We Passed

[wateress]

Happy for you! Great trick learned! Thanks

[mykl]

Congrats!!! we pssede also, it was a 24 hour train ride home for my wife and when she got there the express mailed visa had beat her home...lol Hope yours was delivered fast also!!

[mykl]

Edited October 20, 2011 by mykl (see edit history)

[TLB]

Congratulations David! You have a brave woman there! Congratulations on both!

 

And yes, I think confidence and humor helped my lady a lot.

[screamneagle]

WELL DONE & HEARTIEST CONGRATULATIONS! Can't wait to hear the rest of the story! Tomorrow is an anniversary of sorts for my lao po, my step daughter and me! They will have been in the U.S.A. for ONE YEAR! I still don't believe it!!! Best of luck to you and your ladies, David!

[tsap seui]

Great news Bubba!!!!

 

tsap seui

[david_dawei]

@Randy: Lulu said that the last two girls in line were actually very early to a window once inside. We have always said on CFL there was no reason to be early since it does not dictate the order inside; except that one should follow whatever causes them the least amount of stress. In Lulu's case, extra sleep was all she cared about.

 

@DonandMarry: She is not CCP. Strangely, this is one of three questions almost always asked at document in-take but the girl did not ask Lulu this. At the Interview, the VO asked both Lulu and Meng. Lulu's answer was quite empathic: "NEVER". I am sure her typical 'straight-as-an-arrow, no BS' way of communicating came across very clear.

 

@Charles: We are actually back in GUZ right now; we went to Zhuhai and it is the 22nd evening now. We leave on a train the 24 early evening.

 

@Carl: Yes, we have long stated how important confidence is. I now was shown another side which is as important; confident and answer-ready to stand up to a VO fishing for a reason to deny.

 

@Mykl: Yes, the visa was in Fushun 3 days after the interview! I am impressed with the speed but Lulu and I agreed that better forethought about the pickup would of saved us the 168RMB mailing... But we planned to go to Zhuhai and then back but were not sure when to return; as it is, we could of picked it up ourselves at the GZ post office.

 

@All: Thanks and appreciate the words.

[david_dawei]

To add on to the previous small story, after Lulu was given her papers to take away from the interview VO, she (and her daughter) heard the VO say ¡°go to window #30¡±. Lulu walked back past the girls and they asked ¡®what¡¯s going on¡¯ and Lulu said she was told to go to Window #30; the girls all gasped since they knew that Window #30 was for denials. Lulu went up to the window and handed her papers and that VO looked at them and said, ¡°your approved. You don¡¯t need to do anything but wait¡±. She went back to the girls and had to then let them know the kicker; She got the visa.

 

I had the pleasure to stay at Mr. Yang¡¯s as well as to meet Eunice a few times and she joined us out a few times. We received a lot of support and advise which we distilled for two nights prior to the interview and making adjustments. The night before we made two very key changes which I think helped secure the visa¡­ We have since talked about the interview a few times and it is clear that our case was selected as a ¡°troublesome situation¡±; of course what we usually hear is that the beneficiary says it is a ¡°troublesome VO¡±; they are really one and the same in most cases. But we all agreed that they had made up their mind to deny us ahead of time but Lulu probably reversed the VOs thinking after what she now thinks was 30 minutes and more like 30 questions. The explanation for this will soon come since I should go backwards in time first...

 

What I now know is that we probably pulled this off by a combination of a dash of luck, a fair share of very careful planning for 2.5 years, a last night adjustment, a fast speech to her daughter just a minute prior to going to the window, and a wife who ended up playing a better end-game of chess than the VO; My wife was finally caught in a corner at one point and offered a Queen sacrifice which resulted in the VO conceding: "You proved your case [to me]". The blurting of 'go to window #30' may of come out of the VO as a kind of programming since we are sure she meant to deny us; this is one evidence of it.

[david_dawei]

There is so much I could share since I have really kept most of our filing issues without comment over the last year. Some of the old timers could fill in the gaps since they know that I previously filed a K1 as well as joint-sponsored two others for a friend living in china at the time but he could not get his wife and her son to the US; So I did not want to really talk about my specific case online nor really give my wife¡¯s full name or picture. I also first meet online and then in person Lulu while still married (although separated). So from the beginning, I felt that the consulate would have many reasons to want to find an excuse to deny us a visa. For that reason, I specifically waiting until my 4th trip to marry and then filed after trip 6 and then we had our interview at the 8th trip. By this time, now 2.5 years later from meeting, Lulu really knew me and my family and life here in depth.

 

So the number of red flags we carried are only surpassed by the Chinese flag itself. I had the benefit of several NOIRs to review to see exactly what VOs are documenting as to their evidence for denial. At least in the ones I had looked at, it was very clear that the VO specially focused on the fact of whether or not the beneficiary seemed to know the petitioner¡¯s life in detail. From the beginning, I took this idea as my most important and when I read through these NOIRs the two nights before the interview; we made some changes based on this and various advice.

[david_dawei]

In general, I am not a fan of getting the EOR letter notarized. I did this because of advice and felt it was better to follow it than let someone later say I didn¡¯t heed this. Easy to do. Done. In the end, I think that did not matter at all but I will say the VO read it¡­. Although Lulu offered it at the opening bell with my passport, the VO nodded a ¡°ok¡± to acknowledge but refused it.

 

We did our folders in clear plastic and I showed Lulu how to lay them down so the VO would see all passports (including mine) and the notarized letter. A notarized letter from the consulate has a very distinct circular staple so the VO would see this without much push anyways. She refused all of these items at the start. Lulu put them aside but still in reach.

 

Here was the most revealing start ever: The VO did NOT want her (nor my) passport. Also, the VO never asked the most fundamental question asked of probably most interviews: Who petitioned you (or who is the petitioner). The VO never asked to see one item of evidence. This is obvious why: My income is too high to question. Our relationship is too long to question communication. Her English is good enough to volley back Q with A. The VO had one strategy: ask questions until a crack showed. Eunice said there are a few things they will jump on: Not knowing an answer; scared or worry look or hesitation; inconsistency. It was very clear the VO employed a questioning strategy to throw Lulu off. Sometimes asking a question completely wrong which Lulu would have to correct or asking something that made not much sense. The goal was to elicit some poor response from Lulu which the VO could use as an excuse.

[david_dawei]

The nights before our interview we focused on our pictures, which one knows is the most asked for item. In many cases the VO quickly skims them. We listened to advice and added more pictures of us two, so got some developed in GZ. There are evidently a few ways to think about pictures but I am a big believer in the idea of ¡®varied¡¯ pictures. Not only of us two (as some think); Not only indoors (as some submit); one should show the two together, the family, the friend, everything possible; nothing to hide, is my approach. The night before we made two big changes:

1. The picture grouping (we two; then family; then friends, then Meng).

2. I told Lulu a basic idea which she fully grasped and lectured her daughter on just a minute prior to the interview which I think was the ¡®checkmate¡¯ issue.

 

Here is the basic idea: DO NOT tell the VO what you do not know; tell the VO what you know. In other words, do not say ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± or hesitate or think too long. I told her if the word is in her mind in Chinese but not English, just say it; not need to hesitate.

 

Both of the above saved her in the interview. First: the VO looked carefully at every picture of three books. First saw us two and asked ¡°where is family¡­.oh¡­ this is family¡­ where is friend¡­oh this is friend¡­ where is Meng at Wedding Party¡± !!! And there was the ¡°Check¡± call to Lulu. Lulu and I identified the night before that we had NO pictures of Meng at the wedding party. While in the ¡°checked¡± corner, Lulu applied the principle and said, ¡°here is another picture book with Meng¡±¡­ and the VO said, ¡°Oh yes¡­ that is her¡±¡­. Although there was NO picture in the wedding party Lulu did not skip a second with applying the principle.

 

A minute prior to the interview, Lulu suddenly felt to lecture her daughter; ¡°If the VO should ask you about your father calling you, what do you say¡­¡± The daughter hesitated and stammered and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡±. Lulu essentially told her, ¡°game over¡±. Told her the basic principle: Say what you know; Say this ¡®xzy¡¯¡­ After the VO fished Lulu for 25 minutes she pressed the daughter and asked this EXACT question. He daughter answered without hesitation in many sentences until the VO said , ¡°ok¡­¡±.

[david_dawei]

What needs to be looked at is this particularly VO is in the line of the ¡°trouble VOs¡±. Long ago we know of the ¡®Black Pearl¡¯ and that urban legend lived on for many years. But the next most significant VO is what 001 called the ¡°Asian Killer¡±; this VO was from Korea and left about 6-8 months ago, some say he was intentionally removed based on complaints of his¡­ well, his nickname should explain why. After he left the approval ratings shoot up; many on 001 reported how ¡®easy¡¯ it was to pass¡­ until the next VO came known as the ¡®Arabian Lady¡¯; young, thin, and a smile the devil approves of. She issued a white slip with a huge smiling saying , ¡°I cannot approve your visa this time¡­¡±

 

Lulu said the Arabian Lady¡¯s Chinese is better than her English and she seems to prefer Chinese; although Lulu said to do the interview in English. This VO has a few very subtle problems; Her youth and smile is not a sign of agreement to what is going on; Even a snake smiles before it strikes. Her knowledge of Chinese language is equaled by her lack of knowledge of Chinese culture. Lulu had to explain the most basic idea that ¡°QQ is naturally to Chinese¡±, when asked why we meet through QQ. She said the VO leaned next window to ask another VO a question after her response; I am sure that VO told her , ¡®Of course¡¯. This may have been a sign to Lulu that she had the upper hand here, since her answer was her typical empathic method of {if you don¡¯t know this your are stupid}.

 

Lulu was involved in sales of a medical product of worth; so she had to really sell it. But her main job for many years was at a heating company and spent some time in collection. Her approach is simple: Pay up or lose your heat. Her approach is the path less traveled and nobody employs it but her but her reputation is known; simple and effective. The others beg company bosses to pay which gives them wiggle room for face issues; Lulu doesn¡¯t care about such things; there is a rule to follow. Pay or don¡¯t pay; she could care a less if you lose your heat.

 

Now comes this attitude up against the ¡®troublesome VO¡¯. A lady used to telling Company bosses to ¡°pay up or else¡±; against a young VO full of deceiving smiles¡­ experience pays off in most cases¡­ and here as well.

[david_dawei]

As for other interviews that day we only heard about a few. Another got a visa, One white, one blue, one AP. The latter two were K1s with previous 'white' now doing CR1.

Edited October 23, 2011 by david_dawei (see edit history)