Back from Nanning and Guangzhou Visit

[olemanoman1950]

Well I returned after 8 days in China 2 in Nanning and 6 in Guangzhou. I attended the Citizen Hour.They gave us all a number.

There were three VO's there to answer questions. They state that they are an ever increasing number of Visa Applicants and it continues to Grow everyday. There are 8 VO's on Staff I saw 5 thru out my stay.Two are English Speaking Chinese a man a Women then there was a Smaller Guy who didnt say much.Then I saw a smaller women and also a larger blond headed women> No I didnt see the women known as Pearl. October the Immigration Department let out the Diversity Lottery Numbers and they are coming for their Interviews. There was a sheet to fillout with your Name, Fiancees or wifes name and GUZ number. I helped an old man fill out the sheet and the date on his paper was 1995. There are constantly people waiting to go in for interviews I didnt see many Americans waiting around the Area the few days I was there I think I only saw 4-5. But after the Petiton gets to Guangzhou the VO said the wait for all checks and a date to interview will run from 6-9 months and there is no way to speed this up. But I did see a some Girls Beaming Proudly showing off their Visa.

I also dodnt spend too much time around the Island wife and I went off to the Back streets and found some amazing stores.

 

So there you have it. Looks like 13- 16 month waits for most from Start to finish.

[Guest Gene]

Hi Wayne,

 

Glad you had a good and safe trip. Thanks for the info Take Care

[nousername]

Just when i am getting excited and hopeful about things!!! AND I am getting ready for another trip to see my baby..... leaving on Dec. 17th.....

 

daaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!! not the news i wanted...

 

6-9 months once they get the petition???? man!!

 

PS - thanks for sharing though.

[Shosetsuin]

Do you know if this is the same for those doing DCF?

 

I am guessing that my wife and I would be in line just like everybody else....at some point the process matches up.

 

I just turned in my I-130 a few weeks ago...still waiting for the case number!

 

nousername,

 

you are going to be coming to china soon? going to be in guangzhou? I plan to hit the consulate around that time...we should group our efforts.

 

nate

[lele]

Well I returned after 8 days in China 2 in Nanning and 6 in Guangzhou. I attended the Citizen Hour.They gave us all a number.

There were three VO's there to answer questions. They state that they are an ever increasing number of Visa Applicants and it continues to Grow everyday. There are 8 VO's on Staff I saw 5 thru out my stay.Two are English Speaking Chinese a man a Women then there was a Smaller Guy who didnt say much.Then I saw a smaller women and also a larger blond headed women> No I didnt see the women known as Pearl. October the Immigration Department let out the Diversity Lottery Numbers and they are coming for their Interviews. There was a sheet to fillout with your Name, Fiancees or wifes name and GUZ number. I helped an old man fill out the sheet and the date on his paper was 1995. There are constantly people waiting to go in for interviews I didnt see many Americans waiting around the Area the few days I was there I think I only saw 4-5. But after the Petiton gets to Guangzhou the VO said the wait for all checks and a date to interview will run from 6-9 months and there is no way to speed this up. But I did see a some Girls Beaming Proudly showing off their Visa.

I also dodnt spend too much time around the Island wife and I went off to the Back streets and found some amazing stores.

 

So there you have it. Looks like 13- 16 month waits for most from Start to finish.

Thanks for the info!!!

 

There are *very* few people from China who can even apply to the DV lottery! You can not apply if you are chinese, unless at least one of your parents is not chinese. And if you are Hong Kong or Omen, you need to apply via Hong Kong, so I am not too sure about that argument.

 

Ok, so if there are 9 VO's and they do 15 minute interviews for 4 hours a day, that is 144 a day, and at 20 days a month, it is 2880 a month. Do they *really* have a backlog of 14,000, and hence require many months to clear it out???

[Shosetsuin]

whats this business about diversity lottery?

 

Can anyone give me more information about this? Who exactly does apply?

 

Thanks,

 

nate

[lele]

whats this business about diversity lottery?

 

Can anyone give me more information about this?  Who exactly does apply?

 

Thanks,

 

nate

Every year the us gives away 50,000 Green Cards, free. The only restrictions on applying (they are given away by lottery) are that you come from a country, or that one of your parents comes from a country, that has an immigration number which is below a certain level. For many years now, China, India, Canada, and the UK have always exceeded that level, and hence people from China are *not eligible*, unless one of their parents has a passport, which is current, and is not a Chinese passport. Since only very few people do have them, and since very few people in Mongolia apply every year, I do not see why this is even something for them to consider as taking up their time at the consulate. Unless I am missing something here?

[nousername]

Do you know if this is the same for those doing DCF? 

 

I am guessing that my wife and I would be in line just like everybody else....at some point the process matches up. 

 

I just turned in my I-130 a few weeks ago...still waiting for the case number!

 

nousername,

 

you are going to be coming to china soon?  going to be in guangzhou?  I plan to hit the consulate around that time...we should group our efforts.

 

nate

yeah, i'll be around guangzhou, but to be honest i am not going have much time... only in china for 2 1/2 weeks. we're travelling south to hainan, going to her family's hometown too. PLUS, my parents are coming part way through to meet my favorite little lady.... ah!! needless to say, this will be an action packed two weeks. we only have a couple frees day in guangzhou...

 

anyway, so what are you planning on doing? if something can be done i love to partake, but i also am not even at the GZ phase yet. still waiting for the NVC namecheck...

 

ryan

[kfman]

Again Lele.. I love your thoughts about numbers, and ability to crunch then numbers correctly, but my cynicism remains about how hard governement employees actually work when it comes to pushing hard to complete. As far as I know, there are few governmental agencies that actually run on timelines and "must complete" quotas... so I am sure that although they "could" do that many interviews... do they actually even try that hard? Just think... how often are state and federal budgets actually completed by the required timelines???

Hmmmm something tells me they dont....

[Squid]

Ok, so if there are 9 VO's and they do 15 minute interviews for 4 hours a day, that is 144 a day, and at 20 days a month, it is 2880 a month.  Do they *really* have a backlog of 14,000, and hence require many months to clear it out???

Your math is a little flawed. Don't forget about the re-interviews from blue and yellow slips.

[Guest jimb]

QUOTE (lele @ Dec 6 2004, 11:26 PM)

Ok, so if there are 9 VO's and they do 15 minute interviews for 4 hours a day, that is 144 a day, and at 20 days a month, it is 2880 a month.  Do they *really* have a backlog of 14,000, and hence require many months to clear it out???

 

Your math is a little flawed. Don't forget about the re-interviews from blue and yellow slips.

 

Edited by Squid - Dec 7 2004, 12:53 PM

 

 

I would think they spend more than 15 minutes on each interview. They probably review the file, before the actual interview. And then there are coffee and toilet breaks, and whatever breaks.

 

jimb

[lele]

Ok, so if there are 9 VO's and they do 15 minute interviews for 4 hours a day, that is 144 a day, and at 20 days a month, it is 2880 a month.  Do they *really* have a backlog of 14,000, and hence require many months to clear it out???

Your math is a little flawed. Don't forget about the re-interviews from blue and yellow slips.

Notice, I said they were working for 4 hours a day! But, as government employees, they are supposed to work 37.5 hours a week, which comes out to roughly 7.5 hours a day. I am assuming that the other 3.5 hours a day is sufficient for them to do this.

 

But, as has been pointed out, due to inefficiency, lack of caring, logistics, or other issues at hand (or just a lack of effort or energy) that they may not be performing up to my idealized assumptions!

 

I just wanted to get an *order of magnitude* estimate. Even if the estimate is off by 30%, it still shows that there seems to be a serious shortfall out there.

[lele]

 

QUOTE (lele @ Dec 6 2004, 11:26 PM)

Ok, so if there are 9 VO's and they do 15 minute interviews for 4 hours a day, that is 144 a day, and at 20 days a month, it is 2880 a month.  Do they *really* have a backlog of 14,000, and hence require many months to clear it out???

 

Your math is a little flawed. Don't forget about the re-interviews from blue and yellow slips.

 

Edited by Squid - Dec 7 2004, 12:53 PM

 

 

I would think they spend more than 15 minutes on each interview. They probably review the file, before the actual interview. And then there are coffee and toilet breaks, and whatever breaks.

 

jimb

Yep! I gather that. This is why I only have them working on interviews for 4 hours each day. My assumption is that the rest of their time is spent reviewing case files, having some fun (which is not supposed to count towards their 37.5 hours a week), having lunch (which they are permitted to have for at least 30 minutes a day, paid, so long as they work at *least* 37.5 hours a week, and hence how they get a 40 hour work week!), etc.

 

I did not factor in sick days, and this usually runs to be about 8-10% in the US. Since the pollution in GZ is much worse, it could run as high as 15% even, but that is not too significant in terms of narrowing the gap by the amount it would need to be lowered by.

[lele]

37.5 work hours for 40 hours of pay is federally mandated under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). A person working a standard 8 hour day for 5 days a week is entitled to a 15 minute paid rest break toward the middile of the morning and another in the afternoon. That works out to 2.5 hours per week. Under the Act, an employee must be granted a minimum 30 minute non-paid lunch break towards the middle of the daily work schedule.

 

Amazing at it may seem, government employees are covered by the Act along with every other employer in the US.

Thanks for the correction!!!

[beijingjenny]

Nate - pretty sure things level off for us DCF'ers when it comes to the appointment. First come first serve as far as I can tell.