K1 Approved - Pink Pink Pink

[evanscholly 1]

Congratulations!!!!!!!!

[Kevin and 10]

Congratulations!

[BinhJerome 14]

OK thanks all for their kindness, now here's the story from Huong's perspective ---

Huong went into the interview with ALOT of evidence, more than anyone else either of us saw, she filled a Samsonite luggage bag with paper. she organized it by category and everything was in chronological order within the category as well. she printed out all of our emails and chats, thousands of pages, and was extremely ready to show anything they asked for. One very important point - thanks to some research she did on VJ and other sites, I had sent via Fedex a notarized TIMELINE including the interview date and updated personal statement regarding our relationship two week before the interview. Huong recognized immediately the interviewer had attached that entire pkg including the Fedex Bill to her paperwork, and many of his questions were connected to what I wrote in those pages. Also something that helped very much was that several times I had played the part of the interviewer in the days leading up to my flight and she got comfortable talking about these details in English - its a very good idea if possible for the fiance to request the interview be conducted in English, fortunately for us Huong speaks great English so that was no problem.

When Huong was let into the main gate at 7:55 they scanned her evidence bag for metal etc. then they gave her an order # that would tell her when to go to the interview window. her # was A55 but by no means was the calling in sequence, it seemed they picked the numbers at random. The order # also indicated what window she would be interviewed at so she could sit nearby and start going thru the evidence. At some point the fiances are called for the "general" interview and they go thru the minimum documentation checklist to ensure the fiance has everything the consulate requires. Huong noticed quite a few girls sitting with just a plastic folder containing a few photos and a few pages of documents, they were not prepared and could only speak Vietnamese, for the most part they all received blue. Huong sat and sat and watched her potential interviewer, a tall white guy with grey hair at #12, be very rough and meticulous and give almost all his interviews the blue slip. She got very worried. Then at 12 the staff left and everyone was given a slip saying they could go and come back at 1 so they could eat too but almost everyone stayed, fearing they would lose their spot on line. Huong stayed behind as well, and was worried for me as she knew I was outside for so long but figured it would be better to stay to get it done.

she was finally called for her interview at about 1:45. she walked up to the window carrying all the documents. after greeting, she realized he must already know she could speak english because his vietnamese translator was not even present. his first question was "Tell me about your fiance" and Huong, quite the talker, hehe, went on and on telling him about my job, house, family, friends, and life. She felt something good because he smiled the whole time she spoke and this was the first time she had seen him smile all day. Then he asked "How\when did you meet?" "How long did you chat\email before he came to see you in person?" As Huong was answering she noticed him shuffle some papers around and right there on his desk was the pink slip with her name on it, it seemed he had already made up his mind we were OK after reviewing my 134 and her paperwork, and the interview was just to confirm his findings. This made her very excited and happy. He asked to see our engagement party photos in Ao Dai and liked them alot, Huong said he really enjoyed them and said the pictures were "really great". Then he asked where and how we would get married and she told him our plans, and at that point his translator appeared and he said to her "I have just been talking to this young lady, she performed very well for her interview." Then he took the pink slip out and signed it and said to Huong "Have a nice trip and wedding. Welcome to America". So quick, her interview was less than 15 minutes when that same guy had taken 45-60 mins for everyone else he talked to that day.

Then at the end he asked if her fiance liked American football and what team did he like, Huong knew I was a Miami Dolphin fan so she told him, he laughed and told her he liked the Philadelphia Eagles and they would beat Miami this year if they play.

Somehow we got lucky, I guess because of all our prayers and pagoda visits, for some reason things went so smooth when they finally interviewed her.

The main points Huong felt were very important is that the fiance has to try to manage the interview, dont be shy and let the interviewer control the conversation, answer everything with confidence, even if you dont know the answer, just say "I dont know, we never talked about that, please ask me something new", and keep the discussion rolling, if they ask a question you know alot about, answer it completely, go into detail, if gives them a good idea that you have a great deal of knowledge about the petitioner.

here is the complete interview, to the best of Huongs recollection, in order:

1. Tell me about your fiance

2. How and when did you guys meet

3. How long after chatting and email did he come visit you

4. When and how did he propose marriage to you

5. Do you have any pictures from your engagement

6. Do you know any of your fiances work colleagues

7. Did you guys travel together when he came to visit you the 1st time?

8. What hotel did he stay at during his first trip? When did he leave to go back to the USA?

8a. how many people attended your pre-wedding party (the more the better!), he was happy to hear 350

9. What is your job in Vietnam?

10. Do you often travel abroad? Which countries have you been to?

11. Your fiance is a fan of american football, what team does he like?

12. what are your wedding plans for the US if you get the visa?

when reviewing her pictures he took careful note of all my trips, and to see that Huongs parents were included in some of them, particularly those of the engagement\pre-wedding parties.

Hope this info helps anyone who's got an interview date coming up, so many people helped us here, we hope we can return the favor in some small way!

best regards to everyone, good luck!

H&M

WHERE TO GET THE TIMELINE NOTARIZED? TIMELINE IS WHAT YOU WROTE LINES OF TIME ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP? CONGRATS!

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

WHERE TO GET THE TIMELINE NOTARIZED? TIMELINE IS WHAT YOU WROTE LINES OF TIME ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP? CONGRATS!

Where are you? If you're in the US, there's a notary in just about every bank, tax accountant office, and UPS store.

If you're in Vietnam, go to US Citizens Services at the US consulate. They will notarize any document, provided that the document is ultimately going to be submitted to the US government. They aren't cheap, though. $30 per document. DON'T SIGN THE DOCUMENT UNTIL YOU'RE STANDING IN FRONT OF THE NOTARY! It's your signature that they're notarizing.

[jasonandhien 0]

Congrats!

[Dave_Thao 0]

Congrats!

[BinhJerome 14]

Wonderful. Congrats to the both of you!!

Anh map,

I have no clue of timeline? please tell us what it is and how to do it?

[luckytxn 2,264]

Many congrats and God bless. I am loving the flow of pinks I have been seeing lately.

[Nong dan 0]

Wonderful. Congrats to the both of you!!

Anh map,

I have no clue of timeline? please tell us what it is and how to do it?

for jerome and anyone else who needs the info:

A timeline is a chronological list of the key events in your relationship, like, 1/1 met at place xyz, 5/5 travelled to Saigon etc...

here is a link i used to help me create my timeline and personal statement, which is also very helpful and powerful.

http://vietditru.com/dt/viewtopic.php?p=17420

it is indeed very strange how important the timeline\personal statement from the petitioner is to the consulate as they dont even mention it in their P3 or P4 instructions but we have seen on VJ and heard from others that fiances are being refused simply for not having one.

i put both together in a letter format, went to a notary at a shipping (fedex\UPS) store to get it notarized, and sent the original to the consulate and a copy to my fiance so she had the exact same details...

hope this helps you and best wishes!

H&M

[toddandhien 2]

CONGRATS!!!!

[Viking_in_Seattle 0]

WHERE TO GET THE TIMELINE NOTARIZED? TIMELINE IS WHAT YOU WROTE LINES OF TIME ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP? CONGRATS!

Where are you? If you're in the US, there's a notary in just about every bank, tax accountant office, and UPS store.

If you're in Vietnam, go to US Citizens Services at the US consulate. They will notarize any document, provided that the document is ultimately going to be submitted to the US government. They aren't cheap, though. $30 per document. DON'T SIGN THE DOCUMENT UNTIL YOU'RE STANDING IN FRONT OF THE NOTARY! It's your signature that they're notarizing.

They did not charge me anything to get my Timeline notarized at the Consulate. But I had to go inside, wait in line with everyone else to get a number, go to the window when my number was called to submit my Timeline, wait again for number to be called, then an American CO had me swear that everything was true, I signed the document, he disappeared around the corner to get the notary seal, then he came back and showed me the notary seal on the document just below my signature.

Before her interview, my fiancee submitted both a detailed chronologically-ordered 3 page "Explanation of Meeting and Relationship" document that was notarized in the US, plus a higher-level quick-reference Timeline document that wasn't notarized. They flagged the latter -- I don't know if they reviewed the other document or not. Even if the Timeline had been notarized, it didn't have enough detail, plus I hadn't included the names and addresses of my US travel companions on my first trip to Vietnam (in either document). My assumption that names and addresses of travel companions weren't necessary was DEAD WRONG -- so we were destined for blue.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

WHERE TO GET THE TIMELINE NOTARIZED? TIMELINE IS WHAT YOU WROTE LINES OF TIME ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP? CONGRATS!

Where are you? If you're in the US, there's a notary in just about every bank, tax accountant office, and UPS store.

If you're in Vietnam, go to US Citizens Services at the US consulate. They will notarize any document, provided that the document is ultimately going to be submitted to the US government. They aren't cheap, though. $30 per document. DON'T SIGN THE DOCUMENT UNTIL YOU'RE STANDING IN FRONT OF THE NOTARY! It's your signature that they're notarizing.

They did not charge me anything to get my Timeline notarized at the Consulate. But I had to go inside, wait in line with everyone else to get a number, go to the window when my number was called to submit my Timeline, wait again for number to be called, then an American CO had me swear that everything was true, I signed the document, he disappeared around the corner to get the notary seal, then he came back and showed me the notary seal on the document just below my signature.

Before her interview, my fiancee submitted both a detailed chronologically-ordered 3 page "Explanation of Meeting and Relationship" document that was notarized in the US, plus a higher-level quick-reference Timeline document that wasn't notarized. They flagged the latter -- I don't know if they reviewed the other document or not. Even if the Timeline had been notarized, it didn't have enough detail, plus I hadn't included the names and addresses of my US travel companions on my first trip to Vietnam (in either document). My assumption that names and addresses of travel companions weren't necessary was DEAD WRONG -- so we were destined for blue.

I got two documents notarized at US Citizens Services when I was in HCM in April. They charged me $30 for each one.

I included a timeline with my petition, and I did get it notarized. I also didn't list my travel companions, but I'm figuring I'm going to be making an updated timeline for the interview. I'll include the travel companions on that one.

[toddandhien 2]

WHERE TO GET THE TIMELINE NOTARIZED? TIMELINE IS WHAT YOU WROTE LINES OF TIME ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP? CONGRATS!

Where are you? If you're in the US, there's a notary in just about every bank, tax accountant office, and UPS store.

If you're in Vietnam, go to US Citizens Services at the US consulate. They will notarize any document, provided that the document is ultimately going to be submitted to the US government. They aren't cheap, though. $30 per document. DON'T SIGN THE DOCUMENT UNTIL YOU'RE STANDING IN FRONT OF THE NOTARY! It's your signature that they're notarizing.

They did not charge me anything to get my Timeline notarized at the Consulate. But I had to go inside, wait in line with everyone else to get a number, go to the window when my number was called to submit my Timeline, wait again for number to be called, then an American CO had me swear that everything was true, I signed the document, he disappeared around the corner to get the notary seal, then he came back and showed me the notary seal on the document just below my signature.

Before her interview, my fiancee submitted both a detailed chronologically-ordered 3 page "Explanation of Meeting and Relationship" document that was notarized in the US, plus a higher-level quick-reference Timeline document that wasn't notarized. They flagged the latter -- I don't know if they reviewed the other document or not. Even if the Timeline had been notarized, it didn't have enough detail, plus I hadn't included the names and addresses of my US travel companions on my first trip to Vietnam (in either document). My assumption that names and addresses of travel companions weren't necessary was DEAD WRONG -- so we were destined for blue.

I got two documents notarized at US Citizens Services when I was in HCM in April. They charged me $30 for each one.

I included a timeline with my petition, and I did get it notarized. I also didn't list my travel companions, but I'm figuring I'm going to be making an updated timeline for the interview. I'll include the travel companions on that one.

I did the same thing that Jim did. I put a 3-pager in with my petition and then a 7-pager for the interview. both were notarized. the 7-pager had travel companion names, travel destinations, dates, the works. DO NOT SKIMP ON THE TIMELINE!

[LuckyDucky 0]

Congrats!

[luckytxn 2,264]

WHERE TO GET THE TIMELINE NOTARIZED? TIMELINE IS WHAT YOU WROTE LINES OF TIME ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP? CONGRATS!

Where are you? If you're in the US, there's a notary in just about every bank, tax accountant office, and UPS store.

If you're in Vietnam, go to US Citizens Services at the US consulate. They will notarize any document, provided that the document is ultimately going to be submitted to the US government. They aren't cheap, though. $30 per document. DON'T SIGN THE DOCUMENT UNTIL YOU'RE STANDING IN FRONT OF THE NOTARY! It's your signature that they're notarizing.

They did not charge me anything to get my Timeline notarized at the Consulate. But I had to go inside, wait in line with everyone else to get a number, go to the window when my number was called to submit my Timeline, wait again for number to be called, then an American CO had me swear that everything was true, I signed the document, he disappeared around the corner to get the notary seal, then he came back and showed me the notary seal on the document just below my signature.

Before her interview, my fiancee submitted both a detailed chronologically-ordered 3 page "Explanation of Meeting and Relationship" document that was notarized in the US, plus a higher-level quick-reference Timeline document that wasn't notarized. They flagged the latter -- I don't know if they reviewed the other document or not. Even if the Timeline had been notarized, it didn't have enough detail, plus I hadn't included the names and addresses of my US travel companions on my first trip to Vietnam (in either document). My assumption that names and addresses of travel companions weren't necessary was DEAD WRONG -- so we were destined for blue.

I got two documents notarized at US Citizens Services when I was in HCM in April. They charged me $30 for each one.

I included a timeline with my petition, and I did get it notarized. I also didn't list my travel companions, but I'm figuring I'm going to be making an updated timeline for the interview. I'll include the travel companions on that one.

I did the same thing that Jim did. I put a 3-pager in with my petition and then a 7-pager for the interview. both were notarized. the 7-pager had travel companion names, travel destinations, dates, the works. DO NOT SKIMP ON THE TIMELINE!

I kinda skimped on my timeline I made and just added the least amount of info but all factual and could be checked easily by any and all documents already known and submitted and corresponded to the actual interview questions. After seeing and reading about all the 2-3-7 page timelines and mine being only almost a full page kinda embarrases me but it got us the pink.