Ho Chi Minh City Police, in coordination with the Consular Section and the Regional Security Office (RSO) of the US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, has arrested a Vietnamese national suspected of using forged documents during the visa application process to acquire a US student visa, according to the US Consulate General in HCM City.

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, with that the original information belonging to previous visa applicants.

Ho Chi Minh City police and officers of Ben Nghe ward arrested the subject outside of the US Consulate General and seized evidence and papers to conduct a further investigation. The case has been transferred to the District 1 Police Office.

The co-ordination between the Ho Chi Minh City Police and the US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City during the arrest clearly demonstrates the growing ties between Vietnamese and US 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 Bintu Musa-Harry, spokesperson of the US Consulate General.

The US Consulate General encourages applicants to visit their website for more information on applying for visas. Applicants should 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. Applicants who present fraudulent documents may be permanently banned from entering the US.

As such, the US Consulate General reminds all visa applicants to be wary of unscrupulous visa agents and brokers who routinely flout both US and Vietnamese law.  For more information on visas, individuals are encouraged to visit the webpage of the US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City.