Andrew+MM

FrnUSCISInquiries@state.gov is the email address we used for the initial question as to whether we qualified. This was in October 2022 and an answer came back in 2 days.

@Black Unicorn I am so happy you got it sorted. It sounds like the military service of your spouse triggered some extra specialized vetting. The bureaucracy at the Embassy probably won't even allow for questions to be answered by the usual personnel as this vetting goes beyond the most common procedure. Hence the slow response time. I'm glad you kept it together and got through the process. Your post should help others in similar situations.

There are some similarities to our situation and we decided to declare assets and have a joint sponsor. I am the Beneficiary, and work for a company that is 100% remote working so I could prove my income would continue. My wife (USC Petitioner) has been a Hausfrau these last 6 years and has not submitted a tax return because she has had no income. What we did was file the latest 1040 and include a copy. Use my income and our combined assets, which put us over the top. However, I had read that approval of I-864s depending on Beneficiary income and assets is down to the discretion of the Consular Officer, so we included a joint sponsor too. We wanted to have backups to the backups. For me, use everything you can to get you over the 125% benchmark so that there can be no question it should be approved.

24 hours after I requested to interview, I received an email with a different link which allowed me to schedule the interview. The email was one line, and could easily be filtered by a spam bot. If it's taking longer for you (10 days seems like longer than normal), it might be worth emailing the Consulate to see if there is an issue. They just changed the process a little and maybe the I-130 approval from 6 years ago is causing them some problems.

For me this was all done through the online portal. Link sent via the email inviting us to request the interview. No physical letter. P.S. Your dates for DCF say 2016?

The I-864 minimum requirement is dictated by the poverty guidelines, and is more like $22K for a 2 person family. If you can't meet that bar, then assets and your joint sponsor should get you over the line.

Sorry meant to say originals AND copies of all three.

Thanks! Yes, I was asked to provide copies of all three - birth certificate (just my own as beneficiary, my Wife's was sent with the I-130), marriage and police certificate (in my case this was UK and German certificates). I handed these over during the document check at the second window after payment. Oh and a note on scheduling the medical. Keep checking Doctolib for Frankfurt. They are open between Christmas and New Year. Appointments keep appearing all the time if you want to get it done as soon as possible.

I shouldn't have worried as the medical was already with the Consulate despite it only taking place on the 15th (1.5 business days ago). I had my interview today and got approved! Really happy with that. I got there around 7.20am, it was already pretty busy. Presented my appointment paper at the first kiosk and stood in line for a security check. This was slow until they opened properly at 8am, when they started taking 5 people at a time. There is a strict no laptop policy and people were turned away who had laptops and told to store them at a local store. They did emphasize that even if that made them late, they would wait for them. Mobile phones, smart watches, fit bits etc are all stored at the security kiosk. They even took my car keys and a random charging cord from my briefcase. I went to Window 22, where they asked for a photograph (I had a couple spare US size from my last batch) and a payment. I used my Mastercard Debit. I asked if they had received my medical and the lady confirmed. She also described what would happen should the visa be approved on the day. I then waited about 15 mins to be called to another window (15 I think) where they took the rest of the required documents - birth certificate, marriage certificate, police certificates with copies and the I-864s (with joint sponsor in my case). I then waited another 20-30 mins (no watch, no phone and couldn't see a clock) before being called for my interview at Window 19. There she went through all my documents systemically and asked me questions under oath. It took around 15-20 mins to go through everything but I felt the process was quite thorough. There were typical questions - how did we meet, where and when did we get married, who is your joint sponsor, have you served in the military and a few more besides. Then she went through it all one more and told me that the Visa is approved, and handed me a receipt and paperwork about what to expect. I thanked her, and got myself together and back to the car. I would say all in all about 2 to 2.5 hours total from waiting in line. Pretty efficient overall.

Medical completed successfully in Frankfurt (2 missing vaccinations given, and confirmation I need glasses lol). Now my interview is on Monday. Doctor told me that they transmit the report over same day, but that there could be a delay in getting to the case officer. Do we know if there is a delay there and by how much? I'm not overly worried, just trying to set my expectations.

If you haven't already, call them and explain all the circumstances and urgency of your situation in detail. Maybe there was some misunderstanding, or maybe they can suggest an alternative expedited solution. It's worth a try.

The joint bank account is really important IMO. I would give a lot of statements, especially if they stretch back multiple years and show activity. I don't think the joint property ownership is such a huge deal because you can explain your situation. Bank statements plus proof of joint residence is where I would focus. If you have any government documents that show same address (we have a registration document in Germany for instance), that would also be useful. Again, just my 2c.

Ok, I'll jump in here but since I am not a lawyer or a consular officer, please take my thoughts as an opinion. I have been through the spousal visa process twice before so I have a little experience. I would say that calling your property/mortgage payment rent is a red flag or at the very least something that will trigger follow-up. Rent gives the impression of something temporary. If you are contributing to the mortgage then say that. Drawing up a tenancy agreement would draw the same suspicions. All IMO of course. The evidence you have is a little light. Do you file taxes together as a married couple? Do you have any joint bank accounts? You may have to back it up with some photos or anything else which shows that you live together and are a couple. Again, just my 2c.

Upon first glance, as long as you are resident in Vietnam and can prove you are being asked to relocate, then you will have a shot at DCF processing. Each Consulate is different in how receptive they are to "exceptional circumstances", but to my eyes you certainly you have the basic stuff covered.