Visa and Marriage in U.S. 2021

[Corley]

My Thai girlfriend and I have been living in Thailand for four years now. Time to get married. My girlfriend owns her own car, house, and has a son living with his grandparents here in Thailand. She has a job working for my American publishing company. I am more than happy to sponsor her. We want to get married in the U.S. because my mother is too old to travel to Thailand. I understand I can get her a fiancé visa but I have heard it has been very difficult the last few years. Have things improved after the American election? Has anyone had success in getting a fiancé visa recently? If so, how? How long does it take to get a fiancé visa? Am I better off getting her a tourist visa?

 

 

[GinBoy2]

Well this is a question with a million possible answers.

 

USCIS has essentially ground to a halt, a combination of Trump executive orders and Covid.

 

Now I agree with @andy a lot depends on what you ultimately want.

 

'If' you do want to at some point relocate back to the US, apply for a K1, it's by far the quickest and objective. Check the boxes and she'll get it. But with the USCIS backlog its over 2 years until she'll get a green card after applying for adjustment of status. I know this since a lady who was at the embassy with my wife who got a CR-1 is still waiting for her green card.

If you do want to move home, marry legally in Thailand and apply for a CR-1. It takes longer now since they closed the Bangkok USCIS office, but do it that way and she lands with a green card and SSN in her hand. After that you can do a church wedding or whatever with your family

 

So then you get to a B2. That is a much more subjective process. That being said your gf seems to check the boxes. But as a cautionary tale, my now wife,  a professional woman, educated in the US, all the usual good stuff got denied when all we wanted to do was go for a visit since my daughter had a baby.

 

None of us can really help you with non-immigrant visa's and any reputable visa agent will tell you the same thing

 

So hate to be a bit nebulous on my response but it is a tricky personal decision 

[bunnydrops]

Things seem to be moving a bit. A friend of mine girlfriend just got word that she is about to receive packet 3. I would suggest going to visajourney.com and checking out the Thailand portal.