Not so good result

[warpedbored]

I forgot to welcome you to CFL. You will find friends here as well as the best information for the visa process as it pertains to China.

 

 

 

At this point there is nothing you can do but wait. As far as how long it will take is anybody's guess. One thing that occurs to me is you mentioned that you work in the nuclear engineering field and you said you are Chinese. I am assuming now that you are naturalized US citizen. I would imagine that your line of work requires extensive background and security checks. This could add additional time to your approval if they were worried about espionage. Good luck and I wish you a speedy outcome.

Carl

[Henry and Mei]

And Ning, hey, I apologize for coming across so harsh.

 

Everyone I have worked with in the nuclear field is very sharp, don't take short cuts and know what they are doing.

At the industrial facility, I am working at now, it is common place to skip steps and cut corners. Drives me ....anyway, I have already seen my share of accidents and mechanical and product damage.

 

And by no means was I talking about your wife, when mentioning 2nd wives. The Consulate now requests her resume in her petition and I was thinking out loud, one of the possible reasons, since you were wondering why they would want hers. Like I was saying the Consulate is looking for visa fraud. Another tool they can use. Of course, anyone can fudge a resume/petition, but if discovered the penalties are severe.

 

So again, thinking out loud on why the Consulate now wants her resume.

 

And I had a Top Secret Clearance in the military and when working at a nuclear facility with all the background checks, several of my teachers and friends told me that they were contacted. Those checks took months and I would think yours are done. Should not be a factor unless something like Carl suggests.

 

And Carl is right this is a supportive group with a wealth of knowledge, my apology....hope you get a better result

Edited September 1, 2011 by Henry and Mei (see edit history)

[ning1986]

Don't worry, none taken.

 

So after searching http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?/topic/43790-call-in-letter/ mention a simple resume check takes ~1 month, and the timeline was pretty recent as well. So I'm hoping that my wife can get hers around the same time. Are there any other links to those that have gone through this process, perhaps post the amount of time required for your case?

 

Thanks

 

Ning

[ning1986]

New update, on August 29 2011, as stamped on another blue sheet my wife received. it still stays 221(g), and also the second box marked "for information and steps you can take to overcome this decision, refer to " the back of this sheet" but there is nothing marked in the second page. So What does that means? we're given instruction on steps to take to overcome this decision without any instructions at all.

 

Ning

[Randy W]

New update, on August 29 2011, as stamped on another blue sheet my wife received. it still stays 221(g), and also the second box marked "for information and steps you can take to overcome this decision, refer to " the back of this sheet" but there is nothing marked in the second page. So What does that means? we're given instruction on steps to take to overcome this decision without any instructions at all.

 

Ning

 

Wait

[ning1986]

New update, on August 29 2011, as stamped on another blue sheet my wife received. it still stays 221(g), and also the second box marked "for information and steps you can take to overcome this decision, refer to " the back of this sheet" but there is nothing marked in the second page. So What does that means? we're given instruction on steps to take to overcome this decision without any instructions at all.

 

Ning

 

Wait

 

 

Thanks for the fast reply, however according to the blue sheet, the instructions were not specific, it clearly marked 221g and the other box basically saying check back of this for instructions, but none were marked, could this be that they made a mistake or should I just wait indefinitely? because if they did want some document, its probably a good idea to send it to them asap, otherwise we'll just be waiting for nothing.

 

Has anyone else gone through similar situations?

 

Thanks

[Beachey]

New update, on August 29 2011, as stamped on another blue sheet my wife received. it still stays 221(g), and also the second box marked "for information and steps you can take to overcome this decision, refer to " the back of this sheet" but there is nothing marked in the second page. So What does that means? we're given instruction on steps to take to overcome this decision without any instructions at all.

 

Ning

 

Wait

 

 

Thanks for the fast reply, however according to the blue sheet, the instructions were not specific, it clearly marked 221g and the other box basically saying check back of this for instructions, but none were marked, could this be that they made a mistake or should I just wait indefinitely? because if they did want some document, its probably a good idea to send it to them asap, otherwise we'll just be waiting for nothing.

 

Has anyone else gone through similar situations?

 

Thanks

 

 

My suggestion is to send them an email using this form. Ask them if they need any more information or what else you need to do.

 

As Randy indicated, the most probable answer will be you need to wait but at least you will know they are not waiting on action from you.

 

And this coming Wednesday will be three months my wife and I have been waiting since her interview. I hope your case goes quicker.

Edited September 3, 2011 by Beachey (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Section 221g says (if you want some reading material) - Classes of Aliens Ineligible to Receive Visas

 

which is, unfortunately, the only information available at this point.

 

Anything you could do for now would fall into either the category of rattling their cage, or beating your head against the wall.

 

I don't mean to discourage you from doing either - perhaps others can relate their own experiences.

[xszhao]

Hi Ning,

 

I replied to your message about the timeline for AP. As someone mentioned before, and from what my wife has researched, the average timeline for an AP at the Guangzhou consulate seems to be ~ 3 months. This will vary between people because everyone's petition is different.

 

Your academic background most likely has something to do with the additional AP, the reason being that they asked for your resume. There are certainly additional background checks being conducted. At this point, it seems that you have submitted all the documents that the consulate required and now stuck in the waiting process.

 

One thing to note about background checks is that it doesn't matter if you already have security clearance because each department/agency's clearance is unique so the consulate will conduct a background regardless if you have or had clearance or not.

 

There are a few positive things going for you and your wife though. I assume you are relatively young since you have just graduated and also make the assumption that your wife is similar to your age. Since the difference in age is something that the consulate examines closely, chances are you and your wife's marriage will not be viewed by the consulate as being fraudulent. Thus, it is most likely that the additional AP is just additional background checks. Since your wife does not have any technical background and does not work in a technical field, nor is she part of CCP, and assuming you are not participating in espionage, I imagine the background check should go smoothly.

 

Here comes the biggest question, how long will you have to wait? You mentioned that someone similar to your situation finished the AP in one month, and yes that's me, but you should realize that all cases are different. There are so many factors that determines how long an AP will last, even if it's only background check. "Patience is a virtue" is truly something you should follow and I completely understand how you feel. I'm sure everyone on the board understands. I hope the AP is over as fast as possible for you and your wife.

[xszhao]

I forgot to mention an important thing.

 

Contact DoS at 202-663-1225, hit 5 and then 0. You should be directed to a visa specialist. Provide the specialist with your case number and he/she can tell you the status of the case.

 

The first thing you should do is verify with them that your case is truly under AP and the embassy does not require any other document.

 

From that point on, you can call them every week, or more often if you would like, to see if there's an update on your case (DoS can access the database that the embassy uses to keep track of the cases).

 

Calling them too much does not hurt your case =)

[ning1986]

Thank you for your fast response and support.

 

I've read through the link Randy has posted, and seems like my wife isn't in the list of ineligible aliens.

 

I'm eager to hear what Guangzhou has to say next Tuesday, since this last blue slip was not clear on the instructions at all, yes its better to know that I'm not missing any documents and the consulate is not waiting for me to submit more documents.

 

I have called DOS on Friday, which was after the date stamp on the second blue slip Aug 29th. From what I hear from DOS, they said the case is still pending under AP, so this could very well be the case where they need to do background check. If that's the case, I hope for a speedy one.

 

I will call DOS again on Tuesday to make sure.

 

At this moment, the only thing I can do is wait and call DOS/email....

 

 

PS. This though came up to me, while my wife does not have any technical backgrounds, will be undergo a regular background check at the Guangzhou Consulate, or would they elevate it to a SAO? And my wife be placed under things such as Visa Mantis or such? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_Advisory_Opinion

Edited September 3, 2011 by ning1986 (see edit history)

[Lee VD]

It's funny they have been asking for more resumes recently for even non-technical folks. I am thinking they may have gotten in a little trouble for not doing the SAO checks on technical folks since they haven't been asking for resumes. How would they know if people had technical backgrounds? So, they may have some in-house screening to check resumes for tech backgrounds that the VOs can't do on the spot. If no tech background found, your AP may end soon, Those with tech backgrounds need to go through the SAO check but its not like a CCP check. Its the same kind that delays a lot of H-1B visas for the folks coming from India.

 

"There are various types of SAOs, usually named after various animals, with two named after legendary characters. As of August 2006, these included Visas Mantis (potential illegal transfer of sensitive or dual-use technology,[7] introduced in 1998[8]), Visas Bear (for foreign government officials, representatives to international organizations, and their families), Visas Donkey (name hits, certain nationalities), Visas Merlin (for refugees and asylees), Visas Eagle (certain nationals of Cuba, China, Iran, Russia, and Vietnam), Visas Condor (certain nationalities, introduced in January 2002[9]), and Visas Hawk (for immigrant visas). There are also other types of SAOs used for notifying the Department of State about visa issuance and that the applicant will be traveling to the United States: Visas Horse (diplomatic visa holders of certain nationalities) and Visas Pegasus (officials of Commonwealth of Independent States)"

 

I think I heard the check for those with tech backgrounds would be the Mantis check.

I would think the CCP check is the Eagle check.

The "name check" for when you submit the application may be the Hawk or Donkey check?

 

The "average" time to do a check is reported by the State dept to be about 2 weeks, but I am sure it would vary on the type of check.

There are one or more people in the back office of the consulate which submit and monitor the SAO replies to get the application back into the processing stream once the check is complete. The NVC doesnt have visibility or won't tell you where it is in the process (SAO complete, but processing at consulate...), at least I wasn't successful.

Edited September 4, 2011 by Lee VD (see edit history)

[ning1986]

Well if its the same delay as H-1B as people coming from India, that'll be long, I hope she doesn't have to go through that.

[Lee VD]

Well if its the same delay as H-1B as people coming from India, that'll be long, I hope she doesn't have to go through that.

 

I mean just the SAO part. The H1B as a limited number available, so some people wait years until they can get a "slot". You don't have to deal with THAT thankfully!

 

This also holds up J visas which is a problem for those trying to start classes and potentially being late for those. You can read about all these complaints on Visa Journey!

Edited September 4, 2011 by Lee VD (see edit history)

[ning1986]

I've also read that most SAO are resolved within 2 weeks, like 80% or something like that somewhere.