Vietnam B2 Visa

[Justin & Nhi 3]

Thanks everyone. Kind of reaffirmed my thoughts. I know the consulate in HCMC is especially strict compared to many others. In my mind no one sane would skip out on an engineering degree with 4 months left, so it would seem like a valid reason to return. Remembering that many of these countries people don't really use bank accounts, they pay for apartments monthly in cash, buy cell phone data cards, use scooters instead of cars. There simply  isnt a lot to tie to countries except family and property and even that seems to get denied most of the time. $160 isnt much and is well worth the gamble if we can have an extra few weeks together, she is able to meet my family, and saves my back from 50 more hours on a plane. We will continue with the process and I will keep everyone posted on the results.

 

Would it help if i at least sent a letter inviting her and informing I would be paying and personally guarantee that she would return in time for school? Or will they not even read it? I don't think it would hurt. 

[Crazy Cat 41,894]

7 minutes ago, JustinV said:

Thanks everyone. Kind of reaffirmed my thoughts. I know the consulate in HCMC is especially strict compared to many others. In my mind no one sane would skip out on an engineering degree with 4 months left, so it would seem like a valid reason to return. Remembering that many of these countries people don't really use bank accounts, they pay for apartments monthly in cash, buy cell phone data cards, use scooters instead of cars. There simply  isnt a lot to tie to countries except family and property and even that seems to get denied most of the time. $160 isnt much and is well worth the gamble if we can have an extra few weeks together, she is able to meet my family, and saves my back from 50 more hours on a plane. We will continue with the process and I will keep everyone posted on the results.

 

Would it help if i at least sent a letter inviting her and informing I would be paying and personally guarantee that she would return in time for school? Or will they not even read it? I don't think it would hurt. 

It would not help.  In fact, it could lead them to suspect she would not return....if they read it at all.

[Boiler 45,541]

How will you guarantee her return?

[geowrian 22,337]

4 hours ago, JustinV said:

Would it help if i at least sent a letter inviting her and informing I would be paying and personally guarantee that she would return in time for school? Or will they not even read it? I don't think it would hurt. 

You can provide it, but it will not help her visa application.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/tourism-visit/visitor.html

"Note: Visa applicants must qualify on the basis of the applicant's residence and ties abroad, rather than assurances from U.S. family and friends. A letter of invitation or Affidavit of Support is not needed to apply for a visitor visa. If you choose to bring a letter of invitation or Affidavit of Support to your interview, please remember it is not one of the factors used in determining whether to issue or deny the visa. "

 

As noted, you cannot guarantee somebody will return in time. That's not your decision to make, nor are there any consequences for you if they are broken.

[aaron2020 11,651]

6 hours ago, JustinV said:

 

Would it help if i at least sent a letter inviting her and informing I would be paying and personally guarantee that she would return in time for school? Or will they not even read it? I don't think it would hurt. 

The visitor visa application is about her.  It's not about you.  Remove yourself from the equation because you are not a strong tie to Vietnam.  You are a tie to America and why she would have the incentive to violate the terms of her visitor visa by staying, marrying you, and filing for a green card.

A letter from you will not help her.  It's not a strong tie to Vietnam.  It would only hurt since it's a strong tie to the US. 

 

The US Embassy would not accept a personal guarantee from you that she would return because there is no way for you to force her onto a plane if she decides not to go.  You can't force her onto a plan so your personal guarantee means nothing since you would have to break the law to force someone onto a plane.  

[Justin & Nhi 3]

I'm not convinced that is true. The only positive person I've had comment so far(albiet Netherlands) had an invitation letter from her boyfriend explaining the situation and providing money for the trip. Without someone else in the equation there's no way she could even buy a ticket, let alone a return ticket, hotel, or money while she's here. 

[Boiler 45,541]

Normally quite difficult for someone from a VWP country to get a Tourist visa, no doubt more to this story and there are of course outliers.

[geowrian 22,337]

23 minutes ago, JustinV said:

I'm not convinced that is true. The only positive person I've had comment so far(albiet Netherlands) had an invitation letter from her boyfriend explaining the situation and providing money for the trip.

True. And there's no evidence the letter had anything to do with the result. The official DOS source quoted previously says it doesn't.

23 minutes ago, JustinV said:

Without someone else in the equation there's no way she could even buy a ticket, let alone a return ticket, hotel, or money while she's here. 

That does sound like a problem for obtaining a tourist visa.

[cyclone27 710]

Basically the interview will be less than 5min and they rarely look at any supplemental docs she might bring. The application doesn’t really cover any of the info you want to give the CO so it will be difficult.

 

CO knows she can come get married and adjust.  It sucks but past abuses of the tourist visa has limited people in SEA.

 

 

 

 

[Unlockable 7,314]

8 hours ago, JustinV said:

 Without someone else in the equation there's no way she could even buy a ticket, let alone a return ticket, hotel, or money while she's here. 

Which is the very reason why she would be deemed a risk to be given a tourist visa. The officer will feel that her current circumstances would make her use the tourist visa to come over and work/live. This is their job... to identify people who at risk of overstaying. If you are saying that without the help of you or another person, she would have no way to come to the US, what is to stop her from coming here and saying, "things are better for me over here, I can just live with my bf and make more money than I did back home?"

 

@JustinV, we know it is hard to come to terms with. But this is how it is for some countries. It is tough for many Filipinos to get a tourist visa because too many of them abused tourist visa in the past so the embassies have had to get real strict on who is issued them. Remember, it is the law for all non-immigrant applicants to be presumed to have immigrant intent until proven otherwise. It is not a policy, but an actual law...

https://www.uscis.gov/ilink/docView/SLB/HTML/SLB/0-0-0-1/0-0-0-29/0-0-0-3422.html

 

 

[Crazy Cat 41,894]

9 hours ago, JustinV said:

I'm not convinced that is true. The only positive person I've had comment so far(albiet Netherlands) had an invitation letter from her boyfriend explaining the situation and providing money for the trip. Without someone else in the equation there's no way she could even buy a ticket, let alone a return ticket, hotel, or money while she's here. 

@NuestraUnion is correct.

Nothing prevents you from trying....but your case is far from unique here on VJ....By law, anyone who applies for a tourist visa is already assumed to have immigrant intent.......evidence (such as a letter) showing that the person can not finance the plane ticket and other expenses is likely to strengthen that assumption......young, single ladies from some countries with no compelling reasons to return to their country almost always fail to get tourist visas.....but you risk only the $160.  There is no negative effect on future immigrant visa attempts.

Edited December 6, 2018 by missileman