JonasMichaels

They took my money so we are officially on our way. You are probably going to get a lot of dumb updates from me as we go along. Just excited to see my check cleared and didn't know who to share it with.

Jonas

Xuan lives in HCMC until she moves to Indiana with me. I have spent most of my time in HCMC and I find it very interesting. Each time I go I am impressed with the traffic... or maybe that is fear. Either way it is amazing that there seems to be some kind of understood traffic philosophy but I am at a loss to understand it. I am very much looking forward to Xuan's reactions when we drive home from the airport and into my city. I keep telling her she will ask me where all of the people are in America. If I use my travels in southern Vietnam as a gage compared to my area of America then we live in a country wide ghost town. We will know Oct 6 if we get pink or have to continue the wait.

Jack, my prayers are with you! PLEASE - no matter what the news is, share it with us VJers - questions asked, problems if any, every detail that you can get from Xuan. How good is her English, by the way?

P.S. where you from in Indiana? I used to live in Lafayette.

Good luck

Jonas

I have nothing documented referring back to my domicile. maybe i can ask if she still has one of the receipts from april or may and have her send them to me. but with the picutes, i will put a discription on the back stating the date (month/year) and where. i only think that they will see a different passport fotocopies and that will throw a red flag as to my citizenship or something, then needing a RFE.....

i think on my american passport it has a stamp of me exiting colombia but not entering. should i just make copies of all the pages from both passports, then state that i have a dual citizenship in my description of how we met? but wouldnt that really get off topic to the question they are asking in question 18 of the I-129F? The format of my cover letter is of Visa Journey, i would like to keep it without writing a paragraph describing my situation. should i just add an additional page for an explanation with regarding both passports?

I always thought that the pictures would be the best and good enough. you can see that i have different length hair in the pictures that shows time interval.....but no boarding pass or anything like that....

i would prefer not to complicate things and just keep it simple, but obviously sufficient....thanks

Hmmm, I included ALL pages of my passport and about 100 color photos, plus receipts, boarding passes, etc ... plus my letter was over 3 pages long and explained all the things I thought needed explaining. Probably overkill but for ANY high fraud consulate, I would suggest this, and I would assume Colombia is not the easiest consulate in the world, but I don't know.

Jonas

Letters and photographs are not primary evidence of meeting in person. Passport stamps, boarding passes, ATM receipts and hotel bills are.

Hey Pushbrk,

I myself am an idiot & had no idea about this whole process when I was in Bali last month. If I did, I would've saved my boarding passes, atm receipts, etc.

I can sort've work around this. I have the passport stamps, itinerary from the travel agent. I can also get an itinerary showing that I flew from Bali to Sumatra (which is where my fiance is from).

About the atm receipts, do you think that my bank statements, which will show withdrawals from atms in Bali, would count as primary evidence?

I am also having some friends over there track down the merchant copies of my hotel bills, and also working on getting the merchant copies of the boat fares for when we travelled between different islands.

And of course I have a million pictures.

They don't expect you to have everything, I lost the boarding passes from my first trip. Obviously, I do have passport stamps. I also included bank statements, credit card receipts, plane and train tickets with my name and hotel receipts with both our names. Also, I bought my airline tickets online and turned in a copy of the email confirmation.

Pushbrk - do email confirmation of E-Ticket purchase (showing last 4 digits of credit card and cardholder name) count as primary evidence as far as you know? Thanks

Jonas

I have nothing documented referring back to my domicile. maybe i can ask if she still has one of the receipts from april or may and have her send them to me. but with the picutes, i will put a discription on the back stating the date (month/year) and where. i only think that they will see a different passport fotocopies and that will throw a red flag as to my citizenship or something, then needing a RFE.....

i think on my american passport it has a stamp of me exiting colombia but not entering. should i just make copies of all the pages from both passports, then state that i have a dual citizenship in my description of how we met? but wouldnt that really get off topic to the question they are asking in question 18 of the I-129F? The format of my cover letter is of Visa Journey, i would like to keep it without writing a paragraph describing my situation. should i just add an additional page for an explanation with regarding both passports?

I always thought that the pictures would be the best and good enough. you can see that i have different length hair in the pictures that shows time interval.....but no boarding pass or anything like that....

i would prefer not to complicate things and just keep it simple, but obviously sufficient....thanks

Hmmm, I included ALL pages of my passport and about 100 color photos, plus receipts, boarding passes, etc ... plus my letter was over 3 pages long and explained all the things I thought needed explaining. Probably overkill but for ANY high fraud consulate, I would suggest this, and I would assume Colombia is not the easiest consulate in the world, but I don't know.

Jonas

Ok my VJ friends, I finally did it: I officially mailed my I-127f to the USCIS. Can't believe it, feels like it has taken forever to get to this point, and it is just the beginning isn't it?

May I just ask you all: NOW WHAT? What can I expect to happen and when? Will my fiancee receive notification? When? How many things will I receive by mail before her interview? If someone can give me a timeline of what happens now, it would put both our minds at more ease. Thanks for everyone's great advice and support!

HERE I GO ...... My visa journey has begun!

Jonas

I hope you meant 129F..... congratulations and best wishes for a speedy journey and a happy life!

Jen

WOW, nice catch - see how uptight I am? Let's hope I wrote the right thing on all my paperwork. At the last minute before mailing, I saw on my 129f that I didn't check whether I was married, single or divorced. EEP. Good thing I caught it before it went out in the mail.

Jonas

Culture or Marriage should not play a role in a father's love toward his CHILD. That is ridiculous. You were right to not want to marry this person, any good man would want to be part of his child's life regardless of ALL other circumstances.

Jonas

Ok my VJ friends, I finally did it: I officially mailed my I-127f to the USCIS. Can't believe it, feels like it has taken forever to get to this point, and it is just the beginning isn't it?

May I just ask you all: NOW WHAT? What can I expect to happen and when? Will my fiancee receive notification? When? How many things will I receive by mail before her interview? If someone can give me a timeline of what happens now, it would put both our minds at more ease. Thanks for everyone's great advice and support!

HERE I GO ...... My visa journey has begun!

Jonas

As you probably already know, it will take about one month to get a notice of arrival (NOA) and then maybe three months before you get your letter of approval. In a month or two, your fiancee will then hear directly from the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam with instructions on what to do next...i.e., to apply for the visa, fill out lots of forms, get the medical, and have the interview appointment.

Will the NOA be sent by mail to me? Same for the letter of approval? Do I have to send anything else in before her interview?

Thanks

Jonas

I tried to post this in the k1 section but they don't seem to understand the paranoia and worry that goes with being a VIETNAM petitioner!

I finally sent in my I-129f today and what I am trying to find out is this:

Will I be contacted? If so, when and how many times? Do I have to send anything else in?

Will Phuong be contacted? If so, when and how many times? Does she have to send anything in?

Thanks alot for all your advice and help, I'm on my way!

Another brave Vietnam VJ member ....

Jonas

Tried to add my timeline, did that work?

Ok my VJ friends, I finally did it: I officially mailed my I-127f to the USCIS. Can't believe it, feels like it has taken forever to get to this point, and it is just the beginning isn't it?

May I just ask you all: NOW WHAT? What can I expect to happen and when? Will my fiancee receive notification? When? How many things will I receive by mail before her interview? If someone can give me a timeline of what happens now, it would put both our minds at more ease. Thanks for everyone's great advice and support!

HERE I GO ...... My visa journey has begun!

Jonas

Is this a medical exam or just fingerprinting? Just curious about the process after Phuong arrives here, will they blood test/medical test her AGAIN? Thanks

Jonas

Hi all, I have an apt now but have been told by my mother's friends that I can rent their house whenever I wish. I would probably go ahead and move over once my fiancee gets here. On the I-129f it asks where will your fiancee live when she gets to the U.S. - will that look strange if I put an address different from the one I am at currently?

Further, what if I decide to live in a totally different place or buy a house before she gets here, does our government allow you to change your mind? Thanks again

Jonas

Second question: On my divorce decree, it says to write my street address, however, it was filled out by my ex-wife and she put my mailing address. Can this negate the divorce decree's validity because my mailing address is listed on my divorce decree as opposed to my physical address? Am I being too ####### here?

Thank you all very much

Jonas

negate the decree???

Yes....#######...

hahah thanks, I needed that!

Ok my final question (I hope). My physical address and my mailing address (where I get bills and everything else) are different. Do I need to explain this in my petition? I was going to put my mailing address on my Fiance letter of Intent and Cover letter but my physical address on the G-325 and I-129f ... are they smart enough to figure this out without explanation?

Second question: On my divorce decree, it says to write my street address, however, it was filled out by my ex-wife and she put my mailing address. Can this negate the divorce decree's validity because my mailing address is listed on my divorce decree as opposed to my physical address? Am I being too ####### here?

Thank you all very much

Jonas

Make it fit in there.

My husband had the same issues. I squeezed it in.

I can make it fit if I use the apt.# and the zip code sections - however, she has no apt number or zip code, just a really long street and city and province name.

Do I need to fill this in the I-129f or is the G-325 Sufficient? I can fit her address in if I use the space for Zip Code and Apartment number (but she has neither of those). Or should I write - see attachement and then type her full address and attach it as a separate sheet to the back. I have my packet perfect, don't want a tiny mistake like this delaying my petition. Thanks all

Jonas

My fiance did not attach any explanation letter about our meeting. He only wrote one paragraph that will fit on the space of Question 18 of I-129F form

While I don't disagree with KimandRuss and pushbrk, I think sending some more would not hurt (I hope at least..). I just mailed my I-129 packet yesterday to VSC and it was delivered this morning (signed by .. you guessed it.. A.Stanley). I sent more than what is required. For how we met, I said we were introduced by our families via telephone and that we kept it going for a few months via phone, pc to pc calling, etc..and I made a trip to meet her in person. I stated the date we first met and when we officially got engaged in the supplemental sheet for Q18 on I-129F). I provided all the usual supporting evidence and some pictures, emails, birthday cards, etc.

Here's my take ..the USCIS service center will send the entire packet to the Consulate in the end anyways and you need to show proof of ongoing relationship/supporting documentation then. So, it's not like you can get away from furnishing all those details. You just postpone it. So, doing it later gives you more time but it makes your packet that much thicker since I would imagine you would want to give some history. And maybe, just maybe, they may not ask for too much at the interview stage, if they see some included in the K1 packet itself...

my 2 cents !!! B)

Hi, how long was your letter about how you guys met and got engaged? Phuong and I didn't have an official engagement date, although we did have an engagement party. In fact, my asking her to marry me wasn't all that romantic. Drunk at a bar I said: I want to be with you forever. She slurred: Okeyyyyy.

Jonas

http://travel.state.gov/passport/guide/faq/faq_881.html

Thanks Haole, I had already gathered the pics would have to be redone. What about her signature, first name only? Perhaps she got confused because she is used to signing Tran Phuong, not Phuong Tran but I must have told her 10 times about this. Papers are here, just: Phuong. Who does she think she is, Madonna? Maybe that is ok to just sign first name, I just thought for anything governmental, it should be first and last, maybe even first, middle, last. Am I right?

Jonas

I apologize for posting this twice but I need some quick advice because I don't want to talk to Phuong online tonight and stress her out over nothing. Is it nothing, or is this unfixable?

Just received my fiancees paperwork in the mail today and it is all wrong. Two big problems (or maybe not) please advise...

First: I told her several times to sign her name on the Fiancee letter of Intent and the G-325 American Style (first name, last name), well she just signed her first name, no last name anywhere. PHUONG. No Tran (her last name) in sight. Will this be acceptable?

Second: I told her to send me passport style headshots of herself. It looks like she got 4X6 photos taken (the package says 4X6) and cut them into headshots. Will this be accepted or will she have to do it again?

I don't want to bring this up to her if I can use these items as is, but if I cannot, I need to know so she can redo ASAP. She spent $50 to FedEx this stuff to me, very frustrating!

(just measured fiancee's passport photos - 2 1/4 X 1 5/8 ... gov website says 2X2 ... will they accept these? The color, background, etc is otherwise perfect.)

Thanks

Jonas

just measured fiancee's passport photos - 2 1/4 X 1 5/8 ... gov website says 2X2 ... will they accept these? The color, background, etc is otherwise perfect.

Thanks

Jonas

Just received my fiancees paperwork in the mail today and it is all wrong. Two big problems (or maybe not) please advise...

First: I told her several times to sign her name on the Fiancee letter of Intent and the G-325 American Style (first name, last name), well she just signed her first name, no last name anywhere. PHUONG. No Tran (her last name) in sight. Will this be acceptable?

Second: I told her to send me passport style headshots of herself. It looks like she got 4X6 photos taken (the package says 4X6) and cut them into headshots. Will this be accepted or will she have to do it again?

I don't want to bring this up to her if I can use these items as is, but if I cannot, I need to know so she can redo ASAP. She spent $50 to FedEx this stuff to me, very frustrating!

Thanks

Jonas

You have to rip the DVD to a MOV, AVI or WMV file, then trim it down to less than 10 min. Youtube will process AVI WMV or MOV files into their flash movie type.

Some reading:

http://www.wikihow.com/Rip-a-DVD-to-an-AVI...File-Using-DVDx

http://www.afterdawn.com/

And what do I do with all these .mod files from my vid cam? They won't even open in Windows Media Player. Why did I take typing in school instead of COMPUTERS??

Jonas

UPDATE: Have converted .mod files to .mpg ... any software that I can edit them into small 1 minute clips? Thanks again

Jonas

You have to rip the DVD to a MOV, AVI or WMV file, then trim it down to less than 10 min. Youtube will process AVI WMV or MOV files into their flash movie type.

Some reading:

http://www.wikihow.com/Rip-a-DVD-to-an-AVI...File-Using-DVDx

http://www.afterdawn.com/

And what do I do with all these .mod files from my vid cam? They won't even open in Windows Media Player. Why did I take typing in school instead of COMPUTERS??

Jonas

As I was copying all my boarding passes and receipts and such last night, I had a terrible thought: What if all the originals burn up in a house fire, or get stolen or lost? What if I submit the I-129f with all these copies, but the originals are lost forever? Has this ever happened in the history of VJ? Would the consulate understand? I, myself, have already lost 2 receipts and 1 boarding pass that I know I had before. I never regretted falling in love with a foreigner before but at times, this almost seems like too much risk, work, and worry. Can I go back in time and not join Cherry Blossom? No, I don't mean that, I love her but .....

Jonas

I'd like to put up some youtube video clips from my time with my Fiancee. I have 2 kinds of media - my video cam, which I have already dragged and dropped the .mod files onto my PC. (but how do I make those into video clips now?)

and a DVD of us. How on earth do I turn a DVD into video clips?

For both of these, I don't want the full 2 hour long film, just want to take short minute selections here and there. Send me a PM or post here, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks

Jonas