Guangzhou Non reply

[marks1957]

My stepdaughter has been in GZ for two weeks now. She should have had her US Visa in her Chinese passport last Friday. It is now Friday in China and still no Visa at the end of the second week. If there was a problem why didn't they say something to her when she presented her paper to get the Visa. She stayed in China for the last 9 months to finish high school. Now it is time for her to follow her mother. Last Wed the Consualte called me but my phone was on vibrate and I did not get the call. I tried calling the number back but when I pressed #1 for English, it cut me off. I called back and had my wife listen in Chinese and left a message, but no one has called back. I have sent a email and fax and it has been 8 business days and no reply.

 

I am really concerned as I have heard everyone gets their visa in 2 to 3 days. She must leave China within 1 year of her mother getting her Visa. My wife got her Visa on Jan 2nd. I had hoped to fly her here this week but I am really worried about getting her here before the year is up and they void her visa.

 

Any suggestions other than flying there in person? Do I keep sending a fax until I get a reply?

[Sebastian]

I'd keep sending a fax with copy of NOA-2 notice (This has the GUZ case number on it, and is official). Send it during THEIR office hours, not yours.

 

But, and this is sideways, did the daughter fill out an EMS form? Did she write down the EMS tracking number? IF SO - you can track the package at http://www.ems.com.cn/qcgzOutQueryAction.d...ode=gotoSearchE

 

I wish I had a better answer for you - such as:

1. telephoning the American Citizen Services Desk and inquire there.

2. telephoning the visa processing unit clerk and inquire.

etc etc ad naseum. But those avenues simply don't exist.

 

I don't think there will be any problem with 'voiding the visa'. She came back WITHIN THAT ONE YEAR TIME FRAME and dropped off her passport. It will get a 'current print' the day it's printed, she'll have some NEW time on it because of the NEW VISA, more than enough to make it into the USA over the next 6 months.

 

Disclaimer - I am not an attorney, or even an immigration attorney, nor do I play one on TV.

Edited December 12, 2008 by Darnell (see edit history)

[Randy W]

 

I don't think there will be any problem with 'voiding the visa'. She came back WITHIN THAT ONE YEAR TIME FRAME and dropped off her passport. It will get a 'current print' the day it's printed, she'll have some NEW time on it because of the NEW VISA, more than enough to make it into the USA over the next 6 months.

 

Disclaimer - I am not an attorney, or even an immigration attorney, nor do I play one on TV.

 

 

Not true - the visa MUST be used (at the POE) within one year of the Mother's date of entry.

 

This is ridiculous - now they're torturing our children as well?

 

Try email, also.

 

http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/guangzhou/iv/email.html

[Sebastian]

Randy - BANG ! Ok...

[marks1957]

I have already returned the call ...the number on my cell, but it was a general number that when you press "1" it says no longer working...when I called back again and pressed to hear in Chinese my wife said I could leave a message which I did but that was 7 days ago now. I also already faxed the number below and emailed them too. I guess I need to fax them again, every day until I use up all their paper.

 

My poor sister-in-law flew down their with her neice thinking she would return on the same week (they flew down early Monday morning last week, turned in the papers on Monday, returned Tuesday to pay the fee to have the passport sent to the PO and was told to wait 2-3 days...last Friday). They have been staying in a hotel all this time and my sister-in-law left her 12 y/o son with her sister to care for expecting it to take only a week.

 

My wife was given her K3 on Jan 2nd this year but did not enter the US until Feb 19th. Does her daughter need to have her visa before the 2nd of Jan or when her mother entered the US on the 19th of Feb?

 

If it's 19Feb then we have some breathing room, but if she must have her Visa by the 2nd then there may be a problem unless the clock stopped on Dec 1st when she presented her passport to get her already approved K4 Visa put into it.

 

As a back up her CR2 is already in the NVC waiting for the DS230 part I&II but I have not mailed them because she was to be here already. Maybe I should mail them off just in case.

 

What do you think? I can fax them every day until I get a reply...but I don't want to piss them off but just get an answer as to why the delay and why they felt they needed to call me last week.

 

 

 

 

I don't think there will be any problem with 'voiding the visa'. She came back WITHIN THAT ONE YEAR TIME FRAME and dropped off her passport. It will get a 'current print' the day it's printed, she'll have some NEW time on it because of the NEW VISA, more than enough to make it into the USA over the next 6 months.

 

Disclaimer - I am not an attorney, or even an immigration attorney, nor do I play one on TV.

 

 

Not true - the visa MUST be used (at the POE) within one year of the Mother's date of entry.

 

This is ridiculous - now they're torturing our children as well?

 

Try email, also.

 

http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/guangzhou/iv/email.html

[Sebastian]

If DOS has status, it'd be useful to know it - Call DOS at 202-663-1225 then after they answer then push 1 then 5 then 0 and you can ask them about the status.

[marks1957]

If DOS has status, it'd be useful to know it - Call DOS at 202-663-1225 then after they answer then push 1 then 5 then 0 and you can ask them about the status.

 

The Dos gave me some very bad news. They said there are problems with her physical and police check expiring (?expired). They have waited there for 10 days for nothing. She could have redone her physical and police check already. Now I think they will have to return to Dalian to get the Police check there.(it was done last NOvember 07). I don't think her other sister's in Dalian can get this done without my stepdaughter being there in person. I can ask but...why did't they tell her last Tuesday at the window that there are a couple of issues? Why let her wait this long for nothing?

 

What a mess?

[rogerinca]

Just for the record, most newer members (and many longer term members included) may not recall that this member was treated very well late last year by the folks at GUZ, with respect to his K-3 case file and interview scheduling.

 

Mark filed very close to the time that I did with my own K-3, and many other members with K-1¡¯s as well, when he raised an alarm bell, with many urgent posts herein, over the fact that his wife was about about 3 months pregnant and he requested special handling of his case.

 

Accordingly, the good folks at GUZ quickly moved him to the head of the line, and his wife had her interview [months] ahead of several of the rest of us in the same filing period, wherein most of us with Spring ¡¯07 filings, had to wait that long wait, into the middle of 2008, for our interview dates.

 

I doubt that this is any more than a case of the petitioners not being on top of things, and/or not understanding what may have been explained/required with the paper work along the way, rather than something 'negative' on the part of GUZ.

 

While any delay, for any reason, is not welcomed, I am sure this will be cleared up very fast, once the paperwork is brought up to date.

[Randy W]

 

My wife was given her K3 on Jan 2nd this year but did not enter the US until Feb 19th. Does her daughter need to have her visa before the 2nd of Jan or when her mother entered the US on the 19th of Feb?

 

 

 

Like I said earlier, the mother's date of entry - Feb 19 - is the date to use. Jiaying's son used his K-2 MORE than 1 year after her K-1 was awarded, but LESS than one year after her's was used.

 

The negative on the part of GUZ here is the delay, putting her life on hold with no word as to what or when she is waiting for.

 

They have done this several times - our friend Rob (Rob&Jin) had to leave and go home without his fiance because he had no word on what to expect.

[LeeFisher3]

 

My wife was given her K3 on Jan 2nd this year but did not enter the US until Feb 19th. Does her daughter need to have her visa before the 2nd of Jan or when her mother entered the US on the 19th of Feb?

 

 

 

Like I said earlier, the mother's date of entry - Feb 19 - is the date to use. Jiaying's son used his K-2 MORE than 1 year after her K-1 was awarded, but LESS than one year after her's was used.

 

The negative on the part of GUZ here is the delay, putting her life on hold with no word as to what or when she is waiting for.

 

They have done this several times - our friend Rob (Rob&Jin) had to leave and go home without his fiance because he had no word on what to expect.

The visa must be used before it's expiration date no matter the type.

 

The critical thing is the visa issuance date, for a FTJ it MUST be issued within 1 year of the parents visa issuance. This is a hard date.

 

With that said, if she receives her visa on Jan 1 she has until the visa expiration date to use it to enter the US.

[marks1957]

Just a note: As of today GUZ has not replied to none of my recent emails or FAXs. Shanghai was worthless to call. They only have info on my wife's K3 and she has been here for 10 mths. I did FAX Mr Wong and call him but he said he deals with refugees and would only forward my FAX to the Non-Immigrant department.

 

The only way I got some action was to call the US Citizen side of the Consulate and explain the situation. She at least took my sister-in-laws cell phone and said she would take care of it.

 

Result. The consulate called her within 10 minutes. It turns out the consulat had been trying to call my sister-in-law, where my stepdaugher was staying, to notify them of the hangup. Well of course they were not there but waiting in GUZ for the visa. Why they did not tell my stepdaughter the second day when she returned to get the papers to then pay for the visa to be mailed to the Post Office I do not know. Why, when they could not reach them, did they not try to call me again or leave me a message, I don't know.

 

We did find that they wanted a new Police Check, and physical. We initially were going to get the K4 when my wife got her K3 ,but felt she should stay and finish her HS. What we should have been told when we told the consulate we wanted her to FTJ is to do another police check and physical before returning to get the approved visa. Hopefully she gets this turned in Wed and her visa this Friday to fly her next Monday for XMas...

[Sebastian]

That's excellent news, after a fashion.

 

At least you've got someone inside the consulate.

 

My initial fear was that the 'hangup' was absolutely a 'problem call'. Of course, it was...

 

Hang in there - it's almost over.

[marks1957]

That's excellent news, after a fashion.

 

At least you've got someone inside the consulate.

 

My initial fear was that the 'hangup' was absolutely a 'problem call'. Of course, it was...

 

Hang in there - it's almost over.

 

 

Today (in China) she turns in her newer Police Check and Physical. Hope she gets the Visa by Friday so I can get her here by next Monday. I asked her to give the VO a note saying that if there is still a problem, to call her local cell phone. Lets hope she does not get that call,but the visa this Friday.....fingers crossed.

[marks1957]

Roger,

I am surprised at your response here. You seem very jealous that I asked for and got my pregnant wife here in the US for better health care. And yes, the consulate was very helpful and I am glad they let her come when they did or even if she had gotten her interview around the time of your wife, my wife would have been ready to deliver and would not have been to go for at least a month after she delivered (we had a daughter on May 11th, Mother's Day).

 

This time I am partly at fault because at the time my wife got her physical, the plan was to have the daughter come with her. But before we turned in her passport we decided it would be better for her to finish her HS there. We had already done police checks and physicals for both. The consulate, to the best of my recollection, told us she only needed to return with her invitation sheet and get her K4 Visa. I told them it would be in December 08. Nothing was said then to repeat the physical or police check.

 

The bigger issue is that the second day when she returned to pick up the papers to pay for the visa to go to the Post Office, the consulate said nothing to her about needing new doccuments. When they called me on the 3rd, they did not leave a message or call back number. I emailed and faxed them twice since then and they have not replied to any of them. I even faxed Mr Wong and asked him to give my inquiry to the non-immigrant dept and still no reply, even as of today. The Shanghai customer service number was a joke. They said they could not tell me anyting. I got more info the the DOS and then finally got some help from a Chinese National working in the US Citizen side of the Embasy. She took my sister-in-laws cell and within 15 minutes they had called her. It turned out they had been trying to reach my stepdaughter at her mothers old address. It has been changed with USCIS since she came to the US. They also said they were calling the other contact number, my sister-in-law. But she was in GUZ waiting with my stepdaughter, for the visa to come at the Post Office. Heck, they could have sent a letter to the post office saying the visa is on hold until.....

 

My gripe here, which is why I am posting it here, is that emailing the consulate and Faxing them went unanswered and paying the $7 to call Shanghai is a waste of money unless you have a general qustion. With her K4 expiring Jan 2nd, time was not on our side. I needed answers.

 

I faxed/emailed them on the 4th....today is the 16th...still no answer... do the math.

 

Of course I know what the problem is now and hopefully its fixed.

[Sebastian]

Wow - such a long time since checking in ? How did it go ? Did she make it across the pond? Hope all is well with you and yours....