tanstaafl

Thanks Hypnos. That saves me some time from looking.

Hi everyone

The USCIS sent out a notification letter saying that my wife needs to apply for the petition to remove the condition in order to get her permanent green card. One of their required documents is the "Affidavits sworn to or affirmed by at least two people who have known both of you since your conditional residence was granted and have personal knowledge of your marriage and relationship."

My question is this. How and where to get this affidavit form to fill out?

Everyone

For the tax year of 2010, I filed single even though I was married and my wife was in Vietnam. In 2011, she was in the States for half the year and already has her SSN and everything. Now I need to file an amendment for filing status in 2010 to include her on my 2010 tax return. Is it possible?

Congratulations!

My wife's CO didn't look much at our pictures or any other evidences or even my wife. Maybe just a couple of glances top at our pictures when we first met and that was it. The interview was conducted in English as expected. Unlike yours, we were 50/50 between acceptance and denial, only until the timeline was submitted were we accepted. Such a relief.

Tonight is my last night in HCMC. We're flying together to the States before midnight. Even though this is not her first long trip, it is her first to the US.

not as an excuse, but just a setback to go visit her again is that even though I can afford moneywise to go again, I have to start saving up vacation days...I spent nearly all of it for this last trip and it maybe a while before I get a worthwile amount again...

as for the insurance policy, correct me if I'm wrong but for such thigns dont you need a social security number and such before you can add her, or can you get away with a name and birthdat or something, its been a while since I did that type of paperwork,

thanks for the help!! it is definitely keeping me in good spirit, espically after other comments that worried me and brought me down, thanks again!!

Every case is uniquely different and it also depends on the CO. You can choose to visit her or not, it's up to you. Like I said, those worked well for me. About the insurance, adding her name to your LIFE insurance or AUTO insurance would be helpful. These won't require SSN. I added my wife's name to my life insurance and IRA accounts as the sole beneficiary. I also got a little discount for my auto insurance when I added her name to my policy. She already had her driver's license in VN.

Sorry to hear that, Emperor. I have a hunch that there could be a possibility that not only one CO to look at some cases but a panel of COs as well.

congrats!

Hey you guys,

I need some advice, and here's my background story. Let me know if you need more detail. It's not your typical marriage, for Americans at least.

I go to Vietnam every several years and one year [2008] I met a neighbor of the family but never thought anything of it.

My uncle always told me when I was ready to marry, he would find me a wife. And since I wanted to go with tradition, I told him to find me one like he did for his son and my grandpa did for him.

Fast foward two years, he found me someone, the neighbor I met before, Kieu. So in the summer of 2010, we started exchanging emails. I jokingly told her that I couldn't speak Vietnamese, so I couldn't make phone calls. [i can speak but not write.] So each email, she would write in Viet and I responded in English and we would roughly translate each other's messages through Google translate.

Since talking to her, I hadn't had time, nor the money to visit her. I've been busy with work and school, that I finally found an opening in the summer of 2011. So I decided to visit and marry her at the same time. It was a traditional marriage where my mom would take care of the jewelery and her family took care of the ceremony and reception since I had no official home there.

Now that I've returned, I started learning more about the forms and paperwork to bring her here. [something I should have done ahead of time.]

My concern is more or less the evidence to show that this is a truthful marriage. I have pictures of the wedding and hanging out, but only of this recent trip, nothing before. I also have emails from when we were getting to know each other, but never chatted or made phone calls. We are on Skype now, but after I left her a laptop to use, so I don't believe that counts as evidence since its after the wedding. I haven't added her to my insurance because it wouldn't help her, and I don't really know when she will come over to start having that deducted from my paycheck. I have no reciepts since most gifts I bought were at Vietnam and most jewelery and such for the wedding was provided by my mom.

Sorry for the long read, but I'm not sure what else to provide to prove this wedding is real. Sometimes I feel that if people are super prepared, its like they are preparing to get away with their fake marriages or what not. Kevin on the forums have suggested Affadavits which I will consider, but when will that be needed?? Before the paperwork goes to the NVC or is it too late??

Thanks for any suggestions and sorry about the long read.

Thanks, Long.

Long

Don't be intimidated by the process. HCMC Consulate is well-known for being notorious when it comes to visa issuance. Keep your chin up. You're in a genuine relationship then there shouldn't be anything to worry about. Your true love and the truth should prevail. DON'T try to forge something that you don't have, as the COs are trained to detect fraud. Don't risk it.

Sorry I was little too late in giving you some input here but I've seen many posts that are very helpful, especially from Kenvin's. Just try to put yourself in the COs shoes. It's easy said than done. Here are some tips that worked for me. You might have already seen these from some previous posts.

1. If you're financially sound, then you can afford a few more trips to VN to be with her. Save all receipts and pictures of the places you two have been to like hotels, restaurants, trips, events, etc.

2. Chat and web logs are also important but I strongly believe a few heartfelt emails from you both are even worth much more than stacks and stacks of nonsense chats.

3. In your timeline, explain in details your relationship. Describe clearly how you two met, why and how you decided to marry her, the reactions of your families when they learned of the news, etc. Don't be afraid to write a long timeline, as long as you have to explain, but try to avoid unnecessary lengthy details.

4. Proof to show that you continue to have an ongoing relationship, not just before and after marriage. Some examples, if possible, such as trying to put your wife's name on your life insurance policy, auto insurance policy, IRA accounts, bank accounts, etc. I did.

5. Also, if you two are interracial, showing that you really went further than you could for your love such as your trying to learn Vietnamese. Those who aren't naturally Vietnamese speaking people know how hard that is to learn Vietnamese.

Those above worked well for me. I had many red flags such as proposing six months after meeting each other only once, my ex was also from Vietnam, no kids from previous marriage, we were married on my second trip to VN (but I visited my wife five times in total). The last time was to travel with her. Wishing you the best.

For Jan? IMO there will be an increase in price between now and then for Tet travel.. Aug or Sept JMHO

That's how I got it for my second trip to VN in Dec 2009 after Christmas. Not exactly though because I didn't stay for Tet. With gas prices skyrocketting these days, thing may change.

I sent an email to the consulate April 14, 2011. Got the auto response in two or three minutes. Got the real response May 17, 2011, with the quote "thank-you for your inquiry. We regret the delay in our response".

My wife sent me some paperwork for me to sign on March 11, 2011 and I signed and sent the it back right away, she got it on April 12, 2011.

Probably around October would be the best time, IMO.

Congrats!

I have similarly-short pre-engagement, so I'm very happy to hear it wasn't a problem for y'all. I also found this site a little late in the process, but concur with your note and equally appreciative of the help from other VJers.

I'm assuming this was your first interview... Was the pink already out when you got to the window? Sounds like you feel the timeline was critical. Since the timeline is never asked for on the initial interview I always like to hear more about this case of bringing it in before its requested. Did you have it notarized?

TIA

From my personal experience and yours and some others, it proves that short time engagements aren't really the problem, unlike some people with condescending attitudes said so.

Yes, it was her first and only one interview. She told me that she saw the white sheet sitting on the table and the CO didn't even bother to look at her the entire interview, which was relatively short, about less than 15 minutes. If I didn't prepare the timeline meticulously with all questions and red flags explained in details, our case would probably be sent to AP or worst yet, being denied. The CO didn't ask for the timeline during the interview. She only focused on my ex, primarily. I had to have everything notarized before sending to her.

Congrats! lots of sham relationships pass through also...that's why HCM is so tough for the rest of us.

this place is a great resource, wish i would've known about it sooner. i'm sure the shammers have also come here for help to make their cases smoother.

jim, scott, anh map are of great help...and dau que keeps it real (although he's been overdoing it recently)

I do believe that many fraudsters did find their ways successfully... This makes our cases with genuine relationships have to deal with more challenges, especially the notorious HCMC consulate.

Thanks to all of you with a lot of helpful posts. I agree that Jim, Scott, Anh Map, Jerome and some others are very knowledgeable and helpful with their experiences.

The culture change is a huge thing for our VN spouse... I was just wondering how many of our spouses had never been on a flight before they met us or was the flight to the US the first time on a plane? Some of us went on trip to other countries with our spouse before they immigrated as it was much easier than bringing them to visit here and that was the first time flying..

From motorbikes buses and taxis to planes trains and automobiles...

Before meeting me, my wife had already been on many flights, domestic and international, so flying to the US wouldn't be a problem for her. This will be the first time she's traveling (with me) to the US.

That is a danger for you. Many Asian girls start stating such things in preparation of filing for citizenship based upon being a battered woman. I hope to hell that is not it in your case, but I know someone it happened to and it was beyond stunning to everyone. She got away with it too. Despite the mountain of evidence she was a liar.

Tuyen may have gone home and found that she just missed the way things were too much. Many girls, especially those who were not college educated and who have not traveled outside of Vietnam cannot adjust to the mind blowing difference in the way of life here. MN is not exactly L.A. or NYC and in the mind of 95% of the Viet girls, they think that is what America is like.

My wife nearly went home in the first year here because she hated it so much. It was nothing like she expected, despite her having traveled to Japan and across Europe. With all her education and experience, she was not even close to being prepared. Her expectations were wildly insane.

Only when we moved to NYC did things improve.

How ironic that when she goes to visit her family in Saigon she is wishing to go back to NYC within hours of arriving. The heat, pollution, low class bribery BS and other such things inherent in Vietnamese culture just irks the hell out of her now.

Matt

Right now I'm just hoping that my situation would be the same as yours. My wife already hated moving here to the States when we've been experiencing the NVC process. Like yours, she's highly educated and experienced with traveling across Asia and Europe, full of expectations and ambitions. We've been arguing a lot in terms of whether I should be relocating to VN or she should be in the US. If last May she didn't get pink then she would have more legit reasons to pressure me.

Your last part is pretty interesting. I guess once she gets adjusted here she'll like it. She's so sick of having to deal with corruptions of local officials here in VN already.

Tuyen left to to visit her brother in CA a couple weeks ago. On Sunday she told me that she did want to come back to MN and was going to go back to VN. She doesn't like the US lifestyle.

She won't come back to get her things. She told my Mom that she's afraid I would hurt her and wouldn't let her go back to VN. I have no idea why she thinks that I would. I've never laid a hand on her. It must be VN cultural thing.

She went to VN over Tet for 3 month and came back a different person. She seemed more isolated. I wasn't the only one to notice the change either. My neighbors and family sensed something wasn't the same.

She laid out all these problems to me once she was in CA.

Very sorry to hear about this, Kevin. I hope it was just the fit in (transition) time period for her and once she gets used to it, everything will be fine. Many VN ladies come to the US from a crowded city like HCMC usually get homesick, cultural shock, especially those with high expectations. MN is not a big, crowded states like CA or NY so it's easy to be bored with not many people around, especially Vietnamese. It happened to me once.

Hi,

Im going to VN in Jan for Tet. Should I go ahead and book my ticket now or just wait for a few more months? Im just afraid its too soon now to book it. And the price now is a very decent price for Tet season. Any suggestions? Thanks alot

Did you mean buying the ticket? I think booking can only hold it for 3 days. Anyway, I would purchase the airfare now. If the oil prices drop, there won't be much. One obvious drawback of purchasing early ticket is the change of plan later. This sucks.

i've spent a little time in hanoi on my first trip back in '04 and also ha long bay and passed through noi bai this last time. hanoi is fine, i just don't like the people there. the southerners view the northern mass as more calculating, 2-faced, and ruthless. from my experience interacting with them i'd tend to agree.

of course as it works out my fiancee is northern ...thanh hoa to be specific. saw a sign in HCM recently when i was there, "Accepting work resumes, Thanh Hoa people need not apply" Hai Phong and Thanh Hoa people have bad reps.

My wife Lien was also born and raised in Hanoi but after spending 3 years in HCMC she loved it here, both the weather and people. I can understand that.

...the consulate call her asking her to give them her yahoo email account password. Then she finally got pink.

Intrusion of privacy to the fullest. What else would they be willing to do or to go further?

I want to start this topic because of all the recent and not so recent debate over front loading. So please anyone that has gone through an interview and if you have front loaded any red flags that you thought were red flags, please comment on this thread.

For those that did front load

1) What did you front load?

2) Did you get asked about any red flags you front loaded

3) Did you get a visa after the interview

4) Did you get a blue slip at the interview

5) If you got a blue slip at the interview did it ask for proof of the red flag you frontloaded

Questions for people that did not front load but did have evidence at the interview addressing what was thought of as a red flag

1) What did you feel were your red flags

2) Were you asked about your presumed red flags at the interview

3) Did the CO look at your evidence for the red flags

4) If the CO refused to look at your evidence were you given a blue slip requesting what you already had at the interview

5) After the interview if you were asked about the red flags and the CO looked at your evidence were you given a pink

6) If you were not asked about any red flags, and then still given a blue were the requests for evidence what you thought of as red flags, and did you have that evidence with you

I will be the first to add our experience with this post.

I did not front load. We were worried about my divorce with my wife being in prison so we had the evidence at the interview. We were asked by the CO about my ex wife, and where she lived, he refused to look at our proof where she was living (prison documents) The other red flag was my previous K1 petition filed almost two years prior, this never came up at the interview, and was not on our blue slip

Over all outcome of our case was denial, not based on any of our supposed red flags

I didn't front load the evidence addressing the red flags (the lawyer didn't tell me anything about this). The CO didn't even bother to look at any of the evidence she brought with her. She didn't even look at my wife the entire interview one bit. I think the result had already been made before the interview and the interview was just part of the process that had to be done. During the interview the CO focused primarily on my ex wife and why we didn't have kids from my previous marriage. After about 15 minutes, a white sheet was handed out asking for more documents.

Depending on the case, front loading evidence may help or hurt your case. In my case, front loading could do more harm than help.

I agree that Dalat is a little bit cooler but it's over-rated these days.

I don't understand the purpose of CO visiting SO home.

Dear all.

I'll be in Ho Chi Minh City to submit the timeline and 10 yrs residency with my wife in the next couple wêeks.

I just finished a 10 pages timeline for our relationship since October 2007 to present.

I was thinking of inserting pictures into the word documents timeline and get notarized. The pictures are part of the timeline not ađđitional attachments. I will have a total of 22 pages with pictures. Is this a gơod idea? Any suggestion from your experience would be appreciated.

I think inserting pictures into timeline is a good idea. I didn't try it (never thought of this way). One thing I can speak from my experience is that there's no such thing as a long timeline. If you have to explain something, do it as meticulously as you can. In our specific case, we were about to be denied only until the detailed timeline was submitted. I explained in so much details regarding our red flags such as my recent divorce, my ex was also from Vietnam, my proposal after only 6 months of knowing each other, and it worked for me. Like some people have once said, try to think they way the CO would think, that is, your relationship is real. Good luck.

Happy birthday, Anh Map.

We finally got the pink. So happy now. Will pick up visa next Friday June 3rd.

Congrats, Jerry. My wife also picked up visa on June 3. 15 months of waiting well worth.