biggish data

Estimate of interview

Just a quick question. If I file my I129f by March 25, whats a good estimate of my fiancees interview date?

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-02-16 19:32:00

wife left

I read this kind of stuff and it makes me sad. I'm bringing my khmay fiancee back from Vietnam and couldn't imagine her doing that. She's a good old fashioned country girl with great family morals. Good luck. I pray for you.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-02-13 20:02:00

Delay in getting a Visa

My wife got the visa after she submit the pink paper on March 17. I leaving to Vietnam on April 1 and fly back to USA I am bring back my wife. I already arrange to sit by my wife on the plane all the way back to USA. I can't hardly wait. All the waiting and missing each other everyday and the countless tears finally we can be together forever. It a great feeling and after this experience it just my marriage stronger. Good luck to everybody and it worth the wait for someone special.

Congrats, I too long for that day!

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-03-17 20:24:00

Anthony Bourdain

Is it a re run? I saw one where he was in Saigon last year.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-03-25 22:18:00

Death

Thanks for the the advice, I've been trying to purchase items for the alter, but being from Eastern Iowa we have a large Vietnam community but only a handful of Khamer Krom being that there into Theravada Buddhism the statues are different so I will have to travel to the Chicago or wait until I go back to Vietnam in August and bring one back. I have plenty of time to prepare for her arrival. We talked about it last night and with no family in America other than the her old neighbor, we will be sending money back to her mother. She is very devout in her buddhism and traditions and being a country(rural) girl she has not experienced a lot of what the big city woman do. She was amazed at all the technology when we visited Saigon, to me it was like being in most big cities other than the fact a half a million moto's on the the streets. Thanks once again.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-04-02 14:29:00

Death

We really haven't talked about it. I was hoping some one from ethnic background could help me answer it. I'm up for it or at least send money back to Vietnam to help pay for the event.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-04-01 21:54:00

Death

Hopefully this question is not too stupid. My wife to be celebrates the passing of her grandmother and husband each year in April with big dinners for about 200 people in her village. When she come to the states should we celebrate by cooking and honoring her loved ones? She is Khmer Krom and I want her adhere to her cultures here even though she is married to an American.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-03-31 22:41:00

My first trip

Guys,

I am taking my first trip to VN in February and I received my passport WITH the visa inside, today. I have some questions. On the tourist visa application form, I put my SO's parents address as the contact/sponsor address. She still lives with her parents and I want to stay at their house. I want to respect the local VN customs and I hear it may not be a good idea to do this. I was thinking of staying at a hotel, but i already put her parents address on the visa application. If I do stay in a hotel, would it be better if I stay alone? I dont know if its good to have a person of the opposite sex stay with me in the hotel either. What do you guys think? Let me know as soon as possible because I am getting ready for a great time in VN

Carl

I went in December to engage and meet my fiancée for the first time. My new family insisted that I stay with them. My fiancée is Cambodian living in South Vietnam so I don't know much about Vietnam Culture. It's a good way to get to know the family and your gf seeing them in there everyday life. Hope you like the food, the area I was in was almost 8 hours south of Saigon so there was no american food or any other Americans in the town. I didn't mind because I love the food. good luck and enjoy your visit. I will be back in Vietnam for my wifes interview, keeping my fingers crossed when that day comes.... Rich

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-01-23 09:11:00

Sorry I did not pay attention to your dates, this is a link from San Fran on the 30th to Aug 22nd and it is $1688 on china airlines

http://www.orbitz.co...ge=interstitial

If you can leave on the 28th this one shows $1474 with 2 stops from San Fran and comes back on the 22nd with phillipine air

http://www.orbitz.co...ge=interstitial

Im from Iowa, pretty expensive to get to San fran, I only have about 16,000 sky miles with delta. If i have to pay 2000 plus, I will, maybe I WILL GET LUCKY. i WILL CHECK THE THE 28TH FOR CHEAPER FLIGHTS

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-06-04 22:52:00

I flew delta in december also, might been on the same plane.

Minneapolis to Tokyo to Saigon.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-06-04 22:25:00

Delta.. I hate the flight attendants but they gave me a decent pricein Dec.. American was who I got really cheap in Nov.... but I flew through DFW that time...

I flew delta in december also, might been on the same plane.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-06-04 22:04:00

look to see how much it would cost out of minneapolis.. delta runs alot of flights to Japan from there.. could be worth a rental car and a drive to fly from there...

What carrier? I wanna call. I'm getting desperate.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-06-04 21:37:00

Other major hubs often have sales prices though...and also, check prices from the carriers directly. Sometimes they post flight specials that are limited time offers. If you're flexible, you should price out flights 3-6 months for best pricing...

I had to take my vacation by August 23rd. I have no other options

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-06-04 21:33:00

It's hard to believe the lady that booked my flight last time, hasn't been able to book me for 3 weeks and the one I called today won't get back to me.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-06-04 21:28:00

I tried explaining to Thuy that this is the expensive time of the year.. right up there with Christmas and Tet... Hard to believe it cost me just over $700 RT from Fl to HaNoi last Nov... now around 2k on the low end...

Sayha, feels the same way. I paid 2100 for two tickets in December. Now it looks like I will pay 2,000 for one. I assured her I would go at any cost. I knew working 2 jobs would pay off sometime.

Try flying from a major hub like NYC or San Francisco or Seattle. Domestic flights are MUCH cheaper, so if you can find a flight from one of the major hubs for about 1000 you'll save 500-1000....

Major Hub would be Chicago and not much cheaper than from my small Illinois airport.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-06-04 21:22:00

contact a VN travel agent here in the US... You could save 20% or more... try h&l travel .. 727-526-0981 or 727-526-3002...
others in Houston or Cali may have #'s

Thanks, she's checking flights now.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-06-04 19:09:00

Want to leave for Vietnam anywhere from July 30 or around the first and arrive back August 22, I know this is a expensive month anybody know of any good deals, I've priced them at about 2000 dollars or more. I could leave from Chicago, Illinois. Got any suggestions?

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-06-04 18:36:00

Pink! Pink!

The ticket was too pricey, it was $1380 for one way ticket. I booked 1 week in advance.

I just paid $1995 for my round trip ticket to Vietnam for July 28. I bought 2 round trip tickets in December for $2100. Congrats!!

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-06-25 20:42:00

They are just as bad in central Vietnam. When I was there last August they were biting the ####### out of everyone, and they had to sleep under mosquito nets, but they wouldn't touch me. I guess I don't taste good.

The repellent she lights is probably citronel. It works pretty good, if you stay really close to the candle. More than a few feet away and it's practically useless.

I think your right, the candle sits next to the bed, ive managed to step on it twice getting out of bed. The mosquito net impedes my fan so i'm in no win win situation. lol

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-08-07 01:23:00

mr 2000 from reading some of your posts here on vj i assum that you never been to vietnam before , if that the case then here are some advices . vietnam is tough to get to , tough to live there and even tougher to bring back a wife . am going to viet nam again in september , using korean air , this gona cost me like 1.1k and i did buy my ticket like 2 months in advantage.from boston i will have to take 4 different airplanes just to hit central viet nam .....intotal 36 hours . normally i will try to travel light in vietnam , and bring along plenty of anti food poisonning pills , anti diaria pills , bug repellants and minimum 3k in us dollars(hide that in your boot if you have to). if you gona stay at your girl place have her take you to the town police deparment and fill out a "temporarry resident register form"(or wut ever the hell they call it) and ask to keep a coppy.this is important because you will need that to show the us consulate in saigon that you and your girl did live togetther. good luck with your trip .

From the info i gathered from my attorney,that police report doesnt mean a thing. My last one cost me 140 U.S dollars. Your proof is your boarding tickets,passport stamps,pictures plus your officially getting married. No need to hide money,Maybe a money pouch ive carried several thousands dollars without worry, try explaining 3000 dollars hiding in your shoe, it would be hard at least for me since I speak very little Vietnamese and more Cambodian. If not mistaken you can carry 12,000 usd, don't quote me on that. Enjoy your trip your loved one will take good care of you and won't let anyone take advantage of you.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-08-07 00:42:00

Agreed. I have 2 bottles of Off that I've never had to use. In a year and a half I've only been bitten a few times.

I'd like to be were your at, I'm 7 hours south of Saigon and there making a meal out of me. I do have off and she lights some sort of repellant at night.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-08-07 00:24:00

I'd advise going through a Vietnamese travel agency, I'm in Vietnam as we speak and I paid 2,000 dollars, the same flight was advertised on the net for 2500 on up to 3600. I could of went through Korean Air but had double booked being impatient with my the first travel agency for about 1600. I went with United and will never fly again,lost my baggage, the food was terriable as was the service. I will continue my greviance when I get stateside. Good luck with your flight.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-08-07 00:17:00

Cash

Thats old info on that site.. the link I posted was for the VN govt customs office current 2010 guidelines...

Not to change the subject but whats the best way to send money when I go to buy my fiancees and her childrens plane tiickets when the time comes. I thought about sending my attorney money through paypal so she can get them but i'm not sure if he would pay a fee or have to claim a large amount of money on taxes or any other charges? I use ABC money xfers to send money to her because they give her american money with a charge to me of about $4.50 per $100 U.S dollars.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-08-10 19:02:00

Cash

Does anyone know the most amount of cash one can bring into Vietnam without tariff?

I never really gave it much thought . I've always carrried a money pouch underneath my jeans. i had several thousands dollars each time. I would of used my credit card but i'm in the country side several hours south of Saigon never saw an atm or a lady that would take 20,000 dong off my credit card for some fruit. Take Scotts advice, or google it.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-08-10 08:00:00

Long distance relationship...suck.

My wife and I have been Skyping since November 2008 and it's now March 2010. I'm in the US and she's in Taiwan. We talk from 6am to 10am and from 6pm to 1:00am every day. We would talk more but because of the 14 hour time difference we have to sleep sometimes, lol. When she has to go out, she instant messages me or texts me using Yahoo Instant Messenger and vice versa. Yahoo sends a local text if you are offline, so we can use the Yahoo service for international texting. This way we can minimize any international fees. Most importantly we use these communication methods for peace of mind to ensure that we are both safe. Worrying about a loved one 8,000 miles away can make the other feel helpless, and by doing this, we both feel a little more secure. I spent a great deal of money last year to fly to see my wife every other month for between 2 to 3 weeks at a time. Fortunately I am self employed so I can work remotely. We use the Skype video more of a window into each others lives. We will chat for a bit which helps with keeping a historical log over time, and then we will call each other for video conferencing and leave this "window" open until it's time for bed for either one of us. We use this time to talk about our day, about our status, and anything that comes to mind. She tells me about political dramas in Taiwan that she watches on TV or something funny her friend did or she shows me her dog and what she's been doing. She tells me about the current weather, and what she will be doing today or tomorrow or next week. We both have iPhones and we'll share games that we like to play, or we'll compare scores. Sometimes I'm helping her optimize her computer. The other day I found out her Mac wasn't giving her visual chat notifications when we talked to each other, so we researched the problem together and solved it. There never seems to be a shortage of things to talk about. Of course I must say that my wife is the first person I've ever felt such a strong connection with that we can talk for hours on end without feeling uncomfortable. We try to avoid discussing the unfairness of the situation, though we frequently remind each other how much we miss and love each other. Sometimes if we have an argument, I will tell her that if we were in person, I would be holding her and kissing her right now, and that helps to diffuse things because she knows that when we are together, everything is wonderful.

Maintaining a long distance relationship today is much easier than 15 years ago when we didn't have the technology that is available today. I can use Skype to call her land line for a few pennies a minute instead of dollars a minute the traditional way. I sure wish we had some way to teleport ourselves for a few minutes or hours at a time, lol. For now, yes it sucks big time, but it's the best we can do and just have to make the most of it. Our love is worth it, and I vowed to do anything and everything possible for her so that we can be together forever.

Your story is awesome. I too talk so much and skype, she being over 8,000 plus miles away that is only way you can have a peace of mind knowing she is safe. i hate the fact that she has to drive a Moto, driving conditions not very good.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-03-14 17:30:00

Long distance relationship...suck.

When I first met my lady, she couldn't speak a lick of English so imagine our conversations, she hired a teacher and it started to improve. Let's say since I got back from Vietnam we talk about 3,000 to 4,000 minutes a month and that doesn't include our video talks on skype. I work 70 hours a week,just to hear her voice keeps my battery's charged. Start talking about her life to be in the States, what kind of work does she want to do, does she want children, even if its the same conversation from her I don't mind. It might be different for the men that can speak your ladies language but I can only speak a little Cambodian and and maybe 4 words in Vietnamese.

Check out skype, seeing your lady helps so much. I payed 500 usd and she bought a used lab top, but she's 8 hours south of Saigon so not many choices. Good luck.

Edited by Sayha or bust., 14 March 2010 - 08:00 AM.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-03-14 07:59:00

You are not allowed in the consulate during interview. I possibly could go in a few days later depending on the evidence they want. I will follow my lawyer advice to the tee, he is very experienced in Immigration plus he lives there. Like I said, it's not that i don't want to be there,it's not an issue of money. If I don't have a job to come back to, then she don't come over. Thanks Kenny as time gets closer to interview, and if recommended I will get on that plane for 19 hours not counting the layovers and convince whoever that our relationship is real and I have all the means to take care of her and the children.

This may not be the rignt time to say this, but I feel it's an important time for the two of you.. Not going to the interview is kind of like not going to the wedding (in my mind).. I've been telling my employer since before I started the Process that I would need this time to make the trip...

If your fiancee can't speak good English or Vietnamese, I would think you being there would be even more crucial since you may need to help her through the interview.. In addition, it may help her be more at ease through a rather stressful day.. Maybe it's just me and my particular situation, but with everything I've been through to get to this point, there's no way I would consider not being there.. I received my interview date late last week, I purchased the Plane tickets the next day...

It's My Opinion, Granted, but I believe, you gotta go man!

Kenny

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-09-04 11:54:00

At this point no, if she goes into Ap, I'm hoping our lawyer can submit any paperwork we might need. My job right now is very busy going into the 3rd quarter. 2 or 3 months from now when it get close to interview who know's i might jump on a plane and make the trip.

Are you considering being at the interview?

Being there may help a lot...

Kenny

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-09-04 10:50:00

Her initial interview with the lawyer in January, he pointed out her English and Vietnamese was not good, and worried about how much she could communicate with me. She has been tutored for well over a year and the fact we talk 3,000 to 4,000 minutes a month along with skype she has improved tremendously. I have no problem understanding her and she takes in a lot of what I say. My lawyer really never said much about red flags and he's not the type of man to get my hopes up. One thing he did say is "If your love is real and you don't give up on her, she will be with you". So everyday are talks are more geared up for the interview along with more emails about my life history. I know I could be in for a long ride and will do what it take to get her here. I was just hoping there has been more approvals lately. My lawyer did mention the part of Vietnam she lives in and Ethnic group she's from wasn't high on the list for fraud and sham marriages. I pray every day and work hard knowing as one day passes, it's one day closer she will be with me.

I heard the consulate uses Lexis Nexis, but it doesn't matter. Not every charge or conviction will come up with every background check agency. Anyway, that's not the sort of "red flag" I was talking about. I was referring more to things the consulate considers to be an indicator that the relationship may be a sham for immigration purposes.

We've done red flag bullet lists in the past, but I kinda hate to do that sort of thing. Something that might be a red flag in one case might be completely innocent in another. Some things look completely innocent until viewed through the light of other circumstances, and then they become glaring red flags. I used the example of the one visit/engagement because it's a common red flag that has resulted in many people ultimately being denied.

It's a common misconception that being a government employee, or working in a field where you have close government contacts, might improve your chances. It ain't true. The only thing that might might a difference, in this respect, is if the guy/girl standing on the other side of the glass window at the consulate interview happens to be a personal friend of yours. Short of that, they don't care who you work for. They just care if you clearly make enough to meet the income requirements to sponsor an immigrant. It also helps if your income is very well above the minimum requirements, as this helps put you above suspicion of being paid by her family to help her immigrate.

Does your attorney see any problems with your case?

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-09-03 20:30:00

I hired an attorney over in Saigon, he had me pull a first choice which came back fine, I had an assault a fight with another man(1994)It didn't come back on the criminal report of the first choice. We did file it under imbra on the I -129, we also told how we were introduced, long story short I saw her on my co workers marriage video and inquired about her, his wife happened to be her neighbor and found out she never married again after her husband passed away. That was something we addressed in our petition so hopefully were good on those issues. I will make more trips if necessary but I do work for a company thats very competitive and hard to get time off other than your vacation. I work with a company that does a lot of government contracts in defense and life support, could that be a plus in the process? Never really talked about it with my lawyer.

The K1 general forum is probably not a good place to ask questions that are very specifically about the consulate in Vietnam, and also depend heavily on your particular case.

The odds of being approved the first time vary radically depending on the red flags in your case. Frontloading your petition with evidence may help to mitigate some red flags, but only if the evidence specifically addresses the red flags. Some things, more often than not, are the kiss of doom, no matter how you try to address them. For example, if the petitioner made only one trip to Vietnam and had a simple engagement ceremony on that first trip then the odds of the visa being denied are pretty high. Some have done this and succeeded. Many many more have failed.

It's unlikely they'll have either a consular officer or translator who speaks Cambodian. Interviews are conducted either in English or Vietnamese. Unfortunately, she cannot bring a translator with her.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-09-03 19:12:00

My fiancée just received her first letter in Vietnam, we estimate interview within the next 2 to 3 months. With a well prepared case(front loaded) , she should be able to answer all the Co's questions, realistically what are her chances of getting Pink the first time around? what seems to be the trend lately of approvals in Vietnam? Vietnamese is a second language to her , her being Cambodian( Khmer Krom) is there a possibility of having the interview in Cambodian? Her English is fair and improving each week.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-09-03 15:13:00

First, it should be clearly understood that this is up to the discretion of the consular officer, and they have a LOT of discretion. There is no clearly defined finish line you can cross and say you've made it. It's up to them to decide where the finish line is, using the guidance in the Foreign Affairs Manual. I read a DoS policy memorandum the other day that said a consular officer should deny a visa in the case of an applicant who the consular officer believes will not be able to support themselves, who will have unusually high expenses (medical treatment, for example), and who has a sponsor who barely qualifies. The same memorandum says they may deny an applicant who has a sponsor who qualifies if they have evidence that the sponsor has extraordinary expenses that significantly reduce the income they will have available to support the applicant. In other words, even though we routinely advise people that private debts are not considered, the memorandum indicates that they may be considered if the consular thinks they are relevant, and has evidence of them.

On the transcript your pre-tax income will be labeled "TOTAL INCOME", presuming you filed a 1040. If this figure is lower than your W2 income then you had some deductions that the consulate is allowed to consider. You won't be able to argue with them to accept the W2 figure and not the total income figure. If you have evidence that your current income is higher than your tax return income then provide it, by all means, but don't expect to persuade them that your income in a given tax year was higher than your transcript indicates. They won't buy it.

I've seen the guidelines on the HCMC consulate website, as well as other consulate websites, and even the DoS travel website. I'm not buying it. I've seen too many people denied who qualified at 100% but not at 125%. It also wouldn't make any sense. Why would they issue a visa to someone knowing that they won't have a qualified sponsor when it comes time to adjust status? This policy makes sense for many other kinds of non-immigrant visas, but I don't think it makes sense for a K visa where the visa holder is going to become an immigrant. If I were you, I'd play it safe and presume the threshold is 125%.

My primary job puts me over the 125% by about $3,220. I have 401 k,life insurance, some assets that can turned into cash. With narrowly exceeding the 125% i thought it would be wise to include the partime job, like I said that would only add 8,000 to the gross. What do you think? I have private health care through my job does that help in considering financial part of the visa?

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-09-10 18:02:00

The consular officer may ask to inspect the original document of any copy submitted with the petition, like a divorce decree or birth certificate. They can also ask to inspect the original of any evidence submitted, like boarding passes or receipts. They would usually only do this if there is something about the copy that's suspicious, like if it looks like it's been tampered with. This doesn't happen very often, but it's better if she's got everything at the interview rather than risking a blue slip.

You don't need to include W2's with IRS transcripts.

Jim, Do you agree with sending the w2? My transcripts do not show any pre tax income that I can see unless I'm not reading it right. Although my employment letter states my yearly gross. I went out and got a part time job which will add $8,000 yearly (I haven't requested an employment record as of yet?). I qualify with just showing one job on either the 134 a or the 864 but just wanted to play it safe beings that I'm dealing with Vietnam. I'm a bit confused as what the 134a poverty lines are? I read on U.S consulate web page at HCHM they use100 % poverty guidelines. i understand the Aos (864 requires 125%). thanks Rich

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-09-10 05:31:00

Having the W2's can be helpful if you have a lot of pre-tax deductions.

If that's true than that will add close to 5,000 dollars to my line 22. Thanks

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-09-09 18:09:00

I was told once Vietnam gets the Visa ap (K1), I have submit continuing proof of relationship, all original letters, and supporting documents to my fiancée. I sent copies of everything with app when it was in the states, Why originals now? Do I need to attach my w-2, with an official Irs transcript ?

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-09-08 20:02:00

Can you check case status at U.s Consulate via the internet?

Fiancée received her first letter from U.S consulate dated August 23. She has not received anything since, shouldn't she have received the second letter by now? She has a case number can you check online for case status?

Edited by Sayha or bust., 20 September 2010 - 06:09 PM.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-09-20 18:08:00

International mailing and questions about continuing proof of relationship.

Why cut corners now after I've spent over 16,000 dollars the last year and a half. I will send fed X. Thanks for your advice.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-09-30 05:25:00

International mailing and questions about continuing proof of relationship.

DHL is contracted through Nex worldwide Express. So it will be DHL picking up my package and delivering it to Vietnam to my lawyer.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-09-29 22:49:00

International mailing and questions about continuing proof of relationship.

Anyone heard of Nex world wide express. they tell me its actually DHL that delivers in Vietnam plus its a lot cheaper than actual dhl rates. Do you think they can be trusted? Im very nervous sending all originals of proof of relationship, had a lot of problems with my letters getting to my fiancée, they seemed to never make it granted she 's 7 hours south of Saigon, they lost 5 or 6 of my letters the last 6 months.

Edited by Sayha or bust., 29 September 2010 - 08:49 PM.

Sayha or bust.

Male

Vietnam (no flag)

2010-09-29 20:45:00