Hi all,

When my fiancee picked up her pink slip, she will be able to pick up her visa the following Monday, March 31..this confirms what others and PeterFB said that the visa lag is back to within nominal parameters.

My fiancee said also when she waited for her pink slip , the did a mini-interview with her again...these were the questions they asked:


What city will you live in, when you go to the USA?

Will you leave soon, or will you wait for a time?

They spread out some photographs and asked her about dates and places.

They asked her about a child in a photograph if that was our progeny. She said no, that is her niece.

They also compared her passport photo to several photos of us, and to her.

They then gave her the pink slip.


They are thorough and they mean business..I'll grant them that about HCMC.

Again, I thank Marc Ellis for helping speed up the process, my fiancee said there were people there inside the consulate that were in AP for 6 - 8 months waiting times..I truly beleive I would be languishing in a AP black-hole for several more months if I did not contact Marc.


Thanks to everyone for all the nice comments...HCMC consulate is a tough post, but never give up..

R/
-Guy&Hoa

Congratulation to both of you!

Guy and Hoa

It seems the Consulate still thinks there's something going on that you're not telling them. Others have said the Consulate will ask neighbors about the fiance(e) to see what they say. Perhaps the neighbors said something that the Consulate wanted to check. Or maybe you just got "lucky" and the Cos wanted to make your life miserable as they have been known to do. I figured after they called and told Hoa she can pick up her pink slip, it would be simple.....Oh well......

Thi didn't have any problems or questions when she picked up her visa. They just called her name, gave her everything and called the next person.

It's great Hoa's picking up her visa on March 31st. Thi and I hope she gets to the US soon so the two of you can be together. After all this, it's about time and you deserve it! We hope everything else goes smoothly for you.

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

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the support. Yes, they (consulate) seemed to put us through the ringer. I'm glad that part of it is over. I found some inexpensive flights on VA (sub-1k prices) and I will talk with Hoa tonight and we will agree on the best time for her to fly over next week. Will be busy next few days and weekend....

Will keep you posted...

Guy&Hoa

That's good news that she will be here next week. We'll be looking forward to your news!


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

Big congrats! Also, thanks for the info about the mini interivew before picking up the pink slip.

Wasn't it true at one time that one could pick up the visa later in the day after receiving the pink slip? Or did I just imagineer that? This waiting a week or two is just not so gosh-awful convenient for those of us from Hanoi or Hue or other places very far away from Saigon.

If we indeed get the pink slip when the time comes, maybe we'll just have to go to Bangkok or Singapore for a few days while we are waiting. At least we have a place to stay for free whilst we are in Saigon. A friend of ours, from England no less, has an apartment there, and he has extended his hospitality.

congrates sorry on such a slow reply