Ok, let me reword it then. She will not get a visa in Canada if she is not a resident of Canada.

1) No trouble going it alone. If you're willing to stand in line, it's a pretty simple and straightforward process and saves a few bucks that the agency would charge you. Just bring your completed application and stand in line. If it's anything like the NYC office, arrive early--the line gets longer as they day goes on. Just make sure your application is 100% complete (in all-caps and with a passport photo) and includes everything they ask for.
2) Again, it may vary by office, but I paid the $20 3-day expedite fee last month in NYC and dropped it off on Monday and it was ready Wednesday. I've heard many people say they've just paid the regular fee and had it be ready on the third day, so unless you hit a rush time, I'd expect it to be done early, if anything.

How complicated is it to be a resident of canada? e.g. in germany you can just go to any townhall and get a "Aufenthaltsbescheinigung" which will be enough for the visa application center to proof that you live in their region.

The be a resident of Canada you need to be a citizen or have a permanent resident card. To get your PR card you need to go through the immigration process which will take at least 12 months.

I'm preparing a lot of the paperwork in Manila, so I hope it'll suffice for when I leave for the U.S. :)

Unfortunately, LA no longer offers rush processing unless it's an emergency. :(

If I file on the 29th, I'm hoping to basically get it before the Embassy closes on July 3rd, so hopefully by July 2nd it should be fine. I have July 6th though just in case as an overflow day in case the Embassy can't release my passport on time.

Chinese consulates are very diligent about delivering passports on business day 4, so June 29 should do, unless there's a problem with your application or supporting docs. But if there's a problem, they almost always point it out when you try to file, so you can correct the papers quickly.

I assume you've read above about the occasional requests for local address proof at the LA consulate (i.e., a California driver's license), though perhaps this is only for those whose applications are delivered by someone else, not those who apply in person. Nonetheless, I'd be prepared if I were you, just in case.

To be clear, I am filing in person.

On IDs: I don't, personally, and all my personal IDs in the U.S. use a Pennsylvania address. My dad though receives mail from the California DMV which I hope I can use as proof of residence. (I have to check the correspondence; we share the same first name, so if his middle name doesn't appear in the address, I could show that instead.)

Barring that, I'll probably take the California driver's test and get a learner's permit if I have to. This means I may have to file the next day though.

That won't work so well as California mails IDs several weeks later; they aren't issued on the spot. I'm not sure if the consulate would recognise the little piece of paper they give you as a receipt at the DMV. FWIW, though, I've never been asked for proof of residence when I apply in person.

If you're not a California resident now, you might want to consider how the Franchise Tax Board will treat you if you get a California driver's license.

good to know .thanks

Wife isn't a permanent resident of Canada as she is a native-born citizen. Austrian citizenship (and passport) derives from her Austrian parents. Funny incident 3 years ago when she went to the 10th District of Vienna to renew her passport. The district hall wouldn't because she wasn't an Austrian resident.

I guess we'll try her Austrian passport and if they won't then a Canadian one.

Fwiw, I've never once had to prove the residency requirement when applying in person. Of course you should arrange a back up plan (e.g. cc bill in your name), but this is really a non-issue.

I'm planning a trip to China in a little over two weeks and booking award flights. I have my inbound flight booked, but the rewards have not unlocked for my return date yet. I am a US citizen and my understanding is they want my flight information as part of the visa process. I am flying into hong kong and returning back to the US from hong kong. Is this sufficient flight information or do they need to know how I am entering the mainland? Because I am using award flights I may switch flights as different award space opens up (changing the date at most +/- 3 days), is this an issue? I was going to spend three days in Hong Kong and likely buy an airline ticket up to Beijing and then exploring different parts of the mainland depending on weather conditions etc.

Also, while looking at the visa application it seems they want a detailed itinerary including all the places I will be staying along the way. I like to have flexibility when I travel and was not planning on locking myself into specific hotels and travel route for my entire 2 week trip. I like to be able to change plans based on weather conditions and travel delays and finding cheapest airfare etc. Do I actually need to list out a full itinerary and if I do does it create problems if I change my hotels or destinations within china? Do I need a letter from each and every hotel or just the first one in the mainland?

Just book a simple rt to beijing or Shanghai on aa.com, print it out, and include with your application.

Flights: do as moondog says, buy a refundable round-trip flight to/from the mainland. Book from somebody like Expedia.com where you can book a refundable ticket, get an emailed confirmation which you can print out for the visa application. Then cancel the refundable ticket within 24 hours.

Hotel bookings: you need to account for your entire stay in China. Just use the endpoints of the refundable bogus ticket, and craft out an itinerary for the visa application that makes sense and do some nonprepaid cancellable bookings that support that. Print out booking confirms and submit, then do the cancellations.

Once you get the Chinese visa, there is no requirement that you follow what you put down on your application, and nobody will check. You can be as flexible as you like and as domestic intercity transport availability allows. Caveat: if your trip duration is only 2 weeks, you may find that flexibility is an illusion and that you will waste a lot of time in the field working on and dealing with the logistics.