My passport was stamped for "too many tourist visas" in Vientiane. Can I get a new tourist visa in Savannakhet ?

[greenbottle555]

I got the "too many tourist visa's stamp" after getting my third consecutive tourist visa in Vientiane. There were no extensions on these visas if that matters. Am I even able to go to Savannakhet to get another tourist visa?

 

Basically, my goal is to live in Thailand with my Thai Fiancee for the next 5-6 months, then live in America permanently. And to spend no time being forced out of the country, as we have a lovely house with dogs and cats that we will give to her family but want to live there until her American embassy visa interview and subsequent departure flight to America. And I plan to never overstay because as we all know, Thai immigration has zero tolerance for that now (whereas say 5 years ago overstaying was illegal but somehow normalized or accepted).

 

I have done 0 border-exempt or airport exempt runs. And now have that mark in my passport. My best guess is to apply for 1 more Tourist visa (maybe at savannakhet), extend that, get 90 days. Then to do 2 more land bordering crossings at Mae Sai, and extend each of those visa-exempt entries for a total of (30 + 30) and (30 + 30) days. This would give me an extra 4 months on border crossings. I might be able to just barely have enough time. But if I can't, what could I do? I would hate to have to leave the country (we are renting a lovely house and prefer to stay there with our dogs and cats then gives those to the family, not hop around different countries). My fear is that I would do a land border crossing and not be allowed back into the country basically, where we have a short-term house. It's quite stressful as one can imagine. And has only gotten more stressful after getting that stamp in Vientiane.

 

 

Would having a lawyer or visa agent help in this process? That's about the only thing I can think of to be proactive and have less head aches.

[JackThompson]

I got a Tourist Visa there with a "remark" stamp from Phnom Penh on my previous Visa, and this was at a point where that consulate wanted to see everything - money + residence + flight-out.  But, that was 2 years ago, and your "remark" is on a visa from a consulate in the same country, under the same parent-embassy (in Vientiane).

 

I am not aware of agent-service for that consulate.

 

I would say you can try, but be prepared to return visa-exempt, which should not be a problem at the bridge to Mukdahan.  If you want more Tourist Visas, the best plan would be to get a new passport.  

 

Alternatively, you could get married in Thailand before returning to your passport-country, at which point you would qualify for Non-O Visas, for which the "remark" on your Tourist Visa would have no effect.

[Lovethailandelite]

10 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

I got a Tourist Visa there with a "remark" stamp from Phnom Penh on my previous Visa, and this was at a point where that consulate wanted to see everything - money + residence + flight-out.  But, that was 2 years ago, and your "remark" is on a visa from a consulate in the same country, under the same parent-embassy (in Vientiane).

 

I am not aware of agent-service for that consulate.

 

I would say you can try, but be prepared to return visa-exempt, which should not be a problem at the bridge to Mukdahan.  If you want more Tourist Visas, the best plan would be to get a new passport.  

 

Alternatively, you could get married in Thailand before returning to your passport-country, at which point you would qualify for Non-O Visas, for which the "remark" on your Tourist Visa would have no effect.

Do not expect the passport switch to work a whole lot longer. A nice new notice now on the Vientiane booking website. 

 

[greenbottle555]

17 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

I got a Tourist Visa there with a "remark" stamp from Phnom Penh, and at a point where that consulate wanted to see everything - money + residence + flight-out.  But, that was 2 years ago, and your "remark" is on a visa from a consulate in the same country, under the same parent-embassy (in Vientiane).

 

I am not aware of agent-service for that consulate.

 

I would say you can try, but be prepared to return visa-exempt, which should not be a problem at the bridge to Mukdahan.  If you want more Tourist Visas, the best plan would be to get a new passport.  

 

Alternatively, you could get married in Thailand before returning to your passport-country, at which point you would qualify for Non-O Visas, for which the "remark" on your Tourist Visa would have no effect.

Ideally I would like to get married (rather register the marriage in Thailand). But we have to get married in America. And if we are married already as per Thai law, it would invalide her Visa as well as her ability to get a greencard. We went with the K-1 Visa option to enter america (because it's less slow) and that one requires waiting and not marrying in Thailand.

 

Thanks,

[JackThompson]

27 minutes ago, greenbottle555 said:

Ideally I would like to get married (rather register the marriage in Thailand). But we have to get married in America. And if we are married already as per Thai law, it would invalide her Visa as well as her ability to get a greencard. We went with the K-1 Visa option to enter america (because it's less slow) and that one requires waiting and not marrying in Thailand.

 

Thanks,

Amazing - they make it easier to bring in a fiance and get her a green-card (PR) than a wife.  I do not doubt you - just amazed.  Good luck, in any case.

[greenbottle555]

Just now, JackThompson said:

Amazing - they make it easier to bring in a fiance and get her a green-card (PR) than a wife.  I do not doubt you - just amazed.  Good luck, in any case.

Right I don't have much room to complain about Thai immigration considering how America's works haha.

 

I suspect the American K-1 Visa entry is faster because American soldiers often meet women overseas so the bride situation is more common and better funded than the other situation. Since this part of American immigration isn't actually tax funded, and runs entirely on fee's, the K1 visa office is able to basically to grow and expand larger than the CR-1 (already married) office, and as a result, being more funded, is faster for processing. But yeah, that's bureaucracies.

[ubonjoe]

30 minutes ago, greenbottle555 said:

We went with the K-1 Visa option to enter america (because it's less slow) and that one requires waiting and not marrying in Thailand.

If you were living here full time here on a long term extension or a visa it can be done faster if you got married here since you can apply for a I-130 petition here at the USCIS office.

If not then the K-1 is faster.

5 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

Amazing - they make it easier to bring in a fiance and get her a green-card (PR) than a wife.  I do not doubt you - just amazed.  Good luck, in any case.

See above.

[greenbottle555]

1 minute ago, ubonjoe said:

If you were living here full time here on a long term extension or a visa it can be done faster if you got married here since you can apply for a I-130 petition here at the USCIS office.

If not then the K-1 is faster.

See above.

I tried to get that "in-office" option or the K-1, as nobody wants to wait so long. But as it was told to me by the lawyer-person who handles the K-1 visa for me, he said I would need good evidence of living here like a work permit and bank accounts. I don't have those, I was even gone for 4 months in the past year (working in America).

[freedomnow]

"My best guess is to apply for 1 more Tourist visa (maybe at savannakhet), extend that, get 90 days. Then to do 2 more land bordering crossings at Mae Sai, and extend each of those visa-exempt entries for a total of (30 + 30) and (30 + 30) days."

 

That should be fine, but be sure to have proof of 20k or better yet, much more than that in Thailand Bank account or your home country. Usually an excess amount of money swings it at savana if you have no stamps from there in that pport....they may not ask for an onward flight...some show that with the money and some show only the money. Maybe do Mae Sot first, then Mae Sai last...as if you have any issues with Mae Sai you could go to Laos border near there and try visa-exempt also...but it will cost you $30 or so into Laos vs $10 into Burma. Regarding Laos, I saw a same-day out/in guy when I was going out and down through Laos by boat couple years back.

 

Honestly you should be fine....as you are leaving soon.

 

[ubonjoe]

18 minutes ago, greenbottle555 said:

I tried to get that "in-office" option or the K-1, as nobody wants to wait so long. But as it was told to me by the lawyer-person who handles the K-1 visa for me, he said I would need good evidence of living here like a work permit and bank accounts. I don't have those, I was even gone for 4 months in the past year (working in America).

Basically what they look for is a one year extension issued by immigration to confirm you are living here. 

A work permit does not allow you stay in the country. The extension for working here requires one though.

[greenbottle555]

8 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Basically what they look for is a one year extension issued by immigration to confirm you are living here. 

A work permit does not allow you stay in the country. The extension for working here requires one though.

Ah maybe that was it. Right. I never extended my Non-O visa. I just kept getting new Multi-entries because well, it was easier and I'll admit, I'm lazy.

[AAArdvark]

19 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

 here at the USCIS office.

Aren't these about to go away.  I thought that I read that these offices were going to be closed to provide more manpower to enforce border security in the US.

[statman78]

19 hours ago, greenbottle555 said:

Right I don't have much room to complain about Thai immigration considering how America's works haha.

 

I suspect the American K-1 Visa entry is faster because American soldiers often meet women overseas so the bride situation is more common and better funded than the other situation. Since this part of American immigration isn't actually tax funded, and runs entirely on fee's, the K1 visa office is able to basically to grow and expand larger than the CR-1 (already married) office, and as a result, being more funded, is faster for processing. But yeah, that's bureaucracies.

Years ago I was in the same situation.  The K-1 visa is faster but was only good for 90 days.  We needed to get married before it expired.  If we got married in Thailand we were told we would need to apply for an immigrant visa for my wife.  In other words apply for PR which takes longer.  

[ubonjoe]

49 minutes ago, AAArdvark said:

Aren't these about to go away.  I thought that I read that these offices were going to be closed to provide more manpower to enforce border security in the US.

The one here is a regional office. I don't think they are closing all offices outside the US. 

Only two are shown on this page. https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/uscis-office-closings