Vietnam i-130 what to do

[Happytime 0]

After looking around here extensively, I haven't seen someone with a situation resembling mine and I have a few, very specific questions

To give some background here is my situation;

I am a 27 year old expat living in Vietnam, I have been here for the last 3+ years (went back to the US for a grand total of 5 months, the last time I didn't hold a visa for Vietnam was early August 2011). I currently hold a work permit for Vietnam. I met my wife who is about 6 years younger than me in an English class I was teaching (she was 19 at the time, it was at an English center not a school which, if you don't know, is like dating your yoga teacher). We dated for a little more than a year when we decided to get married. We were married approximately a year and half after we began dating (we were legally married in early November, but the ceremony was in December 2011).

For cultural reasons, we did not live together before getting married, but we do now. She speaks advanced English and I speak almost no Vietnamese.

For secondary evidence we have; A lease with both our names, a bank account with both our names, Neither of us are big on taking pictures, so we have maybe 50 at most to submit (a lot more from the wedding, but from what I understand those are not the ones they are worried about), about 90 pages of skype calls/conversation, About 20 pages of facebook messages, about the same for emails, a one and a half page timeline of relationship that I am not sure I have formatted correctly, I have my visas and plane tickets from over the years, I have our itinerary from our honeymoon to Thailand.

We do not have affidavits of support at this time and I only want to include them if absolutely necessary because gathering them will be tough and expensive since I am out of country. We do not have phone records since both of us use prepaid phones. We do not own property together and we don't have any bills in our name (we live in an apartment in the landlord's house and they show us the bill for our part and we pay it. Due to things being a pain here I am not sure this can be changed).

I am applying for the IR1/CR1 visa and am currently at the very beginning completing the i-130 packet

The big reason we are moving to America is because I have been here a long time and need a change of scenery and she wants to go to school abroad.

I have heard that the HCMC consulate is quite strict and with good reason as there is a lot of scamming going on in this country

So given all that, here are my questions

1) is any of the above info going to send up a red flag? if so what, and is there anything I can do to make a red flag less likely?

2) is there any secondary info that we absolutely should have before filing?

3) Can anyone point me to an example of an already completed I-130 or guide that gives specific infor for someone filing out of country?

4) I have seen various info about the DCF issue, the info page here states that it is possible in HCMC, is that info accurate, and given the circumstances, would I qualify (IYO)?

Sorry for all the info, but I want to make sure all bases are covered. Thanks for any help anyone can give

[bigdog 376]

See the VJ guides, http://www.visajourney.com/content/guides and check out the Vietnam forum for country specific ideas. i am sure the topic specific members will reply to assist you. Generally get the best evidence you can, also try Skype or similar to chat and copy your conversations.

[Penguin_ie 5,994]

**** Moving from Asia to Vietnam forum for country specific answers *****

[tcTTct 37]

I don't get the dating your yoga teacher reference. Care to elaborate?

I think you need to start taking a lot more photos together and make sure you have the date stamp on your camera set to print on the photo. I can't believe a 20 yo Vietnamese girl doesn't like to take photos.

I think your big issue is that you have to prove domicile in the US. The affidavits of support can be done by someone else such as your parents of they are willing.

[ScottThuy 140]

Post violating TOS removed.

Edited March 4, 2012 by ScottThuy

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

one troll ejected.