ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Asia: East and PacificA couple K1 questions for HCMC
The new form is on the USCIS website now.
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-06-18 16:25:00
Asia: East and PacificJudicial official arrested in Vietnam for faking marriage papers

Corruption has been, is and will always be the national problem in Vietnam.


Looking at it subjectively, you're going to find corruption regardless of where you live, it all depends on how hard you look. Some countries are better than others at hiding corruption, or they take on other forms less obvious. Personally, I can afford a $12 or $200 bribe... it's much more expensive to get the same results here in the U.S... Think of it as the cost of doing business :innocent:
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-06-25 12:51:00
Asia: East and PacificInterview: English or Vietnamese
I'm probably getting ahead of myself, but will it be better to have my wife speak English or Vietnamese at the interview? Her English is 90% fluent - she works for a Swiss multinational and uses English on a daily basis. I've heard rumors that it's a bad idea to use English at the interview.....?

Thanks,
Phong
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-06-26 19:36:00
Asia: East and PacificMatt_Stevens Interview Rally
This is it... today's the day! Good Luck!
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-06-26 19:37:00
Asia: East and PacificWhere did everyone go?
I'm here.... It's been a week since my K-3 RFE was supposedly sent and still no paper RFE. GRRRRR.
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-07-07 08:04:00
Asia: East and PacificCan she get a Hong Kong visa?

Good to hear! :thumbs:

How long did it take to get the visa, and how long can she stay?


I'm not sure because Mai set up the entire trip in Vietnam. I just showed up :) You should have your fiance call and ask the travel agencies.
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-07-09 10:01:00
Asia: East and PacificCan she get a Hong Kong visa?
I don't see any problems with doing this. Tourist visas for Hong Kong are relatively easy and inexpensive for Vietnamese residents to get (we went through VietTravel). I think they're not afraid of emigration because the cost of living is so high in HK. If you have a U.S. passport, you don't need a travel visa to enter/leave HK.

Good luck! Mai and I had a wonderful time there.
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-07-08 12:22:00
Asia: East and PacificHELP ME MY AUSSIE FRIENDS

I want favors that are "Australian" to make the wedding a bit more personal...err the reception. It's ok if it's typical "American"ized AUssie stuff...I know how the typical American thinks.

Right now all i've got are personalized wine labels on bottles of Aussie wine.


Any other idea? Hmm cadbury chocolate maybe?



Baby kangaroos for everyone! I'd probably ####### myself if someone gave me a baby kangaroo. :P
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-07-17 14:47:00
Asia: East and PacificCR-1 interview by December?
My CR-1 process is progressing nicely. It's only been three months since I started the entire process and I've already paid the AOS Fee Bill at NVC.

Can someone look at my timeline and tell me what my chances are of having an interview date by December/January? I'm trying to plan a trip to Vietnam to see my honey during the holiday season, but if it's going to be close to the interview date then I would rather wait. Then again, I'd like to purchase the plane tickets in advance to get better pricing.

Thanks!
Phong
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-09-06 09:13:00
Asia: East and PacificFastest Safest Mail to HCMC,Vn????
I've used FedEx and have been very happy with them. They were the cheapest and fastest. I sent some documents on Saturday morning, and they were in my wife's hands on Monday morning (local time). I was amazed. Stay away from UPS/USPS if possible.
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-09-20 22:02:00
Asia: East and PacificContinueng my study in the US?
It really depends on when you get here. If you get here early in the school year, they may let you enroll as a senior (or even a junior if you're lucky). I presume you'd like to get as much "free" education as possible. I remember when my cousin came here from Vietnam - he was 18, but they enrolled him as a junior. As a result, he got an extra year of ESL (English as a Second Language) class.

It also depends on what your education goals are. Do you just want to finish your high school or go to college? If you don't need the high school English classes (you write very well, BTW), then you could finish out your senior year in Vietnam and then take a high school equivalency exam when you get here for your college application.


Good luck!
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-09-22 08:30:00
Asia: East and PacificVietnam Police Records
Thanks! That's what my wife said, but I doubted her. I won't tell her though... she might get a big head ;-)

Ha, state of the art... good one.

Edited by phong_mai, 24 September 2006 - 01:12 PM.

phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-09-24 13:11:00
Asia: East and PacificVietnam Police Records
It's almost time for my wife to obtain her police certificates. I've heard mixed messages on where she needs to obtain her certificates.

Background:
My wife lived in the province of An Giang until the age of 18, when she moved to HCMC to attend college. Her family registration (Ho Khau) is still in An Giang province.

Question is, will she need police certificates from both places?

Thanks!
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-09-24 09:57:00
Asia: East and PacificIs the CR1 interview different from the K1 interview?
They're the same, but different. I've heard that the K1 visas are looked at more stringently because they're the quickest way for a foreign national to get into the U.S. and therefore more "suspicious". In either case, you still have to give proof of an ongoing relationship in the form of phone bills, emails, letters, pictures, etc...

Don't worry about having the beneficiary's name on all your assets. It would be absurd to have medical insurance for someone not even in the U.S.
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-09-29 12:54:00
Asia: East and PacificBirth Certificate Translation

Don't know what country you're from originally! But, I translated my own BC and get a friend who signed the form says: I swear I am fluenced in vietnamese! Done! Attach it with your "translated" BC. Nobody ever asked or questioned about my BC.

Good luck



You just need to certify (via written statement) that you're fluent in the language of the original documents and that you're competent to make such translations. I also had mine notarized to make it more "official".

Saying you're "fluenced" might void the entire translation :lol:
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-10-03 15:21:00
Asia: East and PacificThings have sped up I think
Congratulations!!! Enjoy your new life together :)
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-10-06 08:55:00
Asia: East and PacificNeed better service then Yahoo Messinger
Just tried skype the other day. The quality is much better than Yahoo and the video doesn't freeze at random like Yahoo does. I'm hooked!
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-10-08 20:24:00
Asia: East and PacificI am changing my name....questions
Oops, nevermind... I misread your post.

Edited by phong_mai, 08 October 2006 - 08:22 PM.

phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-10-08 20:21:00
Asia: East and PacificImmigrant Visa Photos
I received a "PHOTO REQUIREMENTS FOR IMMIGRANT VISAS" sheet inside my DS-230 packet. Was I supposed to submit these photos with my DS-230 application? The instruction sheet from NVC only mentioned the DS-230 Part I and photocopy of passport biographic page.
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-10-14 12:15:00
Asia: East and PacificWhy don't vietnamese people like Mexican food?
Hmmm, I never really even thought about this... My parents will eat Mexican food but I don't think they would say they "like" it. I personally like tacos/burritos/enchiladas, etc... I'll have to follow-up when Mai gets here :)
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-11-26 22:37:00
Asia: East and PacificInterview date received
Congratulations! Can you tell me when your case was forwarded to the consulate? Also, did you have to email the consulate or did they get your email address off of one of the applications?

Thanks :)
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-12-13 08:56:00
Asia: East and PacificGot the pink slip!
Congratulations!!! Your case reached the consulate about the same time as mine so I'm expecting an interview date after Tet.
phong+maiMaleVietnam2007-02-15 14:32:00
Asia: East and PacificInterview date received!

March 7, 2007!!!!! Yippeeeeeeeee!!!!


Will it be necessary for me to prepare my 2006 taxes?


You should prepare your 2006's tax if you could. The more update and clearly information, the more earsier for her to pass the first round at the Vietnamese staff in the Consulate.

Best wishes to you,
Hien




I know I should prepare them, but are they absolutely necessary? What is the cut-off date for tax dates? Reason I'm asking is I would have to apply for an ITIN for my wife, which seems silly since she will be receiving a social security number in another month or so.
phong+maiMaleVietnam2007-02-21 14:50:00
Asia: East and PacificInterview date received!
March 7, 2007!!!!! Yippeeeeeeeee!!!!


Will it be necessary for me to prepare my 2006 taxes?
phong+maiMaleVietnam2007-02-21 10:20:00
Asia: East and PacificInterview rally for quintaris and Phong + Mai

It is 10:33AM on the 7th in Saigon now. You must be on edge now. Relax, my friend. Have a glass of wine, smoke a cigarette, take a walk ... :) Good luck. I am waiting for the good news.


Actually it's 9:37AM on the 6th :)
phong+maiMaleVietnam2007-03-05 21:36:00
Asia: East and PacificInterview rally for quintaris and Phong + Mai
Just 24 more hours........ sighhhhhhhhhhhh...............

:) thanks for the support guys.
phong+maiMaleVietnam2007-03-05 20:53:00
Asia: East and PacificOMG, PINK!!!

Happy for you. 10 months is too long!

I'm kind of new here and don't know why you abandoned the K-3 for the CR-1. It looks like you had both going at the same time for a bit.



We were making good progress on the CR-1 so we decided to abandon the K3 to avoid the whole AOS process. Also, she wanted to finish out her year with her employer so that she could collect her annual bonus money. Following through with the K3 would have also meant that she would have arrived here during the coldest months of the year. Everyone has different priorities and timelines, it just so happens that dropping the K3 was the most sensible thing for us. Looking back, I have no regrets.

Cheers :)

Edited by phong+mai, 10 March 2007 - 03:32 PM.

phong+maiMaleVietnam2007-03-10 15:32:00
Asia: East and PacificOMG, PINK!!!
Today is one of the happiest days of my life! My wife who I haven't seen in 10 months passed her interview today. It's an incredible feeling that I hope you all get to experience soon.

Recap for those who care:

Her appointment was at 8AM. She got there at 6:30 and stood in line until 7:30 when they let her in. From there, it was more waiting until she got called up to the window. They asked her approximately 20 questions from "How did you guys meet?" to "What does your husband do for a living?". They didn't care about the phone bills, 400+ pages of chats logs, pages upon pages of emails, cards, or gift receipts. The only thing they really examined were my 2006 W-2's and 2005 tax transcripts. After thumbing through all of our pictures from our honeymoon in Hong Kong, the CO smiled and pulled out a pink slip and directed her to another window. My wife was out of there by 10:00AM. She will have her visa on Friday!
phong+maiMaleVietnam2007-03-07 08:27:00
Asia: East and PacificRenewing a Vietnamese passport
My uncle is a permanent resident and his Vietnamese passport is almost expired. Does anyone know how he would go about getting it renewed?

Thanks!
phong+maiMaleVietnam2007-03-11 14:55:00
Asia: East and PacificPink Slip!!!
Congratulations!!! Enjoy your new life together :)
phong+maiMaleVietnam2007-03-06 10:35:00
Asia: East and PacificWhat's going in Saigon Now?
You're in a difficult situation man. On the one hand, your fiance obviously needs some professional help if she's going around and banging all these dudes. On the other hand, she would probably end up banging her psychologist. I would try talking to her, but try to avoid getting banged.



Good Luck!

Edited by phong+mai, 14 March 2007 - 12:42 PM.

phong+maiMaleVietnam2007-03-14 12:38:00
Asia: East and PacificWhat's going in Saigon Now?

I INVESTIGATED AND SHE DID NOT BANG ANY DUDE BESIDE ME . SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE LOVES ME AND WOULD NEVER BANG ANY DUDE WHEN SHES IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH ME.



But how can you know for sure? How well do you really know her? Do you think she would tell you if she did bang another dude?
phong+maiMaleVietnam2007-03-14 08:33:00
Asia: East and PacificWhat's going in Saigon Now?

Or she just lied and said that the charger was messed up and that she never paid her bills when in fact she was banging another dude...think about it.



That seems to be the only logical explanation to me... I can't believe you're even thinking of marrying her. Just think of all the dudes she's going to bang when she gets to the U.S.

























:devil:

Edited by phong+mai, 13 March 2007 - 02:06 PM.

phong+maiMaleVietnam2007-03-13 14:06:00
Asia: East and PacificTks to my Jesus: I made it
'bout time :) Congratulations.
phong+maiMaleVietnam2007-06-14 15:06:00
Asia: East and PacificNeed some advice
Thanks for your comments everyone. Please see my response in the main thread, I don't feel like typing it again :)
phong+maiMaleVietnam2007-06-19 12:17:00
Asia: East and PacificNeed some advice
Sorry, correct link: http://www.visajourn...showtopic=73229
phong+maiMaleVietnam2007-06-15 08:39:00
Asia: East and PacificNeed some advice
I've posted this in the "Moving here" section as it's not really immigration-related, but I was hoping to get some replies from people more familiar with our culture. Please have a look and let me know your thoughts:

CLICK: Wife wants to move to Seattle

Please reply to the other thread and not this one. Thanks!

Edited by phong+mai, 15 June 2007 - 07:43 AM.

phong+maiMaleVietnam2007-06-15 07:43:00
Asia: East and PacificBest way to communicate with your love one in VietNam
13.7 cents/minute is a very good rate. I think I pay $0.19/minute using a land line.

Yahoo and Skype is free for PC to PC calls (with webcam).

Make sure you have a provider that will send you a monthly history of your calls - you'll need them for the interview.
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-11-26 22:40:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)Packets 1, 2, 3...
I'm confused when people say they've received "Packet 3" from NVC. What's included in this packet? What was in packets 1 and 2?

I've paid both the AOS fee and IV fee. I'm guessing packet #2 is the Affidavit of Support and packet #3 is the DS-230?

Thanks,
Phong
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-09-20 21:58:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)Sorry I'm asking this......
I'm on track to be completed in 2-2.5 months.
phong+maiMaleVietnam2006-09-27 11:28:00