Starting our visa process from Beijing

[lhp]

Hi, all,

 

First, thank you to Dan and all the mods for these great forums.

 

My wife and I are preparing to do a DCF here in Beijing. I found this recent post (and the rest of the thread) to be very helpful in letting us know how to set up an appointment and what to expect.

 

I am sending out the email tonight, hopefully we will be able to go in in early March to file

 

From other posts in the forums, I expect the DCF to take about 4 months to go from filing to interview in Guangzhou. A question: when/where can we sign up for paperless notification? Is that a possibility, or does everything need to be mailed? If it's an option, I think we'll have things mailed to my wife's work address, as mail/courier delivery there is more reliable than delivery to our apartment.

 

Once we get to Guangzhou, things are going to grind to a halt, as my wife is a Party member. She joined when she was a university student, isn't a dyed-in-the-wool commie, etc. It's unfortunate that it will add time to our processing. Thanks to the posts about what to expect, she will be prepared for "extra processing" after the interview for a CCP waiver, and will go with all supplementary documents in order. (We will both write explanatory letters, she will have a resume on hand to give to the embassy worker, and she will also already have the relevant form filled out…does that cover all the bases?)

 

Anyway, I feel like I have a good handle on what the process will entail. Thanks again to all of you for your great, informative posts. They've really helped to make the process seem less scary!

 

I'll keep the thread updated as our application progresses.

[lhp]

Only took DHS one day to get back to me with an appointment – I go in to submit the application in early March. My wife doesn't go with me for this step, right?

[dnoblett]

Only took DHS one day to get back to me with an appointment – I go in to submit the application in early March. My wife doesn't go with me for this step, right?

Best that you both go, sometimes they do ask a couple questions of the beneficiary.

 

Also, sometimes they will call you both in for a short interview at DHS before sending case on to Guangzhou.

[lhp]

Nothing but a good experience so far. DHS/CIS replied to all emails very quickly, we were able to get an appointment within a few weeks of writing, and it took less than two weeks to get notice (via email) that the application has been forwarded to Guangzhou. Not looking forward to filling out the next batch of paperwork, but glad that things have gone so smoothly.

Edited April 8, 2013 by lhp (see edit history)