I just got off the phone with the consulate. We turned in Packet 3 on the 29th of February, and they did receive it there. The lady told me I would have to wait until the end of April to get an interview date set, call back then. They told my fiancee the same thing the couple times she called earlier this week. I asked if we could find out the date any earlier than that so I can make travel plans, and she said no.

I see by others' timelines that this doesn't seem right at all. I think they are feeding me a line. I am thinking we should have the actual interview around the end of April beginning of May.

Am I thinking correctly? Waiting until the end of April to find out the scheduled date seems way too long. Thanks.

Hard to say with Vietnam I would say mid april is my best bet. Good luck on your interview

What you recieved was the stock answer from the Consulate. If you call them they (the Vietnamese staff) will first try to give the stock answer and try to hang up. I think they get a call like yours every 10 minutes since at Thi's interview, it appeared that there were 20 K1/3 visas on that day.

I had started to email the Consulate about some questions and also Thi and I had called them. When we called, we got the same answer about when to call back about the Packet 3 (Also got similar replies to our other questions, you can search for our posts about that or check our profile "topics" for more info).

However we got email reply from the Consulate with our interview date about 7 days before we got our Packet 4. That email also contained their reply to our questions so whoever wrote it decided to tell us our interview date because the Packet 4 already had been sent. (See our timeline) Mail in HCMC is very slow and seems to get lost easily (that's what the Consulate staff told me in one of my calls to them). If you have a reason to contact the Consulate about something else, you might get their attention long enough for them to actually tell you more than the stock answers. I found that once I had their attention, they were actually trying to be helpful.

My best guess is if you handed the Consulate your Packet 3 docs on February 29, you should be receiving your Packet 4 around April 27 with the interview around May 28th.

If you are trying to get a good fare, you're going to have act fast as you may less than 30 days (usually the best fares about 30 days or more in advance). However if you have a travel agent, they may be able to help you better than booking the flight yourself. I booked the flight myself and was lucky that the Consulate send me that email with our intervew date so I had a couple of days to find the lowest fare/best route.

I can understand your frustration since we were waiting like you almost 3 months ago. Try to relax and work on getting all your evidence and requred docs ready. Your interview is coming!!


Peter and Thi

I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26
I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11
I-129F RFE(s) :
RFE Reply(s) :
I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26
Touched: 2007-11-02
NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16
Consulate recieved ??????
Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11
Packet 3 received 2007-12-24
Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28
Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14
Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23
Interview Date 2008-2-27
Passed Interview 2008-02-27
Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05
Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier)
POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles

Thanks for the replies and support. One thing puzzles me, however. I cannot help but notice that both Eric and Peter suggest that I will have to wait another month to get a date set, and yet both of you got interviews in about 2 months after turning in Packet 3. I see others in the same situation, more or less. Are you trying to keep my expectations low, so I am not disappointed?

OK, part of my problem is that I just finished a job out-of-town, I've been away from my home for a long time, I've saved up all the money that I need now (which is why I took that job in the first place), I'm ready to GO! I just can't seem to get relaxed and satisfied adjusting to my new schedule, which is pretty much no schedule. What I need to do is just quit coming to VJ! Haha.

Thanks again, guys.

Same thing is happening to me here, I called them and got the same typical crap they gave me. I turned in Package 3 around the same tim as you guys. Another member in this forum turn their package 3 around the same time, and they already got their interview date (April 24th). I'll just call them every Monday to check on it then. Keep in touch.

I am also waiting for the interview date. We sent in packet 3 Feb 25. I called twice now and got the same reply as everyone else. I sent an email today and we will keep calling until they give us a date.
Good Luck to everyone! Hope to see you in HCMC!

It's normally take 2 months plus for them to send out Package 4. For our case, we sent in our Package 3 in Dec 23. We did not get the package for till the end of Feb. Our interview was on March 21. Be patient and get all the paperworks, evidence ready for the interview. Try to organize it in the Chronological order, like you telling them a story. For now you can go to the website and get the DS156 form preprint it.
http://evisaforms.state.gov/

Package 4 will come to you in April. Good Luck.

Sorry for asking on this thread,

Can I, petitioner represent fiancé to turn in the blue/green if she gets once? Like other ppl did, I’d love to see a CO and speak with him/her. Do I need to make appointment?

Thanks all,

Here's a link where someone was asking the same thing:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...101708&st=0

He seems to have dropped out of our little circle of friends though. You may try PMing him and see if he ever got in to talk to them. Good luck..

You're getting close MP! I just hope the same thing that happened to Phoung doesn't happen to you.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=117200

I'm sure it will feel great to finally have an interview date, but if I had to spend an excess amount of money on an airline ticket it would piss me off. Some would say you don't have to be there, but I disagree. Being there is best.

Well sh$%! I called again tonight, they still won't tell me anything. Why some cases move so fast and others don't, I can't understand. I'm ready to go!

GOOD LUCK ON THE INTERVIEW

I called again tonight. I got the same answer. "Wet until ze ent of zis mont fo intaview det."

This time, I got a lady whose English was so thick, I decided I wasn't even going to press her. What does it take to talk with an American at an American consulate? I feel like I'm talking through a fog with these people, much the same as I felt 1 1/2 years ago when I talked with my fiancee for the first time. I swear, Mai speaks much better English that a lot of these Consulate receptionists, and she's entirely self-taught. I toyed with the idea of choosing "emergency situation" on the menu and then playing dumb, just so I could talk normally with an American, but decided against it, figuring it might be a black mark against our case.

I know of so many couples (sorry, ahem, BENEFICIARIES) who got interview dates two weeks ago who turned in their Packet 3s within days of ours. Heck, one of them has an interview date on the 9th, two days from now. This is so frustrating, especially since I am very recently unemployed, and I really hate to take a job now, knowing I will have to quit in a few weeks. Don't want to pi$$ off the local contractors, you know?

I got a call from my U.S. Senator's office last week, asking how the case was going. They had even done some research before they called, and they knew more than I expected before they called (I had requested their assistance last winter when CSC was taking freaking FOREVER to process cases). Although I told them it was going OK, I have decided to call them tomorrow (I plan to do a conference call with my fiancee) and hopefully get things moving again. They seem very happy to help me. I'm just thrilled that my elected representative even notices me, frankly. But then, it IS an election year!

Thanks for letting me vent, and the best of luck to all of you.

I called in every week, same answer. I thought the interview is first come first serve, guess not....

I just got off the phone with my U.S. Senator's office. They are willing to help me any way they can. We will see if this speeds things up at all. Marc Ellis advised me that a call/letter/email from Congress really won't affect the merits of a case, but it may help speed things up. Or it may not. Who knows? I can but watch and pray.

MP,
Everytime I had my Senator contact HCMC, they would get the same canned response that I end up getting. Now my Senator says they must wait until the end of April to contact HCMC again.
I thought about trying to get them to expedite our case since it has been sitting at HCMC since November. Good Luck!
Dave

Eh, what the hell, it was worth a try anyway......it really didn't take up too much of my time.

On a brighter note, maybe with any luck we'll see you in Saigon?

Upon further reflection Dave, the same thing happened to me with USCIS. Our case took FOREVER in California. I enlisted the help of the Senator's office, and they got a canned response (I am guessing) saying it was going to be another 3 or 4 weeks before we got approved. But, shut my mouth, it wasn't a week and we were suddenly approved. Coincidence? Maybe. I won't ever know for sure.

Let's just hope for a repeat performance for the both of us at HCM, eh?

I hope to see you in Saigon as well. We have the same attorney. We'll get there soon MP!

My fiancee submitted Package 3 to HCM Consulate back in April 7, I guess it's too soon to call them and ask about interview date, I bet they're gonna give me the stock answer. I'm predicting our interview should fall in the middle of June or so. What do you guys think the approriate time to give them a call?

Thanks
TQN

I'd call them after the first of May. I am not sure, but I think they set up these appointments twice a month. I'm not sure anybody knows how they work. Yes, it's probably too soon to call, it's only been 2 weeks.