In October 2010, the consulate general allowed certain visa cases to have expedited appointments at the request of the Consulate’s executive office, or at the request of local Vietnamese employees. As a result of the OIG report, this practice was stopped.

(1) Traces of mutual suspicion still linger from the Vietnam War– which the Vietnamese call the "American War." However, trade between the US and Vietnam has increased 17-fold in the past decade.

The new I-601A Waiver Application has been in the news a lot recently because it will give some people a chance to receive provisional waivers of the 3 or 10 year bar for being in the US illegally. If they receive a waiver, they can feel confident when they return to their home countries for the immigrant visa interview.

A few months after immigrating to the US, she returned to Vietnam for a six month stay. Then she came back to the US, stayed for only one month, and returned to Vietnam again. Her relative asked us what CIS will do if the woman continues to spend so much time in Vietnam.

In the denial process, the first step that CIS takes is sending a Notice of Intent to Deny. This notice includes the reasons why CIS suspects that the relationship is not genuine. Within the time allowed by CIS, the applicant must provide a convincing rebuttal with substantial supporting evidence.

This usually means we are referring to the spouse, parent or unmarried child of a US citizen, or a fiancée who has married her sponsor within 90 days of entry to the US.

The processing of adoption cases for children from Vietnam will resume when the United States and Vietnam enter into a new agreement on adoptions, or when the Government of Vietnam begins to follow the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoptions.

Congressman Rivera says “This bill provides an opportunity for young people who have established long-standing ties in the United States, and who have a desire to serve our country, to fulfill their goals of serving in the military and achieving the American dream. If these young people are willing to die for America, then certainly they deserve a chance at life in America.”

To participate in this program, applicants must currently possess a valid 10-year U.S. passport book, upload an acceptable digital photograph and make an online payment in U.S. dollars via Pay.gov.