at the interview....

[steveandrong]

was just talking with rong who is an avid 001 reader .....she was telling me (and i don't want to come off as sounding racist about this), but she was telling me about the black woman visa officer....said that this VO reportedly only passes about 15-20% if the applicants....said this woman speaks no chinese and gives the blue or white to 80-85% of the ones who appear at her window..she said she hears the other VO's are very pleasant and if everything is in order, have no problem to get the pink...i have tried to calm her fears for this, but she really is very worried for this....so...i was wondering, just how many VO's are there interviewing applicants at the consulate?...how many windows?....is 4 or 6 or more?....just trying to calculate her odds for her to get the "dreaded" giver of the blue/white slips...thanks everyone

[dnoblett]

You may be referring to the "Black Pearl" She may be an urban legend.

 

Some reports of problems, others report a very nice person.

 

Some posts:

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...=14262&st=0

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...st&p=315553

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...st&p=356024

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...st&p=190291

[Randy W]

USCONGUZ' comments on the issue

 

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...st&p=175729

 

This is an issue already addressed, but I'll do it again. It is true that items shipped to a U.S. diplomatic mission under diplomatic seal via diplomatic pouch are not subject to customs inspection. However, cases shipped to us from NVC are not shipped under diplomatic seal and are not shipped via diplomatic pouch, they are shipped via commercial carrier - DHL. Once the boxes arrive in customs quarantine we are notified of that, we then request that the boxes be released and, after some wait, the boxes are released. DHL picks up the boxes and delivers them to the Consulate.

 

A comment was made earlier that since the boxes were listed as "U.S. Diplomatic Papers" on some DHL tracking list and they were, therefore, immune from Chinese customs handling. Simply because a commercial carrier notes in internal documents an item as "U.S. Diplomatic Papers" that doesn't by any stretch of the imagination mean that the item will be handled in accordance with international accords on diplomatic privileges and immunities. I can take a big red pen and mark "U.S. Diplomatic Papers" on every piece of personal mail that I send out. Does that mean that my personal will be immune from customs inspection? Of course not.

 

There are a great many frustrations and areas of misunderstanding that make you crazy as the immigrant visa process is navigated. I would hope that all would try to resist the temptation to spend too much time finding conspiracy ("the Consulate is trying to fool us with this crap about cases being held up in Chinese Customs. How stupid do they think we are ... etc, etc) where there is no conspiracy.

 

 

On a separate issue, I feel I need to comment on the tendency of some posters to keep referring to "black pearl", usually in a negative light. We understand that on different boards that specialize in discussing visa issues there is a tendency to come up with nicknames to identify interviewing officers. However, on CFL it is now plain that any female african-american officer that shows up at the window is automatically the dreaded "BLACK PEARL" . Come on, guys, there is more than one female african american woman in this business, officers come and officers go. This labeling is racial stereotyping of the worst sort. Bearing in mind that I am a hick from a small west Texas town, I know racial stereotyping - it is ugly and should be avoided.

[dnoblett]

I was not digging that deep, good find the USCONGUZ post.

 

Yes, keep in mind many Chinese have a hard time with African Americans, they are just not used to having to deal with persons of other races, so in many cases tend to distrust many that are very much different than them.

 

Skin color prejudice runs deep in China, dark skin tends to be associated with country side uncivilized people, and light skin tends to be associated with upper class civilized city people.

[Guest Rob & Jin]

I thought "the black pearl" was a pirate ship

[ameriken]

I think the stories of 'the black pearl' is more urban legend than truth.

 

In Feb 06, my wife had a 2 minute K1 interview with a black lady whom some dubbed as 'the black pearl', and she passed. The next day, another lady we met had a CR1 or IR1 (not sure which) interview with the same lady and passed.

 

If this is even the same lady, she is very professional, experienced, and knows what she is doing, and if paperwork is in order and the relationship is real, it will be a pink slip. Your wife may actually be better off having her as a VO than a lesser experienced white VO who pulls the plug prematurely.

Edited April 18, 2008 by ameriken (see edit history)

[Sebastian]

I swear, if one is gonna get a blue or white slip - come on - dontcha think it's MOSTLY up to the contents of the paperwork that arrives in the packet TO the consulate? Some one reviews it there, makes internal notes, and the VO mostly has a good idea PRIOR to the actual interview. So come the time of the actual interview with yer lass, the VO already has some notion of pass/fail, and will steer the questions along one of those two paths.

 

If yer paperwork isn't in order, I'm sorry, you ain't gonna get a chance to jump the pond, irrespective of which VO is used for the interview. I know it's mostly conjecture on my part, but I had been funding some private research the last few months, and thats mostly what it boils down (to).

Edited April 18, 2008 by Darnell (see edit history)

[Guest Rob & Jin]

Unfortunatly , not always

[tsap seui]

I swear, if one is gonna get a blue or white slip - come on - dontcha think it's MOSTLY up to the contents of the paperwork that arrives in the packet TO the consulate? Some one reviews it there, makes internal notes, and the VO mostly has a good idea PRIOR to the actual interview. So come the time of the actual interview with yer lass, the VO already has some notion of pass/fail, and will steer the questions along one of those two paths.

 

If yer paperwork isn't in order, I'm sorry, you ain't gonna get a chance to jump the pond, irrespective of which VO is used for the interview. I know it's mostly conjecture on my part, but I had been funding some private research the last few months, and thats mostly what it boils down (to).

 

Yep, just make sure ya cross them T's and dot them i's, its all pink after that. Ol' buddy, I hope you ain't spendin' much for that research...but I do understand that way of thinkin' could make one feel better about the interview as it sure made me feel good about ours. Maybe in a perfect world...GUZ is FAR FROM PERFECT!!!!!

 

tsap seui

[tsap seui]

was just talking with rong who is an avid 001 reader .....she was telling me (and i don't want to come off as sounding racist about this), but she was telling me about the black woman visa officer....said that this VO reportedly only passes about 15-20% if the applicants....said this woman speaks no chinese and gives the blue or white to 80-85% of the ones who appear at her window..she said she hears the other VO's are very pleasant and if everything is in order, have no problem to get the pink...i have tried to calm her fears for this, but she really is very worried for this....so...i was wondering, just how many VO's are there interviewing applicants at the consulate?...how many windows?....is 4 or 6 or more?....just trying to calculate her odds for her to get the "dreaded" giver of the blue/white slips...thanks everyone

 

Steve, I don't know about the black pearl, but there is a white 60's something woman with short hair and glasses that yells at people, throws evidence all over the interview room and purposely tries her best to intimidate the people she's interviewing. Those VO's come and go, but the White Pearl is still there, as of 6 weeks ago.

 

I'm really glad my fiance never read 001 and didn't go to her interview with preconcieved notions about the VO's. Just do your best to instill confidence in your lil' lady, she'll do just fine.

 

I think there were 6 VO's interviewing people the day my fiancee wnt in, I KNOW there were 5 VO's the next day when I went to ACH.

 

Your lady will do fine Steve,

 

tsap seui

[ameriken]

So long as our government continues to rotate african american women in and out of USCONGUZ, I guess all it takes to continue the "legend of the black pearl" is for a girl get a blue/white and go post on 001 'it was a black woman'.

 

As RandyW posted, USCONGUZ said

 

However, on CFL it is now plain that any female african-american officer that shows up at the window is automatically the dreaded "BLACK PEARL" . Come on, guys, there is more than one female african american woman in this business, officers come and officers go.

 

In addition to that quote, USCONGUZ also said:

 

Too many people on CFL are really, really trying hard to find shady practices in this issue. You're barking up the wrong tree.

[tsap seui]

So long as our government continues to rotate african american women in and out of USCONGUZ, I guess all it takes to continue the "legend of the black pearl" is for a girl get a blue/white and go post on 001 'it was a black woman'.

 

As RandyW posted, USCONGUZ said

 

However, on CFL it is now plain that any female african-american officer that shows up at the window is automatically the dreaded "BLACK PEARL" . Come on, guys, there is more than one female african american woman in this business, officers come and officers go.

 

In addition to that quote, USCONGUZ also said:

 

Too many people on CFL are really, really trying hard to find shady practices in this issue. You're barking up the wrong tree.

 

Gosh, I just hate to see those GUZ officials getting an undeserved bum rap from CFL members who seem to be barking up the wrong shady tree.

 

tsap seui

[steveandrong]

really wasn't trying to stir up a hornets nest here with my inquiries...and i know the reputation of the 001....personally, i was just trying to get a feel for how many are being interviewed at any given time...and before this, i have never heard of the "Black Pearl"...with the exception of the Depp movie....is just my gal is gettin closer to the day and i think is beginning to get some butterflies thinkin about this day...i know her papers are in order and everything is on the up and up....but if you think about it, is one of the most important moments in her (their) life to stand before the VO....so i can kinda understand what she is going through....and then when you throw in the stories that fly around the 001....well, just doesn't help matters much....but thanks for all the input...is much appreciated....steve

[david_dawei]

despite VO rotation... the story of the "Black Pearl" has lingered on for many years... each new VO [with black skin] may be forever falling under that unfortunate and unwarranted curse... but such is the way of urban legends...

[chilton747]

VOs are rotated every four years??