ToNhi

Sorry, NOA1 in December 2023, and NOA2 on April 18, 2024.

Approval times are a lot shorter now @SalishSea, I received my NOA1 in December 2024, and received my NOA2 approval on April 18, 2025 this year. Just wondering how long it'll take for my case to reach NVC and how long it could be stuck there for.

And how long can petitions usually get stuck at the NVC for.

@TD6886 Can this only be done at the 2 places listed on the Vietnam Embassy website. Since she lives in the south, she'll need to go to Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control and start from scratch and possibly titer like @Boiler mentioned, since she lost her immunization records?

@TD6886 It's been almost 5 months now for you after the interview. Did you frontload your petition with Relationship Evidence and a Family Tree or at least brought it to the interview but they refused to look at it? I did not frontload my petition and I am currently at NVC stage and have been stressing out.

Fiancee was born and grew up in a small town (Hau Giang) and can't find her immunization records and have not had any immunizations lately (besides Covid vaccines). Will she be required to take 10+ vaccinations before the upcoming scheduled interview date?

Is the Polio vaccine still a thing for those who were never vaccinated against it (younger generations)? I would hate for my Fiancee to receive 7-8+ vaccines in a span of two days. Not sure of adverse effects.

It's accurate! TMVN gave me an estimate of April 20, 2024 for I-129F Approval. Received NOA1 on December 7, 2023, and just received my NOA2 on April 18, 2023 which is just 2 days shy of their estimate.

@KIMANI_666 TrackMyVisaNow also gave me an estimate of April 20, 2024 and I was like no way it can be that fast! (~5 months approval)

Congratulations! Any idea why it's so fast lol. I was told that it would be 8 months to a year until approval (NOA2)!

Not even sure if I am even dreaming right now or not. I just received an update today! Seems a bit fast? It usually sits for a year at California Service Center until NOA2 is received? K-1 Journey: December 04, 2023 - Mailed I-129F Application to Dallas Lockbox December 07, 2023 - Application received by USCIS Dallas Lockbox December 11, 2023 - NOA1 Sent April 19, 2024 - Case Sent to NVC?

Not sure if I am dreaming or not, but I just received this update today!

Hi, Does anyone have an example of a relationship timeline that the Consulate Officers in HCMC are expecting for the K-1 Visa interview? I don't want to bore them with a 5+ page essay but at the same time I would want to be as detailed and concise as possible as to not receive a denial slip. Also, does anyone know if they are accepting additional photos and evidence (receipts, gifts, rings) during pre-check-in on the day of the interview? I am hoping to make another trip before the interview and will like to submit engagement and post-engagement photos. Thank you!

@TD6886 Hi, by uploading everything, do you mean online during the DS-160 Visa Application? Or is there a way to upload things onto the I-129F USCIS application. Thank you!

@JasonGG Thank you, Jason! I have seen some blue slip denials asking beneficiaries for a list of all relatives in the U.S. If she has none, what type of evidence would need to be submitted for this? I can't think of anything else besides the Ho Khau (household registration book) and the "Family Tree". By home visits, did C.O.s actually go to the beneficiarie's actual home to check on something? Seems like a hassle. Especially if the Beneficiary lives far away from HCMC Embassy.

Hi, I am currently in the midst of compiling evidence to bring to the future consulate interview and was wondering what the top pieces of evidence are for the Ho Chi Minh City Consulate/Embassy. I know the Consulate Officer usually only has about ~5 minutes to review everything prior to interviewing, and I only included photographs (non-dated) and proof of meeting (scanned passport pages), flight itineraries (2 trips made so far), scanned copies of boarding passes in my I-129F packet, and plan to bring more evidence to the future interview. I also plan to make one more trip sometime by the end of this year/Tet next year before the interview. We had a Dinh Hon (engagement party) so I think I will bring loose photos of that, we traveled to Thailand after our Dinh Hon/Engagement (tour package itinerary), and we have a TON of chat messages and call logs with one another on Facebook Messenger and on Zalo (Vietnamese messaging app). I'm Vietnamese-American and my Fiancee doesn't speak a lick of English, so will she have a hard time with the CO? If our messages to one another are primary in Vietnamese, should I also provide English Translations as well (not sure if they would need to be certified translations). I am not entirely sure what other proofs of relationship will be good to bring along to the future interview. Thank you so much! - Tony

Hi, I've been trying to figure out if a co-sponsor is accepted or not at the HCMC Consulate. I have heard that they are denying some applicants using a co-sponsor while allowing certain others. I lost my job of 2 years last year (end of April 2023), but have worked there for 2 years which means I have 2 years (2022 and 2023) of tax returns. I used my severance pay and my time-off to visit my girlfriend (now-fiancee) for the rest of the year and am now in the midst of interviews to find a new job. I made well above the federal poverty guidelines in 2023 due to my severance package from the layoff. The job market is currently tough in California but I am trying my best. Does anyone know if HCMC Consulate will allow a co-sponsor even if I may be able to land a new job soon? (Trying to stay on the safer side). Thank you!

Vietnam is a bit different from other consulates, they sort of expect a Dinh Hon/engagement ceremony since most Vietnamese families are not willing to let their single daughters go off to another country without being at least engaged first. Engagement ceremonies are a huge deal for Vietnamese. Especially those in the rural/countryside communities.

Usually some reasons for K-1 Visa Denials at the HCMC Consulate are: Not spending enough time with one another (only one trip made) Becoming engaged before meeting in-person No evidence of an engagement/Dinh Hon or having a small, inconsequential engagement ceremony No evidence of an ongoing relationship (Petitioner has not returned to visit the Fiance/Fiancee for one year) I've been stressing out about the (future) interview and would like some insight. I met Nhi through a family-friend (whom I've known since I was 12-14 years old) in March 2023 and Nhi and I started out meeting online/video calls. I visited her in April for a whole month after being laid off from my company. Proposed to her in June. Then returned again to Vietnam in July to prepare for our Engagement/Dinh Hon Party. Dinh Hon/Engagement Party was August 5th & 6th, and had 570+ guests (along with my Vietnamese-American parents, 2 Vietnamese-American paternal grandparents, and 1 Aunt). So a total of only 5 U.S. guests. As for the Vietnamese guests, my side included 70-80 people, and hers was almost 500 people (family, friends, everyone she knew in town). After the engagement, the 2 of us, and both of our parents and my aunt spent time in Phu Quoc Island and we also had a small trip to Thailand as well. Would I fail my interview at Vietnam consulate for having a short (quick) engagement period, and should I try to visit her again by the end of this year (2024), if I am expecting my prospective interview date to be in 2025? I also know that the Ho Chi Minh City consulate already has a decision made (colored slip) ready prior to the interview as well. Thank you so much!

@ATCSUSNRET I did not frontload my I-129F petition with any evidence of our Engagement/Dinh Hon since I mistakenly thought there would be a chance to add more evidence later on. I know that the Consular Officers have a colored slip/pre-determined decision made prior to the interview and sometimes will not even look at any additional evidence that is brought to the interview. They may for some and not for others (like you mentioned).

Bump.

@IWander Do you think the Vietnam Embassy will accept supplementary evidence on the day of the interview when it comes to submitting documents shortly before the interview?

Hi, I have barely just submitted my I-129F petition recently and was wondering if additional evidence may be submitted at later stages such as NVC stage/Package 3, or DS-160 stage. I've made 2 trips to Vietnam to visit my Fiancee and submitted that evidence with my I-129F and plan to make 2 more additional trips this year. I've read that the Vietnam Consulate is very strict and usually makes a pre-determined decision beforehand, way before the interview (and they'll usually have a pre-determined color slip ready to hand over after the interview) and sometimes will not look at any additional evidence that is brought in on the day of the interview. This could affect their decision on whether or not to reject or approve the K-1 visa. Will they accept additional proof at the consulate interview and possibly change their minds even if they've already made a pre-determined decision? Nhi and I had a Dinh Hon/Engagement Party but did not submit photos with our I-129F petition out of fear that it'll cause rejection/confusion from USCIS as it is a formal ceremony. I did mentioned that Nhi and I got engaged in our I-129F packet though. Since I am currently only waiting on NOA2, will there be a chance to submit more evidence of additional visits, Dinh Hon/Engagement evidence, photos of sent gifts/upcoming Tết lì xì red envelope money order receipts, chats of us discussing U.S. wedding plans, etc. etc. before our consulate interview in the near future? Or will an RFE be the only way to submit additional more proof. Thank you!

@IWander Thank you! So bringing evidence to the Consular interview stage should be sufficient?

Hi! I have a question about social media. DS-160 Form will ask for social media handles and identifiers from my fiancée. Since USCIS officers can only see posts/information that are set to "Public Only", will it be a problem if they don't find any evidence of a relationship. My fiancée and I try to live pretty private lives and only set our romantic posts, photos, and relationship status to "Friends Only" or not at all. We just send photos and posts to one another through private chat messages anyway (everything saved on our phones and computers). For evidence of a relationship, we will bring a ton of evidence to the Consular interview instead since Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City Consulate) is a tough nut to crack. Thanks!