Roulette

I just wanted to add another observation of mine about the "communist" system of Vietnam. While capitalism is now embedded fully into the system, and thank the God for that, and companies and the people there are "free" to go about making business, there are some flavors of Vietnamese capitalism that are restrictions on that freedom. The restrictions are about the cost of doing business, namely, "corruption". So, if you want to make a significant business in Vietnam, you will have to pay a lot of government officials "private fees". This is a fully endorsed and adopted policy of the government there, and the government officials are payed very low wages knowing that the deficit will be made up for by the private fees that officials will receive to put their stamp on a permit. And it even goes to GETTING one of those government jobs...you have to PAY FOR THAT too!!!! Yes, pay a private fee to get that job, and people will pay a LOT. Like a family dumping a huge savings chunk for their son or daughter directly into the account of the hiring manager.

Having to pay for a job really sucks, but for doing business that is not so awful i dont think. I would look at it as their substitute to charging more taxes to business'. Alsom, it cuts though a lot of red tape that business is hammered with in the US.

Also to note is the exceptionally entreprenuerial attitude of the Vietnamese people in general. Notice please that in America you can find many homeless people on the streets with their pathetic signs begging for money as their full time occupation. And many of these pathetic people are making good money at this, dont be fooled...pulling in about $100 to $200 a day.

But the point is...in Vietnam, many many people must also get on the street literally to make their living each day. But they dont beg. They will sell you something; soup on the street, a small BBQ thing, sunglasses, dvd, picture, massage, or any job they can find. BUT THEY WILL NOT BEG YOU. SO, consider that when you think of the spirit of capitalism in Vietnam and think that we Americans are best at it.

Thanks,

Mike

Oh yes, you are right about the 156, and she is filling that out.

Another thing that i hope will be of help to some here. My fiance did put in a request for info on the HCM consulate site just 4 days before she got the letter.

And the response was the usual useless ####### that we all get to those inquirys: you are in the queue, keep waiting....basically. And she did get that response to her inquiry. Soooo the point is that even if you ARE SCHEDULED, they will not tell you in those responses. Evidently, the only information of any use from these responses is that you ARE in the queue. Otherwise, it is a blanket roboresponse to any inquiry, only verifying that you are in the queue.

Thanks,

Mike

HaoPhong said,

"Congratulation on that.
Your fiancee will come to US for visiting before the interview?
By the way, you need to fill out the new form DS-156K because the old version of this form was expired on 11/30/2013.
Thanks for letting us know this info. Good Luck."

Thanks HaoPhong,

Come to US for visiting before??? Dear, that requires a visa which is not available for "visiting" as i understand, unless there is an immediate family member or a business involved. Vietnamese, by American law, are not allowed to just 'visit' the USA like from 1st world nations that are approved for that....like Germany or France, australia for example.

This policy makes me angry actually, since we spent a major chunk of our history fighting a war to defend Vietnamese people from "communism". Especially since Vietnam did not become a tyrannical and oppresive regime like a Stalinist soviet state, or north korean, or others as was the fear.. Vietnam's communists did win the war however, but their feared system is a communism in that it is a one party system. But, it is one that has embraced capitalism and free markets with great enthusiasm.

And the Socialist Republic of Vietnam today embraces Capitalism with much more enthusiasm that todays America! The worlds largest economy, America, puts huge regulatory and tax burdens on its business' under the near Tyrant Obamanation in the white house. And it is Obama who embraces and longs for socialism, and does so at huge expense to the economy of the USA.

Your comments about these things is most welcome.

Warm Regards,

Mike

Since starting this topic I am happy to announce that my fiance received her interview letter today Dec. 5. She submitted her papers to schedule the interview on Aug. 24 sooooo...105 days.

The interview is scheduled for Dec 20th...only two weeks out.

So there is some data for you all. 105 days wait at this time for us, probably same for all of you now. And you can get some idea how long that will take. Hope it helps you !!!

She has booked her flight and will arive 3 days before to do the fee, the medical, then inoculation, and the interview.

Thanks,

Mike

If you could ask your friends how long they waited for an interview that would satisfy the entire point of this thread and be most helpful :-)

So maybe rumors spread about a strike for some reason. Anyway i hope it is not true.

I dont see in this thread anyone saying other officers were arrested. However there were 5 accomplices arrested.

Thanks,

Mike

I did just find out that there was a visa officers labor strike at the HCM consulate that lasted 5 months and ended on September 27th, 2013. This strike caused a backlog of visa applications. This must be why it is taking so long. Combine this with the Sestak scandal fallout and whatever delays that may be causing We submitted interview papers Aug. 24, still waiting.

http://www.expat-blog.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=304836&p=2

Sure would like to know where exgrnberet got his information about taking 4-5 months!!!

exgrnberet ?????

Thanks,

Mike

I did just find out that there was a visa officers labor strike at the HCM consulate that lasted 5 months and ended on September 27th, 2013. This strike caused a backlog of visa applications. This must be why it is taking so long. Combine this with the Sestak scandal fallout and whatever delays that may be causing We submitted interview papers Aug. 24, still waiting.

http://www.expat-blog.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=304836&p=2

Sure would like to know where exgrnberet got his information about taking 4-5 months!!!

exgrnberet ?????

Thanks,

Mike

xgrnberet, where did you get that information?

Thanks!

"Our case was just delivered to the consulate from NVC. I guess packet 3 will come later this week or early next week. Do they send a confirmation of packet 3 being mailed and then received back by the consulate?"

After our case went to the consulate, we got the instruction package that explains what forms to submit and how to submit them which starts the clock in the scheduling process. Is that package 3? I dont know that terminology. There was no confirmation of the letter being sent other than getting the letter. The letter also explains what documents to bring to the interview. This is an extensive list of documents. After consulting with a lawyer who told me how to put it together, the whole package was 350 pages of stuff. I had to provide a duplicate for my fiances daughter. Table of contents with tabbed sections two hole punched at the top like a legal court document.

Yessss. absolutely start putting the package together as soon as the instruction letter comes. You will have many documents to muster and copy. It needs to be presented in the same order as the instructions list the requirements. The easier it is to read by the officer, the better the chances of success. It is no easy undertaking to put this package together.

Thanks,

Mike

Thank you HaoPhong for your good information and good to meet another in the same boat. It is also comforting that our wait time is same as yours.

Thanks also to Mandy who is just starting the wait for the interview. Wow, taking 60% as long as it took to get approval of visa on US side.

Your submission for interview date is only days different from ours, 8/24. Yes, more scrutiny going on there maybe.

Thanks,

Mike

Thanks Mandy,

I see you are waiting for your interview now also at the same consulate in HCM. Thanks for your reply. The consulate specifically states that they will not respond to emails or phone calls. The only acceptable portal is the inquiry tool on their website. You will get the URL of that site when you get your letter from the consulate telling you what to do to get onto the schedule the interview.

We received that letter and submitted the documents to get onto the schedule for the interview on Aug. 24. So we are waiting 90 days now for the letter that tells us the interview date. Someone said it is taking them 100 days to get the date out for the interview. Probably good info for you to know!

I am interested to know what 'pink' refers to?

Thanks,

Mike

My fiance is in Vietnam. I also have a co-sponsor. We are waiting for our interview date 90 days now.

All of your paperwork, and copies, should be bound and organized in the order that they are given in the requirements for interview statement in the letter you received for the interview. All those papers go with you to the interview to be reviewed at the interview by the officer.

Only send the documents to the consulate that are required to schedule the interview.

I advise you to pay a conceltation fee to an immagration attorney who can advise you as to what to include, in what order to do it, and what will be needed there. Prepare yourself to make a packet of at least 100 pages of stuff including a table of contents, and opening letter. If there are any kids involved, everthing must be duplicated for them in a separate package.

Keep all the papers and copies in the package that the officer will review and they will keep. Put all originals in a separate folder, you will keep those after the interview.

Hope that helps.

Mike

Hello,

My fiance and I are waiting 90 days now for the letter for our interview date at the US consulate in HCM, Vietnam.

Of course we are tired of waiting for the date to come made more frustrating by not being able to get even a scrap of information from the consulate through their web based inquiry system. Only that our case is in the queue...continue to wait.

Some info i have seen here is that someone claims to know that the consulate is running about 100 days for the interviews letters to come. Meaning we have about 10 more days.

Looks like in the past the average was 1 or 2 months. But we surmise that because of the recent scandal and arrest of several US visa officers including the head, that things are going slower there due to more checks and scrutiny and perhaps more trainees on board.

Anybod have something about any of this?

Thanks!

Mike Roulette

Hello,

My fiance and I are waiting 90 days now for the letter for our interview date at the US consulate in HCM, Vietnam.

Of course we are tired of waiting for the date to come made more frustrating by not being able to get even a scrap of information from the consulate through their web based inquiry system. Only that our case is in the queue...continue to wait.

Some info i have seen here is that someone claims to know that the consulate is running about 100 days for the interviews letters to come. Meaning we have about 10 more days.

Looks like in the past the average was 1 or 2 months. But we surmise that because of the recent scandal and arrest of several US visa officers including the head, that things are going slower there due to more checks and scrutiny and perhaps more trainees on board.

Anybod have something about any of this?

Thanks!

Mike Roulette