Interview Successful at GUZ Consulate for CR-1

[yunnan_couple 0]

Hi Everyone!

I accompanied my wife to her Guangzhou interview (I waited outside). She came out after 30 minutes with a big smile on her face... She said that the Consular staff-person that interviewed her was very friendly and at the end of the interview said "Your visa has been processed" and took her passport.

I filed I-130 DCF in Guangzhou on May 10th 2013... Case was created on June 6th. Today is August 28th. Pretty fast...

I have two questions

1. I paid fee of $420 when I filed the the I-130. Today after the interview my wife was not asked to pay any additional fees... Can I assume that the $420 covers everything?

2. At this point is there any real likelihood she would not get the visa?

Thanks and best wishes to everyone!

Scott

[dwinge 34]

Congratulations !!!!

[Pitaya 2,577]

Congratulations !!!

[Darnell 8,478]

there should have been another fee of 230 paid for packet 3, for the visa application itself (the DS-230) .

when you review ceac.state.gov - what status you got there?

also, what status is showing at ustraveldocs website?

that's superweird, no one collect that 230. usually, dcf folk pay this at a CITIC bank location, bring in receipt to show at interview OR it's logged at ustraveldocs.com website. Is possible no one catch this, as there was a move for the Consulate plus the data stream between GUZ IV and ustraveldocs.com seems broken for DCF'd casefiles. Payment instructions are there on that web portal, but IMO, it's broken for capturing the payment event.

----------------

Congratulations on the approval !

Time for Happy Dance !

Edited August 28, 2013 by Darnell

[Rich and Wen 101]

Congratulations to you both!!

[ewew5087 2]

_{Congratulations.}

[yunnan_couple 0]

Hi Darnell,

Thanks for the reply. And thanks for the congrats from everybody else!!! ;-)

I don't remember paying for the DS-230 before we got the Packet 3. How would we have paid it?

I went to the ceac.state.gov website and tried to do the "fee payment", but we never got an IIN (invoice identification) , so I cannot check that

When I check the case status it says "administrative processing" and "Status Updated Date: Aug. 28 2013" which was yesterday the day of our interview.

When we log into ustraveldocs.com website... in the "Fee Payment" box it says $0 and same message ""administrative processing" and "Status Updated Date: Aug. 28 2013"

When I check passport status... it says "Passport Still with Post"

My wife also got the attached (scanned) "Immigrant Visa Issuance Notice" after her interview along with the standard "Domestic Abuse" pamphlet.

Did we get a 1/2 price visa? !?!?

- Scott

[Darnell 8,478]

so far, you gots a half-price visa.

but it ain't over till it's over. are you still in Guangzhou? I highly recommend you (not her) walking in and asking, during the walk-in hours.

http://guangzhou.usembassy-china.org.cn/appointment-system-for-american-citizen-services.html

http://guangzhou.usembassy-china.org.cn/appointment-system-for-american-citizen-services.html

http://guangzhou.usembassy-china.org.cn/appointment-system-for-american-citizen-services.html

Hours listed towards the bottom. Bring her P4 letter with you (I assume you have a copy) . Ask a Vice-Consul there, not any PRC person.

ceac.state.gov -to pay - you can't do it - you not have NVC doc intake there, yer a dcf filer

ustraveldocs.com - i wrote of data disconnect there for tracking DCF payments for packet 3. Sorry.

IMO - the case is in AP because of the non-payment. You should get that sorted, nowish. It most likely got caught in the afternoon, and they are trying to figure out the best but slowest way to contact her. IMO - you should really be pro-active and get in there nowish for confirmation .. AP can last upwards of 12 weeks and have loads of other silliness going on. Nip it in the bud, IMO, nowish.

Edited August 29, 2013 by Darnell

[yunnan_couple 0]

Thanks again for the reply.

We flew back to Kunming after the interview... so it's not possible to visit again without spending another couple days and bunch of money. The ustraveldocs website never (long) before or after the interview asked us to pay a fee. I gave my wife 2000 RMB cash before the interview to pay it, but the consular staff said no need to pay.

Who would I call at the GZ consulate to get some real answers?

- Scott

[LBeachey 45]

I would try contacting them here: http://guangzhou.usembassy-china.org.cn/mobile/immigrant-visa-unit-question.html

I would take Darnell's advice and fess up to the non-payment as a general 'What is the delay?' will likely get you a general 'Please be patient' response

[yunnan_couple 0]

LBeachey thanks for the reply!

I just email them through their form...

The contents of my message:

"Hello, my wife Wang XXXXXX had her interview yesterday. She passed the interview the consular staff person congratulated her and took her passport. She was expecting to pay a fee but did not. I (the petitioner) paid $420 when I filed the I-130 in Guangzhou (DCF). Is that all that needs to be paid? Why is her case still in "Administrative Processing"? We used the ustraveldocs.com website for the whole process and the website never asked her to make a fee payment. Please let us know if any additional fees need to be paid in order to finalize and receive her CR-1 visa.

I can be contacted at the phone number provided or by email. Thanks for you attention to this pressing matter.

Regards,

Scott XXXXX (petitioner for Wang XXXXXX)"

[Darnell 8,478]

uhm - you can also call the ustraveldocs help desk and talk a bit - see what they tell you about paying the fee.

see

http://ustraveldocs.com/cn/cn-main-contactus.asp

http://ustraveldocs.com/cn/cn-main-contactus.asp

http://ustraveldocs.com/cn/cn-main-contactus.asp

phone numbers at the bottom. when you get a human, remind them is DCF type immigrant spouse visa - they are highly trained on tourist visas, instead. Also ask what to do about packet 3 payment for immigrant visa, tell them CR-1 or IR-1.

My hope is, they can tell you how to pay it, make record of payment (later) for you, and this record of payment will get xmit'd back to Guangzhou IV.

[Darnell 8,478]

Sometimes, in a pinch, the staff at USCIS Guangzhou will help DCF filers -

contact info is here:

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=44248875d714d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=1ac900c262197210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=44248875d714d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=1ac900c262197210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=44248875d714d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=1ac900c262197210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

[yunnan_couple 0]

I called the USCIS office and they told me to email the Visa Immigrant Unit (same as link you gave me). My wife called the ustraveldocs number and the person there didn't know anything at all. There was no live person when I tried to select the English option.

Now I'll just wait to hear back from ustraveldocs email support and GZ Immigrant Visa section.

Thanks for your help. Will keep ya'all updated!

- Scott

[yunnan_couple 0]

Got a response...

Good god these people have big balls... they screw the pooch on collecting fees and give us this reply"

" Wang, XXXXXX: Return to the Consulate with this notice to pay the IV fee on __2013-09-03___afternoon at 1:30pm. Please make sure to bring this notice together with your passport and any other requested materials to the consular section (Immigrant Visa Unit, 3rd floor, U.S. Consulate General, 43 Hua Jiu Road, Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District, Guangzhou). If you have already submitted your passport to the consulate, please bring a government issued photo identification card for entrance into the consulate."

My response:

"Hello,

We already left Guangzhou... why didn't you ask us to pay at that time? Your ustraveldocs.com website never asked us to pay either? Please arrange for payment by credit card by phone. We live in Kunming and because of work obligations it's not possible to return at that time. This is definitely an error with your system and it's a huge burden for us to return to Guangzhou just to pay a fee that was never at any point requested of us.

Please confirm receipt of this message and arrange for our payment. We can pay by credit card over the phone, by website, by bank transfer etc.

Regards,

Scott XXXXXX (petitioner) and XXXXX Wang (petitioner)"

Am I wasting my time here? There has got to be another way to pay this??? I have to spend thousands of RMB to pay a fee of $230 USD? Suggestions?

- Scott

Edited August 29, 2013 by yunnan_couple