Chinese customs

[Darnell 8,478]

Yes, so I was asking why not just do electronic?

Sorry, any I-129F petition bound for Guangzhou -

some are sent via DHL and SAFEFILE

others are sent SAFEFILE SOLELY

it's totally the discretion of NVC, USC Petitioner cannot OPT IN, it's just not possible.

BUT.

same pipe, system, network, called SAFEFILE, is used to 'send' the casefile from NVC to ANY EMBASSY with a SAFEFILE connection.

Some ppl get lucky, have SAFEFILE solely.

as to 'electronic' ? ya, it's an electronic network, that SAFEFILE thingie - but for I-129Fs? is NOT electronic processing (re: CR-1/2,IR-1/2/4/5) - there's no INTAKE at NVC by the petitioner or beneficiary.

There's some scant mention of this at the bottom of http://guangzhou.usembassy-china.org.cn/nvc_pilot_program_of_electronically_processing_visa_petitions.html but it's written 'as if' a K visa filer has an OPTION for this, when in FACT there is no OPTION for the USCitizen, it's solely at the discretion of NVC and GUZ IV to use the casefile image (SOLELY) stored in SAFEFILE, or not.

If you've not stumbled across pushbrk before - go wary, aye? He has a habit of pushing language, to the point to seeming to be rude.

Edited June 24, 2011 by Darnell

[b & q 35]

Sorry, any I-129F petition bound for Guangzhou -

some are sent via DHL and SAFEFILE

others are sent SAFEFILE SOLELY

it's totally the discretion of NVC, USC Petitioner cannot OPT IN, it's just not possible.

BUT.

same pipe, system, network, called SAFEFILE, is used to 'send' the casefile from NVC to ANY EMBASSY with a SAFEFILE connection.

Some ppl get lucky, have SAFEFILE solely.

as to 'electronic' ? ya, it's an electronic network, that SAFEFILE thingie - but for I-129Fs? is NOT electronic processing (re: CR-1/2,IR-1/2/4/5) - there's no INTAKE at NVC by the petitioner or beneficiary.

There's some scant mention of this at the bottom of http://guangzhou.usembassy-china.org.cn/nvc_pilot_program_of_electronically_processing_visa_petitions.html but it's written 'as if' a K visa filer has an OPTION for this, when in FACT there is no OPTION for the USCitizen, it's solely at the discretion of NVC and GUZ IV to use the casefile image (SOLELY) stored in SAFEFILE, or not.

If you've not stumbled across pushbrk before - go wary, aye? He has a habit of pushing language, to the point to seeming to be rude.

Thanks Darnell, that's what I was wondering about.

I wasn't trying to advise the original poster that he should have done electronic, I was just wondering why he did not do it. You answered my question, thank you!

[b & q 35]

Is it YOUR photo in the dictionary next to "Monday Morning Quarterback" or is it next to "Hindsight is 20/20"? Too late for that.

I was asking why he didn't do that, not advising him that he should have done that. There is a difference.

Is it YOUR photo in the dictionary next to "irritable"? 10 cents says you get upset by your own medicine

[pushbrk 12,910]

I was asking why he didn't do that, not advising him that he should have done that. There is a difference.

Is it YOUR photo in the dictionary next to "irritable"? 10 cents says you get upset by your own medicine

We can only understand what you mean based on what you actually write. When asking "why didn't" you write "why didn't" not "why not". It's called "tense". Maybe consider using it next time.

[b & q 35]

We can only understand what you mean based on what you actually write. When asking "why didn't" you write "why didn't" not "why not". It's called "tense". Maybe consider using it next time.

Where's my 10 cents.. anybody?

[RandyW 149]

Yes that would be document intake time with the interview the next day. Paper case files sent from NVC to GUZ clear customs when the Consulate wants them too. They simply use the DHL customs warehouse as storage until they are ready to actually work the cases. Most clear on a Thursday or Friday, so they can be processed on Saturday. Don't blame DHL or China customs. This issue is on the Consulate.

Mike, this claim was first made on CFL by a member named triattorney, after talking to DHL employees

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?/topic/2821-nvc-to-gz-mail-delay/page__view__findpost__p__28295

I've posted links to this a couple of times since

This is what the consulate has to say:

This is an issue already addressed, but I'll do it again. It is true that items shipped to a U.S. diplomatic mission under diplomatic seal via diplomatic pouch are not subject to customs inspection. However, cases shipped to us from NVC are not shipped under diplomatic seal and are not shipped via diplomatic pouch, they are shipped via commercial carrier - DHL. Once the boxes arrive in customs quarantine we are notified of that, we then request that the boxes be released and, after some wait, the boxes are released. DHL picks up the boxes and delivers them to the Consulate.

A comment was made earlier that since the boxes were listed as "U.S. Diplomatic Papers" on some DHL tracking list and they were, therefore, immune from Chinese customs handling. Simply because a commercial carrier notes in internal documents an item as "U.S. Diplomatic Papers" that doesn't by any stretch of the imagination mean that the item will be handled in accordance with international accords on diplomatic privileges and immunities. I can take a big red pen and mark "U.S. Diplomatic Papers" on every piece of personal mail that I send out. Does that mean that my personal will be immune from customs inspection? Of course not.

There are a great many frustrations and areas of misunderstanding that make you crazy as the immigrant visa process is navigated. I would hope that all would try to resist the temptation to spend too much time finding conspiracy ("the Consulate is trying to fool us with this ####### about cases being held up in Chinese Customs. How stupid do they think we are ... etc, etc) where there is no conspiracy.

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?/topic/14580-diplomatic-mail-waiting-1-2-months/page__view__findpost__p__175729

The consulate makes this claim on their website

Please note that due to a bilateral treaty with China, all immigrant visa petitions remain in Chinese customs for at least three months before being passed on to the Consulate.

http://guangzhou.usembassy-china.org.cn/iv_faqs.html

Edited June 24, 2011 by walserr

[pushbrk 12,910]

Mike, this claim was first made on CFL by a member named triattorney, after talking to DHL employees

http://candleforlove...dpost__p__28295

I've posted links to this a couple of times since

This is what the consulate has to say:

http://candleforlove...post__p__175729

The consulate makes this claim on their website

http://guangzhou.use...cn/iv_faqs.html

It's the second conguz post in the thread, I'm remembering. See the bold part. The Consulate is in control of when the process of clearing customs begins.

I suspect part of the reason is that your packages go through the regular customs process, our does not. For us, the boxes arrive, we get notified. We notify the embassy, embassy gins up a diplomatic note, sends note to us, we send note to Chinese Customs. They get it, think about it, decide when they want to release the boxes. They release the boxes, DHL picks up boxes, deliver boxes to us. We get the boxes, bust them open, enter the cases into the computer.

Edited June 24, 2011 by pushbrk

[RandyW 149]

It's the second conguz post in the thread, I'm remembering. See the bold part. The Consulate is in control of when the process of clearing customs begins.

I suspect part of the reason is that your packages go through the regular customs process, our does not. For us, the boxes arrive, we get notified. We notify the embassy, embassy gins up a diplomatic note, sends note to us, we send note to Chinese Customs. They get it, think about it, decide when they want to release the boxes. They release the boxes, DHL picks up boxes, deliver boxes to us. We get the boxes, bust them open, enter the cases into the computer.

Yes, that's a little side trip the notification takes through the embassy in Beijing. But, by this account, "They get it, think about it, decide when they want to release the boxes" - "They" being Chinese customs.

Even so, personally, I prefer your (and triattorney's) take on it.

[pushbrk 12,910]

This is as good a time to discuss this issue again as any. Back in 2006, when I was on top of my own case and tracking DHL packages, I was expecting it to be three more weeks until the package I was tracking would be actually delivered. I was correct but MY case file was NOT in that package. You NEVER know which package your case file is in and still don't know which one MY case file was in but three weeks after supposedly leaving NVC, I was talking to my wife (Again, what I thought was MY package got delivered three weeks later.) on the webcam and she showed me the P3 she received. I didn't believe it until I saw it. No package DHL listed as having shipped within a week of my NVC out date had been delivered and wasn't until weeks later.

I have absolutely NO idea how my wife's P3 arrived in three weeks from NVC out, when others clearing NVC at about the same time were taking and did take six to eight weeks. I could GUESS, that perhaps it randomly got slipped into a diplomatic pouch that wasn't full but that's only a guess. No package DHL listed as having shipped within a week of my NVC out date had been delivered and wasn't until weeks later.

After returning the P3, I was calling DOS every day for updates. The day before my wife's interview was assigned, a case where the P3 receipt date was one day ahead of mine, was given an interview date. The next day mine was. Three CFL members got their interviews assigned that day. The three interview dates ranged from ours on the 8th, to one in the middle of the month and one late in the month. The one assigned the day before was for the 30th. This is just one of many examples to show that not only GUZ but all interview date assignment everywhere is "random" within the month available for an interview date. Of course, it's less random as the dates fill up but random within the remaining available dates in a given month.