Already have a problem

[Jeikun]

Well, my petition was just mailed to the VSC 2 days ago. I already have an issue. Jun had just moved back to Hefei to live with her parents. She sent me her address in English and in Chinese.

 

Problem is they live on a college campus (her parents are retired professors), and she left the name of the college off of the address. I mailed her a package using that address, and she just got it, but apparently it was initially misdelivered because of the omission. Hey, at least it got there, but I don't want to take the same chance with her P3 when the time comes, so that means I have to ammend her address for the petition I just sent in

 

Hopefully this will not delay things too much.

[sylinchinastill]

We moved and I had the lawyer send two emails and a fax to the consulate- we emailed the consulate ourselves twice- we called the consulate twice. When the package was delivered, we got a call from our old landlord saying that we owed him a dinner- it had been sent to him. I would advise that your fiancee establish a good relationship with the post office in that area and go there often to check around the time when you think you will get it. Go ahead and contact the consulate for a change of address- but it might not do any good.

[Jeikun]

Thanks for the advice. At least the fact that she got the package I sent to that address (and in only 8 days from east coast USA) is a good sign. I'll let her know to be on her toes though. For what it's worth I'll still contact everyone for the change of address. Funny, we delayed our petition until after she was sure she was moving to avoid this... and we're doing it anyway...

[keelec]

One thing to keep in mind.

 

Through contact with GZ, you will likely know that the P3 or P4 has been sent before it actually is delivered.

 

It is stressful, but you can just about make up your own P3 packet from internet documents if it gets lost. I believe that Robhon never received his official packet so he just put the documents together and sent back what he had printed from the internet, and all it did was cause some bad dreams.

 

There has actually been debate in the past whether it would be appropriate to prepare the internet docs before the P3 arrives. Then, as soon as you hear that GZ has sent the packet, send your docs back, and thus get a week's head start on the mail.

 

VSC may be able to amend your packet, but you will have to wait until after you get the receipt number.

 

----- Clifford -----

 

P.S. Since you have hired a lawyer, ask him to just go ahead and prepare everything for your P3 now. If he can't get the P3 docs prepared ahead of time, he is not worth the money you paid him.

[oregonknl]

Hey Jason,

 

Yeah, Fei and I are in the same boat right now..... Our stuff has gone from NVC to GZ, and just cleared customs, and we are sweating the p-3 because we believe someone in the postal service is stealing Fei's mail --- I have sent Fei 6 letters but only 3 arrived, and the ones that were the thickest (photos) are the ones that never arrived.

 

so I can imagine just how special a packet from the US Consulate might seem to a thief..

Fei lives in Guangzhou, and she asked the Consulate if she could come in personally to pick up her packet---but of course, that is a level of service way over the heads of our State Department, and they denied the request.

 

... So we'll sweat..

 

Nice to see that Clifford has a solution though, ----- in the worse case....

 

---Kim

[sylinchinastill]

Oregonknl- I would also suggest that your fiance make friends with the guy who delivers her mail. This has done wonders for us- he even comes to our house and picks up things we want to mail for us. We also made friends with a policeman and he helped me get out of some of my visa issues here in the past. I think this is the best way to make things work in China

[mari]

It's scary indeed, I had been thinking about this also, and what I'm afraid of is that someone mentioned recently that some of the forms used currently will expire soon, so the process can be delayed in the case the old forms are sent (unless we get someone to post the recent ones for us). Yesterday I received a copy of the NOA2 in the mail, even though my address was correct in the I-129F, VSC missed the last number in the apartment number, I was lucky that my mailman was nice enough to check my mailbox number. Anyway, I think I should ask my lawyer to give me the original she received, as by your posts I had seen it will later be needed for AOS. I would also wait for the case to get to GZ to update the address on it. Good luck.

[keelec]

Mari,

 

Yes, I forgot about that.

 

I think the DS-230 had an expiration date of 05/31/2004.

 

I don't know if GZ has a transition period for changing from the old forms to the new forms.

 

I looked at the old format forms (OF-230) the content seems to be about the same as the DS-230, but the format of the form is scrambled ever so slightly.

 

However the OF-230 expired 3-31-2001..... That means that the next update will be the first update since 9/11/2001.

 

----- Clifford ------

[Bryan_Qunying]

My wife's P3 had been lost the first time GZ mailed it and after 3 emails, GZ actually called my wife and she received the P3, 2 days later.

 

Prior to getting the P3, our file was taking forever to show up. In fact, one of our other members on CFL received P3 before my wife. The coincidence in this is that the other members fiancé lives in the same community and are just about next door neighbors, and our I-129F had reached GZ about a week before.

 

Long story short - I did the "get the forms from the net" thing and completed them and sent them to my wife. She told me that the forms that I sent (exp date 5/31/2004) was different from the form she had received (got P3, 4 days after my forms arrived). So I told her to use the ones she got from GZ.

 

That's just a little FYI and my experience so far. Good luck!

 

Bryan

[keelec]

If anybody gets a live copy of the new Form DS-230, please post it. If you get it in a P3 packet, please scan it, and I might be able to clean it up a bit.

 

The Department of State still has the 5/31/2004 version posted on their website.

 

http://www.state.gov/m/a/dir/c4456.htm

 

 

Department of State version of DS230 (named 7988)

[se_lang]

Jason

I would not worry a great deal that is why you have a lawyer right? LOL but really it is not a big deal just send a correction to VSC or wait until it is sent to GZ and send it there.

[emilian]

My wife's P3 had been lost the first time GZ mailed it and after 3 emails, GZ actually called my wife and she received the P3, 2 days later.

 

Prior to getting the P3, our file was taking forever to show up. In fact, one of our other members on CFL received P3 before my wife. The coincidence  in this is that the other members fiancé lives in the same community and are just about next door neighbors, and our I-129F had reached GZ about a week before.

 

Long story short -  I did the "get the forms from the net" thing and completed them and sent them to my wife. She told me that the forms that I sent (exp date 5/31/2004) was different from the form she had received (got P3, 4 days after my forms arrived). So I told her to use the ones she got from GZ.

 

That's just a little FYI and my experience so far. Good luck!

 

Bryan

Bryan,

I like to view your web page, but it cannot be opened, what is wronghapened? Thank you

[se_lang]

I already told my MM when she gets P4 to have her Bro scan everything so we can have a good copy for CFL. Now if GZ will just send it.

[Jeikun]

It is stressful, but you can just about make up your own P3 packet from internet documents if it gets lost. I believe that Robhon never received his official packet so he just put the documents together and sent back what he had printed from the internet, and all it did was cause some bad dreams.

Well, as far as that goes, my lawyer will prepare the P3, and send her everything pre-filled to the greateat extent possible as soon as GZ acknowledges recipt of our petition. The idea is as soon as she gets the P3 from them, she will already have everything and can mail in immediatly. I guess that will work to our favor.

I would not worry a great deal that is why you have a lawyer right? LOL

HAHA like a lawyer has the power to stop me from worrying.. worry LESS yeah... but stoping me from worring is a task no mere mortal is up to I'm afraid.

Yeah, Fei and I are in the same boat right now..... Our stuff has gone from NVC to GZ, and just cleared customs, and we are sweating the p-3 because we believe someone in the postal service is stealing Fei's mail --- I have sent Fei 6 letters but only 3 arrived, and the ones that were the thickest (photos) are the ones that never arrived.

I'm a little concerned about that too. The 2 packages I sent to Jun with the wrong address arrived in only 8 days. One I sent earlier with her address in Chinese (which is correct). Hasn't arrived or been returned... it's been 19 days. And I sent her my squadron coin in that one...

I would also suggest that your fiance make friends with the guy who delivers her mail. This has done wonders for us- he even comes to our house and picks up things we want to mail for us. We also made friends with a policeman and he helped me get out of some of my visa issues here in the past. I think this is the best way to make things work in China

Jun's old job in Hefei (before moving to Beijing the first time) was at the (a?) telivision station there. Her old boss is best friends with the head of police there, and thinks of her as a daughter (insisted on meeting me when we were there). Basically told me if I got in any trouble while I was there it would only take a phone call I'll tell her she should get to know the mailman. I hope since all the addresses are on campus there, that even if it's initially misdelivered, there will be no problem. What happened to that first box still concerns me though. Do packages ever get held for a long time by customs?

[se_lang]

I have never had a problem of sending mail and it not getting delivered, I have always use US postal and put the name and address in pinyin and Chinese, I also always use priority in fact I just sent a 20 lb package on the 7th it arrived in China and cleared customs on the 13th it did cost $102 but it weighed a lot and I am sure it will get delivered.