An emarrasing and personal admission

[Brian Swartz 0]

I am in love with Asia and wish to go there. I am very interested in moving to Vietnam, however there are some road blocks I see that may make it an impossibility. I do not like to talk about it but it is a necessity in order to gauge my chances. First off I want to say I am a normal everyday US citizen. A single dad and hard worker. I am 50 years old and have a felony conviction. Before I am shunned or you click to close please understand this. It was from 30 years ago. I was young and looking for adventure in the wrong places. I am not a habitual offender. The details are many and those are best reserved for an immigration lawyer, but truthfully, what are my chances? I am sure I can visit but my dream is to live in Vietnam for my retirement. Or work a small job as I do have sufficient funds to live comfortably. I appreciate your time and advice in this matter.

[Ontarkie 14,309]

~~Moved to Emigrating OUtside the US, from the Vietnam forum- OP is asking about moving outside the US.~~

[SalishSea 17,970]

3 hours ago, Brian Swartz said:

I am in love with Asia and wish to go there. I am very interested in moving to Vietnam, however there are some road blocks I see that may make it an impossibility. I do not like to talk about it but it is a necessity in order to gauge my chances. First off I want to say I am a normal everyday US citizen. A single dad and hard worker. I am 50 years old and have a felony conviction. Before I am shunned or you click to close please understand this. It was from 30 years ago. I was young and looking for adventure in the wrong places. I am not a habitual offender. The details are many and those are best reserved for an immigration lawyer, but truthfully, what are my chances? I am sure I can visit but my dream is to live in Vietnam for my retirement. Or work a small job as I do have sufficient funds to live comfortably. I appreciate your time and advice in this matter.

This website is about US immigration, so it’s probably not a great resource for you.

 

But as with other countries, it probably totally depends on the nature of the crime, and whether it involved children.

 

American immigration lawyers also may not know.

Edited October 20, 2023 by SalishSea

[Timona 4,208]

I think you'll be alright. I hear a lot of worse men down there. If you've truly changed, you wouldn't even scratch the surface compared to them. 

 

Go for it. Unless you try, you won't get anywhere. 

 

Been to some Latin countries and some of our outstanding citizens are currently doing shocking stuff down there. So, definitely go for it. 

[millefleur 5,047]

Given your situation, it is best to contact a Vietnamese immigration lawyer who can help you understand the requirements and what your odds are for moving there. 

 

And truthfully, even a Vietnamese lawyer may not be able to to tell you the chances. It could be something that rests with the authorities who make the final decision. 

[Aluvaboy 67]

20 hours ago, Brian Swartz said:

I am in love with Asia and wish to go there. I am very interested in moving to Vietnam, however there are some road blocks I see that may make it an impossibility. I do not like to talk about it but it is a necessity in order to gauge my chances. First off I want to say I am a normal everyday US citizen. A single dad and hard worker. I am 50 years old and have a felony conviction. Before I am shunned or you click to close please understand this. It was from 30 years ago. I was young and looking for adventure in the wrong places. I am not a habitual offender. The details are many and those are best reserved for an immigration lawyer, but truthfully, what are my chances? I am sure I can visit but my dream is to live in Vietnam for my retirement. Or work a small job as I do have sufficient funds to live comfortably. I appreciate your time and advice in this matter.

A simple google search says that only 4 classes of people can be allowed immigration into Vietnam. I doubt you would qualify for the first three. However the last class is for spouses of Vietnamese citizens. So finding a suitable spouse in Vietnam will be the way to go. Most of the Vietnamese want to immigrate to America thru marriage. So tell your prospective bride ahead of time that you are planning to permanently settle there! That may make a difference!

[top_secret 2,458]

23 hours ago, Brian Swartz said:

I am in love with Asia and wish to go there. I am very interested in moving to Vietnam, however there are some road blocks I see that may make it an impossibility. I do not like to talk about it but it is a necessity in order to gauge my chances. First off I want to say I am a normal everyday US citizen. A single dad and hard worker. I am 50 years old and have a felony conviction. Before I am shunned or you click to close please understand this. It was from 30 years ago. I was young and looking for adventure in the wrong places. I am not a habitual offender. The details are many and those are best reserved for an immigration lawyer, but truthfully, what are my chances? I am sure I can visit but my dream is to live in Vietnam for my retirement. Or work a small job as I do have sufficient funds to live comfortably. I appreciate your time and advice in this matter.

 

 

I have heard of people paying agents in Viet Nam to get visa extensions.  I think to some extent money can still buy some flexibility of visa privileges in Viet Nam.  I have also heard of people doing multiple visa runs with a quick turnaround within a neighboring country. Any reason Viet Nam in particular?  Several other countries in the region have easier resident or other longer term visa options.  I'm pretty sure in Cambodia you can very easily get one year renewable visas.

[Brian Swartz 0]

I really appreciate all the help and advice I have received here. I think most of all I am upset over being foolish when I was younger. I didn’t start college until I was 35. I studied Japanese. I made many friends that were Asian. I did very well and was praised for learning the language so well. I also developed my attraction to Asian women at that time. I know now my error will not allow me to go to Japan. So basically I am just trying to get to Asia in general. Things are becoming more difficult around the world for people like me. I didn’t even do anything terrible. But I had a co-defendant so a basic trespassing and vandalism became a felony. And New York State will never forgive me. Heck I was released from incarceration earlier and released from parole 2 years early because they knew I just made a stupid error. But I must carry this with me and it hurts. I just want to travel the world and Asia is where I want to be. This will be my torment. I want to thank you all again. I am trying to get a hold of immigration lawyers in Thailand and Vietnam but I suspect when they read my request they think I am rotten and do not reply. If they knew how far I’ve come and how much I want to be a productive member of their beautiful lands; they might not see the idiocy of 30 years ago. . . I don’t know much about Cambodia. But maybe I will learn. I also fell in love with Hong Kong, but they are squeezing their borders too. I wish you all well and I will keep fighting. My youngest son is 16. So I still have a few more years to set my path.

Edited October 21, 2023 by Brian Swartz
Addendum

[millefleur 5,047]

36 minutes ago, Brian Swartz said:

But I had a co-defendant so a basic trespassing and vandalism became a felony. And New York State will never forgive me.

You may qualify for a Certificate of Good Conduct through NY. It could be worth looking into if you fit the requirements:

https://doccs.ny.gov/certificate-relief-good-conduct-restoration-rights

 

[Brian Swartz 0]

That’s not needed in my case. I have full rights as a citizen. It doesn’t help with international travel or relocation. Thanks though

[JKLSemicolon 414]

Sorry if this sounds like an obvious question, but have you been to Vietnam before?

 

By all means do your research online beforehand, including both official government sources and online expat communities (as was mentioned, VisaJourney is mainly about immigration to the US and not the other way around), but also consider taking an initial trip to visit, get to know the country more (if applicable) and/or gather more information about the immigration process while on the ground there. And if you go that route, maybe a good first step would be to read the information provided by the Embassy/Consulate(s) of Vietnam in the US.

[Brian Swartz 0]

Again I apologize for posting in the wrong forum but I have been looking everywhere for a while. The good news is the consulate in Thailand is working with me on a detailed basis and I am hopeful that my issue will be resolved. I plan on visiting Asia next spring so again I will have more information afterwards. I am very excited right now. I wish you all well and luck on your own journeys.

[millefleur 5,047]

6 hours ago, Brian Swartz said:

Again I apologize for posting in the wrong forum but I have been looking everywhere for a while. The good news is the consulate in Thailand is working with me on a detailed basis and I am hopeful that my issue will be resolved. I plan on visiting Asia next spring so again I will have more information afterwards. I am very excited right now. I wish you all well and luck on your own journeys.

Not a matter of the "wrong forum" more that it's just beyond the scope of VJ. Our forum focuses on people who want to immigrate to the US. You might be better off looking for expat forums centered around Asia or certain Asian countries where others with similar plans can discuss things with you.

[Stein 276]

Since I lived in Vietnam for about three years when I got married and was waiting for my wife's CR-1 visa to be approved to move to the US I'll chime in here.

 

There is no retirement visa to move to Vietnam.  After the covid lockdown they just opened up from a 30 day visitor visa to a 90 day a couple of months ago.  Prior to Covid you could get a one year multi-entry visa but you still had to leave and re-enter every 90 days.  The current 90 day visa is the longest visa you can get right now.  Then you need to apply for a new one and then physically leave the country to re-enter on the new visa.  Yes, every three months.  It's very inconvenient to live there if you aren't married to a Vietnamese.  If you are married you can get a three year Temporary Resident Card that allows you to remain in country for the entire three years or a five year Visa Exemption Certificate which requires you to leave and re-enter every six months.  There is a way to extend that one time in country for a total of one year but then you need to leave the next six months and re-enter.