Off to see the wizard of GUZ

[Louis(^_^)]

Thanks for writing about the info. Yihan and I will be going for our interview 22 DEC, Im hoping of staying at the Yangs too.

[b.c]

Brings back great memories. Thanks Kyle.

[Kyle]

Tuesday

 

I had an appointment for ACS this morning at 10:00 AM. I took care of two things - total cost 30 USD:

 

1. Added additional pages to my passport

2. Got my EOR letter notarized.

 

I showed up a little early, which was fine. I concluded my business quickly and exited the building around 10:20. NOTE: You can schedule more than one service during the same visit, however, you must first make two separate appointments online through the USCONGUZ website (at which point you will select identical dates and time for each service). No problems with the ACS. The vice-council who notarized my EOR did not ask any additional questions, however, he did spend a long time comparing the dates mentioned in my letter (I used MANY – mm/yyyy) with the visas, entry/exit stamps in my passport. During his preparation, I just sat and waited. Smokiessky was also there at the same time getting his EOR taken care of as well.

 

After I returned to our apartment, Mrs. Yang, came over again to make sure I made my ACS meeting, and to help organize Jingjing’s kitchen sink. She told us that we were very well prepared that that the consulate officer might just give us the pink slip w/o asking any questions! Seriously doubt it, but I wish. She spent about an hour helping her.

 

Mrs. Yang, can speak English, and I believe her listening ability is honed in fairly well. Please understand that English isn’t her first language, and that misinterpretations occur (from both parties). I’ve had no problem speaking with her, but I’ve done so almost completely in Chinese, which I think she prefers. I just wanted you guys not to set unreasonable expectations. Regardless, I’m sure your fiancé/e or spouse will be with you and would easily help you overcome any language barrier. Jingjing and I have appreciated everything that Mrs. Yang has done for us.

 

Later, Jingjing and I headed up to the Yang’s business office to print out a few documents (from my trusty digital sink) on their office computer. Mrs. Yang DOES NOT CARE if you need to print out a few docs on their computer. Of course, they didn’t charge us for the copies.

 

UPDATE:

 

This just happened. While eating lunch, two more uninvited guests entered our apartment (the landlord's husband was giving a tour to a potential tenant) . Now, I’m a patient guy and I try to be the ol’ “slow to anger, quick to love” person my parents raised me to be, but I really struggled this time around - one time's a fluke, but two times? Come on, now. Last time, my wife told Yang what happened. This time, I told her it was my turn so we called Mr. Yang down for a heart-to-heart, Kyle-style.

 

I was successful in being polite, but I threw the caution of being too strong out the door. I gave him three options:

 

1. Move us to an apartment that he himself owns.

2. Change the lock and replace it after we leave.

3. We leave and find a new place for the duration of our trip.

 

Yang quickly chose to change the locks and said he would do so in thirty minutes, with no charge to us. He completely understood our “frustration”

 

I’m not the “threaten” type, but I did state matter-of-factly that I was documenting our whole GUZ experience and would relay EVERYTHING to the CFL community (then my wife chimed in and said the same thing on 001). Not really knowing how to reply, he just smiled and nodded – acknowledging that he understood. After it was all said and done, he confessed that he actually doesn’t own any of the apartments that he rents out, rather, he sublets them out from other landlords. He stated that this was the first time that the landlord didn’t respect the agreement and that the landlord who owns our apartment was new and that she didn’t yet learn how things work around here.

 

Mr. Yang is a great guy and I HAVE NO DOUBTS that he and his wife are honest and carry a great depth of integrity. Would I still recommend the Yang’s? Yes, but with one stipulation:

 

Make certain they are aware that you’ve read this account and suggest having the locks changed at the beginning of your stay.

 

I offered to pay for the new lock and to hire the locksmith to make the change. The Yang’s would not allow me to pay. I’m uncertain how much it cost; however, I know for certain you can get the same thing done in Wuhan (because I did it) for less than 100 RMB. For me, that’s worth it, for having the peace-of-mind and privacy I expect when carrying around the kitchen sink. The Yang’s understood all of this and they also agreed. Needless to say, Mr. Yang was (I hate to use this word) pissed. Before he was out the door, he was dialing up the landlord on his cell phone.

CONSIDER YOURSELVES INFORMED

 

However, pertaining to the service attitude of the Yang’s I have nothing but praise. They have exceeded all of our expectations by a substantial margin.

 

Jingjing, just told me that Mrs. Yang, knows how to change the lock, so apparently no locksmith is needed. They also have a spare lock so there was no need to purchase one.

 

Apparently what happened was that Yang chewed out the woman landlord yesterday, but she didn’t tell her husband. I suspect that she probably kept this from him because of the face factor. I have a hard time believing that she “just forgot” to do so. The previous sentence though is pure speculation on my part.

 

After the Yang’s changed our lock, Jingjing and I focused on organizing our kitchen sink. This is how we did it:

 

Jingjing bought several plastic see-through folders (11 of them) and after filling all of them with our information, we stacked them. We then proceeded to make tabs (think of a Bible) labeled 1,2,3 . . .11. I think Randy suggested (if I miss quoted, then I apologize for not giving the proper credit) making a cover sheet to hand the VO itemizing our kitchen sink. We made two copies, one for Jingjing and one for her VO. See below:

 

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...st&p=536147

 

This evening we hung out with Smokiessky and his fiancée. It was a nice time of dinner and getting to know one another. It’s great to make friendships through CFL, but it’s even better when you have a chance to meet in person – you know, to put a face with the name.. err uhh I mean, username.

 

After dinner, Jingjing and I went to their apartment and discussed their case, and gave them a few pointers that may help them out.

 

Later, we returned home and put the finishing touches on the “sink” The only thing we didn’t add to it was a red bow. You know, I put a lot of work into it, and I have to say, it’s a work of CFL art. I kind of have reservations about Jingjing going through it tomorrow and messing it all up .

Edited June 1, 2010 by Kyle (see edit history)

[Rachel + Will = Together Forever]

Wow, thanks for documenting all that for us! I'm sorry to hear about your ordeal, but glad you guys got it straightened out! We just stayed in a local 7 Days Inn, so we don't have any great stories to tell!

 

I totally know what you mean about messing up the file during the interview... I felt the same way, but Will is a very clean and organized kind of guy, so that set my mind at ease... he wanted to do everything just right too

 

Sleep well you two! We can't wait to hear tomorrow's results!!!

[HelloWorld08]

Good Luck today!!

[mmpv]

 

making a cover sheet to hand the VO itemizing our kitchen sink. We made two copies, one for Jingjing and one for her VO. See below:

 

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...st&p=536147

 

 

I thought that you mentioned the VO's would tend to ask for items that you don't have. Isn't this just giving intel to the enemy (for lack of a better term.)? ;-)

 

Good luck on you interview.

Edited June 1, 2010 by Kyle (see edit history)

[Kyle]

Very easy pink is an understatement. The VO said she didn't even want to interview Jingjing - no real questions asked, nor any documents exchanged. Lasted about one minute. I'll give a full update later this evening. Now that it's over, my body wants to crash. More later. . .

[Rachel + Will = Together Forever]

Very easy pink is an understatement. The VO said she didn't even want to interview Jingjing - no real questions asked, nor any documents exchanged. Lasted about one minute. I'll give a full update later this evening. Now that it's over, my body wants to crash. More later. . .

Wow, I knew it!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Blessings on you both!!! Wonderful!!!

[mmpv]

Very easy pink is an understatement. The VO said she didn't even want to interview Jingjing - no real questions asked, nor any documents exchanged. Lasted about one minute. I'll give a full update later this evening. Now that it's over, my body wants to crash. More later. . .

 

Great news. Congrats.

[dnoblett]

Very easy pink is an understatement. The VO said she didn't even want to interview Jingjing - no real questions asked, nor any documents exchanged. Lasted about one minute. I'll give a full update later this evening. Now that it's over, my body wants to crash. More later. . .

I had absolutely NO DOUBT IN MY MIND!

 

You were prepared, and considering Marriage for 3 years and several visits to the USA, this was a SLAM DUNK.

 

CONGRATS!!!

[Michael]

Congrats to the both of you. That is very exciting. Best of luck to you both.

[xiaofeizhu]

Congratulations! I never doubted your pink, but it's always nice to have that pink in hand! I'm guessing you'll have your visa on Friday? Hehe, when do you plan to bring her back to the USA for good? Excitement!

[Kyle]

Wednesday - Interview Day - Pink

 

Jingjing and I got up early this morning and headed down to line up in front of the consulate (6:30). This is what you need to know: it didn't matter if you were first in line, or last in line, they will call up applicants (by passport and appointment letter) into groups and you'll have to wade through the sea of people to enter the building. That being said, if you get to the front quickly when they call your group, you can get in line inside the building more quickly than the others thus allowing you to get an earlier number for fingerprint processing, etc. Jingjing entered at 7:30 AM - she was in the first group called. She said getting in line by 6:45 for a 7:15 appointment would have been sufficient.

 

This is one thing that I didn't know, and YOU ALL SHOULD. Everything that Jingjing and I preloaded with our I-130, they kept and set it out when Jingjing interviewed. They had EVERYTHING (preloaded pictures, letters, urine samples (just kidding) 什么的 。 。 。(ok, forgive me, I haven't slept much and I'm feeling kind of silly). They actually kept everything we mailed in as well. Jingjing even saw my packet three cover letter. You can find what we preloaded here

 

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...c=39043&hl=

 

We both feel this was the most important factor in giving Jingjing a non-interview interview.

 

Jingjing's interviewer was a mid-30's Caucasian lady with long curly brown hair (Jingjing said she was really nice). Upon getting her number called, Jingjing was asked for her passport, which was the only document which was requested.

 

The VO did ask some other questions, but more-so in a way to confirm what she already learned from our previously submitted documents.

 

Q1. Have you been to America.

Q2. How long did you stay each time

Q3. When did you first go to the US and why?

Q4. What does your husband do?

 

That was it. There were no tricks, no domicile question, nothing that even remotely resembled a "test" for my wife - They were all softball questions. In fact, the VO already had all of the answers! All of these things were previously documented in Jingjing's passport as well as her other P1 docs. The VO also knew this, and she said, "Look, I'm sorry that you prepared all of this, but we already have everything we need. Personally, I don't really feel I need (or want) to interview you, but we have to go through the formal procedure."

 

She asked if we had any pictures, then said, "Oh, I see we already have pictures that were submitted with your I-130 so I don't need to see them. Jingjing, responded "But I have more! Please take a look" Jingjing offered twice before the VO said OK. The only question asked when looking at the pictures (very quickly - actually not really looking but just thumbing through) was "Who's this?" referring to Jingjing's mother (which the VO already knew, because we typed captions underneath each picture - again, just going through the procedures for documentation purposes). That was it. About one minute is all it took.

 

The VO said, "I sure do wish everyone prepared like you guys as it would make my life so much easier, there is absolutely no doubt that you guys are for real. I often get a lot of strange cases that aren't as well prepared, which makes it very hard for me to come to a solid conclusion"

 

I think the VO who I spoke with during ACH was the one who processed Jingjing's financial documents and he didn't even initiate speaking Chinese with her because during my ACH appointment, I told him my wife is an English teacher at New Oriental. Jingjing said something like he said "Oh, Ms. (surname)" in a tone that made her think he was already familiar with her background. From her description of him, I think it was the same guy.

 

We're not picking up the passport, rather having it mailed to the Yang's, who will then mail it to us. (300 RMB for this)

 

Kyle's closing thoughs:

 

ACH is useful, at the very least, making the VO aware of your case and giving you an opportunity to put a personal touch to it. It may not be a huge advantage for her if you attend, but it may be a small one.

 

GUZ keeps all preloaded and mailed (Packets) documents for auditing purposes. All of the documents (even my cover letters) which were preloaded, they kept. To me THIS WAS the factor that made this only a formality to go through. Some people have suggested that the outcome is already predetermined. I disagree for the most part. Let me explain:

 

If you do not preload your application, then I feel that the VO is actually trying to gain a sense for your relationship during the interview - they probably, in such a case, have no feeling either way before hand how it's going to go but form a conclusion as the interview progresses (requesting additional documents/asking questions etc - I believe this is where a "trick" question, as some have documented, may come into play ).

 

However, if you give them everything under-the-sun when you first submit your application, I do think they pretty much have a strong feeling before the interview what the result will be. In this case, the interview is merely a formality. As I mentioned earlier, the questions she asked Jingjing were softballs lobbed high in the air - in our opinion, just to give the VO something to type documenting the interview itself.

 

Jingjing said when she saw my P3 cover letter, she knew it was a done deal. Hope this helps someone out. I've left out the pre-interview stuff because it's already been heavily covered by others. No need to beat a dead horse. Thanks for your help CFL!

 

I'll probably make another post or two in this thread, just to document things I feel would be useful to others while in GUZ before their interview.

 

Total price for today's consulate fees: 400 USD (355+45). Jingjing also paid 40 RMB to have her EMS package mailed locally to the Yang's.

Edited November 25, 2009 by Kyle (see edit history)

[Kyle]

Congratulations! I never doubted your pink, but it's always nice to have that pink in hand! I'm guessing you'll have your visa on Friday? Hehe, when do you plan to bring her back to the USA for good? Excitement!

 

Thanks! Nope, we're not hanging around to pick it up. The Yang's will mail it to us. Jingjing has to work Saturday morning and her visa wouldn't be ready until probably Monday, since the consulate will be closed for T-Day.

 

We're heading to the States around the end of Feb. We're wanting to spend one last CN New Year's with Jingjing's family and perhaps go on one last trip with them before we leave.

Edited November 25, 2009 by Kyle (see edit history)

[Ant & Lu]

Congratulations