siennaslammer

My fiance will be arriving tomorrow evening. Does anyone have any suggestions on staple foods that I can have at the house for her? I have jasmine rice, vietnamese fish sauce, curry powder, peanut oil and rice paper from my own cooking attempts!

hi there -

congrats again.

to start:general things to have: then you 2 can go shopping together...that's the FUN part!!!

if you really want to get ready ... for simple cooking

fresh chili, chili pepper powder, Maggi soy sauce, black bean paste/sauce, ginger, lemon grass, sesame oil, lemons, shallots, garlic, oyster sauce

- a few package or box of "mi goi" vietnamese noodles (ready to eat) = can add fresh veggies/shrimp = easy = no fuss,

- get 1lb of fresh shrimp or beef => for quick stir fry + fresh veggie like bok choy

- dried vermacelli noodles, egg noodles (small kind), pho noodles

- small rice cooker = 4-6 cups size is plenty = walmart has them for less than $30

suggestion to get:

1) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007WQ9YNO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

=> rice cooker = nice size, good item

2) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00430COHA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

=> combo hot pot & grill = really nice to have on cold day, simple & easy cooking at table

enjoy cooking together!!

Not to rock the boat, but there are official Apple deers in VN. Both in Hanoi and

And HCM. However, unless you buy from them you are getting a counterfeit iPhone.

I might add, don't expect to get the great customer service from an official store here that you do in the USA. We here are handled out of Singapore and they suck.

ahh - no worries.

that's good to know -

I was there last year and didn't see one in HCM - looking down the wrong streets

Thanks! I don't have to turn in any paper or address confirmation with EMS right? US consulate should mail my wife's passport to the address that we register? How long does it take for the status to change on ceac website? Ours is still in ready .

As mentioned, I applied under the K1-Fiancee visa, thus the path is different than your's for your wife (I-130). I believe the K1-Fiancee visa platform was the 1st that utilized the on-line account set-up/visa application/fee payment verification/interview appointment set-up and address verification = 1 stop for the entire process once the application is sent to local country US consulate office.

This may be the reasons why your wife application & process is still not fully automated & linked.

you are good to go.

congrats!!!

ahhh ... i believe, the ustraveldocs.com website was initially set up for K1-Fiancee VISA; with that, there are specific steps.

but since you are applying for IR-1/CR-1 VISA, they have not yet set up those step-by-step procedure yet; instead they do that for you internally and they are asking you to set up the account/register to validate and verify the address to which the VISA will be deliver.

the ustraveldocs.com webiste should have an initial screen to specify which VISA you are applying for then go from there. perhaps that will come later.

Did your wife received "permanent resident" status? = this would greatly help.

I would think this would be I-130, petition for alien relative-child IR-2/CR-2

here are the 2 links with all info for this situation

http://www.visajourney.com/content/child

http://www.visajourney.com/content/childpet

best

Congrats again, sienna.

I guess they must have fixed the Visa printing issue.

Congrats!!

thank you all.

yes, i believe so. the VISA printing was fixed a few days after the problem - as I can extract from the printed news reports et al., I believe they mentioned this fact so that folks are given the FYI and just in case of lateness for students and expedited VISA requests.

ALL IS GOOD!

IRS transcript can be printed directly from the IRS website

https://sa.www4.irs.gov/irfof-tra/start.do;jsessionid=kP+yV-FKLlyUw5LUyi-6ml5V

best

VISA received!!

exactly 10 days - as per US consulate says "7-10 days"

Thanks for the additional info, sienna. Here's hoping that your fiancee will get her Visa this week as well.

We made our interview appt for 9/23 because we want to give them time to fix the Visa printing issue.

The earliest appt that we could get in was 9/5 but we didn't want to take any chances. I plan to fly to VN to go to the interview with her, wait for her Visa, then bring her back with me. All in one trip. Wish me luck! LOL

Sounds like a great plan!!

Wish I had more vacation time to be able to do that agenda; I have to save the vaca time for … after she arrives

I am sure she will be just great

best luck anyway :-)

regards

Oh BTW, she just told me this morning that the only item that the person asked from her was the I-134 financial support form/documents.

I have send her everything in June - clipped or stapled and then divided by section - bought 2 of those pandeflex divider folders with the secure flap

#1) all documents - from copy of my petition, confirmation of receipt, time line of relationship (before and after engagement), communications with TSC, VSC, = usig the list from the US consulate = that's how I divided, since she was familiar with the list

#2) photos/all communication (emails, text, messages/calls): before engagement + after engagement

She knew where to go and gave him the documents and he looked at it and kept it

then asked those few questions

then congratulated her

explained about the VISA printing delay

advised her that her VISA will be arriving in 7-10 days

…hopefully, her VISA will arrive this week.

Best

@sienna: Did your fiancee receive Packet 3 before completing the DS-160 form online? I've been waiting for the Packet 3 to be sent from the HCMC consulate but still haven't gotten it yet. I am wondering if we should go ahead and fill out form DS-160 per the instructions in the NVC letter that we received.

hi - sorry for late response

she waited for actual letter before completing the DS-160 form - but I see that you must have gotten it & completed/paid fee :-)

awesome!! Good Luck!!

Many congrats and God bless.

Could have sworn i congratulated you already, but i dont see it in the comments, so CONGRATS!!

Thanks Everyone

here is the process once my fiancé received the letter from the US Consulate

My fiancee registered and completed the process on their websites as per instruction from the US Consulate for K1 Visa applicants = Non-immigrant Visa Application.

all of the details & step-by-step instructions are here

=> http://www.ustraveldocs.com/vn/vn-niv-visaapply.asp

it has both English or Vietnamese language (choice is located upper right corner of webpage)

I talked & went thru this with her on the phone

- she completed the DS-160 - K1 Visa application thru a link from www.ustraveldocs.com

=> https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/

- confirmation of application submission - need for medical/appointment

- register to set up for a user account to link the application and for receipt to pay for the K1 Visa application in Vietnam

for Vietnam only => https://cgifederal.secure.force.com/SiteRegister?country=Vietnam&language=en_US

the main link allows you to pick the country of applicant

- then once paid & payment is entered into system by Vietnam bank/post office (24-72 hrs) then she went into her account and pick the date & time of interview

- confirmation of interview form - printed this - needed for medical exam & appointment

I reminded her to print extra or make copy of everything - keep in separate file folder as back up

I know this info is already been posted multiple times…just in case

Hope this helps those getting ready

Best regards

Wow your timeline went by fast. So happy for y'all.

Main concern in my case would be my fiance job change, he was working in Abu Dhabi for Sept 2013 - April 2014. Now he is back in Scotland, same company. Would you think this would be a flag?

I stated he will be applying in London (part 2 I129F) in the first place.

Thanks,

Alex

Thank you.

I am still uncertain why your petition has not moved forward - perplexed ?!?!

Have you call the TSC directly - if you do call in the early morning hours immediately after they open = best chance to get thru quickly

here are perspective timeline for each STEP of this "journey" from each of the Centers

In STEP 2: from NOA1 to NOA2, It does look like Texas got a huge 'bottleneck' since Dec-Feb and the trend is not good; while California & Vermont went down and at steady state. I assumed that tTSc got a huge influx of petitions.

http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1historical

The job change is just location - should be fine.

More importantly, You are the petitioner & the sponsor, so later in the financial support declaration of sort, you will need to submit your job/salary/tax info/financial….. this is mainly that you will be fully responsible for him, since you are sponsoring him to the US and promise that he will not be dependent (burden) on the US system. So no problem.

Best regards !!

looks good!!

best wishes!!

hi.

sorry to hear your delays.

I submitted mine K1-I129F on January 2, 2014 to Texas SC.

so not sure what is meant "Texas Service Center will not be working on any cases after December 17, 2013"

They clearly did and is continuing to…..

as you can see from my timeline…things went pretty smooth - as expected from my review of the time frame.

not sure what is happening with some of the PETITIONS to TSC

she just got interview & approved this past Friday.

best

Hi Everyone

1) VISA - my fiancé was told that since the backlog and delays with the VISA printing, it will be 7 - 10 days for the VISA to be delivered to her home. I believe the typical statement is 5 - 7 days…so they added a few days. i guess. don't know for certain. anyway this step is done. will get ticket once VISA is in her hand.

2) questions:

a) have you ever apply for VISA to go to US before? if so, what reason?

=> she had applied to go to US college a few years back, but was not approved

b) how did you 2 meet?

=> standard to your specific case

c) how many times did he visited you in Vietnam and where?

=> standard to your specific case

d) at what point did you know that he was the one and that you love him, to marry him?

=> as per her answer

e) what was the date of your engagement? and where did it took place?

=> standard to your specific case - last fall at her parents' home

f) did any of his relatives came to the engagement ? have you met any of his relatives?

=> yes, i had 4 relatives came with me to meet everyone for the engagement

g) do you agree to marry him within 90 days of entering US?

=> yes.

=> everything they asked is directly from the detailed letters from both of us individually at original application and then another prior to interview and VISA application.

Congrats! Please let us know how long it takes to get your visa. All consulates and embassies are having computer problems printing visas.

thanks

OH!! did not know about the "printing visa problem" - will follow-up

rcearley

here is the link to general guidelines for what items are needed for K1-Fiance (I-129F) VISA application.

The application & required documents must be completed & collected + submitted by the petitioner (US citizen) to the regional processing center (california, texas or vermont). all of the items should be complete & as much as possible, more is always better.

http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1guide

Keep everything.

Make copies of everything.

"certificate of marriageability" is needed from both person, if they were applying for a formal marriage certificate to get married in VIETNAM.

hello all

my fiancé K1 VISA was approved this past Friday!!

the interview process & questions were just as described on here.

thanks everyone.

The pricing for iphones in Vietnam is pretty much comparable to US pricing; my nephew just asked the other day for pricing of iphone 5S in US, after I told him the prices for the no-contract ones, he says its the same prices in Vietnam. He works at a local cell phone store. They still prefer iphones from US since it is "legit".

because the sources of the iphones in Vietnam are suspect since there is not an official APPLE store in Vietnam that I am aware of...many knock-off stores for sure, reselling new ones brought in from outside and used ones.

CHECK before you buy .... Iphone model numbers does matter ---

and of course, the iphones need to be unlocked - either here or in Vietnam.

• iPhone 5: A1429 (* World GSM & CDMA)
• iPhone 5: A1428
• iPhone 4S: A1387 (* dual band CDMA & GSM world phone)
• iPhone 4S: A1531 (GSM China)
• iPhone 4: A1332
• iPhone 3GS: A1325 (GSM China)
• iPhone 3GS: A1303
• iPhone 3G: A1324 (GSM China)
• iPhone 3G: A1241
• iPhone 1: A1203

• iPhone 5: A1429 (* World GSM & CDMA)
• iPhone 4S: A1387 (* dual band CDMA & GSM world phone)
• iPhone 4: A1349

congrats.

a couple of questions/comments

1) poverty level & salary = isn't that calculated on an annual total amount, so you should have employment letter stating your annual salary + other documents of your finance

2) understand the IRX tax return amount due to recent grad & new job, but you can explain that in your letter + your other jobs, ect...

3) so if you get married & get a marriage certificate in Vietnam, would you need to change to I-130 application? since you are now sponsoring your wife.... my friend, an immigration lawyer advised me to stick with my original plan I-129f (K1 VISA) and not get marry in Vietnam since this would create a change in marital status. just a thought.

best.

hi

these links should help

http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/IR1_and_CR1_Immigrant_Visas

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/362846-i-130-question/

i assumed that you already submitted the I-130 form to USCIS & gotten your petition application approval letter.

best

According to the FAQ from the Consulate's website, a petitioner is allowed to to accompany the beneficiary to the interview. Here's a snippet of the FAQ on the consulate's website:

http://hochiminh.usconsulate.gov/iv/faq/info.html

Thank you for the clarification.

They're all going to cost about the same. Unfortunately I'm not aware of a Vietnamese run shipping service in Chicago. In CA there's plenty and only costs me $4 per lb. I just mailed a 22lb package the other day. Cost me about $85

yup - similar services here in Houston.

per pound charge

$3 = for HCMC = local direct delivery to address = takes 3 days = 2 for flight & 1 for clearance in HCMC

$4 = for rest of Vietnam = take 7-14 days depends on location - directly to address

additional charges/taxes for high-price items

=> phones or laptops = extra $30-$60 each - used = less, new = more

=> perfumes = $10 extra each bottle

the USPS or FedEX... way too expensive and not certain for me anyway

last year, my friend sent 2 boxes via USPS, 1 smaller box arrived the bigger box never arrived = lost in transit ??

thanks for all the replies guys. very much appreciated. and yes im a USC so i also play the i don't know vietnamese card and look grumpy going through.. will def have 2 phones on me and the rest will be in my luggage and if they ask im going to say its gifts for family. they arent the best phones. old LG iphone 3GS a 4S and a S3. so hopefully i wont get any extra hassle.

i had 2 ipads & 2 cell phones + laptop = all unboxed divided in my backpack & carry-on roller = no problems.

i did not put any electronics in any of my 2 check-in luggage bags

be careful of placing any electronics in "check-in luggage bags" = hands will be going thru those bags for certain.

so suggest not to do that.

good luck!

have a great & safe trip!