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| Guangzhou, China |  Review on September 21, 2014: |
mattman_183
Rating:  | Review Topic: Direct Consular Filing
Arrived 2 nights before. Stayed in hotel in Guangzhou East station as planned to go to Hong Kong afterwards. Checked out how to get to the consulate the night before, then walked around the area a bit.
Had 9:20 appointment. Got in line about 10 min before. Around 920 they opened the doors and checked ID. Took her about 10 more min to get inside.
I told her I would wait for her in Starbucks across the street. There is another one on the same side of the road, for those who want to wait indoors, about two blocks behind the consulate. Pacific Coffee.
Anyways, decided to join most people, and sit on small stone wall in front of Consulate and wait instead, watching every time the exit door opened, dodging people who want to practice their English with me, the sun, and all the smokers.
There are ladies out there as well who give out fliers to those leaving. At first I was weary of them, but they ended up being quite nice, and helpful.
Anyways, waiting outside was a good idea, because about an hour later, Xiaoyue came out and I was waiting for the news. Instead, she said that they had recently changed the visa fee, and she needed an extra 15 kuai!
So I told her to wait on the inside part of the gate, and hold my bag as i ran to a newspaper stand on the corner, bought a water, and got change.
Before she went back inside, she told me she had the interview, and said she wasn't sure what it means. I wished her luck again and she headed inside.
The entire process, I heard, should take about 2 hours, but soon 2 hours became three, and all the people sitting on the wall slowly started to thin out.
I was worried. Thinking of every possible reason why she was so late. Beginning to fear the worst...
Somebody she met inside came out, and told me that she would be out soon. I thanked them and waited more. The flier ladies reassured me when I asked the security guard if there was another exit somewhere I missed.
So about 3 hours since she lined up, finally she comes out. She gave me the paper which said that she had passed!
I was so happy for her, but upset too she went out so late! It turns out not having enough money delayed things an hour more.
So my advice would be to first, wait outside for your friend or family member who is taking the interview, as you never know what problems will happen out there. And even better advice is to be more organized than we were, not only with documents, but fees as well, so you don't have to spend an extra hour worrying about what is happening in there.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #15235