BinhJerome

Do I really need to supply the list of relatives in the US? I have some but I do not really know where they are living?

No, the USC does not.

Thanks Anhmap!

I know a benificiary must have a police certificate - Li Lich Tu Phap. Does a petitioner (my fiance) need to have a police certificate?

hello JoromeBinh

do you have receiver the packet4 yet please let me know ,i think you me same date to mail in Co HCMC

Thank's

IT HAS BEEN 3 WEEKS SINCE WE SENT PACKET 3 BACK ON MAY 19 2009. I THINK IT TAKES 2 TO 3 MONTHS TO RECIEVE PACKET 4 AROUND JULY OR AUGUST I THINK. HOW ABOUT YOU? YOU NEED GIAY KHAI SINH ORIGINAL AND GIAY XAC NHAN TINH TRANG HON NHAN ALSO.

yes i do need those and i did not p#4 yet

WHEN IS YOUR INTERVIEW. MINE IS JULY 23 2009.

We got packet 4, interview date July 23, 2009. JohnCali, have you got it?

Wonderful. Congrats to the both of you!!

Anh map,

I have no clue of timeline? please tell us what it is and how to do it?

OK thanks all for their kindness, now here's the story from Huong's perspective ---

Huong went into the interview with ALOT of evidence, more than anyone else either of us saw, she filled a Samsonite luggage bag with paper. she organized it by category and everything was in chronological order within the category as well. she printed out all of our emails and chats, thousands of pages, and was extremely ready to show anything they asked for. One very important point - thanks to some research she did on VJ and other sites, I had sent via Fedex a notarized TIMELINE including the interview date and updated personal statement regarding our relationship two week before the interview. Huong recognized immediately the interviewer had attached that entire pkg including the Fedex Bill to her paperwork, and many of his questions were connected to what I wrote in those pages. Also something that helped very much was that several times I had played the part of the interviewer in the days leading up to my flight and she got comfortable talking about these details in English - its a very good idea if possible for the fiance to request the interview be conducted in English, fortunately for us Huong speaks great English so that was no problem.

When Huong was let into the main gate at 7:55 they scanned her evidence bag for metal etc. then they gave her an order # that would tell her when to go to the interview window. her # was A55 but by no means was the calling in sequence, it seemed they picked the numbers at random. The order # also indicated what window she would be interviewed at so she could sit nearby and start going thru the evidence. At some point the fiances are called for the "general" interview and they go thru the minimum documentation checklist to ensure the fiance has everything the consulate requires. Huong noticed quite a few girls sitting with just a plastic folder containing a few photos and a few pages of documents, they were not prepared and could only speak Vietnamese, for the most part they all received blue. Huong sat and sat and watched her potential interviewer, a tall white guy with grey hair at #12, be very rough and meticulous and give almost all his interviews the blue slip. She got very worried. Then at 12 the staff left and everyone was given a slip saying they could go and come back at 1 so they could eat too but almost everyone stayed, fearing they would lose their spot on line. Huong stayed behind as well, and was worried for me as she knew I was outside for so long but figured it would be better to stay to get it done.

she was finally called for her interview at about 1:45. she walked up to the window carrying all the documents. after greeting, she realized he must already know she could speak english because his vietnamese translator was not even present. his first question was "Tell me about your fiance" and Huong, quite the talker, hehe, went on and on telling him about my job, house, family, friends, and life. She felt something good because he smiled the whole time she spoke and this was the first time she had seen him smile all day. Then he asked "How\when did you meet?" "How long did you chat\email before he came to see you in person?" As Huong was answering she noticed him shuffle some papers around and right there on his desk was the pink slip with her name on it, it seemed he had already made up his mind we were OK after reviewing my 134 and her paperwork, and the interview was just to confirm his findings. This made her very excited and happy. He asked to see our engagement party photos in Ao Dai and liked them alot, Huong said he really enjoyed them and said the pictures were "really great". Then he asked where and how we would get married and she told him our plans, and at that point his translator appeared and he said to her "I have just been talking to this young lady, she performed very well for her interview." Then he took the pink slip out and signed it and said to Huong "Have a nice trip and wedding. Welcome to America". So quick, her interview was less than 15 minutes when that same guy had taken 45-60 mins for everyone else he talked to that day.

Then at the end he asked if her fiance liked American football and what team did he like, Huong knew I was a Miami Dolphin fan so she told him, he laughed and told her he liked the Philadelphia Eagles and they would beat Miami this year if they play.

Somehow we got lucky, I guess because of all our prayers and pagoda visits, for some reason things went so smooth when they finally interviewed her.

The main points Huong felt were very important is that the fiance has to try to manage the interview, dont be shy and let the interviewer control the conversation, answer everything with confidence, even if you dont know the answer, just say "I dont know, we never talked about that, please ask me something new", and keep the discussion rolling, if they ask a question you know alot about, answer it completely, go into detail, if gives them a good idea that you have a great deal of knowledge about the petitioner.

here is the complete interview, to the best of Huongs recollection, in order:

1. Tell me about your fiance

2. How and when did you guys meet

3. How long after chatting and email did he come visit you

4. When and how did he propose marriage to you

5. Do you have any pictures from your engagement

6. Do you know any of your fiances work colleagues

7. Did you guys travel together when he came to visit you the 1st time?

8. What hotel did he stay at during his first trip? When did he leave to go back to the USA?

8a. how many people attended your pre-wedding party (the more the better!), he was happy to hear 350

9. What is your job in Vietnam?

10. Do you often travel abroad? Which countries have you been to?

11. Your fiance is a fan of american football, what team does he like?

12. what are your wedding plans for the US if you get the visa?

when reviewing her pictures he took careful note of all my trips, and to see that Huongs parents were included in some of them, particularly those of the engagement\pre-wedding parties.

Hope this info helps anyone who's got an interview date coming up, so many people helped us here, we hope we can return the favor in some small way!

best regards to everyone, good luck!

H&M

WHERE TO GET THE TIMELINE NOTARIZED? TIMELINE IS WHAT YOU WROTE LINES OF TIME ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP? CONGRATS!

The timeline I did was based on documenting every important event and having evidence to back it up. It was made up of two parts attached together. The first part was the actually timeline which also had a paragraph explaining that the timeline would have the evidence immediately following the timeline and the evidence was in the same order as the timeline. For example, I sent flowers and candy for Valentine's Day, the timeline listed it with a brief description, ie they delivered them while we were video chatting (really it did happen!) and included the online reciept and hightlighted photocopy of the credit card statement showing the charge. I felt doing it this way would give USCIS and HCMC Consulate the "short" version where they could see the developement of our relationship. Then they could refer to the evidence that followed to see there was third party verification of the timeline entry. If the timeline referred to an event that was only in the chat or email logs, it included the date of the chat or email log and a copy of the email or chat was included following the timeline.

Feb 14 Sent Thi flowers and candy for Valentine's Day via Saigon Flowers. They were delivered while we were video chatting.

Feb 15 Thi sent me an e card wishing me Happy Valentine's Day. She also told me her family all had some of the chocolate in our chat dated Feb 15.

I included all this in the original I-129f and expanded with everything that happened since the I-129f filing for the Interview at HCMC Consulate. Thi was one of the few who got a pink slip that day. In fact they didn't look at any of the additional evidence she brought, they looked at a few pictures, asked about 10 questions and gave her the pink!

I think it's most important to file the best possible I-129f, as complete as possible with a timeline, evidence of the relationship, etc. The one I filed weighed about 4lbs. The USCIS and the Consulate have the most time to look at your I-129f, not what you bring to the interview. It seems the outcome of the interview is mostly decided before the interview. Your fiance(e) answers are to verify what the Consulate believes to be true. If they think you have a real relationship, and her/his answers confirm that, you get the pink. IF they don't think you have a real relationship, and the answers aren't better than perfect to change their mind, you get the blue, white or green.

The good news if you have a real relationship, you will end up getting your visa, it may take longer than you want, but you'll get it.

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

Wedding 2008-4-26

Filed AOS 2009-1-2

NOA 1 2009-1-8

Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12

Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27

EAD recieved 2009-3-11

AOS Interview 2009-5-20

THESE ARE VERY USEFUL INFO AND VERY HELPFUL. THANKS.

Sorry for the late post but we had internet access issues until now...

Hien's interview on May 27 went very smoothly and she got PINK!!! Wow, we are SOOOOO Happy!! A few details and then the list of questions:

We arrived at the consulate at about 5:45 AM. Her interview slip said 9:30 but everyone can go in when they open the doors. At 6:30, the doors on the far right opened and she was first in line on the immigrant visa side.

She was interviewed by an american guy with a male VN translator. She was approved and back out on the sidewalk at 9:30 where I was waiting. Interview lasted between 10 and 15 minutes. The CO was very cordial and she was treated well throughout the whole process when inside the consulate.

She was not asked if she spoke English. They just launched into the interview in VN and without realizing it she was answering in VN. Halfway through, she realized she was speaking VN and switched to answering in English because many answers were easier to give in English. All the questions kept coming in Vietnamese through the translator, even when she answered in English. That was kind of good because it prevented any misunderstandings on her part and she did not have to have questions repeated.

First thing they asked for was pictures before any questions. She gave them ALL of our pictures. We had Dinh Hon pictures separated from other pictures together (in chronological order). He looked at the Dinh Hon photos but the other 100 pictures together he just fanned through with his thumb and then handed them all back.

He did not ask for ANY evidence that she brought with her. However, I had placed a notarized copy of our timeline in the package of info submitted at the beginning with the I-134, birth certificates, etc. She saw him looking at the timeline while he was interviewing her. I had also placed in the original package a notarized statement of my current residence and my ex-wife's, along with copies of bills showing that we live at separate addresses.

She can pick up her visa on June 3 (1 week wait). We will leave VN together on June 7 after a big Bon Voyage party at her family home in Hau Loc on June 6. POE SFO on June 7. OK, now the questions:

Interview Questions

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

May 27, 2009

1. What is your fiance’s name?

2. When did you meet him?

3. How did you meet him?

4. Was he married before?

5. How many times was he married?

6. Do you know why they got a divorce?

7. When did they get divorced?

8. How many children does he have?

9. What are their names?

10. How old are they?

11. Where do they live?

12. How often does he see them?

13. Where does he work?

14. How long has he worked there?

15. What does he do for work?

16. Where does he live?

17. Can you describe the town he lives in?

18. What are his hobbies?

19. Why did he come to Vietnam so many times? (I came several times for work and many more times to see Hien)

20. Is he working in Vietnam now?

21. Where do his parents live?

22. What are their names?

23. Does he live with his parents?

24. Where have you traveled together?

25. Do you have any pictures together outside Vietnam?

26. Do you have any family in the US?

27. What do you do for work?

28. What did you do for work before?

29. Where do you live now?

I agree completely with ErikandChinh's comments in an earlier post. Confidence in the interview and prep before are certainly keys to success. I firmly believe that when in applicant comes in well-prepared, confident and in love, they can see it/feel it and it makes an impression.

Best of luck to all with upcoming interviews! THINK PINK!!!!

COULD YOU SHOW HOW TO DO THE TIMELINE? WE ARE NOT CLEAR. THANKS.

NOTE: This information is directed ONLY at VJ'ers going through the HCM consulate in Vietnam.

Just thought I would share this information with everyone to reinforce the importance of preparing and bringing a detailed timeline to the interview in HCM.

Hien went yesterday for her medical at Cho Ray. She said that the place was packed with people, all doing the medical for a US Visa. The topic that was discussed the most with everyone was the timeline. Many women had family members who had been interviewed before and the Number 1 reason for people not being approved at the initial interview was failure to have a timeline or having a timeline that was not detailed. She was shocked at how many people that were there had never heard about the timeline requirement and how many knew about it but did not know what it was or how to prepare it.

This timeline is an absolute must at HCM. Petitioners, please be sure that you have this timeline prepared and notarized and provided for your spouse or fiance(e) to bring to the interview. If you read this and do not know how to do the timeline, please ask and we can help you. Do not skip this thinking that you can get away without it.

PLEASE SHOW HOW TO DO THE TIMELINE? URGENT PLS.

I have heard about timeline notarized. I do not understand this, please explain. Thanks.

hello all,

I just send out the packet 3 in on may 7 ,I trying to find others out there are currently waiting for an interview date from the HCMC consulate. It's been almost 5 weeks we've been waiting and still nothing. I need to commiserate , Please help

Thank you

It takes 2 to 3 months so be patient!

hello JoromeBinh

do you have receiver the packet4 yet please let me know ,i think you me same date to mail in Co HCMC

Thank's

IT HAS BEEN 3 WEEKS SINCE WE SENT PACKET 3 BACK ON MAY 19 2009. I THINK IT TAKES 2 TO 3 MONTHS TO RECIEVE PACKET 4 AROUND JULY OR AUGUST I THINK. HOW ABOUT YOU? YOU NEED GIAY KHAI SINH ORIGINAL AND GIAY XAC NHAN TINH TRANG HON NHAN ALSO.

Hello, I was wanting to know what other people have been asked at the interview. I have went over the things that we have submitted over and over again. I know that they ask each person different questions and it all depends on each persons case. Will they let me just plead our case? I have family already in America, they have been there for many years, and I have worked at ABC International school for almost 6 years. Should I mention that if I was just trying to get to America I would have already filed for the visitor visa years ago, but that this is the first time that I have ever tried to get a visa to go to America? We have already discussed that if they deny our visa that my fiancée will come back to Vietnam and we will be married here with the paperwork, and we will then file for a k3 visa, and if they deny that attempt he is willing to move here. I am sure we will be approved, but we are planning ahead just in case. We just do not want to be blind sided by some off the wall question. I want to be as prepared as possible. My fiancée was planning on coming back the end of this month for one week, as he only has one week of vacation left. His company has down sized and some of the facilities are taking days off here and there to keep the company strong. He is paid salary and usually has to do strange jobs just to keep busy, however his boss has put a hold on everyones remaining vacation until the market picks back up. So this has ruined our plans on him maybe being here one more time before the interview or at the interview. I know that we have talked about that subject before, but we really would just like some questions that they have asked to everyone. Thanks for your help it is always greatly appreciated!!

Could you please tell me what documents beside ones requested in packet 3 such as original birth certificate, Li Lich tu phap etc.. What else does the Consulate in HCMC asked us for more documents? Our case is K1 visa.

Thanks a million!

Could you please tell me what documents beside ones requested in packet 3 such as original birth certificate, Li Lich tu phap etc.. What else does the Consulate in HCMC asked us for more documents?

Thanks a million!

Hi everyone!

I know that Dai_vn is currently living in Vietnam and some of you might know more about Hotels in VN than me. Could You guys please tell me or recommend any three to four stars. Please let me know soon and maybe their phone number if you have them. Thank you soooo much in advance.

Have a great day and GOOD LUCK to those who are having your interview soon.

I am living in Phu Nhuan and very close to district 3 Le Van Sy. Let ,e know if you are intersted in looking for a hotel?

It is now not required, as noted above. I asked the HCM consulate a few months ago about this since the paperwork in packet 3 still references the need to have it notarized. They confirmed that it does not. However, I would recommend using the LATEST version of the form, which has no place to sign, just to be clear.

IT IS TRUE THAT IN PACKET 3 STILL MENTION ABOUT THS FORM NOTARIZED.VERY CONFUSED AT SOME POINTS IN THIS PACKET 3.

Please let me know if I need to notarize this I-134 form? Many thanks!

There are plenty of people who didn't use it and still got pink. I chose to use one because I had everything come up so quick because of my request for expedite went though and they only gave me 3 weeks from the time they gave me the interview letter to the time of the interview and I didn't feel comfortable doing everything myself like the medical exam within the 3 weeks so I went ahead and hired a place. Everything came up so fast whenever we got the interview letter that I am sort of glad we used them. But I know for a fact a bunch of people on here got pink with just doing everything themselves without assistants from Van Phong Dich Vu. I can name a handful of these people. Everycase is different though even though I got my pink already I am glad used one because it's kinda better to have piece of mind to do it. The place only charged me like $30 USD so it was cheap and I didn't mind.

THANK YOU. CAN YOU GIVE US THE ADDRESS OF THE PLACE OR TELEPHONE NUBERSTO CONSIDER PLEASE?

Anybody who did not use Van Phong Dich Vu (Offices/Services help to prepare for K1 documents?) and still got PINK?

Can anyone give any good recommendations on which office does immigration (Van Phong dich vu) help to prepare out documents and prepare my wife for the interview that's coming up. I didn't plan on using one of those services but since they gave me short notice, since my expedite request was granted for medical emergency, that my interview is coming up I would like to get as much help as I can. If you used one can you give me a name, address and maybe phone number if you have it. I appreciate all your help.

Also, my appointment letter has not come in the mail yet and I want my wife to get the medical examination done as soon as possible, is it possible to get the medical examination with out the appointment letter?

-Dai_VN

So did you use Van Phong Dich Vu for your wife?

I prefer using English than Vietnamese because it is not accurate to translate English into Vietnamese. A CO can not understand completely the meanings in Vietnamese which may cause misunderstanding. Anybody has experience this?

Thanks.

and my fiance can not be at my interview because of his work.

I've said this before in other posts....what are your priorities? I understand people need their jobs, but we are talking about your job verse your spouse (who you hope to spend the rest of life with). I don't get it.

I understand what you are saying, but HELLO??? no job=no visa?? I do love my fiancee, but with no job, you have no money, and our plans are simple. I have requested time off so that I can go back the end of June and stay until July, only for one week. It is not the money of the trip, because I want to see her. If they deny the visa, then I will go back in December and we will get married there then come home and file for the K3, and if they deny that then I say the heck with USA I will move to HCMC. I really do not understand people posting some things on this site. I am sure that most men would choose their fiancee over a job any day of the week, but that is also shooting yourself in the foot. Have you got out and looked for a job lately???? The market really sucks, and right now my job pays me well over the minimum amount required to sponser my fiancee to some here without a co signer. I truly do appreciate your post, but to me it seems as if you are trying to chop people down with your replys, not all of them but some. If I did not love and worry about my fiancee I would not be on this site, if I did not love my fiancee I would not file for a k1 visa, so for someone to act like I do not love her more than my job really offends me. Jerome

Is the citibank HCMC at 115 Nguyen Hue Street, SunWah Tower?

Thanks.