Nervous fiance.

[banjoruth 8]

Are you saying that you have only spent a total of 2 weeks together, period, or that you have only spent 2 weeks with her in her country?

We have spent a total of two weeks together. 1 week in December and 1 week in January. We met online in November.

We spend about 2 hours a day on skype. I am planning another trip in June, but we want to get the paperwork started now.

[Andrei25 12]

I don't understand the Idea why to pay a lawyer to all that? the K-1 is really very easy, the only thing is the period of waiting. at interview she dosen't have why to be nervous, if you don't know a question you say simple " I Don't Know" and they appreciate you don't lie they. Belive me you dont need to pay 2.000$ for a person,which will do the same job which you can do Belive me !!!! With those money you can buy her a beautiful ring. I dont know what to say more, but belive me, that lawyer dosen't deserve to be paid. The Waiting will be same period he / she ( the lawyer) can't influence the period of waiting. So tell her to be calm, is noting hard, or something which she can do wrong.

[Journeyer 17]

We have spent a total of two weeks together. 1 week in December and 1 week in January. We met online in November.

We spend about 2 hours a day on skype. I am planning another trip in June, but we want to get the paperwork started now.

Ok. I don't really know that much about the fiancé visa. So not sure if the lawyer is being honest in saying that is 'not enough'. I think the people who have done fiancé visa here can help you more, as I don't have any experience with it, we did a CR-1 because we were already married.

You will get some good advice here though, I am sure. I did. Good luck.

[Eric-Pris 1,602]

One issue that came up was that we only have known each other 5 months. In this time i visited her in Hanoi for one week in December and finished my vacation in January and we spent another week in Ho Chi Minh City. So I have visited 2x's each time for 1 week. The lawyer said that was not enough?

First off, unless it has changed since my wife and I went through it 7 years ago, the only requirement is that you have met in person at least once in the past 2 years. Technically, you could meet one day for 15 minutes, and you have satisfied the requirement. You have spent a week together on 2 separate occasions.

So if the lawyer thinks that you have not spent enough time together, how is paying him $2,000 going to change that? Lawyers are the biggest scam artists out there.

Another thing I would mention for you to think about is why is your fiancee so nervous and afraid to say something wrong. In my experience (not only with immigration but with life), when people are afraid that they may say something wrong is because they are not being completely honest. If you need to "think about" what to say, that's almost like you're telling a story. You know what I mean... why did she consult a lawyer in the first place? Is this really a lawyer? I know you don't want to hear this kind of stuff but when dealing with international relationships, you need to go into it with your eyes wide open, too many men (and women) have gotten burned by blind love.

[PallasAthena 101]

You've gotten good advice here.

Lawyers just want your money. I talked to several lawyers who wanted anywhere from $2500 - $3000 for our simple, straightforward case involving a paralegal to fill out the paperwork. One lawyer even gave us advice that would violate VJ's TOS regarding tourist visas and adjusting status. Another lawyer was pretty angry that I didn't retain her and called my husband to ask why!! Ridiculous!

I am glad I found VJ. Save yourself that money and go visit your bride-to-be instead! Or use it to visit her and attend the interview with her.

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

If she hasn't already, tell her to get a VJ account and do a little research as to what may be asked.

Read your embassy reviews other couples left.

Marc Ellis is great and very familiar with your embassy but in my opinion is not needed if you have a straightforward case.
Save the money and be there in support for her interview, that will also add a 3. visit on a bit of a scant 'face time' together

and will help more than a lawyer drilling her with questions/answers they may never ask.

[No name 88 48]

For a plain jane K-1 or CR1 I would never recommend a lawyer. By know you already know there is nothing to the paperwork. I did everything myself to date and had many dealings with the US consulate in HCMC. It is we'll organized and they are friendly and polite. If you can make it through the DMV you can do this. The lawyer only proof reads your packet and helps your fiancee prep for interview questions and for $2000 there is no guarantee she will get the visa. The questions are not trick questions. Just look at the embassy reviews for the questions or print off stokes interview questions from a google search. I printed two off and every night me and the wife asked each other a few of the questions and wrote down the answers. We kinda made a game out of it and it did help us learn even more about each other.

I would save the money on the lawyer and use the savings to take time off of work to fly to HCMC to be with her during the interview. I truly believe that when you're there as a couple you odds increase greatly.

[jac_chappin 24]

Op - I strongly suggest you take matters into your own hands. lawyers are not going to make interview go any smoother. you can do the same by practicing.

If you can, fly over to Vietnam and be there for the interview which will put your fiancee at ease. At this point, your fiancee should trust you more than lawyers in my opinion.

It looks like lawyers are trying to instill fear so they can get paid.

[Hotter Otter 1,211]

Definitely go through some reviews with her, I know lots of people are nervous before the interview and come out and say it was easier than they thought. That money would probably be much better spent flying to be with her for the interview or getting more time "in person" before you have the interview

[Misuzu 10]

Yes, dont spend money on lawyer with k1. We did it ourselves and we were approved quickly. All process was like 4 monts. If you don't have any red flags you can do it.

[Mike-eeh and Odie 192]

For what it's worth, our lawyer prepped my fiancee very well. She is adamantly self admitting to be horrible at interviews and is always a nervous wreck when doing one. Every question our lawyer asked her was also asked of her at the interview. It was an invaluable resource and well worth the money in our case.

In addition our lawyer ensured all our information and evidence were correct and we experienced no RFEs or delays. The only thing that delayed us was that horrible typhoon in the Philippines which delayed our interview to January.

[Anubabes268 9]

Hello Banjoruth, it can be very hectic putting the k 1 papers together and you may miss out something and get a RFE which makes the process even longer. I used rapid visa they did all the work i only provided the information. I paid them 325 total and I was approved in 30 days no issue. Lawyers like to take your money and they are not needed. Rapid visa offers the same coaching for the interview and they have a 2/7 support system give them a try they are way cheaper than a lawyer and they do the same job.

[Ben + Michelle 9]

My fiance showed the petition to a lawyer at the beginning just to check. Other than that we did the process ourself, it was a lot of reading, asking and also a lot of learning on visajourney. I'm glad we got ourself into it, because now we know so much more.

[Scott & Kaye 32]

We have spent a total of two weeks together. 1 week in December and 1 week in January. We met online in November.

We spend about 2 hours a day on skype. I am planning another trip in June, but we want to get the paperwork started now.

I suggest you have your fiancé participate on this site if she is not already and befriend other Vietnamese that are doing the same process. This will help reduce some her stress by being more informed.

You should also plan to take time off of work and spend real time with her face to face and do what you can to attend the interview with her.

Good luck!

[SparklePony 238]

I don't know who the Vietnamese Embassy will look at the limited in-person time you've had together and the short duration of the relationship, so I would think that you being present at the interview would also help in establishing a bonafide relationship.