Give me your opinions or Facts.

[Sayha or bust. 71]

My fiancée awaits her 2nd letter from consulate HCM, It should arrive any day. How important is it that I show up during her interview? Ive made 2 trips to Vietnam prior,2009,2010. My problem is my job is very busy and I have limited vacation due to my prior trips. Give me your thoughts.

[Gary and Alla 3,696]

I was at the interview because my (then) fiancee wanted me there. I do no tthink it made ANY difference in the decision to grant us a visa without asking a single question. THAT is an opinion. I know it helped the most important person in the world feel better and more comfortable and less nervous and know that the man she was going to move across the world for and live with would do ANYTHING he could for her. THAT is a fact.

My boss didn't like it either. He got over it.

Do what you think is right.

[jkelly07 120]

hello i think it is a good thing,it shows how much you care for her and love her and give some support at the interview, many woman go the embassy alone and get denied visa good luck,

[Kapono 0]

My opinon: Like the other comments said, "Its more for her.". I wanted to be there for my fiancee interview but, just like your situation my work couldn't afford me to leave. She passed her interview on her own without me being there. If you have submitted more than required amount of proof. I don't think you have anything to worry about.

Good Luck!!

[JimVaPhuong 4,864]

The main reason for going is because you can help your fiancee prepare the for interview, and hopefully she'll be less nervous if she knows you're waiting outside. You can comfort her if she fails, or celebrate with her if she succeeds. If she's the type who easily gets nervous then it would probably help her if you can go.

You can't go into the visa section of the consulate in Saigon. Even if you go, there's a good chance the consular officer won't know you're waiting outside unless your fiancee makes a point to let them know. With only two trips to Vietnam, it might help if your fiancee can tell the CO that you're there. Three trips looks better to the CO than two.

If there's any way you can work it out, you should try to go.

[Sayha or bust. 71]

The main reason for going is because you can help your fiancee prepare the for interview, and hopefully she'll be less nervous if she knows you're waiting outside. You can comfort her if she fails, or celebrate with her if she succeeds. If she's the type who easily gets nervous then it would probably help her if you can go.

You can't go into the visa section of the consulate in Saigon. Even if you go, there's a good chance the consular officer won't know you're waiting outside unless your fiancee makes a point to let them know. With only two trips to Vietnam, it might help if your fiancee can tell the CO that you're there. Three trips looks better to the CO than two.

If there's any way you can work it out, you should try to go.

Jim, I hired an attorney in HCM, I'm sure you know who. What can he do for me if i'm not there? My work has a lot of government and defense contracts that need to be full filled, the market so competitive it would be devastating if I was to be replaced. I might be able to get a week off. thank you

[jkelly07 120]

hi when she see the co she can show them the american passport and he is just out side if you want i can get him ,

[pushbrk 13,643]

Jim, I hired an attorney in HCM, I'm sure you know who. What can he do for me if i'm not there? My work has a lot of government and defense contracts that need to be full filled, the market so competitive it would be devastating if I was to be replaced. I might be able to get a week off. thank you

Now, weigh those thoughts against the personal impact to your future happiness if the visa is denied. This is HCMC, not Kiev, London, Montreal or Paris. It makes a difference. If you're there and the visa is issued, you'll never know whether being there made a difference. If your'e not there and the visa is denied, you'll never know if being there would have made the difference.

I would have been there if I could. I couldn't and all was well anyway. Others have not been so blessed.

[Ursa Tripudio 2]

I agree with Jim, the VO will never know if you're there or not.

However, your fiancee will know. The confidence that provides might make a difference. I was fortunate enough to be there and the preparation I was able to help her with was significant.

Another factor with my wife was that she had never traveled far from her home town and had never flown on an airplane. She was really glad to have me with her on that first big trip. The American embassy in China is on the opposite side of the country from where my wife is from, it's so far even the language is different (not that I was any help with that ).

Bottom line: If you cannot go, success is still quite possible. If you can go, you should.

[Sayha or bust. 71]

I agree with Jim, the VO will never know if you're there or not.

However, your fiancee will know. The confidence that provides might make a difference. I was fortunate enough to be there and the preparation I was able to help her with was significant.

Another factor with my wife was that she had never traveled far from her home town and had never flown on an airplane. She was really glad to have me with her on that first big trip. The American embassy in China is on the opposite side of the country from where my wife is from, it's so far even the language is different (not that I was any help with that ).

Bottom line: If you cannot go, success is still quite possible. If you can go, you should.

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My fiancée story is similar to your wife she to has never ventured far away from home and when she goes to interview the language it is conducted in is not her given Language. She speaks Vietnamese as a second language, that too will be a bit of a challenge.

[Sayha or bust. 71]

My back up plan was to save another trip if the K1 goes sour and go back and do either the CR-1 in Vietnam or take her to Cambodia and marry her. I will not give up on her in any fashion and would figure out my situation at work to leave for that amount of time. Thanks for all the good advice.

[pushbrk 13,643]

I agree with Jim, the VO will never know if you're there or not.

You missed these words in Jim's sentence. "...unless your fiancee makes a point to let them know."

The most common way to make this point known is to hand over the US Citizen's passport to the Consular officer when handing the applicant's own. Another way is, when asked about the petitioner's visits, simply indicate that in addition to previous visits, the petitioner is waiting nearby. It's called "interview preparation". I highly recommend it to all.

[Gary and Alla 3,696]

You missed these words in Jim's sentence. "...unless your fiancee makes a point to let them know."

The most common way to make this point known is to hand over the US Citizen's passport to the Consular officer when handing the applicant's own. Another way is, when asked about the petitioner's visits, simply indicate that in addition to previous visits, the petitioner is waiting nearby. It's called "interview preparation". I highly recommend it to all.

Exact;y. In a difficult consulate, MAKE it known you are there.

As to plan B, why not go to the interview and if it is successful, great. If not you wll be there to get married then fly home and file the I-130.

You need to decide if your job is more important than your fiancee, I can't do that. My job is NOT more important than my (now) wife.I guess I just do not do anything without doing what is the BEST I can do. Then again, maybe your fiancee says "hey no big deal, I will gladly do it myself" Each couple is different. I think Alla would have keeled over dead waiting in line outside if I wasn't there. On the other hand SHE went to the interview for our son (k-2 to follow) like an old pro at it, AFTER she had done it once before.

But unless I was physically unable to go...like medically impossible due to being in emergency surgery and missing my flight, I would go.

[JimVaPhuong 4,864]

Jim, I hired an attorney in HCM, I'm sure you know who. What can he do for me if i'm not there? My work has a lot of government and defense contracts that need to be full filled, the market so competitive it would be devastating if I was to be replaced. I might be able to get a week off. thank you

First, you need to get out of the habit of referring to her as your 'wife', and you need to stress to her not to refer to you as her 'husband'. I understand the culture of Southeast Asia enough to understand that you are considered husband and wife for all purposes short of shacking up together, but those words can be dangerous at the interview.

Your attorney can't do anything for her. His role before the interview is mostly advisory. He gets involved mostly after the interview if she is denied. If you paid for interview prep then she'll be sent to see your attorney's Vietnamese associate in HCMC. Mr. Nam is thorough, and treats every case as if it will end up in a Stokes interview. My personal opinion is that this is going overboard, and serves more to scare the ####### out of the beneficiary than to prepare them for the interview. Some of the questions Mr. Nam asks would only be asked by a CO if the interview has already descended to a level so low that there is no chance the beneficiary is going to get a visa, and the CO is only fishing for coffin nails. If you are there then you can keep him focused on the questions that might be asked while there's still a chance of passing the interview.

The fact that your fiancee isn't a native VN speaker is only going to make her more nervous. She really does need as much moral support as you can provide, and you can't do much of anything if you aren't there. Above all, you need to stress to her to make absolutely sure she understands a question before answering it, and asks for clarification if she doesn't. One of the CO's favorite reasons for denial is that the beneficiary doesn't appear to know much about the petitioner. They don't take into account that the beneficiary may not have understood the questions when they deny for this reason. I've seen a few cases here on VJ where the beneficiary got flustered, didn't understand a question, and answered it incorrectly. This was enough for the CO to send them packing.

Maybe you could sit down with your boss and explain to them how important this is. You could also explain that if you go, and you are successful, then this may be the last trip you need to make for a while. If you don't go, and you aren't successful, then you may need to make several more trips before your fiancee can join you in the US. In the long run, letting you go now might help ensure that you won't need to make more trips in the future.

If you can't work things out with your boss, and you seriously believe you'll lose your job if you go, then I suggest you don't go. In this regard, I disagree with some other posters here. Being at the interview can be important, but that doesn't mean that it WILL be a deciding factor. This would be the worst possible time for you to lose your job. The CO's in HCMC rarely accept joint sponsors for K visas.

[Sayha or bust. 71]

Exact;y. In a difficult consulate, MAKE it known you are there.

As to plan B, why not go to the interview and if it is successful, great. If not you wll be there to get married then fly home and file the I-130.

You need to decide if your job is more important than your fiancee, I can't do that. My job is NOT more important than my (now) wife.I guess I just do not do anything without doing what is the BEST I can do. Then again, maybe your fiancee says "hey no big deal, I will gladly do it myself" Each couple is different. I think Alla would have keeled over dead waiting in line outside if I wasn't there. On the other hand SHE went to the interview for our son (k-2 to follow) like an old pro at it, AFTER she had done it once before.

But unless I was physically unable to go...like medically impossible due to being in emergency surgery and missing my flight, I would go.

You don't get married that quickly in Vietnam more like 30 days and yes i would fly back and file the I-130.