mrwebb8825

My mother is my only living relative currently living in the states so I broached the subject with her as she has a house and a few assets. Just don't want anything to alter her standing as far as taxes and such. On a more morbid note, what happens if she sponsors my wife and dies before she reaches citizenship? (she's 84 and in waning health) Her house and assets pass to me but would we need to start over? Also, does my wife HAVE TO get a job when in receipt of a green card? Her English is 'lacking proficiency'.

As Ubon Joe said, the 400k has to be there or you negate your extension. I'd take 400k and open the new account THEN transfer all the rest from the old to the new account and let the old account die of malnourishment. (bank will close it for no funds or use over time)

W/O trying to hijack this thread, I'd like to get some expanded information along the lines of the OP - Do you need an address in the US prior to starting the application process? We've been married 17 years and live in BKK. My wife has an "R B1/B2" 10 year visa. I completely "cashed out" from the states when I moved here 22 years ago so I don't currently have a US address. (my mother is still alive atm and lives in the states) Like the OP, I'm now retired and 1 of the requirements to change the visa and apply for a green card is showing income filed with the IRS that is higher than the standard poverty level which is currently $13,590 for 1 and $18,310 for 2. (I'm currently a "non-filer" at the request of the IRS) My current SS payments are sufficient for our current living situation in BKK but not high enough to reach the FPL (Federal Poverty Level) required for the immigrant visa/green card application process. I could work part-time to reach this but do NOT want to jeopardize my SS payments (if you earn too much they cut your benefits). I'm also not sure if the benefit payments I get now are listed as "SSI". If so, I would qualify for FBRs and FPLs to reach the threshold to sponsor my wife but would need to move to the states 1st which then jeopardizes the application for a visa change and green card unless she stays here while I move there. (we're obviously trying to avoid living apart for a year or more) This all seems like a LOT of hoops just so my wife can qualify to collect my SS after I die. Any thoughts other than "Give up"? We'd like to do everything correctly.

Given the multiple replies , maybe it is.

Is this 100% fact? Couldn't the money have been accrued during the time you were working and deposited/saved over time?

I can see it now; "Thailand: The Hub Of Thunderdome". Great new tourist attraction idea. ????

Khoa San is nothing like it used to be - 90% cleaned up both before and due to covid. The #30 bus route runs along 1 end and is about 10 minutes from Victory Monument so you'd also have VM as an option for hotels.

If you're coming for "Boom-Boom" stay on Sukhumvit, if you're coming for shopping stay near Siam Square or National Stadium, if you're coming to see the usual tourist spots then look at Khoa San Road. The 1st 2 you can ride BTS everywhere and the last 1 has tour services like "Red Bus" and walking distance to shops and restaurants.

Thought provoking topic and several great replies - Thanks OMF

If your wife is already here, why not stay where she is staying? OR, if money's not an issue, buy something like a condo.

Also not quite accurate - the guy who bet $1,000 that the Astroes would win the pennant at the beginning of the season got better odds than someone making that bet today or will in the playoffs.

Not true - How many shuttles lifted off and landed before Sally took her last ride?

OP - as it seems the whole visa thing has been explained, I would offer this as a fellow 'Merican; I've been here 22 years and had I known then what I know now I would have: Learned Thai before coming - keep it to yourself and listen when you get here - Opened an account at the NYC branch of Bangkok Bank - only requires money and everyone working there speaks English - Done the 'Bar Scene' on previous visits - get the 'crazies' out of the system before deciding where to live - Avoided every tourist spot - the rest of Thailand is much nicer and cost about 1/3 to live in - Just a couple of things to consider - Island Paradise is for the rich and foolhardy or the movies There's no such thing as a retired/reformed bar girl Nobody in a uni uniform truly loves you Good Luck

At OP - Quite the opposite in fact. I bought tickets from CheapOAir.com but kept clicking "No" every time it prompted me to pay extra to preselect a seat assignment. (between $47-90 each) When we got to the airport (in BKK) and went to the check-in desk for our boarding passes the lady said; "Oh, and I see you have your seats all reserved..." . ????

yes. it was sent as a pdf within minutes of submitting the video.

My wife bought them at a pharmacy in Bangkok

We used Austrian Air to O'hare and their app is (was) Testifly from the App Store. This was 30 days ago that we left and returned 15 days ago.

How dare they!? Everyone knows the Brits own the world. ????

Then your research is incorrect/incomplete. We both did ours using tests bought in Bangkok sitting on our sofa in Bangkok. Tests were 140 baht each and the app video test and certificate was 370 baht for both. (around $25 USD) Test certs were shown at the airport in Bangkok on our phone to get our boarding passes for the entire trip including the domestic leg in the US. Contact the airline you're leaving Bangkok on for their app/test requirements.

Just do it at home on your phone. All the airlines have a preflight test app that allows you to test and receive your cert within 30 minutes or so without ever leaving your sofa. (except to buy the home test if you don't already have an approved one) Left on the 31st and returned 7 days ago and both airlines sent me emails to check international test requirements. Please do not reply to this e-mail. Direct responses to the sender cannot be dealt with. Lieber Fluggast, Bitte informieren Sie sich sorgfältig über die aktuellen Einreise- und Transferbestimmungen für Österreich. Die detaillierten Bestimmungen und Ausnahmen über erforderliche COVID-Tests, COVID-Impfungen und die Online-Anmeldung finden Sie unter: www.austrian.travel-regulations.com Dear customer, Please inform yourself carefully about the current entry and transfer regulations for Austria. The detailed rules and exemptions about required COVID tests, COVID vaccinations and online registration can be found at: www.austrian.travel-regulations.com Best regards Your Austrian Team ^^this was the international leg to the states

hardly worth it then unless you're single, under 50 and rich.

If you get the 20 year EV do you need to leave to renew it/keep it active or can you just stay for 20 years? Website info isn't clear.

quite possible the 10 grand rule is person to person and doesn't apply for self to self.

Ninja'd ????‍♂️

I'm under the impression that you can not transfer more than $9,999 per month from the states so just do it twice. (better hurry though, Biden and company are trying to lower that to $600) As for BKK bank in NYC, money sent using their routing number and your account number automatically goes into your account as THB (unless you have a foreign currency account)