biggish data

k1 visa help

My best advice is to think of all the reasons you wont get it, and then make sure you eliminate the reasons one by one.

If you do not have enough evidence, make some.
I have snail mail letters, cards, picutres, reciepts galore (everything from engagement party receipts to debit card receipts for the letters i send at the post office), i have tons of proof that i visited her in vietnam (boarding passes, reciepts from stuff i bought there, hundreds of pictures, etc), I had my mother send a couple letters to her with pictures and details about the extended family. I have hundreds of logs from IMs, emails, phone records for text messages, etc. Everything that has to do with our relationship has been kept from Day 1 and will be available at the time of the interview when the CO asks for it. Is it overkill? Who cares, its worth it if my baby will be here soon. Then it will all go into a huge scrap book so if anyone asks about how we met they can just look at the book instead of telling the story 1000s of times hehehe.

Do you have the income?
I do and i provided 3 years income tax returns, 3 years income tax accounts, 3 current paychecks (paid every 2 weeks), a letter from my employer, a letter from my bank, and statements from my stock accounts.

Is your paperwork all done correctly and accuratly?
If it is there shouldn't be any issues with it.

I also will be taking a 2nd trip sometime this month to see her so they know I'm all for it. We are going to sort through all the paperwork and prepare everything for her interview.

My biggest hurtle to overcome is her lack of confidence in her English skills. I feel she will do just fine but she thinks she is horrible at English. This is my last reason i think we wont get the visa. What did i do? Sent her to class to learn english for 3 months prior to the interview, talk with her on the phone a lot in english only, and coach her on all the details she needs for the interview.

I am 100% confident that we will have the pink because everything is in order and ready to go. Of course your case will more than likely be differant but as long as you eliminate all the reasons for being delayed, why wouldn't you pass??

Just so you know my finance and I started talking online after her uncle introduced us via pictures in early Nov. In March i flew there and we had our engagement party. in April i filed the 129F, and now it is oct and we are waiting on packet 4. Our relationship developed quickly but all my ducks are in a row and i will get the pink the first time around.

I'll keep an eye on your posts and help you out as needed as i just went through everything you are just begining.

.

BTW Tram has been nothing but negative about this whole ordeal because she knows so many people that have been denied and i'm not there to comfort her. My biggest thing is trying to keep her positive and upbeat about the whole process. It wasn't until packet 3 arrived (6 months after i last saw her) that she finally broke out of a depression like state and got her head in the game. Its a very stressful and drawn out process, but keep hope alive and stay positive!

Holy ####### that was a long post

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-10-01 17:47:00

These are all great ideas! Keep them coming! Thanks so much. I think i'll do far more this time around than the last.

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-10-08 23:11:00

QUOTE

Truly I find traveling in Vietnam is great. So I was going to recommend visiting places like Da Lat, Nha Trang, Hue, Da Nang, Ha Long, Ha Noi, Sa Pa, Ha Tien, Phu Quoc, Can Tho, etc. But... you said otherwise.

I went to Dalat last time around and really enjoyed it... we might go for a few days. Unfortunately i will only be there for 2 weeks so i really don't want to travel too much.

QUOTE

If you want to hang out in Sai Gon. Well, does she have college-age friends? If so they can recommend places. Youth music, singing contests among high schools, colleges, groups are truly fun to watch. The atmosphere, the audience are amazing. But can you find such an event coincidental with your trip. I doubt it. On the other hand I'm sure there are plenty of concerts anytime of year, ranging from classical guitar, piano to traditional instruments to Vietnamese pop music if you look / ask hard enough.

She has some friends there and we will probably go out with them a couple times. I plan on trying to attend some sort of concert or play as i missed out on that last time around.

QUOTE

I'm not a fan of bars and dancing clubs so I can't speak for it.

Me either

QUOTE

If you know Vietnamese, maybe try some live music/comedy. I don't know where, maybe google "nha van hoa thanh nien", "nha hat Hoa Binh", ...

I think i can count all the vietnamese i know on 2 hands. I did go to a variety show with comedy and bands and enjoyed the music and watching the very active comics. Of course i had now idea what was going on heheh.

QUOTE

Karaoke is a fun and popular pastime for the youth.

I'll have to check out some places that do that.. could be fun to drink too

QUOTE

Bowling: Super Bowl right by Tan Son Nhat, or Diamond Plaza.

I don't bowl but i did play in an arcade at a bowling ally. It was pretty fun.

QUOTE

You didn't mention riding motor scooter around Sai Gon. If you get bored, just ride your motor scooter everywhere and immerse yourself in the chaotic Sai Gon. Sometimes it's truly amazing. Be concerned about safety, though. Not all areas are safe and don't stay out late!

That is the most fun

. just being seen. enjoying what is going on around you etc. I really had a great time when she took me through neighborhoods and around more rural areas so i could see everything.

QUOTE

Food scavenger hunt: ask for and seek out the well-known local eateries. Food vendors/restaurants are everywhere, but there are truly outstanding places that everybody knows by word-of-mouth. Your dining experience will be enhanced.

Thats what most of my time will be spent doing. She's also so excited that there is a new pizza hut opening up hahaheheh.

QUOTE

A great link to a site I used to check often while living in HCMC for nearly 2 years.

Link: Asia Life HCMC

STL_HCMC

I love this web site

. thanks!!

She told me she wants to go to a zoo too. I'll have to check that out...

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-10-04 23:24:00

QUOTE (NeverSeen @ Oct 4 2007, 08:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'll be going to see Tram later this month for a couple of weeks. I found last time our days went a little something like this:
8-9am wake up
9-10am breakfast
10-11am ca phe
12-1 lunch
2-5 sleep
5-6 ca phe
8-9 dinner
10-? ca phe
?-1am bed.

Sometimes we ate at home, sometimes we stopped off at a market, sometimes we ate at a resturant... There were a couple things we did like going to an arcade, shopping, just hanging out downtown, nothing too terribly exciting.

What can we do for fun there? She never really got out before as she was always working or going to school and she wasn't ever as financially well off as she is now. We did a few fun things from time to time but not too much. Most of our time was taken up by the party planning and other stressful events. This time we have the whole time to our selves with no worries or cares. I'm not a HUGE fan of tourst events and traps and i perfer to hang out in the local scenes.

I'm not too concerned about spending money so don't let that be a limiting force in any recommendations. Let me know of any places or spots to hang out at and have a good time at any time during the day.

She lives about 5 minutes from the river that you need to take the boat to cross on your moto in Q2. I don't mind traveling anywhere in the city and i went all over it multiple times during my last visit.

Also, if it makes a differance we are both on the young side of things, 23 and 21. So if its a place where the younger crowd hangs out, thats all the better

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-10-04 19:40:00

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-10-04 19:11:00

Packet 4 wait time?

Its been almost a month since Tram submitted packet 3 in person. Should i be expecting about a 2 month wait on the packet 4?

I will be going to VN next week. Am i able to go to the consulate and ask them about it? How does that all work? Can anyone explain who i'd need to talk to or what to say etc? Is it a differant place than where the interviews are held that i can get to or? Can Tram come in with me? Am i able to pick up packet 4 in person?

Any and all knowlege of this would be GREAT! I'd love to have Tram here for Christmas but it looks like i'd be cutting it too close assuming a 2 month packet 4 wait and 1 month interview wait.

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-10-16 18:58:00

My Recent Trip To Saigon to See Thi

I had no problems useing my debit card in any of the Vietcom bank ATMs there. I never bothered to check about the fees and stuff because it didn't matter to me, i needed the money

.

I also did some cash advances and i got hit with fees all over the place, but hey... i didn't have to bring tons of cash along with me so i didn't care about that either.

This time around i am going to send Tram cash via my travel agents money transfer program. Its only like $2 per 100 and will be delivered to Tram the next day. Everything will be cash unless i need to purchase something rather expensive ($100+)

For resturants i go to the local spots for all meals and try my hardest to avoid tourist places. I cant stand tourists, bad enough i have to be one. When i went the last time, the only English speaker i bumped into was there on business from the Philippines. My wife new all the places to go for whatever we were doing that night.

It would crack me up seeing the European backpackers wondering around the same 2 blocks of the city armed with about 5 water bottles. Silly people. I loved being "The first american (white person) to come in here" around the neighborhood businesses. The little kids were just too much, too cute heheh.

Thanks for the post

it will give me a couple things to look out for next time i go (end of this month).

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-10-10 19:14:00

Current Visit in Oct/Nov:
Lunch at Aunt Hue's House
It's been a couple months since I had roast duck back home so I decided to have some here. Good stuff!
An Afternoon Ride in Saigon
These are pictures I took while on the way to and from the duck vendor.
Cooking With Tram
We made some Ka-Bobs today!
Visiting the Reunification Palace *NEW*
Tram and I went to the Reunification Palace today after having breakfast at a nearby Cafe.
Cooking with Tram 2 *NEW*
Tram is perfectly fine with me cooking now that she's convienced I know what I'm doing. We cooked up some pork for lunch today. Very good stuff. I think I'm working on my 2nd or 3rd pound of MSG now.

hahaheheh. I'll google the effects of it... later.

Previous Visit in March:
Vietnam
This is just some pictures I shot while I was there last time.
Tram in Da Lat
These are some pictures I took of Tram during our honeymoon in Da Lat.
Wedding Pictures That Did Not Make the Cut
These are some pictures from the studio that we did not use, but my mother decided to post them online. Thanks...
Wedding Ceremony
Our wedding day pictures.
Pictures of Tram and I
Some more pictures of the two of us.
Another round of Tim and Tram Pictures
As the title says

.

Enjoy.

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-11-01 04:35:00

Current Visit in Oct/Nov:
Lunch at Aunt Hue's House
It's been a couple months since I had roast duck back home so I decided to have some here. Good stuff!
An Afternoon Ride in Saigon
These are pictures I took while on the way to and from the duck vendor.
Cooking With Tram
We made some Ka-Bobs today!
Visiting the Reunification Palace *NEW*
Tram and I went to the Reunification Palace today after having breakfast at a nearby Cafe.

Previous Visit in March:
Vietnam
This is just some pictures I shot while I was there last time.
Tram in Da Lat
These are some pictures I took of Tram during our honeymoon in Da Lat.
Wedding Pictures That Did Not Make the Cut
These are some pictures from the studio that we did not use, but my mother decided to post them online. Thanks...
Wedding Ceremony
Our wedding day pictures.
Pictures of Tram and I
Some more pictures of the two of us.
Another round of Tim and Tram Pictures
As the title says

.

Enjoy.

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-11-01 01:33:00

QUOTE

Wow I love the one of you starting the charcoal fire, was that on a patio I hope and not inside the house?

Yup, they have a nice little patio out from of her house that we used. It did not stop the house from getting a little smoky but it all worked out okay

QUOTE

I am a little confused by your timeline. You have applied for a K-1 visa but are already married. Is there something about getting married in VietNam that does not make you "married"? Should you not be filing a K-3?

Someone always notices that

. We had a traditional wedding and party for her family. This will count as our traditional engagement party. We did not file paperwork for the marriage. Because we had a traditional wedding Tram and I and all of our families in VN and States side consider ourselves married.

An update on going out:
Last night Tram said we were going to go to a theater to watch people sing in vietnamese. I'm thinking traditional ping ping pong dong type music and girls in Ao Dais. I was wrong! We ended up at a night club watching a variety show. It was one heck of a blast but MAN did they get me on drinks! we spent $20 on 2 drinks and a plate of fruit (i could eat for like 5 days off that here hhehehahah) and tram was kind enough not to finish her drink and i barely touched the fruit. Ah well, it was still fun

.

Right now i'm about to leave to go eat breakfast and then we are going to a museum. I guess she overread me whining about not going anywhere hahaha.

More to come!

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-10-31 21:42:00

Current Visit in Oct/Nov:
Lunch at Aunt Hue's House
It's been a couple months since I had roast duck back home so I decided to have some here. Good stuff!
An Afternoon Ride in Saigon
These are pictures I took while on the way to and from the duck vendor.
Cooking With Tram
We made some Ka-Bobs today!

Previous Visit in March:
Vietnam
This is just some pictures I shot while I was there last time.
Tram in Da Lat
These are some pictures I took of Tram during our honeymoon in Da Lat.
Wedding Pictures That Did Not Make the Cut
These are some pictures from the studio that we did not use, but my mother decided to post them online. Thanks...
Wedding Ceremony
Our wedding day pictures.
Pictures of Tram and I
Some more pictures of the two of us.
Another round of Tim and Tram Pictures
As the title says

.

Enjoy.

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-10-31 01:56:00

QUOTE

My current arguement is I want to go back when she gets the visa to accompany her on the travel to the US, but she says it is a waste of money. I told her I am worried she will get lost in airports and she replied "Then you will be unlucky to have lost me" ...grrrrrr

That's what she said about my 2nd trip (the current one), now she could not be more happy that i am with her. I pretty much just bought the tickets and told her "Sorry, no refunds" and she gave in heheh.

QUOTE

Their decisions are so final and not up for negociations. To think I was worried that my SO would be submissive to the point of being boring. LOL

That is what all my friends think about her being submissive... man will they get to find out otherwise!

QUOTE

I'll suggest going somewhere and its too hot. When she wants to go, its never too hot.

So very true! I continued pushing her about going places and she finally said "Fine, but i will not go to Ben Thanh Market with you" She hates getting hounded by everyone just because i am with her. She told me her mom will take me anywhere that she will not.

Yesterday i was bored and alone (Tram at school, sister at school, Mom at work) so her Mom came by and picked me up to work with her for an hour. She is basicly a messenger that does paperwork for everyone. She knew everyone from the guy on the side of the road to all the police officers and everyone in the government buildings she went to. It was a blast

. I got to see all the new developments in Q2 (TONS of new 4 story houses going up) as well as all the poverty and jungle looking area as she got outside of the city.

QUOTE

yup, welcome to VN.... they cover from head to toes...hahahaa.... over here you pay to have your skin tan, over there, they pay to have their skin white

The best part? I live in the Tampa Bay area. I'm 15 minutes away from about 10+ beaches, 364 days of sun a year in my city and it stays about the same toasty humid weather until the very end of winter when we get a couple of cold days. I have a Jeep that I drive with the top down and a Subaru with a sunroof that i'm not about to close. She already told me she hates both, and will buy her own car and will not get tan. She gets such a devestated look on her face when i talk about being tan, and then she hates on me because i'm out in the sun all the time and i'm still lighter than she is hehahha.

That's all for now, we'll see what this afternoon has in store for me. I might put up some pictures of all the food i've been eating. (It cracks her mom up that i'm taking so many pictures and last time i was here i didn't take very many at all).

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-10-30 19:25:00

Lunch at Aunt Hue's House
It's been a couple months since i had roast duck back home so i decided to have some here. Good stuff!

An Afternoon Ride in Saigon
These are pictures I took while on the way to and from the duck vendor.

Enjoy.

Edited by NeverSeen, 30 October 2007 - 06:05 AM.

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-10-30 06:01:00

Oh there will be pictures

. I'm working on uploading another 100 pictures of a typical moto ride with Tram to downtown and back again. I won't be traveling outside of HCMC this time. I'm just here for 2 weeks visiting Tram. I'm having the hardest time convincing her to show me her city.

It goes like this:

Tim: "I want to go to ___"

Tram: "No, I hate, they will all say, you buy buy buy"
or
Tram: "No, it is too hot, I am too lazy"
or
Tram: "No, it is too far"
or
Tram: "No, I don't want my skin black, later at night"
or
Well, you get the picture heheh. The worst part? I can't argue with her. If I try to, she just looks away and ignores me... nice... heheheh. Now she is trying to pawn me off on her mom if i want to go out and do things. I'm like... right... and then i will die of thrist because i don't know how to speak vietnamese heheh.

How on Earth do i get this girl to take pride in her city and culture??? Oh well, i'll just keep nagging her until she caves in heheh.

Oh another thing, because i'm such a "Handsome American" It bothers her that people talk too much about me and try to get me to buy things, and she HATES when they raise the prices because i am with her. She is more than happy to stop everything and go get me something but does not always like to bring me along because of the prices.

/Rant

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-10-30 03:42:00

SURPRISE! there is a little bit of time in the afternoon where everyone is sleeping and i am bored. So... i decided to post some pictures of whats going on while i'm here online to share with all my friends and family back home. I'll post the links up here while I'm at, just because

.

Roast Duck Lunch
It's been a couple months since i had roast duck back home so i decided to have some here. Good stuff!

I have a ton of pictures already and its only my second day here, but unfortunatly i'm using DSL and Dell and not really liking it

. Depending on my fustration level with this thing i may or may no put up a lot more pictures while i'm here.

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-10-29 23:39:00

Got an interview date!!!!

OUTSTANDING! Looks like it took about 1 month 2 weeks from packet 3 to packet four and then a month until the interview. I've submitted packet 3 about 1 month and a week ago so if it continues to follow suit i might see packet 4 before i leave for the US in a couple weeks. Maybe my girl will be spending christmas in america??? how great would that be!

I wish you the best! God bless!

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-10-29 01:31:00

SSN

QUOTE

Yes, That's my name but now i have my husband's name

So now your last name is Tran?

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-11-11 23:34:00

11 Days until interview day!!!

Outstanding! Hope for the best, you'll get it

. Sounds like you have your bases covered. Keep praying for that pink! Tram and I are 2 weeks behind you so let us know how it goes!!

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-11-16 22:55:00

QUOTE (Friendly Advice @ Nov 22 2007, 02:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hey there NeverSeen,

Your responses are great, but it's not me you need to convince, it's the CO...which you know already. I was just trying to imagine I was the CO in your case...

So anyway...the only answer I had a problem with was the bit where you talked about European women vis-a-vis Vietnamese women. There are PLENTY of girls in VN looking for a way over to the States...I can't remember who it was (maybe wait4ever or Dalegg) who talked to an immigration consultant who said that some crazy number of marriages (like 80%) don't work because the VN fiancee/wife leaves after getting parole in the US. Anyway, what I mean by that is that the CO will likely be looking out for that as well.

In any case, glad that you are thinking of the relationship as a whole. In the end, if you look on VJ enough you will see that an infinitesimal number of visas are denied in the long run, so just know that true love always wins out. And that's the way it should be.

--j.

Yup, I know its the CO i have to convince. I appreciate you imagining the CO because it does raise questions and open my eyes to many possibilities. Heehe on the European Women. I personally am just not a fan, so try not to mind me too much

. I wasn't very PC in most of that post.

I understand a lot of people have had their marriage break up after the VN is allowed to stick around. This is always somewhere in my mind, but i know our love is true and I do not need to worry about this. it will probably have a place somewhere in my mind. Remember 50% of all American marriages end in divorce so I guess I'm just playing Mr. Risk. I am fully confident we are in this for the very long run. House, Kids, Grandkids, the whole nine.

I appreciate your input and point of view! It really makes me think!

QUOTE

infinitesimal

I must say... outstanding word choice. I had to look that one up! heheh

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-11-24 00:51:00

QUOTE

Hello,

Congratulations about your interview date and all. Plenty of people have posted sound advice here, so take heed. There were a few things I thought I should raise:

-- Get on MySpace, now, and change your marital status from "married" to something else. Period.

Interesting.

QUOTE

-- Her English: this will be key. You don't speak much Vietnamese. You said that her English is slow but passable. As others have said, imagine you are a CO. If her English cannot be comprehended at the visa window ONE YEAR after you have been speaking to her in English on the phone daily, according to your post, why would a CO believe that your conversations were meaningful in any real sense?

I think she is just nervous. We hold conversations constantly online on voice chat and in person. A guy I know married a girl from vietnam and she made it through knowing far less English. Of course, every case is differant. Tram is a part time college girl from the city and has studied english on and off for the past couple years + what she learned in high school. I think her smaller vocabulary is what bothers her the most. I've been working with her to expand it as much as possible.

QUOTE

-- Speed: contrary to others' thoughts, I think this will be a significant problem. You state that you were talking to her about marriage within 6 weeks of your very first contact. That is exceedingly rare. Incredibly rare. Except in Vietnam and other impoverished SE Asian countries. Someone you had never met face to face; with whom you had no real common language; who was introduced to you by a relative who - under US law - cannot petition for her for a visa.

I was sick of dating girls from the states that want to just date for years and years, then move in for years and years, then maybe someday get married. If i am going to enter into a relationship with a girl it is clear i want to get married and do not want to be bothered with a long drawn out relationship that we do not end up married happy for ever after. We started talking about marriage as in how we both felt about it, future plans etc, as i wanted to get a feel for what she was looking for in life. I was not proposing to her, i did that in vietnam after about 4 months of talking to her.
She has very little family in the states and they are not interested in bringing the family over. The uncle was not familar with this niece and couldn't care less if she came or not (he's not very close with most of his family over there). We worked on the relationship for 4 months before actually getting engaged.
As a comparison, my parents (typical white amercians) met and were married in less than 6 months. They've been married over 23 years now. Of course the CO does not know all this so i just have to hope for the best. We are now over a year into the relationship and we are both still fully commited to it. We're in it for the long haul no matter what it takes.

QUOTE

I apologize for bringing this stuff up, but I do want to help. It comes down to this: the CO will listen to the story, and will try to see if it passes a basic test. That test is that the simplest explanation is often the best. So he/she will consider this: which is more likely - that you met the love of your life through an uncle, chatted over the internet slowly and uncertainly, and filed with a few months of first contact? Or that the uncle and you have some sort of "arrangement" to get her to the US so that the rest of the family can follow later?

It sucks that this happens and legit peeps have to pay the price. I just happened to find what i consider the perfect girl and went after her. I did not want to waste any time with the filing because I knew the visas can take a very long time to move on. We met, 4 months later got engaged, 1 month later filed for visa, and after a year of knowing each other and developing our relationship we will get married in the states. Another comparison is my younger brother, Met to married in 5 months. I'm far behind both of these examples and i think i'm pretty on target for length of relationship. 1 year is plenty of time before getting married.

QUOTE

Vietnam is among the highest fraud posts in the world. It also has among the most K-1 petitions in the world, which is (not coincidentally) the fastest way to bring a foreigner legally to the US.

That sucks too. Just my luck right?

QUOTE

I know that you want to bring her here because being separated from the person you love is the worst. I know. But think about this: why is it that Americans and Europeans, who often speak fluent English but are equally separated by huge distances and financial constraints, do not file anywhere NEAR the number of K-1s that Viet-US couples do, and who wait MUCH longer before embarking on the visa process? You can bet the CO will be thinking about this.

Honestly? I can NOT stand white girls, especially american ones. I've dated VERY few (i can think of 1) and have stuck to mostly spanish girls and have been attracted to central american and south east asian girls (laos, thai, and viet) since as long as i remember. Besides look at it like this... what can you possibly find in europe that you can't find in america? I'm looking for a girl that likes to take care of her family and wants to prosper in the long run, not some brat that wants to suck me dry and divorce me. That simply does not exsist in america or european countires. Yes that is a general statement and no offence to those that disagree with me.

QUOTE

Just so as not to be misunderstood, I send you heartfelt best wishes and good luck with the interview process...perhaps your fiancee won't be asked any of this. But I thought I'd add my 2 cents, because you really should have answers for these issues.

It's always good to think of all sides of it. You are dead on with everything. Thank you for the eye opener.

Greater is He that is in me, than He that is in the World

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-11-22 01:31:00

You only have to meet 1 time in the last 2 years. If you've met twice in 2 years and your going to be there during the interview... you'll be fine. It's probably better because at the interview she can tell him that you are there waiting outside etc. Because i'm not going to be at vietnam for the interview I wrote a letter with a love story timeline deal in it that shes going to stick up the CO's nose until he reads it hehehaha.

You'll be fine. You can always explain stuff!

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-11-13 01:46:00

Yes, we planned to have her only wear the engagement ring and leave the wedding ring at home. If they ask about the wedding ring on the receipt, well that’s for the upcoming wedding

. We will refer to the pictures as engagement party pictures, however, there was a traditional wedding ceremony before hand with only the family involved. We will leave out any pictures of the wedding cake and any that have words on the wall spelling out something about a wedding. If they still ask, no problem, there was a traditional wedding for her parents to see her get married because they can not come to the states. I’m assuming this is fairly common, and I do have one of my buddies at work that did the exact same thing with no issues.

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-08-14 20:37:00

Also, they have "Vietnam Hotdog" which is simply amazing heh. think buttermilk pancake batter cooked in a george forman sandwich press with cheese or hot dog inside of it.

Whoa there. I've been to Vietnam four times in the past year and in Delat twice, and I've never eaten/seen this!

Was it only in Delat you had this? Was it near the town center (near the round-about next to the large staircase)? Have you seen it in HCMC? This sounds like something I could live off of.

Did you take a picture of it?

ABSOLUTELY!!

They did have it in HCMC in Tram's neighborhood in front of someones house, but it was also in Da Lat leaving the market going down a road on a hill. Her friend's mom sells them from a cart thing. the ones i had were stuffed with the vina milk cheese wedge thing. it was made from the same batter as the flat crispy waffles but they were soft and fluffly and stuffed with cheese (or pate (sp) or "hotdog")

my wife would say "look!! same hot dog in america!!" ohhhhhhhhhhh i just can't wait for the first time she sees a foot long polish with all the trimmings.

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-08-11 01:32:00

Absolutely beautiful pictures. Thanks so much for sharing.

Thank you so much

I've never seen da lat before till these pictures. I will be going to vn in less than 2 weeks

It actually reminds me a LOT of Tenn. heh. It was very nice there. It seems as though there is far less poverty there but i'm assuming that is because there is a lot of smaller farm villages that support the city all around it. It stayed in the mid 60's the whole time i was there day or night, and only rained once. I wore a light jacket and jeans and was very comfortable. I highly! recomend giong at some point. We went through Saigon Tourist and for $200 we got a charter bus ride there and back, 2 hotel rooms (gotta love the hooker rules), 3 meals a day, 3 tours a day for 4 days. GREAT deal IMO. It seemed to be about the distance of Tampa, FL to Miami, FL. about a 3-4 hour ride. PLENTY of sites to see on the way and some of the most beautiful mountian/forest/waterfalls I've seen in a long time. Also, they have "Vietnam Hotdog" which is simply amazing heh. think buttermilk pancake batter cooked in a george forman sandwich press with cheese or hot dog inside of it.

Right now i'm torn on how long to go. I know i could do a week, but i think it would be a lot more fun to do 2 weeks. I don't think i will be able to afford 2 trips (one in Oct and one in Dec) and then to buy tickets for her to fly over right after, so i'm limiting myself to one more trip. I'm sure i could manage to get 2 or 3 personal days off to meet her in Cali and fly back to FL with her. Like i mentioned before, i work 2nd shift and her uncle 1st shift so we could tag team getting her used to everything here. (not to mention i won't need to miss work doing all the new paperwork that will come up.)

Currently she is spending time with her best friend in Da Lat and will be going home later this month (nice little 2 month vacation she took) She will then finish up her nail tech school and continue taking english classes at the same time. After nails are done (couple weeks) she will concentrate fully on English and we will talk on a daily basis with me grilling her on interview questions and information. She does have a steel trap of a mind and remembers every last detail about everything, we just need to work on getting her to know how to respond correctly to questions in english.

Thanks for the support everyone! I feel better about this process everyday!

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-08-10 16:56:00

hey... after thought... the wedding pictures... the ones with the cake and ceremony and stuff... would those cause any issues, or will the "i'm single" papers cover Tram and not make them think we are really married?

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-08-10 01:50:00

OK Im confused if she is your wife and you went and got married over there then why are you doing a k1? shouldnt you be doing the k3 spouse visa? This just does not seem right..... please enlighten me. Are you married or not?

heheh sorry! I have a habit of referring to her as my wife. We did have a semi-traditional wedding ceremony in Vietnam, however, we did not sign any paperwork making it official. We are considered fiance(e) in the government's eye but husband/wife to everyone else. I wear a wedding band and she wears both a wedding band and an engagement ring.

I hear it is common for this to be done as the family wants to see the wedding because they can not come here. We had a small family only wedding with a 100+ guest party afterwards. She wore her pink Ao Dai and i wore my typical light weight black suit. As i was told i had one of the top chefs in the area catering the party (food was UNREAL!!!) and the "mayor" of District 2 was there. We then went to Da Lat for a 4 day honeymoon. Both of these are things i could not afford to do in America and we will probably just have a small wedding/party when she comes here. it is AMAZING how far a few thousand dollars can go there hehehe. I want to say i spent about $3,000 or $4,000 for the plane ticket, wedding, party, all the pictures/album/dvd etc, honeymoon, food, clothes, and enough art stuff for my entire house and all the other random things i blew money on.

AHHHHH I'm so glad i'm going back in a couple months!!!

And for your viewing enjoyment:
Vietnam
Tram
Various wedding pics
Traditional wedding pics
Blooper pics my mom was kind enough to show the world

and finally there are a bunch of pictures on my MYSPACE as well as Tram's MYSPACE

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-08-10 01:37:00

My wife plans to bring up allowed vacation time at work if they question why only 2 visits. I'm also in a new management posistion so it already looks bad that 5 weeks this year will be spent in vietnam. Of course... i don't mind

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-08-09 23:08:00

GREAT! info and advice all. I am feeling more confident by the day.

I think 2 weeks would be amazing and i'm sure i can get a few personal days to meet her in cali and fly back with her. My boss is going through the same thing but he is a wait forever case with mexico. He flys out there once a quater for a week so he should be pretty understanding.

I also have her uncle here that works the opposite shift of me that she could hang out with during the night when i am not there. We'd have all morning, and early afternoon together for me to show her the ropes. My vacation won't reset until May 12th i believe.

My hope is to be able to take her to see my parents and family for Christmas. She wants nothing more than to be here with me, then her second thing she wants is to meet all of my family. I should get a free week during this time as we usually will not work the week of Christmas.

The letters to her from the family is a GREAT idea. I know i have a congrats card my aunt sent to her and i could easily have various family, friends write to her over the next few months for extra evidence. EVERY one of my family and friends are on the edge of their seats waiting right along with me to meet her. They are all so excited for me its almost unreal. OH! and i also have all the emails that were sent to me congrats about everything thats going on.

I <3 VJ. You guys/girls are all awesome.

Does the site sell tshirts?!

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-08-09 20:13:00

LONG POST WARNING!!

Hi all, i mentioned some of the following in my NOA2 approved post a few concerns but i wanted to start a new one as these are pretty important things to address. I feel after reading around the forum that i will have a few red flags at the interview. I'm posting in this forum because I'm looking for advice from people who have directly dealt with the CO's in HCMC

Red Flag 1: Only 1 trip to VN
After doing a few days research on what HCMC wants I've decided to take a 2nd trip to see Tram. Unfortunately i only have 2 weeks of vacation left until next April. I think i will take 1 week and go to visit her.

I got my NOA2 on Aug 3rd. assuming a realistic best case scenario of 4 months until the interview being sometime in Dec, I would like to go see her sometime during the month of October. This would help the waiting process go by quicker by looking forward to seeing her. I've also read about a lot of people who visit during the time of the interview.

Will it matter to the CO if i come a 2nd time in Oct. or if my 2nd time is when the interview process is going on or do they just want me there more than once to ease the red flags?

Red Flag 2: Introduced by her uncle at my work and other family in the states
Currently Tram has 1 uncle in FL, an Uncle and Aunt in VA, and an uncle and aunt in Cali. There are also some cousins, from what i understand, in Texas.
How we were introduced:
Her uncle is a coworker on the opposite shift as me. While talking to him one day i found out he was going to vietnam for a month to see his family there. There is a running joke at work to ask the people going back to their country if they have any pretty nieces that are single. (there are more people from SE Asia at my work than "white" people). So jokingly i asked him and he said, yes, actually i do have one. Bring me a picture with your email address and i will show it to her. A month passes and no emails. So he comes back and i ask him if the picture went over well. he said no, she was not interested but he passed it off to another niece that he never really talked to before. (he still to this day doesn't know much about her and thinks its funny i know everything). A week or two later i get a random email and we start emailing back and forth. and the rest is history.
How will the CO feel about her having some family here already and they way we met??

Red Flag 3: Vietnamese at interview
Trams spoken English is broken and slow but she is able to communicate. I would like her to do the interview in English, however, I'm afraid the CO will ask something she does not understand and there will not be a translator there to help her. I also don't trust the translators after reading the posts. I plan to talk to her frequently in English and quiz her with random interview questions. She is also attending a school to learn English. She can read and write very good when she takes her time. I want her to at least try English before using the translator because i think she will surprise herself how much English she knows.
Advice?

Red Flag 4: Length of relationship
Nov 06
The first email i received from Tram was on 11/13/06. We immediately hit it off and started talking on Yahoo (logged every conversation) Messenger after a few weeks of exchanging emails. From there we started using webcam and phone and talking on headsets over the net and writing letters, we also started doing a lot of texting on the phones this past month.
Dec 06
Within a month of talking 11 to 2 times a day we were already finding out each others views of marraige and family and all the good stuff. By the end of Dec. we were already talking about getting married, and were "boyfriend and girlfriend"
Jan 07
Early Jan we start talking about me coming there and getting engaged and doing a traditional wedding/party. I never said "Will you marry me" it just came up as a known thing that we were a perfect couple and were going to go through with it.
Feb 07
More of the same
March 07
I go to vietnam (for 3 weeks) knowing i was about to get married to a girl that i never met in person before. We planned the wedding to be in the middle of my time there. i knew i could get out of it if it was a mistake. From the first time i layed eyes on her i knew it was all perfect. It was like we knew each other our whole lives. I went for it hook, line and sinker!
April - August 07
I-129F stuff

Now here we are today, Aug 07. I still stand by our decision to wed and will forever. I am in absolute love with her, as she is with me. HOWEVER! will the CO think this is just TOO fast a relationship? Even with all the proof provided will they fail me just because i haven't seen her 5 times over 2 years or something?

I saw a LOT of denials posted do to lack of evidence and lack of support.
For evidence i have:
IMs, IM log, emails, letters, pictures (including hundreds from the 100+ person wedding with all guests and all family, random pics of us together and professional studio wedding pics), receipts for everything purchased in Saigon and Da Lat (honeymoon spot), cash advances from HCMC banks, credit card statements, the earings, rings and necklace she will be wearing (pictures of me putting them on her at wedding and the receipts) , phone bills showing text messages to and from her with phone number and country listed, receipts from money i send her every month, boarding passes, itinerary, and so much more plus whatever i will add to it over the next few months including the 2nd trip i will take.

For support:
WAY above the guidelines for 1 or 2 people household (for about 5 years running). Stable job (2.5 years) in a massive company in a management position (company has a plant in HCMC too).

Okay so that sums up ALL of my current concerns. I know its early into the process for me but i know how picky HCMC CO's can be after reading all the posts. I want my ducks in the straightest line possible. Please reply with all the advice you care to. I am incredibly flexible and take well to criticism. Luckly i read a lot about the 129F before going so i knew what items and information to collect and such.

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-08-09 01:00:00

QUOTE

If you don't remove the flag prior to her interview, the chance that she would be here for Christmas is nada....

I don't understand your post. What is this flag i must remove prior to her interview?

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-11-24 00:40:00

QUOTE (MR2nice @ Nov 21 2007, 01:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (NeverSeen @ Nov 20 2007, 10:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

she received packet 4 today!

Congrats!

Does packet 4 contain info for getting the medical examination? Thanks.

Yup. It has a couple more forms in it, about vaccines, about the exam, about the vise fees, about the interview and about how to order everything, and of course the letter.

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-11-21 14:37:00

she received packet 4 today!

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-11-21 01:15:00

Tram called the consulate on Monday and they told her to wait until the 26th. If it does not come they said to go pick it up at the consulate. I downloaded copies to her computer while i was there so she can collect any remaining papers and know what to expect. Here's hoping it shows up soon! I really don't want to play games with the consulate!

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-11-15 01:08:00

Question:
We were told the interview date over the phone. We are 1 month away and do not have packet 4 yet. When should we start to worry about receiving packet 4? I will have Tram call the embassy to see when they mailed it and what to do if it does not come in time etc. Just curious what you guys think?

I know you need the letter in it for the medical and to get into the embassy so I'm hoping it comes with no less than 2 weeks to spare so we can get all the stuff done in it.

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-11-09 02:45:00

Thanks for the Congrats all!

Tram and I put the finishing touches on all our evidence and paperwork for the interview. It's a 6 inch stack of well organized paperwork. We have a section about my 1st visit with proof and pictures, 2nd visit with proof and pictures, a section of proof and pictures for our engagment party, phone bills, instant messanger convos, emails, letters to/from us and my family members, all the sent and received papers from me sending money, etc. Theres just so much paperwork! Oh and we have all her paperwork for the consulate nice and neat as well! We used tabs and binder clips for everything and have it in one of those "clear bag" folder things to keep it letter sized and easy to look through or take apart if needed.

Hopefully between the paperwork/records and a good interview from Tram (we've been practicing a lot with about 20-40 questions at a time to get her confidence up!), God willing, we'll have a pink slip on the first try!

QUOTE

Looking at NeverSeen's timeline it says packet 3 was received on 09/20. You're looking at close to 3 months from the time of packet 3 and the interview date.

Yup. Looks like from start to interview is just under 8 months for me. A little on the long side, but getting her here before Christmas was the goal all along. 1 month and counting until the interview now!

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-11-08 10:43:00

WOOOHOOOOO!!!

Tram and I were going through all our paperwork to get her prepared for the interview when ever it comes. She told me she hand delivered the packet 3 to the consulate, but i found a mail reciept for it that she kept. She explained they would not accept it and they told her to mail it. Apon hearing this news i had her promptly call the consulate to confirm they received it and to ask if they have an interview date for her yet...

They did!! They say they received the packet 3 and sent her the packet 4 (have not seen it, but we will go bug the guys at the consulate tomorrow about it) and they have given her an interview date of December 10th!

Baring no delays she will be here for Christmas! This has been our goal all along! Wooohooo!!!

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-11-07 04:15:00

Everything is a success for us.

Thanks for the reply!

I'm hoping that all the evidence i will provide will be more than enough. I guess time will tell!

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-10-31 21:44:00

Everything is a success for us.

Congratulations

.

I am waiting on packet 4 and i want to make sure Tram has eveything she needs to avoid a blue slip for evidence.

I am curious what evidence you submitted the first time that they gave you a blue slip? Can you tell me everything you gave them so i can see if i have enough?

What evidence did you add after the blue slip?

Thanks!

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-10-30 22:01:00

Being there for the interview

QUOTE

Seen a LOT of petitioners kicking themselves in the butte for NOT attending tho.

Remember, Hind sight is 20/20. Would the person that was denied be accepted just because they showed up? Showing up doesn't change their marital status or their income. It doesn't change how they met or how they filled out the paperwork. It really is just one more piece of evidence of a relationship. It's been said plenty of times, 1 single piece of evidence is not going to make or break your case.

NeverSeen

Male

Vietnam

2007-12-01 19:59:00