HCMC Interview roll call

[David-Hien 11]

I've been thinking about why I'm in AP so I've started thinking about what could have red flagged my case...

Linda & Dung

1. Short engagement after meeting...Met Early December, Engaged Late March, Married Mid May...

2. My parents didnt come back for my wedding - the CO asked about this in the interview...

3. List of SO relatives in US - He had this ready and available - Listed on the blue AP slip...

4. Proof of Bona Fide Relationship - had letters, emails, phone logs, pictures, affidavits - Listed on the AP slip...

5. I live with a guy who's my brother's bestfriend since childhood - the CO questioned me when I visited in Sept 2009

6. I've taken off a total of 4 months in the last 2 years for vacation - the CO asked about my job when I visted in Sept 2009

I think it would help others if anyone in AP could list their "potential" red flags too...

In another post Jerome & Binh listed theirs as:

1. Previous Marriage/Ex-wife in prison for a serious crime - questioned during interview

2. Time line, which Binh did have - listed on the blue AP slip

3. Proof of her relatives in America, this she did not have - listed on the blue AP slip

4. Filed for a visa 2 years before I filed for this petition and I put in a waiver and was deemed eligible to proceed

5. We talked more on Yahoo than on the phone

Linda, I think that your reason of "talking on Yahoo more than on the phone" is not correct.

We knew each other by website and only email conversation within 2 years, I didn't have phone records for the first time we contact each other and I still got pink.

The main reason is your time to get engagement, that is too short from the first meeting to the engagement decision time.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

I was introduced by my wifes Aunt and it was never brought up at the interview but did say it in the part of the 129F where it asks us how we met. They did give us a blue for a timeline and a list of relatives. I sent her one and her Uncle made the list of about 10 relatives. (We chose only 10 because it would have been a huge list if we put in them all). She went in about 8 days later and early by about 3 weeks from when the blue slip said to do so to turn in the info and they gave her the pink at that time

I was also introduced by a family member - Phuong's uncle - but I covered that in detail in the timeline I included in the petition. I had known him for years before he introduced me to Phuong. Hopefully, that will defuse that particular red flag. If we join the AP list after her interview then we'll know that maybe it didn't.

I think a problem with the family in the US is that things were so confused during and after the war that a person in Vietnam might not know all of the family members they have in the US. Heck, I have cousins whom I haven't contacted for years, and I have no clue where they live. I can imagine how difficult it would be to keep track of everyone during a war or the mass migration that followed.

I included a list of relatives in my petition, but we kept it down to 3 generations - one before and one after Phuong's generation. That covered everyone I've met, and some I haven't. It took the cooperation of two of her family members in the US, and many in Vietnam to compile the list. The whole thing was quite confusing. Since I met Phuong I've met members of her family that she's never met, and wasn't even aware of. The list was non-sensical because many of the family members that connected the people in the list with Phuong were still living in Vietnam. Anyone reading the list would think "Wait! X is the daughter of Y and Z, but who the heck are Y and Z?". I ended up making a family tree diagram with a genealogy program to show how everyone was connected, and highlighted the ones in the diagram who are known to be living in the US. I included the diagram with the list.

[luckytxn 2,264]

I've been thinking about why I'm in AP so I've started thinking about what could have red flagged my case...

Linda & Dung

1. Short engagement after meeting...Met Early December, Engaged Late March, Married Mid May...

2. My parents didnt come back for my wedding - the CO asked about this in the interview...

3. List of SO relatives in US - He had this ready and available - Listed on the blue AP slip...

4. Proof of Bona Fide Relationship - had letters, emails, phone logs, pictures, affidavits - Listed on the AP slip...

5. I live with a guy who's my brother's bestfriend since childhood - the CO questioned me when I visited in Sept 2009

6. I've taken off a total of 4 months in the last 2 years for vacation - the CO asked about my job when I visted in Sept 2009

I think it would help others if anyone in AP could list their "potential" red flags too...

In another post Jerome & Binh listed theirs as:

1. Previous Marriage/Ex-wife in prison for a serious crime - questioned during interview

2. Time line, which Binh did have - listed on the blue AP slip

3. Proof of her relatives in America, this she did not have - listed on the blue AP slip

4. Filed for a visa 2 years before I filed for this petition and I put in a waiver and was deemed eligible to proceed

5. We talked more on Yahoo than on the phone

Linda, I think that your reason of "talking on Yahoo more than on the phone" is not correct.

We knew each other by website and only email conversation within 2 years, I didn't have phone records for the first time we contact each other and I still got pink.

The main reason is your time to get engagement, that is too short from the first meeting to the engagement decision time.

Don't think the engagement was too short as mine was about 3 months after we first started to chat. The marriage was pretty short though thereafter but have seen others here who had a short one also and got a pink.

[lindal24 1]

hihihi you want the "co noner" dont you. hhihih jk no offense. my younger brother married to a girl that is a year older than him. Good luck with your case.

LOL...yea, I like 'em fresh... j/k...

[lindal24 1]

I was also introduced by a family member - Phuong's uncle - but I covered that in detail in the timeline I included in the petition. I had known him for years before he introduced me to Phuong. Hopefully, that will defuse that particular red flag. If we join the AP list after her interview then we'll know that maybe it didn't.

I think a problem with the family in the US is that things were so confused during and after the war that a person in Vietnam might not know all of the family members they have in the US. Heck, I have cousins whom I haven't contacted for years, and I have no clue where they live. I can imagine how difficult it would be to keep track of everyone during a war or the mass migration that followed.

I included a list of relatives in my petition, but we kept it down to 3 generations - one before and one after Phuong's generation. That covered everyone I've met, and some I haven't. It took the cooperation of two of her family members in the US, and many in Vietnam to compile the list. The whole thing was quite confusing. Since I met Phuong I've met members of her family that she's never met, and wasn't even aware of. The list was non-sensical because many of the family members that connected the people in the list with Phuong were still living in Vietnam. Anyone reading the list would think "Wait! X is the daughter of Y and Z, but who the heck are Y and Z?". I ended up making a family tree diagram with a genealogy program to show how everyone was connected, and highlighted the ones in the diagram who are known to be living in the US. I included the diagram with the list.

We kept it to his immediate relatives. His mom and dad live in VN and the only person he has over his is his eldest sister in Louisiana that I've never met who immigrated over here almost 5 years ago on spouse visa.

[lindal24 1]

Don't think the engagement was too short as mine was about 3 months after we first started to chat. The marriage was pretty short though thereafter but have seen others here who had a short one also and got a pink.

I think it stems from my mom and dad not travelling back with me when I got married. They asked him why my parents didn't come back for my wedding. Well, my parents both work and they had already taken 6 weeks off from work only 5 months prior and my mom was sick so she didn't want to risk it.

Linda, I think that your reason of "talking on Yahoo more than on the phone" is not correct.

We knew each other by website and only email conversation within 2 years, I didn't have phone records for the first time we contact each other and I still got pink.

The main reason is your time to get engagement, that is too short from the first meeting to the engagement decision time.

That is Jerome & Binh...but I also don't think that's an issue either. I am just thinking of potential red flags...I wouldn't know if it was or not though...

[BinhJerome 14]

Don't think the engagement was too short as mine was about 3 months after we first started to chat. The marriage was pretty short though thereafter but have seen others here who had a short one also and got a pink.

I think it stems from my mom and dad not travelling back with me when I got married. They asked him why my parents didn't come back for my wedding. Well, my parents both work and they had already taken 6 weeks off from work only 5 months prior and my mom was sick so she didn't want to risk it.

Linda, I think that your reason of "talking on Yahoo more than on the phone" is not correct.

We knew each other by website and only email conversation within 2 years, I didn't have phone records for the first time we contact each other and I still got pink.

The main reason is your time to get engagement, that is too short from the first meeting to the engagement decision time.

That is Jerome & Binh...but I also don't think that's an issue either. I am just thinking of potential red flags...I wouldn't know if it was or not though...

I do not think it had anything to do with our yahoo chatting or anything else, I feel our ap was because of the answers my Fiancée gave. It is hard for some people to believe that a woman is in prison and then when she gave the reason it was even harder to stomacher. I think there is no real pattern to follow, and this forum just keeps us all guessing, and I think the Co's are loving every minute of it when they read all the posts. If something does not feel right they give you AP. Point blank, Jim addressed what he thought was red flags, he may or may not get put in AP I just think it will have to do with the answers at the interview more than anything we put in for evidence. I think they asked Binh one maybe 2 questions about my last petition if that, and as I have said countless times she saw pink, up until the the time the CO asked about my ex wife, and when Binh answered shortly after he left and came back with blue. If it was anything else he would have stopped asking questions long before and just asked for more evidence then and gave her a blue. So please people, I really think you are trying to analyze this subject way to much. Each case is different, what one CO thinks is different from another. They give us the standard requests with blue slips for a reason, and I think this reason is to not let us know what they are really thinking. I mean if you truly look at it, most people at the interview have a time line and yet they all ask for it, some even come with proof of relatives because so many people get blue for that as well. SO when you look at all of it it makes sense, no pattern, they just give the same reason time and again because something was said in the interview they did not understand or like. They do give clues with the blue, but nothing to form a real pattern. Front loading may or may not help, I am actually starting to think that if you give all the reasons they give on the blue slips ahead of time instead of blue they will start handing out denials instead. They are just either overwhelmed or don't like what they hear. This is my opinion, but as I said with all the people front loading, and people having the evidence they request at the interview and the Co refusing to look at it??? That is your pattern, I think maybe half of the people that are on the list with AP had most if not all of the requested evidence and they REFUSED to look at it, so that is your first clue, they refused to look at what they wanted to see. POINT BLANK no pattern, they are busy or just did not like what they heard. Good luck with all of your AP, I am getting ready for my trip I hope to talk with the CO and with any luck maybe we can get our visa.

Jerome

[Huong and Phung 0]

Good luck man and doesn't matter how bad things are, you're that much closer to your SO now. Enjoy it and have fun for us all waiting here in the States.

[BinhJerome 14]

Good luck man and doesn't matter how bad things are, you're that much closer to your SO now. Enjoy it and have fun for us all waiting here in the States.

Thanks! I wish for all of us that there was a real pattern, but the more I think about it I do not think there really is. To bad they wont just clear out all the AP at once to get caught up with all approvals! Tell your wife to expect a call on Friday, I get in about Midnight on Thursday/Friday morning. I think Customs is going to ####### a brick when they see all the things I am bringing! I got jars of home made jelly, salsa, pickles, tortillas, beef jerky, Budweiser, candy, and cans of things you cant find there or if you do it cost like $5 a can, got chicken broth and cream of mushroom soup. I am going to make hotpot for her family, my way, so I need canned chicken broth. The only good thing about what I am bringing, I have sent it all over the mail, at least all but the beer and pickles. The look on his face when he opens a bag full of jars of jelly and pickles, I bet it will be a priceless moment!

Jerome

[ScottThuy 140]

A tennis team from Japan was going through security the same time I was and one of the kids had 2 jars of jelly in his carryon sportpak.. one would have thought it was a pound of plastic explosives... The poor kid... he spoke no english and the jelly looked so good.... they threw it all away and scared the ####### out of him... so make sure its all in checked bags..

[lindal24 1]

yea...and make sure it's nice and packed!! you don't want everything smelling like pickle juice...lol.

[BinhJerome 14]

A tennis team from Japan was going through security the same time I was and one of the kids had 2 jars of jelly in his carryon sportpak.. one would have thought it was a pound of plastic explosives... The poor kid... he spoke no english and the jelly looked so good.... they threw it all away and scared the ####### out of him... so make sure its all in checked bags..

Yeah, I have one bag that is devoted to the jelly and pickles, and I have pillows all around them with the other soft things on top, the tortillas, and jerky and candy as well, give it as much of a fighting chance as possible to make it there in one piece. I had it in a smaller bag and that bag inside my big bag, but when I lifted it it was pretty heavy so I repacked it all again and am planning on checking 2 bags then carrying on only my computer. I was going to bring jelly last trip but did not want to check a bag, this time I don't feel like running in the airports dragging baggage.

[ScottThuy 140]

Yeah, I have one bag that is devoted to the jelly and pickles, and I have pillows all around them with the other soft things on top, the tortillas, and jerky and candy as well, give it as much of a fighting chance as possible to make it there in one piece. I had it in a smaller bag and that bag inside my big bag, but when I lifted it it was pretty heavy so I repacked it all again and am planning on checking 2 bags then carrying on only my computer. I was going to bring jelly last trip but did not want to check a bag, this time I don't feel like running in the airports dragging baggage.

I put glass jars in socks.. If I ever went over without taking two bags (checked free max) full of stuff, my friends would think alot less of me... anything from old text books to medicines etc... thats free cargo shipping... in a sense its included into the price of the ticket. And I always try to take a few Iphones or blackberry's with me to offset the price of the trip since they cost twice as much there or more... and are not easy to find....

Many grocery stores here have scales so you can weigh it ahead of time (the ones intended for us to check our weight) .. but keep in mind that they are usually 5 lbs off from the ones in the terminal. So 45 ish at the grocery = 50 ish at checkin

The fact that everyone is thinking about why they may be in AP is a good thing IMO. If there is a common thread and nobody thought about it or talked about it.. we would never know how to better prepare ourselves... analytical discussion is a very good thing when it comes to the unknown...

[David-Hien 11]

I've been thinking about why I'm in AP so I've started thinking about what could have red flagged my case...

Linda & Dung

1. Short engagement after meeting...Met Early December, Engaged Late March, Married Mid May...

2. My parents didnt come back for my wedding - the CO asked about this in the interview...

3. List of SO relatives in US - He had this ready and available - Listed on the blue AP slip...

4. Proof of Bona Fide Relationship - had letters, emails, phone logs, pictures, affidavits - Listed on the AP slip...

5. I live with a guy who's my brother's bestfriend since childhood - the CO questioned me when I visited in Sept 2009

6. I've taken off a total of 4 months in the last 2 years for vacation - the CO asked about my job when I visted in Sept 2009

I think it would help others if anyone in AP could list their "potential" red flags too...

In another post Jerome & Binh listed theirs as:

1. Previous Marriage/Ex-wife in prison for a serious crime - questioned during interview

2. Time line, which Binh did have - listed on the blue AP slip

3. Proof of her relatives in America, this she did not have - listed on the blue AP slip

4. Filed for a visa 2 years before I filed for this petition and I put in a waiver and was deemed eligible to proceed

5. We talked more on Yahoo than on the phone

Linda, I think that your reason of "talking on Yahoo more than on the phone" is not correct.

We knew each other by website and only email conversation within 2 years, I didn't have phone records for the first time we contact each other and I still got pink.

The main reason is your time to get engagement, that is too short from the first meeting to the engagement decision time.

Don't think the engagement was too short as mine was about 3 months after we first started to chat. The marriage was pretty short though thereafter but have seen others here who had a short one also and got a pink.

Three months are short but not too short, and if she can prove your relationship by other points, she will be ok. I mean short time is one of the reasons, not the only one reason.

Edited October 4, 2009 by Hien

[luckytxn 2,264]

Also to others about to go through the process and/or interview please do not fret so much. Just do the best one can is all that one can do. I had quite a few red flags and even had a few send me messages saying how I was going to be in AP and I screwed up something and I still got a pink and really in a decent time. Others have to so just because there are quite a few here in AP does not mean everyone will be in AP or even a majority.

We discuss this because we are trying to figure out the whys and therefores and to help others. It is good to discuss this stuff.