Immigrant Visa Delivery Service

[joenlemy 2]

I just noticed this on the HCMC website. I wonder if this will speed up or slow recieving your visa.

Immigrant Visa Delivery Service Starting on October 17, 2011

THIS NOTICE APPLIES TO ALL IMMIGRANT VISAS APPROVED AND ISSUED AFTER OCTOBER 17, 2011. **

Effective Monday, October 17, 2011, immigrant visas will be delivered via courier service. All immigrant visa applicants must use the courier service. Picking up visas in person will no longer be allowed. The visas will be delivered country-wide via EMS Courier Service. The delivery fees per person are as follows:

WITHIN HO CHI MINH CITY: 77,000 VND

OUTSIDE OF HO CHI MINH CITY: 165,000 VND

The purpose of this change is to provide better customer service to our applicants and to allow shipping of the visa packets and passports with completed visas back to the applicant in a timely manner. The use of this service is required for all applicants wishing to immigrate to the United States.

**If your visa was approved and issued prior to October 17, 2011 and you were given a sheet with specific instructions to return to the Consulate on a specific date to pick up your visa, please continue to follow those instructions.

NOTE: This only applies to applicants who were issued a visa after October 17, 2011 For further information click here. http://photos.state.gov/libraries/hochiminh/174995/pdf/visa-announcement-for-EMS-_english%20and%20vn%20handout_.pdf

[WeatherEmperor 21]

I was going to post about this tomorrow night in my monthly update in AP. If this is true, I think this is a real bonehead decision by the Consulate. I dont know what this EMS courrier service is but if it uses the regular mail system in VN it could be trouble. How in the world could they use the mail system to deliver extremely sensative documents like passports with visas in them using mail delivery? I just dont get it. Scott, Roger, Curtis or anybody maybe you guys can shed some light on this but I dont think it is a smart move at all...

[confusedasheck 21]

See

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Express_Mail_Service

and look for Vietnam. It's not a good idea to deliver such an important document like that. But it is not delivered by the Vietnamese postal service. It's a private delivery service delivered by "P&T Express Service Joint Stock Company" according to wikipedia.

Looks like they are in partnership with UPS.

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/257543/ups-pt-express-form-joint-venture-vietnam

[luckytxn 2,263]

Or this website in VN but had it translated to English: http://www.ems.com.vn/products/118-ems-trong-nc.aspx

They are also in league with the VN postal service. I personally think they are insane and ought to let the recipient receive it this way or in person as they want. They do use services exclusively in other countries so they may be trying to do so here. Their idea my be to lessen the people coming to the consulate.

[tan&tuyet 15]

This is not a good idea at all what if they visas get stolen or lost what happens then

[ScottThuy 140]

I was going to post about this tomorrow night in my monthly update in AP. If this is true, I think this is a real bonehead decision by the Consulate. I dont know what this EMS courrier service is but if it uses the regular mail system in VN it could be trouble. How in the world could they use the mail system to deliver extremely sensative documents like passports with visas in them using mail delivery? I just dont get it. Scott, Roger, Curtis or anybody maybe you guys can shed some light on this but I dont think it is a smart move at all...

They do the same thing in other countries already and they told us last year that they were working on implementing it... Well worth it for us.. saves a trip from HaNoi... Will be getting a visa for my stepson and no need for an extra RT for two at a cost of a few hundred bucks with a night in a hotel.. delivered for under 10 bucks..woo hoo... you will have to give them the passport and they will deliver it a week or so later by courier... only when the visa is approved will they ask for the delivery fee...

[whyrenee 0]

This happened to non-immigrant visa in Hanoi for couple of years now. I think they use EMS there.

[joenlemy 2]

Thats good to know Scott. I'm guessing they will only deliver it to the applicants address on record. I didn't see anything about being able to request where to have it delivered it to.

[WeatherEmperor 21]

The thing that bugs me the most about this is that the Consulate does not give you the option to pick up the visa yourself or have it delivered through the mail courier. It's mail delivery only. Put that together with the bad mail system in VN and you could create a lot of trouble. Thu found out about this yesterday and does she have quite the imagination. She thinks that the Consulate is doing this intentionally. She thinks that a small percentage of the approved cases could have their passports/visas lost in the mail in an attempt to indirectly screw you one last time even though the case got a pink slip. I personally do not think there is any truth in this. Like I said, she has quite the imagination

Anyways, for now I am taking the optimistic point of view that the Consulate will prove me wrong and everything will be alright.

[long&kieu 1]

The thing that bugs me the most about this is that the Consulate does not give you the option to pick up the visa yourself or have it delivered through the mail courier. It's mail delivery only. Put that together with the bad mail system in VN and you could create a lot of trouble. Thu found out about this yesterday and does she have quite the imagination. She thinks that the Consulate is doing this intentionally. She thinks that a small percentage of the approved cases could have their passports/visas lost in the mail in an attempt to indirectly screw you one last time even though the case got a pink slip. I personally do not think there is any truth in this. Like I said, she has quite the imagination

Anyways, for now I am taking the optimistic point of view that the Consulate will prove me wrong and everything will be alright.

I have the same worry!!

[ScottThuy 140]

It's much the same as when you send $ over there... it gets hand delivered and I have NEVER had an issue with a Courrier service delivery there... They will likely do the same and give you a call before they show up much the same as $ delivery...

[whyrenee 0]

OH I did try to pick it up at the EMS location in Hanoi once. On the day that the visa was supposed to be available, I called the number and asked about it. They said it was there, so I drove there and picked it up myself although I still had to pay for them to deliver it.

You can also specify which address it should be delivered to.

I actually never had any problem sending mail to VN. It all depends on the addresses I guess.

[ScottThuy 140]

Ok I think I know whats next...

FAMILY BASED IMMIGRATION.. Brock & Jim created an APP for that!

[David-Hien 11]

I don't know how it is now. However, when I was in Vietnam, EMS is nearly similar to a kind of certified mail.

[Tien 0]

My fiancee lives in Da Nang and we went to HCMC for the interview (24NOV2011). After we got the pink sheet, we were directed to EMS window to pay for this service and they said it would take about 10 days to get the package and it actually took about 15 days for my fiancee to get it. I'm so excited, can't wait for her to come.

Edited November 17, 2011 by Tien