Questions on form I129-F / K1

[Andrew D 0]

HELLO ALL !!!

I'm so thrill to have found this site. I don't feel so lost and alone now.

I'm preparing paper works and gathering evidence for K1 - I129 F. I have 3 questions:

1. In I129 F form, Part B (Info about your fiance): Question 2 (Address) & Question 15 (Your Fiance address abroad): Can I use my fiancee's work address for both questions because it locates in HCMC and it's easier to find and more permanent or does it have to be her current living address? (She's currently living in an appartment in a hard-to-find-small-town outside of HCMC which she's RENTING and uncertain of possibly relocating). Her entire family is in Quy Nhon City.

2. I've visited her twice in 2007 but I was too stupid/naive to collect any boarding pass, airplain tickets, or anything other proofs of these flights and for some reason my passport did not get stamped when I entered/exit Vietnam and US. I do have alot of photos with date stamped though. What to do in this situation? Why didn't my passport get stamped?

3. I'm also planing on sending in a timeline with my I129F application; should I send it in at this early stage or wait til interview? I'm also planing on sending about 36 photos with I129 F, is it too much?

Please help, your advices & wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

Andrew

[Hell0W0rld 10]

1. You need to provide a residential home address, because through out this process, there are questions asking how long your fiancee lived at that address, how long have she lived in that city, and list other previous address that she lived.. etc....

2. boarding passes, entry/departure VISA stamps are solid proof that you actually went to vietnam to visit your fiancee within 2 years, pictures with time stamp is useless because it can easily be photoshopped. maybe you can call the airline and see if they can send you some sort of flight record. There are a few members here in this forum that left vietnam without getting their passport stamped, probably because there lack of control with boarder protection over there? also if you used your credit card there you can print the statement and send that in any purchase receipts and or hotel receipts...

3. you will have an opportunity to write a short paragraph on how you met in person, there should be a section on the I-129F form itself, you can write a Evolution of relationship letter and bring that to the interview, this letter can include your relationship timeline.

Good Luck!!

Edited April 21, 2009 by HelloWorld08

[Andrew D 0]

1. You need to provide a residential home address, because through out this process, there are questions asking how long your fiancee lived at that address, how long have she lived in that city, and list other previous address that she lived.. etc....

2. boarding passes, entry/departure VISA stamps are solid proof that you actually went to vietnam to visit your fiancee within 2 years, pictures with time stamp is useless because it can easily be photoshopped. maybe you can call the airline and see if they can send you some sort of flight record. There are a few members here in this forum that left vietnam without getting their passport stamped, probably because there lack of control with boarder protection over there? also if you used your credit card there you can print the statement and send that in any purchase receipts and or hotel receipts...

3. you will have an opportunity to write a short paragraph on how you met in person, there should be a section on the I-129F form itself, you can write a Evolution of relationship letter and bring that to the interview, this letter can include your relationship timeline.

Good Luck!!

Thanks HelloWorld08 for your fast response!

Both trips in April & Dec 2007 were accompanied by my sister whose paid for the airfare. Can I use my sister credit card statement as evidence? We just got engaged last Mar 2009 and I was wise enough to kept all receipts and documents.

[Hell0W0rld 10]

talk to the airline see if they have records of you actually boarded the plane......

[canadian_wife 1,822]

I don't suppose you kept your boarding pass?!? What about a sworn statement from your sister attesting to the fact she paid for the flight and traveled with you.

Good luck

[Andrew D 0]

talk to the airline see if they have records of you actually boarded the plane......

I've contacted China Airline and they said that they don't keep any record pass 7 days. Does anyone had the same issue? I don't make a habit of collecting boarding passes, visas, or ticket stubs when I travel.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

I've seen others post the same thing about not having their passports stamped by VN customs, and I'm confused by it. I've been to VN three times in the past year, and my passport was stamped with both entry and exit stamps every time. They also stamp the visa itself with a stamp that says "HET GIA TRI - USED". Is it because I always get the 30 day visa? Dunno.

Andrew, you need positive proof of some sort that you actually met your wife in person sometime in the past two years. Pictures alone aren't going to do it. Now that you are engaged, and you know what kind of evidence you're going to need going forward, perhaps it's time to make another trip. After all, you haven't been back since 2007.

I decided to get smart on my last trip. My fiancee and I had our letters of intent notarized at the US Citizens Services in the US Consulate in HCMC. There's no way either USCIS or the US Consulate could deny THAT as positive proof! Of course, I'm still sending tons of other stuff too. I'm going way overboard on the "proof", not because it's needed to prove a visit within two years, but because the CO's in HCMC are famous for not looking at stuff that wasn't included in the original I-129F filing. Marc Ellis calls this "frontloading" the application. I've read too many stories in 5 months of lurking this forum where fiancees walked into the consulate with a suitcase full of evidence, and they got the blue or white slip, even though they had the evidence that would have countered the reasons for not getting the visa. The CO's never ask for the evidence unless they're already inclined to approve, it seems.

[toddandhien 2]

OK, here is the deal with the passport stamps. Vietnam will issue some visas affixed (glued) to the passport like all other countries. In some cases, they will issue a visa that is a loose piece of paper. If that piece of paper is a single entry visa, they will put the entry/exit stamps on the visa and keep it on your way out. The only way to be sure that you have a record in your passport is to get a permanently affixed visa. That means do not expedite it and be sure that your passport gets sent to the embassy in San Francisco. OR, get a multi-entry visa (costs a little more) and they will not keep it as you leave because you are allowed to return on that visa. Now you will have in your possession a VN visa with stamps on the back.

To the OP: you have to know that the consulate in HCM scrutinizes relationships very closely. What might be acceptable to "get by" at other consulates or embassies simply will not cut it in HCM. If you have a girl there that you want to bring to the US, you will need to put forth a significant amount of effort, coupled with lots of planning.

Regarding the address: many people live in tiny, hard to find villages in VN. It's Vietnam! You will not be the first or last to have a girl that lives in a remote place. Mail in VN is not reliable but I will say that the consulate got Packets 3 and 4 deivered to Hien's little village 4 hours south of HCM with no difficulty. if she moves, you can notify them, but later she will need to fill out forms saying where she has lived and when. this all needs to be truthful and tie together.

Your evidence: I am not sure based on what you have described that you have enough to prove that you met her in the last 2 years. I cannot imagine that they would accept a sworn statement from another person saying that you went....also considering that this person bought your ticket. And that is another problem. You need to start buying your own tickets and building evidence that YOU have a relationship with the girl, not your sister.

As Jim said before, you are due for a trip anyway since the last one was in 2007. If you were planning to not go again and just have her fly in 6 months from now, you are being pretty optimistic. You two need more face time and more evidence. Read the posts in the regional forum going back 6-8 months to get a flavor for this consulate.

[baron555 934]

I concur with the other posters. You do not seem to have enough hard evidence of when you last met.

Sorry but just being honest (and just my opinion).

Also, will you be able to financially support your fiancee? Don't forget about all the future AOS, etc. filing fees.

[Andrew D 0]

I concur with the other posters. You do not seem to have enough hard evidence of when you last met.

Sorry but just being honest (and just my opinion).

Also, will you be able to financially support your fiancee? Don't forget about all the future AOS, etc. filing fees.

Thanks all for your advice. I wish I had found this site years ago. But again, I never intended to fall in love in Vietnam, let alone being engaged 2 years later.

I just made a trip back in March 2009 for our engagement. The March trip, I did kept all my paper work, receipts,..etc.

Beside for photos, I have phone bills, emails, chat log, money transfer receipt, letters via USPS I've send to her.

I will try again to push my travel agent to find any paper work out there regards to my 2007 trips. I was optimistic before but not so much any now.

[Andrew D 0]

I've seen others post the same thing about not having their passports stamped by VN customs, and I'm confused by it. I've been to VN three times in the past year, and my passport was stamped with both entry and exit stamps every time. They also stamp the visa itself with a stamp that says "HET GIA TRI - USED". Is it because I always get the 30 day visa? Dunno.

Andrew, you need positive proof of some sort that you actually met your wife in person sometime in the past two years. Pictures alone aren't going to do it. Now that you are engaged, and you know what kind of evidence you're going to need going forward, perhaps it's time to make another trip. After all, you haven't been back since 2007.

I decided to get smart on my last trip. My fiancee and I had our letters of intent notarized at the US Citizens Services in the US Consulate in HCMC. There's no way either USCIS or the US Consulate could deny THAT as positive proof! Of course, I'm still sending tons of other stuff too. I'm going way overboard on the "proof", not because it's needed to prove a visit within two years, but because the CO's in HCMC are famous for not looking at stuff that wasn't included in the original I-129F filing. Marc Ellis calls this "frontloading" the application. I've read too many stories in 5 months of lurking this forum where fiancees walked into the consulate with a suitcase full of evidence, and they got the blue or white slip, even though they had the evidence that would have countered the reasons for not getting the visa. The CO's never ask for the evidence unless they're already inclined to approve, it seems.

Hi Jim,

You've mentioned that you had your financee's letter of intent notarized: Is that a requirement? Since mine fiancee's letter of intent were originally written in Vietnamese, and she signed and had it translated in English only. Mine however will be notarized in the US. Please advice.

[Hell0W0rld 10]

I've seen others post the same thing about not having their passports stamped by VN customs, and I'm confused by it. I've been to VN three times in the past year, and my passport was stamped with both entry and exit stamps every time. They also stamp the visa itself with a stamp that says "HET GIA TRI - USED". Is it because I always get the 30 day visa? Dunno.

Andrew, you need positive proof of some sort that you actually met your wife in person sometime in the past two years. Pictures alone aren't going to do it. Now that you are engaged, and you know what kind of evidence you're going to need going forward, perhaps it's time to make another trip. After all, you haven't been back since 2007.

I decided to get smart on my last trip. My fiancee and I had our letters of intent notarized at the US Citizens Services in the US Consulate in HCMC. There's no way either USCIS or the US Consulate could deny THAT as positive proof! Of course, I'm still sending tons of other stuff too. I'm going way overboard on the "proof", not because it's needed to prove a visit within two years, but because the CO's in HCMC are famous for not looking at stuff that wasn't included in the original I-129F filing. Marc Ellis calls this "frontloading" the application. I've read too many stories in 5 months of lurking this forum where fiancees walked into the consulate with a suitcase full of evidence, and they got the blue or white slip, even though they had the evidence that would have countered the reasons for not getting the visa. The CO's never ask for the evidence unless they're already inclined to approve, it seems.

Hi Jim,

You've mentioned that you had your financee's letter of intent notarized: Is that a requirement? Since mine fiancee's letter of intent were originally written in Vietnamese, and she signed and had it translated in English only. Mine however will be notarized in the US. Please advice.

letter of intent does not need to be notorized, you might want to write a evolution of relationship letter and get that notorized...

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Hi Jim,

You've mentioned that you had your financee's letter of intent notarized: Is that a requirement? Since mine fiancee's letter of intent were originally written in Vietnamese, and she signed and had it translated in English only. Mine however will be notarized in the US. Please advice.

Nope, it's not necessary to get it notarized. It's also not forbidden. I saw it as an opportunity to sneak in an extra "proof positive" of having physically met. After all, we were there in HCM, we had the documents, the wait at US Citizens Services is only 15 minutes. Why not?

BTW, the only prerequisite for getting a document notarized at the consulate is that the document must ultimately be intended for submission to the US government. They don't notarize other non-government related documents. The consul asked me if it was necessary to have our signatures notarized on the letters. I said no, and explained why I wanted to do it. He said "That's really smart!".

[Bobby+Umit 161]

You can use FOIA to have Homeland Security give you the file they have on your travels.

Article on this

They will show you travelled, time, where, when -

[Hell0W0rld 10]

You can use FOIA to have Homeland Security give you the file they have on your travels.

Article on this

They will show you travelled, time, where, when -

COOL