Passed (?) - April 23, 2015

[jwdoetsch]

The wife had her interview today and passed, we think. I say that because the VO said "passed" but explicitly

[Randy W]

Congratulations ?? Sounds like there may have been a "but" attached. Can you finish your thought there?

 

In the meantime, . . .

 

Congratulations !!

[jwdoetsch]

Oh man, that's embarrassing... I was posting from a phone and I thought I abandoned the post but apparently I hit submit. Everything's all good, the VO just said he wasn't going to give my wife a paper to "save resources," maybe because of how much crap we submitted, heh...

 

But she definitely passed and we don't need to submit any additional docs or anything. She was told to go online and double check the CITIC location and to expect the visa and passport to be ready in about two weeks! Whoop whoop!

 

By the way, the guy interviewing her was "in his thirties, casual but diligent, polite, and non-threatening." He asked a round of pretty standard questions that I'll post later when I'm at a PC.

 

Whoop whoop!

 

Thanks for all your help guys! I'll post a detailed experience report later.

[Randy W]

Hey! It's your day! Congrats again!

[summerlove]

Congratulations. I'm happy for you.

 

Really odd how they didn't give you a piece of paper.

[jwdoetsch]

Congratulations. I'm happy for you.

 

Really odd how they didn't give you a piece of paper.

 

Yeah, no kidding. My wife had found people with a similar experience of having been approved but not having received any slip on some other forums. Maybe it's just that one VO that does that? I'm glad that's the only strange thing that's occured for our case, though, it's a pretty trivial (non)problem.

[jwdoetsch]

I just checked the CEAC "Check My Visa Application Status" at https://ceac.state.gov/ceac/and it reports as "Administrative Processing."

 

This is probably the normal status when an approval is still young (less than a few days); I'm guessing this isn't the administrative processing black hole that people often worry about, yeah? I'm guessing the AP here refers to finalizing paperwork, printing the visa, bundling passports for shipment, and other clerical and logistical goings on at the consulate... is that a fair guess?

 

Man... the process is set up in such a way that you really need to reserve celebration until you have the passport with visa and immigration/POE packet in hand...

[tsap seui]

I just checked the CEAC "Check My Visa Application Status" at https://ceac.state.gov/ceac/and it reports as "Administrative Processing."

 

This is probably the normal status when an approval is still young (less than a few days); I'm guessing this isn't the administrative processing black hole that people often worry about, yeah? I'm guessing the AP here refers to finalizing paperwork, printing the visa, bundling passports for shipment, and other clerical and logistical goings on at the consulate... is that a fair guess?

 

Man... the process is set up in such a way that you really need to reserve celebration until you have the passport with visa and immigration/POE packet in hand...

You nailed it buddy. Visa in hand is the Holy Grail. LOL Congrats on the interview. They have to make sure every i got dotted and every t got crossed. Soon, no one will be able to slap the silly grin off of your face. LOL

 

tsap seui

[Mick]

Congrats and best wishes for a great life together.

[jwdoetsch]

A few mentionable things from our consular experience (maybe these are somewhere, but we never came across them in our preparations):

• X-rays come on a CD now and you aren't permitted to take them past security and they won't let you check them in.
• I was permitted to get past the fence and wait with my wife in the line that is formed immediately outside of security, but I wasn't allowed to go in through security. It'd be even more crazy crowded, chaotic, and nightmarish if family members were permitted inside the GZ consulate to accompany the applicant inside.
• Her appointment time was 0745 and she exited the consulate at 0900, in and out in 75 minutes
• A line for appointments forms outside the fence/gate along it's perimeter, but this line isn't for any specific interview time so don't bother lining up. They'll begin letting people scheduled for 0745 in and the line just devolves into a crowded mess anyway. Your spouse should crowd around the security guards right at the fence entrance or she'll be last in line. Also, people for 0815 are going to get through the fence and wait in line outside security, so your spouse needs to be diligent and push and shove past those people.
• There are two entrances to the security building, a north side (near subway exit B2) and a south side. Immigrant interviewees need to line up and enter at the south security entrance. It is the same entrance that American Citize Services customers line up and is labeled as such, so look around for ACS American Citizen Services signs and arrows.
• There were a ton of people that didn't bring their interview appointment confirmation and weren't given a number at document intake, they were just instructed to "go find it" and basically blown off. My wife doesn't even know how they managed to get past security without it. So make double-darn sure your spouse has got that appointment confirmation.
• The medical report must be opened in front of the intake worker when instructed
• Document intake numbers are not called in any order.
• You cannot use a credit card to pay unless it's in your name, they do check this (luckily I had gotten my spouse her own card attached to my Discover card and she used that to pay)
• You might not get a slip. And you should explicitly ask if approved, conditionally approved, or denied. As you can read below, VOs can be a little cryptic.
• The document intake worker only spoke in Chinese, the VO spoke English about 80% of the time.
• Clammy hands can make the biometrics process take an abnormally long time

 

After security, she went to the third floor (USCIS) and stood in a line for one window, this one window was checking appointment confirmation sheets against applicant passports and also giving out ticket number slips. Applicants were directed to wait in the A-zone for their number to be called, and when called they went up to the window and for document intake. Documents were asked for one at a time. The intake worker was first asked for her passport and appointment confirmation, then to tear open the medical report packet and hand over the contents of the envelope, then she was asked if the two photos submitted with the DS-260 are the newest photos, then she was asked for the birth certificate whitebook, marriage whitebook, criminal history whitebook, and finally financial support documents. My wife asked the intake worker if she needed to submit her resume and the DS-260 confirmation page and the two photos brought as instructed, and then was told no she didn't need to submit them. Afterwards, she was directed by the intake worker to pay the fee on the second floor returnsto the same window to give the intake worker the payment receipt. Then, she was instructed to wait in the B-zone for the interview and was given a domestic violence pamplet to read. Applicants must stare at the screen or listen carefully for the *ding* to watch for their number. At the interview window, fingerprints (biometrics?) were done by the VO. Then the VO reviewed paperwork, financial documents, and the computer while simultaneously taking biometrics and asking interview questions.

 

Here are the interview questions that she was asked and the answers that she gave:

 

Q: So your husband's name is <my name>?

A: Yes, my husband's name is <my name>.

Q: When is the last time you saw your husband?

A: Actually, my husband has been living and working in China for two and a half years and we live together. Then we got married half a year ago.

Q: Have you ever been to America?

A: No.

Q: What is your highest degree?

A: A Bachelor's degree of arts.

Q: Did you read the home violence pamphlet?

A: I've looked at it, but I didn't have time to read it carefully because I was watching the screen for my number

VO: Read it. (he was pretty serious about this)

Q: What does your husband do?

A: He works as an English teacher in a university.

Q: Does he make enough to support you guys or do you need someone?

A: He has been working in China for two and a half years and he hasn't been working in America for two and a half years, so his dad is our co-sponsor.

Q: What does your co-sponsor do?

A: He's a <occupation> and he also <secondary occupation responsibility>.

Q: So, you are planning to move to America?

A: Yes, we plan to move to America this summer if approved.

 

 

After the round of questions this exchange took place:

 

VO: Alright, looks like you're good to go. Now I won't give you the slip.

Wife: Huh?

VO: Hui tiao ("slip"), jie sheng zi yuan ("save resources")

Wife: Oh

VO: Tong guo le ("passed" / "approved")

Wife: Thank you

VO: Please go online and check the CITIC bank address

Wife: About two weeks, I heard?

VO: Cha bu duo ("more or less")

Wife: Thank you so much. So, I am ready to go?

VO: Yes

Wife: Thank you so much

VO: You're welcome

And that was it! Based on this experience, we are assuming she was approved.No additional instructions were given (except to go online to double-check the passport pick-up location), no requests for additional documents were given, and no paper or slip was given. Who knows the real reason why not. Maybe the printer was busted or the VO has watched a documentary on deforestation the night before or something.

[tsap seui]

The procedures change so much these days it is hard to keep up with what they do or don't do anymore. You should be good to go and will get the visa. I was trying to think back to our last experience in Guangzhou when my wife and son got their visas...it dawned on me that was too long ago, almost 4 years now....no, it was 3 years, 9 months, 8 days, 3 hours, 25 minutes, and 35 seconds ago (some things you jes don't forget)...so nothing I have will help in todays procedures.

 

Soon the last hurdle will be over for you and you both can breathe the fresh air of freedom on the plane home!!!

 

tsap seui

[jwdoetsch]

Ha ha yeah and then in 21 months we get to start the Removal of Conditions process...

[yanglan]

Don't worry if the CEAC/ustraveldocs websites seem a little wonky with your wife's passport status over the next week or so. It will be very clear when the visa has been printed, mailed, and ready for pickup.

[jwdoetsch]

If she didn't pass then they would have just given back her passport, right? And if we needed to submit additional documents then the VO would have said so and given her a list, yeah?

 

The VO was unnecessarily vague, but hopefulyl we're just being unnecessarily worried and paranoid.

[Randy W]

If she didn't pass then they would have just given back her passport, right? And if we needed to submit additional documents then the VO would have said so and given her a list, yeah?

 

The VO was unnecessarily vague, but hopefulyl we're just being unnecessarily worried and paranoid.

 

 

Yes, VERY unnecessarily vague. Thanks for the EXCELLENTLY detailed write-up about the events at the consulate - some of which I would have guessed at from what I observed at the consulate, but most of which you never would have known except by going through the whole charade.

 

Thanks and congrats again!!