Response Received to our Powell letter

[Robert S.]

United States Department of State

Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs

Washington, D.C. 20520

 

December 14, 2002

 

Dear Mr. Shelton:

 

This responds to your fax of December 5 to Secretary of State Powell regarding processing of fiancé/ée (K) Visas at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou. Let me assure you that I regret that delays in visa issuance are complicating the lives of applicants and of those who are waiting for their arrival. One of my first priorities as the new Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs is to look for ways to solve this problem.

 

As you note in your letter, we have had some forward movement in the process recently and many of the immigrant and K visas pending in Guangzhou were among those most recently cleared. The staff at the Consulate in Guangzhou is working overtime to process all of the immigrant and K visa cases that have been cleared and the Immigrant Visa Unit is contacting applicants directly with instructions on how they can pick up their visas.

 

Meanwhile we are working hard here with other government agencies to eliminate the remaining backlog and to rationalize clearance procedures in ways that continue to protect U.S. borders, our first priority, while facilitating legitimate travel.

 

Please be assured that as visa clearance messages are received at post, visas will be issued. I have been in contact with senior management in Guangzhou and am certain that we share a common goal. The visas for parents, children, spouses, and fiancé/ées of American citizens will continue to be the highest priority for the immigrant visa unit in Guangzhou.

 

I hope that this information is helpful to you.

 

Sincerely,

 

Maura Harty

Assistant Secretary

Bureau of Consular Affairs

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

This response came this morning. It was extremely interesting to note that the handwriting on the fax transmittal cover sheet matched the Maura Harty signature on the letter. If this was really her signature then it was Maura Harty herself who was in the office taking care of business this Saturday morning.

 

- Robert

[Guest bbridges51]

BRAVO!!!!!

It's funny that while some at G7 are slamming Candle for lacking content, our members continue their sherlock ways.

 

Well done and a hearty THANKS.

 

Brian

[markimwaiting]

Im sorry folks, but I feel this is the same answer we have all gotten in a form letter.

This does not say anything about what is accualy being done.

At least she admitted there is a problem.

Maybe another letter is in order to ask some very specific questions.

And not just to Harty send it to Powell again and maybe CNN.

 

1) has our/my fiancee clearance been sent to GZ?

1A) if not, where is it?

2) what is being done to clear the oldest backlog vs issuing the most recent interviews.

3) is there a plan to send help to GZ to get the backlog cleared quicker?

3A) if not, why?

4) the embassy in Russia posted info on the web to help keep people informed of the issuance, what is being done in GZ to do the same?

4A) if not, why?

5) when will the August, September and October back loggs be complete?

 

 

These are questions im sure all of want answers to.

Does anyone else have more specific questions to add?

 

Oh, BTW, GREAT JOB ROBERT!!!!!!!!!!!

[markimwaiting]

BRAVO!!!!!

It's funny that while some at G7 are slamming Candle for lacking content, our members continue their sherlock ways.

 

Well done and a hearty THANKS.

 

Brian

hehehehehehehehehe,

Man are they fighting over there (G7) or what?

Seems the sheep (thats what some have called us) are trying to get things done, Maybe the "Rams" only know how to butt heads.

hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe

[Guest bbridges51]

Anger, as much as we all feel it at times, solves nothing. Calculated persistence is quite different. To just be angry, to rant at others, and to be rude to all solves nothing. You can catch many more bees with honey....

 

 

Brian

[markimwaiting]

Donahso,

I arree with some thing you say, I did read between the lines that alot is being done directly with top officials in GZ. All very good.

Im my lifes experience when I bought something in a store and it didnt work properly, I would first take it to the clerk. If i got the nothing I can do answer or that is company policy, I always asked for the manager, this always gets things done and sometimes the policies are bent.

This I fell is a time for policies to be bent, and get the backloggs out of the system.

We know now that when we send a letter to Powell it gets shuffled down to Harty (accually Simpkin had it in his hand the other day when I spoke to him) and we did get a 1/2 good response. I doubt if Powell even seen it.

I think if Powell accually knew about this or had some sort of input, he might just tell Harty to get this thing fixed and fixed now.

If I were the boss, thats what I would be telling them!

 

Just my ideas.

[skibum]

It is hard to be assured that it is a top priority when you read the post about the visa printer and the actual reason.

Is it time to write our Senators and Congressmen asking for Powell's resignation?

[markimwaiting]

I have writen to both, they seem to be unconcerned.

[Eric&Yuhui]

Good job Roberts !

Now let's see if, as Mark says, we could get some specifics from those folks, rather than the " we're working on it" line.

[Guest bbridges51]

OK, James, just how old ARE you? I"m 51 (sujuan is 36).

 

Brian

[markimwaiting]

OK, James, just how old ARE you? I"m 51 (sujuan is 36).

 

Brian

Brian,

 

Old enough to walk down the hill and have them all! >Jim

Great old saying,

Oh, am i giving my age away now, hehehehehe

[Guest bbridges51]

well, as alternative, you could say that "I'm between 30 and death."

 

LOL

 

Brian

[markimwaiting]

Mark, I'd rather not say how I know, but the way it works........

 

Powell has a fairly large administrative staff to open and read letters, faxes and handle his email. An extremely small percentage will even be seen by him personally or be brought to his attention. Like it or not, he has other things on his mind. That doesn't mean that sending stuff to him is not useful. It surely is.

 

Maura also has her administrative staff who does much the same as Powell's. No secrets revealed there. But, her signature on the fax says that she at least read it. Even if a staffer prepared it for her. Based on that and the comments she put her name on leads me to believe that some action is taking place behind the scenes.  GZ is something like the 3rd busiest IV consulate in the world with at least a 4 month backlog. There is no way to clear that up using exsting staff and resources. There has to be a workable plan to get the backlog cleared and keep up with new business at the same time. Maura didn't create the problem, but she is the one who gets to clean it up.

 

There is a pecking order in the consular service with Maura at the top. GZ is part of the southeast consular district that covers China, VN, Cambodia and several other countries. There are resources in the region that can be brought to bare.  Can that happen fast? No, not within a week. I wish it could. But I imagine that the chief of the consular district is feeling some heat from Maura.

 

A letter to Powell goes to Maura. If it doesn't meet the level that she needs to be involved, it gets passed down the line to someone else. It's better to deal with whoever actually responds becasue they are already involved and put the monkey on their back. Any followup should include a cc: to other's further up the line. Even if they are not asking 'what's up' on the first letter, they may become involved later. That's politics.

 

-Don H

Ok, Ill buy all that.

But still some individual questions need to be asked.

I personally would like to know if our case is a least sitting in GZ.

 

Lets start the next phase of our project and get it out this weekend for a Monday viewing.

[skibum]

In any letter to Harty or Powell how about asking that the time limit on the documents be waived since they caused the problem.

I would offer to help write it but some how I always wind up with the word assholes in a letter to the govt.

I am older than any of you!

[markimwaiting]

In any letter to Harty or Powell how about asking that the time limit on the documents be waived since they caused the problem.

I would offer to help write it but some how I always wind up with the word assholes in a letter to the govt.

I am older than any of you!

I was just thinking the same thing!

Great point!!!!!!