An American citizen who wants to sponsor a fiancée in Vietnam must meet the fiancée in person during the two years before filing the petition. We have had some inquiries about where that meeting in person must take place. Must it be in Vietnam or could it be in some other country?
The regulations do not say where the meeting should be. It’s not necessary for the couple to meet in Vietnam. They could have their personal meeting in any country, such as Thailand or Cambodia.
No matter where they meet, they would need to show proof of the meeting. Normally, this proof would include: Copies of all airline-boarding passes, hotel receipts, passport stamps as well as color photos of the couple. It would also be helpful to have copies of phone bills, cell phone bills, emails, and letters with postmarked envelopes. This type of evidence will usually satisfy US CIS when the fiancée petition is filed.
However, there is one more item to consider: the US Consulate in Saigon will expect to see evidence of an engagement celebration. Thus, if the couple meets in person outside of Vietnam and does not celebrate the engagement in Vietnam, the Consulate will have some questions.
We have also received some inquiries about marriage registration at Vietnamese embassies or consular offices . For example, could a couple request the Vietnamese embassy in Bangkok to register their marriage?
In theory, this is possible, but the processing time could easily be two to three months and it would involve a lot of paperwork and red tape. In addition, both the Vietnamese officials in Bangkok and the US Consulate officials in Saigon would be suspicious about why the couple did not want to marry in Vietnam.
And, in the case of marriages, the US Consulate will also expect to see evidence of a large wedding celebration and reception in Vietnam, involving many local guests and relatives from abroad.
Finally, even if the couple registers the marriage at a Vietnamese embassy or consulate, the immigrant visa processing cannot be done in a third country. It must be done at the US Consulate in Saigon. So, there appear to be more disadvantages than advantages to registering a marriage outside of Vietnam.
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Q.1. Are there any exceptions to the rule about meeting the fiancée in person before filing a fiancée petition?
A.1. There are two exceptions: one is if the culture does not allow fiancées to meet in person and the other is if the requirement to meet would be an extreme hardship. Neither of these exceptions is applicable to Vietnam.
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Q.2. If the Vietnamese Embassy in some other country agrees to allow a couple to register their marriage at the embassy, why couldn’t the alien spouse apply for an immigrant visa at the US Embassy in that other country?
A.2. The standard State Department procedure is for the alien spouse to be interviewed in her home country. It would be almost impossible to arrange for a visa interview elsewhere.
ROBERT MULLINS INTERNATIONAL www.rmiodp.com
Immigration Support Services-Tham Van Di Tru
9070 Bolsa Avenue, Westminster CA 92683 (714) 890-9933
779 Story Road, Ste. 70, San Jose, CA 95122 (408) 294-3888
6930 65th St. Ste. #105, Sacramento CA 95823 (916) 393-3388
42 Dang Thi Nhu, P. Nguyen Thai Binh, Q1, HCM (848) 3914-7638
The regulations do not say where the meeting should be. It’s not necessary for the couple to meet in Vietnam. They could have their personal meeting in any country, such as Thailand or Cambodia.
No matter where they meet, they would need to show proof of the meeting. Normally, this proof would include: Copies of all airline-boarding passes, hotel receipts, passport stamps as well as color photos of the couple. It would also be helpful to have copies of phone bills, cell phone bills, emails, and letters with postmarked envelopes. This type of evidence will usually satisfy US CIS when the fiancée petition is filed.
However, there is one more item to consider: the US Consulate in Saigon will expect to see evidence of an engagement celebration. Thus, if the couple meets in person outside of Vietnam and does not celebrate the engagement in Vietnam, the Consulate will have some questions.
We have also received some inquiries about marriage registration at Vietnamese embassies or consular offices . For example, could a couple request the Vietnamese embassy in Bangkok to register their marriage?
In theory, this is possible, but the processing time could easily be two to three months and it would involve a lot of paperwork and red tape. In addition, both the Vietnamese officials in Bangkok and the US Consulate officials in Saigon would be suspicious about why the couple did not want to marry in Vietnam.
And, in the case of marriages, the US Consulate will also expect to see evidence of a large wedding celebration and reception in Vietnam, involving many local guests and relatives from abroad.
Finally, even if the couple registers the marriage at a Vietnamese embassy or consulate, the immigrant visa processing cannot be done in a third country. It must be done at the US Consulate in Saigon. So, there appear to be more disadvantages than advantages to registering a marriage outside of Vietnam.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q.1. Are there any exceptions to the rule about meeting the fiancée in person before filing a fiancée petition?
A.1. There are two exceptions: one is if the culture does not allow fiancées to meet in person and the other is if the requirement to meet would be an extreme hardship. Neither of these exceptions is applicable to Vietnam.
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Q.2. If the Vietnamese Embassy in some other country agrees to allow a couple to register their marriage at the embassy, why couldn’t the alien spouse apply for an immigrant visa at the US Embassy in that other country?
A.2. The standard State Department procedure is for the alien spouse to be interviewed in her home country. It would be almost impossible to arrange for a visa interview elsewhere.
ROBERT MULLINS INTERNATIONAL www.rmiodp.com
Immigration Support Services-Tham Van Di Tru
9070 Bolsa Avenue, Westminster CA 92683 (714) 890-9933
779 Story Road, Ste. 70, San Jose, CA 95122 (408) 294-3888
6930 65th St. Ste. #105, Sacramento CA 95823 (916) 393-3388
42 Dang Thi Nhu, P. Nguyen Thai Binh, Q1, HCM (848) 3914-7638
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