astrlsrfr

You can always wire money via Western Union to yourself from the US if you want to have a smaller amount on hand at the start. Might help keep everyone's spending in check if you show up with a smaller wad.

We opened up a VN bank account and use international wires (SWIFT) to send money to Nam. Its much cheaper than Western Union, but the initial setup is its own kind of "fee", and all SWIFTs now cross the FEDs desk.

Right. My understanding is that its a communist land-grant system where land is technically "owned by all the people", and technically only "50 year leases" are granted - even to citizens. However, realistically, when you look at how it works (rollovers, discretion of assignment of the "leases", etc) the leases are tantamount ownership. I am guessing the system will be modified to actual ownership, on down the line.

Again, I am not planing to own ("lease") directly myself - but there is a possibility we will have some substantial investments in land here in VN. My understanding is that this can be held directly in my wife's name or thru a holding company. We will address the absentee thing by having some of her family occupy the land & /or manage it thru rentals. That is our preliminary idea.

Regarding the reason for registering the marriage in VN: mainly, I wasn't sure if that was a requirement for the visa exemption. Seems like you are saying it is not a requirement - which would be great so I could go ahead and start it when returning to the USA. However, there is still one other reason for registering the marriage here - that I can think of. When travelling, we've run into the issue of hotels not believing we are married & demanding separate rooms. I always tell them to go "F" themselves (more or less), but it seems like having the VN cert on hand would put that issue to bed (no pun intended) tooth-quick.. because in the cases where this has occurred, they seem to be asking for a VN marriage cert as proof.

OK kool. Thanks so much to you both for explaining both the visa exemption & the post- green card marriage license processes. I'm not clear on as to whether or not the exemption can occur without the VN marriage registration - that one page delineating the required docs for the exemption doesn't specify if it has to be a VN cert or not. I will search more on the exemption keyword. But, we will be doing both anyway. The VN post-green card reg doesn't seem too complicated, but it does seem like a project that will take some time (like a lot of this stuff seems to).

We are in VN already, but without the part completed in the US - so I guess we can't start it until we return; and correspondingly we can't complete it till we come back to VN again.

I will follow up in kind on this thread with any clarification on the details we discover. Thanks again

Can anyone explain the procedure for registering your marriage in VietNam AFTER completing the K-1 process and obtaining a Green Card? I have found this information:

http://www.vietnamembassy-usa.org/basic-page/legalization-document-marriage-registration

but it seems to assume you are not already legally married in the USA. Eg, it states you need to certify you are SINGLE, which of course we are not. Is there a modified version of that process, or is there a way to just do the process in VietNam directly?

Also, my understanding is that once the process of registering your marriage in VietNam is completed, I would be able to get a 5-year visa to VN, as well as legally own property (through my wife). Can anyone confirm that as well?

TIA

My SO finally got her 2 year "conditionally permanent" residence (2 yr green) card today. It was a net total of about 15months from the initial K-1 filing. Its a pretty good day, to say the least, even tho its all been relatively easy since the POE. I thank again those who helped us along the way.

One thing was goofy on her GC... somehow the card says she is from North Vietnam, when in fact, she is squarely from South Vietnam. I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this. Not sure it really matters, and she doesn't seem to care, but still... Come to think of it.. there really is no North & South anymore.. shouldn't it just say "VietNam"?

I was wondering if it is safe to buy airline tickets based on the date that the consulate gave on the pink, or is that date subject to delays?

I took 2 weeks off for her interview, visa issuance and return. She is going to be doing her POE next to me when I return.

I arrived 5 days before the interview. It turns out that was more than enough time, although the return scheduling is dicey.

It is a real possibility you could have an issue & get delayed on the visa. I don't know wat % chance, but I'd guess its less than 20% likely you might get delayed. We had no problem & received the visa at the time they promised (yesterday). I took a chance & set up our flights between the PINK & visa issuance times. I have limited time off from my work & was more interested in locking down some flights in advance on the same airline that I had a flexible return already booked on. If we were to have been delayed, the plan was to reschedule... which would have cost $100 in this case.

Hi all,

I am a newbie here in Visa Journey as far as posting, but I have been reading this forum for a while now and certainly you guys have been REALLY helpful. Because I have been following this forum I learned that you can call the Department of State and check on your case status and I have been calling the DOS pretty much 3 times a week. To my surprise this morning, the lady on the phone, Lisa told me that the US Embassy in Vietnam has scheduled an interview for my fiance on July 13th, 2011 at 9:30 am. Today is the 27th of June. This only give my fiance, Hue, 2 weeks to get her Medical Exam done. However, she has not received the Appointment Letter in the mail yet. I am very nervous as she is? Any suggestions on what to do?

Thanks you in advance,

Doanh

I find VN mail is a double-edged sword. It is horrifically slow & unreliable.. BUT there is NO junk mail. The lack of an actual mailbox for most homes belies the relative importance they place on mail. While the Viets are masters of efficiency & can get just about anything done in a fraction of the amount of time it would take in the USA, somehow the mail system does not get the same treatment. Go figure.

My honey had to go to the Consulate "info window" to get packets 3 & 4, after I did a similar DoS hustle. Packet 3 did eventually arrive at her old address... she used her conenctions with her old neighbors to ferret that nugget of information out & had the old neighbors intercept the mail & then she manually retrieved the actual piece of mail from them. Packet 4 has still yet to arrive & she has already passed her interview! We go today to pick up her visa.

so you didnt have real individual photos?? just the compiled ones in your presentation??

We did not have any of the old-timely individually printed 4x6 photoshop-style prints, no. We felt the Consulate was hip enough to understand that format is largely a film-era relic & is becoming outmoded nowadays. If we make prints of our fotos, they are typically for framing & hanging & hence they are quite large.. Otherwise we use computer screensavers, desktop electronic picture displays & TV-viewing to display our photos. There are several VJ anecdotes where people used a technique similar to ours - but their CO actually looked at theirs - & they got PINK as well. The presentation format (if done right) produces the same quality in a more consolidated & nicely annotated format. As "real" as it gets.

Did you also frontload your picture presentation during the interview or during the petition?

It was just for the interview.. and that's the funny part.. the photos never went under the window.. he just glanced at it thru the glass.

I have my round trip set up with my return set for the 4th of July with Korean Air, but its changeable for free one-time. I will to go directly to the KA office near the Consulate after we pick up the visa and nail it all down. I plan to find the earliest possible KA flight back to LAX with 2 adjacent seats, probably moving mine & buying her one-way to match. I will advise how this goes.

For fear of not being able to find a flight, I went ahead and contacted the KA local office and reserved her new ticket & changed mine to match. Actually moved up the departure a couple of days. Of course.. we are taking a slight risk the Consulate delays her visa pickup for some reason.

The first lady at KA I spoke to was set to charge me $1069, but somehow they had to call me back to finalize the purchase and when they did, they actual prize was reduced to $757. I am guessing the better price is the VN price since I was going thru their local office. Who knows. If all goes well... just a few days left now til POE.

Astrlsrfr, you mention something about a 90 picture open office spreadsheet, what was that for? For the timeline or a table of contents for your photos?

Oh.. sorry for the confusion I meant to say OpenOffice *presentation*, not OpenOffice *spreadsheet*.

This is how I handled our photos. I created a document containing 3-5 pictures per page, with the WHEN , WHERE & WHO/WHAT at the top of each page. I print & bound it at FedEx Kinkos with the spiral binding thingy. The trick I found is to keep the photos at a high enough enough resolution so when you dump to PDF & print, it comes out at true photo quality, but not necessarily at full 16Mpix resolution, or it will cause your CPU to go into time warp when manipulating the document. To achieve that, I resized the ones I wanted to put into the doc from 4000x4000 to like 1500x1500 using RapidoResizer on my mac, them just cut, paste & set the height in OpenOffice so I can get several on a page. Lots of work, but hey now I got a nice funny story with a momento!

We did not front load our petition, and were issued a pink "pass" at the first interview (see detailed post). We had some minor red flags, but there was not a lot we could have front loaded to help them. Also, when I submitted the petition, I had not yet found the beacon that is VisaJourney. When I first read about "front loading" it made me a little anxious, like maybe I should have done that - esp with HCMC & the seeming pre-interview decisioning process. But I also knew I had followed the directions & provided exactly what was asked.. no more & no less.

Petition to pink was about 8.5 months.

My general feeling is that you should follow the instructions & just give exactly what they are asking for. However, I could not say for certain circumstances I would not recommend a few extra documents. If you are at the petitioning phase with a solid understanding of the process & you know you have some potential & addressable red flags.. .perhaps addressing them with minimalist laser-focused front load could be helpful.

congrats to both!

How much is your airfare per individual to the US? My wife paid $888 with EVA and it the 888 is included the IOM service that will help her get her paperswork in order at all airports, especially at LAX. My wife hated China so she didn't want to go with China Airline ($770?) or VN airline partner with China arline.

Is $888 too much for 1 way trip? and IOM service necessary? She is going by herself though

I have my round trip set up with my return set for the 4th of July with Korean Air, but its changeable for free one-time. I will to go directly to the KA office near the Consulate after we pick up the visa and nail it all down. I plan to find the earliest possible KA flight back to LAX with 2 adjacent seats, probably moving mine & buying her one-way to match. I will advise how this goes.

Congratulations!

My wife's CO didn't look much at our pictures or any other evidences or even my wife. Maybe just a couple of glances top at our pictures when we first met and that was it. The interview was conducted in English as expected. Unlike yours, we were 50/50 between acceptance and denial, only until the timeline was submitted were we accepted. Such a relief.

Tonight is my last night in HCMC. We're flying together to the States before midnight. Even though this is not her first long trip, it is her first to the US.

Thanks y'all. Have a good trip back tan... I guess you're over the Pacific somewhere already. Should be an exciting experience at the POE. Me, I have at least another week or so here. Was supposed to go to the countryside today for a few days with her family but I got horribly sick last night. First time I've been sick like that here. Not fun! Musta been something I ate...

how many brought their SO and got a blue?

There may have been one couple together there that we saw got a blue... we couldn't remember for sure. But I think I do recall one early on.

Haha.. y'all and those hangers. That made me smile. I did some prep work & cleaning b4 I left, but I so sure I am woefully short on numerous fronts. But my lady is so soft, kind & gentle.. I dont think she even knows what the word "complain" means. It will be a joy to do all the work needed to help ease her transition.

Thanks all for the congratsl.. I am very happy to be of help. its the least I can do to return the help we received here.

so did you submit timeline, 10yr residency and stuff prior??

No. I had prepared all 4 of those extra docs in advance, just in case. I chose NOT to notarize them in advance, since I knew I would have time after her interview to notarize them if needed. We were prepared to offer them up in their un-notarized form, as a possible help during the interview.

Congratulations astrlsrfr!

Of the people you saw get pink, how many brought their significant other with them? Were there a lot of fiancées waiting there like you were?

Thanks ) I would say about 40% of the pinks which *I* observed seemed to have an SO with them. That prolly translates to like 60% of the K1/CR1s, ince you have to remember that there are also a few other visa types going on at the same time.

Earlier today was my honey's K-1 interview. I was there with her. She received the PINK ("pass") paper. We are truly elated. We are already planning on a party to celebrate!

I wanted to provide this detailed account of our interview experience in hopes that it might help someone else later. It should certainly stand as a beacon of encouragement, as you will see.

Our case had 3 potential red flags in it. They are as follows, in descending order of "redness" (as it were, and IMHO):

1. Short pre-engagement courtship. It was barely 2 months from meeting to Dinh Hon.

2. Big age diff. She is 20, I am 39

3. B2 attempted. this was done AFTER the K-1 petition was filed, so its pretty minor, but just puttin it all on the table

This was my fourth trip to Nam, and specifically set to coincide with her interview. If she was to pass, she would be returning on a flight with me for entry to the USA.

We arrived at about 07:45 for or an 09:30 interview. We waited in a holding pen area where they meter the visa hopefuls out in chunks of 10 or so. By 08:00 we were going thru security, getting a claim ticket for our cellies & camera. At 08:05 we had our que # & sat down in the waiting area. A short while later, at the peak, there were about 100 people filling the waiting area.

Within 15 minutes they called us up to turn in the official documents. I carried our stuff up to the counter where a Viet man sat. He did not make eye contact with me, so I left the window. I made sure my passport was in the "originals" clear envelop so they knew I was there. They processed the documents in a few minutes, returning some of our originals, including my passport. My honey then sat down next to me.

For about 3 hours we sat there. The waiting area is not climate controlled. The temperature rose with the wait time. We had several cups of water & my fiance was beginning to get the hunger shakes, having not eaten breakfast. She had cooked some fabulous french toast for breakfast (which I doused something good with the maple syrup I brought over), but I don't think she was in the eating mood, understandably.

As we sat, I counted the # of pinks & blues which I could observe from our vantage. By the time our # came up, the count stood at 14:10, pink:blue. Most of the pinks seemed to be going to older couples, and some officers seemed to be giving more blues than others.. but its hard to say if anything of statistical significance rose above the noise. Some people who came in after us left before us. Were were among the longest-timers in there. It seems like they fill up the room up for 1/2 day, drain it with ongoing interviews throughout the AM , then are set to fill it up again in the PM maybe and repeat the process. Not sure. Our number came up around 11:15 and we were done by 11:20.

I walked up to the counter first, BEFORE my fiance. I observed a slightly chunky white male CO and a female Viet translator with a notable scar on her face. They struck me only as regular people - there was nothing intimidating about them. They looked like people you might find at a BBQ. I then noticed a pink piece of paper was sitting directly in front of the CO. I gave a warm smile & a friendly "hello" to both the CO and the translator; they each returned my kindness. I advised them I was her fiance, and was available if needed. They told me "thank you". I opened the MacbookPro box which stored everything we brought for the interview, I told my honey "good luck", gave her a hug & took a seat, just out of sight, since I had observed that was their preferred approach.

My fiance advised me later the following occurred after I walked away: She removed everything from the box. The CO asked the following questions in order:

1. Where did you meet your fiance?

(translator begins to translate, my honey cuts her off & answers in English. The remainder of the interview is conducted entirely in English).

"VietnamCupid"

2. When did you meet your fiance? "July 2010"

3.a. To what countries has your fiance travelled? "Ummm.. Singapore..."

3.b. Where else? "Ummm.. Australia".

(CO glances at our meticulously prepared stack of neatly organized docs & pictures)

4. Who helped you prepare these? No one.. me & my fiance prepared it ourselves.

The CO says "Would you please call your fiance back over?".

I arrived back at the window. The CO then proceeded to ask ME some questions:

1. So this is your second trip to Viet Nam? (holding up 4 fingers) "Fourth."

2. When are you getting married? "As soon as we get to the USA."

3. Where are you getting marred? "We will have a civil wedding, followed by a small wedding party then later a ceremony & party back here in Nam so our families can meet".

He then asked about about my name. I go by my middle name & there was a little confusion on that point. I filled him in on some family history of this name & he made a joke to my fiance that she should know what our son's name was going to be. The CO says " "Congratulations. I wish you both the very best." He slam-stamped the pink paper declaring "Please arrive on June 29 to pick up your visa". I took the paper - the stamp had the same date as he stated. I smiled big and bright and gave both him & the translator a hearty "THANK YOU!". I let out a big hoot as we left the building. The guards only smiled at me.

I could not believe they did not look at a single shred of evidence. Not even a picture. I did not front load the petition... I followed the instructions exactly as I understood them. There were only 2 pictures in our i129f petition... both of them taken at the Dinh Hon.. one was of me putting the ring on her finger, the other was her family all gathered around. Our Dinh Hon was small... about 20 people max. 60 at the party. Why did we sail thru the interview then? I don't know for certain. I think me being there and making sure they knew I was there early may have helped. I think we had manageable red flags. We were careful to follow the instructions EXACTLY as we understood them throughout the process. Our docs & pics were immaculate, but I don't see how they could have known that in advance. Perhaps it was just getting close to lunch & our CO was getting hungry. But I feel we did everything we could have done. Had we gotten blue, I'd have just shaken it off & gotten them what they asked for.

When I think back at the countless hours spent preparing a beautifully formatted OpenOffice spreadsheet of some 90 pictures, all the other documents as well as all the paper and ink, and more than anything, the anguish of the process... the HANDWRINGING. I have to say the US government actually does a pretty good job. Clearly this Consulate is special in the world, both in the volume it processes and in the amount of fraud they attempt to weed out. I felt they were understaffed at several points along the way. They did make some mistakes. The waiting area was too hot. I also think they should allow a B2-type visit while you are waiting. But its hard to argue with this result!

No visa in hand yet, but barring a disaster, I think we are money now. A very special thanks to all those who have helped us find our way along our visa journey. This site is really a god send in helping one make the best possible outcome in what can at times be a very daunting task

Good luck to all of you who who follow.

OK thanks guys.

From pkt 4

Please note that the DS-160 form is NOT acceptable for K visa applicants. Each applicant listed in the appointment letter must complete in English the following forms. Sign all pages except the form DS-156K; ..........

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/hochiminh/174995/iv-forms/K-Appointment-122020-2.pdf

Yeah sorry I mean DS-156. is there a way to modify the topic title?

We are filling out the DS-160 in prep for our interview in a few days. The form is asking for her passport's place of issue. I naturally expect the question on the form has been incorrectly framed. I believe they meant to just ask for "place of issue", whatever the passport says. However, they specifically ask for the city, so we put the city. While logical, I have found Uncle Sam doesn't care too much about logic and expects you to compensate for their foibles, "or else".

We already submitted & printed, so I guess its done? Can you even go back and do it again?

Anyway Im just curious how other's handled this. I saw one post where they also put the city and had no issue.

Forgot to mention.. her passport shows the name of some company where the passport was issued. It does not show a city at all.

We are filling out the DS-160 in prep for our interview in a few days. The form is asking for her passport's place of issue. I naturally expect the question on the form has been incorrectly framed. I believe they meant to just ask for "place of issue", whatever the passport says. However, they specifically ask for the city, so we put the city. While logical, I have found Uncle Sam doesn't care too much about logic and expects you to compensate for their foibles, "or else".

We already submitted & printed, so I guess its done? Can you even go back and do it again?

Anyway Im just curious how other's handled this. I saw one post where they also put the city and had no issue.

If you're worried about your SO flying, get them one of these. Just point at what you're looking for.

Only met one person who hates flying? Meet another! *I* hate flying. The heights don't scare me.. other than the potential problems they create if your craft should falter. As an engineer, I think of how so many millions of parts must work perfectly ( or nearly perfectly )to make that flight happen. And I know how things can fail... esp when economies are bad & cost cutting abounds.

I would point out that the main concern many here might have should not be for the actual flights. Rather, it would be difficulty of navigating the connections & the fear of the CO lines.. esp at a big airport like LAX. Those things obviously scale pretty well inversely with knowledge of English. But, I personally rather be there for my honey... Its a small effort to get our life in the USA off to the best possible start.

I flew with my honey to Da Nang. First flight for her & her sister. They handled it like it was nuthin.

Thank you for providing this information. Funny analogies too!

Quick note on the phone system.. I don't think they talk to you at all anymore. I found a # from the NVC that got me an operator at the HCMC Consulate and all she would say is "How did you get this #? You have to use email"