Please re-read these letters

[Robert S.]

Perhaps I am wasting bandwidth here but perhaps some of the newer people on the board do not have time to go back through the last couple weeks of posts so I am taking the liberty to start a new thread with both our responses. These letters had 46 co-signers on the first one and 77 on the second. They are worth reading and re-reading and analyzing the tone of the letters and what is in between the lines.

 

 

United States Department of State

Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs

Washington, D.C. 20520

 

December 14, 2002

 

Dear Mr. Shelton:

 

This responds to your fax of December 5 to Secretary of State Powell regarding processing of fiancé/ée (K) Visas at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou. Let me assure you that I regret that delays in visa issuance are complicating the lives of applicants and of those who are waiting for their arrival. One of my first priorities as the new Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs is to look for ways to solve this problem.

 

As you note in your letter, we have had some forward movement in the process recently and many of the immigrant and K visas pending in Guangzhou were among those most recently cleared. The staff at the Consulate in Guangzhou is working overtime to process all of the immigrant and K visa cases that have been cleared and the Immigrant Visa Unit is contacting applicants directly with instructions on how they can pick up their visas.

 

Meanwhile we are working hard here with other government agencies to eliminate the remaining backlog and to rationalize clearance procedures in ways that continue to protect U.S. borders, our first priority, while facilitating legitimate travel.

 

Please be assured that as visa clearance messages are received at post, visas will be issued. I have been in contact with senior management in Guangzhou and am certain that we share a common goal. The visas for parents, children, spouses, and fiancé/ées of American citizens will continue to be the highest priority for the immigrant visa unit in Guangzhou.

 

I hope that this information is helpful to you.

 

Sincerely,

 

Maura Harty

Assistant Secretary

Bureau of Consular Affairs

 

*And the previous one:

 

United States Department of State

Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs

Washington, D.C. 20520

 

December 23, 2002

 

Dear Mr. Shelton:

 

I refer to your latest fax of December 18 in which you shared with me your suggestions for expediting the processing of fiance/ee (K) visas at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou.

 

Let me assure you that the Bureau of Consular Affairs is dedicating significant resources and time, both in the Department and at the Consulate to process all of the immigrant and K visas cases as quickly as possible. As stated in my previous letter, the visas for parents, children, spouses and fiance/ees of American citizens will continue to be the highest priority for the immigrant visa unit in Guangzhou. An additional officer is due to arrive in Guangzhou this week, and the staff at the Consulate in Guangzhou continues to work overtime to eliminate the backlog of cleared cases.

 

Three hundred twelve families appeared at the Consulate on Saturday, December 21, to pick up 432 of the over 500 visas prepared for that day. In addition, the consulate has published on its website an expanded pickup schedule for applicants with notification letters. K visa applicants with notification letters may come to the Consulate any weekday morning from 9-10 a.m. to drop off their passports. The passports will be returned with the visas 4:00-4:30 p.m.

 

I sincerely regret those instances in which applicants with scheduled interviews or pick-up dates may have been mistakenly turned away from the Consulate. The Consular Section Chief in Guangzhou is looking into these complaints and will take measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

 

Please accept my assurances that the Bureau of Consular Affairs is committed to facilitating legitimate travel while meeting the Department of State's highest priority, the protection of U.S. borders and interests.

 

Sincerely,

 

Maura Harty

Assistant Secretary

Bureau of Consular Affairs

[Robert S.]

These are the two letters in response to our group letters, the first of which had 40+ co-signers and the second which had 80+ co-signers.

[Ana]

what happened since that late dec/early jan wonderful time? it really seemed like things were moving and people were finally getting visas. i havent heard anything lately. it's like the whole process has slowed down and we are back in the middle of nowhere.

 

is it time for another group letter?