Changes from the US Consulate in Guangzhou

The Consulate has announced changes that will be beneficial for families!

The changes below will take effect February 28, 2011.

Consulate Appointments

The family interview appointments will now be available on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings.  The document intake process will be combined with the oath swearing ceremony during those mornings, which will allow a faster turn-around time for the child’s visa.  The visa will be issued late afternoon of the day following the consulate appointment, which means that families will now be able to leave Guangzhou one day earlier (the 2nd day after Consulate appointment instead of the 3^rd)!

There will be approximately 12 appointments allowed for every time slot during these mornings.  Families are asked to limit the people attending their appointment to just the adoptive parents and the newly adopted child as there will be limited space.  The coordinator will be able to assist families prior to their interview, but will not be allowed to accompany them during the interview.

DS230 Submissions and Pick Ups

The above changes to the Consulate appointments will allow the Consulate to expand their times for the drop-off of DS230 packages and subsequent pick-up of the LSC/Article 5 letters.   Couriers will now be able to drop off and pick up these items on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons.   It will still take the Consulate 10 business days for this process.   For our families, this will mean that your DS230 can now be delivered to the Consulate on  Tuesday or Wednesday (instead of having to wait for Thursday) after it is sent from our US office.  Your Article 5 will then typically be available for pick up by our courier the same week day 2 weeks later (or 10 business days if holidays are involved).