I completely agree that the travel pass is more convenient than the visa. I fully agree that this is a kind of favor made by the Consulates to those Chinese parents who have not got GC. I also think it is necessary for parents to bring and show their kids to those who accept the application documents.
The point here is that why the applying process can not be done via certified agents as it was before. We can bring the kids to the agents as we did for the US passports.
It can greatly save the time and $$$$ for us, which is the direction the Consulates should work for Chinese folks here.