Guangzhou: NVC to Consulate Shipping Weight

[Panda_Intl 0]

Hello,

My Fiance visa has been moving super fast...however, my Chinese fiance tells me that she has heard that petitions sometimes are shipped in multiples together from NVC to the consulate and that for Guangzhou, anything over 2KG (4.4 lb) will sit at the DHL facility for an extended period of time - sometimes weeks. In our case, I know that the shipping weight of my petition was about 3.5 pounds which would have been fine alone. I was informed by NVC that our petition shipped to the consulate yesterday, but the only item I could find on DHL for Guangzhou yesterday was for only 1 lb, so I am thinking that cannot be it. An item shipped today for 7 lbs, so I am fairly sure that must be the one packaged with others putting us over the 2KG weight limit. I searched for a few past dates on DHL and I found two others recently of 1 lb each being delivered without delay and another for 12 lbs stating "Clearance Delay" for a week now. So, I am thinking that what my fiance heard may be true.

Q1: Any possibly they stripped down my petition package resulting on a lower weight?

Q2: Can anyone confirm that packages over a certain weight to Guangzhou need to be picked up at DHL by the consulate resulting in delay?

Q3: If true, I had read one time about faxing a request to the consulate to open a provisional case so tehy coould begin work on it... NVC has already provided me with a "GUZ" case number. Does the provisional case option still apply and if so, is it worth doing at this point?

Q4: On a somewhat different subject... Is there any concern with obtaining the documents for P3 prior to receving the P3? I mean.. Do any documents required for the P3 have to have been dated within a certain period of time prior to sending to the consulate?

Thanks for the insights.

J

[Darnell 8,478]

Q1 - possible - IF (and only IF) the casefile was sent out SOLELY via SAFEFILE, an electronic communications net used by NVC and Consular IV Units. You have 1 in 3 chance of NVC sending it out SOLELY VIA SAFEFILE. You can verify, with NVC, HOW it was shipped - here's the magic question (call NVC, get a Human) - Was my casefile sent out solely via Safefile, or was it shipped both ways, DHL and SafeFile? If it was sent SOLELY via SAFEFILE - you need to be prepared to furnish a complete copy of all of the evidence info you submitted, with the original submittal, with/to yer lass, for interview day, on interview day.

Q2- In 2009 - MOST K-1 casefiles went FAST via DHL - only to sit in bonded warehouse, awaiting processing by the IV unit at GUZ. This was (and still is) a FIFO process. The 'normal' wait time was 60 to 120 days before the IV unit at GUZ even went out to the warehouse to get the next set. There's all types of rumours as to why this happens - ranging from 'over-run with casefiles, must use FIFO' to 'Consular documents, via treaty with China, must wait in bonded warehouse at least 60 days'. From October 2009 to current date - usually the wait time is 45 days, from the time DHL marks it received in Guangzhou, to the date the IV unit at GUZ opens it. There is slight trending to 'go faster' this year - it SEEMS the backlog has dimished somewhat.

Q3 - Provisional casefile opening is no longer possible. That died because of the extra namechecks that went into play, after 9/11. Sorry.

Q4 - ah - P3 Speed. Get Some !!! see (and read) http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/GUZ_P3_Shortcut

re: 'the date' - look, DOS Hotline knows all, once the casefile has left NVC. I strongly suggest you call NVC - get the NVC/GUZ casefile number (get a human there, for this) then... Call DOS Hotline, inquire case status. At some point - the casefile status will shift to 'casefile opened' - then immediately after that - a status of 'P3 sent' will be set. ONCE the 'P3 sent' status is set - you can use my shortcut for P3 speed at GUZ. Call DOS every 2 to 3 days, until you hear 'casefile opened' - then call every day, looking for 'P3 sent'.

re: anything yer lass tells you, about stuff she has learned. Be wary of this - usually she gleaned it from the 001 Chinese forum - and about 5 percent of stuff there is FACT - the rest is conjecture and supposition. Also - is big game there for the ladies to 'trip up' the new members, with bad information. Is grand game, don't let yer lass suffer because of it.

re: Bundling - sorry - ya- it can happen, and does happen. The 'other paperwork' you submit is NEVER stripped off, intentionally, to save weight. There can be issues with a clerk losing that other paperwork, prior to NVC bundling, though. It's extrememly rare, and to the best of my knowledge, has only happened twice for casefiles headed to GUZ (out of what - 35,000 over 3 years?)

Good Luck ! (or something)

Edited March 19, 2010 by Darnell

[Panda_Intl 0]

Thanks for the detailed and quick response. See comments inline.

Q1 - possible - IF (and only IF) the casefile was sent out SOLELY via SAFEFILE, an electronic communications net used by NVC and Consular IV Units. You have 1 in 3 chance of NVC sending it out SOLELY VIA SAFEFILE. You can verify, with NVC, HOW it was shipped - here's the magic question (call NVC, get a Human) - Was my casefile sent out solely via Safefile, or was it shipped both ways, DHL and SafeFile? If it was sent SOLELY via SAFEFILE - you need to be prepared to furnish a complete copy of all of the evidence info you submitted, with the original submittal, with/to yer lass, for interview day, on interview day.

Contacted NVC and I was very clear in respect to the Safefile question (more than once). They responded that ALL cases were shipped both physically and via Safefile. I told them that I was led to believe that some were only sent via safefile, but they insisted that was not the case. So, mine was shipped both they said (although, I did not get the sense that they were validating this - only going on the assumtion that all are shipped both). They also clarified that their "shipped date" means that DHL could pick up the package any day of that week after their shipped date. My shipped date was Wednesday and I know the 7 lb package was picked up Thursday and is likely the package, but it is possible it will not ship until today.

Q2- In 2009 - MOST K-1 casefiles went FAST via DHL - only to sit in bonded warehouse, awaiting processing by the IV unit at GUZ. This was (and still is) a FIFO process. The 'normal' wait time was 60 to 120 days before the IV unit at GUZ even went out to the warehouse to get the next set. There's all types of rumours as to why this happens - ranging from 'over-run with casefiles, must use FIFO' to 'Consular documents, via treaty with China, must wait in bonded warehouse at least 60 days'. From October 2009 to current date - usually the wait time is 45 days, from the time DHL marks it received in Guangzhou, to the date the IV unit at GUZ opens it. There is slight trending to 'go faster' this year - it SEEMS the backlog has dimished somewhat.

That was my sense/understanding of how the process is. Aw well.. I guess I should be thankful it appears to be going somewhat more quickly than in the past. Besides, I am at 49 days now and our physical petition is already on the way to the consulate. So, we are very pleased about that. Of course, we want to keep that pace all the way through.

Q3 - Provisional casefile opening is no longer possible. That died because of the extra namechecks that went into play, after 9/11. Sorry.

I suspected that this was no longer the case as I could not find any current information regarding this. Thank you for clarifying.

Q4 - ah - P3 Speed. Get Some !!! see (and read) http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/GUZ_P3_Shortcut

re: 'the date' - look, DOS Hotline knows all, once the casefile has left NVC. I strongly suggest you call NVC - get the NVC/GUZ casefile number (get a human there, for this) then... Call DOS Hotline, inquire case status. At some point - the casefile status will shift to 'casefile opened' - then immediately after that - a status of 'P3 sent' will be set. ONCE the 'P3 sent' status is set - you can use my shortcut for P3 speed at GUZ. Call DOS every 2 to 3 days, until you hear 'casefile opened' - then call every day, looking for 'P3 sent'.

Thanks for the shortcut. Excellent!

I contacted DOS who told me that GUZ has my electronic file, but not the physical packet. They clarified that a P3 would not be issued until the physical packet is received.

They were unable to clarify whether having the electronic packet meant that they would begin work on it or not.

re: anything yer lass tells you, about stuff she has learned. Be wary of this - usually she gleaned it from the 001 Chinese forum - and about 5 percent of stuff there is FACT - the rest is conjecture and supposition. Also - is big game there for the ladies to 'trip up' the new members, with bad information. Is grand game, don't let yer lass suffer because of it.

Ha... Every time she says "On 001 they say..." I hold my breath and then calmly reply. "O.K. we should consider that, but let's validate it elsewhere."

re: Bundling - sorry - ya- it can happen, and does happen. The 'other paperwork' you submit is NEVER stripped off, intentionally, to save weight. There can be issues with a clerk losing that other paperwork, prior to NVC bundling, though. It's extrememly rare, and to the best of my knowledge, has only happened twice for casefiles headed to GUZ (out of what - 35,000 over 3 years?)

Thanks for the insight.

Q5: Is it too early to begin obtaining my bank records and emplyment information? I worry that the dates on those may not be recent enough at the time required if I do now.

[Darnell 8,478]

Q5 - I'd do it on the day that DOS HOTLINE tells you 'P-3 sent'. I assume 2 to 5 days for you, for doc gathering for the I-134, and other evidence stuff you might want her to submit, then about 10 days for the packet to get delivered to her in China. That's about a month before the interview date, if my forecasting is correct.

Good Luck !