Americans who got a letter from the consulate for visa extension

Can you post either a scan or the text of the letter, with personal info covered up of course?

Unfortunately I don't have a scanner

exstam1 wrote:

Any Americans out there who went to the consulate as per their email to us stating that they would give us a letter to take to immigration to help with visa extensions? WHAT A CROCK OF BULL!

When I went to the consulate they created a letter for me to take to immigration that is supposedly going to help with my visa extension. They could not tell me the fee, the process or even if this letter will help. But if you read the letter it says nothing of substance, nothing that will help and it disclaims all liability. What game is the US government playing with us?

In the meantime, my Italian friend could apply to his consulate and for $10 they will get him a one month visa extension due to COVID19. If the Italian government can do that on behalf of their citizens, surely the US government could have gotten us a better deal than making us go to the consulate to get a ridiculous letter and then force us to go to immigration when it opens and stand in long lines and possibly be exposed to the virus and in the end, I don't think this letter has any weight.

According to the consulate MANY Americans came for the letter (I was the only person there when i went to get mine- they didn't even take my temperature).

Are there any Americans who got this letter and plan to go to the immigration office on the 23rd? If so, can you message me and let me know how it went? I am thinking I will go on the 24th after I hear how it goes with other people.

Thank you!

You had me following your narrative until that key phrase of what you THINK is true.

Perhaps it is a risk, but just as much for another person as it will be for you when you suck it up.

Thanks for taking one for the team.

perhaps, but if it had weight usually the substance of the letter would reflect that. This is not the fist the the us government plays games, so my thoughts are based on past experiences....

Although the letter may seem noncommittal, have you considered that the Embassy/Consulate have consulted with the Vietnamese government as to the minimal but necessary components of the letter?  I doubt that they are just saying "Here's our letter, now go see if Vietnamese Immigration will take it."

Think about this.  When you notarize your work permit documents at the Consulate, you are only notarizing your statement that the document is real.   It really means nothing but the government, in this case DOLISA, accepts it and the Consulate knows that they will.

How often have people found that the contents of documents don't matter nearly as much as the letterhead and the red stamp.

ok. perhaps. and good points. but any government operating in such a dysfunctional way where things are not transparent just leaves the citizens confused and frustrated and probably some corruption.

A 'Letter of Support' for a tourist visa extension from an embassy or consulate general is useless and not worth the paper it is written on. Under Vietnamese law, a tourist visa/extension must be sponsored by a travel agency or tour operator. Temporarily - from March 30 to April 30 - Immigration is allowing embassies and consulate generals to sponsor applications for extension of a tourist visa by their citizens. The embassy or consulate general must agree to the sponsorship on the NA5 application form.

If anyone can get their embassy or consulate general to agree to sponsorship, fill out the NA5 form (have embassy or consulate general 'sign & stamp') take it along with your: passport, picture, confirmation of temporary residence from the local police and your health declaration to Immigration... and pay $10 for the extension.

OP,
The Italian consulate does not issue Vietnamese visa extensions - only Vietnam Immigration does.

if this is true, and it is what i suspected all along instead of innocence like:

"Although the letter may seem noncommittal, have you considered that the Embassy/Consulate have consulted with the Vietnamese government as to the minimal but necessary components of the letter?  I doubt that they are just saying "Here's our letter, now go see if Vietnamese Immigration will take it."

Then surely the us government must know this and they are play games with us and making us go out and possibly be exposed because they don't want to do their job.

it is that simple.

Anyone with innocent beliefs about the US government need not respond. Past behaviors are the best indicator of future ones.

I need facts.

THIGV wrote:

Although the letter may seem noncommittal, have you considered that the Embassy/Consulate have consulted with the Vietnamese government as to the minimal but necessary components of the letter?  I doubt that they are just saying "Here's our letter, now go see if Vietnamese Immigration will take it."

Think about this.  When you notarize your work permit documents at the Consulate, you are only notarizing your statement that the document is real.   It really means nothing but the government, in this case DOLISA, accepts it and the Consulate knows that they will.

How often have people found that the contents of documents don't matter nearly as much as the letterhead and the red stamp.

exstam1 wrote:

if this is true, and it is what i suspected all along instead of innocence like:

"Although the letter may seem noncommittal, have you considered that the Embassy/Consulate have consulted with the Vietnamese government as to the minimal but necessary components of the letter?  I doubt that they are just saying "Here's our letter, now go see if Vietnamese Immigration will take it."

Then surely the us government must know this and they are play games with us and making us go out and possibly be exposed because they don't want to do their job.

it is that simple.

Anyone with innocent beliefs about the US government need not respond. Past behaviors are the best indicator of future ones.

I need facts.

Good luck!

yes, i will  need it since nothing makes sense in this country and the US government wants to keep it that way.

You can easily go to a travel agent and get an extension.  It's more expensive than it was before COVID but you have an option.  It's not like you are stranded.  You just don't like it.

We discussed this on a previous thread.  Why would the US government "sponsor" you while here on a tourist visa?  Sponsorship entails financial responsibility.  Do you think the government is going to sign up for your financial responsibility while you are here?

Are you here on a tourist visa or a business visa?

on a tourist visa. well, why is the italian government sponsoring its citizens. the travel agents are not taking on financial responsibility. its a scam. and no, its not that i don't like it that the travel agency is an option, its that its shady af.

exstam1 wrote:

on a tourist visa. well, why is the italian government sponsoring its citizens. the travel agents are not taking on financial responsibility. its a scam. and no, its not that i don't like it that the travel agency is an option, its that its shady af.

If you do go with a travel agency just pick one that's highly recommended and trustworthy.

It might be expensive but there's nothing shady about it

exstam1 wrote:

on a tourist visa. well, why is the italian government sponsoring its citizens. the travel agents are not taking on financial responsibility. its a scam. and no, its not that i don't like it that the travel agency is an option, its that its shady af.

Were you just here on holiday or were you working as a teacher?

I understand the travel agencies sound sketchy but it's pretty much "how it is done" here unless one figures out how to do it themselves.  It can be done.

Has anyone yet tried taking the existing US Consulate form letter to Vietnamese Immigration and seeing if they will accept it?  That's all that really matters.

yes. that is all that matters, but true to form, the us consulate told me to go to the wrong place and when i finally went to the right place at 9:30 am, they said they were closed until 1:30pm. they simply don't know what they are doing.

exstam1 wrote:

yes. that is all that matters, but true to form, the us consulate told me to go to the wrong place and when i finally went to the right place at 9:30 am, they said they were closed until 1:30pm. they simply don't know what they are doing.

The more I read this thread the more grateful I am for my "overpriced" agent...

they got me too with the same worthless letter. our country always can be counted on to screw us over, while other countries take care of their people, the vn immig. officers showed me all these stamped letters from other embassies of applicants wanting the 30 day temp res. permit, at that point realized i had been betrayed. i sent the us embassy a contact email from their website to inform them they failed to help me and told them to go to hell.

yes thats a good summary of the truth on the ground. i have actually seen many of there stamped letters of sponsorship by nations other than my screwed up country, the usa, which could care less.
it was horrible for me as the the immig. officer told me that i had a denial letter from my embassy.

aw1234 wrote:

yes thats a good summary of the truth on the ground. i have actually seen many of there stamped letters of sponsorship by nations other than my screwed up country, the usa, which could care less.
it was horrible for me as the the immig. officer told me that i had a denial letter from my embassy.

Wait.

You are complaining about all the letters given out by the US Embassy, but the Vietnamese official said what you presented is a denial letter?

Please correct me if I misunderstand.

I'm assuming the letter is in the Vietnamese language?

So, for some reason you were denied support in the letter you received from the Embassy/Consulate? 

It sounds as if the worst that can be said is that the US officials didn't tell you that to your face.

What does anyone else think?

Maybe the US Embassy/Consulate--not willing to issue letters of "sponsorship"--in reviewing applications for visa 'grace' is deciding to look at each case and then Issue everyone a letter that either says "we support this application" or "we do not support this application"?

SWAG

update on the consulate letter. it did nothing!


This extension is for one month with the notion that after that one month you are leaving! The extension is a "courtesy" because flights are cancelled, but after this month they want you to leave. Also, my experience in D3 was the exact opposite. No govt employee has ever been nice, just nastiness and confusion. It was quite insane to see every other chair marked off / unsable with red tape. They were attempting to do distancing but yet they didn't limit the number of people in the room, so with less seats people were standing everywhere. There was no where to go. So the attempt to social distance FAILED. Plus so many people were standing around, you couldn't see the numbers at the desk for when your number was up and you should go up there. To make matters worse, falling for the letter from the American consulate and falling for the vn government to extend the visa by 30 days is our fault for being so innocent. The 30 day extension is from the date your visa expired, not from the date immigration office reopened! so mine expired on the 15th of April. I go get my one month extension back from them on May 5th and then i have 10 days to either leave or continue the stress of what to do...basically they want us gone with their actions and the visa rules that change July 1st. Of course like always it is very short sighted and they will regret it.  All expats on tourist visas will leave and they will lose revenue and then there will be no tourists to come for their 3 week vacation because of covid19. It was dumb to even do this 30 day extension, I should have gone directly to a travel agent, but because the vn government never fully tell you what is happening, I tried.

exstam1 wrote:

update on the consulate letter. it did nothing!


This extension is for one month with the notion that after that one month you are leaving! The extension is a "courtesy" because flights are cancelled, but after this month they want you to leave. Also, my experience in D3 was the exact opposite. No govt employee has ever been nice, just nastiness and confusion. It was quite insane to see every other chair marked off / unsable with red tape. They were attempting to do distancing but yet they didn't limit the number of people in the room, so with less seats people were standing everywhere. There was no where to go. So the attempt to social distance FAILED. Plus so many people were standing around, you couldn't see the numbers at the desk for when your number was up and you should go up there. To make matters worse, falling for the letter from the American consulate and falling for the vn government to extend the visa by 30 days is our fault for being so innocent. The 30 day extension is from the date your visa expired, not from the date immigration office reopened! so mine expired on the 15th of April. I go get my one month extension back from them on May 5th and then i have 10 days to either leave or continue the stress of what to do...basically they want us gone with their actions and the visa rules that change July 1st. Of course like always it is very short sighted and they will regret it.  All expats on tourist visas will leave and they will lose revenue and then there will be no tourists to come for their 3 week vacation because of covid19. It was dumb to even do this 30 day extension, I should have gone directly to a travel agent, but because the vn government never fully tell you what is happening, I tried.

If you would have contacted an agent you would have known this.  Another agent that posts on this board even spelled it out on April 23 but you may have missed the thread.  If you are going to go it alone to save a few dollars you must do your own research.  How much time have you spent jacking around with this since it started?  How many hours back and forth, go here, go there, consulate tells you the wrong thing, come back again.  Does your time have no value?

The item you are looking for is number 1 under IMPORTANT.

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 47#4854468

Exstam1, what are you here in Vietnam for that you couldn’t leave before your visa expired?

Took my letter to Nha Trang immigration office today.  Consulate document was worthless.  They told me that since it says "US consulate general is not sponsoring..."  it was no good. I wish that I had known that before I spent hours in line at immigration.  After calling a few numbers, my Vietnamese translator said that for $10 you could take this letter to Immigration in HCMC.  But not good at any other immigration office.  Probably not worth it as I'm in Nha Trang.

theschust wrote:

Took my letter to Nha Trang immigration office today.  Consulate document was worthless.  They told me that since it says "US consulate general is not sponsoring..."  it was no good. I wish that I had known that before I spent hours in line at immigration.  After calling a few numbers, my Vietnamese translator said that for $10 you could take this letter to Immigration in HCMC.  But not good at any other immigration office.  Probably not worth it as I'm in Nha Trang.

The US government isn't going to sponsor anyone in Vietnam, least of all a broke-ass English teacher that is working under the table and doesn't have the proper visa to start with.  That's my assumption on the inside looking out.  I'm not talking about you theschust.  You are only sharing information.  I'm talking about the other poster.

aw1234 wrote:

they got me too with the same worthless letter. our country always can be counted on to screw us over, while other countries take care of their people, the vn immig. officers showed me all these stamped letters from other embassies of applicants wanting the 30 day temp res. permit, at that point realized i had been betrayed. i sent the us embassy a contact email from their website to inform them they failed to help me and told them to go to hell.

Let me see if I understand you correctly. 

Your wrote in your profile that you're an "American looking for information about Andorra". 
You wrote in your expat experience that you're "currently living in Pretoria, South Africa". 
You've written a total of 3 posts on this site, and all 3 posts show your present location is Andorra la Vella.

Which is 10400 km from Saigon. 

Your first post was on the Vietnam forum, and you wrote, "hello can you help me with opening a USD account in danang, vietnam?" That was on the day you joined this site, April 10, 2018.  There was no answer and you didn't follow up with another post.  As if you didn't care one way or another.

Your 2nd and 3rd post were on the Saigon forum on April 26, 2020.

Remember the 10400 km distance between Andorra La Vella and Saigon?

Out of nowhere, without explanation, you complained that  "our country always can be counted on to screw us over, while other countries take care of their people",

that  "my screwed up country, the usa, which could care less"  (it's a wrong word choice BTW -- it should've been couldn't care less, not could care less),

that  "it was horrible for me as the the immig. officer told me that i had a denial letter from my embassy." (the Embassy doesn't send out letters relating to visa, BTW.  It's the Consulate's job."

that  "i had been betrayed",

and that you sent the US Embassy  "email from their website to inform them they failed to help me and told them to go to hell."

OceanBeach replied to your post on the same day with questions which you have yet to respond 9 days later.

Why do you have many inconsistencies?  Why do you need a fake profile?  Why did you express the strong emotion and badmouth one country while praising others?  Is that because you're a typical troll who feed on negative reaction?

I hope you'll not return to the Vietnam forum or any of its subforum with the same BS.  You'll be banned if you do, I promise you that.

The same warning goes out to other trolls too.

Ciambella wrote:

my screwed up country, the usa, which could care less"  (it's a wrong word choice BTW -- it should've been couldn't[see below] care less, not could care less),

I quoted the above passage not because I don't agree with what you wrote.  I feel the same way about his posts but as I couldn't hardly [see below] understand them, I had just ignored them.  I quoted it because i think it illustrates a topic that interests me, which is differences between the "rules" of English grammar and actual spoken usage.  Take notice for a while and see if you don't hear a native English speaker say "I could care less."  What is acceptable drifts over time, particularly in spoken English.

I also marked bold my intentional grammatical error "couldn't hardly" which is incorrect, as it is a double negative because "hardly" has a negative connotation.  Although it may be incorrect you will hear it on occasion.  Still it is very unlikely you will see it in writing, so don't put it in your English class essays.

That's your ESL lesson for today, children.