jnguyen1025

This journey is very much a waiting game and you have no choice but to do what’s being asked, even if it means doing it again or resubmitting info you’d previously provided.

My partner has been in the US for almost 5 years and we are still waiting for her 10-year GC and another 3 years before she can apply for citizenship. 
 

USCIS is very big about proof. The more u can provide, the better your case. Even if it wasn’t part of the instructions, they can still subsequently ask for it if there’s any suspicion on their part. 
 

I know it can get frustrating, but be patience and the day will come. Good luck 👍

Thanks everyone, this makes me feel better about traveling abroad. The USCIS docs kept saying the combo card doesn’t guarantee re-entry to US. Which made me worried, since I understood that to be the purpose of this “Advanced Parole” to begin with. 🤦‍♀️.

Hello,

My spouse just recvd EAD card with advanced parole.  We are looking to travel back VN this October, but afraid there might be complications returning to US.

Has anyone traveled outside of US with Advanced Parole and experienced problems coming back to US?  Please share your experience.

Thanks.

You do not need an attorney. If you can read and follow directions, you can do it all on your own and you cannot bribe your way through. I initially thought I would need to get an attorney, after reading the USCIS site and looking at the forms I decided to do it myself. The members of VisaJourney were all very helpful along the way. I was able to use their experiences to anticipate my next step. I was able to get my finance to the US in less than 6 months. Submission date 10/31/2015, arrival in US 4/10/2016. We are now happily married and living in the US. No more loss of sleep or facetiming. YAY!!!

My fiancé applied for SSN in San Jose, CA and it was really simple. The wait to get a representative took a while, but once we sat down with a rep, it was done in 10 minutes. We brought with us her VN passport, printed I-94 from the USCIS site. Google print I-94 if you don't have it. They didn't ask us about working so I don't know if that makes a difference. We received SSN in the mail about 2 weeks later. It's kind of like going to the DMV.

I attended and approached the interview window with my fiancé. They didn't have a problem and did ask me questions in English as well. It was very casual, nothing to be concern about. Very basic questions about the relations. What is your wedding plan, where have you two travel, how did you meet, etc...

Plan to arrive extra early and bring snacks. You will be there for at least 3 to 4 hours. However, your actual interview is less than 5 minutes.

Dido that Frontgear! I booked it early for the cost savings as well. Saved about a grand vs $100 fee to rebook flight if Visa didn't arrive in time.

Depending on where she/he lives, it could 5 to 10 days. My fiancé, from Da Nang, got it in exactly 8 days. I know another case in Ha Noi on the 9th day. I booked my ticket to return to US same day as my Fiancé but had exactly 10 days to wait. I was nervous like you when it didn't arrive by the 7th day. So glad it came the following morning.

My fiance arrived in US on 4/9 and wedding (marriage license) scheduled for 5/29, is that too long of a wait if we want to get green card before her K1 visa expiration? What is the timeline for AOS/AP/EAD? I intend to file all 3 together. Can I start any of them prior to the wedding?

I am happy to post Visa has arrived. It was 7 days total to get to Da Nang. Woohoo!!!

Thank you both...I have noticed gate changes are pretty common with my past few flights so I'll be careful for that. We are flying SGN-Soeul, Korea-SFO with 12 hrs layover in Soeul. Looking forward to using that time to check out Soeul.

Will, do you remember how many days it took Visa to get to Ha Noi from Saigon?

Our interview was 3/29 and we are waiting for Visa to come home in Da Nang. My flight is 4/8. I'm getting a little worried it may not be here in time and I have to change flight to a later date.

Visa approved and we are getting ready depart for US on 4/8, can you guys please share your arrival experience. What should we prepare and expect? Any suggestions or things to look out for? We will land in San Francisco, CA.

Thank you all for sharing.

I don't think it being your second marriage will pose a problem. Divorce rate is high, I'm sure it's more common than you think for people in your same situation. I would still recommend you be there in person with your fiancé or wife. I also recommend doing all the paperwork yourself instead using a lawyer, it shows a personal interest. Anyone can pay a lawyer to do it. Someone genuinely vested will take the time to do it personally.

Follow their instructions to the T. Submit as much proof of relationship as possible initially. Make it a point to email each other daily so by the time you interview, you will have a stack of emails to support your relationship. We FaceTime daily and did not have a phone bill at all. My proof of relationship was just stack of email, FaceTime log, text msgs, and pictures.

Be proactive about following up on your case. From submission to approval, it only took us 144 days, and it would've even been earlier if my fiancé was okay with interviewing alone. I submitted paperwork 10/31/2015, earliest interview date available was 2/25/2016. We interviewed 3/29 cuz that's when I had planned on coming back to VN.

Good luck.

The affidavit of support, they took that at the paperwork window and went through it to check off the type of doc I supplied. Asked if I had W2, which I did provide 2015 W2. I provided letter from bank confirming length of account and current balances. Also included 401k statement, 2015 W2 and 2014 tax return. The I-134 also ask about life insurance policy, which I had through work and was able to print my benefit confirmation to show that as well. I did not provide copy of pay stub or monthly bank statement.

Hello everyone,

We did it!!! Our interview was on 3/29 in HCMC, Vietnam and K1 Visa has been approved. My fiancé is flying back to US with me on 4/8. Woohoo!! We sent our petition off on 10/31/2015 and Visa approved 3/29. Only 5 months, faster than anticipated.

My interview was on 3/29 at 8am. We organized our paperwork the night before and practiced some interview questions. Very general questions that two individuals engaged should know about each other. We got to USCIS at about 730am since I read somewhere not to arrive any earlier than 15 min. That was wrong. You need to b there to get in line an hour earlier and expect to spend about 4 to 5 hours there. The actual interview is only 5 to 6 minutes, but there are multiple lines and steps before you actually interview.

- when you first arrive, you line up to enter the building. Closer to 8am is when they'll start letting people in.

- second line is to register, this is where they will issue u a ticket with your call number.

- then you'll wait for them to call your number up to review your paperwork. I am not sure how they prioritize the cases, but it's not in numeric order. Don't be alarm if you heard numbers after yours called and you're still waiting. Though not mentioned as a requirement in the paperwork, I highly recommend that both individuals are there during interview. When my fiancé got to the paperwork window, they asked who's sponsoring you and where is she.

- during the review of the paperwork, they pretty much take all the required docs with exception of those for evidence of relationship. Then you'll sit and wait to be called to interview.

- the interview window will have an American rep that speaks Vietnamese and a Vietnamese interpreter. Not sure why they have both. Our Vietnamese interpreter only observed. We both approached the window and that was fine. He asked questions about how we met, when we met, what I do for a living, what city I lived it. My fiancé answered all those. He asked about our wedding plan in U.S. and I answered that. It was more like a casual conversation. He was very nice. Asked to see pictures of us and how do we communicated. I had everything printed, a thick stack of emails for the past 5 months. 4 thick stacks of text messages and FaceTime call log. Facebook and pictures of us were assembled in two stacks, before and after engagement. He glanced at everything, didn't read anything in detail. I don't think he even turn the page on our stack of emails. Mainly looked at pictures. Then he said our visa is approved. We were so happy.

If anything, I would say don't panic, relax, both be there to support each other. I think that plays a lot of weight in the interview.

I hope this is helpful for those getting ready to interview. Good luck.

Yes, u can do everything as soon as you have the case number from NVC. I called and got my case number from NVC 9 days after I got the approved NOA2.

Completed online DS160, paid tor it and scheduled interview right after. Medical exam, u need the a letter from package 3...so u can schedule the appt, just make sure u will have the letter. U can request that letter by email.

My fiancé hasn't received anything in the regular mail either. I emailed them and they emailed me back packet 3 instruction letter, which is what we need for the medical exam. Medical exam and interview are both scheduled. Hopefully we won't have any problem getting the Visa once she passes interview.

I am curious to know the answer as well. My fiance's interview is scheduled for 3/29 and I already booked her one way ticket to return to US with me on 4/8. I have about 2 weeks to wait for the issuance of her Visa. A lot of people told me it's about a week and they will send it via mail using EMS. I hope we'll get it in time to fly back to US together. That's what I'm banking on. *crossing fingers*

The process is moving quickly for us as well. I just returned from VN, we traveled to Singapore and Malaysia together. My fiancée is scheduled for interview 3/29/2016. I'm flying back to accompany her on 3/27/2016. I am awaiting my email copy of package 3 to get the letter for medical and vaccination. Other than that, we are pretty much ready. I will print out all our pics, emails, call logs, and have I-134 completed for her interview. good luck to us both.

So that I understand your situation clearly and be able to advise you accordingly, you are a U.S. Citizen working abroad in VN currently intending to marry a Vietnamese girl, who is also currently living in VN.

Will you both return to the U.S. after marriage? If you're already living together now, what is the purpose of the petition? That would probably be their number one question as most of these k1 petitions are lovers trying to be unite in a single location.

The rule of thumb is to provide only what is needed and when required, with the exception of the proof of relationship. The initial submission is only reviewed by USCIS in the U.S. It'll be a waste of time to submit early as it is not required until time of interview.

Your financial situation is a little complicated, but since you are working abroad, they'll likely want proof of your income from VN. Not sure how you would do that since they don't have a tax filing system like in US. I-134a and b would then come from your local bank and employer in VN. Unless you are self employed, I have no idea how to proceed there. You can call or email the consulate directly with inquiries once you reach package 3. They'll give you further clarification.

If your parents are co-sponsors, then all the same stuff for I-134 would apply to them. But again, deal with it when time comes. Don't submit early.

The purpose of I-134 is to ensure that your fiancé does not become a financial burden to the U.S. The income requirement is set at federal poverty level. There is a grid on USCIS website, for household of two is something like $25k annually. It's very low.

Hope this info help. Good luck.

I-134 affidavit of support is part of the requirement of package 3. You do not need to worry about that part in the initial submission.

Just posting an update for October filers...I got my case number from NVC today, it's been 9 business days since my NOA 2. I am so happy. Now I can complete the online DS-160 form.

Good luck to the rest of you and happy holidays. I am flying out on the 25th to spend xmas and new years with her. I can't wait.

Hello,

I received my NOA2 approved status on 12/9. I understand from reading VJ posts that my next step is to contact NVC for a case number after 10 business days. It's only been 4 so I'll wait til end of week to call NVC.

Once I have my case number, what should I do next? When should I complete the DS-160 form everyone is talking about? Will I be able to schedule the interview date or will it be assigned?

Appreciate your responses.

Thanks.