New Friend In Phuket

[BrianUSA]

I just returned to the USA from a month in Thailand. I had met a VERY nice lady I would like to get to know better. Is it as difficult as I have heard just to bring her to the US so I can get to know her better? I mean, I would be willing to finance her trip and would have a return airline ticket issued in her name. The reason I am asking is I think she is marraige potential, but will not do so until I can get to know her much better over a decent period of time. I am willing to go to Thailand too, but want to have her come visit me too.

Any help or direction to other resources would be most appreciated.

[kenk3z]

If it were all that easy, Thailand would have a lot fewer women.

It is possible to get a tourist visa for a Thai with substantial means. Not because it costs a lot, but because the country being visited wants some kind of assurance she will return. So it seems many of the young eligible girls don't qualify.

An alternative is the fiance visa. Seems to be a lot of paperwork. I may be doing that myself soon. Then your friend can come visit for three months, after which time you must either marry her or she must go home (to remain in legal compliance). Nothing says you have to marry her after the three month visit. And I have not found anyone who has done more than one fiance visa, or more to the point, more than one fiance visa for the same woman.

It would be interesting if you could do back-to-back fiance visas but I doubt that's possible.

For my girlfriend I have to figure out the best way to handle her child, given to her by someone who then immediately abandoned her. So I guess there's an issue of adoption, and potentially some way to document abandonment? Or approval from the natural father if he can be found? A child seems to complicate the situation.

kenk3z

P.S. I'm no expert. Just repeating things I have read here and elsewhere, if that helps you get started.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

I just returned to the USA from a month in Thailand. I had met a VERY nice lady I would like to get to know better. Is it as difficult as I have heard just to bring her to the US so I can get to know her better? I mean, I would be willing to finance her trip and would have a return airline ticket issued in her name. The reason I am asking is I think she is marraige potential, but will not do so until I can get to know her much better over a decent period of time. I am willing to go to Thailand too, but want to have her come visit me too.

Any help or direction to other resources would be most appreciated.

You have only known her for a month. That will not favorably impress US Immigration very much at all.

[penelope]

I had met a VERY nice lady I would like to get to know better.

What type of female is she ??

1) tertiary educated, good job,english speaking,owns a home,good family/surname,has travelled outside Asia before etc....

2) freelancer/working girl/poor farm girl etc....

3) somewhere in between 1 and 2

Females from category 1 can get visas very easily.They don't need to be taken anywhere, they can go themselves.

Females from category 2 should in most cases be denied for a tourist visa, but the occasional one slips through the system.

[siamsam]

Penelope is obviously a broad-minded, well travelled individual, I wonder which catogrey do you fall into? To be able to the put a whole nations female population into 2 catogreys is very stupid and ignorant. Sometimes I despair the species.

[splitlid]

Actually buddahboy she put them into 3 categories,and was totally correct when she did.

unless you have the details of other categories and how they can get a visa.

[penelope]

Penelope is obviously a broad-minded, well travelled individual, I wonder which catogrey do you fall into? To be able to the put a whole nations female population into 2 catogreys is very stupid and ignorant. Sometimes I despair the species.

As the member "splitid" clarified, 3 categories were mentioned.

Upper bound, lower bound and everything in between. You can read can't you buddhaboy ??

Don't get so worked up.What I wrote is a fact.It is objective.It exists in Thailand.That's the way it is.So accept it, or be angered by it.Up to you mate.

The comment was posed to help the original poster.By determining the demographic of his companion(something not entirely inferrable from his original post), I would be able to further comment whether the acquisition of a tourist visa would be difficult or very easy.

[Pink Mist]

I agree with you Pen, but sometimes you do, in the interests of clarity, put things bluntly, which can sometimes be misconstrued and misunderstood, no insults intended.

We know the Oz embassy employs Thai Women, very well educated, affluent english speaking Case Workers who screen potential visa applicants, the name of the game is to impress them.

These embassy employees would obviously identify more easily with Pen's type 1 people, due their life experiences.

Not a matter of categorising, but simply stating the biases of the umpires.

[penelope]

Just an aside, have you noticed on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website different colored Thai passports ?? I presume that these are for civilian, military, diplomat, royal etc... I've only ever seen my wife's old maroon colored one.

MFA passport section

[penelope]

I agree with you Pen, but sometimes you do, in the interests of clarity, put things bluntly, which can sometimes be misconstrued and misunderstood, no insults intended.

You're absolutely correct Brisbane Bronco.I am blunt and to the point.I dont like to pansy around.People who take offence to simple, non-personal, objective, commonly agreed upon facts.... are usually <deleted> anyway

[Axel]

I liked the original question, 'know each other for a month, VERY nice and now lets get to know each other better'.

This is thought through and shows BrianUSA still to be careful. Absolutely correct and not 'neck over head'.

Let's face it the categorization shown by penelope is exactly what the embassies are doing, whose staff is doing it day in and day out with more or probably less enthusiasm. They do not touch an applicant with velvet gloves, so to speak. So it is better to know in advance what to expect.

[maerim]

They do not touch an applicant with velvet gloves, so to speak.

Some of the women I have seen applying for visas to the U.K. I wouldn't touch with rubber surgical gloves.

[penelope]

Let's face it the categorization shown by penelope is exactly what the embassies are doing

The categorization is created by the dynamics of Thai society. Embassy workers juts choose to use it as a deliberating factor.

Inside the embassy doors and outside the embassy doors, those class divisions exist. For better or worse, this is just the way it is.

[Pink Mist]

Reality bites when you go thru those embassy doors.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Reality bites when you go thru those embassy doors.

Once the muscle flexers start muscle flexing, the trouble starts for the applicant.

[BrianUSA]

WOW....Thank you all very much for the information and differing perspectives. I had no idea that it would be so difficult just to bring her to the USA. Looks like it will be incumbent upon me to travel there if I want to get to know her better.

As someone noticed, I am NOT interested in rushing into anything with her. I was simply trying to find if there was an easy way to get to know her better before I even consider something like that. And that I could make that happen on her turf as well as mine.

As far as the categories supplied by Penelope, which I think are appropriate questions: she is an Asst Mgr at a Bar/Resturaunt in Karon Beach and is not a "Working Girl". She has the equivalent of a HS Diploma, but has not attended college. Her command of the english language is not as desireable as I would like, but she is interested in improving those skills. She rents an apartment rather than owining a home. As far as her family, I only know that they still live in Chang Ra, where she visits 2-3 times /year. As I said, I don't know here well enough to do any more than to find a way to get to know her better. She has a Wonderful heart and I want to explore what else is there.

Any other information I can provide to help clarify what I am asking?

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Visit her and build up a bit of history. Keep letters, photographs, phone records etc to evidence your relationship, then apply for her to visit you for a short trip. Take a letter from her employer saying that her job is there for her to return to.

[penelope]

As I said, I don't know here well enough to do any more than to find a way to get to know her better. She has a Wonderful heart and I want to explore what else is there.

Go and co-habitate with her in Thailand for a year. Thats the only way to get to know someone better. Find out if that wonderful heart is "ching jai".

[BrianUSA]

As I said, I don't know here well enough to do any more than to find a way to get to know her better. She has a Wonderful heart and I want to explore what else is there.

Go and co-habitate with her in Thailand for a year. Thats the only way to get to know someone better. Find out if that wonderful heart is "ching jai".

Thank you. I only wish I could go there for a year. If I was to do that I would not have the lifestyle here in the USA that I would desire for the both of us as my good job would not be waiting for me upon my return.

This is REALLY discouraging. I had heard it wasn't as easy as I had hoped, but these discussions have added a level of complexity that seems to indicate a major uphill battle.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[ponder]

I have a friend in Bangkok whom I have known for 8 months. I was there recently and mentioned the possibility of him coming to Ireland to visit me here for a couple of weeks.

I was told that in normal circumstances, it just is not worth the bother of applying for a visa as he would not get one (does not own property, works in a bar et cetera).

However, someone did say that if he booked a package tour that there would be no problem. We actually went to a tour operator who was advertising these tours and he said he thought that there would be no problem. Unfortunately, it turned out his package tours were to ICELAND not Ireland.

It was too late to investugate further. Does anyone know if this is true? Seems that if the tour is paid for in full (including accommodatio) there might not be a problem. Anyone know?

[penelope]

This is REALLY discouraging.

And I'm sure myself and others don't mean to be discouraging.But these are the realitys(based on first hand experiences), and it's best to know them upfont.

[BrianUSA]

This is REALLY discouraging.

And I'm sure myself and others don't mean to be discouraging.But these are the realitys(based on first hand experiences), and it's best to know them upfont.

And I appreciate your assistance. Don't get me wrong. It is just I now wonder if I will ever get the chance to get to know here with the distance and the barriers to her travelling to see me. I get a good feeling about this woman, but am unwilling to rush into a relationship with her. I want to know her. I want to know her family. I want to know she will be happy here. After all, if she did come to stay in the US, it would be sometime until she could function in this society and I'd hate for her to be trapped in the house all day, every day!

I guess I am unsure how to proceed from here.

[Pink Mist]

You proceed by building a relationship with her.

Phone calls, keeping records of course, emails again recorded, and more visits to LOS.

Save your cash and take leave without pay (if you can), you may not be able to spend a year with her but surely a month is possible.

Start working on a plausable reason for her to return to LOS, money in bank, good work history, it's all been said before, then apply for your tourist visa.

good luck

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Visit her and build up a bit of history. Keep letters, photographs, phone records etc to evidence your relationship, then apply for her to visit you for a short trip. Take a letter from her employer saying that her job is there for her to return to.

This is still the best way to go

[thaihome]

You proceed by building a relationship with her.

Phone calls, keeping records of course, emails again recorded, and more visits to LOS.

Save your cash and take leave without pay (if you can), you may not be able to spend a year with her but surely a month is possible.

Start working on a plausable reason for her to return to LOS, money in bank, good work history, it's all been said before, then apply for your tourist visa.

good luck

Any proof of the relationship will probably cause more harm then good to the application. The only time proof of relationship helps a tourist visa is if the other half is living in Thailand as well. Otherwise, the consular officer will assume she is just trying to get into the US so they can get married and apply for change of status

Work on the reasons to return to Thailand. That is all that counts.

TH

[dr_Pat_Pong]

They don't make it too easy do they. But this one is so, so short a period of time. It needs a bit of an effort to convince US Immigration of the relationships bona fides.

[thaihome]

They don't make it too easy do they.  But this one is so, so short a period of time. It needs a bit of an effort to convince US Immigration of the relationships bona fides.

Not sure you understood my point, the bona fides of the relationship don’t enter into the decision at all, except in a negative way.

No they don't make it easy, I understand why. It would be nice if the US allowed some sort of bond to be posted, but the administration of that would not be practical, so I also understand why that option is not available.

TH

[BrianUSA]

You proceed by building a relationship with her.

Phone calls, keeping records of course, emails again recorded, and more visits to LOS.

Save your cash and take leave without pay (if you can), you may not be able to spend a year with her but surely a month is possible.

Start working on a plausable reason for her to return to LOS, money in bank, good work history, it's all been said before, then apply for your tourist visa.

good luck

Any proof of the relationship will probably cause more harm then good to the application. The only time proof of relationship helps a tourist visa is if the other half is living in Thailand as well. Otherwise, the consular officer will assume she is just trying to get into the US so they can get married and apply for change of status

Work on the reasons to return to Thailand. That is all that counts.

TH

Everyone in here has been soooooo Helpful and I Thank You sincerely. I guess I will need to think about all that has been said and decide how to proceed. Many differing opinions will require a bit of research on my part.

Sounds like it is much easier to marry a Thai lady and bring her back to the USA instead of just having her visit as a tourist. Sounds VERY backwards to me!

[lopburi3]

Sounds like it is much easier to marry a Thai lady and bring her back to the USA instead of just having her visit as a tourist. Sounds VERY backwards to me!

Well if you don't consider I-130 fees, paperwork, partition to apply for visa, review by DOS, application for visa, year or so wait, invasive interviews, detailed bio of yourself and wife, medical, police clearance, financial proofs and the like to be hard guess you could call it much easier.