mmcsusnret

If you are married, qualify and are living in Thailand go for CR-1 (married < 2 years) or the IR-1 for married for more than 2 years. It saves paperwork later. When it is approve you go straght to green card, ssn and the works. With the K3 you need to adjust status and so on for longer times and more paperwork and money.

The only fee involved (so Far) was $355 with the I-30. My wife just got her IR-1 in June. We are leaving for the US in November. Did all of the paperwork myself except translations. Do your homework and do it yourself. The police check is a requirement and can only be done at one place in Thailand--the Special Branch. It is only a couple of 100 baht. Takes about 30 minutes to fill out the form and get a picture taken and they mail it in about 2 weeks. The whole process in BKK was 31 March 2009 submitted and visa issued on 23 June 2009.

The first forms that you need will be the petition form (I-130) and a G325a (biographic information, one for each you, her and baby makes three). Download the PDF forms available on the website. Fill the forms out completely after reading and understanding the instructions. If something is not applicable put "n/a" or "none" so that there is no blanks. You can save and update these forms and then print when needed. Gather the necessary documents for you, her, and the baby. If the document is in Thai, it needs translated. I recommend getting all the documents together first and getting them all translated at one time using a certified translator. Some of the documents have duplicate information that can be cut and pasted into other documents so this can save time and money. There is a good, inexpensive, and quick translation office in the Sindhorn tower on the second floor that gave me good service last March. Avoid lawyers doing the translation because they will charge you lawyer fees for clerks work.

These forms are tedious, but easy to understand and fill out so do it your self. A visa service is probably not needed and you would still have to gather the required documents and provide information for the forms as well as them charging between $1500 - $3000 dollars.

When filling out the forms, if there is an entry that is longer than the provided area, make an word doc. addendum to the form and list them in order of number, item and full information line and attach to the form. Do not abbreviate or use short names. I had used "Korat" vice "Nakhon Ratchasima" for my wife's. The clerk had me white out and write in the corrections on the spot, so don't panic if you have a spelling error or 2.

When all is ready (after checking and rechecking) you do indeed walk in to the USCIS (not allowed to make appointments at this stage) go early so that you can make corrections if needed (the clerk rejected the one document translation that I had done at a lawyer's office) and still have time to go to the second floor and get a new translation. Put all of the documents in the order listed on the USCIS web page in an easy to retrieve order (2 hole punch the top, tabs on the bottom and ACCO fasteners is what USCIS recommends. Keep the originals in one package and duplicates in another package. The USCIS only wants to see the originals but will not want to keep them.

You need sufficient evidence of a relationship, the USCIS is not interested in a lot of pictures (the counsular side wants those). When the clerk accepts your package, go to the cashier by ACS as stated and pay your fee, and take the receipt back to USCIS. My wife's package submitted on 31 March 2009 was approved by USCIS on 3 April 2009 and forwarded to the embassy. The consular section will send you a packet 3 instructions and a letter with the visa type, name, and case # (BKK****). Then fill out the checklist of documents and the part one of DS 230 (also, downloadable PDF). This document has longer time frames for employment and residence information, as well as details of wife's parents and other children if applicable even if they are not going to immigrate. When this is ready your spouse will date and sign the checklist and DS 230 and mail it back to the embassy. Use a return receipt EMS service as proof sending in the copies of documents they want. Again in the order of the checklist and easy to access.

After about 6 weeks or so you will get package 4 with the interview date, medical instructions, and police cerificate requirements. There are only 2 (I think) hospitals in BKK that can do this. We used Bumrengrad (SP?) on Sukumvit Soi 3 and they were well organized and took about 3 hours and have appointments 7 days per week. The police certifcate can only be done at 1 palce in BKK as per the instructions. Go in and drop off the require documents (the embassy says take passport pictures, but my wife has done this twice and they took digital pictures there). They will mail the police certificate to you and it does not need translation (it's in English). Medical and police certificates are only valid for 6 months so don't get them too early.

The key is patience, being organized and not getting frustrated. Only your wife and baby will be allowed to go to the interview (unless you outsmart the embassy) but don't worry about that, if everything is in order and honest. My wife's interview lasted 12 minutes, the clerk spoke adequate Thai but did call a translator over for one thing that she did not understand. 9 other spouses were interviewed that morning and each interview was in the 10 - 12 minute range. All approved except one, who was dressed like a poster girl for Bimbos R us, which did not appear to interest the female clerk. If sucessful, she will be given a card telling her to return in 2 working days a 3 pm to collect her passport.

Hope this helps, anything else let me know. Good Luck!!

By the way, I don't think that you can use the I-134. I think that you need to use the I 864 or I 864EZ if you qualify as per the instructions.

The alcohol in 1 beer = the alcohol in one mixed drink (not strong or doubles) = the alcohol in a glass of wine = the alcohol in a shot of spirits. The liver has to detoxify the same amount of alcohol (the amount of remaining liquid is not important).

If you are drinking too much and know that you are damaging ("burn/rot my organs") and continue to do so knowing or suspecting this, you probably are becoming a problem drinker. Dry out.

This is why you don't see the words "Thai" and "management" used in a phrase or sentence too often.

My wife also had that specification on the restricted tourist visa when she entered at DFW. I wasn't sure so I went to the foreign passports line with her. When we got to the CBP agent he asked why I didn't use the US passport line and I explained the reason. He told me next time to take her with me to the US citizen lines.

Also, her visa had specifications on where and how long we were planning to stay (it was a 3 week vacation for me). The CBP agent approved her permitted to stay date for 6 months and that the Bangkok office had been in error in specifying only three weeks. No matter 3 weeeks was the plan. Don't have to do that again because come November we are using her IR 1 immigrant visa to go to the US to stay for a couple of years and then back to LOS!

I think the consulate puts the notation on the visas to show that they are the south end of a northbound horse.

Probably referring to one of the steps to obtain permanent residence. If I recall correctly, that is one of the easier step. I think there was an earlier (much earlier) post concerning this.

Edit: If you look in the Thai visas, residency forum instead of other countries you'll find a pinned topic at the top of the page.

In many of the US southern states, boiled peanuts are very popular especially the ones with cajun spices. They will light you up!!

It might work or might not work as it seems the Embassy is concerned for constant deposits and withdrawals (an actual working account) rather a lump sum one time deposit obviously made to meet a goal of just showing some money to meet a requirement and then it would be withdrawn defeating the intent of the embassy. A more clever method that would take somewhat longer is to make reasonable smaller deposits over a period of time and indicate that you are paying her to take care of the mother-in-law, and build up the account slowly with some withdrawals and deposits at varying times and amounts to show a working account. For example deposit 20 K to start then she withdraws 3 K and a few days later deposits another amount, another periodic 20K deposit and so on while it builds up.

I think that it would make more sense to have a system where a guarantor could put a cash bond to ensure the person returned. Similar to bailing some one out of jail, it the return is not made the guarantor would be responsible, but even that would have risks and possible abuses to the system, but for honest but poorer family members who honestly just want to visit the US I think it would be worth a try. It would help families stay in contact and see their immigrated members and allow the immigrated one to build a career and life without having to take the time to go home for a visist.

Unfortunatly there is no magic number that they want to see in a bank account. They look for strong ties such as a house in her name, property, jobs, school etc., that shows strong ties that would indicate a return to Thailand. Also, they don't consider family ties to be all that strong to indicate a return.

It helps to have some money in the bank but realistically that is the worst thing for the US Embassy to look at because it could be withdrawn the day after a visa is issued. My wife (and we had been married for more than 1 year) was initially turned down for a tourist visa because not showing sufficient ties to indicate a return. Her bank book showed 100 k baht, had 2 houses and a 10 rai plot of land, 4 kids from her first marriage but no job or school to return to. I was with her at the time of the interview (allowed then) and asked if me having a work permit, an ongoing contract for work, being here for a long time already and I was intending to return would make any differnce. He gave it to her because I had strong ties to Thialand, and we had proved that she had strong ties to me.

Go figure!

There are many areas being scouted by the police and/or army, on all of the side roads around Cherng Talay. Some are being manned 24 hours a day and some are not. There is another check point near the new medical science center in Thalang and one on Srisoonthorn Rd near Baan Manik School. As of 4:15 they were only standing and looking but they are they are ready to start at any time.

I think that it is advisable to make sure that you have all documents on your person and in order. You may not be able to get to some areas or drive on some roads during certain times. Just have to grin and bear it the best you can. Probably not a good idea to argue with them.

Travel to and from the airport on the main road does not need the security sticker (I've been told) but there will be some checkpoints in both directions at various times. Also the motorcades for VIP's will probably cause delays at various areas before and after the VIP's travel.

The army has people (not in uniform) living in various housing developments in the area, keeping an eye on the locals. There are 6 of them in the house next to mine for this purpose. (At least I hope they are army, they have been visited a few times by police and army officers in uniform and official vehicles. They are wearing civilian clothes but do have firearms with them.

Specifically answer DH's question, yes you should have your passport with you to avoid possible detention and allow extra time to go to the airport assuming you live south of Thalang.

Yes, it is true. Just tell the bank you need newer bills for overseas currency exchange. Also, cull the bills for too many marking stamps, writing and so forth. Or use travelers checks.

Depending on the time before you depart, you can buy a sim on line and have it mailed here. Upon arrival in the US pop it in and activate. Several companies available. Phone needs to be a Quad-band. Or some airports (ATL, DFW, LAX for sure) have shops that sell sims but the choice is limited. Last April I bought one from Yackie (yackiemoblile,com) about $35 with some included minutes. The customer service seemed kind of shaky, but once I got that sorted out, I was pleased with the service. The shop where you purchase it should do the activation, but I didn't (and I guess the clerk didn't either) so it took about 2 days to get sorted out. The 1 800 numbers for customer service is only open during normal business hours. I never was able to access the online helpdesk as you need to register before they will answer any questions but the registration site was not working. When I got through to the 1 800 number, the person I spoke to was helpful and said that they would notify all retailers to activate the card. I also bought an extra $25 of time. The rates to Thailand were cheap. I called my wife 2 or more times each day and talked about 20-30 minutes each day and still had money left when I returned to Thailand. Each time you make a call it tells you how much remaining $ you have. I'll use them again.

I just checked online the card is $49.99 and includes 300 minutes. The website looks better (and more user friendly) than before.

Last April I parked for 23 days in the short term lot on level 3 with no problems, about 5200 Baht. There was a short delay in leaving because the guard/parking attendants had to remove the cardboard "mattresses" from the bed of my truck, so I guess they were just keeping a close eye on it. Lock it and don't worry, but don't leave any valuables in the vehicle, of course.

I'm also in Phuket and there has been no changes noted today, it's working fine. Try pulling the smart card out and reinserting it again. Sometimes when I have a signal problem, that does the trick. Or it could be that the "guy you bought the system from" is no longer paying the bill.

I bought one at Lotus in Phuket and use it often. It is oval in shape and about a 3 liter capacity with two heat settings.

The 8th is the start of the Buddhist Lent season and is not always a "bank holiday" and not all places are affected by it. I call it a maybe holiday, as some places are closed and some are not. The 6th was first only for government employees but has been widely implemented.

Yes. 7 and 8 are the normal holidays and they tacked on the 6th as a bounus.

You can get an airport limosine from HKT to Laguna for B450 and no airport surcharge here. A meter taxi may be a little, if any, cheaper but could use a longer route. The limosine service is just when you leave the baggage area before you go out to the greeting area. I alway use the one with the yellow sign on the left of several providers. For a meter taxi you'll have to lug any baggage half way across the parking lot. The limosine service has better cars and pick you up near the door.

The only difference between a CR-1 and an IR-1 visa is how long you have been married (CR-1=<2 years). You don't need to be there for either and are not officially allowed to be there, hence the subtrefuge I used, but you must be discreet. The rep was an American who spoke adequate Thai for the questions (according to my wife) but the rep called in an interpreter to sort out the exspouse issue. You wife can request and interpreter but my wife started without one. The questions were simple: where/how did we meet?, had I met her family and how did they feel about us?. and had she met my family in America? That's all folks. My wife gave short answers (if "yes" is enough, say yes, if they want more they'll ask more. For the last question my wife pulled out her copy of some photo files and pointed out that my only brother and only son had come to Phuket and met her, we visited my only sister last year in New Mexico, and my former in-laws from my deceased spouse are my neighbors in America and they liked her. She pointed out each relative and said "This is my husband's _____ at _____. His/her name is _______.

My wife (also nervous, with limited English and vocabulary) felt comfortable with the reps level of Thai and the rep called in the interpreter to make sure that both she (the rep) and my wife understood what was being asked. I guess the more in depth questions on her Ex could raise a few eyebrows since the house book legally says the Ex is still living with her mother while the divorce papers contradict this. I had not had all of the pages of the house book translated, just the first 2 pages(only ones required).

They briefly looked at, but did not keep the affidavit of support and supporting docs. Just make sure the information is accurate on both you and the cosponser.

I think it would be easier just to prepare your wife to go it alone, unless you do have valid business with the ACS. The 3 husbands who were asked to leave seemed embarassed at being caught, but, as I stated, they were sorting docs, holding hands, and talking constantly. I sat in the row behind my wife and were very discrete in talking. The "bouncers" did not even look at me or ask what I was doing there. My wife thinks there was "devine intervention" for her in the machine breaking after doing the guy behind me and being fixed as she was finishing. I don't know but it was a fortunate coincident.

Are you sure you application went to NVC? I'm sure ours did not, since the USCIS approval came 3 days after submission and was forwarded immediately to the consular section of the embassy and the packet 3 mailing date was 2 days after that. When we submitted the packet 3 info, it said we should hear back in 6-10 weeks, we got packet 4 info in 16 days with her interview date 21 days later. I was suprised (pleasantly) it came back so soon.

Good luck to you both!

I just returned with my wife from the US Embassy in BKK upon obtaining my wife's IR-1 visa. I did all of the paperwork myself and am offering a few tips. The first tip is you probably don't need a visa service. They (visa services) tell you that it better to use one, but you should be able to do it all your self (except the translations) with the downloadable forms, reading and paying attention to the instructions, and saving $$$. If the relationship is valid, and you can get all of the documents (both hers and yours) by mail or visiting offices, you should have no problems.

Second tip: Tell your wife to dress appropriately for a business type meeting. Of the 10 wifes that were at the Embassy most were dressed well and got their visas. The only one that I saw that got turned down was an inflated chest (no complaints here) poster girl for Bimbos "r" us. She had on a halter top, hot pants with a lacy thong showing in back and stilleto heels. Again, pleasing to my eye but the dowdy female clerk appeared not to be impressed.

Thirdly, now that they don't want you in the waiting room with your spouse you need to be clever. There were 4 husbands (me + 3) who entered through the ACS side and went into the visa waiting room. Three of them sat next to their wives and kept sorting documents and holding hands. They were politely asked to leave. I had made an appointment to get pages added, and sat in the row behind my wife and was discrete in speaking to her. She wanted the moral support but I knew that when my passport was done, that I would have to leave. They never even looked at me. Another guy who was only there getting passport pages added turned his in 5 minutes after I did. His was done in about 35 minutes. The clerk saw me and called me to the window and said the machine had broken and I could come back or wait. I waited. The wife turned in her documents at 8:05 and sat back down. Most of the immigrant visa "interviews" lasted 9-10 minutes with about 5-10 minutes between each set. The interview reputation is far worse than reality, My wife didn't realize it was over and was going to sit back down when the lady handed her a card telling her to come back in two days to pick up her passport and visa.

At 10:30 (I was still waiting for my passport) my wife went up and they asked her a few questions about where we met, had I met her family, had she met my family. The only worrisome part they questioned was that when my wife was previously married to a Thai, they lived at her mother's house and he was on her house book and not removed when they got divorced 5 years ago. Tip number 4: make sure that the exspouse is not still on the books. We did have the proper divorce documents so it passed. After a few questions it was over. She was at the window 12 minutes. She turned around and smiled and departed through the visa entry door and the passport pages lady called me to pick up my passport. Her timing was excellent. We celebrated with a nice lunch and headed back to Phuket.

Tip number 5: Have your spouse's documents in the exact order they are listed on the packet 4 intructions. If you have more documents than are listed put them behind the others. Have the originals in one set, a copy of all for the interviewer with labels and a set for your spouse annotated in Thai if needed to make it easier for her to find something. We used the plastic binders with the plastic document protectors sewn into the binding. Easy to see, select and remove a particular document.

The whole process from start to end was relatively easy. Everything happened in less time than indicated on the web site. 8 weeks from submission to USCIS to end, no hassle with an "outsider" read visa service and only B7,000 (for translations) over the standard required fees but not including the medical exam (altogether B5,200) and 3 trips to BKK. Using a visa service would have eliminated the translation fees but cost from $1500-$3500 (I got quotes from 7 different places).

Generally yes. The online prices are better and I am guessing that you mean you're arriviving on a flight from elsewhere and going to the AA kiosk and purchaing an onward ticket to Phuket for the same day, you would would lose the advance purchase discount. A planned early flight could be as low as 890 baht but an at aiport ticket for travel the same day could be over 4800 baht.

Definitely 44. It is a divided highway 2 lanes in each direction and hardly any traffic. Go unil it ends then turn left toward Krabi for about 1/2 km and U-turn for Phang Nga/Phuket. It is about 20 km further but you save time because no small towns and villages to slow down for. Drive is through mostly large oil palm plantations and there are many limestone outcropping type mountains around for scenery. No gas stations or toilets though, so plan ahead!

Depending on the type of ext. hard drive, and it receiving damage in a fall, the damage could possibly be to the case and components that support the hard drive vice to the hard drive itself. If that is the case open you can open the plastic case and use cables to hook it up to your motherboard (or have a computer shop do it) and see if you can access the drive. I had this happen to me before and it worked fine as the damage was to a printed circuit board inside the plastic case, the actual HDD was not damaged. this one used a USB connection to the computer and the way it landed forced the cable plug inwards to damage the circuit board that changes the style of connection from USB to the flat ribbon cable type of plug (unsure of the name of the type of plug. Later found another generic brand HDD case and installed the hard drive that I had thought was dead.

Darakule (sp?) stadium near Central Festival (towards town the other side of Darasumut School) has a nice one. Don't know how to go about using it though. I mean that I know how to run but not how to get the ok to run.

The above posts are correct. It takes a period of time after your wife goes to the US to actually receive the "green card". I believe that I read somewhere, it is over a year to actually receive the card. After "activating" her visa within 6 months of the issue date, by entering the US and establishing her immigrant status, she is allowed to travel freely, but there are some time constraints on how much she can be absent from the US.

The "green card" is just a substitute for carrying her passport with the immigrant visa all of the time and has all of the pertinent information on it, so that people who may need information (such as potential employers), do not have to try to decipher the various pages of the passport.