Marriage To Thai In Usa During Visitor / Tourist Visa?

[dseawarrior]

Hello Everyone!

I hope some of the experts are out there have a look-see at this topic...

Here is our situation...

I am a US citizen living in the San Francisco Bay Area of California... My Thai girlfriend and I have been dating since August of 2006...

I am nearly 46 and she is nearly 34. We are both mature professionals. We both are stable in our jobs and our lives. Neither of has been married before, but both of us have been involved in long-term relationships -- so we know what we are generally in for...

In fact, we are in the same profession -- we are both educational psychologists. She is currently a professor at a Thai university in Bangkok and I am an educational psychologist in the San Francisco Bay Area... We met in July 2006 via a mutual Thai friend in Bangkok...

I have already been travelling and living in Thailand for 2 out of the last 5 years, so I am pretty well-versed in Thai culture and language... So, no, this is not a "quickie stars in our eyes situation" -- like some newbies may find themselves in...

We are very serious about each other, we talk on the phone several times a day... We vacationed together during the Xmas 2006 and New Year's holidays... We are actively discussing marriage and relocating to be together. I have a university/ teaching job offer at her university in Bangkok... We are both good communicators with each other.

At the same time we are considering that she re-locate here to extend her studies (she has a masters and would like to pursue her Ph.D. here in California). I already have a Ph.D. in educational psychology.

She is arriving in California in late April for 3 weeks on a tourist visa to visit me, meet some of my family and friends and to check out my life and situation here in the Bay Area...

So, one question we have is:

Is it to our advantage if we decide to get married in the Bay Area during her visit here?

This may seem relatively quick, but we are wondering what are the ramifications for us getting married while she is here on a tourist / visitor visa -- instead of waiting to apply for a fiancee or marriage visa in the future???

Since she will be already here, it makes sense to get married to save time... At the same time, I do not want to complicate the process if she later applies for a change of status...

She is currently planning to return to Bangkok in mid-May to return to her job...

...but at the same time, she may be tempted to toss her current job in Bangkok where she is basically over-worked and under-paid... I support this idea, too, because I know her work environment very well and I have seen her teach and interact with her colleagues, etc... I know that she is "big fish" in her relatively small pond of academic life in Bangkok...

So, this may be a lot of background information, but we wanted to give TV folks a bigger sense of our picture at present...

So, again, can we discuss...?

"Advantages and disadvantages to our getting married in the SF Bay Area during her visit here?"

Many thanks for all of your help! I greatly appreciate the thoughtful minds that are here on TV forum!

Cheers,

dseawarrior & GF

[autonomous_unit]

My wife and I married in California when she was there on a student visa. It does make it pretty trivial to apply for a "non-O" visa for you to visit Thailand, since the California marriage certificate would be recognized at the Thai consulate. But as far as going the other direction, I have no idea...

I guess the real question is whether anybody can guage the relative effort or risk in:

1. Applying for a fiancee visa in Bangkok (assuming you don't marry on this trip)

2. Applying for an immigrant visa in Bangkok (assuming you do marry and she returns home)

3. Attempting to change status while in the US (assuming you do marry and she wants to avoid a return home)

Unless somebody gets married very frequently, I am not sure how well they can weigh these options in practice. Since we've been married for almost four years, I know we'll be looking at option 2 if we ever decide to return to the US, so I've never looked into the other processes at all.

[dseawarrior]

My wife and I married in California when she was there on a student visa. It does make it pretty trivial to apply for a "non-O" visa for you to visit Thailand, since the California marriage certificate would be recognized at the Thai consulate. But as far as going the other direction, I have no idea...

I guess the real question is whether anybody can guage the relative effort or risk in:

1. Applying for a fiancee visa in Bangkok (assuming you don't marry on this trip)

2. Applying for an immigrant visa in Bangkok (assuming you do marry and she returns home)

3. Attempting to change status while in the US (assuming you do marry and she wants to avoid a return home)

Unless somebody gets married very frequently, I am not sure how well they can weigh these options in practice. Since we've been married for almost four years, I know we'll be looking at option 2 if we ever decide to return to the US, so I've never looked into the other processes at all.

Hey A.U.!

Thank you for your very thoughtful reply! Yes, it does seem to be an unknown gamble of which process is faster and/ or easier...

I am tempted to have my fiancee stay here once she is here... We both know how slow governments can be (both USA and Thailand)... And, once someone is here, it is tempting to just be done with it and sort out the paperwork here...

I have heard that the marriage visa process (I-130 is it?) is considerably slower than the fiancee visa process... Is this true in peoples' experience?

More thoughts out there? Many thanks!

dseawarrior

[Beardog]

Hello Everyone!

I hope some of the experts are out there have a look-see at this topic...

Here is our situation...

I am a US citizen living in the San Francisco Bay Area of California... My Thai girlfriend and I have been dating since August of 2006...

I am nearly 46 and she is nearly 34. We are both mature professionals. We both are stable in our jobs and our lives. Neither of has been married before, but both of us have been involved in long-term relationships -- so we know what we are generally in for...

In fact, we are in the same profession -- we are both educational psychologists. She is currently a professor at a Thai university in Bangkok and I am an educational psychologist in the San Francisco Bay Area... We met in July 2006 via a mutual Thai friend in Bangkok...

I have already been travelling and living in Thailand for 2 out of the last 5 years, so I am pretty well-versed in Thai culture and language... So, no, this is not a "quickie stars in our eyes situation" -- like some newbies may find themselves in...

We are very serious about each other, we talk on the phone several times a day... We vacationed together during the Xmas 2006 and New Year's holidays... We are actively discussing marriage and relocating to be together. I have a university/ teaching job offer at her university in Bangkok... We are both good communicators with each other.

At the same time we are considering that she re-locate here to extend her studies (she has a masters and would like to pursue her Ph.D. here in California). I already have a Ph.D. in educational psychology.

She is arriving in California in late April for 3 weeks on a tourist visa to visit me, meet some of my family and friends and to check out my life and situation here in the Bay Area...

So, one question we have is:

Is it to our advantage if we decide to get married in the Bay Area during her visit here?

This may seem relatively quick, but we are wondering what are the ramifications for us getting married while she is here on a tourist / visitor visa -- instead of waiting to apply for a fiancee or marriage visa in the future???

Since she will be already here, it makes sense to get married to save time... At the same time, I do not want to complicate the process if she later applies for a change of status...

She is currently planning to return to Bangkok in mid-May to return to her job...

...but at the same time, she may be tempted to toss her current job in Bangkok where she is basically over-worked and under-paid... I support this idea, too, because I know her work environment very well and I have seen her teach and interact with her colleagues, etc... I know that she is "big fish" in her relatively small pond of academic life in Bangkok...

So, this may be a lot of background information, but we wanted to give TV folks a bigger sense of our picture at present...

So, again, can we discuss...?

"Advantages and disadvantages to our getting married in the SF Bay Area during her visit here?"

Many thanks for all of your help! I greatly appreciate the thoughtful minds that are here on TV forum!

Cheers,

dseawarrior & GF

Hi Dseawarrior,

I am trying to start my usa visa & what I have found out is that they would be very chapped if they allow you to get married on a visitor visa. The dowside is they might have your girlfriend go back home & permanently deny her entry. From what I understand from the Uscis & Bangkok embassy Is you need to file a 129f fiancee visa non immigrant visa along with proof of marital status or divorce(if you are divorced you need all the info(I am caught on that one as I was divorced 20 years ago & never looked at where the ###### papers came from!) unfortunately I can,t even start the visa till I provide that with the 129f. I have tried since dec. to get this started.

Once the uscis recieves the paperwork if approved it goes up to Bangkok & you recieve an interview.

then you have to submit to the U.S. proof of financial ability to support her till a green card is issued (usually a year) Along with a muriad of documents claiming both of you are not terrorists or have ever engaged in human trafficing!....... She will have to get police report in Bangkok along with a big list of shots.

All the links can be seen on uscis.gov site along with Bangkokusembasst.gov site

It takes seriously 7 or 8 months to a year if you pass the interviews & the requirments!

To the best of my knowledge this is the only acceptable way to the U.S. gov to get married in the U.S.

The other way is to marry here & wait 4-ever for a thai spousal visa & you will be put on the bottom of the program (where the whales sing in the ocean) as Thailand is considered @nd to the bottom in desireable

immigrants.

It really is sad & you are on a tough road no matter which direction you chose as the U.S. is the toughest country

in the world for immigration!Unless of course if your mexican you can just walk across the saint ynes border thru Tijauna border (used to live in sandiego & every weekend me and the boys would bet on how many would come into the U.S. in a half an hour.

I too will be moving to Sonoma when I finally get a visa for my fiancee!

Go through the entire site you posted on & you will get more insight into this long involved process. All you can do is bear through the bull & yes they are going to look up your schphincter & run you thru the grinder, so get ready for an experience. Best not to use a visa co. as they tend to be harsher as indicated to me by a Pattaya embassy emmisary.

But whatever you do do it right cause if you piss em off by pulling a quick one on them , from what I heard it will be most hateful.

Look on the other posts, I spent 25 hrs. or so already & called the U.S.3 times!

Good luck If I can help at all PM me Beardog

To other expats if I am wrong please correct me as any info is always appreciated!

[jbsears]

The fiance visa only takes about 6 months if you don't have any problems. You can find more info on fiance and marriage visas at the site www.visajourney.com. It is all about marriage and fiance visas. They cover your question about marriage on a tourist visa. A quick recap of what it says is that you are taking a risk when adjusting your status as they may think you intentionally broke their rules. As the previous poster got married on a student visa, the site says that is not risky since it can be reasoned the alien came to the US to study then got married after studying for some time. With a tourist visa, it may be looked on as a short cut to get around the 6 month wait of a fiance or marriage visa. Check out the site it has helped me a lot while I have been going through the K1 process.

Either way you choose to go, best of luck!

[Beardog]

Hello Everyone!

I hope some of the experts are out there have a look-see at this topic...

Here is our situation...

I am a US citizen living in the San Francisco Bay Area of California... My Thai girlfriend and I have been dating since August of 2006...

I am nearly 46 and she is nearly 34. We are both mature professionals. We both are stable in our jobs and our lives. Neither of has been married before, but both of us have been involved in long-term relationships -- so we know what we are generally in for...

In fact, we are in the same profession -- we are both educational psychologists. She is currently a professor at a Thai university in Bangkok and I am an educational psychologist in the San Francisco Bay Area... We met in July 2006 via a mutual Thai friend in Bangkok...

I have already been travelling and living in Thailand for 2 out of the last 5 years, so I am pretty well-versed in Thai culture and language... So, no, this is not a "quickie stars in our eyes situation" -- like some newbies may find themselves in...

We are very serious about each other, we talk on the phone several times a day... We vacationed together during the Xmas 2006 and New Year's holidays... We are actively discussing marriage and relocating to be together. I have a university/ teaching job offer at her university in Bangkok... We are both good communicators with each other.

At the same time we are considering that she re-locate here to extend her studies (she has a masters and would like to pursue her Ph.D. here in California). I already have a Ph.D. in educational psychology.

She is arriving in California in late April for 3 weeks on a tourist visa to visit me, meet some of my family and friends and to check out my life and situation here in the Bay Area...

So, one question we have is:

Is it to our advantage if we decide to get married in the Bay Area during her visit here?

This may seem relatively quick, but we are wondering what are the ramifications for us getting married while she is here on a tourist / visitor visa -- instead of waiting to apply for a fiancee or marriage visa in the future???

Since she will be already here, it makes sense to get married to save time... At the same time, I do not want to complicate the process if she later applies for a change of status...

She is currently planning to return to Bangkok in mid-May to return to her job...

...but at the same time, she may be tempted to toss her current job in Bangkok where she is basically over-worked and under-paid... I support this idea, too, because I know her work environment very well and I have seen her teach and interact with her colleagues, etc... I know that she is "big fish" in her relatively small pond of academic life in Bangkok...

So, this may be a lot of background information, but we wanted to give TV folks a bigger sense of our picture at present...

So, again, can we discuss...?

"Advantages and disadvantages to our getting married in the SF Bay Area during her visit here?"

Many thanks for all of your help! I greatly appreciate the thoughtful minds that are here on TV forum!

Cheers,

dseawarrior & GF

Hi Dseawarrior,

I am trying to start my usa visa & what I have found out is that they would be very chapped if they allow you to get married on a visitor visa. The dowside is they might have your girlfriend go back home & permanently deny her entry. From what I understand from the Uscis & Bangkok embassy Is you need to file a 129f fiancee visa non immigrant visa along with proof of marital status or divorce(if you are divorced you need all the info(I am caught on that one as I was divorced 20 years ago & never looked at where the ###### papers came from!) unfortunately I can,t even start the visa till I provide that with the 129f. I have tried since dec. to get this started.

Once the uscis recieves the paperwork if approved it goes up to Bangkok & you recieve an interview.

then you have to submit to the U.S. proof of financial ability to support her till a green card is issued (usually a year) Along with a muriad of documents claiming both of you are not terrorists or have ever engaged in human trafficing!....... She will have to get police report in Bangkok along with a big list of shots.

All the links can be seen on uscis.gov site along with Bangkokusembasst.gov site

It takes seriously 7 or 8 months to a year if you pass the interviews & the requirments!

To the best of my knowledge this is the only acceptable way to the U.S. gov to get married in the U.S.

The other way is to marry here & wait 4-ever for a thai spousal visa & you will be put on the bottom of the program (where the whales sing in the ocean) as Thailand is considered @nd to the bottom in desireable

immigrants.

It really is sad & you are on a tough road no matter which direction you chose as the U.S. is the toughest country

in the world for immigration!Unless of course if your mexican you can just walk across the saint ynes border thru Tijauna border (used to live in sandiego & every weekend me and the boys would bet on how many would come into the U.S. in a half an hour.

I too will be moving to Sonoma when I finally get a visa for my fiancee!

Go through the entire site you posted on & you will get more insight into this long involved process. All you can do is bear through the bull & yes they are going to look up your schphincter & run you thru the grinder, so get ready for an experience. Best not to use a visa co. as they tend to be harsher as indicated to me by a Pattaya embassy emmisary.

But whatever you do do it right cause if you piss em off by pulling a quick one on them , from what I heard it will be most hateful.

Look on the other posts, I spent 25 hrs. or so already & called the U.S.3 times!

Good luck If I can help at all PM me Beardog

To other expats if I am wrong please correct me as any info is always appreciated!

[jetjock]

Hi dseawarrior-

I thought I would offer you some encouragement and information as I have fairly recent experience with the fiance visa because I brought my Thai girlfriend over to the US in March of last year on a fiance visa. We were married in Santa Barbara a month after arriving here and we are celebrating out first year aniversary this week. My wife got her green card about 4 months after arriving here so she has only a little of 2 years left before she can get US citizenship

We had a lot of similarities with you and your gf since we are also both professionals , highly educated and financially secure. I mention this because I think these factors makes the visa process much easier. Many of the fiance visa war stories that you will hear about on this forum are from people that are are in situations that I would consider marginal at best.

I was told before I even started the process that the fiance visa was the easiest way to go. I handled all the paperwork myself and every phase of the process was enjoyable and went extremely smooth. I would advise that when you file the papers that you follow all directions very carefully and try not to make a mistake as it will slow the process. The processing times vary depending on what their backlog is at the time you file.

If you have any questions that I might be able to help you with regarding the process, please feel free to contact me. Good luck...

[thaihome]

You have every right to get married on tourist visa and apply for change of status and people do this very frequently. What you have to prove is that there was no intent to do so when you entered the US and is was a decision made after arrival. Some very good information here

TH

Edited April 3, 2007 by thaihome

[Beardog]

You have every right to get married on tourist visa and apply for change of status and people do this very frequently. What you have to prove is that there was no intent to do so when you entered the US and is was a decision made after arrival. Some very good information here

TH

I wish this was true. I went to the U.S. embassy last wed.& was told the U.S. (uscis) has stopped issuance of the I130 leaving your only viable option is a 129f.

As of jan. 27th all the rules changed I know people who made it before this date & used their links & info & it is all Useless. You need too look at the uscis site & go through all the motions . I wish I was fortunate enough to do this before Jan 27th this year & now with all the new immigration problems brewing in the U.S. The dept I talked to in DC. said they are going to really clamp down. I wish you luck but I personaly would do it legally & avoid hearing they will not admit your wife into the U.S. for up to 10 years. If you want I can hook you up with the topdog Emissary to the embassy in Pattaya. It would be in your best interest to contact the uscis in America(cheap if you use skype & find out about the new changes so your not caught with your pants down!

Good luck PM me if you want Garys number for acess to the embassy.

It is no longer the cakewalk it used to be, even if you decide on a visa company to help. There are 6 americans here in Pattaya that are hating the new laws.No longer the same be smart keep it legal as it is an act of purgery

if you get caught & they will grill you hard since they are really cracking down on the immigration issues.

I would fly my girl to Mexico & walk along the freeway if the ticket was that easy!

I am certain all the good luck stories are true before Jan27th but it behooves you to check into any action before you shoot yourself in the foot!

[altman]

You have every right to get married on tourist visa and apply for change of status and people do this very frequently. What you have to prove is that there was no intent to do so when you entered the US and is was a decision made after arrival. Some very good information here

TH

of course, now that you have posted your intent to avoid standard procedures here, and with the TIA watching, your chances have drastically decreased. but good luck in escaping the ever vigilant radar of the anti-terrorism authorities of the place you want to call home.

[Beardog]

You have every right to get married on tourist visa and apply for change of status and people do this very frequently. What you have to prove is that there was no intent to do so when you entered the US and is was a decision made after arrival. Some very good information here

TH

of course, now that you have posted your intent to avoid standard procedures here, and with the TIA watching, your chances have drastically decreased. but good luck in escaping the ever vigilant radar of the anti-terrorism authorities of the place you want to call home.

I concur with Altman entirely. If you don't think the U.S. is right now monitering your e- mails God help you.

you know the Bushman would spy on his own mother & I am not that paranoid, but do have friends in the U.S. that were spied on. While I do not believe his useage of spying in the U.S. is appropriate I do not mind the gov.(as they know your everymove anyway) I feel they do have the right to know what is going on overseas to keep the U.S. safe! And don't kid yourself the immigration depts are quite familiar with our sites.Think about this, we are all bright individuals on this site, how do you think the gov knows all the tricks used to scam them. I would lay my odds on this & all sites being closly monitered as it would be the easiest to find the tricksters without any effort at all. I would think the visa sites would be the 1st to check on a purgery case. Home of the free

Only in the 50's Beardog

Edited April 3, 2007 by Beardog

[dseawarrior]

You have every right to get married on tourist visa and apply for change of status and people do this very frequently. What you have to prove is that there was no intent to do so when you entered the US and is was a decision made after arrival. Some very good information here

TH

Hi everyone!

I want to thank all who have taken the time to make thoughtful replies to this topic...

It seems that opinions on this subject vary widely and I have read and considered everyone's post... I am intrigued about the various "conspiracy theories" and wonder if individuals or the moderators on this forum have actual evidence of immigration officials using this forum to be "one step ahead" of applicants in various visa applications. I am aware of general policies that might suggest that trend, but I have not heard of any actual "real" stories of such a thing happening... If that does happen, it seems a bizarre use of taxpayer money, but stranger things do happen in this world...

Hey, George! Do you know anything about this general subject on how TV forum may be "compromised" in this way??? Shall I forward this post to George or does he have "all seeing eyes" to know that I have written this here in this forum topic?

If these conspiracy stories and theories are actually true, does one or more of the posters want to start a thread on this topic? I would be very interested to see how that thread progresses...

As I mentioned in my original post, both my GF and I are stable professionals and with her vacation trip to the US, she plans to see what's here, go to a professional conference, meet me and meet some of my family and look around to see how she likes it here... That is still a ways from actually getting married... As I also wrote in my original post, my GF plans to return to her job in Bangkok after her vacation is over...

At the same time, we are both sensible intelligent people and we have been talking about marriage and part of the discussion has been about where and when it is most appropriate and convenient for us...

We are both mature enough to know that we should not rush into anything and of course travelling is part of the process of gaining knowledge and perspective...

I did read the related post on visa journey and I understand the general idea of intent... For us, we are thoughtful people and we know enough to get more information before we do anything quickly...

Beardog expresses concerns that the "whole game has changed" since January 27th... Is this actually true? I haven't had time to contact that poster "Jeff" (from visa journey) on that topic... Does anyone have a link to the original source information regarding any changes in policy or is that more in the realm and theory and "hearsay"?

Thanks again to all for your thoughtful comments. Please feel to share more information or links before interest in this topic wanes...

All the best,

dseawarrior

[thaihome]

You have every right to get married on tourist visa and apply for change of status and people do this very frequently. What you have to prove is that there was no intent to do so when you entered the US and is was a decision made after arrival. Some very good information here

TH

I wish this was true. I went to the U.S. embassy last wed.& was told the U.S. (uscis) has stopped issuance of the I130 leaving your only viable option is a 129f.

As of jan. 27th all the rules changed I know people who made it before this date & used their links & info & it is all Useless. You need too look at the uscis site & go through all the motions . I wish I was fortunate enough to do this before Jan 27th this year & now with all the new immigration problems brewing in the U.S. The dept I talked to in DC. said they are going to really clamp down. I wish you luck but I personaly would do it legally & avoid hearing they will not admit your wife into the U.S. for up to 10 years. If you want I can hook you up with the topdog Emissary to the embassy in Pattaya. It would be in your best interest to contact the uscis in America(cheap if you use skype & find out about the new changes so your not caught with your pants down!

Good luck PM me if you want Garys number for acess to the embassy.

It is no longer the cakewalk it used to be, even if you decide on a visa company to help. There are 6 americans here in Pattaya that are hating the new laws.No longer the same be smart keep it legal as it is an act of purgery

if you get caught & they will grill you hard since they are really cracking down on the immigration issues.

I would fly my girl to Mexico & walk along the freeway if the ticket was that easy!

I am certain all the good luck stories are true before Jan27th but it behooves you to check into any action before you shoot yourself in the foot!

Do you know what happened on 27 Jan 2007? That is effective date of the Adam Walsh Act, which included a section that said a person convicted of child molestation cannot bring an immigrant relative into the US. Since consulates around the world that have been doing Direct Consulate Filings (DCF) have no means to run police checks in the US, the State Dept suspended the DCF process. This did not include locations such as Bangkok that had not been doing real DCF’s but had a USCIS office that processed the I-130 petition and forwarded it on the consulate for the interview and issuing visa. What happened in Bangkok was the USCIS temporarily suspended processing the I-130 since they had no way to collect fees that the consulate had been collecting for them. That has since been fixed and Bangkok USCIS office is accepting I-130 petitions and it clearly states that on the USCIS web site.

Your visit “last Wednesday” seems to contradict the experience of another poster that was told no problem, takes about 3 months. The rest of your rant and going on about some connection with an “emissary” for the US Embassy in Pattaya is not even worth commenting on.

As far as marrying in the US on tourist visa, I did not recommend it, just explained that within some narrow parameters it is not illegal as had been advised. The point that having announced such intent on an Internet forum might be made available to USCIS through some big brother internet spying program when filing the change of status is ludicrous. I would recommend that the OP be very careful about discussing such intent prior to the trip.

TH

[Beardog]

I acknowledged that all people on this site are all inteligent people.& just reiterated the facts about what could happen if those who Knowingly commit pergury will have to face the music. I have posted 4 times & no one knew about pin numbers needed to contact the embassy Divorce decree 129f or finantial disclosure . So I called Uscis & talked to them 3 times for about 50 minutes, It was quite enlightening. All I was saying is it is not worth doing !

something as serious as putting your life in scrutiny & lying & getting caught. This is not like cheating the tax man.

I would say from the posts , Just about everyone agrees that honesty is the best policy, especially now when our own government is moving forward on shutting down the wiretaps & monitering of e-mails. you can read it in the news! DS your a phsycologyst I let you make up your own mind if this is a sane way to conduct your affairs.

And it is long & difficult to get the visa. The first 2 minutes of the interview they determine if you have been living with your girlfriend for 2-3 years or they usually deny your visa .

If you guys got a better in than I got Help a brother out!

I have the Governor of Hawaii helping me out & the supervisor(Kathleen in Bkk) & Yim (mgr) for the councillate as well. My profile is everything they require & I am finding this extremely difficult.

Good luck Maybe we could hear from some individuals who are currently (since jan 27th) involved in the visa process to give an unbiased view of their experiences.

[dseawarrior]

You have every right to get married on tourist visa and apply for change of status and people do this very frequently. What you have to prove is that there was no intent to do so when you entered the US and is was a decision made after arrival. Some very good information here

TH

I wish this was true. I went to the U.S. embassy last wed.& was told the U.S. (uscis) has stopped issuance of the I130 leaving your only viable option is a 129f.

As of jan. 27th all the rules changed I know people who made it before this date & used their links & info & it is all Useless. You need too look at the uscis site & go through all the motions . I wish I was fortunate enough to do this before Jan 27th this year & now with all the new immigration problems brewing in the U.S. The dept I talked to in DC. said they are going to really clamp down. I wish you luck but I personaly would do it legally & avoid hearing they will not admit your wife into the U.S. for up to 10 years. If you want I can hook you up with the topdog Emissary to the embassy in Pattaya. It would be in your best interest to contact the uscis in America(cheap if you use skype & find out about the new changes so your not caught with your pants down!

Good luck PM me if you want Garys number for acess to the embassy.

It is no longer the cakewalk it used to be, even if you decide on a visa company to help. There are 6 americans here in Pattaya that are hating the new laws.No longer the same be smart keep it legal as it is an act of purgery

if you get caught & they will grill you hard since they are really cracking down on the immigration issues.

I would fly my girl to Mexico & walk along the freeway if the ticket was that easy!

I am certain all the good luck stories are true before Jan27th but it behooves you to check into any action before you shoot yourself in the foot!

Do you know what happened on 27 Jan 2007? That is effective date of the Adam Walsh Act, which included a section that said a person convicted of child molestation cannot bring an immigrant relative into the US. Since consulates around the world that have been doing Direct Consulate Filings (DCF) have no means to run police checks in the US, the State Dept suspended the DCF process. This did not include locations such as Bangkok that had not been doing real DCF’s but had a USCIS office that processed the I-130 petition and forwarded it on the consulate for the interview and issuing visa. What happened in Bangkok was the USCIS temporarily suspended processing the I-130 since they had no way to collect fees that the consulate had been collecting for them. That has since been fixed and Bangkok USCIS office is accepting I-130 petitions and it clearly states that on the USCIS web site.

Your visit “last Wednesday” seems to contradict the experience of another poster that was told no problem, takes about 3 months. The rest of your rant and going on about some connection with an “emissary” for the US Embassy in Pattaya is not even worth commenting on.

As far as marrying in the US on tourist visa, I did not recommend it, just explained that within some narrow parameters it is not illegal as had been advised. The point that having announced such intent on an Internet forum might be made available to USCIS through some big brother internet spying program when filing the change of status is ludicrous. I would recommend that the OP be very careful about discussing such intent prior to the trip.

TH

Thank you ThaiHome,

You seem to have a level-headed and thoughtful perspective on all of this...

Everyone's situation is different and I wish Beardog good luck in his process...

As I have repeatedly stated (now is the 3rd time in this string!) there is no intent here to skirt any rules. But intelligent people do have questions -- sometimes -- and that is why I made the original post...

Thanks to all for your informative posts!

dseawarrior