Actual Interview Scenario in Guangzhou

[2mike&jin]

I have so many things of which you speak...actually the guests at our wedding paid for it all.... I saw the envelopes and my wife settled with the facility, my point was I didn't pay....we never told anyone involved in our casae these details,.... they never asked. I just had back surgery so no flights to China any time soon. Maybe towards the end of the year. I know everything you say is right, its just a pain trying to rewrite history when you've done nothing wrong.

 

Yea, I pay 20.00 a month for 1,000 minutes and the VO wants to know what we talk so much? really?

 

 

I want to refile the I-130 but I dont want the same results.... Obviously, I will send all the family pictures, christmas cards, beneficiary information...etc....

 

 

Ok, no piling on here - some have already suggested some things to do. I also want to wholeheartedly tell you to be "very involved" in all aspects of the case. Many here have given you the "other side of the view" and it is ugly. Playing devils advocate when trying to figure out what the Consulate (I see you still call it an embassy) wants - is a game many have played over and over in there heads. A few suggestions just listening to some of the rhetoric;

 

1. I too claimed I could speak a little Chinese. Well how could I prove it? I couldn't speak well enough (actually I couldn't read well enough) to pass the HSK so I did it by giving matriculation information for the college I attended to learn Chinese, receipts for the Rosetta Stone I bought (Funny - my wife knows every passage and can just recite the entire DVD), the Pimleur I bought - and I wrote out a letter in Chinese - yes it had many errors - but I wouldn't let anyone else touch it...it was in the stack that I sent in.

 

2. The second thing I did was I made an appointment at the Consulate to get a new financial form notarized - and when they told me I didn't need to add "financial statements on the form" I showed them where it says on the form - to append them to it - to make a complete package. At this same time - one of the VO's (not the one my wife got) did the notoraization - actually ask me several questions - and I spoke in Chinese to him - asking him how he was doing learning to read and write. He came back saying it was "impossible to write" ...I said I know. The important point here is not the story - it's the way a PERSON can get the requisite information into the file/computer by a local GUZ VO. Example...his parting shot to me was several questions - how we met, etc...and I said..."This sounds like the questions my fiance will get tomorrow" - I should've stayed up and practiced - he laughed and said he was just trying to help me out...as he was steady typing into the secret computer. Again, a way to get the information to the "decision makers" without it actually going from you wife's lips or the stack of paper that she is prepared to hand to the VO.

 

3. Commenting on your statements above - I would question the approach you took - of not fully disclosing why you didn't visit, back surgery etc...spell it out. I'm lazy - so I'm not going to snoop back and see if you went to GUZ, had an appointment at ACS or any of the other things that are suggested here...but not elucidating important facts that might explain number of visits, reasons for "out of the ordinary actions" all seem to be pushing the odds.

 

4. Lot's of folks, including me, have agonized over the smallest of points as we approach the interview - and have actually spent money on various back up plans in case we were completely shut out by some VO that was unreasonable. Chop Suey - gave you some good advice - cool off - gain perspective - and figure out what your plan b and possible plan C might be. Although, several here have indicated they don't think the VO was unreasonable in the interaction - she certainly didn't give your wife a second chance - and many here have been treated the same way. We were lucky in our interview - and no more prepared than many hundreds before us - but in all honesty I would've not let an interview take place with unresolved issues.

 

Think it out...plan your strategy and think through every detail. My suggestion if it is a "refile" do it yourself with significant effort towards each and every detail. If it truely is based on "communication" that will be easy to correct - I think the "Great Wall Package" on Dish network is only about 20 bucks a month - at 11:00 PM, they have a great show with - looks like 2 or 3 graders - and it's like a "refresher course" in Putonghua. I love it.

 

Best of Luck, this is a hard pill to swallow - but many have survived and prevailed - you can as well!

 

 

 

Thanks for the ideas about letters and christmas cards... I found five I had covered up laying around!!!!! +

 

 

My mother wrote a dear notarized "Affidavit of Relationship" as well as ten other family and friends..... The USCIS read them and approved our petition... the Embassy would not look at them...

Edited August 27, 2010 by 2mike&jin (see edit history)

[whatsthedeal]

Below is what actually happened in Guangzhou 3/15/2010. My wife had thrown up all night form all the immunizations they gave her. She was very nervous and the VO, well you can see it for yourselves....

 

You asked me how the visa officer felt when she interviewed me. I felt that she was not friendly, she asked me:

 

1. “How do you know each other?”

 

2. “How many times has your husband been back to China to meet with you?”

 

Then she wanted to see our pictures, she didn’t want to see our wedding picture, she wanted me to show her our normal life pictures before the wedding. The third question she asked me was how do you both communicate? I said that I can speak a little English and my husband can speak a little Chinese. We communicate everyday by phone. I had to show my telephone bill to her. After she read the phone bill, she used English to ask me: “Where was your husband born?” I understood what she asked, but I did not directly answer her question, I asked her, “Are you asking me where my husband was born?” She looked at me in an unusual way that was not friendly and said “say it.” I explained to her that my husband and I have a special style of communication. He understands me when I speak English, and we both completely understand each other. After that she picked up a blue paper and wrote something on it, and then she told me that she has some questions that my husband needs to answer or explain. Our interview time was very short. It was probably only one or two minutes.

 

Did I miss something? Your wife got a blue paper so you will be given a chance to overcome this before your petetion is sent back. What did the VO write on the paper? If her only question is about communication I would think you could resolve this.

 

Never mind I seen it in the other thread.

Edited August 27, 2010 by whatsthedeal (see edit history)

[tsap seui]

Yea, I pay 20.00 a month for 1,000 minutes

 

 

 

I saw this earlier in one of your posts.

 

For what it's worth, my wife and I talk alot every day. We have talked as many as 5,300 minutes in one month. Now we average around 3,000 minutes each month, plus we MSN with each other.

 

My calling plan is $24.95 a month for 5,600 minutes.

 

I have to call a number in California and then dial out to my wife from there. I have unlimited, nationwide minutes on my Verizon cell phone so calling California is no problem.

 

Don't know if it would help you any but the plan I have for China is through "Free Call Planet". They also offer 1,000 minutes for $9.95

 

tsap seui

[shushuweiwei]

I know. To be totally honest were doing fine. We laughed earlier on the phone and were back on track. It was important for me to lay it all out there for others. I know we blew it and I wished I had found this site before I flew to China and got married but that's water under the bridge. I also know that sometimes the truth "stings" to quote David Gray. I asked about meeting with an VO and they told me no way... We're still planning our future and are beginning to learn the unconvienent truth about this process. But, I have fantastic job, a great wife and a great life. I just need them all in one country!!! Oh and THANK YOU.

Glad you guys are good!

Yea, if you ask about meeting a VO they will say no but if you make an appt to get anything notarized then you get called to a window to talk with a VO and you have an opportunity to chat

[concert500]

Glad you guys are good!

Yea, if you ask about meeting a VO they will say no but if you make an appt to get anything notarized then you get called to a window to talk with a VO and you have an opportunity to chat

 

 

Dang! Thats really good advice. What would I get notarized, I wonder? So, the VO would / could pull up your case when we chat? Tonight I went 89% on my Rosetta Stone session...I have had the Pimsleur system for over a year but I really do like the R.S. Thanks for the input.

[concert500]

I saw this earlier in one of your posts.

 

For what it's worth, my wife and I talk alot every day. We have talked as many as 5,300 minutes in one month. Now we average around 3,000 minutes each month, plus we MSN with each other.

 

My calling plan is $24.95 a month for 5,600 minutes.

 

I have to call a number in California and then dial out to my wife from there. I have unlimited, nationwide minutes on my Verizon cell phone so calling California is no problem.

 

Don't know if it would help you any but the plan I have for China is through "Free Call Planet". They also offer 1,000 minutes for $9.95

 

tsap seui

 

Thanks Chop..I will probably keep my Time-Warner sice I have my International phone package bundled with my Internet and cable... But, I appreciate your feedback my friend.

[david_dawei]

Dang! Thats really good advice. What would I get notarized, I wonder? So, the VO would / could pull up your case when we chat? Tonight I went 89% on my Rosetta Stone session...I have had the Pimsleur system for over a year but I really do like the R.S. Thanks for the input.

If you wanted to really get close to the issue, you could write up a cover letter for a re-file and ask them to notarize it. Then that guy has to read your thoughts and explanations which might open the door to discussing 'what went wrong'. I only know of one (maybe two) who really got clear cut, case specific denial info from a VO via one of these appointments; so that means it may be worthwhile if someone is willing to take the time to go all the way to GUZ for no other reason than to spend money on a trip to see the consulate. But realize they might question that since you have no reason to be in GUZ.

 

My opinion is that GUZ is generally much smarter than most give them credit for. They have way too many interviews to not be. It's a trend that those who get denied tend to describe the VO as nasty or mean and those who get a visa describe the VO as nice... Honestly, it can't be that way; I think we have to accept this has to be the applicants emotions more than we think.

 

There are always lessons to learn from every interview. This one seems quite TYPICAL to me; the VO did not nor asked anything unusual but was more usual IMO. No need to go into details. Move forward with a plan from the lessons learned.

 

For those reading and planning: My one strong opinion is the concept of "time". VOs want to see what 'time' was involved from meeting to trip; from trip to filing. What 'time' you spent together (trips to china). They want to see pictures of your 'time' together; this means casual and varying events (different clothes to be blunt !!). Don't give pictures of all the same clothes to convey a single day together! yes, marriage pictures mean squat.

 

The bigger problem is: Most need to know this stuff BEFORE their first trip and certainly before they file.. but most (dare I say almost all) know this only leading up to or after the interview. I am not sure there is anyway to change that but we can at least uses such experiences to try and help others going through the process.. but sorry it may be at the expense of the person who just got some bad news.