2 questions

[Anh map 2,098]

Don't tell her that....let her go to the interview with your 2011, 2010, 2009 tax returns. That should be enough to prove on going income.

If they want more....give them your paystubs and tell em you're an independent contractor....if that fails....go to Vietnam....marry her and file for IR-1 Visa.

If you're married to a Vietnamese citizen, you can stay there as long as you want....

Wow, that's bad advice.

[Jeff and Hanh 0]

Ok well thanks I will tell my fiancee it just isn't going to happen, can you put this process on hold until I find a new career.

Well thanks everyone, not good news but at least I didn't waste more time and money trying this. Our dreams are smashed but I'm going to head to vietnam, I sent the fiancee the bad news, my career choice just isn't going to support this, I told her to start looking into getting married over there, and start asking about visa's and jobs.

[Dan Nguyen 3]

Wow, that's bad advice.

Not really, I did the exact same thing and I succeeded.....

[ScottThuy 140]

Don't tell her that....let her go to the interview with your 2011, 2010, 2009 tax returns. That should be enough to prove on going income.

If they want more....give them your paystubs and tell em you're an independent contractor....if that fails....go to Vietnam....marry her and file for IR-1 Visa.

If you're married to a Vietnamese citizen, you can stay there as long as you want....

And when they ask the fiance' what does he do for a living? Where does he work? what is his boss's name? How far does he work from home? The fact that he is not working will come out or, worse, they could look at itlike she doesn't know enough about him for the relationship to be valid... plenty of time to find a job between now and when the interview will hit... Why not just find gainful income as the unemployment won't last forever...

[Dan Nguyen 3]

Well thanks everyone, not good news but at least I didn't waste more time and money trying this. Our dreams are smashed but I'm going to head to vietnam, I sent the fiancee the bad news, my career choice just isn't going to support this, I told her to start looking into getting married over there, and start asking about visa's and jobs.

If you plan to marry her over there....you have to start the paper works in the U.S.

There are certains things you need to do before you go to Vietnam.....

[Jeff and Hanh 0]

If you plan to marry her over there....you have to start the paper works in the U.S.

There are certains things you need to do before you go to Vietnam.....

First off I didn't mean the marrage won't happen it will, I meant the k-1 visa isn't going to happen. She can't answer questions about my job anyway since I don't have one. And lets face it being a union carpenter and working for different companies just doesn't seem to fit this mold, so I would have to find a new career which will start out low paying, although I think a minimum wage job would be enough to pass the 125% of poverity or close to it. And if I'm over there we will be together and won't care as much about how long this takes. She thinks she can get me a job teaching English over there, and she can keep her job as a graphic designer which she would have to give up until she gets that green card thing, if she moved here.

I already wrote her an e-mail telling her to look into different idea's, but I'm thinking I will head over and spend a month there and test the water, then come home either sale my house, then go get married and apply for the different visa that lets me have a co-sponser. I think I have 5 years before I lose my american citizenship, right?

Or find a different job here but its very frustrating to have to give up a $30 dollar hour job that is "off and on" for a $10 an hour steady job. I have already tried this because it bugged me to not be working full time, but I made less with the steady job then I did with the higher paying "off and on" job.

One way or the other we will be together just don't know which country LOL!!!

But what do I need to do here to get married over there?

[confusedasheck 21]

If you're married to a Vietnamese citizen, you can stay there as long as you want....

I don't think this part is true. You can get a 5-year visa that allows a 90-day stay each entry. I've read that you can renew it twice while in the country (never tried that), after which you must leave and re-enter (probably do a border run to Cambodia)

[confusedasheck 21]

But what do I need to do here to get married over there?

A whole lot of patience, and the urge to hold back strangling the officials there for starters (seriously)

I got married this year in Vietnam in HCMC, so I'm speaking from experience. Your experience may be different in the rural provinces or Hanoi, but this how it went for us in HCMC

- Your first step is to book a wedding ceremony and announcement party and invite everybody she knows.

- You will need this paperwork packet filled out and authenticated by the Vietnamese Embassy in USA.

You can find all the forms here.

http://vietnamembassy-usa.org/basic-page/legalization-document-marriage-registration

I recommend you get a service to do the documents for you if you live in an area where there are a lot of Vietnamese and have access to one. The bureaucrats in Vietnam are picky about everything and having a service do it minimizes your risk.

I hired King Solomon Multi-Services agency to do it for me. However, when my fiancee went to the Justice department to ask if the forms were OK, she was told they used the wrong application form (even though the Vietnamese embassy approved it!) and I have to Fedex her a different signed form, which she filled out and then our application was accepted.

The tricky part is this mental health certificate. Even though I got one performed at KS, it was rejected. You basically have to get it at their hospital in Vietnam. It's good for three months. It's basically a scam to get money from you, but you must do it.

You will have to give the people at the Justice Department some coffee money. There is no way around this. They will not take your application without it. You either hire a Dich Vu or do it yourself. My wife tells me that she saw people yelling at their Dich Vu, because they failed to get the marriage certificate. So a Dich Vu is no guarantee of success. If you hire one, make sure he has a good track record.

After your application is accepted by the Justice Department, they automatically set a date for an interview. You must come to the interview in person.

At the interview, if you do not speak Vietnamese, you are required to have a translator. You do not have to hire someone who is in league with the justice department. Our translator was a friend. The interviewing officer understood English, but wanted it done in Vietnamese. I could tell the interviewer was comparing the English to the Vietnamese as I interviewed and our translator translated. The interviewer wrote everything down that we answered.

We were interviewed separately and then together.

Questions they asked:

- How we met

- What is my/her job

- How many times I visited her

- Why I want to marry her instead of an American and spend the money to come to Vietnam.

- Why I want to marry her instead of a Vietnamese in America

- What I like about her (what she likes about me)

- How we communicated (in what language)

- What percentage of the time can you understand each other

- If any of my family was coming to the wedding

They also called us in together and wanted a small demonstration of us speaking together in English

Evidence we were asked to submit:

- Authenticated copy of my passport (signature and picture page and the pages that contain entry and exit stamps

for Vietnam) from the People’s Committee (basically a copy with their stamp on it). We got this done before

the interview, as I was expecting it.

- Some photos from each calendar year of our relationship.

- E-mails from each calendar year of our relationship

- Phone call logs from each calendar year of our relationship

- The receipt /contract for our Le Thanh Hon showing the down payment or full payment depending on if your

wedding was before or after the interview (we showed the original and they kept a copy)

- A wedding invitation

Our interview was successful and they approved the application. We were told to come back within 7 days of a certain date to sign it (about 3 weeks after the interview). We came back, signed two certificates (they gave us two originals), and left happy that the ordeal was over. You must sign the marriage certificate in person.

You need between 20-25 days to have them process it. You must go to the interview and sign the certificate in person. You really need to plan this, if you don't you are going to fail miserably.

Edited July 27, 2012 by confusedasheck

[Dan Nguyen 3]

I don't think this part is true. You can get a 5-year visa that allows a 90-day stay each entry. I've read that you can renew it twice while in the country (never tried that), after which you must leave and re-enter (probably do a border run to Cambodia)

It is true. I stayed with my wife for two years while waiting for her visa to be approve.

The only thing you have to do is extend your visa every three months at Vietnam Immigration office of the jurisdiction you're staying.

[Jeff and Hanh 0]

A whole lot of patience, and the urge to hold back strangling the officials there for starters (seriously)

I got married this year in Vietnam in HCMC, so I'm speaking from experience. Your experience may be different in the rural provinces or Hanoi, but this how it went for us in HCMC

- Your first step is to book a wedding ceremony and announcement party and invite everybody she knows.

- You will need this paperwork packet filled out and authenticated by the Vietnamese Embassy in USA.

You can find all the forms here.

http://vietnamembassy-usa.org/basic-page/legalization-document-marriage-registration

I recommend you get a service to do the documents for you if you live in an area where there are a lot of Vietnamese and have access to one. The bureaucrats in Vietnam are picky about everything and having a service do it minimizes your risk.

I hired King Solomon Multi-Services agency to do it for me. However, when my fiancee went to the Justice department to ask if the forms were OK, she was told they used the wrong application form (even though the Vietnamese embassy approved it!) and I have to Fedex her a different signed form, which she filled out and then our application was accepted.

The tricky part is this mental health certificate. Even though I got one performed at KS, it was rejected. You basically have to get it at their hospital in Vietnam. It's good for three months. It's basically a scam to get money from you, but you must do it.

You will have to give the people at the Justice Department some coffee money. There is no way around this. They will not take your application without it. You either hire a Dich Vu or do it yourself. My wife tells me that she saw people yelling at their Dich Vu, because they failed to get the marriage certificate. So a Dich Vu is no guarantee of success. If you hire one, make sure he has a good track record.

After your application is accepted by the Justice Department, they automatically set a date for an interview. You must come to the interview in person.

At the interview, if you do not speak Vietnamese, you are required to have a translator. You do not have to hire someone who is in league with the justice department. Our translator was a friend. The interviewing officer understood English, but wanted it done in Vietnamese. I could tell the interviewer was comparing the English to the Vietnamese as I interviewed and our translator translated. The interviewer wrote everything down that we answered.

We were interviewed separately and then together.

Questions they asked:

- How we met

- What is my/her job

- How many times I visited her

- Why I want to marry her instead of an American and spend the money to come to Vietnam.

- Why I want to marry her instead of a Vietnamese in America

- What I like about her (what she likes about me)

- How we communicated (in what language)

- What percentage of the time can you understand each other

- If any of my family was coming to the wedding

They also called us in together and wanted a small demonstration of us speaking together in English

Evidence we were asked to submit:

- Authenticated copy of my passport (signature and picture page and the pages that contain entry and exit stamps

for Vietnam) from the People’s Committee (basically a copy with their stamp on it). We got this done before

the interview, as I was expecting it.

- Some photos from each calendar year of our relationship.

- E-mails from each calendar year of our relationship

- Phone call logs from each calendar year of our relationship

- The receipt /contract for our Le Thanh Hon showing the down payment or full payment depending on if your

wedding was before or after the interview (we showed the original and they kept a copy)

- A wedding invitation

Our interview was successful and they approved the application. We were told to come back within 7 days of a certain date to sign it (about 3 weeks after the interview). We came back, signed two certificates (they gave us two originals), and left happy that the ordeal was over. You must sign the marriage certificate in person.

You need between 20-25 days to have them process it. You must go to the interview and sign the certificate in person. You really need to plan this, if you don't you are going to fail miserably.

Ok thanks I copy and paste this to her, so she has an idea what we are in for. I knew it was going to be a pain either way but really thought the K-1 visa would be the best. Her family will be happy, my mom is totally bummed, shes afraid she won't see me any more, but she understands.

[talean nawaz 41]

First off I didn't mean the marrage won't happen it will, I meant the k-1 visa isn't going to happen. She can't answer questions about my job anyway since I don't have one. And lets face it being a union carpenter and working for different companies just doesn't seem to fit this mold, so I would have to find a new career which will start out low paying, although I think a minimum wage job would be enough to pass the 125% of poverity or close to it. And if I'm over there we will be together and won't care as much about how long this takes. She thinks she can get me a job teaching English over there, and she can keep her job as a graphic designer which she would have to give up until she gets that green card thing, if she moved here.

I already wrote her an e-mail telling her to look into different idea's, but I'm thinking I will head over and spend a month there and test the water, then come home either sale my house, then go get married and apply for the different visa that lets me have a co-sponser. I think I have 5 years before I lose my american citizenship, right?

Or find a different job here but its very frustrating to have to give up a $30 dollar hour job that is "off and on" for a $10 an hour steady job. I have already tried this because it bugged me to not be working full time, but I made less with the steady job then I did with the higher paying "off and on" job.

One way or the other we will be together just don't know which country LOL!!!

But what do I need to do here to get married over there?

No, you will not lose your citizenship no matter how long you stay outside of the US.

[Dan Nguyen 3]

And when they ask the fiance' what does he do for a living? Where does he work? what is his boss's name? How far does he work from home? The fact that he is not working will come out or, worse, they could look at itlike she doesn't know enough about him for the relationship to be valid... plenty of time to find a job between now and when the interview will hit... Why not just find gainful income as the unemployment won't last forever...

I would say tell them the truth. He's an independent contractor. His work is not steady but he does make enough to meet the Poverty Guideline. At least she'll have a slim chance if she goes to the interview. If he abandons the petition, she has no chance....finding work now is not going to do any good because he won't be employ long enough comes interview day.

[Dan Nguyen 3]

First off I didn't mean the marrage won't happen it will, I meant the k-1 visa isn't going to happen. She can't answer questions about my job anyway since I don't have one. And lets face it being a union carpenter and working for different companies just doesn't seem to fit this mold, so I would have to find a new career which will start out low paying, although I think a minimum wage job would be enough to pass the 125% of poverity or close to it. And if I'm over there we will be together and won't care as much about how long this takes. She thinks she can get me a job teaching English over there, and she can keep her job as a graphic designer which she would have to give up until she gets that green card thing, if she moved here.

I already wrote her an e-mail telling her to look into different idea's, but I'm thinking I will head over and spend a month there and test the water, then come home either sale my house, then go get married and apply for the different visa that lets me have a co-sponser. I think I have 5 years before I lose my american citizenship, right?

Or find a different job here but its very frustrating to have to give up a $30 dollar hour job that is "off and on" for a $10 an hour steady job. I have already tried this because it bugged me to not be working full time, but I made less with the steady job then I did with the higher paying "off and on" job.

One way or the other we will be together just don't know which country LOL!!!

But what do I need to do here to get married over there?

Follow through with the K-1. If she gets deny, then get marry and file for IR-1.

[Dan Nguyen 3]

But what do I need to do here to get married over there?

Go to Vietnamese Embassy website. It's all there.

[Jeff and Hanh 0]

Go to Vietnamese Embassy website. It's all there.

Ok thanks alot all you guys, sorry I'm a pain but I want to be with my fiancee.