Approved!

[cn_today 0]

I am a long time lurker to these forums and even created an account a couple of years back when I started this process. I've forgotten what the account name was so I created a new one to post here and thank everyone here.

My fiancee just passed her interview on the first try at the US Consulate. It was nerve racking but we were sufficiently prepared. I wanted to share a few quirks about the Vietnam interview process.

1.) Expect a long delay in getting Justice check #2 unless you know about "coffee money" and who to give it to. My fiancee did know about it but did not know who to give it to. We finally got ours the week before the interview and we sweated every minute of it (over 6 weeks).

2.) Pick up the medical exam yourself. My fiancee did not live in HCMC so it seemed easier to have them mail it to her when they had the results ready. We had another delay in getting the medical exam because somehow it got lost in the mail. We had to go back and redo it.

3.) Those Dich Vu places sometimes are useful. My lawyer insisted I didn't need to send my birth certificate, but the Dich Vu place we hired to look over our paperwork said that we did, even though the Packet 3 instructions did not list it anywhere. I sent an inquiry to the consulate and got a reply that , indeed I did need it. I overnighted it to her and when she went to her interview they kept a copy. I think because I am viet kieu it may be a flag if I do not have it.

4.) The Dich Vu places did not really give my fiancee much more help with her interview then you would find here, but it gave her much more confidence going in, which was worth the $50. Some youtube videos (in vietnamese) also helped. Because I'm vietnamese nationality, she interviewed in vietnamese and language was not an issue.

5.) We scheduled our interview as soon as we got the NVC case number. We did not wait for packet 3. We simply filed the form online, made the payment, and scheduled it. After a month we did not receive our packet 3 yet, I sent an inquiry to the consulate and they sent us an electronic copy. We used that copy for the medical exam and for the interview.

6.) The questions asked were standard fare except those surrounding my divorce, and the relatively short period of time we knew each other before we proposed.

If anyone has questions let me know.

Thank you, once again to all, and good luck.

[Longrangeshootr 20]

Congrats!!! Thanks for the info.

[KASH2011 382]

Congrats!

[skyking02 11]

I am a long time lurker to these forums and even created an account a couple of years back when I started this process. I've forgotten what the account name was so I created a new one to post here and thank everyone here.

My fiancee just passed her interview on the first try at the US Consulate. It was nerve racking but we were sufficiently prepared. I wanted to share a few quirks about the Vietnam interview process.

1.) Expect a long delay in getting Justice check #2 unless you know about "coffee money" and who to give it to. My fiancee did know about it but did not know who to give it to. We finally got ours the week before the interview and we sweated every minute of it (over 6 weeks).

2.) Pick up the medical exam yourself. My fiancee did not live in HCMC so it seemed easier to have them mail it to her when they had the results ready. We had another delay in getting the medical exam because somehow it got lost in the mail. We had to go back and redo it.

3.) Those Dich Vu places sometimes are useful. My lawyer insisted I didn't need to send my birth certificate, but the Dich Vu place we hired to look over our paperwork said that we did, even though the Packet 3 instructions did not list it anywhere. I sent an inquiry to the consulate and got a reply that , indeed I did need it. I overnighted it to her and when she went to her interview they kept a copy. I think because I am viet kieu it may be a flag if I do not have it.

4.) The Dich Vu places did not really give my fiancee much more help with her interview then you would find here, but it gave her much more confidence going in, which was worth the $50. Some youtube videos (in vietnamese) also helped. Because I'm vietnamese nationality, she interviewed in vietnamese and language was not an issue.

5.) We scheduled our interview as soon as we got the NVC case number. We did not wait for packet 3. We simply filed the form online, made the payment, and scheduled it. After a month we did not receive our packet 3 yet, I sent an inquiry to the consulate and they sent us an electronic copy. We used that copy for the medical exam and for the interview.

6.) The questions asked were standard fare except those surrounding my divorce, and the relatively short period of time we knew each other before we proposed.

If anyone has questions let me know.

Thank you, once again to all, and good luck.

from filing paperwork to getting an interview, how long did it take for you? a year?

[My&Truong 4]

Congratulations!!!!

We just got approved yesterday Dec 22 too

[alexisle88 2]

Congratulations!!!!

We just got approved yesterday Dec 22 too

My & Truong: Congrats to you both. Quick question, does your fiancee have to supply your Birth Cert? I was born in VN and only have the certified copies (issued by the local district). I think I brought this up b4 but was intimidated they will ask for like a "loss BC statement" from the local district which i don't have.

[frontgear 194]

Congrats to cn_today and My & Truong!

They never asked for my birth certificate or divorce decree at the interview (I was previously married). The only copy of divorce decree they got was the one I submitted with the original I-129F application.

A few people had suggested a Relationship Timeline, for which I spent a lot of time working on. They never asked for it, either.

And last, but not least, they never asked my then-fiancee to show them any chat, email, or text logs.

[cn_today 0]

My&Truong, congratulations!

Sky King, I filed on April 4 at TSC and we got transferred to CSC in August. I got NOA2 on Sept 21 and package reached consulate Oct 22. I called the first week of Oct to get my interview that week. I actually scheduled it for January because that was the only dates available then. A few weeks later the Dec dates opened up and I grabbed one.

I'm not sure if my birth certificate was absolutely required, but I asked the consulate specifically before the interview and they responded that it was. They kept a copy. Maybe it was a special circumstance of my case. I've heard too many horror stories of people getting blue slips for no reason, so we didn't leave it to chance.

As far as the divorce decree, it was specifically listed in the instruction letter. They even asked her questions from it. Like the date of divorce, why I got divorced, and when we were separated. I think the reason was because I met her while I was separated from my ex and all our paperwork had not been completed yet.

We followed all instructions to the letter. We created 2 packets. The forms and documents that were requested by the instruction letter (justice check, birth ceritificate, medical, divorce decree, evidence of support, etc) and another larger package with evidence of relationship. When my fiancée walked in, she handed the first package to the clerk and the second she held on to.

She went up to the window with her package, and when they needed evidence, my fiancée would go into the package and produce it. She did not need to touch the majority of the package because they do not have time to ask you every question. So make sure your fiancée knows that package like the back of her hand.

Edited December 23, 2014 by cn_today

[alexisle88 2]

Congrats to cn_today and My & Truong!

They never asked for my birth certificate or divorce decree at the interview (I was previously married). The only copy of divorce decree they got was the one I submitted with the original I-129F application.

A few people had suggested a Relationship Timeline, for which I spent a lot of time working on. They never asked for it, either.

And last, but not least, they never asked my then-fiancee to show them any chat, email, or text logs.

That is amazing!

[Hotter Otter 1,211]

Congratulations!

[skyking02 11]

Sky King, I filed on April 4 at TSC and we got transferred to CSC in August. I got NOA2 on Sept 21 and package reached consulate Oct 22. I called the first week of Oct to get my interview that week. I actually scheduled it for January because that was the only dates available then. A few weeks later the Dec dates opened up and I grabbed one.

sorry, i don't know what TSC and CSC mean. oh wait, did u do cr1 or k1?

[Longrangeshootr 20]

Congrats My and Truong!!!!

[shippingforecast 126]

Congratulations!

[zeta054 111]

Congrats My and Truong and CN_today!

[frontgear 194]

sorry, i don't know what TSC and CSC mean. oh wait, did u do cr1 or k1?

TSC = Texas Service Center

CSC = California Service Center