InApr1999,MsAattendedaseminarhostedbyxxxGirlsHighSchoolandusinZhengzhou,Henan.SheandherparentswerelaterinterviewedbyMrsxxx,theDeputyPrincipalofxxxGirls.ShewascoideredasuitablestudentandwasgivenaLetterofOffer..Heralicationwaslodgedon29Apr1999andwasgivenanalicationreferencenumberxxx.Herrequestwasrefusedon16Jul1999andthereasofortherefusalwasgivenas:
"Althoughyouhaveprovidedfundsinsuortofyouralication,basedonyourfamily"scombinedincome,itiscoideredthatyouhaveiufficientmeatomaintainlongtermstudiesinNewZealand."
Hersecondalicationwaslodgedon14Sep1999andwasgivenanalicationreferencenumberxxx.ThealicationwasagainrefusedandSchedule14Acontaitheofficialreasointhesecondrefusal.Ascanbeseen,thereasogivenwerenon-ecificandtheletterwascouchedingeneralterms.Schedule15AisthecopyoftheDecisionNotesthatyouwerekindenoughtoprovidemeinoursuequentmeetings.
AccordingtotheNotes,thevisaofficerbasedherdecisiononthefollowingpoints:
(1)Resultofhertelephoneenquiryindicatedthattheparentsdidnotgotoworkatthefurniturestoreregularly.
(2)Thewagesfigurecontainedinthebalancesheetprovidedbythefatherwerenotcoistentwiththesalarysheets.Shethereforecametotheconclusionthatoneofthetwodocumentsmusthavebeenfalsified.
(3)Namecardsofthefather"spartnersandpricelistssubmittedwerecoideredirrelevanttothecase.Thevisaofficerindicatedthattheparentsdidnotproducetheirownnamecardsandtheemployer"sletterwasnotwrittenonproperletterheads.Thevisaofficercoideredthatthebankdepositbooksshouldbestampedbytwoemployeesfromthebank,butonebookhadonlyonestamp.
TheofficeralsodiscoveredthatapersonbythenameofBwhoissuosedtoworkatthebankwasonthelistofemployeesofthecompany.
[B]OURpIEFREPLY
Goingthroughthevariousdocumentscontainedinthefileandlookingatthesecondvisaofficer"srejection,Ihavetoadmitthatthedocumentationproducedtogetherwithsomeofthefindingsofthevisaofficer,doleadonetoconcludethattherearecertainaectsofdoubtfulcircumstances.
Wewouldhowever,liketoaddrethevariouspointsraisedbythevisaofficertoclarifymattersandto
demotratethatourclientsatisfiesthepresentrequirementsandshouldbeeligiblefortheiueofastudentvisa.Weshallnowproceedtodealwiththevariouspointsonebyoneasfollows.
[C]THECASEOFTHEAENTBO
Inreplytothequeryfromthevisaofficerhandlingourfirstalication,wehadsubmittedanOrganisationChartofthefather"sbusineacopyisenclosedatSchedule4A.Ascanbeseen,thefurniturestoreistheretailarmofthetradingcompanyofwhichthefatheristheLegalRepresentative.Apartfromthefurniturebusinethecompanyisalsoinvolvedinothertradingactivities.Asthefurniturebusinehasbeenreasonablywellestablished,thefatherdoesnotreporttotheretailstoreonadailybasis.
Therearequiteanumberofsalespersoelintheretailstoreandgiventherelativelyquickstaffturnover,whichisthenormofthesalesindustryandthedifferenceinage,sex,culturalstandardsandinpidualpersonalitiesofthestaff,itispoiblethatthetelephoneenquirywasreceivedbyarelativelynewmemberwhodidnotknowtoomuchabouttheorganisationalstructureofthecompanyandwhowasnotaproperpersontoawersuchanenquiry.
Wedoadmitthatthefatherdoesnotgototheretailshopeveryday,butthatdoesnotmeanthatheisnotinvolvedwiththebusine.Inthisregard,wehavealreadygivenyouacopyofthecompany"sTradingLiceeconfirmingthatthefatheristheLegalRepresentativeoftheorganization.
[D]THECASEOFFALSIFIEDINFORMATION
Schedule5Acontaicopiesofbalancesheetsofthecompany,whichyouwerekindenoughtoprovidewhenIvisitedyouroffice.Accordingtothevisaofficer,thewagesfigurefor1997and1998were$31,000and$48,000reectivelybuttheywereatvariancewithsalariesrecordsbecausetherewere13employeesandtheamountsindicatedinthebalancesheetsweremuchtoolow.Iamafraiditisabitembarraingformetosaythis,butIbelievethevisaofficerhaslittleaccountingtrainingbecauseonedoesnotextractexpeesfromBalanceSheets.OnelooksforexpeesinProfitandLoStatements.Thefiguresgiveninthebalancesheetswereaccrualinotherwords,theywereamountsoutstandingatthedateofthebalancesheetsasuaidwages.Theyarenottotalamountofwagesfortheyear.Iamaprofeionalaccountant,aqualifiedCPAinAustraliaandIwouldrequestthatyouacceptmyexplanatio.
[E]THECASEOFTHEBUSINECARDS
Thevisaofficercoideredthatproductionofbusinecardsofthefather"spartnersandpricelistsofthecompanywereirrelevanttothealication.Wewishtoadvisethatthebusinecardsandthepricelistsweresomeoftheadditionaldocumentsrequiredbythefirstvisaofficer;Schedule16Arefers.OursubmiionmightnothaveindicatedthisandIdonotblamethesecondvisaofficerforfeelingabitpuzzleduponreceivingthosedocumentswithnoattachedexplanatio.
Thefatherofthestudent,beingtheLegalRepresentativeofthebusineisofcourseinpoeionofbusinecards.Thecompany,beingatradingcompanyinnature,alsohasitsownletterheads.Weapologizethatourpreviousdocumentsiuedbythecompanywerenotprintedonproperletterheads.Ibelievetheirofficestaffmusthavebeenabithardpreedfortimeinmeetinglodgmentdeadlineswiththeresultthatsomeofthedetailsregardingthecompanywerenotsenttoyouonpropercompanyletterheads.Iwouldventuretosuggestthatthemerefactofsuchanomiionshouldnotbeusedasareasonforrejection.
[F]THEMYSTERYOFTHETWO"BC"s"
Imustcommendonthealertneofthevisaofficerinpickingupthefactthatthecompanybookkeeper"snamewasBCandoneofthetwobankofficialsisalsocalledBC.
Lifeisfullofsurprisesandcoincidencesandthisiscertainlyacaseinpoint.IdonotforamomentquestionthewisdomofthevisaofficerindoubtingthatthetwoBC"sareinfactoneandthesameperson.Thereasonisquitesimple.Therearejusttoomanycoincidences.
Admittedly,giventhelargepopulationinChinathereareboundtobenumerousexamplesofpeoplewiththesamenamesparticularlyifwearetalkingaboutpeoplewithonesurnameandonegivenname,asinourcase.Butthesurnameof"B"isquiteanuncommonone,soistheforenameof"C".Fortwopersowiththesamenamesareacoincidencebutitisnotunlikely,evenforrarenameslikeBC.
Uponinvestigatio,wenoticedthatbothladiesarelivingatthesameaddre!Nowthiswilltriggeralarmbells,butwehavebeenadvisedthattheaddreisaarentlyacompoundhousingover100people.Fortwodifferentpersowiththesamenameslivinginthesamecompoundissurelyacoincidencethatmaycreatedoubtsonthepartofasuectingvisaofficer.WehavebeenauredbyouraociatesinHenanthatthetwoladiesconcernedaretwodifferentperso,andinsuortofthisclaim,theyhaveproducedthe2ladies"reectiveidentitycardsatSchedule7A&9A.AlsoenclosedatSchedule8A,iscopyofaletterfromthebankprovidingfurtherdetailsregardingtheirBC.
Wewouldsuggestthatourclient"sclaimbegiventhebenefitofthedoubt.
Asregardsthequerythatonlyonestampisusedinoneofthebankbooks,wehavebeenadvisedthatwhiletherearetwocolumprintedonthebankbook,somepanchesofthebankuseonlyonecolumn.Anditisthepracticeofthatparticularpanch,whosebankbookwasquestionedbythevisaofficer,touseonlyonecolumn.
[G]OURSUBMIION
Wehopewehavedemotratedthatthroughsomemisunderstandingandcertainunusualcoincidences,ourclienthasbeenthevictimoftworejectio,whichhavesignificantlydelayedherproposeddepartureforstudiesinNewZealand.
WeencloseupdatedSummaryofDepositsoftheparentstogetherwithcopiesofbankbooksanddeposits.AscanbeseenatSchedule11Ato13A,thefamilyhasliquidfundsinexceofRMB771,600andUSD21,197.TheyoungladyisgoingtostudyinNewZealandfor51/2years.WorkingonanaverageofRMB100,000peraum,shewillrequireRMB550,000.Thefamilyisinpoeionofenoughfundsforthepurpose.
Asthisisthethirdalication,andgiventheinterestingnatureofthecase,wewouldrequestthatthestudentandherparentsbeaffordedanoortunityofaninterviewincaseyoustillrequireanyfurtherexplanatio.
[H]PREPARATIONOFTHISSUBMIION
ThissubmiionispreparedbyPrestonChow&Aociatesaftercoultationwiththeparentsandthestudent"sfather.WehaveexplainedthecontentsofthissubmiiontothefatherinChineseandrequestedhimtosignbelowtocertifythatheagreestothevariouspointsadvancedabove.