Gathering documents for K1 interview - Review

[natalie.le 10]

Going through the K1 process here in Vietnam, there're a few things I thought we could have done differently. If you are in a rush and want to minimize waiting time, read on:

1. Police record number 2:

As soon as you get approval from USCIS, I suggest you start applying for this. It will take 3 weeks or longer to process and you don't need any documents from the embassy to apply for this.

2. NVC:

Two weeks from when your application is transferred from USCIS to NVC, you can start calling NVC to get your HCM number. Call in the morning US time when they just open so you don't have to wait for hours on the phone.

Once you get your HCM, you can check on CEAC website to see when your application leaves NVC for US Embassy in Vietnam.

3. DS-160 and UStravel:

I would argue that once you have your HCM number, you should start submitting DS-160 form and pay the visa fee so that you can see the available interview dates on USTravel website. We didn't pay the visa fee but only rely on the earliest interview date available (29 Oct 2014), which was a mistake because it turned out that other people were taking up all other dates in Nov without us knowing. So now we're stuck with 29 Oct 2014 which is really early for us because we do not have all the documents ready (the police record 2 to be specific). Today they just opened interview dates in Dec but that's too late for us so we will just stick with 29 Oct and see how it goes.

If you want to get the visa asap, keep this in mind because the interview dates get snatched up fast/are limited. There are only about 8 to 10 dates and only about 2 slots available for each date in Dec.

4. Medical exam and vaccination:

After getting your package 3, do your vaccination first at HCM quarantine center even though on the US Embassy website said go to your medical exam first. The medical exam people expect you to have your vaccination first and if not you'll have to come back to the medical exam again to submit the vaccination form.

You can go to the quarantine center the day before and get a queue number so you dont have to wait too long for your turn the next day. I was perplexed at first because I was one of the first tens to get there and I still get a number 79 and had to wait for 3 hours for my turn. If you dont have any record, they will draw blood and do test but we think it's more simple to just get all the shots again beforehand. I started to get my vaccinations about 6 months ago (Hep A&B takes 6-7 months for 3 shots, MMR, Tdap, Varicella).

Once you get the yellow vaccination form, go for the medical exam. Having gone to Cho Ray, I think you should go to IOM. At Cho Ray if you do some additional tests (eyes, ultrasound etc) you will have to go to another department in the hospital, or worse, a clinic outside. In this case you have to compete with all other patients from outside and it's just a long, agonizing wait. If you have had surgery or other hospitalization documents, bring them along as the doctor might need it.

Also at the moment, you have to submit some 3x4 photos but they have to be international 3x4 size, which is bigger than the normal 3x4. Go to the shops in district 1 coz they're more familiar with those sizes.

They can send the medical exam result back to your address so even if you're not from HCMC, you dont have to worry about whether you have allocate enough time to wait in HCMC. I did my exam on Tue, submitted vaccination form on Thu and got the result delivered to my house in HCMC the following Wed. It could take more time if you're from other provinces.

Will post more if there's any thing interesting from my interview. Cheers!

[pfrederiksen 22]

The deliver the results to the home address?! My fiance lives in Sapa, so obviously HCMC is quite the hike and we were planning on just doing an extended 2 week stay or so in HCMC before the interview in order to do the medical and vaccinations with plenty of time to go. So they'll send it there, or will the send it to a hotel in HCMC?

Also, as far as the vaccinations....The still give the visa after the initial shots correct? You can get the followup shots (HEP A, etc) once you arrive in the US right?

[Anonymous885 44]

The deliver the results to the home address?! My fiance lives in Sapa, so obviously HCMC is quite the hike and we were planning on just doing an extended 2 week stay or so in HCMC before the interview in order to do the medical and vaccinations with plenty of time to go. So they'll send it there, or will the send it to a hotel in HCMC?

Also, as far as the vaccinations....The still give the visa after the initial shots correct? You can get the followup shots (HEP A, etc) once you arrive in the US right?

I am not so familiar with the new system but my wife went to IMO for medical exam and she went back to pick her medical results on the same day ( This was in December 2013). It could take more days depending on the schedule they have. You can ask them if you can pick it up instead of waiting them to send home.

You can get all your followup shots once she arrives in the US after initial shots.

[pfrederiksen 22]

I am not so familiar with the new system but my wife went to IMO for medical exam and she went back to pick her medical results on the same day ( This was in December 2013). It could take more days depending on the schedule they have. You can ask them if you can pick it up instead of waiting them to send home.

You can get all your followup shots once she arrives in the US after initial shots.

Awesome, thanks!

[frontgear 194]

The deliver the results to the home address?! My fiance lives in Sapa, so obviously HCMC is quite the hike and we were planning on just doing an extended 2 week stay or so in HCMC before the interview in order to do the medical and vaccinations with plenty of time to go. So they'll send it there, or will the send it to a hotel in HCMC?

Also, as far as the vaccinations....The still give the visa after the initial shots correct? You can get the followup shots (HEP A, etc) once you arrive in the US right?

Why HCMC? The official embassy is in Hanoi and can conduct interviews as well.

Btw, IOM will not deliver the medical exam results to your home; only Cho Ray will. If you have the medical exam at IOM, the results will need to be picked up in person.

Edited October 24, 2014 by frontgear

[pfrederiksen 22]

Why HCMC? The official embassy is in Hanoi and can conduct interviews as well.

What? The Hanoi embassy does not process immigrant visas from what I understand. Only non-immigrant. Plus there are no medical locations you can use in Hanoi.

[frontgear 194]

They do now. See page #3 for addresses.

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/hochiminh/231771/PDFs/K-INSTRUCTION.pdf

[pfrederiksen 22]

They do now. See page #3 for addresses.

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/hochiminh/231771/PDFs/K-INSTRUCTION.pdf

"Birth Certificates: Copy and original birth certificates of the petitioner and each person listed on the

application are required."

Is this also new? You used to be able to provide all pages of your passport instead of your birth certificate (for the petitioner).

How do you change the location of the interview/medical? Phone call?

[frontgear 194]

You are correct on the K-1 interviews. They are only conducted in HCMC. My bad.

The requirement for the petitioner's BC has always been there, but they didn't ask for my birth certificate or passport. There have been several revisions of the K-1 instructions but, IIRC, the BC requirement has always been there.

[pfrederiksen 22]

You are correct on the K-1 interviews. They are only conducted in HCMC. My bad.

The requirement for the petitioner's BC has always been there, but they didn't ask for my birth certificate or passport. There have been several revisions of the K-1 instructions but, IIRC, the BC requirement has always been there.

Oh, maybe that requirement was only for the I-294F and not the interview, which would be odd? I guess I'll call them and find out what will be acceptable since I'd need to get an official copy sent to me.

[frontgear 194]

What is the I-294F?

[pfrederiksen 22]

What is the I-294F?

I-129F sorry

[natalie.le 10]

Interview is in ho chi minh but you can now do medical exams and vaccination in hanoi, as stated in the instruction. Maybe call to see if they deliver.

[Casey&Titi 14]

4. Medical exam and vaccination:

After getting your package 3, do your vaccination first at HCM quarantine center even though on the US Embassy website said go to your medical exam first. The medical exam people expect you to have your vaccination first and if not you'll have to come back to the medical exam again to submit the vaccination form.

You can go to the quarantine center the day before and get a queue number so you dont have to wait too long for your turn the next day. I was perplexed at first because I was one of the first tens to get there and I still get a number 79 and had to wait for 3 hours for my turn. If you dont have any record, they will draw blood and do test but we think it's more simple to just get all the shots again beforehand. I started to get my vaccinations about 6 months ago (Hep A&B takes 6-7 months for 3 shots, MMR, Tdap, Varicella).

My fiance and I just received our NOA 1 and are trying to cut down on time as well. She has already requested her police record number 2 and household registration book, four visa photos, all necessary copies of identification card, passport and birth certificate. I'll bring my visa photos, passport and birth certificate when I return to VN, since I plan on being there for the interview.

My question to you is, how did you know to specifically get the Hepatitis A&B, MMR, Tdap and Varicella vaccinations? I know we'll still have to go to the Quarantine Services and pay the fees, but this is fine for us. I just don't want my fiance to have to undergo so many shots at one time, if it can be prevented and spread out over a few months, while we're waiting for our case to proceed.

[natalie.le 10]

There's a recommended adult immunization schedule from CDC. I think they have a link from the hcmc consulate website. Theres also a vietnamese forum called webtretho, people there said there was some paper posted on some door that specified which vaccines you need but i didnt see any when I was there in nov 2014. I was born in 1987 so according to the ds-3025 form i recieved afterwards, i only needed Tdap, MMR, varicella, and influenza. But i actually need hep a and b for school here in the US so i got them anyway.

If you want to make sure, I would suggest going straight to the quarantine center and ask. They're extremely busy so phone doesnt work well. Go around 11am in the morning when its less busy so they're less grumpy .

The thing is even though hep a/b is not compulsory on cdc's document and not recorded on my ds-3025, it seems from the webtretho forum that a lot of women my age were given hep a/b by the quarantine center. And even though i already had a Tdap shot, the quarantine center still gave me a tetanus shot which later i found out was not recorded in my ds-3025 form, ie it actually wasn't needed? Weird and shady.