Nikikita

TIP!!!
Hi everyone, some of you may know that I have been having some issues with moving on from P3 to P4...
Essentially, Fiance mailed P3 5/20 but up until yesterday (more than a month later), we still had not heard back from the embassy. (and from what I understand P3 to P4 should be relatively quick.)
Fiance mailed through a courier and unfortunately did not add tracking (he thought buying insurance included tracking), so after waiting impatiently for the first three weeks, I started posting on these boards to see if anyone had any idea what was going on. I received sympathetic responses to not so sympathetic responses doubting whether or not P3 was actually sent in...
Now, after emailing multiple people at the embassy and Fiance running around China for over 6 hours yesterday, we know what happened and can continue!!!
The embassy never received our information, even though the courier service says they delivered it!
So what happened?
The courier service unfortunately delivered to the security office instead of the reception desk. Security had no idea what the package was and put it aside on an office desk somewhere, assuming that someone would pick it up eventually....
MORAL OF THE STORY-- Make sure to make it very clear to your courier service that they need to deliver your documents to the reception desk!! (Save yourself the stress and extra month of un-needed waiting!)
If my Fiance didn't happen to live in Guangzhou where the embassy was located, I don't know if we ever would have figured this out. Sure, we could have sent another copy to the embassy, but I still would have been uneasy about our information floating out there somewhere, and still would have wanted to know what happened.
He spent over two hours with the courier service insisting that they find the signed slip and give him a copy, then travelled another 1.5 hours to the embassy where reception told him Sorry, but they never received the packet because they would have stamped the slip, and goodbye. Thankfully, him knowing me very well, (and that I would have a very hard time accepting this answer) pushed on and after more than an hour, they figured out whose signature was on the slip (security) and our P3 is finally being processed!
This is all on top of frustrating emails, phone calls to the embassy (where we were just told that they will contact us when things are approved but cannot say if they received it or not) and occasional arguments...
I only hope that from my experience, no one else will have to experience this again!

Congrats to all the recent approvals!
After reading through more posts and getting a bit more active on Visa Journey... It does seem like the CSC are processing faster than TSC. And it really breaks my heart that this little detail can have such an impact on our timelines. Even though I know, now, that I am one of the lucky ones, I didn't know too much information beforehand and fully expected to wait 6-9 months for an approval (which is what the immigration service that I worked with told me).
If statistics were telling me that I would have to wait for months, I would have a hard time being happy for fast approvals without a tinge of disappointment, anger and despair for myself. I feel for everyone....
Those of us that are so grateful for fast approvals but don't want to rain on others' parades, and those settling in for a long wait not wanting to get their hopes up.
But, I do want to say-- no matter what service center, additional paperwork, or luck has dealt us, please remember and think about why we are doing what we are doing! All of us have different stories, timelines, and situations but I'm sure that one thing we have in common is that we have found someone in our life that is worth all this effort!
I won't lie, it has been the toughest thing I have had to do in my life. But I always enjoy coming on Visa Journey knowing that there are others out there who are going through these same kind of feelings, and I feel comforted in that fact. Despite the challenges, I consider us one lucky bunch! We have found love in someone that we will literally jump through hoops with to be together with them. I see my friends here who are in good relationships and they ask me what, how and why would I ever put myself through this-- but I just know that all of these challenges are what make us a stronger couple, and will be soooo worth it in the end!
Can everyone in InternetLand take a moment with me and imagine our first moment with our fiancees on US soil, being able to get that long deserved amazing embrace....
That, ladies and gentleman, is how I keep going!

Congrats to all the recent approvals!
After reading through more posts and getting a bit more active on Visa Journey... It does seem like the CSC are processing faster than TSC. And it really breaks my heart that this little detail can have such an impact on our timelines. Even though I know, now, that I am one of the lucky ones, I didn't know too much information beforehand and fully expected to wait 6-9 months for an approval (which is what the immigration service that I worked with told me).
If statistics were telling me that I would have to wait for months, I would have a hard time being happy for fast approvals without a tinge of disappointment, anger and despair for myself. I feel for everyone....
Those of us that are so grateful for fast approvals but don't want to rain on others' parades, and those settling in for a long wait not wanting to get their hopes up.
But, I do want to say-- no matter what service center, additional paperwork, or luck has dealt us, please remember and think about why we are doing what we are doing! All of us have different stories, timelines, and situations but I'm sure that one thing we have in common is that we have found someone in our life that is worth all this effort!
I won't lie, it has been the toughest thing I have had to do in my life. But I always enjoy coming on Visa Journey knowing that there are others out there who are going through these same kind of feelings, and I feel comforted in that fact. Despite the challenges, I consider us one lucky bunch! We have found love in someone that we will literally jump through hoops with to be together with them. I see my friends here who are in good relationships and they ask me what, how and why would I ever put myself through this-- but I just know that all of these challenges are what make us a stronger couple, and will be soooo worth it in the end!
Can everyone in InternetLand take a moment with me and imagine our first moment with our fiancees on US soil, being able to get that long deserved amazing embrace....
That, ladies and gentleman, is how I keep going!