SeaMike01

Here's a follow-up to my original post: This morning my wife had her embassy interview for the B-2 tourist visa and was denied yet again. The feedback from the agent was that my job and her job in Thailand were not sufficient to convince them that we would return. She was asked about 20 questions and the agent seemed to be receptive to the situation, but denied her anyway. She's not the only one. She estimated that out of the 20 people in the room, 1 family and 2 other applicants were approved for a visa (passports kept), and the rest denied.

Just a follow-up regarding one point: I've been checking the U.S. embassy site almost daily because the appointment wait time (according to the web site) is down to two days. Having been declined twice for a B-2 visitor visa, my wife doesn't feel confident about preparing the documents and answering questions again. So she contacted a Thai visa agent who told her "there are no appointments available until next year". My gut reaction was that she's trying to "get the money! get the money!" as quickly as possible, hoping that the client doesn't realize that the wait time is low. For a moment I thought "maybe she knows something that I don't know".  I tried to post a question about it on a USA visa for Thais forum (owned by an agency) and they wouldn't post my question. So, what do you think? More visa agent B.S.? Has anyone had a positive result using an agent? I wonder if they're just declining so many applicants that the wait time has dwindled down to almost nothing.

On 9/6/2022 at 6:40 PM, BonMot said:

No, not criminal. Has she ever had an American bf? Possible she's applied before?

 

Sounds like she probably dressed appropriately but at same time also sounds like the decision was made on her before she even made it to the window.

 

At this point it could be just a battle against all the negatives. Perhaps a battle against all of the visa denials.

No, my wife has never had another American boyfriend. She has applied only the two times I've mentioned. She dressed modestly and professionally both times. I do agree that the decision may have been made before she even made it to the window. Very disappointing, but we will try one more time.

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

It is very easy to get a visa for your Thai wife. Get a marriage visa. All she has to bring to the appointment is your original passport. We did it. It was easy. She got a 10 year, multiple entry visa. 

 

We were previously turned down for a student and a tourist visa. Once we were married, and she applied for the spousal visa, it was easy. She has been back to the US at least five time, and we never had a problem. Same with Mexico. 

I can't get a K-1 marriage visa because we married in Thailand. I can apply for a K-3 visa, but that will take many months (19 months, evidently) and we wouldn't be able to go back together for my father's memorial service. That's probably our next step, but it doesn't solve the current problem.

My wife's history in terms of 'criminal record' is spotless, for sure. I've known her for years and I know exactly who she was with before. (A Thai guy now deceased due to one of those new strains of tuberculosis.) She was never a bar girl and has only worked in her sister's Rangsit village, and for the past 7 years, in well-known Thai corporations. Although I can't say what the problem is, I don't think that's it.

I haven't even been allowed inside to accompany my wife to the interview. As she told me the last time she was there she just looked up at the person in the window and they didn't want to see any documents or anything. It was over before it had even begun. But I wasn't allowed inside at all.

I'm so frustrated about this. I think we're going to have to give up again and wait for another time, or get an immigrant visa later. It seems ridiculous because our nation supposedly represents equality and abhors 'discrimination' and yet here we are, taking money from people continually and actively discriminating against them due to both nationality and gender. It seems 'Un-American' to me. I researched this a few days ago:

According to the Homeland Security report from March 30, 2020, the average overall Non-immigrant overstay percentage average only 1.03%.  

Thailand is not specifically on the list of countries. The Top Five percentage countries with overstays: Portugal, Spain, Chile, Greece, and Lithuania. The top percentage being Portugal with 1.8% or 3,275 overstays.

Thailand is a Non Visa Waiver (NVW) country and the number of overstays for that category are 2.55%, less than the student overstay average of 2.71%.

There are some countries with a smaller number of visitors, but a much higher level of overstays, mostly from African nations.

3 hours ago, creative1000 said:

Similar situation as you. Girlfriend denied twice in 2018. She mentioned the interviewers were extremely rude even before she began to talk.

 

It makes me believe that she was pre-denied based on the online application or the imbecile orange president mandates. The "Interview" was probably a required formality for show.

 

During the interview, girlfriend had a stack of suggested evidence documents to bring, but the interviewer wouldn't look at them. She had documents that showed she owned her own house, had a decent bank account, was fully employed for many years, had a boyfriend with substantial finances saved up, had letters of recommendation from an employed medical doctor (my sister), 

They interviewer said something along the lines as: "How do we know you will come back to Thailand"

GF: "I own my own house, and have worked at my employer more than 5 years, Here take a look at these documents that are proof"

Interviewer: "don't give me those documents, I don't want to see them. Like I said before, how do I know you will come back?"

GF: "I have no reason to stay in the USA, my whole life is in Thailand, take a look at these documents"
Interviewer: "Don't pass me those documents, I don't care."

GF: "When I am in the USA, I will stay at my boyfriend's sister's house. Here is her letter of  support."

Interviewer: "I don't want to see it, don't pass any documents through the window please."


Honestly, I was really upset when I heard this. If we were back in the states, if this was any other government agency, we'd probably be allowed to talk with supervisors, examine the employee's style of interview professionalism & fairness, and hopefully get someone that cared. But the US embassy here is a black box by design with no recourse. They could probably huck a loogie right into your face, and there'd be no way to report it. 

...sorry for the rant. it's still a sore spot. btw we're married now with a child, so maybe we will get lucky and apply again to showoff the grandchild to the western family.

 

Best of luck! Sorry I couldn't give any help, lol

That story sounds remarkably similar to my wife's last attempt, before we were married. Sorry to hear that you haven't made it to the USA with her yet. Hopefully something will work out in the future!

2 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Yes you should get a translation done in case it is needed in the future (bank account/insurance/pension or such) - but that has nothing at all to do with US Embassy.  Suspect US Embassy was added as incentive to do the translation.

Yes, that's a good idea. I can see that the Embassy bit was an 'add-on', now that I understand everything a little bit more.

11 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Who told you to translate and register at Embassy?  There is no such thing. 

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/getting-married-in-thailand/

 

 

What you should do is go online and register yourself if not already done.

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/acsregform/

Interesting (This is from the U.S. Embassy web site): REGISTERING YOUR MARRIAGE IN THE USA: You cannot register your marriage through an embassy or consulate as marriage is a state-specific responsibility. Most states recognize the validity of legal marriages registered in Thailand. If you would like to register your marriage in the United States, you must contact the Attorney General in your state of residence to inquire about their specific documentary requirements. Some states may require your Thai marriage certificate to be “certified.” 

3 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Who told you to translate and register at Embassy?  There is no such thing. 

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/getting-married-in-thailand/

 

 

What you should do is go online and register yourself if not already done.

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/acsregform/

The woman who did our marriage at the amphur offered to translate the final document (at her office) and take it to the U.S. embassy to have it registered. I'm assuming this just means getting the typical affidavit form and swearing that we really did get married. Thanks for the links, I'll do some more research.

1 hour ago, andy said:

Owning property and bank account size doesn't mean shiitte, despite the mythology about this on this forum.  Neither does "registering" the marriage with the US embassy, which is not even a thing.  It won't be long before the replies about "sponsoring" the visa come along, which also is not a thing.

 

Previous international travel is good.  A letter from employer with PTO mentioned is huge.  Your work permit in Thailand will be useful.  That is pretty much it.  No other paperwork will be looked at.  Agents exist to take your money, they have zero influence on if the visa is issued.

 

I think your timing on the first tries was unfortunate.  My wife's first 10 year B2 expired in mid-2016.  Had no plans to go to the US at that time, but after November 2016 we decided to get on with applying for another B2.  Applied in early Feb 2017, approved after a 30 second interview, no documents asked for.

 

I'm assuming the part about asking a congressman is a joke, so won't comment...

 

 

 

Good points. Looks luck you were lucky with your wife's applications. Smooth sailing. I agree that some of the commonly stated requirements may not even be looked at when it comes down to applicant evaluation time. We will get the letter from her employer and my work permit. I'm assuming we might also have to show funds available for the trip. I had brought up the Congressman's office because I read about another applicant having good luck getting a special request from their local Representative.  Perhaps it won't be necessary this time.

2 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

The key factor is her returning to Thailand and that this not being a shortcut to green card application without going through the immigrant visa process (which takes many months) now that you have married.  Her and your ties to Thailand are very important to help prove this - but as you have found out it is very hard to convince officials that she is really returning.  In my case was retired and wife had been approved for immigrant visa but we changed mind to remain here.  Several years later that information was key to getting tourist visa approved.

So give her any proof you plan return to Thailand as well as her and both of your employments.  If mother is unable to travel to Thailand would use that document to add weight to need for her to travel to USA to meet MIL.  I would give it a try,  If another failure consider sponsoring parents visit to Thailand perhaps.  

Yes, it seems difficult to convince officials that my wife plans to return to Thailand. To us it seems obvious, but... evidently not clear to them. Since she has a job we will (again) provide a letter from her employer indicating that she will still have a job when she returns. We did all of these things last time, but it seemed that no one looked at any documents that we had prepared. We considered having my mother come to Thailand, but my step father (in his early 80s) is about to undergo treatment for prostate cancer, so she doesn't feel that it's the right time to attempt another trip to Thailand.

2 hours ago, bbko said:

When you got legally married in April 22, did you register the marriage with the US Embassy? And were you 2 legally married when she was rejected the other times?

 

About 7 years ago, my Thai wife applied for a B2 visa and was quickly approved, but we have a son together, she owns our house, and at the time we had already been married for about 6 years.

I didn't use a agency as the required paperwork/instructions are pretty straight forward and easy to understand. 

No, I haven't yet done the translation of the marriage certificate and registration at the U.S. Embassy. I have a translator who is prepared to do it on my behalf (using a power of attorney) for 3,500 baht. No we were not legally married the first two times we applied. I've recently seen scenarios in visa a visa forum where a married Thai spouse still wasn't able to get approved. It's perplexing. I agree that the paperwork and instructions are easy to understand, but I sometimes wonder if some agents have 'connections' for getting things done. 

My question is about getting a U.S. tourist visa (B2) for my wife. I'm a teacher, and I'm planning to travel back to the USA during the October Thai school break. I'd like to take my Thai wife (who has never traveled to the USA) with me to see my elderly mother and stepfather. While I'm in the U.S. I plan to have a memorial service for my father who passed away during the pandemic, when we couldn’t travel. We will also bury his ashes at a cemetery. 

My wife and I have been in a relationship for several years. We've been living together in Bangkok since 2016. We had a wedding in November 2020 and were legally married in April of 2022. 

We have previously applied for B2 visas twice during the Trump administration. The first time, we meticulously prepared all the documents for weeks, but she was denied. The second time, upon the advice of Thai family and friends, we used an agency, who seemed to simply take our money and forget about us until a day or two before the interview. Again, she was rejected.

DETAILS:
-Wife is 37 years old.
-We've been living together since 2016.
-Wedding in 2020, legally married in 2022.
-We do not own property or a car and have limited savings. (i.e. She does NOT have over 800,000 Thai baht in the bank.)
-She owns a plot of land in Buriram
-She has two sisters in Bangkok but the parents are no longer living.
-Has traveled with me to Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
-She works in customer service for a major condo and luxury house development company. (Worked for 3 years, took one year off, now working at same company again.)
-I'm a teacher and have been at the same school in Bangkok for 4 years.

So now, what is our best approach? Should we go the agency route again? At this point I'm planning to write a letter to my U.S. Congressperson's office in hopes that they will intervene. However, I'm a little concerned because after reading the expedited application rules, they are very specific about rejecting non-urgent applications. Since my father passed away a long time ago, I'm not sure that they would consider his memorial service as 'urgent'. Any thoughts? What is our best shot at getting a USA B-2 visa for my wife for October?

Thanks. I've already been to the DLT once and my return appointment is for tomorrow. This is why I am wondering if it's possible to finish all of the tasks by mid-afternoon. If not, of course I'll have to book an appointment for another day. It's tough for me to take time off work, so I'm hoping that this won't be the case.

Does anyone have any recent experience getting a Thai driver's license at the Chatuchak DLT (near Mo Chit BTS)?

I already have all of my documents and the medical check, and I have an appointment at 8:30 a.m. on Monday. I'm applying for both the car and motorcycle licenses, and I have a U.S. driver's license already so I think I can just 'transfer' that one after taking the depth-perception and other tests.

I understand that now they show a one-hour video at 1 p.m. and I'm wondering if I'll have to do the motorcycle practical test in the afternoon, or if I can take it in the morning. Does anyone know?

I'm taking almost a full day off of work, but I'm wondering what time I'll be finished will all of the tasks. Ideally I'm hoping to finish the last task at 2:00 so I can be back to work by 3:00.  Is there any chance I'll be finished by then? 

Thais will sometimes answer 'yes' to everything. Even if they have no idea or don't understand what's being asked.

5 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Bang rak….

 

You’ve been given good advice, but if you can’t wait for an appointment you may just have to go by trial & error…. Try your nearest amphur office, you will need 2 witnesses. 
 

You have your MFA verified translation of your affirmation of freedom to marry, right ?

 

Witnesses…   You or your wife have any friends ?

Yes, I have a translator and will have the documents ready. I'm going to my embassy on Thursday.

I'm an American and my wife is Thai. We already had a Thai traditional ceremony last year but haven't registered our marriage yet. I've heard that Bang Rak is experienced with foreigners but we don't have a lot of time to wait for an appointment. Are there any other amphurs where it's easy to a farang to register, even without our own witnesses? I assume my wife can help figure out how to fill out the form, but how do we get witnesses?

Yes, I'm aware that if an ATM runs out of 1000 baht notes it might dish out 500s, but... four times at four different ATMs? Anyway, that's not really the point. The branch closures, ATM pull-outs, plus the general disorganization, mayhem and inefficiency during recent branch visits made me wonder about the health of the entire organization. Interesting point, however, about it being one of the five "systemically important banks" in Thailand which would receive Bank of Thailand and Gov't Treasury support in an emergency. I won't close my account! ????

My employer uses Krungthai bank for payroll deposits. I primarily use SCB but I did some banking at Krunthai branches and used their ATMs fairly frequently. In the past year I noticed that some Krungthai ATMs started using 500 baht notes instead of 1000 baht notes. Two branches in our area closed, and most recently all of the Krungthai ATMs in our area have been removed. On my last trip to the branch, their ATM again gave me 15k in 500 baht notes, which I had to change at the teller. Does anyone know what's going on with this bank? Is it still solvent? I'm starting to become concerned about not being able to access my payroll check someday.

Dear God I hope they still do this. Wine is ridiculously overpriced here. In Washington State wine sections are huge and fully stocked. It was a total shock to see the horrible selection and extortionist prices in a place that's supposedly going to attract "high-end" tourists. The sooner the better, but I wouldn't be surprised if they completely reverse course.