PattayaXpat

I'm concerned that I'm not doing enough to teach my oldest daughter English. She's going to be three next month, she's living in Issan with her mother and I'm working abroad. Her mother speaks to her in English and Thai but, almost all other communication is in Thai and Issan. I speak to her in English and Thai but that's only on Skype and every few months when we are actually together.

We are all moving to the states next year before her 4th birthday, but I'm concerned that she will not be ready for school in English when she's 5.

I hope that it's true that kids are like sponges and pick up languages quickly but I would really like to hear experiences from others.

Thank You!

The IR1 for me has taken about 5 months,

Was it 5 months from the initial application to the final interview? That seems incredibly fast!

Initial application was June 10, interview on 27 Oct.

Wow! Thanks for the Information!

The IR1 for me has taken about 5 months,

Was it 5 months from the initial application to the final interview? That seems incredibly fast!

When you applied for a CR1 it was basically a CR1/IR1. When your wife enters the USA, USCIS will issue her green card. If on the the date her permanent residency begins you have been married less than two years, they will issue here conditional green card which is valid for two years. After two years she would have to file with USCIS to remove conditions and, if approved, she would get a 10 yr green card. If on the date her permanent residency begins you have been married for two years or longer, USCIS will issue her a 10 year green card.

I am a bit confused by the part that she already passed her interview, but does not have her visa. When my wife interviewed (although it was for a K3) they kept her passport and we went a few days later and picked it up with the visa already in it.

As far as going to the USA, once she enters, they will send her a green card (to the address on the I-130 petition when you applied). Nothing else to do but wait for it (usually takes about a month). Once she has the GC, she can potentially stay outside the USA up to a year without a re-entry permit, but pushing this is not recommended.

http://www.uscis.gov...000082ca60aRCRD

I would look into the re-entry permit guidelines to determine if it might not be a better way to go.

http://www.uscis.gov...ources/B5en.pdf

Thanks Very Much for The Reply!

I'm still weighing my options but will need to decide within a month or so.

As far as my wife passing her interview, she went to her final interview in March, they approved the visa but she requested to pick it up later. You can put off picking up the Visa for up to a year, but will need to renew your medical and police certificate when you do got to get it. When the visa is issued you have 6 months to use it or lose it.

Does anyone know the current processing times for an IR1 visa?

Thank You

Most people who post here are trying to get their Visa’s as quickly as possible to be reunited with their loved ones; my posts always seem to be the exact opposite!

Here’s my situation. My wife’s CR1 visa has been approved, her final interview was last March (2011) and we are planning on picking it up in February 2012 and traveling 6 months later before it expires.

We purposely put it off as long as possible due to my work situation and our young children. They are better off in Thailand now instead of packing up for a new life in the states.

To make a long story short our situation has changed again, we had a support system in place (family) in the states that could help my Family temporarily settle so I can continue my work for approx 8 months , but that may not work out now.

Here are the options that I believe are available:

1) Take the wife and two kids on a short two week vacation to the states to get her passport stamped and green card started. I really do not want to do this and to be honest I’m not even sure if it’s legal or if I’ll need to ask permission for her to leave again. FYI, my Children have dual citizenship so they are not an issue. This will be much more expensive then option 2.

2) Contact the Embassy and or relevant agencies, explain the situation, cancel the Visa and start all over. I would also apply for an IR-1 This time instead of the CR-1, I think this is the better option but I'm curious about the time frame and if I can just apply in Bangkok for this.

I’m assuming that the second time around would be much easier considering that we have already been approved once, have two kids and will be married over two years.

I would really appreciate any advice or ideas that you might have and if you’re a lawyer in Bangkok or Pattaya feel free to contact me or just post so I can contact you, I always seem to have trouble with the PM function here.

Thanks!

There is a store on the first floor of Big C (North Pattaya, Soi 2). Sorry but I don't remember the name but it's a men's store, lot's of Camo gear in the front window. I haven't been in there in a while but they used to carry steel toes, I bought a pair of Coleman steel toe boots there once a few years ago.

Hope This Helps....

Theres a little shop at the beginning of Soi Buakhow, the Pattaya Klang end, its only about 10 yards along. I was impressed with there service.

It was nice to open this thread and see this little shop mentioned,. I've been using this guy for years! Very honest and does great work!

One of my first thoughts was just to lock it up and hope that it builds some equity over the years, but now I'm definitely leaning towards selling...... Thanks Again...

I would say sell it if you can...managing a rental property from another country is hard work if you do it yourself and any Pattaya property-pimp you get to manage it for you will likely rip you off or not even be interested taking on a low-renting townhouse.

I am currently looking for something on the Farside so feel free to PM me details of your property...I might be interested in it

Getting ripped off is exactly what I'm concerned about. I don't really have anyone that I trust enough to look after things for such a long period of time, so it would need to be a management Company.

I'm leaning towards trying to sell it. If the construction continues on schedule we will have about 6 months to either sell or rent it out...

Thanks for The Responses guys!

I bought a new town house on the dark side that is currently under construction.It's off Siam CC, a new development by Rattanakorn. It's going to be a very modern, two bed/two bath with a nice corner lot. The construction is coming along on schedule.

Our plans have changed and we are leaving Thailand for at least 5 years. I'm torn between putting it up for a long term rental or trying to sell it out right.

For the rental I would need a very reputable management firm and I plan on leaving it unfurnished and just finish the bathrooms, install A/C, curtains etc..

If I hold it I'm afraid of what the development will look like in 5 years, This is not a luxury development and everyone knows what can happen to the common areas, roads, pipes etc... in 5 years.

Any comments, suggestions? Any reputable management companys you can reccomend? If you are a management company feel free to PM me with info.

Thanks Guys

Call K Bank because if I am not mistaken you can set it up to use your PIN2 instead of the SMS OTP (one time password) BUT you will have to be in Thailand to receive the OTP via SMS before you can go into your account settings to change it to PIN2

I would give you the url but it would only be for my account

I use Pin2 now, but for International transfers you need to use the SMS OTP. As I said before I have very few complaints about Kbanks online banking. I've been using it for over a year and never really had a problem!

Thanks!

As Aurelius says, Bangkok Bank doesn't use texted codes for transaction authorization but does require that the initial beneficiary setup be done in person at a branch. Authorization to use online telegraphic transfers must be renewed each calendar year and requires one of:

1. Proof of income letter from an employer in Thailand,

2. Proof of a Thai relative residing permanently outside of Thailand to whom you are transferring funds, or

3. Proof of a Thai relative studying outside of Thailand to whom you are transferring funds.

Incredible! I've sent millions of Baht in to Thailand with no questions asked!

I just double checked K Banks policy before posting and they do not have similar requirements. The Sim card is looking better and better!

Thanks For The Info!

Thanks for the suggestions guys but they are very specific about using s Thai phone. I'm moving the whole family to the states for a few years at least so I'm not sure about leaving the phone on roaming. It could work because I pay the bill (AIS) online already but if something happened to the sim I could have a problem!

The policy is just an extra measure of security. With my stateside accounts thay either ask for my debit card number or send me a verification email before I can do an international wire transfer online. I was hoping some one had knowledge of the policy's for other Thai banks.

Thank You Again!

I use Kasikorn Bank and do online transactions all the time with very few problems. I want to transfer money out to an international account but I can't do it unless I'm in country because part of their security is requiring an authorization code to be Texted to your Thai mobile number. I understand why they are doing this and it's a great idea, but very Inconvenient for me when I'm not there.

Does anyone know if there in another bank that doesn't require this feature?

Thank You!

Does anyone have the correct phone number for the Royal Thai Police Department which issues police certificates?

Here are the numbers that I've found and there is no answer when I call.

2-205-2605

2-205-2168-9

Thank You!

I just tried to Edit my first post and can't do it. I was mistaken, she has a K-3 Visa, not K-1.

She called Bangkok today and was told that she needed a request from the Embassy requesting the certificate, I'm going to have to call the NVC, I really have no idea what I have to do!

Thanks

I tried searching because I'm sure it's been asked before but had no luck. We submitted a police certificate for my wifes K-1 Visa which has already been approved. The original was never returned to us and now I need another one to submit the final application for the CR1 visa. Does this sound correct? I'm going to try and call the visa processing center on Monday but was hoping some one here could advize.

Thank You!

Electric cigs... wazzat??

E Smokes

<!--quoteo(post=3193801:date=2009-12-10 12:24:37:name=canukbob)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (canukbob @ 2009-12-10 12:24:37) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=3193801"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=2788961:date=2009-06-07 16:52:15:name=TheAceFace)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (TheAceFace @ 2009-06-07 16:52:15) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=2788961"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Can these be bought in Thailand...if so where and how much?

Any success stories of people quitting using the E-smoke?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I've been using them for about 3 months and have reduced by 30 to 40% which is good for me I use to smoke 2 packs a day. Can buy them here in Pattaya for 950bht with 10 refills.

Refills can also be bought at 390bht for 10. Come in Medium or strong.

<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Does the USB come for free?

Can someone tell me where to find these in Pattaya???

Thanks!

Does anyone know where I can find some good quality E-Smokes in Pattaya?

Thanks Guys!

2) When they arrive in the states have her go to the visitors line and yes the baby can go with her.

I just wanted to follow up. We got the passport back a few days again. It was all a mistake! the embassy even helped with an email stating that the visa was fine and there was no reason to take it.

Thanks for all the replys

I'm in the states with my family. My daughter uses the Wyeth S26 Gold Baby formula in Thailand but it is not available here in the states. We brought a month supply with us but may now have to extend our stay to 2 months or more. If we need to start using one of the local formulas(Enfamil or Similac ) I just want to make sure that they are available when we return to Thailand so that we won't have to switch again.

Thanks Very Much!!

When you file for adjustment of status, you will also need to file for Advanced Parole. This will be a new document that allows her to re-enter the country while waiting for the AOS to be finalized.

I thought that the K3 does not require Advance parole to travel while waiting for AOS. Has this changed?

CBP should know the difference between the underlying petition's expiry and the expiry of the visa itself, but unfortunately they do not always know how the whole system works. That being said the K-3 should still be valid for travel purposes (so long as the I-130 petition is still "alive" and with NVC). The thing you need to keep an eye on if she will be coming and going again is the underlying I-130 petition. If that petition goes stale, then you could have real problems with the K-3 as it is only intended to be used as a travel document while you are awaiting the adjudication of the I-130 or the adjudication of an adjustment of status petition in the US. If you are adjusting her status stateside then filing for adjustment should remedy all issues related to the validity of the K-3 (except the expiration date of the K-3 itself is still binding). Filing for adjustment and being approved would give her permanent residence and make all of the issues surrounding the validity of her K-3 a moot point.

I hope this was helpful.

All the Best!

Ben Hart

US Immigration Attorney

Integrity Legal

Thank You For The Reply Ben!

Maybe it's the jet lag but I'm still confused.

We were actually planning to all leave the states again after applying for an adjustment of status for her, when she applys for the adjustment will she get a new stamp or document stating that we applyed for the change and will that allow her to come and go while the visa is still active?

She was just issued the Visa in mid Jan., we saw that the K3 was expiring but thought that it was nothing because we had 2 years on the Visa. Isn't the application process finished when the visa is issued?

This is extremely confusing!

Thanks