Breakfast with Maura

[beijingjenny]

I just returned from the Am-Cham breakfast. Much like Carl's email suggested, she seems a kind and genuine person, though she did spout the usual how things have improved so much post Sept 11 and America always welcomes visitors though security is always top... "Transparency and efficiency" were words she kept repeating. They are working to "facilitate legitimate travel while enhancing security". "We work every day to see that access to our country is not impeded". "Demystifying these processes". "Try us, you'll like us".

 

They didn't get to my question during the talk part - I was a bit peeved. They had some prepared questions and only took a few others. But the moderator and she herself apologized when I cornered her after.

 

Basically, I told her something must be done about GZ and that it was the slowest country in the world for processing immigrant visas. And that it was neither "efficient" nor "transparent". She didn't try to deny any of this. She mentioned a couple problems - one is "physical plant", that they can hire a hundred more VO's but if they don't have the facilities, it makes no difference. She said that's why they are building more facilities in GZ. Another problem, specific to China, is the lack of people who speak Chinese that can do the VO job. She said she can easily find hundreds for Mexico but China is a different case.

 

She also said how adoptions are a priority. I asked her if they were more important than immediate family, more important than my husband? She said, no they are not.... "but we've got these babies sitting in orphanages". I kind of felt bad actually, but still....

 

In short, she didn't offer a lot of excuses and just said "I'm sorry." I handed her the letter I'd prepared including the specific issues with the info nooneufo and others came up with.

 

Don't remember what else.... but a kind man who was listening later wished me luck and said I'd made a good plea to the right woman at the right time.

 

In terms of the talk, I didn't agree with every idea (the truisms listed above and the idea that they are keen on foreign students because they don't want them to learn from foreign countries and media about the US - i.e. want to indoctrinate foreign young people into the American way).

 

The countries she sees as most in need of VO's are China, India, Korea and Mexico. 7800 people around the world are doing consular work. Doesn't seem like much to me actually.

 

And man, I forked out 200 RMB of my own money, not to mention taxi from the other side of town and they give us toast and fruit???? My babies wanted sausage and eggs and waffles .! Might write some comments on the Am-Cham site. I was peeved by this, the not getting to my question and that they didn't even give me a name tag like everyone else.

 

At any rate, I did get to speak to her and hand deliver the letter, and who knows...maybe one day things will improve if we all keep pushing.

 

Jenny

[impatient]

I am glad to hear that someone got to personally express our concerns, even if it might not do any good at least they are aware of these problems now. I wish I could have been there, and I am truly sorry you spent your cab fare for toast and fruit. Hopefully she will help your case and make it worth the trip . Thanks for going.

 

Bill

[lele]

Thanks for at least raising the issue Jenny!

 

I think the fact that you of all people, who is obviously pregnant and a US citizen who can speak some Chinese, will do the future people who have to go through the process some good.

 

I am not sure in the end if anything will change, but I know that you tried, and that at least for the short term, things may get better.

 

Thanks for fighting the good fight, and now, get to rest and enjoying yourself before the stress/adrenaline hits when you get to GZ.

 

You will be absolutely fine...and your husband will be a star!

[ptcrusier333rph]

maybe some of the chinese speaking CFL here could become VO

[MarkLuvsShuPing]

Jenny, you are a rock star!!! Good work! I think it will do some good, but maybe not right away. Even if it doesn't, you were there and you made her listen, that is just great.

 

One question....

 

did you call her Mata Hari?

[warpedbored]

Great job Jenny. Perhaps the image of a pregnant American woman married to a Chinese man may give her a different perspective than the more prevelant American man.

[oregonknl]

Beijing Jenny !

 

Sorry, but I haven't been following here perhaps a closely as in the past.... who exactly is Maura? (High in State obviously) ---- sounds like you confimred, once again, the pistol I always thought you were!

 

But also sounds like this Maura person wasn't entirely without intelligent --- off the cuff answers --- unlike some, well above her in the Federal Gov....

 

Have to go with her priorities for the girls in the orphanages, (for all the obvious reasons, in my case) ---- and for the record, I have been saying that all along --- even though our (Fei's) process was protracted, somewhat...

 

But ~! Good Work!!

 

---- Now go out and eat for three!!

[Guest DragonFlower]

Thank You sincerely for being our advocate and an excellent one.

Some of us might have had touble containing ourselves(present company included).I have a friend at work who is adopting,China gives the baby a pssport in a day,GZ gives them a visa in 1 or 2 days.Guess the lill buggers are not much of a security risk.They PAY a LOT of money,but she started after me and her baby will be on American soil long before my wife even gets a P-4.

 

 

Thanks again,I appreciate your taking the time.

 

 

long

[warpedbored]

Have to go with her priorities for the girls in the orphanages, (for all the obvious reasons, in my case) ---- and for the record, I have been saying that all along --- even though our (Fei's) process was protracted, somewhat...

 

But ~!  Good Work!! 

 

----  Now go out and eat for three!!

Disagree with you on this one Kim. I think husbands/wives, children of US citizens and fiancee's should have at least as high a priority as adopted babies.

[Guest DragonFlower]

Just a thought.

 

If the adoptions take the priority,but are also handled quickly.

Move them somewhere else,out of GZ,which is an inconvenient location for adoptive parents.Perhaps somewhere more centrally located.I know my co-worker is not happy about having to run from one end of China to the other.

 

The caseload last year was about 8,000 adoptions,put 20 people somewhere else to handle these.Why in the world does State put everything under one roof in China.Across the street from the CCAA would be a good place.

 

 

long

[Robert S.]

Thank you very much for doing this. I see it as like a cosmic blessing that you were the one. She really listened to you whereas she would have gaffed off almost anybody else.

[Carl]

It is early Thursday morning and I am talking to my Ying on Skype. She said that there was an announcement that the background check done by Guanzhou for a visa which normally takes 3 months will be reduced to 15 days .

 

Has anybody heard anything similar? If this is true there might be a sudden reduction in the time required and a sudden increase in the amount of visas issued.

 

Let's hope that the noise we have recently made has helped in this policy change.

[BobandNicole]

Beijing Jenny

 

Want to echo everyone's thanks at least our concerns were heard. What Mara says about physical plant being too small is true, and taking adoptions out of the mix I don't think will help much. The U.S. consulate's real estate footprint is pretty small, built upward instead of outward, and what's inside is pretty cramped. On top of that, they have living quarters for the expat staff, plus offices we don't get to see.

 

Not to mention in GZ staff have to be fluent in both Mandarin and Cantonese (not even a lot of native speaking Chinese fluent in both) and you get a staffing problem because of language on top of the physical space issue.

 

While the immigration part of the adoption process might be short, it's still over a 2 year process one has to go through to adopt from China. And it's pretty much helpless little kids we're talking about. Do we tell adoptive parents it's going to take another 3 months on top of the time it aready takes?

 

This situation is like a funnel right now, too much stuff going into it, taking too long to come out the other end. Solution is to make the narrow end of the funnel wider. Only way to do that is add staff, which cost people, space and ???. Apparently none of which are available at the moment. So, while you're at it write your congressman/senator about increasing funding/staffing for foreign services/ VO's

 

Off my soapbox.

Bob

[nooneufo]

Jenny! Jenny! Jenny!

Sounds like you need a Waffle House.

I suppose trafficking in humans is quite acceptable when properly put into perspective.

Thank you for your efforts

[beijingjenny]

Thanks everybody - I doubt that me speaking to her was any better than anyone else. I'm sure all of you could have made a good case (anger contained anyway I'm just glad I was able to at least *try* to do something. I didn't really bring my own case or pregnancy that much into it, since it's a bit late for that. I just hoped I could do some good for future applicants. Though it occured to me I should have mentioned my own little boys when she was talking about adoptions! I agree the adoptions are important, but I think the point and the point I was trying to make is that all family should be a priority. The whole system is screwed and we should all get "transparent", "efficient", and as fast as possible treatment.

 

Kim, Maura Haurty is the Asst Sec of State for Consular Affairs - so yeah, pretty high up in State!

 

No, Mark, managed to keep her real name in mind! So you're off he hook

 

And that's a good point Bob that they have to speak Putonghua and Guangdonghua - that does make things even more difficult. Though opening an office in BJ could help things - there wouldn't need to be Cantonese speakers coming through here.

 

One thing she said in her speech that I did agree with and those who make use of the resources here and on the net will too: "A well informed applicant is a more successful applicant" - or something like that...

 

We should all keep up our efforts to effect change. Keep emailing, writing, calling, whatever. And make sure to express proper thanks when someone does actually help or something does change for the better in GZ (such as what Carl mentioned, if true).

 

Okay, I'm just practicing being a mother