Miss M

You submit your paperwork to USCIS and it will get sent to the consulate much much later, when it's very close to your interview. That will be 10 months after you submit it, at least (because COVID slowed everything down).
 
I would say this: Picking a consulate is NOT a good idea. Consulates have to do background checks on the person (your fiance) IN THE FIELD. That means, they will ask for any local police reports, look if this person has been married before, etc. If you go to whatever country, everything will take longer because they will have to ask Colombia to do the paperwork for them. So even though stuff in that consulate might be faster, compared to other countries, it's only faster for residents of that country.
 
I hope this helps. I would just go to Colombia to do the interview. 

That’s not what my immigration lawyer says. He says it doesn’t matter which country we are in. 

She needs to have legal residency in a country to be able to interview there. Can’t just shop for consulate. 

And my 2 cents worth:
If he is affected by friends making fun of him not having a received a dowry, how is he going to handle possibly being unemployed for a while in the US, and having nothing to show for his move? I am sure that his friends (and perhaps his family) have an expectation that his move to the US will result in access to more opportunities, and therefore more money; and since he is the eldest son and primary breadwinner, they may expect to see an immediate improvement in his family's material wealth. Is he prepared to handle this in a mature and adult way or will he just feel short changed because he's already planning to send money back home and may have built up an expectation already?
Have you discussed at all what would happen if he struggled to find a job? Would his family still expect to visit and would they still expect money from him (or you as a couple?)

The law and the conditions by which you entered the US are quite clear.  I haven't found any exception for "good behavior" after violations of this nature.

Hi everyone.  Following what the Agent told me almost at the end of the interview he said:will give a me chance with a letter sent within 2 weeks and won't put me in removal processing neither send me to court just because my excellent good behavior and moral during all this years. 

I am sorry for the situation that you are in.  The reason you are denied was because of your overstay and illegal status.  They forgive overstays when you marry a US citizen.  They do not forgive it for marrying an LPR.
 
You need contact a competent immigration attorney at this point.

Three sides to every story, Her side, his side and the truth.
 
I don't get involved in others relationships, that has been my policy for years and it works well. I worry about my life and relationship, and keep my nose out of others.
 
 

I suggest you show more respect to the country your future wife is from. That "third world country" has shown a much better response to the pandemic than your home country as you can clearly see. 
 
It's hard for people to feel bad about your access to delicious Vietnamese food. So much of it is gluten free and all the delicious fruit in the supermarkets is gluten free, too. Organic food is a marketing scam btw, but if you like to spend way too much money on it, that's your choice. I get missing home and your home food, homesickness and culture shock are real and that's what your fiancée is going to be dealing with, too, some be prepared for her to hate where you will be. But try to appreciate what you have right now, including the fact that you are not in lockdown unlike most of the US. 
 
It sucks that it takes so long long to get the visa, but that's what it is. No one enjoys dealing with red tape and the pandemic has made it worse. But the employees are not low IQ and lazy, their leadership sure is but the regular employees are just doing their best. 

The Department of State (DOS) headquarters and all of the US IS you refer to are in the US -- not spread throughout the world, with widely varying circumstances due to local conditions and local laws and COVID-19 policies/laws.  All of this has an impact on when a particular Embassy will re-open. 
 
For example, if foreign airports are closed to inbound international flights, the consular section cannot open until they are able to fly officers back to that country -- which they likely aren't going to do even if there are flights if it means that officers are just placed into quarantine for two weeks (which you don't want to do but seem comfortable with having others to do).  Current consular staffing at most posts is limited to staff needed for providing emergency services to US citizens resident in that country; there is insufficient staffing for any part of the process for routine visa services.  
 
Although, to my knowledge the DOS has not announced specific re-opening plans, based on responses to previous crisises (albeit smaller scale), the first service to be fully restored will be American Citizen Services (opening passport and CRBA services, for example), followed by rescheduling all of the cancelled appointments from March on (and dealing with any visas that may have expired while the beneficiary was prohibited from travelling due to airport closures, etc).  Only then will new immigrant visa appointments open, likely with priority given to cases for immediate relatives of US citizens.  You will probably not receive the Packet 3 information until this last step -- the appointments for medicals need to be available to those ahead of you in the queue. 
 
If you think about all the issues that need to be dealt with before and during a re-opening, I hope you can see there is no place for "lazy, low IQ" employees.  Or, you at least better hope so -- if they are truly lazy, low IQ, or useless individuals, you will have a very long wait for your turn in the process.

Never had an issue with food in Vietnam whether it’s Asian, Vietnamese or Western.  Great food!!!
 
As for K1 being faster - not these days I’m afraid it’s almost the same as CR1.

Is it possible that you’re part of the problem moreso than part of the solution?
 
Immigration is not an entitlement for a spouse, let alone someone who you aren’t even married to.. nor is it something that progresses quickly and that’s without taking into consideration pandemics, embassy closures, flight bans, flight restrictions, quarantines etc etc.. and just because the numbers there are low, dosent necessarily mean the infection rate is low, chances are minimal testing is being done and they still have no clue how many of the population their are truely infected.. 
 
you should think yourself lucky that you’re with your loved one.. you’ve barely started the whole immigration process, what’s it been? 6 months? Geez many of us are 2 years into it and are still seperated from our husbands, wives and children.. 
 
if youre not happy in that country, you as a US Citezen have the option to return home, you don’t want to? That’s your choice, live with it.. you can’t eat noodles or rice? try fish, seafood and vegetables all of which are plentyful there.. you don’t want to? Again your choice, live with it.. 
 
learn to be patient, or you’re going to be in a world of hurt when it comes time to apply for AOS, EAD and ROC

As one of those "lazy government employees" you referred to, I can assure you we are not sitting around doing nothing on our cell phones.
 
The vast majority of the federal workforce continues working from home or alternate work sites.  Consulate officers still have plenty of work without conducting visa interviews. 
 
It isn't laziness that delays your packet 3.  The consulate is deliberately slowing your progress.  They have to reschedule hundreds of cancelled interviews before you continue through the process.
 
Sorry you are having issues finding the foods you are accustomed to eating.  Given the rising beef prices in the United States and Vietnam, I am sure many families in Vietnam and the United States would have difficulty empathizing with your struggle eating beef, chicken, eggs, noodles, and rice every day.  Vietnam is one of the greatest foodie/seafood destinations in the world.  Definitely reconsider where you are shopping if you are having so many issues with food quality.  
 
Bread made with rice flour - like the traditional Vietnamese baguettes -  are gluten free.  Ask if it's rice or a rice/wheat mix. 
 
Vietnam is not a third-world country.  It is usually referred to as "third world" (or "hellish") by people trying to insult the country and/or its people.
 
Leadership's decision to close embassies will have long-lasting impacts on immigration. The entire immigration process is a long and frustrating ride.  Patience is even more necessary now than ever before.  Best of luck to you and your fiance. 
 
Jason
 
 
 
 
 
 

Can I share somethings with you that I learned long ago about this process?

    • "the man with the gold makes the rules"
    • it will take as long as it will take 
    • no one with any certainty can tell you when some process will be completed
    • Your sense of urgency will never be equaled to what USCIS, NVC or your embassy demonstrates
    • Your journey is not going to mirror someone else's experience - yours and theirs are not the same
    • They only promised you a YES or NO answer. Never an exact time that their decision would be completed
    • Lowering your expectations will make you a much more relaxed individual

Good luck on your journey 
 

As noted, DOS made the decision.
Only USCIS has set a planned date to reopen. DOS has not yet.
The individual employees have absolutely no say when they can resume normal visa processing work. Your anger and insults directed at them are misguided. The decision to resume visa processing is something from top DOS staff and/or the chief of mission for that country. It's like complaining that a DMV clerk won't issue a new license when the state's governor mandated all DMV offices closed. The worker has no say...you're talking to people at least several levels lower in the org chart than those with the power to make that decision.
 
If the plan is to remain abroad until the interview, I'm assuming you have a co sponsor lined up (or large assets).

Wow that’s crazy asking for photos of first marriages.. I’d be like what the heck, I burnt those suckers.... 

If you really want to move to Germany and do not have any intention to move to the US, for her to become a US citizen is not the solution to your travel "problem".
 
For her to become a US Citizen, you would have to petition for her, she would have to move to the US and live there for 3 years until she could naturalize (apply for US Citizenship). Then you'd have to wait until the naturalization process is over. To sum it up:
 
Once you're married in September:
You have to move to the US (without your wife) Go through the Spousal visa process which takes approx. 1-1.5 years Wait 3 years to start the naturalization process which takes probably another year (they're currently working on July 19 forms if I saw correctly).  So you'd basically be looking at last at 5 year process from today for her to become a US Citizen going the CR1/IR1 route.
 
Before you're married (if you were to start the process now):
You have to move to the US (without your fiancée) Petition for her --> K1 process (approx. 8-10 months), she awaits the approval in Germany. Get married in the US within 90 days  Adjust status --> AOS process (approx. 1 year, don'^t know the exact timeline) but she can't work, study, or leave the US for approx. 6 months until she recieves AP/EAD  Wait 3 years to start the naturalization process which takes probably another year (they're currently working on July 19 forms if I saw correctly).  So you'd basically be looking at a process with at least a 5 year duration for her to become a US Citizen on the K1 fiancée route as well.
 
Please note that either way, she can't leave the US (when having a greencard) for more than 6 months per year or it is considered that she abandoned her LPR status and she looses her greencard.
 
If you really just want to travel, stick with the ESTA  and don't overstay the 90 days limit. Moving to Germany doesn't require you guys to be able to spend more than 30 days there to prep the move - especially if she is German and knows how things work there.
 
Applying for a visitor visa as a spouse of a US Citizen would mean she'd have to show strong ties to Germany.
Considering y'all wanting to travel up to 6 months at the time: I assume she probably doesn't have the required strong ties such as a job and appartment (assuming since people usually can't leave their job for 6 months at the time over and over again and not many people would actually pay for a house/appartment and not live in it for this long)? So that could raise red flags (immigrant intent) to the consular officer and the visitor visa would most likely be denied. 

If the travel visa would be denied, she'd have to update her ESTA question "Were you ever refused a US visa?" to "yes", which would then probably result in a refusal of the ESTA as well (as mentioned by others), which would make it impossible for her to travel to the US.
 
So in regards to travel to the US, basically you guys need to figure out where you want to establish your life together in the future:
 
Live together in the US:
- Since you're not married yet, you'd have to go one of the above described processes (K1 or CR1/IR1). She has to be in Germany for the duration of processing of either of these visas, but can travel to the US on her ESTA (90 days limit) during this time. 
 
Live together in Germany:
Travel back on forth on the ESTA within the 90 days limit.
 
Good luck on whatever route you choose 🙂
 

I once went from the tip of Africa to go see U2 at Wembley because at that point they had never been to SA and it didn’t look like they ever would (they since have a few times, years later). Of course I had a vacation too not just the concert. Then again those were the days I didn’t need a visa for the UK.
 
The issue, again, isn’t the reason for visit. It’s the reason to go home again. Ties.

Not unbelievable though.
When I go to gigs here in Glasgow I often meet up with a couple who regularly travel to the U.S. for concerts.
Even literally flying all the way over there to just spend a few hours in the States to see the show then getting the next flight back home.
When the events you want to see can only be seen by travelling long distances then that's what you do.
After England managed to scrape their way to the rugby world cup a few months ago a friend of mine was seriously costing out the options for flying to Japan for only a couple of days just to watch it on a big screen outside the stadium and then fly back the next day.
Other than not seeing my kids for years, one of my huge regrets over screwing up my VWP is that I'll probably never tick off those "bucket list" concerts with artists who never tour outside the U.S.

If you are near graduation and are confident in your ability to increase your earnings significantly once you get a university faculty position (I assume this is your goal), then I recommend that your spouse go for the US citizenship interview scheduled and petition for your in-laws shortly thereafter.  You'll have more than a year after filing the petition to increase household income, and this will definitely be the big issue in sponsoring two parents, as others have said, adequate health insurance for them without an employer plan or Medicare will be very expensive, around $800 per month for one person age 60, plus deductibles, so you're looking at $1,600 per month plus deductibles of around $4,000 each per year, so for two people that's about $27,000 per year just for health care.  COs will also look at living expenses as part of the totality of the circumstances judgment call.  Some faculty disciplines are very competitive.  I just filled an economics position for example, and we had more than 300 applicants.  If you are in a very good PhD program and have some research publications on your CV, you have a much better chance of finding a position.  Also keep in mind that for most university or college faculty positions, you will very likely have to move, and that could be to a higher cost of living part of the country.  Based on what you have posted, I think you can do this and reunite your family here in the US.  Good luck!

My parents-in-law plan to start a restaurant when they come here (they have owned restaurants before ), and work for at least ten years, if not more. They are wholly uninterested in coming here to sit around and do nothing,
 
It also seems unlikely, given the fact that I will have a PhD and my spouse a MS, that our family income will remain at its current level for very long.
 
Families like ours (as well as those in considerably 'worse' circumstances) have long found a way to make things work in the US. And, to be quite frank, the question of how we plan to make things work is largely (though admittedly not completely) immaterial to the query, which is, of course, regarding whether they are likely to be admitted.

I'm a nice guy, and would never abuse a woman in any way. That being said, I've pondered scenarios like this should they happen to me. This is not necessarily immigration-related, but to protect myself from false claims of verbal or physical abuse, I would invest about $500 in cameras inside the home. I have Nest cameras outside, and they're great at recording people and conversations. It would be the ultimate proof of the absence of abuse, as it logs dates and times also. I think some might see this as a bit over the top, but that's what I would do if false claims of abuse were headed my way. 

My not expertise opinion is that you guys will need to get married and then you can file the CR1. You will find out then if you would end up in AP what the problem is. A travel visa is gonna be next to impossible and the K1 isn’t worth the money to file again since you don’t know why your first one was rejected or whatever it was that happened. 
In the meantime, spend as much time together as possible and enjoy your relationship. Living in the US shouldn’t be the goal, a life with the person you love, no matter what country it is in, needs to be what matters the most to you guys. 
Reading this thread made me think all your fiancé is after is a ticket to the US, if that’s what he made me feel, a CO or the people in AP with experience in this sorta thing probably felt the same way too. 
 

You don't need to owe tax in order to file a tax return.

I see......Why isn't she here asking questions?  She has huge part in this whole process.