any new news from HCMC?

[turbo2253 0]

Hi, we have been patiently waiting for our approval, has there been any news from the consulate in HCMC about resuming Interviews? Is there any news about I-130 approvals from USCIS?

Thanks, Mike

[igoyougoduke 1,604]

no

[craig5977 58]

They opened up on June 1st with limited services for US citizens. My wife read that flights from USA will be allowed to resume on September 1st, with a 14 day quarantine, so my best guess is they will start after that. Good Luck

[FU-MY 40]

6 hours ago, craig5977 said:

They opened up on June 1st with limited services for US citizens. My wife read that flights from USA will be allowed to resume on September 1st, with a 14 day quarantine, so my best guess is they will start after that. Good Luck

Good morning Greg,

 

Are you saying that the Consulate may not re-start interviewing until the flights from the US resume in September?

I don't understand the connection between the Vietnamese government allowing US persons back to the country and the US Consulate interviewing Vietnamese for Visas?

 

[BandQ 12]

4 hours ago, FU-MY said:

Good morning Greg,

 

Are you saying that the Consulate may not re-start interviewing until the flights from the US resume in September?

I don't understand the connection between the Vietnamese government allowing US persons back to the country and the US Consulate interviewing Vietnamese for Visas?

 

Thats a good question. A good chunk couples go to visa interviews together in Vietnam even for k1 visas. The idea is that it hopefully helps prove a bonafide relationship if the petitioner takes the time to fly over. September 1st is just an educated guess as the embassy may be taking peoples availibity to join in into consideration.

[FU-MY 40]

36 minutes ago, BandQ said:

Thats a good question. A good chunk couples go to visa interviews together in Vietnam even for k1 visas. The idea is that it hopefully helps prove a bonafide relationship if the petitioner takes the time to fly over. September 1st is just an educated guess as the embassy may be taking peoples availibity to join in into consideration.

Thanks BandQ,

Yes I agree, I would have loved to go and be present when my fiance has the interview, but at this point we just want to secure the interview date.

She will go alone and with some luck will get approved with little to no issues.

 

[craig5977 58]

It is just a guess on my part, since many do wish to attend with fiancee/ spouse for the interview. The Embassy website still states they are not sure when they will start up again. And it sounds like the ones who had visa interviews scheduled and cancelled will be taken care of first. I am in Vietnam with my wife now, and am enrolled in the STEP program, so I get updates from the Embassy quite often.

 

[Stein 260]

For what it is worth I was finally able to schedule a Non-Emergency appointment on the appointment sign-in website yesterday for the consulate.  It's only for notary services for a property contract in the US but for three months until yesterday I couldn't do that.  It's not until July 22.  They had a few for June 24 that filled quickly.  So my point is they are finally starting to open up at least a little bit.

[WandY 430]

You cannot get a visa appointment in HCMC until the consulate is allowed to open. The decision to open is based on VN government guidelines and advice - not the U.S. In other words, you can't do anything (with regards to visas) yet. As for the 14-day quarantine, nobody knows how long this is going to last. It's a fluid situation in VN. Some international passengers will get in easier, depending on the country from which the flight originated and/or their nationality. Americans are not going to be welcomed for quite a while. Nobody on this site knows what the VN government is going to do or when they are going to do it. Don't make any plans that cannot be changed or spend dollars that cannot be refunded.

[Stein 260]

le.chrisv got an expedite and scheuled appointment for June 23!  Good for them!

 

[craig5977 58]

I got this in an email today.

Its an improvement from 2 weeks ago

Resumption of Passport and Citizenship Document Processing - U.S. Embassy Hanoi and U.S. Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (June 15, 2020)

 

Location: Vietnam

 

Important Information for U.S. Citizens: 

 

The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi and Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City have resumed routine processing of passports and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBA). U.S. passport printing centers have also resumed limited operations and are processing the backlog of cases on a first-in, first-out basis. We do not yet know exact delivery times for new passports, but we will update this information on our website when delivery times return to normal.  

 

Appointments for passport renewals can be made here and CRBA appointments here.  For additional questions regarding American Citizen Services, please contact us using the below information.

 

[trucphong 24]

It will resume on 6/29 for IR1/IR2/CR1/CR2 only.

 

Beginning Monday June 29, the Consulate will conduct interviews for IR-1, IR-2, CR-1 and CR-2 immigrant visa applicants who had appointments scheduled in March, April and May that were canceled because of COVID-19. Please visit this page to make a reschedule appointment. Please note that currently we are only allowed to interview these four categories; if applicants for other immigrant visa categories make appointments, they will be canceled. Also note that at this time, we are only allowed to issue IR-2 and CR-2 visas to applicants who are under 21 years of age.

* For all immigrant visa applicants other than IR-1, IR-2, CR-1 and CR-2, the Consulate is not conducting routine visa appointments. Please click here to request consideration for an emergency appointment. We will resume routine interviewing as soon as possible but are unable to provide a specific date at this time. We will post instructions for rescheduling interviews for applicants who missed previously scheduled appointments because of COVID-19 cancellations.

[Stein 260]

21 hours ago, trucphong said:

It will resume on 6/29 for IR1/IR2/CR1/CR2 only.

 

Beginning Monday June 29, the Consulate will conduct interviews for IR-1, IR-2, CR-1 and CR-2 immigrant visa applicants who had appointments scheduled in March, April and May that were canceled because of COVID-19. Please visit this page to make a reschedule appointment. Please note that currently we are only allowed to interview these four categories; if applicants for other immigrant visa categories make appointments, they will be canceled. Also note that at this time, we are only allowed to issue IR-2 and CR-2 visas to applicants who are under 21 years of age.

* For all immigrant visa applicants other than IR-1, IR-2, CR-1 and CR-2, the Consulate is not conducting routine visa appointments. Please click here to request consideration for an emergency appointment. We will resume routine interviewing as soon as possible but are unable to provide a specific date at this time. We will post instructions for rescheduling interviews for applicants who missed previously scheduled appointments because of COVID-19 cancellations.

Since they are only processing IR/CR it might speed those up a bit.  Mine is still at NVC until they schedule my appointment but I'll update when they do schedule me.  That said, I'm a fairly late DQ.  We only received it June 1.  I'm sure they have a lot of reschedules to go through so it will be a while.  I figured from the date they start add 3 months for backlogs and 2 months of normal processing and we won't see the inside of the consulate until Thanksgiving.  And, I thought I read somewhere that they don't do appointments in December.  Is that true?   So if we don't make November it will be January.  Actually January would be OK.  We were planning to move in June after the school year finishes but we have waffled on going for Christmas and not coming back as well.  Normally I go home 2 weeks every two months but COVID has turned it into a year straight.  That's too long for me in Vietnam. LOL

 

I do feel for the K1's and othe categories that are still waiting.

[Stein 260]

For anyone in Vietnam that had a previously scheduled interview that was cancelled do NOT wait for them to reschedule.  You need to go to the website and reschedule your own appointment.  See here: https://vn.usembassy.gov/partial-resumption-of-immigrant-visa-processing/  They are only allowing CR1/IR1 and CR2/IR2 interviews to be scheduled.  If anyone tries to schedule an interview for a different visa category it will be cancelled.

Edited June 21, 2020 by Stein

[Stein 260]

Just saw on the "Case complete to Interview" thread where a guy got his expedite, his wife was interviewed HCMC June 23 and approved and she's flying to US on Thursday.  Congrats to him and glad to see things moving again!