HCMC, VIETNAM K1 or K3, please help!

[suzuki08 0]

Hi everyone, I'm trying to leave this summer to visit my lady in HCMC and to have a "DAM HOI" party and plan to file for K1 when I get back to the States. After hours and hours of reading this wonderful website, I've come to a conclusion that K1 is not much different that K3 as far as the Consulate Interview is concerned. K1 seems like the best option for us because getting married right now will take lots of planning to do it right. My problem is that my lady talked to some of her friends (I don't think they know anything!!..hmm ) and they told her that Financee visa will be much harder to get approved NOW and that we should get married when I get back. I keep telling her that the paperwork and evidence we submit is more important. Also, K1 would work really well for me because K3 may require a different set of evidence.

Please..please.. anyone has knowledge about Vietnam K1 and K3 let me know what her friends said is true for HCMC . I pretty much have everything planned out for K1 process. Any advice is greatly appreciated! Sorry I couldn't make it short

[ScottThuy 140]

Hi everyone, I'm trying to leave this summer to visit my lady in HCMC and to have a "DAM HOI" party and plan to file for K1 when I get back to the States. After hours and hours of reading this wonderful website, I've come to a conclusion that K1 is not much different that K3 as far as the Consulate Interview is concerned. K1 seems like the best option for us because getting married right now will take lots of planning to do it right. My problem is that my lady talked to some of her friends (I don't think they know anything!!..hmm ) and they told her that Financee visa will be much harder to get approved NOW and that we should get married when I get back. I keep telling her that the paperwork and evidence we submit is more important. Also, K1 would work really well for me because K3 may require a different set of evidence.

Please..please.. anyone has knowledge about Vietnam K1 and K3 let me know what her friends said is true for HCMC . I pretty much have everything planned out for K1 process. Any advice is greatly appreciated! Sorry I couldn't make it short

In my opinion there is not much difference when it comes to getting either approved.. I think it is easier to get the paperwork for a K1 than K3... They ask a great deal of you when it comes to getting married in VN...

give this a readthrough

http://hochiminh.usconsulate.gov/uploads/i...geinvietnam.pdf

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Hi everyone, I'm trying to leave this summer to visit my lady in HCMC and to have a "DAM HOI" party and plan to file for K1 when I get back to the States. After hours and hours of reading this wonderful website, I've come to a conclusion that K1 is not much different that K3 as far as the Consulate Interview is concerned. K1 seems like the best option for us because getting married right now will take lots of planning to do it right. My problem is that my lady talked to some of her friends (I don't think they know anything!!..hmm ) and they told her that Financee visa will be much harder to get approved NOW and that we should get married when I get back. I keep telling her that the paperwork and evidence we submit is more important. Also, K1 would work really well for me because K3 may require a different set of evidence.

Please..please.. anyone has knowledge about Vietnam K1 and K3 let me know what her friends said is true for HCMC . I pretty much have everything planned out for K1 process. Any advice is greatly appreciated! Sorry I couldn't make it short

Scott is right. From what people have said on this forum, there doesn't seem to be much difference between K1 and K3 approvals. The only difference is the kind of questions they might ask her.

You might want to consider that most people on this forum don't recommend the K3. They recommend the CR1 instead. The K3 used to be faster (which was why it was introduced), but there's not much if any difference in the processing times anymore. The K3 will also cost more in total than the CR1. In addition, with the K3 your wife will have to apply (and pay for) AOS after arriving in the US, whereas she'll get a green card on arrival with the CR1.

Your fiancee's friends probably know somebody who failed to get a K1, and subsequently got married and obtained a K3 or CR1. This is fairly common, but it has nothing to do with the K3 being easier to get. It has to do with the consulate being more convinced that the relationship is genuine the second time around. Time and persistence have a tendency to persuade them.

Tell your fiancee not to listen to her friends. Meddling friends and family have been the cause of many denied visas. You and her can do the research yourselves.

[ScottThuy 140]

Hi everyone, I'm trying to leave this summer to visit my lady in HCMC and to have a "DAM HOI" party and plan to file for K1 when I get back to the States. After hours and hours of reading this wonderful website, I've come to a conclusion that K1 is not much different that K3 as far as the Consulate Interview is concerned. K1 seems like the best option for us because getting married right now will take lots of planning to do it right. My problem is that my lady talked to some of her friends (I don't think they know anything!!..hmm ) and they told her that Financee visa will be much harder to get approved NOW and that we should get married when I get back. I keep telling her that the paperwork and evidence we submit is more important. Also, K1 would work really well for me because K3 may require a different set of evidence.

Please..please.. anyone has knowledge about Vietnam K1 and K3 let me know what her friends said is true for HCMC . I pretty much have everything planned out for K1 process. Any advice is greatly appreciated! Sorry I couldn't make it short

Scott is right. From what people have said on this forum, there doesn't seem to be much difference between K1 and K3 approvals. The only difference is the kind of questions they might ask her.

You might want to consider that most people on this forum don't recommend the K3. They recommend the CR1 instead. The K3 used to be faster (which was why it was introduced), but there's not much if any difference in the processing times anymore. The K3 will also cost more in total than the CR1. In addition, with the K3 your wife will have to apply (and pay for) AOS after arriving in the US, whereas she'll get a green card on arrival with the CR1.

Your fiancee's friends probably know somebody who failed to get a K1, and subsequently got married and obtained a K3 or CR1. This is fairly common, but it has nothing to do with the K3 being easier to get. It has to do with the consulate being more convinced that the relationship is genuine the second time around. Time and persistence have a tendency to persuade them.

Tell your fiancee not to listen to her friends. Meddling friends and family have been the cause of many denied visas. You and her can do the research yourselves.

Jim,

Let me know if I am wrong on this, If I were to get married in VN I would be required to get a number of documents not required for K1 that include a physical and a psych exam that were both notarized and signed by the secretary of state in my state... I can only imagine telling the person that was doing the psych eval what it was for and what was involved and they would say I was crazy at that point. Then there is what I would have to do when I got to HCMC to get approval there.... a big attaboy to those that have been successful going that route...

[sjr09 155]

Hi everyone, I'm trying to leave this summer to visit my lady in HCMC and to have a "DAM HOI" party and plan to file for K1 when I get back to the States. After hours and hours of reading this wonderful website, I've come to a conclusion that K1 is not much different that K3 as far as the Consulate Interview is concerned. K1 seems like the best option for us because getting married right now will take lots of planning to do it right. My problem is that my lady talked to some of her friends (I don't think they know anything!!..hmm ) and they told her that Financee visa will be much harder to get approved NOW and that we should get married when I get back. I keep telling her that the paperwork and evidence we submit is more important. Also, K1 would work really well for me because K3 may require a different set of evidence.

Please..please.. anyone has knowledge about Vietnam K1 and K3 let me know what her friends said is true for HCMC . I pretty much have everything planned out for K1 process. Any advice is greatly appreciated! Sorry I couldn't make it short

K1 and K3 are different in nature, and can greatly impact the outcome at the consulate interview. Her friends are right to a point

Edited July 2, 2009 by sjr09

[Anh map 2,098]

Hi everyone, I'm trying to leave this summer to visit my lady in HCMC and to have a "DAM HOI" party and plan to file for K1 when I get back to the States. After hours and hours of reading this wonderful website, I've come to a conclusion that K1 is not much different that K3 as far as the Consulate Interview is concerned. K1 seems like the best option for us because getting married right now will take lots of planning to do it right. My problem is that my lady talked to some of her friends (I don't think they know anything!!..hmm ) and they told her that Financee visa will be much harder to get approved NOW and that we should get married when I get back. I keep telling her that the paperwork and evidence we submit is more important. Also, K1 would work really well for me because K3 may require a different set of evidence.

Please..please.. anyone has knowledge about Vietnam K1 and K3 let me know what her friends said is true for HCMC . I pretty much have everything planned out for K1 process. Any advice is greatly appreciated! Sorry I couldn't make it short

If you're not ready to get married, then don't let anecdotal comments rush things. Go, have the Dam Hoi and apply for the K1. From your timeline it seems that you will have enough visits to put a check in that column.

And your extensive VJ reading has prepared yhou for the occasionally rocky road ahead. B)

[Huong and Phung 0]

Jim,

Let me know if I am wrong on this, If I were to get married in VN I would be required to get a number of documents not required for K1 that include a physical and a psych exam that were both notarized and signed by the secretary of state in my state... I can only imagine telling the person that was doing the psych eval what it was for and what was involved and they would say I was crazy at that point. Then there is what I would have to do when I got to HCMC to get approval there.... a big attaboy to those that have been successful going that route...

I did the physical and psych. when we apply for the marriage certificate. It wasn't hard and only a few questions asked. It was at Cho Ray and with a little bit of bribe money, you will get through very fast.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Jim,

Let me know if I am wrong on this, If I were to get married in VN I would be required to get a number of documents not required for K1 that include a physical and a psych exam that were both notarized and signed by the secretary of state in my state... I can only imagine telling the person that was doing the psych eval what it was for and what was involved and they would say I was crazy at that point. Then there is what I would have to do when I got to HCMC to get approval there.... a big attaboy to those that have been successful going that route...

I haven't actually done it, so the information you've got is the same as the info I've got! The only thing that really caught my attention was the requirement to prove fluency in a common language. I speak very little tieng viet. Phuong's written English skills are good, even if her grammar isn't great, but her spoken English is really fractured. I understand her completely because I've gotten used to how she pronounces words, but I doubt the translators at the marriage license interview would have any idea what she was saying.

I'd fail the psyche eval miserably. I have an IQ of 146, but I chatter like a blithering idiot if I'm even a tiny bit nervous. If I was really nervous I'd probably even drool!

K1 and K3 are different in nature, and can greatly impact the outcome at the consulate interview. Her friends are right to a point

The most significant difference between a K1 and K3 are that you apply for one of them before getting married, and you apply for the other one after. Yes, there are a lot of other minor differences, but I've not seen any significant difference in the way they're treated at the consulate. Things may be different in Manila, but in HCM it seems they deny K3's for exactly the same reasons as K1's. I also haven't seen anything that would lead me to believe that a K3 has any better chance of approval than a K1 in HCM. The only exception I've seen is if the K3 or CR1 is the SECOND visa application after a previously failed K1 attempt.

But this is only based on my observations, mostly in the results people announce on this forum. I haven't found any corollary statistics from USCIS or department of state yet, but I'm still looking.

Edited July 2, 2009 by JimVaPhuong

[ERIKandCHINH 0]

I have to agree with the general concensus. K-1 or K-3, ther is no difference in pass/fail and the interview is no different. They will ask for whatever they fell like seeing on that day. The only difference is when you get married. So just decide when you want to get married then study up on that process. more importantly, go through the threads on interview questions and practice, practice, practice. she should be able to tell a story about you that could last all day. She should know as much and be able to talk about you as if you have been married and living together for a while. when she can quickly, accurately and confidently describe your job, boss, hobbies, parents, parents hobies, favorite food, brand of underwear, parents brand of underwear...(you get the point) then she will be ready to study the evidence and your petition. Make a duplicate copy of the petition and all papers you submit with it. sit with her and quiz her. The info you send in is the info they will grill her about. So, in other words, don't worry about the type of petition. On the day my wife interviewed, K-1's, K-3's and CR1's had failures and passes.

Erik and Chinh

[Viking_in_Seattle 0]

I had one attorney recommend against the K-3 for two reasons:

1) It's a bit of a hassle to get permission to marry in Vietnam (the psych eval, etc.).

2) What do you do if your fiancee can't get the visa for whatever reason? For me, moving to Vietnam isn't an option. Long distance relationships are difficult, but 14 time zones is just ridiculous.

So we opted for the K-1. While I would have kept trying for some time had we been denied, at some point we would have reluctantly agreed to give up. But fortunately she picked up her visa today and will be flying to Seattle on Friday. :dance: :dance:

[ScottThuy 140]

I had one attorney recommend against the K-3 for two reasons:

1) It's a bit of a hassle to get permission to marry in Vietnam (the psych eval, etc.).

2) What do you do if your fiancee can't get the visa for whatever reason? For me, moving to Vietnam isn't an option. Long distance relationships are difficult, but 14 time zones is just ridiculous.

So we opted for the K-1. While I would have kept trying for some time had we been denied, at some point we would have reluctantly agreed to give up. But fortunately she picked up her visa today and will be flying to Seattle on Friday. :dance: :dance:

Great news!

[Dau Que 6]

It has to depend your specific situation. If either of you or both was married before, do you personally think a K-1 case would convince a CO? Of course, people get married, come over to the States, pretend to live with each other, then after the 10-year GC comes, "anh di duong anh, em di duong em". The consulate is well aware of this as well. That's why they still don't believe in certain cases, even after the formal marriage.

VN has the highest failling rate compared to other consulates because of their own people. You have to try your best to "convince" the CO. Don't ask others what to do. Their situations are not like yours.

Edited July 2, 2009 by Dau Que

[suzuki08 0]

Thank you everyone for reassuring what I thought about K1 for HCMC. Now I just have to convince my lady so she wouldn't be all sad and get her confidence back (..just blow lots of kisses and say "Everything's gonna be allrite!" ..if that doesn't work, then I'll be back here asking questions about K3/CR1 ! ..Thanks again.. You guys are great! I'll have more questions about forms coming soon for SURE