Rvoss77

Any updates from anyone? On the travel.state.gov website it says all systems are go and that the backlog should be cleared early this week (i assume early means Monday/Tuesday)? Our interview was June 3 and still no visa....

This morning I read that both Vietnamese consulates are back up and running after 2 weeks of no visas being issued. Does anyone know how long it will take them to clear the backlog? Our interview was June 3 in HCMC so it happened before the shutdown on June 9. How much longer can we expect to wait?

http://travel.state.gov/content/travel/english/news/technological-systems-issue.html

Usually when I check USTravelDocs.com and enter my fiance's passport number, it says "this passport is still with the consulate for processing." Today when I checked, I got the following message: There is no status update available for the passport number submitted

what the hell? Anyone else getting this message? Does this have to do with the shutdown/tech problems?

congrats on the pregnancy. the more you stress out about this, the faster the baby will probably come before you would like him/her to. Just let things flow. You will be fine. Do you have family where you are? I missed out on the birth of first child due to this ridiculous immigration system but it was okay. 4 days after my son was born I got to see him. He is still my son and will always be. Trust me, when giving birth you will be focused on the baby and everything else. Congrats.

Thank you so much for the kind words. It's comforting to hear someone else has been through the exact situation. There have been so many ups and downs, thinking he'd never be here for the birth, then thinking he would, and now we just don't know. You're absolutely right, he is still the father of our child no matter what. Yes, my family is here but of course I would prefer my fiance was here too. Thanks again.

OH my GOD I had no idea this was happening. What are the odds of it happening RIGHT when we're supposed to be getting our visa? Sheesh! Here is a link in case this is news to anyone else: http://travel.state.gov/content/travel/english/news/technological-systems-issue.html

HI everyone, I'm looking for people who have recently been issued a K1 visa by the HCMC consulate. We did our interview June 3 and were approved. We were told it would takes 2 weeks to get the visa. It's been over two weeks and now they are saying "2-3 weeks or longer due to international technical difficulties with our passport and visa systems." I have a friend of a friend who works in government and he says it could be due to the recent U.S. data security breaches and all of that. Has anyone interviewed around the same time as us and gotten their visa? Any idea on wait times or what we can do, if anything? The reason we're in a rush is because I am almost 9 months pregnant and we are trying to get my fiance here for the birth of our child. Please help!!!!

I first read about it on this website (can't seem to find the original posts about it though...). I remember reading that the Vietnamese national is supposed to obtain permission to leave the country from the "travel police," and if they don't, the Vietnamese immigration official could stop them from traveling. It's hard to tell what to do - sounds like many people had no problem while others lost $200! What would they do if you simply didn't have the cash?

I wonder if you had an easy time because you're not Vietnamese...I've heard that these bribes happen when the Vietnamese person is alone. My fiance will be traveling alone...what "necessary paperwork" was he talking about anyway?

We were told that my then-fiancee would need a copy of her ID card (Chung Minh Nhan Dan) and a copy of her House Record (Ho Khau) to give to the customs officer at Tan Son Nhat (TSN). We were also advised to prepare USD $20 or $30 as coffee money when we go through customs to exit the country.

Nope, we did not need any of that. No one asked for any of the documents.

Here is what happened at the customs booth when we left TSN.

Customs: How long did it take you to sponsor your fiancee?

Me: About 10 months

Customs: Do you have all the necessary paperwork?

Me: Yeah, I think so.

Customs: Are you sure (with a smirk on his face)

Me: [thinking in my head: sheeeeesh! I should have said "I am not sure, maybe you can help me check" and slipped him the $20]

Customs: OK. You're good to go. Bye!

Me: Thank you. [thinking in my head: Really? Is it really this easy?]

There were a Vietnamese gal and a couple of foreginers waiting behind us so I do not know if that made any difference.

Apologies in advance - I've seen this topic somewhere on the forum before but can't seem to find it. My fiance just got approved for a K1 visa (hooray!). I read that when he gets on the plane, Vietnamese immigration officials may ask for a bribe. I also read that he is supposed to tell "the police" that he is leaving the country and get some sort of paper proving he told the police about his travel plans. Finally, I read that technically he shouldn't HAVE to report to the police because K1 is a nonimmigrant visa and he is not "immigrating" to the U.S.

Is any of this true? Can/should he go to any police station in HCMC to get this paper? Will the immigration police still ask for money? Should we just pay the bribe or is it worth fighting? Thanks so much for your help!

My fiancee's interview is June 3rd and my 2014 tax transcript is still not available from the IRS (plus they just had a security breach and the whole system is shut down!) Also couldn't get a certified return b/c they take 60 days or more - I filed on April 15 so there's no way it would have come in time. Has anyone gone in without a tax transcript? What can I do since the IRS won't give it to me and it's simply not available? As of right now all I have is a copy of my 2014 return and transcripts from 2013, 2012, 2011.....

Our lawyer told us the petitioner (me) would not be allowed inside the embassy, much less the interview. Is this wrong?

It's good to hear that the phone and chat records aren't a huge deal - but we did print out 500 pages today! Should my fiance bring everything with him to the interview just in case? Will it come across as being "over prepared" or trying too hard?

You do not need to have any documents translated to English as long as they are in Vietnamese.

Thanks so much for your reply, that's great news. Hopefully this is not too off topic but do you know anything about obtaining a military record in Vietnam? My fiance did a one-month military training program during university. All we have is a certificate of completion. The US DPT of State website offers no instructions for obtaining a military record in Vietnam.

HI all, I'm still confused about whether or not we need Vietnamese documents translated into English. My fiancee's documents are in Vietnamese and his K1 visa interview will be held in HCMC. The instructions say that documents in a language OTHER than English or Vietnamese must be translated by a certified translator. This leads me to believe we do NOT need Vietnamese docs translated, however I'd hate for him to show up for his interview and be turned away after waiting so long. Has anyone done the K1 visa interview with Vietnamese docs and no English translation???

Hi, it ended up costing him about $70 USD for 3 vaccinations. They told him he should "definitely" return to HCMC follow follow-up vaccinations because vaccinations are "much more expensive" in the US. But he lives in Hoi An and you know what's really expensive? Having to take off work and travel back and forth between the two cities!! He also went to get the vaccinations before going to the hospital for the medical exam. He received results from both places in the mail about 10 days later, so it all worked out really well and was much easier than I'd anticipated. He didn't have any vaccination records and the vaccination place told him that "everyone" is $70, so I think it's safe to plan on that for your fiancee. Plan on a long day there though - I think it took 5-6+ hours waiting for results. They give you the shots then make you wait around to see if you have an allergic reaction. Hope that helps!

What documents are acceptable as proof of where you ex spouse is living? Photocopy of drivers license? Utility bill?

Oh wow!! I didn't know that. In the instruction packet they say to do the medical exam first, but they also give completely wrong information about what to bring to the doctor (they say 2 passport photos when Cho Ray asks for 4 and IMO asks for 5). So I'm not surprised this info is also wrong!! Thanks again for all your help, really appreciate the answers.

Thanks again, it's so helpful to have answers. On their website, IMO asks for this as one thing to bring with you:

• Immunization sheet from International Health Quarantine Center in HCMC

But aren't we supposed to get vaccinations AFTER seeing the doctor? So why are they asking for us to bring an immunization sheet with us beforehand?

Thanks again for your reply. One (hopefully) final question about this - does he need an appointment to see the panel physician or to get vaccinations? We tried to call the hospitals but couldn't get a straight answer. He is traveling to HCMC tomorrow and I'd hate for him to be turned away because he doesn't have an appointment...

Thanks so much Anonymous. Somewhere I read $300-$400, and my own vaccinations before visiting Asia cost that much, so I was worried.Had your fiancee already had vaccinations before? I wonder if the cost will be more since he's never had any to my knowledge? Thanks so much for your reply.

I'm trying to budget how much we will have to pay when my fiancée gets his vaccinations before the interview. The consulate just says "it depends." Not very helpful! He has never had any vaccinations before. He is a healthy 24-year old male. There are 13 different vaccines listed on the website. Will he have to get them all?!! Won't that kill him? And what have others had to spend on vaccines at the Quarantine place? $100? $500? $1000? Any rough estimates would he very helpful!!!