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Got pink on the 13th and visa on the...

zoeandmorgan

By zoeandmorgan,
in Interview Results

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zoeandmorgan

zoeandmorgan

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Dear CFL,

 

Firstly, I want to say that this site has been a great help for my wife Zoe and I. Thank you all for your posts and ideas, it really helped us a lot. Keep it going and I hope to see you all in the US fairly soon! If there is anyway I can help, let me know! :lol: Right now, let me give you all some of my own personal insights of this visa process.

 

After this process, we are firm believers that EVERY case is different and every case will be viewed differently depending on the kind of visa you are going for, the state of your relationship and the personalities of the people involved. Sometimes, what happens to one person who's going for the visa won't happen the exact same way as the next. So here's some of my insights. You can take them with a grain of salt if you like.

 

We went for the CR-1 visa, so it was relatively quick. You can see the timeline in my signature. Getting all the info together and calling Beijing a bunch helped a lot, it kept us sane. Even if you get a machine, don't give up, try again later. As for CR-1 people, make sure you get your domicile together ASAP. That's key, as for finances, I can't really say. I live and work in China so I don't make as much as a person in the states does, but I save a lot more. Files your taxes. You should do this anyway. <_<

 

I think the biggest concern for us was the interview, so we came down to Guangzhou early. The interview was on Thursday, but we arrived Monday morning to attend the American services hour for immigration visas. You have to be a petitioner to go there and ask questions. The VO I had was friendly and helpful and told me Domicile and Finances were key. (I think domicile is more important. ;) )

 

Coming here early was great because the weather and surroundings in Guangzhou are more pleasant than Shanghai. :D It's a bit cleaner down here... but on top of that we stayed at a great hotel. Go stay at AS Home which is run by Yang Jia Hua. This guy has been running his hotel for about 7-8 years, knows the patterns and ins and outs of the visa process system, and his hotel is in the same building as the consulate. He's been recommended on this site more than once and now I am recommending it. It's worth it.

 

As for the interview itself, my wife was one of the last to get called for her interview, so I waited there from about 8AM till 12:30PM. (Bring one of those tiny unfoldable chairs if you can!) The thing was my wife had a very relaxing conversation with the visa officer. Try to make the interview more like a conversation. My wife's English is also really awesome, and she never studied abroad or anything like that and started learning English when I started learning Chinese, in college. She also went to the US twice as a tourist and came back to China both times, so I think that helped a little. My wife is the bomb as far as I'm concerned and she let the visa officer know as well. I'm very proud of her. ÀÏÆÅ£¬ÄãÌ«°ôÁË¡£ :D

 

I think if you give the visa officer the impression that you belong in the states and the states is right for you because your family is there and you have the potential to fit in US culture, then you'll be OK. You can bring the kitchen sink with you, but more importantly -- stay comfortable, have fun, smile, be confident and happy. :) Visa officers are humans too.

 

A few last thoughts... 1. Prayer works! 2. Try to enjoy Guangzhou, shopping flor clothes here is way cheaper than Shanghai! B) 3. A true relationship always prevails!

Good luck and I hope this helps!

B)

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Squonk

Squonk

Posted
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Yes, Mr Yang and his wife were invaluable. IMO, their contributions were among the many pieces that led to the successful granting of my wife and her son's visa.

My lao po was also dead last.

I spent nearly 5 hours in that coffee shop in the US Consulate bldg.

The women who came down around 20 minutes before my wife did told me not to worry because the US Consulate always does the easy cases last. With it being lunchtime and all, the FAO's probably want to end the day on a good note B) .

 

My wife had the "kitchen sink" with her, but her success lied in her ability to honestly and truthfully convince the FAO that her and her son belonged in the US with me and my daughter. Her interview was quick, to the point, and to the PINK.

 

I concur, A true relationship always prevails.

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zoeandmorgan

zoeandmorgan

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WenDylan,

 

No problem. Are you guys still doing the timeline? Can you add our case in as well? I would appreciate it. Keep up the great posts. I read stuff from you guys all the time.

 

Squonk,

 

You case sounds exactly the same as mine. Yeah i think mine and my wife's was an easy case, but I didn't sit at the coffe shop. As far as I'm concerned, the prices there are "tai gui le". =) It's arguable that the VO's want to leave for lunch and grab some Starbucks or something. hehe.

 

Congats about your wife AND her son! Wow, was the process for her son much longer? Just curious.

 

ллÄãÃÇÁ½Î»£¡

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zoeandmorgan

zoeandmorgan

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To: E&S, Appaullo, Michael, 406 Camaro, Joannaliu and Illinois Dave...

 

THANK YOU ALL! =) My wife loves hearing from all you guys and so do I. ÄãÃǶ¼ÈÃÎÒÃÇÁ½¸öºÜ¿ªÐÄ£¡

 

To Georgelee: Thanks to you too! Saw you on my post about taxes and I-864. As for the American service hours, it's on Mondays at 2pm at the Consulate, but you should get there by 1:15.

 

Just walk in the building, you'll get to the 4th floor and they'll start letting folks in to get to the 5th floor where the consulate is located at around 2, so you'll have to wait a bit. :D When you get in, you'll hand in your cell, get inside, get a number and a sheet to write down information about you, your case and space to write down your questionsNumbers will be called at random so pay attention to the signs or the visa officers calling out numbers.

 

(It seems like you won't have problems speaking English with the visa officer, a lot of petitioners there don't speak English or Mandarin. :toot: Welcome to Guangzhou! My Cantonese got better after that afternoon and this whole trip!)

 

Bring your passport of course, come ready with questions you have. It will help to have the case number for the immigrant you are petitioning. Make sure you leave 2-3 hours out of your schedule to get this all done and done well. :toot:

 

Jia You, Georgelee!!!!! YOU GOT THIS! Think pink!!!

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