221g - Records showing ongoing ties to the US and plans to return?

[David594 0]

So, my (American) fiancee (Vietnamese) just finished up the interview and got a 221g letter. It states specficially:

Petitioner: please submit a letter explaining your plans to return to the United States, as well as any records showing evidence of ongoing ties to the United States and plans to return in the near future.

Well, I can do the letter part myself easily enough, but what's with the rest of that? We've already sent in an affidavit of support from my parents, how is that not sufficient to show we still have ongoing ties?

What sort of evidence/records do you think they want exactly?

I'm planning on:

- letter from my parents indicating an ongoing tie to the country

- a bank statement from my account in the US

- a chat log from my sister showing she's employed by us to help plan and prepare our wedding

- a letter indicating my/our intent to relocate as soon as we can and get married there

- a bank statement in Vietnam to show I have enough funds to buy two tickets out of the country

Any advice anyone can give me? Googling has not turned up anything on this specific request, so I'm not sure exactly what to do...

Do we need actual plane tickets or a job offer or something?

Thanks,

David

[kb9 6]

So, my (American) fiancee (Vietnamese) just finished up the interview and got a 221g letter. It states specficially:

Petitioner: please submit a letter explaining your plans to return to the United States, as well as any records showing evidence of ongoing ties to the United States and plans to return in the near future.

Well, I can do the letter part myself easily enough, but what's with the rest of that? We've already sent in an affidavit of support from my parents, how is that not sufficient to show we still have ongoing ties?

What sort of evidence/records do you think they want exactly?

I'm planning on:

- letter from my parents indicating an ongoing tie to the country

- a bank statement from my account in the US

- a chat log from my sister showing she's employed by us to help plan and prepare our wedding

- a letter indicating my/our intent to relocate as soon as we can and get married there

- a bank statement in Vietnam to show I have enough funds to buy two tickets out of the country

Any advice anyone can give me? Googling has not turned up anything on this specific request, so I'm not sure exactly what to do...

Do we need actual plane tickets or a job offer or something?

Thanks,

David

I got the same 221G during my visa interview. I had to prove my USC wife's domicile in the US, since she was living abroad with me during the application process. It just so happened that a month after my interview, my wife was scheduled to visit her family in the US, hence we were able to submit the flight ticket and boarding pass, a receipt showing purchase of a cell phone plan in the US, bank statement showing debit transactions in the US, and a letter from her foreign employer stating she has resigned to move back to the US. In my case, my wife already had moved to US, but I have read cases here where the domicile requirement is satisfied by proving "intent" to move. i.e. rather a job offer, show you have applied to jobs. I think your proposed list is fine, though I have read cases where quotations from movers for shipping goods to the US were also submitted. Good luck.

[David594 0]

Thanks.

After talking more to my fiancee, it seems the official was concerned about proof that I personally could support my fiancee through US-based "property". Now, we already have an affidavit of support from my parents, who are making around $90-100k/yr, which i thought would be more than sufficient for that.

It's like the official wants me to have proof i have a job, residence, and property sufficient to support my fiancee, but as i've been living abroad for several years, i don't have a residence, i can't just get a job like that, and my own personal assets aren't that much by comparison to US living standards. my history is i spent a few years after college paying off debt, saved to move to vietnam by working, moved here, spent most of the money in the move, and have been saving with a VN salary since. it doesn't amount to more than a few months' livings expenses in the US though, especially after the flight/etc.

it feels like an extreme catch-22, since i don't see how i can get a job/residence when i can't even tell an employer when i'd be available to start work, since i'm waiting for the visa acceptance to move back with my fiancee. i'm also not going to quit both of my current jobs in VN prior to visa acceptance, since if it doesn't go through how am i supposed to support her HERE?

i have a paltry $3500 in a shared US bank account, so i guess we'll see if that cuts it. i doubt it.

i've been well employed for the past 4 years, plus a few years in the us prior to leaving, then uni prior to that. i've never been on gov't assistance in my life. i don't see why that, plus strong parental support, is not sufficient to show my fiancee won't be forced onto social services. my parents alone could literally support 4 fiancees with ease, and i have no doubt that upon return to the us i'll get meaningful work within 0-2 months of arrival.

[Jawaree 717]

Well your parent should provide a letter stating both

will live with them rent free initially, a job acceptance

or offer is good to add to whatever U already have

[David594 0]

Can't get a job acceptance letter. I don't know how people can without being able to interview in person and have a clear starting date. I can't do either.

Has anyone else had to deal with this "property" requirement? How much money should I have in my bank account to show I can support her? I might be able to get it up to around $10k by moving funds around (much is still in VND).

[David594 0]

We consulted with a consulting firm for consultation.

They said this is what we need to do:
First you have to show the you still have a bank account in US.

To plan to go back.
You have to write a letter to explain why you have stayed in this country with your fiancee. Also, when we plan to go back to America, which months?
Your parents need to send us a letter to say that they have a large enough house and will arrange for us a room to stay in when we are there

and a submitted paper to proves that house is theirs.

[David594 0]

Got accepted and that's done with. Now we wait for the mail...

Submitted to the consulate:

- letter of employment offer

- bank statement in US of around $5000

- bank transfer to US of another $2000

- bank statement in country of $1000

- letter of plans/intent from myself

- letter from wedding planner

- letter from parents showing full commitment to support