HCMC and Email.

[Josephs 0]

I was wondering what the email was for HCMC to check on the status of my case and check to make sure they got my fiancees 2nd medical. (the doc said he would send on the 12th. I want to make sure its there)

Also should it be a formal email?

Or will something like this do?

Hello my name is XXX. I am inquiring about my case, XXX. I am confirming that you have received my Fiancee's 2 second medical and if so, have you made a decision?

Thank you for your time,

XXXXX

Any help would be great.

[Dai. 7]

For more information on contacting the consulate you can go to their website:

http://hochiminh.usconsulate.gov/contact/consular.html

The email to inquire about your case is:

hcmcinfo@state.gov

In every email or method of contacting them you must include:

- HCM case number or CIS receipt number

- Petitioners’ name and date of birth

- Beneficiary’s name and date of birth

- Mailing address and telephone number

- Your full name

I personally think it does not have to be a formal email but if you do email them think about all the question you want to ask them 1st and send all your question at once. Sometimes they take a week maybe even 2 weeks to reply to you back so it's better that you get replies to all your questions at once whenever they do get back to you.

[b_weeks 6]

good answer....

[Josephs 0]

Would a call to them be better?(faster?) I heard it is ok to call about 4pm (HCMC time) and thank you for the info!

Edited October 14, 2009 by Josephs

[Dai. 7]

Would a call to them be better?(faster?) I heard it is ok to call about 4pm (HCMC time)

I tried calling them several times before and it got me no where. I think the best way is email so that CO who answers the email has more time to look at the case before replying back to you. Another way people have been getting success in is actually showing up at the consulate on Tuesday and Wednesday from 4:00pm to 5:00pm. You or your wife/fiancee can actually talk to a CO face to face about your case.

[Josephs 0]

Would a call to them be better?(faster?) I heard it is ok to call about 4pm (HCMC time)

I tried calling them several times before and it got me no where. I think the best way is email so that CO who answers the email has more time to look at the case before replying back to you. Another way people have been getting success in is actually showing up at the consulate on Tuesday and Wednesday from 4:00pm to 5:00pm. You or your wife/fiancee can actually talk to a CO face to face about your case.

I have asked my fiancee to go to the consulate but she told me her lawyer said to wait until the 20th to ask. But i worry that they never got her 2nd medical. because my fiancee did not submit, the doctor said he would send it to them on the 12th. so i want to make sure we are not waiting for nothing.

[ScottThuy 140]

They quit answering the phone.. Linda posted about this last month...

[Dai. 7]

Would a call to them be better?(faster?) I heard it is ok to call about 4pm (HCMC time)

I tried calling them several times before and it got me no where. I think the best way is email so that CO who answers the email has more time to look at the case before replying back to you. Another way people have been getting success in is actually showing up at the consulate on Tuesday and Wednesday from 4:00pm to 5:00pm. You or your wife/fiancee can actually talk to a CO face to face about your case.

I have asked my fiancee to go to the consulate but she told me her lawyer said to wait until the 20th to ask. But i worry that they never got her 2nd medical. because my fiancee did not submit, the doctor said he would send it to them on the 12th. so i want to make sure we are not waiting for nothing.

I don't see why her lawyer would object on going up to the consulate just to see if the doctor has submitted the medical papers already. Either way, if it was me I would just go up there anyway and only ask that question even if the lawyer suggest not going up there until the stated date. Maybe his reasoning is to give them time to look at the paperwork and give them time to make a decision. Either way I think it's best to inquire if they received the medical paperwork so that you would know to go back to the doctor and push them to submit it again or maybe you gotta offer them some coffee money. If she strongly suggest listening to her lawyer and not go before the 20th then just shoot them an email and hope they reply quickly.

Edited October 14, 2009 by Dai_Tx

[Josephs 0]

Would a call to them be better?(faster?) I heard it is ok to call about 4pm (HCMC time)

I tried calling them several times before and it got me no where. I think the best way is email so that CO who answers the email has more time to look at the case before replying back to you. Another way people have been getting success in is actually showing up at the consulate on Tuesday and Wednesday from 4:00pm to 5:00pm. You or your wife/fiancee can actually talk to a CO face to face about your case.

I have asked my fiancee to go to the consulate but she told me her lawyer said to wait until the 20th to ask. But i worry that they never got her 2nd medical. because my fiancee did not submit, the doctor said he would send it to them on the 12th. so i want to make sure we are not waiting for nothing.

I don't see why her lawyer would object on going up to the consulate just to see if the doctor has submitted the medical papers already. Either way, if it was me I would just go up there anyway and only ask that question even if the lawyer suggest not going up there until the stated date. Maybe his reasoning is to give them time to look at the paperwork and give them time to make a decision. Either way I think it's best to inquire if they received the medical paperwork so that you would know to go back to the doctor and push them to submit it again or maybe you gotta offer them some coffee money. If she strongly suggest listening to her lawyer and not go before the 20th then just shoot them an email and hope they reply quickly.

I have sent them an email. at least now i feel like i did something. waiting in the dark and not doing anything was getting under my skin!

[Kevin and 10]

Would a call to them be better?(faster?) I heard it is ok to call about 4pm (HCMC time)

I tried calling them several times before and it got me no where. I think the best way is email so that CO who answers the email has more time to look at the case before replying back to you. Another way people have been getting success in is actually showing up at the consulate on Tuesday and Wednesday from 4:00pm to 5:00pm. You or your wife/fiancee can actually talk to a CO face to face about your case.

I have asked my fiancee to go to the consulate but she told me her lawyer said to wait until the 20th to ask. But i worry that they never got her 2nd medical. because my fiancee did not submit, the doctor said he would send it to them on the 12th. so i want to make sure we are not waiting for nothing.

I don't see why her lawyer would object on going up to the consulate just to see if the doctor has submitted the medical papers already. Either way, if it was me I would just go up there anyway and only ask that question even if the lawyer suggest not going up there until the stated date. Maybe his reasoning is to give them time to look at the paperwork and give them time to make a decision. Either way I think it's best to inquire if they received the medical paperwork so that you would know to go back to the doctor and push them to submit it again or maybe you gotta offer them some coffee money. If she strongly suggest listening to her lawyer and not go before the 20th then just shoot them an email and hope they reply quickly.

I have sent them an email. at least now i feel like i did something. waiting in the dark and not doing anything was getting under my skin!

When I email the Consulate it typically takes them about 5 days to respond and it is usually a VN staff member that replies. If you don't hear from them after a week re-send it.

Remember your dealing with The US Government and they don't take kindly to bribes. I wouldn't suggest coffee money to anyone on US soil (US Consulates and Embassies are considered US soil).

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Remember your dealing with The US Government and they don't take kindly to bribes. I wouldn't suggest coffee money to anyone on US soil (US Consulates and Embassies are considered US soil).

I think he was suggesting "coffee money" to the doctor to get him off his tail and send the medical results.

Consulates and embassies have diplomatic immunity. They are sometimes referred to as "US soil" because local authorities will generally respect that immunity. Technically, however, the consulate or embassy only has legal authority over US citizens, and local laws still apply on the consulate grounds. A US citizen could be arrested for attempting to bribe a CO (they probably wouldn't be arrested until they returned to the US), but a local citizen could only be turned over to the local authorities. An example that points this out is that a child born on the consulate grounds could not derive US citizenship from that fact. I think it's a sure bet that any attempt to bribe a CO is going to sink the visa application.

[lindal24 1]

If you send an email, they send an automated response back to you within hours. If you have additional detials/request, they may send you a personalized message about 5 days later--that's what happened when I sent emails to them.

I did try calling them, with no luck. At first I got an operator, but then when she transfered me the call kept getting dropped. I had my husband attempt from VN and same thing over there--except he said for the VN side, there is/was not option to speak to a person...I also had him try to use the English side but he couldn't understand...

[toddandhien 2]

Would a call to them be better?(faster?) I heard it is ok to call about 4pm (HCMC time)

I tried calling them several times before and it got me no where. I think the best way is email so that CO who answers the email has more time to look at the case before replying back to you. Another way people have been getting success in is actually showing up at the consulate on Tuesday and Wednesday from 4:00pm to 5:00pm. You or your wife/fiancee can actually talk to a CO face to face about your case.

I have asked my fiancee to go to the consulate but she told me her lawyer said to wait until the 20th to ask. But i worry that they never got her 2nd medical. because my fiancee did not submit, the doctor said he would send it to them on the 12th. so i want to make sure we are not waiting for nothing.

The open call hours to see the CO are for US citizens only:

"From 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, a Consular Section staff member is available to answer questions concerning the status of immigrant visa cases. Petitioners may submit documents for cases not closed administratively by the Consulate but reviews will take place later. Applicants will not be re-interviewed and cases closed administratively by the Consulate will not be re-opened or reviewed during this time.

PLEASE NOTE: this service is only available to U.S. citizen petitioners during the times mentioned above. U.S. citizens who wish to take advantage of this opportunity must bring their U.S. passport and the case information form to the Consulate and arrive between 3:45 pm and 4:15 pm on the days mentioned above and proceed to Window B in Immigrant Visa waiting area. The U.S. Consulate General is closed on Vietnamese and American holidays."

You cannot call them. That feature went away about 8 months ago. I e-mailed them several times looking for status information as our case bobbed along at the consulate. I always received a professional response in 4-5 business days from a staffer with whatever information was available on our case at that time. Patience is difficult at a time like this, but it is all you can do now.