Guy&Hoa

There are so many variables involved that I believe it is incrediby difficult to calculate any trends, each case is its own set of problems to overcome...

One can see the incredible magnitude of variables involved by just following along a simple exercise...

a) a vietnamese fiancee with relatives living in the US will have different focus of variables involved than a person without..

B) the american and/or vietnamese fiance(e) who is divorced introduces another set of variables

c) the ability to speak and understand English adequately for the purposes of the interview introduces a variable

d) each consular officer has their corporate judgement based upon DOS guidelines, but also, they will inject their own personal bias and judgements to some minimal degree, when they interview, this is an important variable, also the variable will be slanted in some direction as the time of day and fatigue sets in...this also must be taken into account..<each consular officer will be different>

you can see how complex it really is...

I used a lawyer because I was divorced and wanted the extra attention to detail that M.E. gives to his cases, I was blue-sheeted, because my fiancee could not understand the new african-american CO's English, and this gave pause for the pink sheet...ultimately I provided the information requested and had to wait in AR. M.E. was able to point out some obvious facts to the CO on one of his weekly trips to the consulate, and my wait time was reduced to 56 days from an abominable 90 days or more, so I was happy I spent the extra money on an attorney.

There is nothing wrong in doing it yourself as many happy couples were able to have success in Vietnam. Also, there is nothing wrong in hiring an attorney, but if you are, please make sure he/she is competent and experienced in the country where your fiance(e) lives.

Just my opinion...

All the best..

-Guy&Hoa

Maybe I can help with the vaccination issue, there was a supplement to the vaccinations called I-693A this was only needed because all the vaccinations were supposed to be completed at the HCMC hospital. When we went to the CS, he gave us a completely new form, had it typed up and put in a sealed envelope for us. He just verified that my wifes' vaccinations were up to date. Now, I read that females under 28 need to have the HPV virus shot, but have not heard of any problems from not completeing that yet on this list.

Hope this helps..

-Gujy&Hoa

Hi Ralph&Hanh,

Sorry about the hold-up...this happened to my case too.....I was divorced and had to provide spouses current residence and info, unfortunately, this is the case with all divorced people filing K-1 Visas. Ask M.E. He is your best advocate now to get you through this mess....I only had to wait 56 days before he got me out of A.R. vs waiting 6 months. So hang in there brother and you will be with your sweetie soon...

If I had known you were divorced, I would have told you about the ex-spouse current address document...and I understand it is a pain having to have them make that document for you, the other thing you can do, is go-online and pay for a back-ground check on your ex-spouse so you dont have to deal with her directly.

all the best..

-Guy&Hoa

Kevin and Tuyen,

All the best to you both...I know it's been a long, long time...but I've noticed that you have always been helpful and have kind words for everyone here, even though it's been tough for you both....impressive positive attitude:)

I've always thought you two were a class act... Now, let's get that pink!

R/

-Guy&Hoa

Hi Melrose,

I thought the same as you, that CSC was bogged down with bureaucratic molasses..but I was pleasantly surprised to get the biometrics and the interview in less than (6) months, perhaps the times have improved now.....btw,thanks for the nice comments....

All the best..

-Guy&Hoa

Hoa is from HCMC, District 5.......I agree with everyone about the motorcycles, I think physicists could write a paper on chaos theory and use HCMC as a case study! It's almost like clusters and flocks, schools of fish ...everyone somehow manages to not collide with each other....

-Guy&Hoa

Hi all VN vjers..

I thought I would share with you all our experience at USCIS regarding the AOS interview. I know some lucky couples didn't have to do it, but we got stuck with it...not sure how that process works...

We were scheduled for an afternoon appointment at the San Francisco USCIS building, we took the train, because the afternoon traffic in SF is a parking lot.

The building is built like a small fortress, squarish, gray concrete with multiple video cameras and hydraulic risers that prevent cars from entering the side entrances. Welcome to America!

They had a small line outside of the front entrance, warning signs were posted advertising what is illegal to bring inside, and that only people with appointment slips were allowed entry. When we got near the security guard, we noticed every one getting turned away because their cell-phones had cameras. We got caught in that mess too...<note to USCIS, how about putting that warning in the appointment slip?>

A business across the street takes advantage of that fact and charges people $3.00 to hold your cellphone while you attend your appointment..I guess that's not too bad.

So we go back in sans cell phones, and go through the typical airport magnetometer and X-ray. The AOS section is on the 3rd floor so we take the elevator and arrive at floor 3.

Inside, is a large room with about 60-70 chairs and an office to the left. You check in at the small office, give them your appointment slip and then you sit and wait for them to call your name.

About 10 minutes later, a small asian man calls my wifes name, but his accent is so thick I can barely understand him, I have to question 2 times to be sure we are the right couple.

We follow him through a long, twisted hallway, and arrive at his office. He is pleasant and likable fellow, however you have to listen to him very carefully. He asks that we raise our right hands and he swears both of us in to tell the truth. He then asks for my wifes passport and asks for proof that I am a US citizen, I provide him with my drivers license and US Gov't ID.

He then focuses on my wife solely and asks her the following questions:

1) What is your address here in USA?

2) What is your social security number?

3) What is the date of your marriage?

4) Have you ever been arrested or given a ticket by the police?

5) When did you both meet? and How did you meet?

6) Did you meet your husbands parents and what did they think?

7) Do you get homesick?

8) Your husband is older than you, Is that a problem and what do you think about that?

9) Your husband was divorced, what do you think about that? A problem?

10) Do you have children?

11) Did you meet your husbands children from previous marriage?

12) Do you get along with your husbands children?

All the questions were asked politely and he took notes. He also looked to see my wifes answers matched the what was written down in the paperwork.

He asked me (1) question:

Do you still work at your same job location? a: Yes.

He then looked at our paperwork we submitted , smiled and said "Congratulations!"

He then informed us my wife would be getting her green card in 6 weeks, and that it was provisional for (2) years and that we must submit another package for the 10 year greencard, and to be sure to do that 90 days before the provisional expired. <another $500>

The whole interview lasted less than 5 minutes and I was surprised he didn't ask me much questions, only her.

The ironic thing was when we got home, our EAD card finally arrived in the mail..

Hope this interview we shared can help alleviate any worries to other couples when they go through it...

All the best...

-Guy&Hoa

Hey Visao, lucky you!!....all the best...and does your VN wife enjoy the green chile there in NM? I took my wife there in August and she liked the refried beans and cheese....

anyway, we have to get an interview for us in October and bring redundant copies of all paperwork to the interview...but in the end , I feel confident she'll get her green card...

All the best..

-Guy&Hoa

Hi all,

We just received our Notice of Action AOS interview for October 3. Upon reading their instructions, I was disappointed to see all the redundant paperwork needed and non-intuitive instructions.

One of the troubling comments they make: In bold: "If you do not speak English fluently, you should bring an interpreter" I have to hire an interpreter? My wife can speak well, but still has trouble understanding if one speaks fast..I'm not liking this...should I be concerned?

They ask again for federal income tax returns with w-2's, letters of employment from employers and pay-stubs, again? never mind that all of that was provided to them for the AOS paperwork submission AND the same for k-1 visa.

Then they ask for the original and copy of each supporting document that you submitted for the application? huh? I thought that is what I sent to them already....this confuses me...Do I need to gather all the same documentation again? with the originals?

Those of you who went through the AOS interview and its vexing document protocols please comment...

I think I am just tired of all the redundancies and the limited time I have to come up with again documents from courts and IRS, and government addresses.

-Guy&Hoa

Kevin&Tuyen,

All the best to you both and hope everything works out 2nd time around...

-Guy&Hoa

Hi all, I know I could have posted this to the AOS section, but I feel more at home with the close-knit VJ community who have Vietnamese spouses.

We just received our Notice of Action AOS interview for October 3. Upon reading their instructions, I was disappointed to see all the redundant paperwork needed and non-intuitive instructions.

One of the troubling comments they make: In bold: "If you do not speak English fluently, you should bring an interpreter" I have to hire an interpreter? My wife can speak well, but still has trouble understanding if one speaks fast..I'm not liking this...should I be concerned?

They ask again for federal income tax returns with w-2's, letters of employment from employers and pay-stubs, again? never mind that all of that was provided to them for the AOS paperwork submission AND the same for k-1 visa.

Then they ask for the original and copy of each supporting document that you submitted for the application? huh? I thought that is what I sent to them already....this confuses me...Do I need to gather all the same documentation again? with the originals?

Those of you who went through the AOS interview and its vexing document protocols please comment...

I think I am just tired of all the redundancies and the limited time I have to come up with again documents from courts and IRS, and government addresses.

-Guy&Hoa

Hi all,

Wondered if anybody else "Google Earthed" your fiance or spouses home or other areas...I was able to find all the hotels I stayed in, plus my wifes home in District 5 and the places we stayed at in Mui Ne and Nha Trang...

It doesn't work with addresses but we located things by land marks, and zeroed in from there. The resolution is pretty good, it was fun and she enjoyed seeing her home and schools from a satellite view..

all the best..

-Guy&Hoa

Great, Eric!

Congratulations!!!

-Guy&Hoa

Hi all,

I just wanted to describe in detail my wife's biometric experience for those who are curious and wanted to know what the process was like. This description only pertains to the Oakland, CA ASC.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened, but we just wanted to write how it was.

We drove to the Oakland, CA USCIS/Application Service Center this morning and lined up with about 60 people waiting outside.

At 8:00am they opened the doors and a USCIS employee stood guard at the entrance and carefully screened all appointment papers and identification. Spouses and family members were also allowed inside. After we were let inside, a security guard gave us a clipboard, a sharpened pencil and a number chit. Inside, it was a fairly large room with about 7 to 8 rows of chairs, 10 across. A TV was playing football games on low volume. At the far end of the room, (2) tables were setup with (3) USCIS employees sitting and waiting. One table had an old fashioned fingerprint setup and the other table had paper stamps. We were directed to sit down and fill out an information sheet on the clipboard. On the information sheet, they wanted you fill out the name of the appointee, address, SSN, alien number, phone number, father and mother's name. They also wanted you to circle what reason you were there. We circled the I485 and the I765 numbers. At the bottom of the information sheet were some boxes that USCIS filled out.

After a few minutes, the USCIS employees at their tables began calling out numbers, and they also had a large LED sign that ticked off the numbers as they were called. We only waited about 15 minutes before our number was called. My wife presented her appointment letter, her passport and her information sheet. They looked over all the information, checked her ID again, signed the bottom of the information sheet, and stamped the appointment letter with a big, official red paper stamp. They then directed my wife upstairs to get her finger-printing, photograph, and signature taken.

Upstairs they had about 4 machines that took digital photographs and digital fingerprints and digital signatures. There was a small line of people that you had to queue up, but the whole process took about 15 minutes. They told my wife after she finished that her cards would be in the mail. She noticed some people could not use the digital equipment because their fingers could not be discerned by the equipment and also their skin pigmentation was too dark, so they had to backlight their faces with more light and use an old fashioned finger print kit for them. In all, USCIS had all their bases covered and the whole process was very quick, it took us only 45 minutes from beginning to end. All the USCIS employees seemed courteous and non-confrontational.

Just thought I would share our observations about the biometrics process in our case.

All the best..

R/

-Guy&Hoa

Hi Phillip,

I second what menyoo told you. IF you are divorced, the consulate must have proof that you are not co-habitating with your ex-spouse, that is why they need proof of ex spouse address and/or other evidence to show that you are separated and living by your own means. ME even confirmed that is what they look for also.

I know how you feel, I was in the same boat myself...

I've mentioned this before, but I think for future K-1 applicants, if you can, please coach your fiance(e) during the intial interview that you have the evidence for ex-spouse evidence and address, list it in your evidence checklist and maybe this might prevent you from being blue-slipped at the interview.

All the best...

R/

-Guy&Hoa

Congrats and all the best, I know it feels like a such a relief from the emotional roller coaster ride from hell..!

ME is the goto guy for hard cases, he helped us as well and I recommend him highly..

Now you can start preparing your home for your new wife..

-Guy&Hoa

It's not the number of trips that count, but the total aggregate sum of all submitted evidence that clearly defines to them (consulate) that your case meets their requirements

There are cases where people have only made (1) trip, but if you look closely, other evidence made up for the lack of travel.

ME has mentioned that more than (1) trip is beneficial to your case and I agree.

In my opinion, if you want to risk only (1) trip, I would work very hard to make up for it with other evidence, such as handwritten letters, cards, communication with parents (both sides), excellent English speaking ability of the VN fiance(e) and the ability of the VN fiance(e) to know about you, your life and history without pause.

Also, I would recommend that you have an engagement ceremony on your (1) and only trip with some paper-trail of history of courtship showing the planning, preparation up to the event.

I know it sounds difficult, but you have to look at it from a CO's point of view and play devil's advocate with yourself.

by the way, I made (4) trips, and had an excellent evidence package, but limited English ability with my fiancee caused difficulties at interview, compounded by different responses to same repeated question, (red flag) was put in AP and finally got pink 50+ days later.

lessons learned:

(1) improve fiance(e) English skills and, help her memorize and know everything about you, so she can answer with no problem or hesitation

(2) (for divorced filers) submit all divorce decrees and ex-spouse address, info in advance so CO will not blue-slip you later with RFE.

R/

-Guy&Hoa

Hi all,

Has anyone had to re-apply for a new passport from their home country after changing your name through marriage?

My wife has her maiden name on her passport from vietnam, I was wondering if anyone had changed their passport to their current name and how the experience was for you dealing with the foreign consulate(s) here in the USA.

R/

-Guy&Hoa

Like Icarus, I too have thought long about living in VN...Yes, you would be giving up some comforts and social freedoms that come from living in USA, but the cost of living there is very good relative to a US salary.

The trick is having your finances here relative to the COL there. HCMC is a fairly cosmopolitan city, I like it better than Manila or Bangkok because the VN clamp down on the sex trade and terrible child exploitation more so than than the latter countries...yes, there is significant graft and corruption, but they are tech savvy and hardworking business and entrepreneurship to be found...

Yes, it is a communist country, and I am not an apologist for that, I'm as red-blooded americano as they come.. but I actually enjoyed my time in VN for the (4) times I visited, I could see myself being en ex-pat there but my plans are to move their after retirement, I have children from prior marriage to care for before I move to VN. Just my 2 cnts.........

-Guy&Hoa

Thanks everybody,

a classic case of "RTFM" , I thought I looked over the I-485 pretty well, but I missed it, I did find it and confirmed payment to USDHS.

Thanks to all quick replies...

all the best,

-Guy&Hoa

Hi all,

I got all my AOS paperwork all ready to file, but I have a basic question.

Who do I make the $1010.00 payment to? USCIS? DHS? Immigration? I read the guide but it didn't say...

thanks for the help...

-Guy&Hoa

Big Congratulations..!!!

Enjoy the moment and all the best to you and your love..

-Guy&Hoa

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the support. Yes, they (consulate) seemed to put us through the ringer. I'm glad that part of it is over. I found some inexpensive flights on VA (sub-1k prices) and I will talk with Hoa tonight and we will agree on the best time for her to fly over next week. Will be busy next few days and weekend....

Will keep you posted...

Guy&Hoa

Guy and Hoa

It seems the Consulate still thinks there's something going on that you're not telling them. Others have said the Consulate will ask neighbors about the fiance(e) to see what they say. Perhaps the neighbors said something that the Consulate wanted to check. Or maybe you just got "lucky" and the Cos wanted to make your life miserable as they have been known to do. I figured after they called and told Hoa she can pick up her pink slip, it would be simple.....Oh well......

Thi didn't have any problems or questions when she picked up her visa. They just called her name, gave her everything and called the next person.

It's great Hoa's picking up her visa on March 31st. Thi and I hope she gets to the US soon so the two of you can be together. After all this, it's about time and you deserve it! We hope everything else goes smoothly for you.

Peter and Thi

I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26

I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11

I-129F RFE(s) :

RFE Reply(s) :

I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26

Touched: 2007-11-02

NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16

Consulate recieved ??????

Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11

Packet 3 received 2007-12-24

Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28

Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14

Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23

Interview Date 2008-2-27

Passed Interview 2008-02-27

Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05

Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier)

POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles

Hi all,

When my fiancee picked up her pink slip, she will be able to pick up her visa the following Monday, March 31..this confirms what others and PeterFB said that the visa lag is back to within nominal parameters.

My fiancee said also when she waited for her pink slip , the did a mini-interview with her again...these were the questions they asked:

What city will you live in, when you go to the USA?

Will you leave soon, or will you wait for a time?

They spread out some photographs and asked her about dates and places.

They asked her about a child in a photograph if that was our progeny. She said no, that is her niece.

They also compared her passport photo to several photos of us, and to her.

They then gave her the pink slip.

They are thorough and they mean business..I'll grant them that about HCMC.

Again, I thank Marc Ellis for helping speed up the process, my fiancee said there were people there inside the consulate that were in AP for 6 - 8 months waiting times..I truly beleive I would be languishing in a AP black-hole for several more months if I did not contact Marc.

Thanks to everyone for all the nice comments...HCMC consulate is a tough post, but never give up..

R/

-Guy&Hoa

Hi,

I wish I did have caller ID to verify the caller. That would have solved it.

The thing that piqued my interest was that I was able to detect that the caller was an american speaking a foreign language. Plus the fact, I rarely get wrong numbers on my phone.

I must also take into account this incident could be totally unrelated.

Thanks for all the comments..

-Guy&Hoa