My 2 baht

Does anyone know if they finally opened it? We can't find a government website for the park

15 hours ago, bbko said:

I've always been a DIY kind of guy so for me to pay a lawyer or preparer to fill out forms written at an 8th grade reading level and where you'll need to provide all names, dates, address & documents anyway is "confusing", and that's putting it politely. Good Luck.

My big roadblock that I have encountered is the requirement by usic to have a permanent mailing address. Did you have one

13 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

Hmm we did a CR-1 a few years back.

 

Wouldn't say the documentation is hard, but it's tedious and the backup paperwork needs work.

 

The problem I thought if you do it yourself is one stupid slip up, lack of documentation and you're back to the start.

 

Now we did it when the USCIS office was still open in BKK and local filing meant you could, as we did get it done in 100 days start to finish.

 

Now you have to file in the US lockbox and it takes a year. Don't f**ck that up and go back to the start all over the lack of some stupid document or translation.

 

So, I'd always say get a reputable company to help you prepare the package. Remember you are legally able to bring your spouse to the US, so it's just dotting and crossing the correct stuff.

 

But this is the Government and they can screw you wherever possible.

 

The other quirk to your situation will be your wife's son, who I'm assuming isn't your's and hence not a US citizen.

Assuming he's under 18 thats a whole other bunch of documentation that going to be needed, and again no margin for error

Please DM me with any recommendation you have for a preparer

9 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

This is my personal opinion, but it doesn't need an attorney but it does need a preparer.

 

There are many pretty reputable companies in Bangkok which can help you assemble all the documents.

 

If any of them say upfront they 'guarantee' a visa....RUN.

 

I would willingly send you contacts for the company we used. Pretty upfront about any pitfalls and the fact that nothing is a done deal until have that embassy interview.

 

Back in the day, I was sitting in the USCIS office in Bangkok with a package of docs prepared for me, The couple sat next to me had like 3 sheets of the A4 application.

 

Needless to say they were out of there within 2 minutes

Thanks. Please DM me with the name of the firm you used. Using a preparer makes sense. 

40 minutes ago, bbko said:

 

I'm in the process of starting my wife's petition now for a IR1 visa, (I-130), I wouldn't say the questions are hard or treacherous but they are tedious. Pre covid I would bounce back and forth between the US and here working 3-6-9 months at a time, so gathering all the dates & addresses is time consuming.

With the online system they have now, you can start filling out the information, stop when need be and then come back at a later date and pick-up where you left off.

My suggestion would be to take a look at the online process, file what you can and if you get stuck, ask for help either here or through a lawyer. Or you could even DM me as I'm doing the process now.

Good Luck

https://www.uscis.gov/file-online/forms-available-to-file-online

Thanks. I should have already checked the online forms out and appreciate the offer of my DMing you

17 minutes ago, beachproperty said:

First I would talk to an immigration attorney. I'm an attorney myself and when I brought my English wife to the US I hired an immigration attorney. The US is not Thailand so the laws are different. 

I have spoken to several attorneys and thank I understand the prices now. Do you mean you would pay for an attornies services like you did? 

Is there an attorney you recommend? 

We are thinking about moving to the US my home country.

If you have gone through the process of getting the marriage visa for your Thai wife, do you think it is hard and treacherous enough to warrant spending for an attorney to help with the process? 

I am retired so have to be cautious with my spending and an attorney, as you know, isn't cheap. I have plenty of time on my hands but having dealt with Thai immigration on my own I understand that immigration processes can be filled with landmines. 

To bring my Thai wife and her son to the US, I have to go through a 3 step process: Department of Homeland Security, State Department and the Embassy here.

Thoughts?

On 11/30/2021 at 5:39 PM, connda said:

Which is another reason Covid never ever goes away. 
It is way too lucrative. 

The Covid Industrial complex is far too lucrative to go away anytime soon and maybe never. Vaccines, boosters, masks, hand sanitizer, temperature check points, Covid tests... Each one of those is a huge money maker with vaccines at the top of the heap. 

Plus none of these doctors or health bureaucrats who have become stars will want to go back to anonymity. 

The hysteria has also enabled a staggering amount of money worldwide to be transfered from the masses to the billionaires and these are the people who really call the shots. 

4 minutes ago, BKK57 said:

 

 

So, given my situation, I don't really need to sign up for part B until I return to the US, right???

You can wait until you are ready to go back but there is a 10 % penalty per year until you are no more.

7 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Extremely.

 

Plus of course the part B fee goes up every year anyway without the penalties.

 

Wait long enough and it could wipe out a lower level social security check.

I have plan B. It goes up about $2 per year

Overall I like living in Thailand. However, for it to have a healthy lifestyle as its draw, you need to have come from some place like Pakistan, China or the Congo. 

If men are honest the vast majority come here from first world nations for the women, the libertine lifestyle, cost of living and sense of adventure. Now the women, boys and ladyboys are the only real draw, although cost of living, while rising, is still better than many nations. 

If I had prioritized a healthy lifestyle Thailand (with its pollution, cheap cooking oils, sugar in everything and roadblocks on getting involved in the community via working or volunteering) would not have been on my list especially since I can't afford to do any major treatment at Bumrungrad or only dine at expensive restaurants. 

Peddicord sells dreams as do most writers who specialize in travel and retiring overseas. She always leaves out the inconvenient details that interfere with the dream. For example she touts Vietnam as a retirement haven without mentioning that they don't have a retirement visa but do have  poor Healthcare. With other places she glosses over crime,  healthcare and taxes. 

Her approach works. She makes a lot of money

Thailand is slated to launch 3 vaccines next year. There is no way they will put a damper on the hysteria until they have made a fortune on those vaccines. This poll may be a way to keep the hysteria high enough thais will welcome the Thai vaccines as a way to improve the economy 

I wonder how much of the 300,000 the police are in line to get once they extract the money from the Swiss chap?