Our Singapore timeline Vietnamese wife

[mikeymyke]

Wow, travelling to 6 different countries with her, and revisiting her 10 times in 3 years, ok wow, I see now.

I met my fiance April 2012, engaged to her Dec 2012, spent 2 months with her Dec-Jan 2012. We travelled across Vietnam for 3 weeks after our engagement, visited 9 different Vietnamese cities. I plan on returning this Dec to marry her, spend another 2 months, and this time, we plan on travelling to Paris, France for a week for our honeymoon. Even though France is an affluent country which Vietnamese citizens will have difficulty entering, we are pretty confident we will be successful, because she is marrying a Canadian (and I'm taking vacation leave from my job, also have a mortgage on a home, so I don't plan on overstaying in France), we are planning to stay at a friend's house to save $, and we do not plan on overstaying in France.

My fiance, a Vietnamese citizen, has also travelled to China, Singapore x2, Thailand, lived in USA for a year under student visa, and soon, hopefully France, so she has a good travel history.

I hope our case can be processed fast like yours

 

[dnguy014]

Wow, travelling to 6 different countries with her, and revisiting her 10 times in 3 years, ok wow, I see now.

I met my fiance April 2012, engaged to her Dec 2012, spent 2 months with her Dec-Jan 2012. We travelled across Vietnam for 3 weeks after our engagement, visited 9 different Vietnamese cities. I plan on returning this Dec to marry her, spend another 2 months, and this time, we plan on travelling to Paris, France for a week for our honeymoon. Even though France is an affluent country which Vietnamese citizens will have difficulty entering, we are pretty confident we will be successful, because she is marrying a Canadian (and I'm taking vacation leave from my job, also have a mortgage on a home, so I don't plan on overstaying in France), we are planning to stay at a friend's house to save $, and we do not plan on overstaying in France.

My fiance, a Vietnamese citizen, has also travelled to China, Singapore x2, Thailand, lived in USA for a year under student visa, and soon, hopefully France, so she has a good travel history.

I hope our case can be processed fast like yours

My package was pretty detailed since I captured all the trips together along with the airline tickets, the hotel receipts and photos of us together with the respective landmarks. Having a bunch of photos on its own is not enough as the "timestamp" can be manipulated. I didn't bother including the domestic trips in VN as there were too many. As well during our engagement, I had dozens of guest that flew to VN. It's good that your wife has all that travel experience, but what they are trying to determine is that the relationship is genuine.

Not sure if this helped but I also work in management at a globally-recognized firm that also has offices in Vietnam and Singapore, so they know that I have a legitimate career and make a comfortable living.

Congrats and good luck in the wedding this holidays ;D

 

[mikeymyke]

All the pictures we took in the 9 different cities, we took them near landmarks, buildings, scenery, etc that makes it 100% crystal clear, where we are.

ex) The cliffs at Ha Long Bay, Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum in Hanoi, the top peak at Fansipan mountain in Sapa (if a girl is willing to climb Fansipan mountain with you, that definitely means she really loves you right? ), the unique style of buildings in Hoi An, the beaches at Nha Trang, etc, you get the idea.

We will have to add the timestamps ourselves, because Iphone and my DSLR doesn't have that ability, we know the time/date just by reading the picture's metadata.

We also have hotel receipts at each city, showing date we checked in and out.

Also at our wedding, BOTH our parents will be there. My sister, and 2 brothers, and grandma from Canada will be there. My fiance's relatives from France, Australia, Denmark will be there too. We won't have a simple wedding, we're going to have the whole thing, from the street procession to the car ride, to the exchanging of gifts.

Only thing I'm slightly worried about is our engagement ceremony wasn't very formal, I just invited her family to a restaurant dinner to announce our engagement, but I don't think that's a terribly big deal.

 

[canadavietnam]

All the pictures we took in the 9 different cities, we took them near landmarks, buildings, scenery, etc that makes it 100% crystal clear, where we are.

ex) The cliffs at Ha Long Bay, Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum in Hanoi, the top peak at Fansipan mountain in Sapa (if a girl is willing to climb Fansipan mountain with you, that definitely means she really loves you right? ), the unique style of buildings in Hoi An, the beaches at Nha Trang, etc, you get the idea.

We will have to add the timestamps ourselves, because Iphone and my DSLR doesn't have that ability, we know the time/date just by reading the picture's metadata.

We also have hotel receipts at each city, showing date we checked in and out.

Also at our wedding, BOTH our parents will be there. My sister, and 2 brothers, and grandma from Canada will be there. My fiance's relatives from France, Australia, Denmark will be there too. We won't have a simple wedding, we're going to have the whole thing, from the street procession to the car ride, to the exchanging of gifts.

Only thing I'm slightly worried about is our engagement ceremony wasn't very formal, I just invited her family to a restaurant dinner to announce our engagement, but I don't think that's a terribly big deal.

I wish I had taken the time to build a more complete package like your "upcoming package". Looks like you have a strong case.

One note I might want to let you know is that I read in this forum that a couple has been refused because SVO said that all evidence were staged in order to convince VO of proof of genuine relationship? (Maybe their case and photos were too perfect?) just wanna let you know but I don't think applies to you since we can tell that it looks genuine

Thanks

 

[mikeymyke]

I wish I had taken the time to build a more complete package like your "upcoming package". Looks like you have a strong case.

One note I might want to let you know is that I read in this forum that a couple has been refused because SVO said that all evidence were staged in order to convince VO of proof of genuine relationship? (Maybe their case and photos were too perfect?) just wanna let you know but I don't think applies to you since we can tell that it looks genuine

Thanks

I went on the canlii.org website, which has archives of many past sponsorship applications. I've read many many cases, and the photos that are "staged" are usually for example, a pic of the couple kissing in bed, but the photo was taken by a complete stranger, or pics of the couple in certain places where it was proven many marriages of conveniences took place in the past, etc.

 

[dnguy014]

All the pictures we took in the 9 different cities, we took them near landmarks, buildings, scenery, etc that makes it 100% crystal clear, where we are.

ex) The cliffs at Ha Long Bay, Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum in Hanoi, the top peak at Fansipan mountain in Sapa (if a girl is willing to climb Fansipan mountain with you, that definitely means she really loves you right? ), the unique style of buildings in Hoi An, the beaches at Nha Trang, etc, you get the idea.

We will have to add the timestamps ourselves, because Iphone and my DSLR doesn't have that ability, we know the time/date just by reading the picture's metadata.

We also have hotel receipts at each city, showing date we checked in and out.

Also at our wedding, BOTH our parents will be there. My sister, and 2 brothers, and grandma from Canada will be there. My fiance's relatives from France, Australia, Denmark will be there too. We won't have a simple wedding, we're going to have the whole thing, from the street procession to the car ride, to the exchanging of gifts.

Only thing I'm slightly worried about is our engagement ceremony wasn't very formal, I just invited her family to a restaurant dinner to announce our engagement, but I don't think that's a terribly big deal.

Not sure they will accept "metadata" as it can be manipulated, and aren't necessarily technically advanced, heck you can't even send a DVD full of photos. What is important is to have plenty of witness. The fact that you have your family coming down from all over the world is a great start. Having friends as well will also strengthen the case. Like others have said, anything can be orchestrated so having a full wedding won't mean it is more genuine. What you should also do is send in the contract with the hotels, wedding halls, wedding planner etc...

 

[mikeymyke]

Not sure they will accept "metadata" as it can be manipulated, and aren't necessarily technically advanced, heck you can't even send a DVD full of photos. What is important is to have plenty of witness. The fact that you have your family coming down from all over the world is a great start. Having friends as well will also strengthen the case. Like others have said, anything can be orchestrated so having a full wedding won't mean it is more genuine. What you should also do is send in the contract with the hotels, wedding halls, wedding planner etc...

Well I have no choice but to use the metadata, and just write down the date/time on the photo, because even my "advanced" Iphone and DSLR camera don't have a timestamp feature. At least the dates are written on the hotel receipts, and I'm sure the VO can match the dates with my dates on the photos.

Yes, when we were travelling together, we saved lots of receipts, even when we took a boat, bus, or visit a pagoda, etc we saved all receipts. Also, I did tell her to keep everything related to the wedding, such as receipts, deposits, and invoices. I know Singapore VO is suspicious of marriages without all family members present, simple marriages, and quick marriages, and I think I've covered everything, because my entire family from Canada is coming, our wedding is 100% traditional vietnamese style, and I will marry her exactly 1 year from proposal date (not quick I assume).

Also, we are young couple, so when we take pics, we usually like to do silly things, like sticking our tongues out, opening our mouths wide, pinching each other's cheeks, etc, I hope that can show the VO we are a genuine couple. I know some older couples who get refused, don't seem very happy together in their pics, just simple pose.

 

[canadavietnam]

Hey all, just wanted to share my experience to those in the process.

-Dec '12: They received my package
-Dec '12: I got approved to be a sponsor (2 days turnaround)
-Jan ' 13: Singapore receives application
-Aug '13: Application is in process, and they have requested my wife to send a new police record, medical exam, and passport.

It is interesting that they are asking for the passport right away, so I am hoping it means that they are looking to issue the visa at the same time So hoping everything done under a year.

Further notes:
-I did not use a lawyer, however I did have a lawyer to do a QA check and they mentioned that the package I sent was the most completed they have ever ran across.
-I did not send any proof of communication records since I mainly used phone cards and Skype now
-I did not have a wedding

@ dnguy014 wow what a fast timeline! You mentioned that they requested passport in the letter? you don't have to wait 6 weeks after medical exam? if this is right ...you are a very lucky couple this might be your year !

 

[mikeymyke]

Yeah he's so lucky, he had a short processing time, even in the midst of this strike, Singapore is notorious for having one of the longest processing times, but then again, his application is about as strong as it can get. I wish I could afford to travel to VN so many times.

 

[dnguy014]

@ dnguy014 wow what a fast timeline! You mentioned that they requested passport in the letter? you don't have to wait 6 weeks after medical exam? if this is right ...you are a very lucky couple this might be your year !

Hey, it did mention to wait 6 weeks after the medical exam. But we did talk to the doctor and he mentioned that there were no issues and that it was sent electronically. So my gut tells me that 6 weeks is more of a "precaution" to give them enough time to have received and reviewed the paperwork. It does state in the letter to NOT book airline tickets, sell off assets, and quit employment UNTIL it has been finalized. But yea if I read between the lines, it seems good to go.

 

[dnguy014]

Well I have no choice but to use the metadata, and just write down the date/time on the photo, because even my "advanced" Iphone and DSLR camera don't have a timestamp feature. At least the dates are written on the hotel receipts, and I'm sure the VO can match the dates with my dates on the photos.

Yes, when we were travelling together, we saved lots of receipts, even when we took a boat, bus, or visit a pagoda, etc we saved all receipts. Also, I did tell her to keep everything related to the wedding, such as receipts, deposits, and invoices. I know Singapore VO is suspicious of marriages without all family members present, simple marriages, and quick marriages, and I think I've covered everything, because my entire family from Canada is coming, our wedding is 100% traditional vietnamese style, and I will marry her exactly 1 year from proposal date (not quick I assume).

Also, we are young couple, so when we take pics, we usually like to do silly things, like sticking our tongues out, opening our mouths wide, pinching each other's cheeks, etc, I hope that can show the VO we are a genuine couple. I know some older couples who get refused, don't seem very happy together in their pics, just simple pose.

Sounds like you are well-prepared for it, and you have done your research. Good luck!

To add more background to my story to support the timeliness:
-2010: Met each other
-2011: Met each other's families
-2012: Got engaged - traditional and simple, 20 foreign caucasian guests
-2013: Got married (after the application was sent) - 50 foreign caucasian guests

 

[Taycaoco]

canadavietnam and all my friends

My wife just told me that right after the interview, they gave back to her all the updated forms, police certificate, ID's photocopies and translation, etc.

What that means? They are supposed to keep these no? So, it's a refusal????

 

[canadavietnam]

canadavietnam and all my friends

My wife just told me that right after the interview, they gave back to her all the updated forms, police certificate, ID's photocopies and translation, etc.

What that means? They are supposed to keep these no? So, it's a refusal????

@ Taycaoco : here's what happened after my interview

1) SVO explicitly said: "I have decided to accept your application"
2) SVO ask to sign IMM5669
3) SVO kept the following papers: Police Certificate, all updated forms
4) Finally SVO told us we will get instructions on next step which is Medical Exam

Conclusion: SVO kept everything

If in around two weeks from date of Interview you don't get letter for medical exam this might be a sign of something else 'be prepared for the worst'

Let's all hope that Taycaoco has good news!

 

[Canadianfirst]

The interview of my wife took place this morning. I think it went wrong. They said that my wedding was held too soon after I met my wife (4 months after our first phone conversation).

They also asked why my mother did not come to our wedding. The reason is simple, she's the manager of a store and no one could replace her during the busy holiday season. But my father and my grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. were present.

They also said that I have not visited my wife often enough. *censored word*! Would they pay all my bills and the plane ticket and I would stay in Vietnam six months per year!

After the interview, they just said that my wife will receive a letter in 6 weeks. That's it.

That does not bode well... I've been married for almost 3 years now. How many years do I have to wait again? If our request is denied, I will go to appeal. We are wasting our best years of our lives. It's so unfair!

I feel your frustration. SVO think people are made of money that we have no other responsibilities other than to visit our wives at a frequency they determine appropriate. Most people work for a living. Work usually pays for everything. They are government people for them money is no object. Like you said they steal the best years of our lives. Did you go to the interview????

 

[Canadianfirst]

Hi there I'm new to thing forum and also love all the good information on it.
My question is my wife was notified through the mail her interview list paper in Nov 2012
but said nothing about the interview day? I have heard there's still one more you have to wait for?
is that true? And if so how long more of a wait is it? This Nov 2013 will be exactly 2 years from day
we applied.. I hope i am not the only one in this boat please help i miss my wife also waiting for her
To come home so i can start my family....... Thanks so much

If you look at the first interview letter you will read that the approximate waiting time for interview is 24 months. I have been waiting for about 28 months since my wife's file was transfer to Singapore. I received the first letter in Nov 2011. 6 Months after Singapore received my wife's application. 24 months from first letter will make it Nov 2013. SVo's are holding interviewing for applications that were transferred to Singapore in February 2011. Add 24 months from the time you received the first letter. My calculation is that she will go to interview in nov 2014. Don't dispare