Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	What to wear for interview	i'm not even close to having done this myself, so take my comment accordingly... i would weigh it two ways: what does all your documentation show you as? all your passport photos? your pics with your tony, etc? you may want to remain consistent with that... on the other hand (you have diferent fingers)... as much as i really don't want to tell you not to be yourself, i wouldn't give the interviewer any reason to be offended and mess with your visa. personally, i think it would be fun. but who knows what kind of person you'll end up with there and if this person really hates teal hair (or what if it's an old lady with teal hair? haha), she could make things not so fun. since you're there to appease that interviewer, i would guess that maybe it would be helpful to keep things rolling smoothly if you tried to dress up a little (but comfy) so they feel you're serious about the interview. i imagine that i'll prolly be wearing something nice for ours (khaki pants? collar? oh my!), though i can't remember the last time that i haven't worn jeans or jean shorts (especially to work!). ttyl, mich	phirephly	Male	Philippines	2006-02-26 00:52:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-134 question	Can anyone help me ? Question 8 on I-134 : That the following person is dependent upon me for support.... - does my husband need to put my name there as his spouse ? We don't really understand what this question means. Question 11 : That I intend to make special contributions to the support of the person named in item 3 (that means me, his wife).... Does he need to answer this? Thanks a lot, I couldn't find any directions on filling out this form. Daniela I don't have the form in front of me right now, but 11 is the one where it gives examples like room, board, cash, ect, right? I think they do still want you to answer that, even for a K3, and I am trying to find the right wording for it to reinforce the fact that I care about my wife and intend to care for and support her every need during our whole life together (and even hers beyond mine, if that's how the cards play out). It's a pretty silly question for legit families like us, so I consider it an opportunity to show them how I feel about my wife and brag about how well I've tried to prepare for having someone in my life for whom I choose to be responsible to nuture, protect, and cherish. Even if they're not looking for a "real" answer there, I'd take the opportunity to make your case that much nicer. My statement would, of course, also still address the question and make sure they know I will be caring for her material, emotional, and spiritual needs (even though all they seem to care about is material). How to fit all this concisely on two lines is the devil of a trick that I'm trying to win I can't remember 8 off the top of my head (is that that grid? that confused me too), so I'll not even try to guess so i don't mess you up. ttyl, mich	phirephly	Male	Philippines	2006-03-04 06:15:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	tax return transcript????	just call the number on the form, follow the fairly simple automated dealie, and you can order all three of them at once (and even multiple copies of them all) automatically. I ordered the last three years and two copies of each... just in case. I received mine in a few days - maybe about a week. Easy, convenient, and fast. Why isn't immigration like this? haha.	phirephly	Male	Philippines	2006-04-04 22:15:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	I-134 question	These seem like silly questions, especially since I can't seem to find any previous questions about these, but oh well... On form I-134, question 8, it asks about dependents. This is the same as dependents for my taxes, right? Like children? My wife (for whom I am filing my K3) would not count in this? I'm not sure if they'd consider her that since she's immigrating and wouldn't have a job (and can't even get a job with a K3, right?). So I want to double check with the community here and see what the right answer is for me. Form I-134, question 10, it's asking about petitions submitted to the CIS. Since the K3 is an extension of the I-130, I don't put that down, right? My wife is the only person I've filed for. We did the CR-1, and the K3. So if these are the only petitions I've filed, I put none, or I put the I-130 that I filed for her previously? Thanks for your help. ttyl, mich	phirephly	Male	Philippines	2006-04-12 21:56:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	HAving Problem Accessing The Portfolio in USCIS Website	Yes I am getting same errors. I am no techie so I have no clue what is happening other than to guess that the site is being updated in some way. I am a techie (i work at a big internet company that you know), and uscis pushed out something that was obviously not tested very well (at all?) and is very very broken. You shouldn't see issues like this for any significantly large organization. There are numerous technologies to keep things like this from happening. It says it was built 15 Feb, so they've had two months to test it, but didn't do a very good job, it would appear. The case status online site is fairly pathetic in that it claims that it doesn't support any modern browser (netscape 4.7 is ancient) and that it appears to not even be scripted correctly. They could hire an college student for an internship to fix some of these very simple issues with their page. And why they're using Java... yikes. Your tax dollars hard at ... i mean being wasted. ttyl, mich	phirephly	Male	Philippines	2006-04-20 23:19:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	K-3 Spousal Visa	Now what if he has a job waiting for him, or if we get co-sponsored by my parents. Hmm...starting to think doing the K-1 Fiance visa route might work better for us. Just worried about the work situation. Even though I make decent money, he is in the position to earn higher and will be the primary bread winner in the house. As long as he is able to work legally in the US then I am pretty at ease. Co-sponsors will work, but I don't think they care if he has work lined up here. They're looking for current employment and financial resources, not prospective ones. For example, on the I-134 (usually for a fiance visa), you have to provide letters from your employer stating how much you make, how long you've been working there, etc and you also have to provide letters from your bank describing your account, when it was opened, how much you've deposited, etc. The I-864 requires tax information (was three years, word is that they're now just going to the last tax year), proof of employment, and in the form itself you have to show 125% of the poverty income. Nothing I've seen yet in these forms takes into account jobs or income that someone might have in the future, especially the immigrant. It's all the burden of the USC - and co-sponsors. If you're going to be more or less relying on your co-sponsors, you might have to take the marriage (CR-1/K3) route. I'm just skimming, but I don't see anything in the I-134 that lends itself to co-sponsors. You'll also want to double check what is required for a UK fiance visa - I-134 or I-864. If it's the I-134 and I'm right that you can't co-sponsor on that, then you will have to either get rich fast (and tell the rest of us how to do it ), or just go to marriage since the I-864 has co-sponsor stuff in it. I didn't have to deal with any of this, so I'm just kinda looking at the forms myself this way for the first time... so hopefully if I'm missing something, someone else will chime in Also note that according to the guides here: http://www.visajourn...om&page=compare that it can take 90 days before your fiance would be able to work if he came in on a K1... if he can find work that fast. He must be a doctor or something, huh? Hope this helps, for what it's worth. ttyl, mich	phirephly	Male	Philippines	2006-05-22 00:15:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	K-3 Spousal Visa	My boyfriend and I want to get married in the US and want to eventually reside in the US. Which is easier? Get married in the US as just a visitor then file the Spousal visa stuff (in the mean time going back to the UK until approved). Or do the Fiance Visa route. We want to make sure he can work as long as possible. I (the US citizen) am more flexible in not working. Hope that makes sense... 1. get married in US (also set up job for future) 2. start US Immigration K-3 spousal paperwork 3. go back to UK and file rest (or whatever he needs to do) and work 4. Move back to US with Spousal Visa Also: How long would that take to get the spousal visa? Howdy... You should definitely check out the processing times to see what you think... You'll want to check the USCIS for their processing times for your service center and your embassy. However, when you say that the reasoning for figuring out timing is so that he can work (in the UK) and it doesn't matter what you do, you have looked far enough ahead to note that whatever route you take, you will need to prove that you can support him here in the US and that his income means absolutely nothing to the people here, right? Maybe someone else will offer some more creative ideas, but at first glance here, it seems like you're putting all your eggs into the wrong basket and it will come back to bite you in the butt sooner than you'll like. ttyl, mich	phirephly	Male	Philippines	2006-05-21 23:10:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	the 60-90 day processing timeline	has anyone here ever been approved before the 60-90 days? or does that just not happen? it really sucks that things are taking this long...i swear to god i am in denial. our I-129f has a NOA date of may 2nd...will i get my interview by august? Are you talking about your NOA1 or NOA2? If you're talking about your NOA2, don't you have to have an interview by the last valid date on it? I don't know, but it would seem like it. Like our K3 NOA2 is only valid until the beginning of september. So we have to have our interview before that, right? So if you already have your NOA2, then I think the interview has to happen while the NOA2 is still valid. ttyl, mich	phirephly	Male	Philippines	2006-05-21 23:31:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Is this right?	Ok, I got my NOA 2 for the I130 today and as far as I can tell from the guide it doesn't really mean much since I am suppose to wait for the 129F NOA2 before I send all the paperwork over to my husband in England. Is that right? Also, I found a flowchart for the K1 but not the K3...is there one? Ally For the I130 petition (your IR-1/CR-1 visa), now you go to the NVC and you have to do a bunch of paperwork there. Check out all the info that aussie has compiled about the NVC process here: http://www.visajourn...p?showtopic=117 it also has a link to the excellent flowchart that really helps you see (and understand) the NVC process. This will still take a bit of time, though. My petition was approved three weeks ago and still hasn't arrived at the NVC. For the I-129f petition (your K3 visa), it still goes to the NVC, but from what I understand, it just passes through and goes to the embassy after that (you'll send paperwork as soon as you get the USCIS NOA2, according to the guide). I don't know if there's a flowchart for this one. I think that you just send a bunch of paperwork over after it passes through the NVC. If there is one, hopefully someone well comment about it... I'd like to see that too Remember these are two separate visas whose only connection is that you must have applied for one before you apply for the other So the I-130 NOA2 is significant in that your petition is on its way forward (and you may eventually just decide to abandon your K3 since the IR-1/CR-1 is way better). Hope this helps! ttyl, mich Edited by phirephly, 22 May 2006 - 06:28 PM.	phirephly	Male	Philippines	2006-05-22 18:27:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Vietnam tourist visa	Hi Vietnam, Well, Anh Thu* is kind of hard to pronounce for most of us. I found a Greek name that sounds very similar to her name: Antheia, Anthia, or Anthea which has a meaning of "Lady of flowers". So I asked her to see if she likes it and would be willing to use it. I figure that it would be easier for her to have an American 1st name, a Vietnamese middle name, and my American last name after we get married. She likes it and chose "Anthea" so now we are getting ready for her new name once she gets here. Thanks for changing it in your list. I changed it in the system and the timeline but I forgot about your pinned status list totally. Please pardon me for not mentioning it to you. Many thanks. Tony Alright Tony, what's up with the name change?	Tony/Anthea	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2006-11-05 17:50:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Vietnam tourist visa	Hi sealedkiss, I applied in person. However, I was told on that only call that I got through was the same fee applies. The only thing is that you have to provide a postage-paid return envelope. Tony Tony, Did you apply in person or by mail? I wonder if the the $20 difference ($65 - $45) is due to mail vs. in person. sealedkiss	Tony/Anthea	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2006-11-03 11:45:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Vietnam tourist visa	I got the visa from the SF Consulate 3 times now and I paid $45 each time. However, they required payment in money order or cashier check. I had trouble getting through to anyone. They never replied to any of my emails. I was able to talk to someone once back in March and that was how I got the fee of $45. I just got my last one last week and I paid $45. I also heard that several travel agencies in the San Francisco bay area paid around $30 for the visa as well but I never got any confirmation for it. This was through several friends who bought tickets from these agencies and paid for the visa at the same time. I hope this helps somehow. Tony	Tony/Anthea	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2006-11-03 03:31:00
Africa: Sub-Saharan	i'm refused in the interviwe	.......some people get a lifetime ban Just for admitting in the interview that he took drugs back in HS days......20 years ago... Consult immigration lawyer. Best of luck	MOLEN	Not Telling	Philippines	2007-09-03 00:28:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)	making the switch from k3 to cr1	QUOTE (LadyJane @ Jan 30 2008, 02:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> BTW: I think things changed- now it doesn't matter now what form made it through the USCIS first. If a I-129f has been filed, the USCIS won't send along the I-130 to the NVC until the I-129f is completed. So it appears that the loophole of doing both a I-129f and an I-130 to see which track (K3 or CR1) will get done faster is closed. Can anyone else comment on this? Both I-129F and I-130 cases made it through NVC. Our I-130 approve a day before our I-129F (see my signature). Now were planning to ignore K3 interview, because we decided to stick with CR1. I already paid AOS and and DS3032 been accepted.....I don't believe when people are saying they're goin' to hold your I-130 coz' you filed I-129F...base upon my experience ours made it through NVC. Maybe that rules is obsolete, I don't know, don't count my word. I only speaking base upon my experience....... I am no immigration expert. I said ........if your I-130 approve 4 or 5 months and didn't make to NVC. Then it's time to use that I-824. it doesn't stop your K3 but your I-130 will move.	MOLEN	Not Telling	Philippines	2008-01-30 18:54:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)	DS-3032 slowdown?	Darnell, nope, the IV Bill is not yet available. It just says "NOT INVOICED". The NVC operator told me that since you sent it using email, they will be printing that out and filing it. He said they haven't done that bit yet. So I guess it's NOT OFFICIALLY ACCEPTED till they do the "print and file" nonsense.	deepdawg	Male	India	2010-04-16 19:32:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)	DS-3032 slowdown?	Darnell, I had sent in my DS-3032 via email using the VJ template on APR 5th. I got a email back from NVC on APR 8th that they received it. I've called them twice so far and they haven't yet processed it!!! So is this b/c of the slowdown you're observing? Here's a snippet of the mail I recieved from NVC: "The NVC has received the Agent of Choice selection. The Immigrant Visa Application (DS 230) processing fee bill will be sent to the designated agent on the case. The fee must be paid according to the instructions before the instruction packet will be sent."	deepdawg	Male	India	2010-04-16 16:08:00
Asia: East and Pacific	tell me the good stuff	QUOTE (Liam and Kara @ Jan 21 2009, 05:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I REALLY REALLY REALLY need to hear some good news. I am terrified of Homeland Security and the power they have over my future. I've been reading a lot of fear and failure. NOW I want to hear some SUPER success stories. I want to hear from the people that sat TERRIFIED and lost weight and sleep worrying over suspected legitimate reasons for denial, only to find that they over reacted and everything turned out fine. I REALLY need to hear those stories right now! Kara Kara, I think most people (that are legit) pass thru this process...but yeah it can take some time. I was introduced to my wife thru my friend...the consulate must have seen scams where Americans are paid to marry girls, because they questioned my finacee along those lines. She was terribly worried and sad afterwards, and there wasn't much I could do. I ended up putting together the papers that exactly answered their questions + anything else I could think of to help explain our situation and their confusion. In the end....she passed and we're together now. Keep ur chin up!	dq2000	Male	Vietnam	2009-01-21 21:49:00
Asia: East and Pacific	In the Middle of the Night	That's a nice reason to woken up, I'm sure! Anyhow, my wife told me that there's a nice Vietnamese dictionary app for the iphone..we really regret not buying it and having to buy a electronic dictionary for her Check it out if Mai needs one Edited by dq2000, 05 February 2009 - 04:20 PM.	dq2000	Male	Vietnam	2009-02-05 16:19:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Blue slip - need relationship timeline and list of relatives	hey yeuemnhieu, no worries, I think that's a pretty typical response from VN. I had to do exactly the same thing as you. Ask your fiancee for a copy of the slip and read it carefully. THey list a series of questions on it. I answered one by one for them. Here's what I answered: 1. When and how we were introduced 2. When we first began corresponding 3. When we felt the relationship became serious 4. Date and circumstances of marriage proposalDetails of each trip to Vietnam: How many trips did you make to Vietnam to visit Quyen? How many times have you seen her in total? How long did you stay in each visit. I answered each one in detail. For 4, I even did a *day-by-day* log of *everytihing* we did on both my trips!! All in all, mine was 5 pages or so...ah, remember to get it notarized as well. I think that's a requirement... good luck!	dq2000	Male	Vietnam	2009-01-09 03:08:00
Asia: East and Pacific	PACKET 3 ASSISTANT SERVICE IN BANGKOK?	Can you fill them out for her? I know it'll take a bit longer, but that's one more option for you. As far as I know, all those forms have an area where the person filling out the form can sign and certify. good luck!	dq2000	Male	Vietnam	2009-01-29 23:00:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Red Flag	QUOTE (Anh map @ Oct 26 2009, 08:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> A story that just unfolds "naturally" is a good story to tell. No one is stressed at the interview, the facts are easy to remember. hahah...honest to G-d story...my wife and I were at the Adjustment of Status interview after she came here on the K1 visa, and we were both pretty nervous. The interviewer ask my wife what my phone number was...mind you she's called me at this line for the past 3 years..and she couldn't remember it! Actually, she remembered in Vietnamese and translated wrong! SO yeah..sometimes the facts aren't easy to remember. Oh...but we ended up passing	dq2000	Male	Vietnam	2009-10-27 23:45:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Red Flag	QUOTE (WeatherEmperor @ Oct 26 2009, 06:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> So would it be safe to assume that Thu and I are in big trouble because of the way we met through the matchmaking agency? Wow that would really suck. I was thinking of waiting another 1-2 years to really develop my relationship with Thu before filing the I-129F but it appears that even if I wait 10 years, the fact that we FIRST met at that matchmaking agency will always haunt us. No girl has ever liked me the way Thu does. I have to admit, I am feeling a bit deflated right now <CARRICK> OK....thanks, I got a better idea of ur situation. To be honest, yeah, its a red flag that you met thru a paid matchmaker in Singapore. But that doesn't mean anything..you should be able to outweigh that red flag with good evidence. My biggest piece of advice for you is that for every story of someone getting denied at HCMC there is another person who, under the same circumtances, gets through the system with a visa. That isn't to say that there are some things that will automatically get you denied, but if you've got an honest relationship then you shouldn't worry. At least not now, yeah? There are always horror stories. I think I read this here before: keep every bit of evidence of your relationship.....every email, mail, card, letter, picture, receipt of your relationship. Prove that you've got a solid, honest relationship. ANd make sure Thu knows every bit of information in your packet...and as much about you as she can handle. good luck.... QUOTE (WeatherEmperor @ Oct 27 2009, 09:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Roger, I think you are correct. You know what guys? I don't think I will worry about this anymore. I will just spend my time building my relationship with Thu. That is most important to me. We have all the time in the world before we file the I-129F. Heck, I may take another 1 or 2 years before I file. I really do believe that the longer Thu and I take and the more trips I take to VN to visit her, the more it will help to address this matchmaking red flag issue. I didn't go to Singapore to get married. I went to Singapore to find somebody special with the hopes of developing love in the long term. Thanks guys <CARRICK> right on....	dq2000	Male	Vietnam	2009-10-27 23:37:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Red Flag	hey Carrick, Well, i'm not a medical doctor, but take a chill pill! Seriously, lost of people on here have met online in similar ways as you so you're most likely OK. WHat site was it, if you don't mind me asking? If it's popular (eg, Match, or Yahoo) I'm sure that would be no problem. More information from you could help us figure out more about potential problems. More questions will be asked about how you met if it appears that the girl arranged to meet you with the intention of finding a husband with the hopes that she could leave Vietnam. That's nuanced, however, so please give us some more info.	dq2000	Male	Vietnam	2009-10-25 19:55:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Passport Issue	FYI, when your passport expires, they return it to you after punching a hole thru it to make it invalid for travel. so, you'll get it back anyhow to make copies, etc.	dq2000	Male	Vietnam	2009-10-29 20:10:00
Asia: East and Pacific	getting married in Indonesia	QUOTE (jon&lita311 @ Oct 29 2009, 07:39 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> btw. does anyone from Jakarta, or who has been to Jakarta know where a Church of Christ is located? the past two times I've been there, my fiancee and I had no luck finding one. So, Protestant church names have a tendancy to have simlar names but vastly differenct theology, but I think I found a Church of Christ church for you: http://church-of-chr...Indonesia_S.htm Or did you mean "The United Church of Christ"? If so, you could always ask their ministry leader in Indonesia: http://globalministr...ries/indonesia/ Or wait...did you mean the Latter Day Saints? THen go here: http://www.expat.or....DS-Jakarta.html Hope that helped!	dq2000	Male	Vietnam	2009-10-29 20:49:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Common Interview Questions	QUOTE (ThanhHien @ Nov 30 2009, 11:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hi everyone, I am wondering if any who got fiance interview before me can list some of the questions asked at the interview. I hear 2 commonly asked questions are fiance's mother name and her address. Please feel free to list any question that you feel is commonly asked or your fiance has been asked before. Thank you to all that reply. hi... Fiance's name (full name) Where was he born? What's his address? What's his job? What are his hobbies? What are his parents' names? Does he have any brothers/sisters? How did you meet? Did he propose? How/when did he do it (oh my G-d, it's really important to get the story exactly the same between you and her!...Even a slight difference tips them off). How many times has he visited? I think that was all my fiance got...good luck! david	dq2000	Male	Vietnam	2009-11-30 14:29:00
Africa: Sub-Saharan	How do you stay in touch?	I usually use cards picked up from the gas station, the best I've found is the Extreme Africa card from STI http://stiphonecard....ne-card/STIXA05 I get a little under an hour (I think usually about 55 minutes) on a $5.00 card with the baby and all, I'm not too worried about having phone records to prove a relationship and would rather have the extra minutes. Otherwise it's usually IM over Skype, unfortunately the internet connection is so bad at our home in Uganda there's no way to use skype for voice calls.	Carl & Susan	Male	Uganda	2007-03-13 13:17:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Mapping Website For Viet Nam.	Take a look at http://www.everydaysaigon.com/ The map is a little outdated but users can enter their own places, and review others You can search for district and cross-streets, but no address lookup	Hiep & Thao	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2008-12-10 22:41:00
Asia: East and Pacific	What is IR/CR1 petition?	Dress up nicely, go to the consulate and spend the whole day(s) waiting to meet the interviewer to present any evidence that he/she did not look at. If they tell you to go home and wait for an appointment, explain your situation, stay put and beg to see the interviewer for just 5 minutes. Stay there until they close! You can only have reason to meet a consular officer if you bring something *new*. Just simply ask to keep the paperwork there won't do any good. My friend tried that. Look at the reasons for denial, see if you can dig up more evidence to response to that. Be prepared to answer the exact same question that they asked your fiancee. The paperwork is only there for a short time before being sent back to the US. Bring all your fiancee paperwork in case they approve on the spot!	Hiep & Thao	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2009-02-11 02:47:00
Asia: East and Pacific	What is IR/CR1 petition?	Sorry to hear that, I already replied another one of your topic when you got the blue slip, saying you should get a VISA to Vietnam *now*. If you can find time to go there and submit extra evidence to your case by yourself, I suggest you should do it now. Nobody can guarantee its result, but the email you got is a notice of intent to return the paperwork. This looks exactly the same as my friend's case. He should have been more proactive, but he was counting on John McCain to help him (lol). It doesn't matter if you decide to get married a file for IR/CR1, if your I-129F got denied by USCIS, it may look really bad on your fiancee's record, so do not let it be denied. Once the paperwork got sent back, you are looking at more than 1 year, doesn't matter what you do. QUOTE (Brianandphuong @ Feb 7 2009, 09:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Can some one please explain what the IR/CR1 petition is? My K-1 case was rejected and is in the process of being sent back. I need help. Brian	Hiep & Thao	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2009-02-08 02:14:00
Asia: East and Pacific	how long it takes from NVC to Us Embassy in HCM?	Look at mine, and others' timeline so you'll get some idea, think in 1 month term	Hiep & Thao	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2009-03-19 04:54:00
Asia: East and Pacific	My fiancee got Pink today	QUOTE (LilLoveBug @ Mar 22 2009, 01:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Sorry, I am a little confused. I have a copy of my 2008 tax return, plus w-2's, bank statements and employer letter... should that be suficient? I don't think tax transcripts are available for 2008 yet, am I wrong? I have a full copy of 2008 tax return as submitted to the IRS (plus can prove payment of taxes if you think that is a good idea...???) Thanks guys! p.s. since I have paid taxes already, could I get the transcript for 2008 yet???? Bug You can always try calling the IRS, they have automated request on the phone. I didn't have to talk to anybody, just punch in some numbers and they sent me 4 years worth of taxes. When dealing with HCM Consulate, my advice is don't assume that 'minimum' means 'sufficient', think 'maximum' is still not good enough. Show your whole life to them. They know anyway! Btw, my fiancee brought very little evidence, just like a thick folder. DO NOT show many photos for each event, they look the same and will probably cause the CO to think you guys are faking it too much. They don't have time to look at each photo, what they do is looking at the first few photo carefully, and then start flipping fast, so make sure each flip shows a clearly different photo, with clear date+location in the bottom (use tape + post-it to write location/date)	Hiep & Thao	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2009-03-22 16:15:00
Asia: East and Pacific	My fiancee got Pink today	QUOTE (r0yalflush @ Mar 19 2009, 06:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> How did you get the 1040? i only got the 2008 w2s in the mail. You also didn't mention your paystubs, you didn't include this along with your I-134? You don't have to have submitted the tax form already, just fill it out either using tax software or go to tax services. Employment verification (with salary info) was good enough for me	Hiep & Thao	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2009-03-19 21:49:00
Asia: East and Pacific	My fiancee got Pink today	Hope the info below help fellow Vietnam filers: 7AM in VN, my fiancee was already waiting with hundreds of people standing on the sidewalk The consulate opened before 8AM, my fiancee and others turned in paperwork, wait for hours and talk among themselves, while other people get interviewed right in front of her, I'll list a few bad stories below... 9:30AM (7:30PM here in CA) I decided to skip dinner, stop by my church and prayed until I hear anything from her. 11:30AM (9:30PM in CA) she called, my prayers were answered! The Consulate Officer didn't give her any trouble, and the Vietnamese workers there didn't treat her that bad. I guess u just have to appear like u deserve some respect. Also, she probably had her paperwork together well. Interview took 5 minutes, nothing about me: - What's jor job? Answer: Marketing, event execution - What exactly do you do? Answer: blah blah lbah - Any things else do you do in your job? Answer: blah blah blah - Can u speak english? Answer: A little but she prefers Vietnamese - How did you meet? Answer: Website chatroom - How did you find a friend? She answered that you can pick any nickname in the forum, but that did not satisfy the Officer, after a few tries, she finnally understood the question was that how did she get to chat in that website. She said just go to the website, login, join a chatroom and start chatting. - How many times your fiancee met? Answer: 7 times - What situation when you met your fiancee parents? Was it during your wedding (careful here)? Engagement party? Answer: No wedding, no engagement party (no problem), she met my parents when they came back to VN back then. - Congrats, wish you happiness and success! Visa will be available Mar 27 - Officer did carefully looked at my 1040 tax return and W-2 to find my income (I got pretty decent income for the last few years) - Officer glanced thru the photos that she brought, didn't touch the timeline, phone records, emails, letters, receipts of sending money, diamond ring, credit card statements proving purchase of airline tickets etc... - It seemed like the decision has already been made before the interview. - My package submit to USCIS includes (all color copies): * First emails showing dates * A dozen photos from 2000 to 2007 (I went back Oct 2008 after submitting I-129F) * Some personal letters, greeting cards * Some remittance receipts, package mailing receipts * Some airplane tickets * Copies of passport pages * Hotel receipts in Singapore trip * Food and drink receipts in Vietnam for every visit (paid by credit cards w/ my signatures & date) * Yahoo PC-to-phone calls for 6 months before sending in I-129F * Rent checks for the room I rent - My I-134 includes: * 2008 completed tax form + w-2, prev 4 years tax transcripts (Officer looked at this very carefully) * Employment verification letter from my work * 12 month statements from my 2 saving accounts - My fiancee hired a service to help her with organizing paperwork, they did help alot, however I really made sure she can identify which is which, since things should be chaotic in there, there's no time to read anything. A lot of people in there didn't understand what paper work they're bringing in. Some things she witnessed in front of her that morning: - Quite a few people got pinks, but not that many - Some Husband/wife of 4 5 years w/ children get rejected also ===> marriage & babies are no guarantee - Consulate officer asked one woman w/ kids: How do you prove this baby is his son/daughter? - Cases w/ big age difference, low income, or 2 meetings or less, get rejected almost certainly - Huge amounts of evidence (suit cases full of docs) appear to be of little value, people reeling in tons of papers all got white slip - Long interrogations all got whites and blues, quick interviews meant pink - If the officers didn't like the case, they seemed to try to fail the interviews by asking questions like what time does he go to sleep, what location does he call you from, birthday of his parents etc...	Hiep & Thao	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2009-03-19 04:23:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Where can I get visa record of 2005 & 2006???	If you didn't have photos proving that you went back to meet with your fiancee/spouse that year, then travel records is pretty much useless... I think the consulate already knows when you traveled, they just didn't know if you actually met anybody. Try to dig up credit cards statement that shows you paid to the airline... I did travel with a greencard but fortunately I had pictures, and I paid for food and drinks with a credit card (got my name, date, time, and place)	Hiep & Thao	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2009-03-31 04:59:00
Asia: East and Pacific	I have not birth certificate????	QUOTE (tvn0521 @ Mar 31 2009, 06:57 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hi everyone, got a question, I have no birth certificate. Left VN when I was 3, I notice you need to bring birth certificate to the interview. How will I obtain it if there is a record in VN. Say there is no record, what will I do? How did you enter the US in the first place without a birth certificate? Use that in place of the birth certificate! I sent certified copies of my BC (done back in 1984 when my relatives filed petition for my family) and it was ok	Hiep & Thao	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2009-04-01 17:35:00
Asia: East and Pacific	translation service in vietnam	It all comes down to bona-fide relationship!	Hiep & Thao	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2009-04-03 19:18:00
Asia: East and Pacific	translation service in vietnam	Update your timeline! Click on Immegration Timelines Only documents submitted to USCIS needs to be translated to English. For example, I translated the emails between us, had a sworn statement that I was competent to translate from Vietnamese to English blah blah ... and signed and dated in the bottom. Documents submitted or brought to Consulate does not have to be translated if it's in Vietnamese	Hiep & Thao	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2009-04-02 21:40:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Noticed something	I don't disagree with any comments here, I was sweating with my case as well after reading and hearing too many horror story. However, my fiancee talked to many people on her interview date, and thought that many fiancees/wifes/husbands in the interview room did not know the paperwork and the petitioners' lives that well. Quite a few women in the room had no idea how much the guys really make, how much saving do they have, what kind of paperwork they're holding in their hand (ie. no idea which one is income statements). I think if a couple plan for the future they must have talked about these things w/o anybody asking. You can argue that Love is all we need, but I'm sure the Consulate has seen too many divorces. So... wish you all lots of luck, and DON'T LET YOUR LOVED ONES HAVE TO STUDY ABOUT YOU ON A SHEET OF PAPER WHILE WAITING FOR THEIR INTERVIEWS	Hiep & Thao	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2009-04-02 22:17:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Here is my timeline that i sumbit and get second blue slip	You should go see the CO and present extra evidence (whatever you can think of). It is worth it. If your case got sent back to the US it's going to take years	Hiep & Thao	Male	Vietnam (no flag)	2009-08-29 13:12:00