Preparation for application

[bruins 14]

Hi all - this forum has been great in helping me with the process thus far. My fiancée has filed a petition for marriage license and should be ready for us to sign when I visit her next month. We will have our wedding ceremony then. My question is what an I expect next in this process after getting our marriage lincense? What documents should I get while I'm in Vietnam so that when I return to the US I have everything I need to put the k3 packet together to expedite the process as much as possible. We miss each other too much! .

Thanks all!

[Ryan H 3,790]

First of all, you will receive a marriage certificate after you are married, not a license. Secondly, the K3 is a visa type that is rarely granted as it is often administratively closed, you will want to pursue the CR-1 visa path instead. The document you need to bring back from Vietnam is a copy of the marriage certificate; also some local USCIS offices are using dated manuals when adjudicating I-130 petitions filed on behalf of a spouse and issuing RFE's for a copy of the beneficiary's birth certificate (even though it's not required). Because of this, I will suggest that you bring back a copy of her birth certificate or Vietnamese equivalent thereof.

[bruins 14]

Ah thanks I meant to say CR-1 visa. Should all copies be certified and authenticated in Vietnam?

[speedwell 224]

Hi all - this forum has been great in helping me with the process thus far. My fiancée has filed a petition for marriage license and should be ready for us to sign when I visit her next month. We will have our wedding ceremony then. My question is what an I expect next in this process after getting our marriage lincense? What documents should I get while I'm in Vietnam so that when I return to the US I have everything I need to put the k3 packet together to expedite the process as much as possible. We miss each other too much! .

Thanks all!

First, don't bother with the K3. It will not save you any time and will cost you extra money. Go straight into the I-130.

Bring a few printouts of the I-130 form and the G-325A form with you. You will go over them together and sign them where indicated. This will save time because you will bring back her signed forms so you can submit them. Also see if your bank will let you take a signature card to Vietnam so your wife can sign it and be a secondary accountholder. She will not be able to be an alternate primary until she actually comes to the US and presents herself at the bank. Also being copies of any paperwork she needs to sign for other financial matters such as an apartment lease or car insurance.

While you are in Vietnam, take lots of photos of the two of you together and with family. Arrange to get more than one copy of her long form birth certificate and more than one copy of the marriage certificate (not license). Request affidavits from people who know both of you. Make sure you understand how to request a police certificate for her locality and for each locality where she has lived for more than 6 months, Have someone competent in English and Vietnamese translate each document that is written in Vietnamese and provide a certification letter (you can find the exact format elsewhere in the forum). Get other documentation if you can.

When you return to the US, get her on as much of your financial stuff as you can and request letters from the companies verifying she is on the accounts with you. Assemble your package and report back and let us know what you've got; someone here can vet it for you. Good luck