Weeks delay of visa after pink

[Lee VD]

Time to start a new thread on this as the subject as changed from interview details to agonizing wait...

Pink was received 10/27 after call back from blue resolve. Two and a half weeks from the pink and no visa or indication from EMS it went out. At the beginning of the week we got an email response from my query to essentially give it up to 2 more weeks, so we have one more week before that window expires. I have done a lot of research here on cases like this and this is now one of the longest post-Pink delays in the past 2 years here. There was one "freedream" who had a 6 week delay exactly two years ago. I also looked into blue after pink situations. There were a couple but they were either clear blue situations but one was a "just need more time" blue... thats scary. There are rumors of white after pink but I couldn't find any specifics on that. All indications are the visa will be issued, even the email sought to calm us down on that. Only think I can think is another name check due to her visits to the U.S. since whenever the first one was done. Thats fine, I'm ok with that, but why does it have to take so long? In this computer age it should be able to be done in a matter of seconds!

I called DOS earlier this week and after doing some research they came back and said "didn't you get an email?" "didn't that answer your question?" ... "(no, but whatever...)". So our email communication was logged in the case.

Only one holiday so far in this period that added to the delay and hopefully this will get done by Thanksgiving. Her flight is this Saturday the 20th and we could stretch it into next week but it will be getting dicey and of course another holiday to slow things up. She would miss Thanksgiving. Any longer than that and we will have to postpone and reschedule our wedding. Gotta hate the moronic government.

Looks like we drew the short straw on this one as others continue to get their visas in 2-3 days around us...

[Ryan H]

Sorry to hear of this. I hope this will be over with soon and you two can be together.

[Randy W]

Yes - it's always amazing how insensitive GUZ can be to the fact that there are PEOPLE with LIVES that they would like to lead, behind these visa applications.

[Mick]

There is no logic to how things get done at GZ it seems. I am sure it is frustrating when folks are getting their visas ahead of you and were approved after you. It reminds me of the old Black Hole days. Hang in there, it could be worse. Back then we had our visa approved (pink) on August 20, 2002 and did not receive it until March 10, 2003. And there were some waits longer than hours (OwenKrout and AZ Wolfman to name a few.)

 

Chances are it will be sent out soon. Our prayers are with you.

[Amaro]

Like I said before man, ours was a 2 week wait after pink and holidays tossed into the mix and that was with a normal pink from the interview. Now lets throw in your case in with some of the complications you had. I just think you guys got the short straw on this one as well. I would'nt worry about a white slip, it really is nothing but processing paperwork, dont quote me on that. I would just play a waiting game, I read somewhere that administrative processing wouldnt last more than a month. So by next week would be possible. Just keep checking the chinese EMS with the tracking number you were given.

 

 

[Lee VD]

Thankfully, she lives in Shanghai and is having the passport sent to her so she didn't plan on staying in GUZ but we were COMPLETELY surprised that a call-in requires a 3 business day stay! Not even here did I read anything about this and of course the call-in letter does not tell you this. At least she didn't get stuck there like some other people here reported.

 

Now, this all makes it very hard to plan our wedding. If we don't get the visa by next week we will have to cancel our wedding plans and start all over. With a K1 you are only given a 90 day window to marry despite being given a 6-36+ month window of uncertainty of when you get the visa. So of course it is impossible to plan a decent wedding, you have to get married when the government tells you you can.... when you have permission.

 

Also, there are significant tax advantages to us getting married before the end of the year, so again, we have to follow government wisdom on when we get married.... nice...

 

They jacked up our fees well after we filed and took their sweet time to give us the privilege of paying more for the interview and AOS, thanks again government.

 

I have little to complain about compared with the poor souls here waiting years just to be with their spouse, but we have an open and shut case and its still a 14 month process.

 

We are hoping if the last email is true we will get the visa this week, we can only hope. She has quit her tenured position at the university, packed up and given away most of her posessions and paid back almost all of her money to her government run institution. The least the U.S. could do is grant itself +1 PhD and China -1. It's well in the U.S. interest to let this one in.

Edited November 14, 2010 by Lee VD (see edit history)

[tsap seui]

I feel for ya man. We had one of those open and shut cases too....3 1/2 years ago. Now jes sitting back waiting for the ol' P-2. Decided to not wait for the US Gubmit to tell us when we could marry.

 

She'll get the visa, no problem.

 

tsap seui

[smalltoe]

That sucks! Your case made me feel more uncomfortable about my son's getting visa soon. Well we can only pray, let our loved ones come soon. This whole process is just illegal!

[smalltoe]

Lee, do you have a tracking number that shows if visa has been mailed out? Does that tracking number, if any, come with the pink slip?

[Lee VD]

Lee, do you have a tracking number that shows if visa has been mailed out? Does that tracking number, if any, come with the pink slip?

 

Yeah, we have the tracking number... we keep hammering on the EMS site I made sure to tell her to write it down off the label before she left, a useful CFL tip!

 

The plan is to keep doing the EMS thing until Friday AM in the U.S.. If we see no activity I will call DOS again and then email GUZ again since they said to write in two weeks if we don't get it. That is very hopeful that they actually gave us a timeframe. That is very unusual. I hope it will be this week, all indications are it will but you can't count on anything with them in the end.

 

By the end of the week she will be living in her empty apartment. She still needs to cut off internet and power. If they cut the visa on Friday, it gets very dicey since she will try and pick it up at the P.O. on Saturday AM on the way to the airport! Crazy stuff...

 

She also needs to visa to get her housing insurance refund to the order of 15,000 RMB, otherwise she has to wait until she comes back after she gets her green card! She told me she owes about 6 months back rent and needs this money to pay that bill! I may have to wire her some money to cover these bills she can't pay until she gets the visa. Lots of complications that are starting to compound...

 

I know, I know, don't count on anything until you have the visa, but heck with a 99% chance of getting the visa within 2 weeks you think you could count on that.

Edited November 15, 2010 by Lee VD (see edit history)

[hugazebra]

Missing Thanksgiving with the family and haveing to cancel a planned wedding can't be fun. However, assuming your fiance arrives in US before year end, couldn't you just have a civil wedding registration without the ceremony and stuff? It means having to remember two anniversaries every year for rest of your life, but hey, the things some people do to avoid paying taxes...

[Lee VD]

Package has shipped! Let's hope its a visa! Good timing too since tomorrow AM she is shipping most of her worldly posessions off to her brother in Zhengzhou. We are hoping the package overnights to Shanghai and she can pick it up in the AM. The call back letter made it overnight. Then she has to cancel her utilities and pay her back rent!

[dnoblett]

Package has shipped! Let's hope its a visa! Good timing too since tomorrow AM she is shipping most of her worldly posessions off to her brother in Zhengzhou. We are hoping the package overnights to Shanghai and she can pick it up in the AM. The call back letter made it overnight. Then she has to cancel her utilities and pay her back rent!

Sounds like an early Christmas gift to me!

[chilton747]

Sure it's a visa....Congratulations and good luck!!!!!

[rongnjohn]

Lee,

 

We're hoping that all is well and that you receive the visa packet tomorrow. You two have had enough turmoil through all of this. Getting her here for the planned wedding / Holidays will help ease all of the past tensions. Good Luck, keep us posted!

 

John