Well my fiancee went back to turn in the requested information per the blue slip last Thursday. Apparently the consulates office told her that they are not accepting blue slips and that she will have to come back on Monday. She went back yesterday with all of the information in hand and apparently they canceled the petition and are sending it back to the US. I really don't understand how they can do this after we have given everything and more of what they requested. I even had my congressman contact the consulate after the last incident. We both are so distraught right now and don't know what to do. She is supposed to be sending me the denial slip soon.

Has anyone else ever been through this or no of anyone who has? If so what did you/they do?

I just want to say I am SO SORRY you are going through this. I feel very bad for what you are going through. I just think too many "relative introductions" have been scams in the past and it just makes the consulate jaded. However, they should not assume just because you met through relatives that the relationship isn't a real one. They should look at ALL the evidence as a whole, not one thing.

I forgot to ask you, your best friend introduced you guys, right? How is HE related to her?

Anyways, take care of yourself and never give up the fight...
ILOVETAN

Thanks. In response to your question, my best friend is her cousin. We are at a loss right now. I am going to try and contact my senator and congressman/woman today and see what they can do to help.

You have precious little time to keep the petition in HCM now.The first thing to do is get a competent attorney that knows the inner workings of the consulate there and do all you can to keep the petition there and address the reasons on the blue slip. Contacting your senator may help but now is time for fast action. The last thing you want is the file sent back to USA

Good luck
Craig

Craig,

How much time do we have? I contacted Marc Ellis but he won't be back to Ho chi Minh until July 10.

I know each consulate is different but from what I have read of others having this problem it is usually a two week period,but i honestly do not know for sure. With the 4th of July holiday maybe will give you more time.Sorry I could not give a better answer.
Good luck with this.
Craig

Craig,

Beleive me, I appreciate any information that you or anyone elses can provide me with. I am at a complete lost as to what to do. I feel like I am at the edge ready to jump.

Sorry to hear the bad news. My fiancee has her interview in july and i have plenty of evidence, but i was also introduced by a family member. i was introduced by her aunt, who i have been friends with for a while. she didnt initiate the relationship though i did, but am not sure if that matters. i was looking though some photo albums and saw vans picture and wanted to meet her. she had a bf at the time so i had to wait a few months, but it has worked out good so far. hope you can get everything cleared up soon.

rodney

J,
There are a couple of us currently in the same boat as you. To answer you question, it usually takes a month or two before they send the case back. However, I spoke with ME last week and he told me this is the time the embassy workers take vacation. So either one or two things might happen. Either the chief CO, who has to review the case before its sent back, will either try to clear off his desk and rubber stamp everything, giving us less time, or he will let our cases sit until he gets back from vacation, in which we would gain some time. This is just speculation, but sound logical.

It seems that if you are introduced by a family relative of the beneficiary, its almost an automatic rejection, no matter what your proof is. I know there is a lot of fraud, but it seems like they just dismiss cases out of hand. This seems to be the same battle a lot of us are fighting. A US relative makes an introduction, and whammo you are branded as a sham. You are presumed guilty and must prove your way out of it. No matter how good you think your proof is, it won't be enough.

Hate to sound defeatest, but I'm pretty beat down about the whole thing.

My advice is get in touch with Marc Ellis, and pester your congressman.

Good Luck

So what are we to do from here? I already left a message with my Congressman who contacted the CO last week. It sounded like per his email that all we had to do was submit the documents as requested by the blue slip and we would have our pink slip. It did not however turn out that way though. I don't know what the next step will be. ME is in the US and won't be back in HCM until 7/10. She is going to try and meet with one of his co-workers tomorrow morning to see what they can do.

i have no advise for u but i wanted to tell u how sorry i am all of this is happening to u i will add u two to my prayers
sara

It is just such a shame that those of us who have a true and legitimate relationship have to go through this. Believe me, I have already contacted ME and left my Congressman a message. I am composing an email to the Congressman and Senator now.

I am not putting much stock in our senators and congressmen. First off, they do not weild the power to supercede the CO's decision. At best, they might convince a CO to hold the case for further review as some sort of political favor. Secondly, I have never heard of a senator getting involved. So far, all mine have done is sent me political spam on my voicemail about unrelated political endeavors. And third, this chief CO seems like the kind of guy who does not like to be second guessed. I am worried that IF my senator DID call him, it might hurt more than help.

Also, we all (those of us being currently denied) got that first blue slip where we thought we would just need to give some more proof. To me, that 1st one seems to just buy them some time to write up the refusal.

What to do now? Its pretty nebulous. I want to hire ME but my fiance is not so sure that he can help at this point. The bottom line is we have provided the embassy with all the proof we have. What more a lawyer can do is unknown. Hard to swallow the idea of spending thousands of dollars on a lawyer, when we may simply have no ther option than to re-apply in the end.

J&Q,

I was once in your shoes and I know the feeling. No word is strong enough to describe such horrible feeling. So, you have my sympathy. I really do not know how and when they will send your case back stateside but once the case is here in the US, you have 30 days to appeal but do not wait till the last minute because they usually will cancell the petition as soon as 1 week. ME must have some sort of representative in Saigon to take care of his business on his behalf, don't you think? So, maybe you can contact him again and ask for what you or his people in VN can do to stall the case from being sent back? It is best to keep it there. I know it is seasier said than done but all I can do is to offer you my limited advice and support. My friend, hang in there.

This is pretty disturbing that they seem to have a bias if anyone is introduced by a relative. most of my friends who are married were introduced by family members. anyone know the overall approval rates at the HCMC consulate? It wolud be interesting to know. It seems like a lot of people are introduced by relatives.

Rodney

Kevin,

I do greatly appreciate your advice. I am so frustrated and devastated right now. I spoke with ME and he gave me the number for 1 of his colleagues but it was too late by the time I got the information. I am asking my fiancée to call first thing tomorrow morning to meet with him. I hope that there is something that they can do to help. I have been up since 5:00 this morning as soon as I found out, sending emails and trying to obtain as much information that I could.

Rodney,

It looks like most of the people on here received their Visa's. There were a few that received blue slips but once they submitted the documents a pink slip was issued. That is those who reported back anyway. I don't know how many were denied and never posted a thread.

Sorry to hear that you guys got so much trouble.
Hope that there is still something you guys can do to prevent them of sending the file back to the US.

J,
Hang in there brother. The first 48 hours after hearing this news is the worst. Me and Ha, Pasaitoh and Ngoc, are right there with you.

I am certainly trying. I took the day off from work today to try and get someething resolved hopefully soon. How your the two of you making out with your case?

I contacted my congressman, and am hoping he can get the petition stalled at HCMC. Then I am hiring Marc Ellis in hopes that he can get it straightened out at the consulate. I already rebutted everything they said was wrong with our petition on our green sheet and spoke to the chief CO at HCMC in person, which didn't do anything. There is a slim chance that when the chief CO reviews it, he might approve it, but I doubt they overrule the regular COs. Our best bet is that the petition stays in HCMC and Marc can get it resolved.

American Gentleman and I have been keeping in touch about our cases, but right now we are really just waiting. That is tough.

I hope you have success in getting this turned around!

I've said it before and I will say it again... The only way to put a stop to this nonsese is through the courts. Take the U.S. Government to court and win. What the government is doing is discriminatory. The Vietnamese visa filers are being handled differently from all others.

You just have to find a lawyer to take the case. Locating an ACLU chapter that is sympathetic would help (and I hate the ACLU, but they are perfect for this).

Yeah, we are both hiring M.E. with the slim hope our cases might get reconsidered. But we are both realist and are preparing for our cases to be sent back. Should we get sent back to square one, we want M.E. in our corner for round two. I am trying to stay positive. Telling myself if we have to wait another year, Ha's English will be even better. Telling myself, I will get to go back to VN and see friends I made when I was there last year. I am not a real religious man, but sometimes things do happen for a reason. In other words, I am grasping at straws to maintain my sanity.

I hired a lawyer here in the states which was of some help sending me all of the forms and making sure they were filled out correctly (i think). Now I am still waiting on the USCIS to approve our I 129 and after reading all of the information on here I Hired ME and Mr. Nam (the Vietnamese lawyer). I know Xuan has had an interview before when her aunt tried to "help" her. Once she found out that she would have to marry the man at the interview, well lets just say that was that. Now this was back on 2006 before we met. That application was sent back for review to the USCIS where it still waits (thank god). ME said our case would be straight forward enough but the dark cloud of the other petition hang above our heads. I hired ME and Mr. Nam because this is what they do. They take cases that are difficult or have been rejected and fix them. In my case I wanted to go into the interview with all my ducks in a row if you will. It may seem like it cost some money but I think it was said on another post, "if it is bribe money they want tell me were to send the check" While it is not bribe money, it may have the same effect. You do not get a reputation like ME without being able to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

Just some thoughts. Good luck and if you need ME's number/email or Mr. Nam's number/email just let me know.

Yeah I got to say I am in the same boat. If we have to refile, there has got to be a reason. At least that is what I am trying to convince myself. Maybe its being held up until I get a raise, a better job offer. I dunno. I have to agree tho, its probably just self delusion to try and make ourselves feel positive.

My heart goes out to all of you. It sounds like you are doing everything you can at this point. I would contact the ACLU like Matt suggested. They need a good, old fashioned class action suit against them.

Part of the problem is if you cannot resolve the denial, then this will haunt you later if you choose to marry and refile.I have read other consulates are starting to deny also based on introductions through relatives or friends.

Hopefully ME can resolve the cases and everyone can move on with their lives.
It always seems to be something new, before if you met through a marriage broker was no good, now relatives are bad, what next?

I myself have a problem also,I married in Vietnam but did not have enough holiday time to stay to get marriage certificate, so I cannot file yet until get that. Wish i knew in advance you had to wait 40 days. I also was introduced to my wife through her cousin, and also worry what will happen if we are denied.

Good Luck to all
Craig

Like I said in a different thread, lots of people are introduced by relatives. My sister in law worked for me, and that is how she met my brother. Fortunately for them they are both US citizens, but if not they would be in the same boat. I know there is a lot of fraud of families trying to get relatives over, but you can't just dismiss anyone who was introduced by a relative. I'd actually be more skeptical of someone with no family ties. If someone is being upfront about the relationship, that should count for you, not against you. But unfortunately it doesn't.

You would think the embassy would be thrilled that a beneficiary has relatives in the States. What a lot of people do not realize is the beneficiary goes thru some SERIOUS culture shock when they come here. In some cases, it is so overwelming it can be hard to adapt. Having friends and family can only serve to ease the tension of relocating to a new and foreign place.

Seems like some people are being discriminated against because they were introduced by family, but a lot also get approved so i am wondering if there is another common theme in denials. any thoughts?surely they cant just dismiss your relationship on this basis alone. my interview is coming up in a few weeks and i want to be ready for everything. i provided all paperwork i think they can ever ask for so that shouldn't be a problem. i have also heard of cases being decided before the interview even takes place. any truth to this?

Rodney

I don't get that, because I was there 30 days total. We did go in the day I arrived and start the papers (February 22, 2008) and signed on March 11, 2008. Maybe it's a Provincial thing? We married in Tien Giang.

Tuyen and I went in a few days before we got married (May 9). I returned to VN in July to register in "The Book" (July 25) in Dong Nai.

They gave us the run-around when we first went in. We returned with information they "needed" only to be told we were missing other information. When we went in to register they wouldn't accept the Customs Form because they had just changed it from a yellow slip to a white card. With enough complaining they finally accepted it (it had the stamps on it).

i think the HCM consulate has some serouis issues. is it true that the consulate should be like a small "US" in Vn? that was what i thought, but now it seems VERY much corrupt like the rest of Vn. its like the the COs have a power trip and just want to shake up peoples lives. every keeps posting that if a family member introduced you that it was a for sure denial. i met my fiancee from her cousin that lives here in the US, they didnt ask for any of her info. she also has an aunt and uncle her too, the CO didnt even ask there names. anyways my finacee and i got 1 green 1 blue then later the pink. she is here now and all is good, but it really makes me upset to read about all the troubles the other VJ member are having. its like 98% of the post i read are denials from VN, and 2% approvals. i wonder if we can get a petetion going to congress to get the HCM consulate cleaned up?? any ideas??

For starters, why not close down 4 Le Duan, make it a small consulate to help USCs only, and move the whole bloody mess up to the newly expanded Hanoi? Or for that matter, why not Hue? The central location should be the fairest place, right?

That is a good point. It is all of those who do these the illegal way for gain of wealth and not love that hurt us all. They should all be ashamed of themselves, not only is it unethical it is unmoral. The person that we made the mistake of hiring in Ho chi Minh wanted us to lie and say that we knew each other longer than what we actually did. We however choose to take the honest route and look at where it got us. Maybe we should have lied, I don't know. All I know is that I am so drained right now and don't know what to do or where to turn. My Immigration Attorney here in the US pretty much told me that the only way that we can get the Consulate to overturn our case is with the assistance of my Congressman/woman or Senator. She said that it is very difficult once it goes back to the states.

Sara,

Thank you, that is very thoughtful of you.

My 1st blue slip asking for: timeline & proof or airline purchase>>>then got a green slip asking for both parents's birth certs & how I migrated to U.S under which program>>>then Pink slip!

From what I have read from other people who have had this problem, especially China, that it is best to keep the case in HCM and that senators usually do not offer much help at all. Unless the Senator is a close personal friend. It seems in China that people are being asked about relatives now in USA.
Also from what I have seen it looks like every 6 months or so they change what they are looking for to prove relationships.
Like the old saying, " Just about the time i make ends meet, someone moves the ends"

I wish you luck with ME or his assistant in resolving this.

That is the SECOND instance of a NYC attorney giving horrible advice that I've heard of in a short space of time. OK, I'm assuming your attorney is from NYC, which may be incorrect. At any rate, getting sent back to USCIS is not the end of the world, according to our favorite attorney. However, that may mean delays of one year or more. He said, "You will succeed.....it's just a question of when."

Curious about the other case with bad advice (From a NYC attorney)? Purely by chance, I met this fellow who is dating this Chinese woman here on an educational visa. He advised them to get married and apply for an adjustment of status. Now, I'm no immigration attorney, but that sounds like disastrous advice to me. I told him yes, get married, but file the damn I-130 just like everybody else. No trouble with the authorities that way.

I spoke with ME this morning. He is currently away and asked me to have her contact Nam. She tried to contact him but says the number i gave her doesn't work. I don't know if I wrote it down wrong or what. Maybe you could send it to me via email through VJ so not to dsiplay his information to the board. I am sure that they won't mind but you never know.

Thanks in advance.

My attorney here in NYC is great. It is the bozo that we hired in HCM. This guy thinks he knows it all and advices her against what my attorney and I say. I have told him numerous times not to go against me. This was the last straw. I advised her to get the paperwork that he has and bring it with her to the new person we will hire. I was going to call but figured that I may make matters worse and cause him to keep us from getting the paperwork back. I am so pissed right now I just want to jump on a plane and kick his butt all over HCM.

Why not? Canadians do it all the time (and get away with it). There's nothing illegal about it, as long as USCIS can't prove that marriage was the intent all along. It's a loophole that needs to be dealt with IMHO.

How is the Hanoi Embassy in relation to the one in Ho chi Minh City? I think that they really need to restructure the whole embassy, even if that means firing everyone and starting from scratch.

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All visa applications are through HCMC if I'm not mistaken.

All of immigrant visa are issue by HCM consulate.
Ha Noi Embassy only issue non-immigrant visa ( travel, study trip, business).

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. Hang in there buddy. I just hope the CO would know our emotional pain caused by their unjust decision. Anyway, I would not trust some of the outside helpers in HCM. When my wife and I went to pick up her medical result at Cho Ray Hospital, I overheard two women there talking about getting outside helpers to organize interview paperwork for $100. My wife and I just laughed at this service.

There are a lot of people it seems that state they know the inner workings of the consulate and can help you get your visa. You really need to be careful on finding the right person. I wish that we knew now what we knew back then. Anyway, I spoke with my Congressman's office staff yesterday morning. I was told that per there last inquiry with the consulate all the consulate needed was a list of her relatives and we would be granted our visa when we turned it in. they are baffled why the consulate has changed his mind and decided to send the case back. They are hoping they can get the consulate to reconsider our case. I truly hope that their influence will impact the consulates decision in our favor.

HCM wanted a timeline from me. I was pretty excited, they made it sound like everything was OK except they wanted a little more information. I sent it to them and they in return sent our case back to the US. The second blue slip stated lack of communication evidence. WTF. Couldn't they have stated that the first time? There is something wrong over there when they ask for additional information then send case back once they receive requested evidence/information. And the reason for sending cases back isn't even addressed on the initial Blue Slip.

Yeah the same happened to us. My thing is they ask everyone for a timeline. It should be part of what they request you bring as part of the interview packet. My thought is they rubberstamp blue slip all apps so they can fleece you by collecting the $30 notarization fee for the consulate. Notarization should be $10 tops, but where else can you have it done in HCMC? They obviously aren't reviewing the case and documentation until after they blueslip you. Then they come up with their "reason" for rejection. If there are issues the consulate wants to see resolved, they should be listed on the blue slip. That is one thing that steams me.