any Input on my situation...

[Ronnie&Hang 12]

IMO, the only way to overcome this is to postpone your filing (if you've not filed already), and make time for a few more trips back so you guys can develope more of the relationship and build on your evidents...otherwise, you will face some tough times ahead..good lucks!!

Edited June 17, 2011 by Ronnie&Hang

[khoamythovn 1]

So what ended up happening with your relative??

What are household registration books?? Also what would schhol grade books have to do with a marriage?? Just curious...

The submission date is for next month. Right now is gathering evidence and creating the timeline and 10 year residency. The household registration book is to keep record of household members. I am not sure what the school grade books would be used for but it maybe for background information.

As suggested by VJ members, you should definitely make more trips. The excuse that you are busy with work or school will not fly. The CO does not care for that. Personally our case was rush too, but I was able to make 1 more trip while waiting for the interview. Do not compare with Americans. American couples are already together. They don't go through immigration. While you are not together with your wife. The goal here is to get her to USA.

[Casprd 167]

I believe she does have relatives in the US, but no where near me...I don't even know them, lol... but yeah, I got a few hundred pages of emails from that time...I did somewhat rush it, but at the same time, Americans tend to rush marriages anyway, lol...I wouldn't have been able to visit for another year or so due to work and prolonging visits and such to gather evidence makes it longer before she will ever be able to come

doesn't matter if they are near to you or not. It isn't uncommon for the "wife" to come to the US and then leave her "husband" to go be with her relatives. Marriage on the first trip/meeting is a big red flag most places. Add to that you were introduced by a relative and that she has relatives in the US. IMO, these can be overcome, but you just have to be aware of them and any others (i.e. not financially established recent college grad) and prepare your case to address them. There is nothing that says you have to submit your case right now so I would try to make at least one more trip to be with her and make every possible effort to be there for the interview.

[long&kieu 1]

The submission date is for next month. Right now is gathering evidence and creating the timeline and 10 year residency. The household registration book is to keep record of household members. I am not sure what the school grade books would be used for but it maybe for background information.

As suggested by VJ members, you should definitely make more trips. The excuse that you are busy with work or school will not fly. The CO does not care for that. Personally our case was rush too, but I was able to make 1 more trip while waiting for the interview. Do not compare with Americans. American couples are already together. They don't go through immigration. While you are not together with your wife. The goal here is to get her to USA.

I understand that excuse won't fly, but it's just another obstacle in front of me. So you made another trip to be at the interview, or did you make another trip prior to the interview??

[long&kieu 1]

doesn't matter if they are near to you or not. It isn't uncommon for the "wife" to come to the US and then leave her "husband" to go be with her relatives. Marriage on the first trip/meeting is a big red flag most places. Add to that you were introduced by a relative and that she has relatives in the US. IMO, these can be overcome, but you just have to be aware of them and any others (i.e. not financially established recent college grad) and prepare your case to address them. There is nothing that says you have to submit your case right now so I would try to make at least one more trip to be with her and make every possible effort to be there for the interview.

Would my Uncle be considered a relative of hers?? And when you say prepare, do you mean to have statements and papers to address the "red flags" that may exist??

[quann 26]

her having us relatives and first time meeting marriage is a red flag...very common for us relatives to proposition VK and pay for his/her trip back to vietnam and get married right away for money.

you being "financially great" will ease some of that suspicion...and if you need joint financial support that could be another possible excuse the CO can use to delay your case. since you have the money i'd say take a couple weeks off in the near future and visit her one more time (either before or during the filing process).

lots of talk and argument about front-loading the potential red flags...i think your case is a perfect example to do so. the case will look highly suspicious, so you really have nothing to lose in laying it all out on the table (timeline, 10 yr res, her us relatives' address etc, both set of parents' birth cert...and alot more)

[khoamythovn 1]

I understand that excuse won't fly, but it's just another obstacle in front of me. So you made another trip to be at the interview, or did you make another trip prior to the interview??

I made another trip(total 3 trips) prior to the interview. I was not able to attend the interview together.

[long&kieu 1]

her having us relatives and first time meeting marriage is a red flag...very common for us relatives to proposition VK and pay for his/her trip back to vietnam and get married right away for money.

you being "financially great" will ease some of that suspicion...and if you need joint financial support that could be another possible excuse the CO can use to delay your case. since you have the money i'd say take a couple weeks off in the near future and visit her one more time (either before or during the filing process).

lots of talk and argument about front-loading the potential red flags...i think your case is a perfect example to do so. the case will look highly suspicious, so you really have nothing to lose in laying it all out on the table (timeline, 10 yr res, her us relatives' address etc, both set of parents' birth cert...and alot more)

thanks for the advice, I will try to frontload all of the red flags and try to visit her again before the interview...but at the same time, since the paperwork is in, all of this evidence being gathered now will not help the before marriage stuff they want to see...

[Kevin and 10]

thanks for the advice, I will try to frontload all of the red flags and try to visit her again before the interview...but at the same time, since the paperwork is in, all of this evidence being gathered now will not help the before marriage stuff they want to see...

That's where affidavits would come in. IMO, you should get three (you, your wife, and your uncle)explaining how your relationship started. I don't see any other way to get around it without any other evidence for explaining the nature of your case.

Its too late to frontload, you already submitted your I-130. The best you can do is continue building a strong relationship and keep all your evidence.

Don't be shocked when/if your case is put into AP. The CO will only have the bonafides you submitted with your I-130. Any new evidence brought to the interview most likely will not be reviewed at that time.

[Sayha or bust. 71]

I'd hire Marc Ellis and Mr Nam. They are best Immigration Lawyers in Vietnam. They are great handling Red Flags and will not leave any stone unturned. My wifes journeys was 10 months after filing. the preparation alone 3 weeks before interview alone was worth every penny. She was prepared for any question the Co threw at her. Answered in English and later in Vietnamese, neither her English or Vietnamese was good she needed all the prepping she could get.

best of luck. Rich.

Edited June 18, 2011 by Sayha or bust.

[long&kieu 1]

That's where affidavits would come in. IMO, you should get three (you, your wife, and your uncle)explaining how your relationship started. I don't see any other way to get around it without any other evidence for explaining the nature of your case.

Its too late to frontload, you already submitted your I-130. The best you can do is continue building a strong relationship and keep all your evidence.

Don't be shocked when/if your case is put into AP. The CO will only have the bonafides you submitted with your I-130. Any new evidence brought to the interview most likely will not be reviewed at that time.

What is th AP your referring to?? Also, does that mean that the affidavits I will eventually provide will not be reviewed at that time either??

[pholy 0]

Hey you guys,

I need some advice, and here's my background story. Let me know if you need more detail. It's not your typical marriage, for Americans at least.

I go to Vietnam every several years and one year [2008] I met a neighbor of the family but never thought anything of it.

My uncle always told me when I was ready to marry, he would find me a wife. And since I wanted to go with tradition, I told him to find me one like he did for his son and my grandpa did for him.

Fast foward two years, he found me someone, the neighbor I met before, Kieu. So in the summer of 2010, we started exchanging emails. I jokingly told her that I couldn't speak Vietnamese, so I couldn't make phone calls. [i can speak but not write.] So each email, she would write in Viet and I responded in English and we would roughly translate each other's messages through Google translate.

Since talking to her, I hadn't had time, nor the money to visit her. I've been busy with work and school, that I finally found an opening in the summer of 2011. So I decided to visit and marry her at the same time. It was a traditional marriage where my mom would take care of the jewelery and her family took care of the ceremony and reception since I had no official home there.

Now that I've returned, I started learning more about the forms and paperwork to bring her here. [something I should have done ahead of time.]

My concern is more or less the evidence to show that this is a truthful marriage. I have pictures of the wedding and hanging out, but only of this recent trip, nothing before. I also have emails from when we were getting to know each other, but never chatted or made phone calls. We are on Skype now, but after I left her a laptop to use, so I don't believe that counts as evidence since its after the wedding. I haven't added her to my insurance because it wouldn't help her, and I don't really know when she will come over to start having that deducted from my paycheck. I have no reciepts since most gifts I bought were at Vietnam and most jewelery and such for the wedding was provided by my mom.

Sorry for the long read, but I'm not sure what else to provide to prove this wedding is real. Sometimes I feel that if people are super prepared, its like they are preparing to get away with their fake marriages or what not. Kevin on the forums have suggested Affadavits which I will consider, but when will that be needed?? Before the paperwork goes to the NVC or is it too late??

Thanks for any suggestions and sorry about the long read.

Thanks, Long.

you are in a great position just because you go to vietnam so often. here is what your alibi is going to be when interview and doing paters etc from now on: met kieu 2008. started talking. dam noi 2011, not wedding. visit vietnam next year and then wedding (technically your second wedding keke) while you are there go suu thu phap and apply for vietnam marriage cert. bring coffee money. start working on your i-130 now by the way. email her once a week. send her snail mail once a month. send her 100 bucks each month. save everything. then next year do another wedding, take pictures blah blah blah etch. save everything. ask for receipts. if you dont have proof of your visits to vietnam ask someone to visit hotels, resturants and ask for blank receipts. bring coffee money just in case. forge yourself some stuff up. trust me, i know what im doing.

[Kevin and 10]

What is th AP your referring to?? Also, does that mean that the affidavits I will eventually provide will not be reviewed at that time either??

AP-addition processing. Usually after an interview the CO wants to look at the case again/closer.

The actual interview is only about 15-30 minutes, its not enough time for a CO to review/investigate any new evidence brought to the interview. They will hand out a blue sheet explaining what you will need to do. Its normal procedure for them to ask for a detailed timeline of the relationship, list of beneficiary's relative in the US, and proof of residency for the past 10 years. There's a debate on whether they actually need it for the investigation or for a stalling tactic. Regardless of what their reason is for asking for them, they want them.

Right now just focus on getting all your paperwork ready for the NVC and gathering evidences.

Have you read the process guides at the top of the webpage yet?

[Kevin and 10]

Did you get a marriage certificate from the government? You would have had to fill out a ton of paperwork before you even went to VN to get married.

[long&kieu 1]

AP-addition processing. Usually after an interview the CO wants to look at the case again/closer.

The actual interview is only about 15-30 minutes, its not enough time for a CO to review/investigate any new evidence brought to the interview. They will hand out a blue sheet explaining what you will need to do. Its normal procedure for them to ask for a detailed timeline of the relationship, list of beneficiary's relative in the US, and proof of residency for the past 10 years. There's a debate on whether they actually need it for the investigation or for a stalling tactic. Regardless of what their reason is for asking for them, they want them.

Right now just focus on getting all your paperwork ready for the NVC and gathering evidences.

Have you read the process guides at the top of the webpage yet?

I have read quite a bit of the guides...but still have more to go...

Did you get a marriage certificate from the government? You would have had to fill out a ton of paperwork before you even went to VN to get married.

yup, got that taken care of in my trip out there...without that marriage certificate, I'm not sure I could've sent in the I-130??