Police in HCM City have co-operated with the US Consulate General in the city to arrest a Vietnamese national suspected of using forged documents during the visa application process to acquire a US student visa.
The subject presented the required documents including an appointment confirmation letter and form I-20. The US Consulate General confirmed through technical verification that the appointment confirmation letter and I-20 form were falsified, and that the original information belonged to previous visa applicants. The HCM City Police and the Ben Nghe Ward Police arrested the subject outside the US Consulate General and seized evidence and papers to conduct further investigation. The case has been transferred to the District 1 Police Office.
The coordination between the HCM Police and the US Consulate General here during the arrest demonstrates the growing cooperation between Vietnamese and American law enforcement agencies. “This type of cooperation ensures that we are able to achieve one of our highest priorities which is to facilitate legitimate travel to the United States,” stated US Consulate General Spokesperson, Bintu Musa-Harry.
The US Consulate General said they encouraged applicants to visit their website for more information on applying for visas. Applicants are advised to present legitimate and unaltered documents, including a passport, a visa application form, confirmation of an interview appointment and, depending on the type of visa, additional pertinent documents. Those applicants who present fraudulent documents may be permanently banned from entering the United States. As such, the US Consulate General reminds all visa applicants to be wary of unscrupulous visa agents and brokers who routinely flout US and Vietnamese law.
