financial issues, please help

[Sinh & Lien 0]

Hi,

We are so close yet so far here.....here is the situation:

- interview on 3/9/07 = got blue slip saying they needed 2006 tax return

- follow-up interview 4/17 = they somehow turned her away with only AND ONLY a verbal statement: "get married and come back with marriage paper..."

- after calling and talking to consulate, they advised to come in again as case was still pending...

- follow-up interview 4/18 = they gave back a blue slip at the 2nd interview round. The blue slip requires that i prove that i am a full time student and until then all of these will apply: i need to show that my financial situation improves SIGNFICANTLY and also until i can prove that i am full-time student a co-sponsor will not be considered.

There was a mistake now that i look at it in my 1040A return, the preparer state that my occupation was a studen, i guess they must have forgotten to change it therefore i have to deal with the consequecnes. Anyhoo, here is my real question: if i started work last year in the middle of the year and my overall salary is 26,000, that would ensure that i made 13,000 last year. Now i know that was below the 2006 poverty guideline if you count a household of 2 (fiance and myself). But my salary IS 26000, which is more than enough as required by the poverty guideline. And i also used my father as a co-sponsor because i knew with i MADE was not enough for the tax year 2006. So do i really have to wait to file 2007 with a salary and return stating that i made 26000? Does that completely make the fact that i used a co-sponsor moot? So what is the requirement for using a cosponsor in the first place? Can it only apply to those that are applying for K-1 as a student?

[tom&tata 2]

I am not familiar with the consulate you are dealing with, but can you bring an offer letter with starting date & annual salary to prove your point of working 1/2 year thus making 1/2 of the income ?

If you are still in that same job, you can bring the pay stubs you have received so far in 2007 to prove that you are employed with that amount of salary.

I am not familiar with the co-sponsor for your consulate.

Hopefully somebody else with experience from same consulate can chime in.

Good luck !

[Sinh & Lien 0]

I have submitted those already but if needed i will have no problem providing for it again. thanks for your input!

[Yodrak 7]

Sinh & Lien,

You can submit an amended tax return to show your correct occupation. A trivial thing to do from the IRS point of view, but you can do it if you want to eliminate the confusion about being a student or not.

It's not so clear why the consular officer thinks your income is insufficient. It's your current income that is most important, and you say that you provided some pay statements that show your current income is $26,000 on an annual basis? Did you also provide a letter from your employer giving your employment status and salary? (Such letter showing that your a full-time employee should also clear up the student confusion.)

Perhaps you need to submit a statement to the consular officer describing your situation and summarizing your financial information to show what you want it to show, rather than letting the consular officer assemble all the bits of information himself. Better still for you to go in person, if you can, to hear and respond first-hand to what the consular officer wants.

Yodrak

Hi,

We are so close yet so far here.....here is the situation:

- interview on 3/9/07 = got blue slip saying they needed 2006 tax return

- follow-up interview 4/17 = they somehow turned her away with only AND ONLY a verbal statement: "get married and come back with marriage paper..."

- after calling and talking to consulate, they advised to come in again as case was still pending...

- follow-up interview 4/18 = they gave back a blue slip at the 2nd interview round. The blue slip requires that i prove that i am a full time student and until then all of these will apply: i need to show that my financial situation improves SIGNFICANTLY and also until i can prove that i am full-time student a co-sponsor will not be considered.

There was a mistake now that i look at it in my 1040A return, the preparer state that my occupation was a studen, i guess they must have forgotten to change it therefore i have to deal with the consequecnes. Anyhoo, here is my real question: if i started work last year in the middle of the year and my overall salary is 26,000, that would ensure that i made 13,000 last year. Now i know that was below the 2006 poverty guideline if you count a household of 2 (fiance and myself). But my salary IS 26000, which is more than enough as required by the poverty guideline. And i also used my father as a co-sponsor because i knew with i MADE was not enough for the tax year 2006. So do i really have to wait to file 2007 with a salary and return stating that i made 26000? Does that completely make the fact that i used a co-sponsor moot? So what is the requirement for using a cosponsor in the first place? Can it only apply to those that are applying for K-1 as a student?

[Sinh & Lien 0]

Thanks for the response.

Well, i can have my tax preparer write and sign a letter stating his mistake. About the income, i own 50% of the corporation (the business, which is a C type corporation) so its not like i work for an employer. But i didn't start working until june '06 There i only earned half of my salary, which is 26k. I do have pay stubs and employer letter all submitted as part of my fiance's evidence, so i really confused. My current salary (just like last year) is still 26k. But obviously because i am working from the begining of the first quarter my actually take home earning is going to be 26k this year, i just dont have PRIOR tax returns to prove that i earn that much, but i do now??? so that is good enough??? I also had my father as a co-sponsor just in case....but it looks like they aren't listening to that for some odd reason....

[Yodrak 7]

Sinh & Lien,

All the more reason for you to appear in person, shorten the chain of communication so as to clear up misunderstandings.

Yodrak

....but it looks like they aren't listening to that for some odd reason....

[Sinh & Lien 0]

i did not know i could personally appear, i thought we were not allowed in the interview and only my fiance.

[Yodrak 7]

Sinh & Lien,

There are a few consulates that do not allow the petitioner to attend the interview, but most do allow it. I don't know about Vietnam - maybe check the Embassy Info.

In any event, the financial package is your contribution to the visa application. If you are not allowed to attend the interview in Vietnam perhaps you will be invited in if your fiancee tells the interviewer that you are outside and available to discuss the financial situation. Or go to the consulate during USC hours and ask how you can arrange to meet with the case officer to discuss the financials.

[EDIT] The embassy info says that you cannot attend the interview. That does make things more difficult, you may want to contact the consulate from the USA to find out what you can do to clarify the financial situation with the case officer before making a trip.

Yodrak

i did not know i could personally appear, i thought we were not allowed in the interview and only my fiance.

Edited April 18, 2007 by Yodrak