Group Letter- Second Draft

[hypoclear]

The way we sent it before was that I printed the letter and signed it and then included each of our 88 or so co-signer's name and email address on the following pages with a statement that they were all in agreement with the letter.

 

The letter is looking good but it needs to lose all the talk of "please" or any other form of begging.  It needs to lose nearly all the emotional adjectives.  And it needs to be re-written so that all members of CFL can sign on, not just ones with cases pending.

 

And we need a great many more people interested in it.  Come on, everyone join in, guests included.  There is power in numbers.

 

It would be the best if the administrators would get behind the letter and send out an email request to each of the 200 most active members asking them to come and look at the letter and see if they would sign on.

 

Yes, CFL should evolve into a lobbying group.

Robert S I haven't read this letter yet but your idea of how to mail it sounds great and the comments about please etc etc also seem right on, but of course it should not swing to the other side and become strident, just a straight forward statement and inclusive of all person's here.

 

I did have one other thought or idea and will toss it out. If this were to be emailled to this woman, why not have each person CC not only their congressman but both of their senators? It seems we would be getting the message out to many many more people and less chance or more pressure to respond. It's kind of hard to be off putting in public so to speak and you will never know who your allies are if you don't approach them?

 

hmmm re-thinking as I write this.. yes send a hard copy of the letter to the woman and an enclosure stating that an electronic copy of this letter has been sent to each and every signers congressman and senator...is this doable, workable, effect?

 

The idea of a quick PM to the members of CFL works for me and if the wording is corrected so that it DOES NOT imply CFL is lobbing is best. I think the shear numbers and we could also post this on the other Visa web sites to add to those would be effective enough, in fact perhaps even better if the others worded theirs simalarly. This would than put more meat or pressure on these officials as it is no longer a few club members but more a movement by a large group of men and women from various backgrounds spread over a wider area.

 

Mark and Bea and Elizabeth

[tywy_99]

I apologize for coming so late into this but I do love to critique a letter.

I agree with the points Robert S. brought out and I agree that a printed copy of the final draft be sent in the mail with e-mail copies sent as a secondary. Use the new Ronald Regan stamps for effect….

 

The greeting should be personal as in ‘Dear Maura Harty,’

 

Example:

 

 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………Date

 

 

To: Maura Harty

..... Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Consular Affairs

 

From:………………………..

 

 

Subject:………………………

 

 

 

 

Dear Maura Harty,

 

…And then , the body of the letter………

 

 

 

This can be an effective way to present the letter. Also, where it is mentioned about P3 and P4; these are not official terms used anymore for the packets. This was changed a couple of years ago. I remember reading this but I don’t have any details on it or where it can be readily found. The new names for the packets are ‘instruction packet’ formerly P3, and ‘appointment letter’, formerly P4. That is all I know at the moment. I guess it depends on how formal the letter should be or how informal.

The descriptions above for the two packets, I pulled off the GZ website.

 

Just a few of my ideas.

 

I think both letters, hank’s and boba’s, are good. Hank’s letter reads easy and flows from one paragraph to the other. The connectivity is there, making the letter interesting to the reader no matter how long it is. Boba’s letter is short and concise, making it an effective letter as well but it could use a little refining, following Robert’s critiquing.

 

Again, just my humble opinions and ideas. I know I’m a “day late and a dollar short” on this thing. Seems to be the story of my life!…

 

I applaud all of you who has put forth this effort.

 

-good luck

[Luo_Bin_&_Jialu]

This is the copy of the verision that was edited by a few of us, starting with Hank at the beginning of this thread, and then going through a few versions, all building off of the other. You will find me willing to sign this--and willing to make a few changes as TWYY suggests. Please let us not waste the time that went in to this by starting another letter. The letter follows:

 

 

Secretary Maura Harty:

 

I am writing to you as a member of “A Candle For Love” (CFL), a growing online community of nearly 2,000 law abiding, taxpaying U.S. Citizens. We are joined by the common bond of a lengthy and unpredictable wait to receive immigrant visas for our wives, fiancés and children. The purpose of this letter is to address a few of the current immigrant visa processing issues at the American Consulate in Guangzhou. These issues have caused unnecessary hardships for us and our families. We ask that you take a moment to read our honest and concise assessment of the current situation and that you consider possible solutions.

 

1) Wait Times for K1 & K3 Visas:

The wait time for the K-1 Fiancé Visa and K3 Visa is among the longest in the world. Our members wait an average of 13-months without a good reason or understanding why it takes so long. We ask that you please investigate and help us to understand this situation, especially in light of the fact that other countries, such as England and Canada, are able to process visas of this type in much shorter time, typically 30-45 days.

 

China has the world’s largest population. Is it time that a country of this size and importance has more than one consulate to handle immigrate visas? Canada has two such locations.

 

You recently spoke in Beijing about the improvements in handling Student and business visas from China, with over 180,000 student visas per year typically processed and issued in a matter of days or weeks. Please consider the petitions of US citizens for their loved ones to be at least of equal priority as those from Chinese citizens.

 

2) Denials without appeal:

Many of our members are being denied visas for no apparent reason. They are denied and not allowed consultation with a member of the IV Unit to resolve these denials, or to know why they are being denied. Please work to correct this situation.

 

3) White Slips changed to Blue Slips:

There are a growing number of cases where white acceptance slips are being given to the wife or fiancé of a U.S. Citizen immediately after the interview, only to receive a blue slip the following day, and the visa denied — without explanation or consultation. Please do what you can to ensure that the initial decision remains until the visa is given. Again these cases directly affect the lives and future of US Citizens and their loved ones.

 

These items are simply a few occurrences we wish to bring to your attention at this time.

 

The US consulate in China is US soil. Please help to ensure that everyone who enters is treated with the basic human rights of dignity, respect, and non-discrimination that is fundamental to our way of life. We are not asking for any special treatment, just the same consideration, care and service that anyone requesting a visa in China would and should expect.

 

Thank you for taking the time to hear our concerns.

 

 

Respectfully,

 

 

The Members of CFL.

 

PS:

I have forwarded a copy of this letter to my local Senators and Representative to help resolve these issues. A copy is also being forwarded to each of the consulates in China, to make them aware of the issues and hopefully they can work together to improve the service we receive.

 

Again I would like to congratulate you on the improvements you have been able to accomplish in allowing Chinese students and business people to obtain their visas, now I hope we can expect the same for US citizens waiting to be reunited with their loved ones.

[Carl]

The only change I would suggest is adding the CR-1 visa to the sentence with the K-1 and K-3 for those of us who are going through the CR-1 process.

[rogerluli]

I am ready to sign either letter. A few suggestions for this one are;

 

use fiancee' (a woman betrothed to a man) rather than fiance' ( a man betrothed to a woman)

 

eliminate "law abiding, tax paying"

 

in sec 1) "help us to understand" changed to "help us to improve"

 

Student - "student" will do, not capitalized

 

I for one am very appreciative of all who have put in so much time on this.

[Trigg]

Hey all, I have made a few minor changes to the "Letter" (hope ya'll don't mind). Also, I included a sample signature page that each peerson would need to send to a central point to be included with the letter. Read it and see what you think. If this letter is to be sent the time is NOW when a trip to China is freshin Ms. Harty's memory.

 

Trigg

 

To: Maura Harty, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Consular Affairs

 

From:Members of a concerned group

 

Subject:Guangzhou visa processing

 

 

 

 

Dear Ms. Harty:

 

We, are of writing to you as members of “A Candle For Love” (CFL), a growing online community of nearly 2,000 law abiding, taxpaying U.S. Citizens. We are joined by the common bond of a lengthy and unpredictable wait to receive immigrant visas for our wives, fiancee's and children. The purpose of this letter is to address a few of the current immigrant visa processing issues at the American Consulate in Guangzhou. These issues have caused what we feel are unnecessary hardships for us and our loved ones. We ask that you take a moment to read our honest and concise assessment of the current situation and that you consider possible solutions.

 

1) Wait Times for K1 & K3 Visas:

The wait time for the K-1 Fiance Visa and K3 Visa is among the longest in the world. Our members wait an average of 13-months without a good reason or understanding why it takes so long. We would deeply appreciate your help in investigating and helping us to understand this situation, especially in light of the fact that K visas processed in consulates in other countries are done significantly faster than those processed at Guangzhou.

 

China has the world’s largest population. Is it time that a country of this size and importance has more than one consulate to handle immigrate visas? Countries of lessor populations and immigrant demand have multiple consulates.

 

Some of our members have recently enjoyed hearing you speak in Beijing about the improvements in handling student and business visas from China, with over 180,000 student visas per year typically processed and issued in a matter of days or weeks. We are sure that you would consider the petitions of US citizens for their loved ones to be at least of equal priority as those from Chinese citizens.

 

2) Denials without appeal:

Many of our members are being denied visas for no apparent reason. They are denied and not allowed consultation with a member of the IV Unit to resolve these denials, or to know why they are being denied. Your help in resolving this communication deficit would be greatly appreciated.

 

3) White Slips changed to Blue Slips:

There are a growing number of cases where white acceptance slips are being given to the wife or fiancee of a U.S. Citizen immediately after the interview, only to receive a blue slip the following day, and the visa denied — without explanation or consultation. This is very confusing to those of us at CFL. We would like to give our support to your visa officers. However, this becomes increasingly difficult when they over rule themselves with no given reason. You can easily see how this reflects negatively on the consulate staff. Again these cases directly affect the lives and future of US Citizens and their loved ones.

 

These items are simply a few occurrences we wish to bring to your attention at this time.

 

As the US consulate in China is considered US soil, we ask that everyone who enters is treated with the basic human rights of dignity, respect, and non-discrimination that is fundamental to our way of life. We ask for no special treatment, rather, the same consideration, care and service that anyone requesting a visa in China would and should expect.

 

We appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to read our concerns. If there is anything that we can do to assist you in your monumental task, please feel free to contact us at any time.

 

Respectfully,

 

 

The Members of CFL.

 

 

 

 

Sample signature letter::

 

This is in regards to above letter, I C. Trigg Minnick affix my signature and endorsement.

 

Dear Ms Harty:

I am presently finished with the visa process and have procured a Visa for my then fiancee through the consulate in Guangzhou China. My interests are in assisting you in any way possible in order to bring parody and thoroughness to the spouses and fiancee's of my fellow US citizens.

 

If there is anything that I may do to help you or if you have any questions concerning this matter please feel free to contact me at ------

 

Sincerely,

C. Trigg Minnick Ph. D., N.C.S.P.

[Rick-Guohua]

I'm ready to sign the letter.

 

I have just heard some very troubling news,,,,, Of the VO's taking the word of Thugs over the word of American Citizens with out even investigateing the statement made against the S.O.

Yes, You guessed it, One is the Black Pearl.

 

Rick

[eeyore]

Hey Trigg I like your revision a lot, sounds good.

[pingme]

just a comment about the process or procedure for sending.

 

i still think it would be much more effective and simply for each person to print, sign and send a copy themselves to Maura, as well as their own senators and representative. and email copy to them would also be effective. and i would not forget the president of the United States.

 

I don't know how skeptical these people might be, but it would be too easy for 1 person to include 100 fake signatures. but it would not be possible for one person to fake sending letters from 100 different post offices in the US and to CC or send a copy to those senators and representatives.

 

if you need to find the address of your senators, here is one link that i think they can be found:

 

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_info...enators_cfm.cfm

 

most of them i think by now have their own websites where you can get their address and send email.

 

this site seemed to have both senators and representatives addresses for each state.

 

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

 

i don't think the letter needs to be word for word the same, what we have so far is good enough to go. if you want to include more of your own person details, either good or bad, that would be appropriate too.

 

I get a feeling that Maura is a personal type of person, so to include "feeling" in the letter i think would be a good thing.

[eeyore]

Hey all, I have made a few minor changes to the "Letter" (hope ya'll don't mind). Also, I included a sample signature page that each peerson would need to send to a central point to be included with the letter.  Read it and see what you think. If this letter is to be sent the time is NOW when a trip to China is freshin Ms. Harty's  memory.

 

Two changes to consider.

 

FROM:

China has the world’s largest population. Is it time that a country of this size and importance has more than one consulate to handle immigrate visas? Countries of lessor populations and immigrant demand have multiple consulates.

 

TO:

China has the world’s largest population. A COUNTRY OF THIS SIZE AND IMPORTANCE SHOULD HAVE MORE THAN ONE CONSULATE TO handle immigrate visas. Countries of lessor populations and immigrant demand have multiple consulates.

 

[sounds a little less condescending not in the form of a question (in my opinion)].

 

FROM:

As the US consulate in China is considered US soil, we ask that everyone who enters is treated with the basic human rights of dignity, respect, and non-discrimination that is fundamental to our way of life. We ask for no special treatment, rather, the same consideration, care and service that anyone requesting a visa in China would and should expect.

 

TO:

As the US consulate in China is considered US soil, we ask that everyone who enters is treated with the basic human rights of dignity, respect, and non-discrimination that is fundamental to our way of life. We ask for no special treatment, rather, the same consideration, care and service that anyone requesting OTHER VISA TYPES IN CHINA AND AND VISA REQUESTS THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE WORLD would and should expect.

 

[it seems to me that China visa wait is the longest, not sure but if so we should say so]

[hank]

Guys, this has evolved into something awesome. Now we need some guidance, because we have too many GREAT ideas on the table.

 

It would be good if one of the moderators, who have the most experience, could step in and take the lead. Then we can all follow their advice. Remember that United We Stand, Divided We Fall.

 

PJ, donahso, ttlee_99, owenkrout, Charlotte, are you out there?

[Trigg]

IMHO we have a few versions of the same thing on the table. It is time to pick one and get it sent. Ms. Harty cannot read this while it is in revisiong. As this letter is specific to Ms Harty, any one wishing to send this to senators or congressman could easily do so with modifications.

 

My personal opinion is that individual letters may not get read. This is why I included a sample signature page. I believe we will have the greatest impact if we all send a sig page to one members address and he/she sends a copy of the letter with all sig pages to the appropriate address. I would gladly do this if noone else has the time. However, gathering the sig pages will lilely take a week and if we cannot get large numbers we will have no impact.

 

As to administrators of CFL. YES, we definalty need them to read and varify that we have not misrepresneted CFL in anyway.

 

Time for talk was then, time to do is now!!!!!! Someone step up and get 'r done!!!!!!

 

How about some input from some of the rest of the old timers here??? Just 'caus you have you darlin' with you doesn't mean you have forgotten the terrible wait.

[Luo_Bin_&_Jialu]

Trigg:

 

My vote is that the signature page, and the version of the letter posted on the middle of page 5 is perfect--DONE.

 

I work on teams of architects, engineers and consultants of all kinds--much of the time there is $100's of millions at risk. There comes a point when it is time to stamp it and submit it.

 

As is true with many of you, a great deal of my most precious commodity--time has been spent on this. My vote is now cast. You will lose my support if any major changes are made.

 

This experience with you all has been quite amazing, there are some very talented people who show up at this web community. Thank you for allowing me to take part in it.

[Carl]

Ok, I think that the letter should be sent primarily to Maura Hartly, but rgther than editing it for every member of the senate and house (to time consuming). When I was in the Air Force and I wanted someone else to also see it I would do a CC: (courtesy copy). That way I was able to write one letter but send it to multiple addresses.

 

What do you think?

[Trigg]

Ok, we can work out the minor details and wait for CFL admin aproval while we are doing the sig pages. Lets get them in the mail. Send them to me @

 

C. Trigg Minnick

PO box 143

Whiye house TN 37188

 

This will likley take a week, so if there are any minor changes or cc's to be done we can do them before the fianl mailing.

 

When you send you sif page please PM me so that I know who has sent it and how many. Once the last are sent we will finalize and mail.

Trigg