gurugreg

state = province, city = municipality, district = barangays.

The state is Rizal and the city is San Mateo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Mateo,_Rizal

As for the pictures, you only need standard passport photos. No dates needed. The important things are that the pictures are new (not yellow and cracked) and that he looks like them during the interview.

I just noticed that my tax transcripts and letter from my employer were not returned. Everything else looks here.

MISC-1099 is no problem.

I submitted transcripts for TY02-04, and a copy of the extention for for TY05, with MISC-1099 as my only form as income, and she was approved.

I've decided to write my review in 2 parts. I'll post the second one once she's safely in country.

Her medical was at Cho Ray. The male doctors examined the men and the female doctors examined the women. She had to get naked, but said nothing inappropriate happened.

The interviewed was on Monday the 31st, and she got blue because she didn't have her police reports, and the interviewer wanted more old stuff that established our relationship.

The interviewer was an older American woman, and spoke Vietnamese with a Hanoi accent. She was very polite and spoke with her for less than 5 minutes. She asked her questions in Vietnamese, and she answered in English.

Evidence of relationship included:

A few dozen photos, including in front of the airport, the hotel, and dinh hon. Her and my Western Union receipts. Telephone bills and phonecard receipts for the last 2 years. Thirty pages of IM conversations. A few snailmail letters. Boarding passes and receipts, including my currnent return tickets and

actual passport. Hotel receipts with both our names along with the credit card receipts. And a police report documenting my stays at her mothers home, which is also her address.

I filed an extention for TY2005, and TY2002-2004, my only form of substantial income was via MISC-1099.

I thought they would keep everything submitted for the mysterious brown envelope, but everything was returned except for the forms.

I had this business handle the paperwork for me http://www.rmiodp.com. The main reason I picked them is because they have an office in HCMC (along with near where I live), which was very helpful in helping Quyen in explaing everything to her, double checking that all the paperwork was in order, orginize her paperwork, and general handholding. Cost me about $1500.

FYI for those of you waiting while she interviews: If you don't feel like waiting in the "lobby", or if it's raining, there is an internet cafe just around the corner. As you face the building from the "waiting room", head right (opposite direction from Diamond Plaza), then turn left down the first street (Consulate on your left, facing traffic). It's about 3 doors past the back of the consulate, on the left side. There's also a nuoc mia cart there. Yum.

The visa will be ready on Tuesday.

Next up is trying to get her a visa to Hong Kong. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Feel free to ask any questions, but if I'm at her mothers place, it will take a while for me to respond. The internet is 30 minutes away, with her in tow.

And yes, I identify more with Silent Bob than I do with Jay.

PINK!

Thanks everyone! I'm in the process of writing a review, but basically she got blue on Monday because she didn't have her police reports, and got pink on Thursday. More tomorrow...

First off, I'm not a lawyer or Vietnamese. I'm just summarizing my understanding.

There are 3 types of marriages: Spiritual, Legal, and Public (most just happen at the same time).

All goverments care about is a legal wedding. You wedding is not legal unless you give the government money and they give you a piece of paper.

Seeing that you're committed with going though this, I assume you have had a spiritual wedding...i.e. you already think of her as your wife.

That leave a public marriage. Luckly, the Vietnamese culture has just what you need! It's called lễ đính hôn (engagement ceremony). It's just like a wedding reception, but without the wedding. And, the embassy will look more favorably on your petition when they see the pictures.

I'd go back as ask the fortune teller and clear up the spiritual/legal/public wedding issue. It's it really the exchange of money with the government that spells doom and gloom?

Here are some lễ đính hôn pictures that google was good enough to find for me

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimbalina/sets/76111/

I'm going to arrive in hcm on the morning of the 19th, and will be in and out of the city until we (hopefully) head to hong kong on August 15th. My viet kieu friend (who got me into this), whom is getting married on aug 3rd, will also be in and out of the city.

If anyone has the time to meet up, let me know asap.... my flight leaves in 48 hours as I write this...

Can someone please tell me why you talk via telephone, especially to Asia?

My fiancee goes to an internet cafe and it costs her 50 cents per hour, or 0.8 cents per minute, and we get to look at each other.

Thank you folks for your help and kind words. I have read the guides and have lurked on the forums for quite some time now. I did find another question I have managed to come up with about the support form.

I can provide last years tax, and bank information from the bank itself, but I was reading on the HCMC website about the support which says, and I quote:

"Original Affidavit of Support Form I-134 and the specified financial documents. Form I-134 must be signed by the sponsor and notarized by a Notary Public no more than one year prior to the date of interview and include tax records for the past year and an official letter of employment (on company letterhead) signed within the past year or a valid business license."

Now I have been a computer programming consultant for about 8 years now. Never had a business license or anything. To put it frankly, am I screwed?

For the last few years my income has been via misc-1099.

I'm having an immigration company do all the work for me, and they said it isn't a problem.

I'm guessing the tax returns are all you really need to prove income, because if you lie there... you have bigger problems, and bank statements to prove you're not rent/mortgage poor.

Lookie what I found

http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap6.html#602

(a) Importation into the United States, without the authority of the owner of copyright under this title, of copies or phonorecords of a work that have been acquired outside the United States is an infringement of the exclusive right to distribute copies or phonorecords under section 106, actionable under section 501. This subsection does not apply to —

...

(2) importation, for the private use of the importer and not for distribution, by any person with respect to no more than one copy or phonorecord of any one work at any one time, or by any person arriving from outside the United States with respect to copies or phonorecords forming part of such person's personal baggage;

Anybody know a lawyer to run this by?

Years ago there was a large group of Vietnamese refugees isolated in a refugee encampment in Hong Kong. It was a real problem took years for them to decide what to do with them. You might find that the Hong Kong residents might treat Vietnamese as second class people. Hopefully as tourists you would not experience any of this.

I have family in Hong Kong, which is why we're going there, and my aunt told me about the "Vietnamese problem" they had, so I wasn't sure how happy the government would be to let her visit.

Thanks for the confirmation! And yes, she'll be needing a tourist visa.

I don't see any problems with doing this. Tourist visas for Hong Kong are relatively easy and inexpensive for Vietnamese residents to get (we went through VietTravel). I think they're not afraid of emigration because the cost of living is so high in HK. If you have a U.S. passport, you don't need a travel visa to enter/leave HK.

Good luck! Mai and I had a wonderful time there.

Good to hear!

How long did it take to get the visa, and how long can she stay?

On her way over here, we would like to spend a few days in Hong Kong.

Has anyone tried to get a tourist visa for a 3rd country while traveling to the US on a K1?

Thanks

When my fiance gets her K1 in Vietnam, we would like to stay a few days in Hong Kong on the way over here. When I told my travel agent this, she said that that would be a problem, and that we should fly direct. I remember reading a thread here about this topic, but I can't find it now. I think it said a layover is ok as long as everything is done before 6 months, which we plan to do. Do I remember correctly? Thanks!

Thanks for the site, but plans have changed. She's having her interview on the 31st

Any chance of having a written interview?

We write each other practically every day via IM, because the lines where she lives (Vinh Long) are not good enough to talk on, so her written comprehension is much better than spoken.

btw... are there any other vj members in Vinh Long?

Hello All,

I'm thinking of spending a few months in vn with my fiancee, however I will be needing a job there.

What are the legal requirements for me to do so? What kind of a visa do I need? How do I get a work permit and how long will it take?

What kind of jobs are available to someone that only knows 20 words of Vietnamese? English teacher? I'm also very good with most things dealing with computers.

I won't be needing a lot of money because we will be staying with her mother, but of course the more the better!

Thanks!

On the Vietnamese embassy website I saw they have their own process for foreign citizens marrying a Vietnamese national. Now I have to say this is something I never thought about before, as I was so busy trying to figure out our own K-1 visa process... Well their process also looks a bit of a hassel to say the least. Has anyone ever done this?

That's if you legally marry in vn. Then you will need to go through the K-3 visa process.

Since you're going to marry in US, you don't need to fill out any vn paperwork.

I don't want to put words into Dr. J's mouth, however...

Here's Eddie Murphys "Uhmfufu" skit from the RAW concert, from 1987.

It sums up many western mens main concern about western women: A vindictive divorce.

---------------

For some reason, the numbers are missing, and it can be difficult to follow because it doesn't show his expressions nor when he is speaking the male or female part.

It starts at

I went out and found

And ends with

So be careful.

Don't get caught in a trap.

http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts...transcript.html

Was talking with em yeu today...

Gas in Vietnam is 12,000vnd/liter, or $2.85/gal.

Monthly per capita income is $250/month.

Here in the US, monthly per capita income is $3,230 per month.

Unless I totally scrwed up my math, that works out to $36.82/gal.

Luckily for them Mopeds get better MPG than SUVs, so the total adjusted gas bill per month works out about even.

That's another thing I've been wondering... what kind of MPG do motos get?

For the bill to work out about even, they will be needed to get 277 mpg.

In 2004, average fuel economy for cars and light trucks was 20.8 mpg. Todays average price is $2.919/gal. That's $0.14 per mile.

$36.82 / 0.14 = 277

Was talking with em yeu today...

Gas in Vietnam is 12,000vnd/liter, or $2.85/gal.

Monthly per capita income is $250/month.

Here in the US, monthly per capita income is $3,230 per month.

Unless I totally scrwed up my math, that works out to $36.82/gal.