One can only imagine the serious consequences of the mixed-up packages, which you should not let it go unnoticed by GZ consulate.

4. How do you find out your package is hers? Is your envelope also having a hole in it by chance? If you open it, you won¡¯t be able to enter the US even with the correct name on it. No way the INS will let an unsealed envelope into the country to process your immigration paper.

5. How can you know for sure that the girl from Tianjin got her own package now? Could it be a 3 people mixed up?

6. What a coincident that you happen to live in GZ?

7. Last but not least, how can you enter the US with your most important package with a hole in it? If one can see all the information about you through a hole in a sealed envelope, it should not be considered sealed any more and won¡¯t be accepted at the POE.

 

All in all, you story does not add up. If what you said is true, both of you should go to GZ consulate and return both packages for them to double check and reseal them. Why didn¡¯t you do that? Not that GZ can¡¯t make that kind of mistake, the chance is almost to none. There is a double/triple checking system built in before a visa is issued. No such mix-up during the worst time of the issue days back in Jan-April 2003. Things are improving tremendously, so why now? They are processing thousands of visas annually ¨C without a good built-in system, this mixed up packages would be a frequent occurrence. So far I have never heard of it.

 

Most people on candle site are very compassionate and gullible because we have been through a lot. Between Nov 2002 and March 2003, CDL site was serving as a lifeline to most of us. I just don¡¯t want this place to become the rumor-fabricating site.

 

If your story is true, I dare to verify your incident with GZ officer to prove your innocence since I think it will in turn improve their process effectiveness, and I will apologize to your on this board for doubting your story. And if it is true, please take my advice and go back the GZ to ask them seal the HOLE for you before you leave for US.

[tonyuab]

The story itself scared me since i was not with my wife on her interview and have no clue what that envelop looks like. All i told to my wife is not to open it. I think GZ should at least print the name or case # on it, but i'll call my wife to confirm tonight.

 

On Charlotte's first question, i thought the 2003 means the I129 approved receipt was received by GZ on year 2003. I could be wrong cause i filed K-3 for my wife. I filed on Oct, 2002 and our case # is beginning with GZ2003.

 

anyway, this is the first time i heard such a thing of given the wrong package and the lady who post the story is a newbie. so, i choose to ignore it and not tell this story to my wife(women are curious).

[Guest R2D2]

I hope that is not the case, Charlotte. We owe Guangzhou consulate an apology if it is not true and I would be the first to apologize. I am sure that they are under difficult times, as are we, with all of the changes since 9/11 and the knee jerk policies that transpired from that event.

[juz]

I am a very gullible person in general. So I intend to believe people's story. Especially the story is sort of wierd. For me, it is just too much work to make something that strange up.

 

And I second tonyuab's explaination on 2003 case number. It could be the girl just very lucky. (oh, wrong word, dealing with this visa mess is not near the definition of lucky)

 

God bless everybody.

 

Peace.

[Guest forrestp]

This is Forrest, Noeleen's fiance. Since Noeleen is still sleeping at this time in GZ, let me answer some of your questions.

 

1. I don't know anything about the case numbers, but see other people's post.

 

2. I believe every envelope has a cut corner so that the customs can examine its content, but it is not big enough to remove any paper from it. It was very difficult for the girl from Tianjin to find Noeleen's phone number with a flashlight, but she was able to do it.

 

3. Noeleen indeed e-mailed the consulate about the incident, and the Tianjin girl said she would do so after she returned to Tianjin. Noeleen's post on this forum is actually a modified version of her e-mail to the consulate. At the beginning she asked me to post the story here, but I was reluctant and asked for a Chinese version of Siemens SL55 triband GSM phone in return. She decided to do a copy-and-paste after she emailed the consulate, so now I owe her a Motorola V600. :-) The story doesn't have the worst ending, so I don't want to see any heads rolling.

 

So far she hasn't got any reply from the consulate.

 

4. By chance Noeleen's envelope has a cut corner, too.

 

5. See 4.

 

6. What a coincident that I used to live in GZ.

 

7. See 4.

 

Both of their names have the pinyin "Yan" in it. Maybe that's reason for the mixed-up.

 

Forrest

Sacramento, CA

 

Our timeline:

NOA1 - 10/24/2002

NOA2 - 12/13/2002

P3 - 2/15/2003

P4 - 6/13/2003 (a pretty good Friday 13th)

Interview - 7/8/2003

[Guest R2D2]

Glad to hear that it was GZ mistake and not a fabrication. Mistakes happen and it seems to happen to a lot of the member dealing with BCIS and DOS.

[king]

Whoever goes to pick up the visa and visa package should always check the back side of the package and make sure that there are 3, count 3, red circular seals on the back placed at/on the juncture of the envelope flap and the envelope. Always check the information on the visa (K visas and immigrant visas) against the information in your passport and for the separate kind of visa attached to the visa package make sure it is signed and with an original signature. The person picking up should do all of this before they leave the consulate grounds if they are allowed to stay or at least before they leave the entrance gate area.

[wolf]

I did hear of a case about 8 months ago, where a girl was given the wrong package because she looked inside it. She returned it to the consulate and was given the right package. The consulate didn't seem to make any fuss about it even through she had opened it all the way.

As for this new story, who know? Personally I can't understand why these packages are not checked in front of the person before they are sealed, just to make sure that the correct information is there. Why all the secrecy?

[danswayne]

7. Last but not least, how can you enter the US with your most important package with a hole in it?  If one can see all the information about you through a hole in a sealed envelope, it should not be considered sealed any more and won¡¯t be accepted at the POE.

 

They are processing thousands of visas annually ¨C without a good built-in system, this mixed up packages would be a frequent occurrence.  So far I have never heard of it.

 

.

I don't know what kind of visa you got when you entered the US a few years ago but all the visas that were received this year for CR-1 had a hole in them for sure because I have talked to so many people who had the top left corner cut off. And yes you could read things inside if you tried hard enough.

 

By your own admission they process thousands of cases annually, just how many cases are there that you have talked to the person and know what happened to them. There are 400 - 500 people on here and most of them almost never post so how are you an expert on mixed up packages?

[chinadave2001]

Does anyone know why the corner is cut off? To me it seems it should either be a sealed envelope or not. Why cut off the corner?

dave

[Jatuke]

For the aforementioned reasons above that if an envelope was "accidentally" handed to the wrong beneficiary, there would still be some way to check who it actually belongs to.

 

Every envelope had a cut corner, and the only reason that I can think of is since the envelopes are not specifically labeled with any personal information of the beneficiary it's just another cost-saving method of not having to print individual labels.

 

And they are not checked in front of the beneficiaries because the time of the visa pickups, the envelopes for the people designated for pickup have already been prepared and sealed. And then they just call off names from a list depending on the ticket number that you received.

[Guest noeleen]

Most people on candle site are very compassionate and gullible because we have been through a lot.  Between Nov 2002 and March 2003, CDL site was serving as a lifeline to most of us.  I just don¡¯t want this place to become the rumor-fabricating site. 

 

If your story is true, I dare to verify your incident with GZ officer to prove your innocence since I think it will in turn improve their process effectiveness, and I will apologize to your on this board for doubting your story.  And if it is true, please take my advice and go back the GZ to ask them seal the HOLE for you before you leave for US.

I should say I have never posted here before except that story. I wrote that just because I don't want that happen to other applicants again! I did e-mail the consulate and while I was writing, I saw this:we will reply to you in 5-7 days. So far I haven't got any reply. I also tried to phone the consulate but couldn't find a real-person answer. If I got it, I will let you know as soon as possible! Thank you for your kindness!

You're very lucky because there isn't a hole on your envelope! I am not going to spend so much time writing rumors here again!

Fortunately, the Tianjin girl and I become friends now. She is YANAN and I am YAN. We have similar Pinyin names. What a "coincidence"!

Now it's time for me to check my visa package today! I have already done this several times these days!

[Guest hakkamike]

Hi Noeleen and Forrest, I would not lose too much sleep over what other people type on this board or any others for that matter even if on your very first post to this group you were called a lier. I have been a member of this for eight months now and have only made three or so posts myself. I had no doubt that at all that this happened to you two having packets switched. As far as your timeline getting your Visa being too fast ours was pretty quick. My wife have had extremely very good luck with the Visa process. My wife's only took six months to receive but that was before the August 1st 2002 security checks. As I said lucky, we were thinking around 10 to 12 months to get her Visa like everyone else was having to wait at the time last year. I was in China last July spending a month there to visit her my new family and was just killing time and decided to call up GZ to check on the status or our Visa. When they told me that her interview was in 2 weeks none of us could believe it, we had already planned for me to come back in late September to November for Lushengs interview. As it turned out her interview was July 30th and she picked up her and the twins Visa's on the 31st and my flight back to Fort Worth as August the 2nd. She was the last group to get Visa's issued to them as one August the 1st the doors shut on GZ for a long time after that. I Just consider you two very lucky just like my wife and I that you had the thought to look into your packet and being able to correct the problem.

Good Luck, Michael, Lusheng, Luoman and Mansi

[Guest enight]

WOW,... GZ consulate gave 2 girls wrong package??? this is the most weird story I have ever heard !

 

no wonder people would have doubts on it...

 

when I got my envelop, it did have a corner been cut off, but... all those dcouments inside were nailed together. so I wouldn't be able to see what's on those papers inside even I did try.

 

how lucky the girl was able to find the information of another girl and contacted her! WOW!

[francine]

To the previous post:  given a wrong visa package ---

As much as I don't like the way GZ handling the visa processing, I have some reservation to believe this story

There are too many loose ends need to be tied up before you post a story like this:

1. According to your posted case number, this is a 2003 case, which means your I130/I129 was not filed until this year;  is it too fast to get her visa in early July, given that there were two big holidays in both US and China during this period? 

2. Even with a hole in the envelope, how can she see all the information she needs to call you? 

3. Why did you exchange the packages without notifying the GZ consulate?  Under any circumstance, this is a serious case of gross negligence.  Whoever made this mistake will result in dismissal if you report this to the consulate officials.  One can only imagine the serious consequences of the mixed-up packages, which you should not let it go unnoticed by GZ consulate.

4. How do you find out your package is hers?  Is your envelope also having a hole in it by chance?  If you open it, you won¡¯t be able to enter the US even with the correct name on it.  No way the INS will let an unsealed envelope into the country to process your immigration paper. 

5. How can you know for sure that the girl from Tianjin got her own package now?  Could it be  a 3 people mixed up?

6. What a coincident that you happen to live in GZ?

7. Last but not least, how can you enter the US with your most important package with a hole in it?  If one can see all the information about you through a hole in a sealed envelope, it should not be considered sealed any more and won¡¯t be accepted at the POE.

 

All in all, you story does not add up.  If what you said is true, both of you should go to GZ consulate and return both packages for them to double check and reseal them.  Why didn¡¯t you do that?  Not that GZ can¡¯t make that kind of mistake, the chance is almost to none.  There is a double/triple checking system built in before a visa is issued.  No such mix-up during the worst time of the issue days back in Jan-April 2003.  Things are improving tremendously, so why now?  They are processing thousands of visas annually ¨C without a good built-in system, this mixed up packages would be a frequent occurrence.  So far I have never heard of it.

 

Most people on candle site are very compassionate and gullible because we have been through a lot.  Between Nov 2002 and March 2003, CDL site was serving as a lifeline to most of us.  I just don¡¯t want this place to become the rumor-fabricating site. 

 

If your story is true, I dare to verify your incident with GZ officer to prove your innocence since I think it will in turn improve their process effectiveness, and I will apologize to your on this board for doubting your story.  And if it is true, please take my advice and go back the GZ to ask them seal the HOLE for you before you leave for US.

there is no need to argue if it's true or not at all. nobody is interested in making up anything. Thinking this is true is no hurting to anyone but reminding us to be careful and extra careful about our package.....good luck to everybody