Really upset now, can anyone help?

[Rodney n. 0]

thanks everyone. i was really upset because they didn't even look at evidence we had. they asked my fiancée 7 questions and she answered them all. what really made me mad was when she told me she was forced to use the translator. she answered first question in english then they made her answer in vietnamese. anything wrong with this picture? i have decide to go to vietnam in a week or so to help her with resubmission of the time line. they also asked for her high school and college records , which i thought was strange. also the blue slip said they didnt believe we had a bona fide relationship and to present any evidence we had that would persuade a reasonable man that we did. chat logs, phone bills, e-mails, handwritten letters cant be used to prove this? any thoughts?

rodney

[PeterFB 0]

I don't know why they are asking for her high school and college records but I'll assume there's something about your relationship and her education they don't understand. Most of the time, that's why the blue slip is given, there's something in your I-129f which raised a question in the COs mind that you didn't answer in your I-129f. That's why many times it seems the blue slip was already written out, it was because that's the procedure, if there's a problem, the HCMC stops reading and issues the blue slip. The procedure is to give it to you, then wait for your answer after the interview.

I don't understand the reasoning for making her answer in both English and Vietnamese, except there could be a reason the COs thought she might have been coached in her English answers and wanted to compare her English with her Vietnamse. This reasoning is based on them asking about her education records.

Asking for more evidence about your relationship could be a result of not including enough or not giving a complete picture of your relationship in your I-129f. They didn't look at the evidence you brought to the interview so I would resubmit that and add to it whatever additional evidence you may have.

In any case, carefully put together your response to the blue slip and you will get your pink slip. As others have said, the Consulate is trying to be careful and allow only real relationships into the US. Sometimes they are too careful....

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

[Rodney n. 0]

she said they wanted educational records because she was practicing too do nails in america i think. so i figure we give them information. they said something to the effect also long with the time line and high school and college records they stated they dont feel we have a bona fide relationship based on evidence, but we didnt get to produce any evidence. so i think you are right that they made up their mind before the interview.

rodney

[chuckandkim 0]

so i think you are right that they made up their mind before the interview.

rodney

BINGO!!!!!!!!!!

Since when everyone expects to get PINK everytime, all the times? We should change that mentality and expect Blue and Green from now on!

[Rodney n. 0]

for me i only expected due process, not lets make up or before the interview and not look at evidence. we seem to be no better than a lot of communist countries. i understand there is fraud , and i guess they look at every case as being fake. all i ask is to at least look at all evidence before you make a decision. seems logical to want too see all the facts.

rodney

[chuckandkim 0]

I'm going to play the Devil's advocate with you Rodney. Say... I were the big bad C.O. from HCMC.

Here we go:

1. How do you know I didn't review your submitted evidence before your fiance's arrival?

2. I already made up my mind to further investigate your case, the evidence your fiance brought with her means very little to me for I have very little time (say... 5 mins or 10 mins) to conduct a Face-To-Face interview with her. It's her job to make ME, the one who holds her future, to feel warm and fuzzy about approving or reversing my decision. She failed to do that!

3. Her English wasn't good enough for me to understand her. However, my Vietnamese is VERY GOOD, it's scary! Trust me, State Dept. didn't send someone who doesn't know the local or the language to work in this Division. My Vietnamese is VERY GOOD! That's why I "forced" her to speak vietnamese to me... wait... the interpreter. Of course, you and her didn't know I know Vietnamese like that! Even in her native language, she wasn't comfortable to answer the questions, what else do you expect me to believe if this case isn't right!

4. NO we do not look at every case as if it's a fraud. Every case is unique in its own way, no matter what people tell you. And YES, we did review your evidence and it didn't make us "feel" 100% comfortable to approve!

How about this: I "trust" you and your fiance, but just need to "verify" the facts!

"TRUST BUT VERIFY"

Back to my own self Rodney, don't bother picking the logic and reason behind all this. Just get the stuff they want you gather and submit. I hope you have done it all already and in the hand of HCMC? Yes/No? If no, bad Rodney! BTW, It has nothing to do with the communist country or what not brother... It's nothing personal, just business!

[Teacher Mark 53]

1. How do you know I didn't review your submitted evidence before your fiance's arrival? I wondered about this too. I agree with Peter in his belief that all of the evidence should be submitted with the I-129f or I-130. That way you know they have it. There have been way too many people on here saying that they had already submitted a timeline and were asked for it again.

2. I already made up my mind to further investigate your case, the evidence your fiance brought with her means very little to me for I have very little time (say... 5 mins or 10 mins) to conduct a Face-To-Face interview with her. It's her job to make ME, the one who holds her future, to feel warm and fuzzy about approving or reversing my decision. She failed to do that! Possible.

3. Her English wasn't good enough for me to understand her. However, my Vietnamese is VERY GOOD, it's scary! Trust me, State Dept. didn't send someone who doesn't know the local or the language to work in this Division. My Vietnamese is VERY GOOD! That's why I "forced" her to speak vietnamese to me... wait... the interpreter. Of course, you and her didn't know I know Vietnamese like that! Even in her native language, she wasn't comfortable to answer the questions, what else do you expect me to believe if this case isn't right! This is where I'd like to hear from the former C/O. How many of them actually speak Vietnamese fluently?

4. NO we do not look at every case as if it's a fraud. Every case is unique in its own way, no matter what people tell you. And YES, we did review your evidence and it didn't make us "feel" 100% comfortable to approve! I think they probably do go in with the assumption that it is a fraud. Guilty until you prove yourself innocent. I'm a cynic by nature though

[FormerConOff 0]

1. How do you know I didn't review your submitted evidence before your fiance's arrival? I wondered about this too. I agree with Peter in his belief that all of the evidence should be submitted with the I-129f or I-130. That way you know they have it. There have been way too many people on here saying that they had already submitted a timeline and were asked for it again.

2. I already made up my mind to further investigate your case, the evidence your fiance brought with her means very little to me for I have very little time (say... 5 mins or 10 mins) to conduct a Face-To-Face interview with her. It's her job to make ME, the one who holds her future, to feel warm and fuzzy about approving or reversing my decision. She failed to do that! Possible.

3. Her English wasn't good enough for me to understand her. However, my Vietnamese is VERY GOOD, it's scary! Trust me, State Dept. didn't send someone who doesn't know the local or the language to work in this Division. My Vietnamese is VERY GOOD! That's why I "forced" her to speak vietnamese to me... wait... the interpreter. Of course, you and her didn't know I know Vietnamese like that! Even in her native language, she wasn't comfortable to answer the questions, what else do you expect me to believe if this case isn't right! This is where I'd like to hear from the former C/O. How many of them actually speak Vietnamese fluently?

4. NO we do not look at every case as if it's a fraud. Every case is unique in its own way, no matter what people tell you. And YES, we did review your evidence and it didn't make us "feel" 100% comfortable to approve! I think they probably do go in with the assumption that it is a fraud. Guilty until you prove yourself innocent. I'm a cynic by nature though

Cases aren't decided before the interview. Consular Officers don't even review the file until the moment of the interview -- at least that's how it worked when I was there. There just wasn't time. ChuckandKim is right -- if the applicant leaves the officer wanting to issue a pink sheet, she'll probably get a pink sheet. If she sounds identical to everyone else (rehearsed answer, displaying only surface-level knowledge of fiance), then more investigation is probably required.

As for VN language -- all consular officers get quite a bit of Vietnamese language training and can understand quite a bit. I never needed a translator to translate from VN to English -- but I would keep one next to me in case I needed clarification on something or if the person was from an area with an unusual accent. I always had a translator translate FROM English to Vietnamese, because as you all know, white girls and guys get strange looks from Vietnamese people when they speak Vietnamse unexpectedly, and we are usually asked to repeat ourselves, often multiple times. Multiply that by 25 interviews in a day, and it wastes a LOT of time.

The whole "should I use a translator" thing seems like a false issue. When I was an interviewer, I knew that many of the applicants spoke English to some degree, but I was far more interested in the applicant's knowledge of her fiance, and that is best demonstrated in one's native language. It's very hard to get nuanced information out of someone who is (a) nervous and (B) has only a limited grasp of English. I would never assume that the level of English displayed at the interview is the same as what applicant and fiance exchange in private. Applicants are asked to speak Vietnamese only as a time saver. If an applicant absolutely insists on speaking English during the interview, she does it at his/her peril, because she will be limited to speaking about her fiance or husband only in those terms for which she has already learned the English vocabulary. If that means she can only say, "My fiance is a nice person because he is nice," then the officer may have a problem.

My two cents.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

co asked for fiancees high school and college records also. #######. i guess i better write this new timeline just in case. i forgot to put date i proposed in other. better cover all my bases

rodney

petitioner: in a sworn, notarized statement, please provide a detailed chronology ( timeline ) of your relationship. please explain clearly when and

van lam: ho you first met, how you were introduced and when you began corresponding with eac other, when you felt your relationship became serious,

van lam: date and circumstances of marriage proposal ( location, time palce, situation, setting, etc...). did apouse/fiance(e) propose in person or by phone?

rodney: they make me mad. i already gave that one to you

rodney: they dont even look at it

rodney: i have it notorized and everything

van lam: where were you when s/he proposed ( give exact location )id you eccept immediately or ask for time to think about it? if s/he did you officially

van lam: propose, when did you first discuss marriage? how many trips did you make to Vienam to visit your spouse/fiance'(e)? how many times have you seen him

van lam: in total? how long did stay each visit?

zero nguyen: please give as many details as possible.

No offense, Rodney, but it's the job of the CO to determine if the evidence in the initial application does support the existence of a bonafide relationship.

During my wife's interview, she was asked similar questions...my wife went into the interview with the notion that it is much like a job interview. She was there to convince the CO that what the application had indicted is in fact true. When these CO's are faced with having to weed out potential fraud marriages, they have to be diligent.

I'd recommend finding out just what addition evidence will be sufficient, including a possible second trip to spend time with your fiancee if necessary.

[Melrose Plant 1]

3. Her English wasn't good enough for me to understand her. However, my Vietnamese is VERY GOOD, it's scary! Trust me, State Dept. didn't send someone who doesn't know the local or the language to work in this Division. My Vietnamese is VERY GOOD! That's why I "forced" her to speak vietnamese to me... wait... the interpreter. Of course, you and her didn't know I know Vietnamese like that! Even in her native language, she wasn't comfortable to answer the questions, what else do you expect me to believe if this case isn't right! This is where I'd like to hear from the former C/O. How many of them actually speak Vietnamese fluently?

Mai's consular officer evidently spoke Vietnamese well, because most of her interview was conducted in Vietnamese by him, without a translator. Mai says he spoke very clearly, and with a Northern accent. The interviewer was a middle aged white man.

I am now tending to wonder about the whole English only thing myself, and am questioning how valid it is. You, Wide Awake, have spoken with Mai many times, and you know that she speaks English reasonably well. Not in the few days before the interview. She was so nervous and so worried, it's like she completely forgot how to speak the English language, and she would sometimes answer the simplest questions in a most bizarre manner. I think it was good that most of her interview was in Vietnamese.

Rodney, I hope you can get your difficulties resolved quickly.

[Rodney n. 0]

i am going to vn again in august too see if i can help with anything. i will bring the time line , which is my third one i have made, i can understand if they looked at evidence and found it was credible, but my gripe is not looking at other evidence she brought. if they want all evidence just like an interview they need to say so.i adjusted too my time line to answer all questions on the blue slip. i simply stated the question and answered with the date and facts about the event they asked about. any other way? i i also put check i paid with tickets with, plane tickets, travel intniery, pictures of places i went in vn.

Rodney

Edited July 24, 2008 by Rodney n.

[mimhnhut 0]

i am going to vn again in august too see if i can help with anything. i will bring the time line , which is my third one i have made, i can understand if they looked at evidence and found it was credible, but my gripe is not looking at other evidence she brought. if they want all evidence just like an interview they need to say so.i adjusted too my time line to answer all questions on the blue slip. i simply stated the question and answered with the date and facts about the event they asked about. any other way? i i also put check i paid with tickets with, plane tickets, travel intniery, pictures of places i went in vn.

Rodney

Your wife should put all evidence ( plane tickets, travel intniery, pictures ) in a registered envelope and send to HCMC consulate.

A man (in other migration website- in the same case) did that.

[Rodney n. 0]

in my time line i basically went through and answered questions it asks. when did you meet? how were you introduced? i just put dates and a little background about how the event happened. any ideas? i want too get this right. seems they ask a lot of people for the same info except the high school and college diploma. my lawyer says that seems a little odd. thoughts?

rodney

Edited July 24, 2008 by Rodney n.

[Teacher Mark 53]

1. How do you know I didn't review your submitted evidence before your fiance's arrival? I wondered about this too. I agree with Peter in his belief that all of the evidence should be submitted with the I-129f or I-130. That way you know they have it. There have been way too many people on here saying that they had already submitted a timeline and were asked for it again.

2. I already made up my mind to further investigate your case, the evidence your fiance brought with her means very little to me for I have very little time (say... 5 mins or 10 mins) to conduct a Face-To-Face interview with her. It's her job to make ME, the one who holds her future, to feel warm and fuzzy about approving or reversing my decision. She failed to do that! Possible.

3. Her English wasn't good enough for me to understand her. However, my Vietnamese is VERY GOOD, it's scary! Trust me, State Dept. didn't send someone who doesn't know the local or the language to work in this Division. My Vietnamese is VERY GOOD! That's why I "forced" her to speak vietnamese to me... wait... the interpreter. Of course, you and her didn't know I know Vietnamese like that! Even in her native language, she wasn't comfortable to answer the questions, what else do you expect me to believe if this case isn't right! This is where I'd like to hear from the former C/O. How many of them actually speak Vietnamese fluently?

4. NO we do not look at every case as if it's a fraud. Every case is unique in its own way, no matter what people tell you. And YES, we did review your evidence and it didn't make us "feel" 100% comfortable to approve! I think they probably do go in with the assumption that it is a fraud. Guilty until you prove yourself innocent. I'm a cynic by nature though

Cases aren't decided before the interview. Consular Officers don't even review the file until the moment of the interview -- at least that's how it worked when I was there. There just wasn't time. ChuckandKim is right -- if the applicant leaves the officer wanting to issue a pink sheet, she'll probably get a pink sheet. If she sounds identical to everyone else (rehearsed answer, displaying only surface-level knowledge of fiance), then more investigation is probably required.

As for VN language -- all consular officers get quite a bit of Vietnamese language training and can understand quite a bit. I never needed a translator to translate from VN to English -- but I would keep one next to me in case I needed clarification on something or if the person was from an area with an unusual accent. I always had a translator translate FROM English to Vietnamese, because as you all know, white girls and guys get strange looks from Vietnamese people when they speak Vietnamse unexpectedly, and we are usually asked to repeat ourselves, often multiple times. Multiply that by 25 interviews in a day, and it wastes a LOT of time.

The whole "should I use a translator" thing seems like a false issue. When I was an interviewer, I knew that many of the applicants spoke English to some degree, but I was far more interested in the applicant's knowledge of her fiance, and that is best demonstrated in one's native language. It's very hard to get nuanced information out of someone who is (a) nervous and (B) has only a limited grasp of English. I would never assume that the level of English displayed at the interview is the same as what applicant and fiance exchange in private. Applicants are asked to speak Vietnamese only as a time saver. If an applicant absolutely insists on speaking English during the interview, she does it at his/her peril, because she will be limited to speaking about her fiance or husband only in those terms for which she has already learned the English vocabulary. If that means she can only say, "My fiance is a nice person because he is nice," then the officer may have a problem.

My two cents.

Your two cents is definitely appreciated. Thanks.

[Rodney n. 0]

is there a big difference in color of the slip you receive? we got the blue one.

rodney