Do I Really Need a Lawyer or Professional Help?

[artseth 0]

Thanks again everyone! I'm feeling pretty confident I can do all of this myself given how well everything is spelled out on this site. I'll post again if I have specific questions.

[frontgear 194]

You are going to need an engagement ceremony because Vietnam is a high-fraud country and the consular officers know the Vietnamese customs pretty well (big engagement ceremony/reception, big wedding, etc.) They will expect to see pics of the engagement ceremony.

[artseth 0]

You are going to need an engagement ceremony because Vietnam is a high-fraud country and the consular officers know the Vietnamese customs pretty well (big engagement ceremony/reception, big wedding, etc.) They will expect to see pics of the engagement ceremony.

I'm back in the U.S. now so there's no way I'm going to have a ceremony before I apply. We have plenty of pictures together and we Skype and text every single day so I believe there would be ample proof that our relationship is legit. Also, she's Catholic so I'm wondering if the ceremony is more of a Buddhist tradition? Or is it just a Vietnamese tradition in general?

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

You are going to need an engagement ceremony because Vietnam is a high-fraud country and the consular officers know the Vietnamese customs pretty well (big engagement ceremony/reception, big wedding, etc.) They will expect to see pics of the engagement ceremony.

Where is your information that it is required by the embassy in Vietnam? All you have to do is a simple search here on VJ that shows that engagement ceremonies and taking the photos to the embassy is a bad thing.

[cyclone27 710]

^not for Vietnam I'm afraid. (Country specific)

We never had an engagement ceremony since we married outside Vietnam.

[frontgear 194]

I'm back in the U.S. now so there's no way I'm going to have a ceremony before I apply. We have plenty of pictures together and we Skype and text every single day so I believe there would be ample proof that our relationship is legit. Also, she's Catholic so I'm wondering if the ceremony is more of a Buddhist tradition? Or is it just a Vietnamese tradition in general?

The engagement ceremony/reception is a Vietnamese custom and tradition. It has nothing to do with your being Catholic. The CO knows and understands the Vietnamese tradition/custom and they expect to see pictures. YMMV.

Good luck with your petition.

Where is your information that it is required by the embassy in Vietnam? All you have to do is a simple search here on VJ that shows that engagement ceremonies and taking the photos to the embassy is a bad thing.

My information is my personal experience and many others' here. We were asked to show pictures of the engagement at the interview, and I also submitted pictures when I filed the petition. Each country is different and I am just sharing my personal experience.

There are things that are not officially documented on the embassy website. Let me give you a real-life example. This one came straight from the petitioner's wife, who is close friend of mine. The wife was called up to the interview window. One of the questions that were asked of her was "When was the first time you had sex with your husband and where?" Good luck finding that info on the embassy website or help-line.

[cyclone27 710]

Easy question though very private matter in such a public venue!!!

[Rc123rc 528]

Easy question though very private matter in such a public venue!!!

I'm really surprised they asked that but I have heard that at an AOS interview nothing is sacred and you need to be prepared for anything.

[wong 3]

base on my case, we didn't have the engagement ceremony, just pictures of us going on tour and couple pictures with her parent. Total picture submit with the application and brought to her interview were about 25 altogether. She said the CO only look at the first 2 pictures gave it back and that was it. So it depend.

Keep chat logs

Airline stubs

Money transfer receipt

......

Good luck

[Dan_P 5]

I used an agency but afterwards, I really could have done it myself. Although in my case I did a cr1 so an gijd2agency knows specifically how to do the single status paperwork so it gets approved in Vietnam, but you are doing a k1 so you don't need to worry about that .

I don't really regret paying either though really I was just paying for peace of mind, the paper work isn't difficult.