K1 VISA Interview - Is an Engagement Ceremony absolutely needed before the interview?

[KT_206 0]

Hello all, I am in a bit of a situation here. I plan to have an engagement ceremony in March of next year. But I don't know if I should begin with the paperwork petition for the K1 Visa right now, or wait until after October of this year to begin. I know that if I begin it right now, I can expect to wait approximately 6 months for the interview, give or take a couple months. If I start the paperwork process now, my interview will be scheduled before my actual engagement ceremony. I am afraid that by doing this, I won't have pictures needed of the wedding ceremony to show the interviewer. Will this be a major problem? Is a engagement ceremony absolutely needed before the interview? I have visited several private non-government immigration services offices here in the States for a bit of advice, all of whom assist with the fiance/marriage visas in Vietnam. Just about all of them have told me to not worry about the engagement ceremony taking place before the interview, and that I should just go ahead and submit the paperwork now since the engagement ceremony is not a real requirement to get approved...but I think their main concern is for me cough up money to them now, so we can begin the process. Which is why I turn to you guys for advice. Do you think I should start the paperwork process now, or should I just wait until October to start the paperwork process? That way, I will have pictures of the engagement ceremony well before the interview? Thanks for reading and for your help.

Khanh

[bob.sansmal 14]

If one person asks the other to marry, and the other says yes, then they are engaged. No ceremony is relevant.....I've actually never heard of an engagement ceremony before reading your post (tho the existence of such things doesn't surprise me.)

Just remember, that once you begin the K1 Visa path, if you get married before the visa is granted, then you'll have to start all over again with a CR-1 visa. I mention this because you say something about an engagement ceremony and then you mention a wedding ceremony.

You will need pictures of you and your fiancee together, of course...

[BatonRouge Bill 2]

If one person asks the other to marry, and the other says yes, then they are engaged. No ceremony is relevant.....I've actually never heard of an engagement ceremony before reading your post (tho the existence of such things doesn't surprise me.)

Just remember, that once you begin the K1 Visa path, if you get married before the visa is granted, then you'll have to start all over again with a CR-1 visa. I mention this because you say something about an engagement ceremony and then you mention a wedding ceremony.

You will need pictures of you and your fiancee together, of course...

An engagement ring and reciept as well is nice evidence but proof of face to face meeting is required, dated photos of you two together, and plane ticket stubs, iteneraries etc.

They will not even ask about Dam Hoi until the interview and it is certainly not required. They will ask about when the Marriage will take place and even then if no date is set there is no show stopper. I think you should start the process as the process timeline can randomly vary by a lot. Some folks get the interview 7-8 months after initiating the process or can be much longer like mine at 15 months. So my advice is to start early as possible. It sucks to be apart.

[My&Truong 4]

Hello all, I am in a bit of a situation here. I plan to have an engagement ceremony in March of next year. But I don't know if I should begin with the paperwork petition for the K1 Visa right now, or wait until after October of this year to begin. I know that if I begin it right now, I can expect to wait approximately 6 months for the interview, give or take a couple months. If I start the paperwork process now, my interview will be scheduled before my actual engagement ceremony. I am afraid that by doing this, I won't have pictures needed of the wedding ceremony to show the interviewer. Will this be a major problem? Is a engagement ceremony absolutely needed before the interview? I have visited several private non-government immigration services offices here in the States for a bit of advice, all of whom assist with the fiance/marriage visas in Vietnam. Just about all of them have told me to not worry about the engagement ceremony taking place before the interview, and that I should just go ahead and submit the paperwork now since the engagement ceremony is not a real requirement to get approved...but I think their main concern is for me cough up money to them now, so we can begin the process. Which is why I turn to you guys for advice. Do you think I should start the paperwork process now, or should I just wait until October to start the paperwork process? That way, I will have pictures of the engagement ceremony well before the interview? Thanks for reading and for your help.

Khanh

We did the Dam Hoi when my fiance came to meet me the first time. We weren't sure if it was required, but we did just in case and wanted to do everything smoothly. In my opinion, you should start the process as soon as possible. It may take long and depends on which service center you are in. We are in Texas Service Center and have been waiting for over 2 months. We aren't sure how long we have to wait for NOA2 and the procedures after

[Ck207 35]

I passed my interview without one ,so I don't think it is that important. The most important thing is evident of your relationship.

[Tighfield 3]

If one person asks the other to marry, and the other says yes, then they are engaged. No ceremony is relevant.....I've actually never heard of an engagement ceremony before reading your post (tho the existence of such things doesn't surprise me.)

Just remember, that once you begin the K1 Visa path, if you get married before the visa is granted, then you'll have to start all over again with a CR-1 visa. I mention this because you say something about an engagement ceremony and then you mention a wedding ceremony.

You will need pictures of you and your fiancee together, of course...

My girl and I are having our Dam Hoi (engagement party) in September and a wedding ceremony in March. The official wedding would be here in America. It was my understanding that as long as you don't sign anything for a marriage, you're okay. The wedding ceremony is primarily for her family since they cannot travel to America.

[KT_206 0]

I passed my interview without one ,so I don't think it is that important. The most important thing is evident of your relationship.

Congratulations CK207. Did the interviewer ask anything about the Dam Hoi situation or why you two didn't have one?

[KT_206 0]

I passed my interview without one ,so I don't think it is that important. The most important thing is evident of your relationship.

Congratulations CK207. Did the interviewer ask anything about the Dam Hoi situation or why you two didn't have one?

[KT_206 0]

My girl and I are having our Dam Hoi (engagement party) in September and a wedding ceremony in March. The official wedding would be here in America. It was my understanding that as long as you don't sign anything for a marriage, you're okay. The wedding ceremony is primarily for her family since they cannot travel to America.

Have you submitted the petition paperwork yet Tighfield? Our wedding is also planned for March

[KT_206 0]

An engagement ring and reciept as well is nice evidence but proof of face to face meeting is required, dated photos of you two together, and plane ticket stubs, iteneraries etc.

They will not even ask about Dam Hoi until the interview and it is certainly not required. They will ask about when the Marriage will take place and even then if no date is set there is no show stopper. I think you should start the process as the process timeline can randomly vary by a lot. Some folks get the interview 7-8 months after initiating the process or can be much longer like mine at 15 months. So my advice is to start early as possible. It sucks to be apart.

Thank you for the advice Bill. 15 months is a very long wait. Was there any reason for that long delay?

[Tighfield 3]

Have you submitted the petition paperwork yet Tighfield? Our wedding is also planned for March

I'm taking the paperwork with me in September and submitting it when I get back.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

If one person asks the other to marry, and the other says yes, then they are engaged. No ceremony is relevant.....I've actually never heard of an engagement ceremony before reading your post (tho the existence of such things doesn't surprise me.)

Just remember, that once you begin the K1 Visa path, if you get married before the visa is granted, then you'll have to start all over again with a CR-1 visa. I mention this because you say something about an engagement ceremony and then you mention a wedding ceremony.

You will need pictures of you and your fiancee together, of course...

It's a centuries old tradition in most east Asian countries. It's usually quite formal, involves members of both families, offerings of traditional gifts from the groom's family, and traditional wardrobes. My avatar photo was taken just after our engagement ceremony. Our ceremony took place at a Buddhist temple (though most usually involve a procession to the bride's home where the ceremony takes place). There were probably 30 people in attendance at the ceremony, and was overseen by a "Su Thuc", which is sort of the Buddhist equivalent of a bishop. The ceremony usually takes place in the morning, followed by an afternoon party that might include a hundred or more people. The betrothed usually wear formal wedding attire at the party.

Again, this is a very old cultural tradition. Many modern Vietnamese people don't do it anymore, especially in the big cities. However, it's still very common in the smaller towns and rural villages. Arranged marriages are also still somewhat common in those places.

I don't know if the CO's in Saigon have relaxed a bit about the Dam Hoi since my wife's interview. There have always been people who were approved without one, but there have also been many who were denied, and the lack of a Dam Hoi was specifically cited on the denial sheet. I think the totality of the evidence is more important than any single piece of evidence. For example, if you say you met on the internet, and three months later made your first and only trip to Vietnam, stayed only one week during which you became engaged, and filed the petition as soon as you returned to the US, then I don't think a quickly organized and informal engagement ceremony during that week is going to help your case much. On the other hand, if your evidence is reasonably solid, but there are some red flags you're having difficulty overcoming, then a traditional Dam Hoi that obviously took some time to plan for might shift the balance in your favor.

In other words, nobody can tell you for certain that you'll be denied or approved with or without a Dam Hoi. I will say that not having a Dam Hoi appears to have been a problem for some people, but I've never known of a case where having a Dam Hoi caused any problems.

[Ck207 35]

They didn't ask or mention anything about it. Good luck !!!

[frontgear 194]

It's a centuries old tradition in most east Asian countries. It's usually quite formal, involves members of both families, offerings of traditional gifts from the groom's family, and traditional wardrobes. My avatar photo was taken just after our engagement ceremony.

You look quite nice in the traditional wardrobe, being a Caucasian and all. But actually, those wardrobes are usually worn by couples at wedding ceremonies, not engagement. I said *usually* because nowadays anybody can wear anything they want at the ceremony.

[JRF 117]

I was bummed when I found out there is no other chance for me to wear my Ao Dai. Despite practicing ahead of time I didn't button it correctly - every time I look at our wedding photos I cringe. I had one shot at greatness, and blew it.

We were never asked much about our wedding ceremony by USCIS, or the CO, or anyone having to do with immigration. That said - we were not getting married without a well engineered ceremony, including bride and groom portions. My father in law had the entire ceremony engineered to the minute (my father is a retired engineer and between them even I got nervous when things ran behind). To say it was important to my wife's family is an epic understatement...