Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Asia: East and Pacific	VN Visa filers, where is your SO from?	Thi is from HCMC. Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2008-09-28 18:07:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Visa Denied Also	QUOTE (pasaitoh @ Jul 31 2008, 09:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Dave_Thao @ Jul 31 2008, 01:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Congrats! When you get a chance,can you please fill us in on what ME did for you and what happened when the Chief reviewed your case? Good Luck on the rest of your journey! From what Marc told me, this was a weird one. He presented our case along with some others. He was told a few minutes later that our case had been approved. I don't know why it was miraculously approved. Marc had everything laid out with all our evidence, a direct rebuttal including case law & presidents. My thinking was between me pestering the consulate, my congressman contacting them, and Marc showing up to represent me, they just wanted to get rid of the case instead of looking like idiots. I have no other logical explanation. I think it's because Mark Ellis got the Consulate to read your evidence. Remember at the interview, the Consulate has little time to look at what you brought. Most of their opinion about your case is from what they read in your I-129f petition. If it's incomplete or confusing to the Consulate it's a blue slip. If they think there's a hint of fraud about your case, they don't want to let you have a visa. However, they have to be reasonable about that so if there's evidence to show that their worry about the possible fraud, they have to consider it. Sometimes they don't want to or they don't want to be the one who ok'ed fraudulant visa. For example, Think about getting a check cashed at your bank, at a branch where no one knows you , usually no there wants to ok the check, they want you to deposit it then withdraw the money the next day. Even tho you have lots of money in your account and you've been banking there for years. Why? because then it's not their signature oking the check if the check gets returned to the bank as a fraudulant check. In the case of the bank, the person signing a fraudulant check could lose their job. Getting fired for taking a bad check would make it harder to get a job at another bank. So HCMC Consulate Officer doesn't want on his record that he allowed a fraudulant visa, it could make chances of advancement, pay raises, etc more difficult. In any case, it's great you got your visa!! Enjoy your new life together!! Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2008-08-01 00:48:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Visa Denied Also	Great News Congrats and have a wonderful life together Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2008-07-21 11:42:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Sending Money to Vietnam	Here's the final update on using Wamu for sending wires to Vietnam. There's law that requires all international wires be processed thru a 3rd party bank. If the bank in Vietnam has a special relationship with the 3rd party bank, there may be no fee charged by the 3rd party bank. That fee, if charged, is taken out of the funds being wired. The 3rd party bank could be one of many. Then it's up the local bank to not charge the person recieving the wire a fee. Since we couldn't get a straight answer from the Vietnamese bank about which 3rd party bank to use (we can request Wamu use that 3rd party bank to avoid a fee) and whether they would or would not charge a fee to Thi's family, we decided on a different way. Anh Minh Money Transfer Inc. charges $2 to send $100 USD to Vietnam and they deliver the cash in USD. Her mother gave the driver who delivered the money a tip of 10,000 VND. You can find some Anh Minh Money Transfer locations (agents) online but mostly they are to be found in local immigrant neighborhoods. In our case there's one at K Video in Reseda, Ca. Their aggreement says it can take up to 10 days to deliver the money but most times it's the next day. The downside is they didn't give her mother a receipt. I don't know if that's because she didn't ask for one or what. We did get one for sending the money. We sent the money on a Saturday and her mother got the money on Sunday (US times). If you use this service before your interview, I would make sure to get receipt of your fiane(e) recieving the money or use a different service. Hope this helps others needing to send money overseas. Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2008-07-14 00:44:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Sending Money to Vietnam	Here's the update so far about WAMU, they don't charge for the wire but they go thru HSBC USA which does charge a $5 fee to send the wire to TechComBank. TechCom Bank does charge a fee of $6, even tho they told Tuan they didn't before we sent the wire. It took two days to arrive at TechCom Bank. Now I'm trying to find out how to get around these fees since that is more than other services. I'll keep you posted. Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2008-06-17 13:07:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Sending Money to Vietnam	Hi Vjers After using Xoom.com to send money to Vietnam for over a year and a half, I've stopped using them for several reasons: 1. Poor customer service, if you need them, they only answer emails with "canned" answers that don't address your problem. If you call them they don't answer the phone....... After repeated calls (I'm persisitant) , and waiting for over 2 hours on hold, I get "canned" answers from them. In other words, no customer support!! 2. They take your money and "play" with it for several days before sending to the country where it's suppose to go. For example, they will debit my bank account within 2 business days but not deliver the money for over a week after the money has been debited. Their online status shows that transaction is "in processing"....... In other words they take all the transactions in process (Think MILLIONS!!!) and use your money to make short term loans to businesses to make them more money....... 3. The hidden fee of a lower currency exchange rate, ie USD to VND is around $1=1600VND, they use a rate of $1=1588VND. 4. I've found a better service.... If you open a WAMU (Washington Mutual Bank) online checking account (and saving if you want, it's also a good deal no min balance and over 3% interest). The online checking account is free of monthly fees, supplies free checks, cash back on using their debit/credit card upt to $250 a year and FREE OUTGOING WIRE TRANSFERS INCLUDING INTERNATIONAL WIRE TRANSFERS. There is possible exchange rate fees and other fees at the bank you send the money to. In Thi's case, TechComBank (according to her family) doesn't charge any fees for receiving the wire and gives a higher exchange rate than XOOM but they have keep $20 in their account at the bank. So that's what we're doing now instead of XOOM . If everything works out like it should, this seems like the perpect way to send money!!! Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2008-06-12 13:28:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Green Sheet	Sorry to hear about getting the green slip. I won't worry because Marc Ellis has an excellent record on getting the Consulate to consider the evidence you submitted at the interview and for the green slip. Remember the Consulate rarely looks at all of the evidence at the Interview. It's the I-129f and supporting evidence that comes from the USCIS that they consider to base their decision on. The interview is the final "review" that can help or hurt but the decision is usually mostly made before the interview. The CO either believes what is in your I-129f, thinks it's "iffy", finds things missing or lacking in your paperwork or doesn't believe what you have submitted in your I-129f. That's why they don't consider all/any evidence you bring to the interview. They may look at it to see if it is like what you submitted in your I-129f and check a couple of things before handing you your pink, blue, green or white slip. We hope you get the pink soon! Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2008-10-14 01:31:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Translating Vietnamese documents	Craigcam You have to have English Translations for anything submitted to the USCIS that is written in Vietnamese (or any foreign language). If you submitted any proof of having meet or ongoing relationship that were Vietnamese documents like receipts that were written in Vietnamese only, you have to submit translations. Since I stayed with Thi's family, I had the Temporary Residency Book cover, and pages with the dates listing my stay translated because I submitted that (and more) with my I-129f. The Consulate doesn't require any translations but you might as well get everything translated because you'll need them for AOS. The Instructions for AOS forms states translations are necessary. Besides it's easy and cheap to have that done in Vietnam compared to the US. Most US translation companies will charge $25 a page, in Vietnam you have a book translated for that. Good Luck at your interview Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2008-11-08 02:31:00
Asia: East and Pacific	How did u meet your other half?	QUOTE (Thai @ Oct 26 2007, 07:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I dont want to comment on this subject. it might be harsh to alot of people. If you have an opinion, even if it's harsh, I'm willing to listen to it. As to Thi and me, we met online thru Vietsingle.com. While I wasn't planing on being anythng more than a penpal to anyone in Vietnam, we found a connection by being friends that grew into love. Peter I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2007-10-29 04:13:00
Asia: East and Pacific	HCMC Viet Nam Visa denied	Sorry to hear about not getting a pink slip. I have a question for the divorced posters with the blue slips. Did you include the requested informaton in your I-129f? In the case of Vietnamese Americans, there are many red flags that come up that unless addressed early. ie in the I-129f, seem to case blue and green slips and in some cases, being sent back to the US. The Good News is you'll be together, the question is when. In some cases, submitting the requested informations results in a pink slip right away. In others, it takes a while. Having Marc Ellis seems to help so you'll be taken care of. Good Luck, we hope you're together soon. Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2008-07-31 02:07:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Thank you so much VJ! It's a Pink Slip!	That's great! Three pink slips so far!! Glad I was able to help you. Now if we hear from Vietnam07 about their interview (hopefully they got a pink too). And then if Violet18ac3 gets their docs to the Consulate and get their pink, VJ members will be batting 100%! Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2008-05-12 13:48:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Another Baby Boy!	Thanks for all the well wishes. We hope everyone gets their visa, stay in love forever and have beautiful children. Peter and Thi	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-02-02 03:19:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Another Baby Boy!	Hi Peter Nguyen Brunner was born on January 12th at 12:03pm. He wieghted 4 lbs and 13oz, 18" and 37 weeks. Thi had a ruff time as her labour was long and couldn't push the baby out due to his being in the wrong position. So after 3 1/2 hours of pushing, she had a C section. Her favorite saying during her labour contractions was "I die". Both are fine and doing well now. Peter and Thi Attached Files  PTB012908b.jpg   71.88KB   54 downloads	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-02-01 02:35:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Going to Hcmc for 2nd visit - to do list?	QUOTE (bryonm4 @ Feb 9 2009, 12:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (luckytxn @ Feb 7 2009, 11:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Go to the consulate and sign in. Bring the passport or they won't allow you in. They will let the fiancee in also if she brings her ID. This is a stupid question but is the Consulate the same as the Embassy or different? I was told to go and sign in at the embassy everytime I travel so they know I was there. I didn't do it the first time but I plan on doing it this time. The US Embassy is in Hanoi. The Consulate is in HCMC. You can sign in at either one thru the website or in person. There's little difference between them for US citizens except HCMC Consulate handles all the K1/K3/CR1 visas. Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 AOS submitted 2008-12-11	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-02-09 00:06:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Blue sheet	Congrats!! We know it has been a long time in coming!! But it's worth it!!! Good luck in your new life together!!! Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-04-26 01:42:00
Asia: East and Pacific	How long will it take to get visa after interview?	The time from pink slip to visa depends on several factors. At times the Consulate is short staffed due to vacations, time off because of holidays, etc. It's suppose to be the next day but rarely is that the case. When Thi got her pink, her date was a week to pick up her visa. However, I had a return flight which meant she would have to fly alone or I would have to spend some money to change my flight. Not wanting to either of those, I called the Consulate. After getting a bit of a run around, there's no one to talk to you now, we'll call you back (which didn't happend.....), got one of the Vietnamese staff to get an American Offical on the phone. A couple of minutes later, I was told Thi could pick up her visa the next day so she could fly back with me. The actual dates are in the timeline below. So the point is if you have a reason, you can get the Consulate to give you the visa when you need it. Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-04-28 02:31:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Where should we get 1 way ticket from HCM to US?	Since I had gone over to HCMC for her interview and booked the flight on China Air, I called them right after Thi got her pink slip. They couldn't book her on the same flight but would call me if something changed. They called back the next day saying they did have a seat on the flight but not next to me. They wouldn't book the flight until we showed up with her passport and visa in person and of course paid. They would hold the seat for us. We went there right after getting the visa from the Consulate. Once we actually got to the airport, they were able to seat us together. While I don't know if her seat was the cheapest fare we could get, it was an easy process and they were very helpful. I know my flight was the cheapest I could find at the time. Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-04-26 02:10:00
Asia: East and Pacific	325a problem	Thi and I had a similar problem with our G325a paperwork. We originally put the wrong place of birth for her mother on the G325a that was filed with my I-129f. I contacted the Consulate when I found out about that since the I-129f was approved and sent to HCMC. I sent them emails which are documented here on the forums if you want to search for the details about this. The bottom line was they didn't care about the mistake. According to the Consulate, the mistake was about her mother, not her, so it's a minor issue and doesn't effect the facts about her or the K1 application. Also since the G325a you fill out at the interview is the one that follows you to the US, they are concerned about that one being correct. Letting them know about it and having documented about that is important just incase someone decides to cause problems about it. We had the correct G325a for the interview and documents to show how the mistake was made, correct documents to show the actual birthplace, etc. However they didn't ask for the supporting documents about the mistake at the interview, Thi forget to ask if they wanted to see the documents. After she got her pink, I asked the Consulate if the wanted the supporting evidence about the mistake, they didn't care to see them as she was approved. Don't worry about it, contact them to explain the situation and do what they say to do to correct it. Make sure to keep your originals and make copies of everything, just in case. Good luck! Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20 Edited by PeterFB, 10 May 2009 - 04:00 AM.	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-05-10 03:56:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Email to HCMC Consular about your case	It's been a more than year since I emailed the HCMC Consulate about our case. At that time I didn't have to supply nor was I asked to supply my SS#. What I did supply was what the Consulate said to include when emailing them. Here's a quote from their site: "According to our policy, the Consular Section is only permitted to discuss details of a visa case with the petitioner, beneficiary and their legal representative. If you send an inquiry about an immigrant visa case, you should provide the following information: - HCM case number or CIS receipt number - Petitioners’ name and date of birth - Beneficiary’s name and date of birth - Mailing address and telephone number - Your full name If you send an inquiry about a non-immigrant visa case, you should provide the following information: - Applicant’s name and date of birth - Applicant’s passport number - Mailing address and telephone number - Your full name " Unless they've changed their rules and haven't updated their site, you shouldn't have to supply it. If you're Vietnamese American, they may want it to confirm that you're the petitioner, since there are many Vietnamese with the same names. However I would point out their website doesn't ask that you give that info and you have concerns about giving out your SS# over the net in an email. If the Consulate won't email with you without it then you have work that out. I would then call them to confirm your identity and get them to allow you to email them after that. Good luck! Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-05-12 02:49:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Can you book the ticket before getting the visa?	My experience is that China Air won't let you pay for the flight until you have the visa. They will accept a reservation to hold the seat. They required Thi's Passport to have the visa in it before they would book us. Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20----Approved!!!!	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-05-25 14:36:00
Asia: East and Pacific	AOS Approved!	Hi all, Thi and I went to her AOS interview on May 20th at the Federal Building in Downtown LA. The interview was short, only a few questions, little paperwork was asked for and she got her approval letter on the spot with the Green Card on it's way in "less than 90 days probably 30-45" according to the officer. I left a longer post with details in the AOS forum if interested in the details Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20----Approved!!!!	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-05-25 14:39:00
Asia: East and Pacific	What's the first, next thing to do?	Congrats on getting your Visa. The next step is to get everything you have in Vietnamese translatied into English. If you haven't left Vietnam, get everything translated over there at the place the Consulate recommends. You'll need her birth certificate translated in order to get a SSN. You can get that right away but be aware that you'll have to change it if you get it before you're married and update it once she gets her green card. The SSN you get before getting the green card states you'll need an EAD card for employment, you don't need the EAD once you get the green card. In fact the USCIS officer took Thi's at the interview. You have to apply for the SSN in person and depending on where you live, the requirements are different. Your County Office of Records will outline what you need to get the marriage license. Los Angeles County doesn't require SSN but does require a photo ID. Then you can start the AOS, EAD, Advance Parole process once you're married. You'll need to open a joint checking account, saving account as well as show joint bills like health insurance, gas, electric by the time of your AOS interview. The quides cover most of this. We just had our AOS interview and there's a detailed post about it in the AOS forum that may help too. Good Luck!! Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20----Approved!!!!	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-05-30 01:44:00
Asia: East and Pacific	My Wife pass, got a Pink today..	QUOTE (Dai_VN @ May 26 2009, 10:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> How did your wife pick up the visa earlier than they scheduled? Please share cause I may want to do the same thing. Thanks Thi originally had her date to pick up her visa the same day I was to fly back to the US. I called the Consulate and when I finallly got to talk to a US CO, explained the reason it was important to pick up her visa early so we could fly back together. The female US CO put me on hold for a couple of minutes, when she came back, she told me Thi could pick up her visa the next day! Check our timeline below to see the dates.. So if you want get your visa early, just ask!!! As in my case, they agreed with no problems. Good Luck Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20----Approved!!!!	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-05-27 01:22:00
Asia: East and Pacific	My Wife pass, got a Pink today..	That's great news, congrats and enjoy your new life together!! Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20----Approved!!!!	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-05-25 14:48:00
Asia: East and Pacific	PINK! PINK! PINK! - HCM, VN	Congrats and enjoy your new life together!! Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20----Approved!!!!	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-05-25 14:44:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Pink but still waiting ???	Jack and Xuan Congrats on getting to the US!!! May you both enjoy a long happy life together!!! Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20----Approved!!!!	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-05-25 14:31:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Blue paper on May 26	Sorry to hear about your setback. However, a blue slip doesn't mean you won't get a pink once you submit the necessary evidence. As the others have said, in order to help you, we need more info about your case and what happened. Good luck Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20----Approved!!!!	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-05-30 01:52:00
Asia: East and Pacific	HCM Visa Approved!	Congrats I agree, making your I-134 as strong as possible, having your wife/fiancee answer in English and being confident makes a huge difference! Your interview reminded me of Thi's interview. Enjoy your new life together!! Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20----Approved!!!! Edited by PeterFB, 30 May 2009 - 01:49 AM.	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-05-30 01:47:00
Asia: East and Pacific	What documents requested in packet 4?	The documents required in Packet 3 and 4 have been changing over the last year, you can find previous posts with scanned versions of them but don't follow them blindly. Each case is different, you know yours the best. Make sure to cover all the bases that could be asked at your interview. In our case, we weren't asked for a couple of things in the Packet instructions but forunately, a couple of other posters posted (and one fiancee talked to Thi about her interview) about the "missing" documents that weren't required in the Packets but were asked for at the interview. Because of this we had them ready when they asked. Ask anyone who recently had thier interview to help you with that questions, documents, etc were needed. As we're all in this together, most everyone is very helpful. Good luck Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20----Approved!!!!	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-06-07 01:57:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Blue slip om 05/28, submitted new timeline on 06/02, waiting for decision	Definitely stay on top of the Consulate!! Be polite and try to talk to the American COs as much as possible. From what you're saying, it seems had you prepared your I-134 better with a complete timeline, etc you could have a visa now. However, you now have supplied the Consulate with what they wanted so as hard as it is to wait, I believe you'll get your visa soon. Good Luck and we hope you have good news soon!! Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20----Approved!!!!	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-06-10 01:38:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Blue slip om 05/28, submitted new timeline on 06/02, waiting for decision	I know waiting is stressful but there's no way to know how long the Consulate will take. A couple of people here were present for the Interview and were able to get the additional info to the Consulate in a couple of days. The petitioner in one case delivered it directly to the Consulate himself. A couple of days later, they got their visa. Others have had to wait weeks or months before getting approval. Remember, if your case is valid, you'll get your visa, regardless of how long it might take. It will happen!! The important thing is to be polite but persistant in contacting the Consulate about this. There's nothing wrong in calling them, especially if you're the petitioner. Having your fiancee call them isn't as effective as she's not a US Citizen or Resident. The Consulate has to talk to US, they don't have to talk to your fiance(e). As to the Consulate looking at or having your original I-129f, in our case, they had it, did refer to things in it in the interview and returned it to us when we got our visa. Good luck! Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20----Approved!!!!	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-06-07 01:47:00
Asia: East and Pacific	timeline?	Having your timeline notorized isn't required for the interview. Many peope do it thinking it will help prove what the timeline says. However the only thing a notorized document does is prove that who signed it, not the information in it is true. The reason is if the document is called into question about who signed it, the notary will tesitfy that he saw you sign it and verified your indentity. I didn't have our timeline notarized and we got our K1 Visa approved at her interview. It's more important to have a complete properly documented timeline in your I-134f and an updated one for the interview than the notary seal on it. The times I've seen the Consulate ask for a notarized timeline is when you get a blue slip and one of the items requested is a timeline. Then they want to know who put the timeline together. Was it you or your lawyer, family friend, or ? Then the notarized timeline proves you made it. Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20----Approved!!!!	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-06-10 02:06:00
Asia: East and Pacific	wife's interview in less than 24hrs	Good Luck!! Get the Pink!!!! Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20----Approved!!!! Edited by PeterFB, 10 June 2009 - 01:30 AM.	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-06-10 01:28:00
Asia: East and Pacific	K1 Approved - Pink Pink Pink	Matt Reading your post reminded me of waiting for Thi, tho there wasn't any rain!! It did seem like forever!! Thi didn't take as long and was out as the Consulate was going to lunch. Like Houng, Thi had the Pink!!! Congrats to both of you and Good Luck in your new life together!! Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20----Approved!!!!	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-06-10 01:27:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Biggest F*&C!K* UP EVER in history of VISA JOURNEY. HELP.	Jonas I can understand how this happened. Family tragedies are very emotional and sometimes it's hard to think and make sure you're doing everything right. There's not much to say that others have already said about what to do. HCMC Consulate is the only hope, and if they understand, they'll do the right thing. Good luck and you have our prayers..... Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20----Approved!!!!	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-06-05 03:41:00
Asia: East and Pacific	Timeline needed for HCM Consulate Interview	The timeline I did was based on documenting every important event and having evidence to back it up. It was made up of two parts attached together. The first part was the actually timeline which also had a paragraph explaining that the timeline would have the evidence immediately following the timeline and the evidence was in the same order as the timeline. For example, I sent flowers and candy for Valentine's Day, the timeline listed it with a brief description, ie they delivered them while we were video chatting (really it did happen!) and included the online reciept and hightlighted photocopy of the credit card statement showing the charge. I felt doing it this way would give USCIS and HCMC Consulate the "short" version where they could see the developement of our relationship. Then they could refer to the evidence that followed to see there was third party verification of the timeline entry. If the timeline referred to an event that was only in the chat or email logs, it included the date of the chat or email log and a copy of the email or chat was included following the timeline. Feb 14 Sent Thi flowers and candy for Valentine's Day via Saigon Flowers. They were delivered while we were video chatting. Feb 15 Thi sent me an e card wishing me Happy Valentine's Day. She also told me her family all had some of the chocolate in our chat dated Feb 15. I included all this in the original I-129f and expanded with everything that happened since the I-129f filing for the Interview at HCMC Consulate. Thi was one of the few who got a pink slip that day. In fact they didn't look at any of the additional evidence she brought, they looked at a few pictures, asked about 10 questions and gave her the pink! I think it's most important to file the best possible I-129f, as complete as possible with a timeline, evidence of the relationship, etc. The one I filed weighed about 4lbs. The USCIS and the Consulate have the most time to look at your I-129f, not what you bring to the interview. It seems the outcome of the interview is mostly decided before the interview. Your fiance(e) answers are to verify what the Consulate believes to be true. If they think you have a real relationship, and her/his answers confirm that, you get the pink. IF they don't think you have a real relationship, and the answers aren't better than perfect to change their mind, you get the blue, white or green. The good news if you have a real relationship, you will end up getting your visa, it may take longer than you want, but you'll get it. Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26 Filed AOS 2009-1-2 NOA 1 2009-1-8 Peter Nguyen Brunner born 2009-1-12 Advance Parole recieved 2009-3-27 EAD recieved 2009-3-11 AOS Interview 2009-5-20 Edited by PeterFB, 26 April 2009 - 03:11 AM.	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-04-26 03:08:00
Asia: East and Pacific	what ever happened to	I haven't heard from her in months, either. She did come to our wedding and visited us a couple of times but that was a while ago. Peter and Thi	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2009-11-02 02:59:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)	what's minimum Income requirement represented in tax returns?	QUOTE (Huanyen @ May 2 2008, 12:17 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I have another question regarding to the Poverty Guidelines. As of now, what is the minimum income requirement for 2 people? When they say minimum income requirement, do they mean Income or Adjusted Gross Income shown in Form 1040? Thanks! Here's the link to the 2008 guidelines http://www.uscis.gov.../dat/I_864P.pdf Currently the 125% level is $17,500 for two people. The 2007 guide line was $17,112 for two people. They usually use the Adjusted Gross Income. Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2008-05-02 00:53:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)	Oh wow! I just got the interview date!	That's great news Have a great trip And get the pink!! Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles Wedding 2008-4-26	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2008-05-14 16:35:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	After Packet 3 is sent -pending packet 4	QUOTE (Vietnam07 @ Mar 19 2008, 08:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Does anyone know for example is you received packet 4 will they also assign an interview day along with that? To my understand packet 4 is the medical papers correct? Can you hand in packet 4 at the embassy? Also once you hand in packet 4 will they assign an interveiw day along with that? Any info is greatly appreciated. I am getting anty waiting for an interview day. Thank you The Packet 4 includes the interview date, instructions for the interview and medical requirements. What they didn't include in Thi's Packet 4 was the notice to have 5 not 4 recent passport photos and proof of being single certificate. See my Consulate review for details about. Once you have everything ready for the interview, I would suggest getting a Clear Plastic folder that snaps. Put everything in there in the proper order as listed in the Packet 4 letter. I put my I-134 in a seperate folder with a cover letter listing everything in order. I also put the evidence of our ongoing relationship in a folder with a cover letter listing everything in date order. All that was in the Clear Plastic folder. Since our chats/emails were so many (we chatted everyday for 2-3 hours) they were bound by month and carried seperately. I believe being over prepared and organized for your interview is more likely to help you get a pink. I keep reading of people getting a blue because they didn't include something that is required or not having evidence that is likely to be asked for. Remember the Consulate doesn't know you and sees lots of people everyday about visas. You have to be able prove to them you should get the visa. Peter and Thi I-129F Sent : 2007-05-26 I-129F NOA1 : 2007-06-11 I-129F RFE(s) : RFE Reply(s) : I-129F NOA2 : 2007-10-26 Touched: 2007-11-02 NVC Recieved: 2007-11-16 Consulate recieved ?????? Packet 3 sent 2007-12-11 Packet 3 received 2007-12-24 Packet 3 returned 2007-12-28 Packet 4 sent 2008-1-14 Email Reply with Interview Date 2008-1-23 Interview Date 2008-2-27 Passed Interview 2008-02-27 Visa Pick Up Date 2008-3-05 Received Visa 2008-2-29 (called to pick up earlier) POE 2008-3-05 Los Angeles	PeterFB	Male	Vietnam	2008-03-19 23:40:00