If interview is at U.S. Embassy, why is it so tough in Vietnam to get Visa approval?

[Matt_Stevens 5]

Maybe I just am too dense to get this, but if your fiance in Vietnam is going to have her interview at the U.S. Embassy, why then, is the Ho Chi Minh City situation so utterly hopeless with the worst reputation?

I read that the interviewers, primarily the male ones, are outright hostile towards the women fiances. Is this because they are local Vietnamese Citizens who are annoyed that Vietnamese women are marrying outside their culture?

What am I missing here? What is the deal with Ho Chi Minh City? Yes, I know there is a lot of raud, but that cannot explain how angry and nasty they are. Now I am rading how they shoot down any visa for a woman who's petitioner is using a co-sponsor. #######?! As one who needs a co-sponsor, I'm shaking in my boots over this process.

Is it the interviewer who makes the decision to approve or deny? Or does he/she go to someone and give his/her opinion and then that person says yeah or nay?

Sorry, cannot help but obsess over all of this.

By the way, just got my NOA1.

[dalegg 143]

I read that the interviewers, primarily the male ones, are outright hostile towards the women fiances. Is this because they are local Vietnamese Citizens who are annoyed that Vietnamese women are marrying outside their culture?

No, I've read the same thing about some of the women interviewers also. My wife did not experience it though so I can only speak to accounts I've read about here.

Is it the interviewer who makes the decision to approve or deny? Or does he/she go to someone and give his/her opinion and then that person says yeah or nay?

It's pretty much the interviewer who makes the decision to approve or put you on AR, but a denial would come after the AR process. Don't think deny. Think delay. Outright Denials are very rare.

[scy 0]

All the interviews are conducted by US consular officers. They are all non Vietnamese foreigners. There is no ethnic Vietnamese consular officer at the HCMC consulate. The administrative staff is mostly Vietnamese women. The translators are mostly Vietnamese women. If there is any cultural bias it comes from the Vietnamese administrative staff not the consular officers. There have been reports of Vietnamese staff berating visa applicants or mistranslating or pointing out faults with the visa applications.

Consular officers make the initial decision to approve or deny. Then a supervising officer makes the final decision and sign off on it.

Fraud and volume are the two reasons why HCMC is tough. They have to adjudcate so many visa applications and they are afraid of letting any fraudulent ones through. Since they don't spend enough time on a visa application they make quick decisions based on surface information. So an initial denial is almost automatic unless your case is very straight forward, without complications or faults. And very few of those cases exist.

I wouldn't worry so much. You have a resource in Visajourney. You have seen what others who had gone through HCMC face. So prepare and hope for the best. That's what I did and I'm almost through.

Good luck.

[Vietnam 0]

By the way, just got my NOA1.

Congratulations, you are part of the list. Believe it or not, you are not at the bottom.

[Matt_Stevens 5]

Interesting information. My fiance looks at it being impossible to see fraud with our relationship, but she is not a negative thinker and so far unable to fathom how rough this is going to get.

I am not too worried about her interview skills. She is highly intelligent, has a keen eye and memory and will be able to answer the questions easily.

It's ME that is the problem. My screwy financial background the last 18 months or so. i know that will be a huge issue since I need a co-sponsor.

Thanks to everyone for the help. I wonder if there is any way one could get a letter from a prominant politician or influencial person to help one's case going in? Has that ever been tried?

I guess it's a damn good thing I have the Vermont Service center handling me. Looks like they are fast and will at least chop some time off the waiting copared to other service centers. Don't want to jinx myself, of course.

Edited February 28, 2006 by Matt_Stevens

[dalegg 143]

It's ME that is the problem.

.

Wait until you get married. You'll be saying that a lot more often.

[Vietnam 0]

Sorry Matt, I had 3ADs date wrong, so you're at the bottom afterall. Don't worry it shouldn't be for long as we have another member who sent his I-129F off about 1 week ago.

Congrats to Gurugreg for getting NOA2 and Landy for getting an interview date though! Moving up the ladder..

[Vietnam 0]

Sorry Matt, I had 3ADs date wrong, so you're at the bottom afterall. Don't worry it shouldn't be for long as we have another member who sent his I-129F off about 1 week ago.

And there it is..Robert&Van are on board with NOA1. You are not the newbie anymore.

[Matt_Stevens 5]

I just received an email from the Vermont SC saying my case was approved! They only received my I-129F on February 21!

Holy Smokes seems an appropriate response to this.

[Vietnam 0]

I just received an email from the Vermont SC saying my case was approved! They only received my I-129F on February 21!

Holy Smokes seems an appropriate response to this.

Well now that's just not fair!

FYI, your timeline says you got NOA2 on 03/04/2006. Today is the 3rd.

[Matt_Stevens 5]

I just received an email from the Vermont SC saying my case was approved! They only received my I-129F on February 21!

Holy Smokes seems an appropriate response to this.

Well now that's just not fair!

FYI, your timeline says you got NOA2 on 03/04/2006. Today is the 3rd.

I'll fix that. I must have done my timeline just after midnight.

[chuckandkim 0]

Matt,

the initial fear and hopeless are the norm... Why? With many uncertainties and undefined bit and piece of information floating around on the internet and stories you hear from others... sometime that scares the ####### out of, even, the most fearless and straight forward K-1 Visa petitioner

Echoing previous posters: volume and historical fraud cases from HCMC are the two main reason for the "semi-automatic" denial.

My wife Kim had an american male Consulate officer and vietnamese interpreter female at her interview. No negative responses from both of them, standard Q&A session. That what happened in the interview booth.

BUT the outside section where your fiance will be going through when she first arrives at her interview. She will hand in ALL her paperworks, in categorically order, the vietnamese administrative staffs will go through each item in her file with super mean pair of eyes, VC (Viet-Cong) style!!! At this point, sometimes, the Vietnamese staff could close the file and send you home if they find out your fiance is missing any, i mean it, any piece of "required" evidence. Ask to come back later when you have the appropriate document etc. (Extreme case, but not so rare anymore). so be prepared!

About your financial situation: I am not to worry about it. Personal experience to share: I was laid off from my job, and was unemployed during my K-1 petition process for Kim's Visa. Well, at the time I filed for her I-129F and during her interview, I have no steady job, I was doing some consulting works for a couple of companies. But I was able to show them my income/tax-return in the past 3 years (2001,2002, 2003) etc. Co-sponsor was considered in my strategy, but turned out, my income was met and exceed the requirement.

Back to your case, I would seriously consider writing a detail letter to explain your situation and your unique profession where incomes don't come in a form of "Bi-weekly" checks as most corporate-cubical-young-professional folks

About CO being hostile... it's normal. Remember, it is your fiance's duty and responsibility to convince the CO that she is DESERVED to get a Visa to come to this country. It's not her right, her benefit or anything to request a visa. Visa is a priviledge not a right! So with that mentality in mind, they will do anything to the beneficiary at the interview to weed out the bad seeds, and it is not their job but your to show them that you deserve to be in America. The consulate did not create the repuation, the beneficiaries and applicants did. If the folks before us didn't lie and deceit the Consulate to obtain visa to come to the US in a massive scale and almost like organized crimes, it wouldn't be so tough for all of you guys now... So, don't blame them a 100%. Take the share also!

Do your homework and ask lot of intelligent questions or not so on Visa Journey. Dumb questions are allowed, stupid answers are discouraged I did my good share of dumb questions before... still do now... but VJ people are very forgiving...

Congratulations on your NOA2 Approval! Seem to go better than expected!

Good luck and keep your hope up... it's not all that crazy after all...

Love,

Chuck and Kim