Trip to USA for Thai wife

[3dGuy]

I am looking for info on what to bring to the US Embassy for the interview. I can't seem to find anything online. This is only for a B2 visa not an immigrant visa. My wife wants to see what US is like before. The company that I am working with is picking up the cost of the whole trip.

Any help is appreciated.

 

Al

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

What's your visa status in Thailand and for how long here?

 

A lot of what the Embassy typically looks at is what the status of the husband is.... even though it's the wife applying for a visa...

 

Also, if you have any immediate family members in the U.S., one thing you can do is have them write a formal letter of invitation to your wife to come visit them there in the States... Believe it or not, that can actually be very helpful in the process.

 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

TallGuy is correct. Your ties to Thailand will be as important as hers.  I assume you work here in Thailand, in which case your on-going employment should help convince the interviewer that she will return. My wife was asked for my passport, which she did not have with her at the interview. The interviewer clearly wanted to see that I live here and have strong ties to Thailand as well. She was asked what I did for a living, for whom I worked and how long I'd lived here. 

[Rick Bechard]

I will differ from the other two replies. Your status here has nothing to do with your wife getting a visa. Your citizenship is apparently a big negative as well. The denial letter from the embassy, (my wife has 3) states that no matter which visa you are applying for every person applying is considered to have immigrant intention. The reason your citizenship makes a visitor visa harder is that if she gets into the US on one, after 90 days she can apply to convert to a spouse visa. They see this as her trying to jump the long line and waiting times to get a CR1/IR1 visa in Thailand. 

 

My wife and I have been married 4 years, living here for 2 years. She lived with me in Australia (I am a dual citizen) for 15 months after the wedding. She has travelled in and out of Thailand to Australia a couple of times. She has a business in her name here, purchased 2 years ago. I am retired. At her interviews, she has supplied a packet of documents on our relationship, photos of us in Australia, her degrees, employment letters from when she worked for the Narcotics Bureau in BKK, marriage license, both our home registrations here, etc.. They really didn't even look at it. At the third interview, the officer did not even open the packet. Just handed it back to her. At the first interview, she was asked, "How many cars do you have and where will you park them when you are gone". "Where is your website for your business". 

 

I wrote to the embassy and was told, "The officer has typically decided the outcome before the interview on what is in the application form". This means for the most part, there isn't much of anything you can supply at the interview that will influence the outcome. Even passport stamps for my wife did not seem to indicate that she has been out of Thailand and returned. Had I not held thoughts of my US citizenship being something special, I would have had her list "travelling with my Australian husband" on the application. Sadly, I reckon that would have worked.

 

The truly disgusting part of this, is that the officer will not explain why her visa is denied. He merely hands her a form letter that states, "You failed to convince the officer that you have intention to return. You may reapply at any time when your circumstances change". But if you don't know under what circumstances you are denied, how can you know when you can/should reapply? In my opinion, the visa application process is specious at best. There is the mirage of a visa, but it isn't really there, after you pay the $160 of course.

[Honah Lee]

It seems we all have different experiences.  My wife was denied on her first two attempts.  The first time she was employed in Thailand (government employee as a nurse) and married but I was working in UAE.  We had letters, pictures, Thai marriage certificate, degrees, Employment letters her bank account balance and her car title.

-Applied in BKK at US Embassy.

-Reject no reason

 

2 years later she had joined me in UAE so she had UAE residence but was not working.  We did most of the same things except this time I gave my bank balances and property deeds in US. 

-Applied at the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi

-Rejected without reason

 

We moved to Saudi and maybe less than a year almost nothing was required.  Approved very fast.  Living in Saudi for 20 plus this has always been the case for almost all nationalities that apply in Saudi.  I take it had more to do with the US Consulate in Dhahran than any other fact.

 

 

[lopburi3]

It appears from OP that she is intending to reside in USA if she likes it so obviously not what is wanted of a non immigrant visa entry.  The burden of proof is on her to indicate a strong desire to leave USA after visit - married to an American is a red flag in most cases and viewed as an attempt to bypass normal immigrant visa queue.  As said there can be exceptions where American ties to Thailand will help to indicate return.  In my personal case I was retired and wife had gone through the immigrant visa process (we changed mind after approval so never applied for actual visa) and that paperwork was good for immediate 10 year tourist visa issue with explanation we decided to live in Thailand so only wanted to visit family.  

There is no issue not staying or going on an immigrant visa so perhaps better to wait the time involved (good time to wait now anyhow due covid) and apply for immigrant application.  

That said nothing lost is trying and if your company is heavy hitter that may help - she needs as much data as possiable to indicate her intent to return so family status/bank accounts/property ownership/family and such should all be a part of application.

Edited May 29, 2021 by lopburi3

[JerseytoBKK]

17 hours ago, Rick Bechard said:

I will differ from the other two replies. Your status here has nothing to do with your wife getting a visa. Your citizenship is apparently a big negative as well. The denial letter from the embassy, (my wife has 3) states that no matter which visa you are applying for every person applying is considered to have immigrant intention. The reason your citizenship makes a visitor visa harder is that if she gets into the US on one, after 90 days she can apply to convert to a spouse visa. They see this as her trying to jump the long line and waiting times to get a CR1/IR1 visa in Thailand. 

 

My wife and I have been married 4 years, living here for 2 years. She lived with me in Australia (I am a dual citizen) for 15 months after the wedding. She has travelled in and out of Thailand to Australia a couple of times. She has a business in her name here, purchased 2 years ago. I am retired. At her interviews, she has supplied a packet of documents on our relationship, photos of us in Australia, her degrees, employment letters from when she worked for the Narcotics Bureau in BKK, marriage license, both our home registrations here, etc.. They really didn't even look at it. At the third interview, the officer did not even open the packet. Just handed it back to her. At the first interview, she was asked, "How many cars do you have and where will you park them when you are gone". "Where is your website for your business". 

 

To an outside observer, it appears that after you both decided you didn't want to live in Australia anymore, you tried living in Thailand for 2 years. Now you both want to live in the US. 

 

Both of your statuses are big red flags. She left a government job and went to live in Australia for over a year soon after being married. With only living in Thailand for just 2 years, I doubt that your wife will be able to show any compelling reason to return to Thailand. In addition, you're retired and can easily decide to live in the US and have no compelling reason to return to Thailand. Looks like your best bet to have your wife "visit" the US is to apply for an immigrant visa.

[Rick Bechard]

1 hour ago, JerseytoBKK said:

To an outside observer, it appears that after you both decided you didn't want to live in Australia anymore, you tried living in Thailand for 2 years. Now you both want to live in the US. 

 

Both of your statuses are big red flags. She left a government job and went to live in Australia for over a year soon after being married. With only living in Thailand for just 2 years, I doubt that your wife will be able to show any compelling reason to return to Thailand. In addition, you're retired and can easily decide to live in the US and have no compelling reason to return to Thailand. Looks like your best bet to have your wife "visit" the US is to apply for an immigrant visa.

Honestly, I would say there isn't much reasoning going on at the embassy. The first application only mentioned that she had travelled to Australia and was married to a US citizen. There was no mention of my Australian citizenship in that application. I kept it pretty simple. In the second application I sent her with a cover letter to explain our being settled here, that my mother who I have not seen since 2003 had been hospitalized and I wished to take my wife for a visit. 

 

Frankly, if we wanted to leave Thailand we could be back in Australia within a month. That is actually the better option because Australia has an excellent public health system. I have had multiple surgeries including cancer and never paid anything. There is also a government pension for retirees if your income is insufficient to support yourself. If we had stayed, my wife would have had citizenship and an Australian passport at the end of this year. Then she could have travelled freely to the US. What my wife found in Australia is exactly what I told her about there and the US. You will make more money than in Thailand, but you will spend it all on living and you will find you have less free time and money than in Thailand.

 

Living in the US is not really a practical idea. Especially trying to restart there when you are retired. I have a friend who went back with his wife 14 months ago. They are already planning to ditch the green card and come back by the end of the year. The minimum income last year to qualify to sponsor was ($19,000) 125% of the poverty level. That is $300 a month above poverty. My retirement income would be in the range of $500 a month above poverty. Not even a comfortable lifestyle compared to Thailand.

 

But, yes, I started the immigrant visa process after the second denial. Then gave the visitor visa one last shot to try to avoid the cost of the immigrant. Not going to play the "reapply when your circumstances change" game again. See how we go there, but I expect it to be a hard go. Buying or renting will easily take half my income. 

There are a few upsides. I have 3 grandkids I have not met and a couple of kids I have not seen in 5 or more years. If we make the 3 years to get her citizenship OK, but no big benefit other than she can travel more freely. If she accumulates 5 years with me there, she qualifies for surviving spouse benefits under social security in the future.

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 5/27/2021 at 3:18 PM, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

My wife was asked for my passport, which she did not have with her at the interview. The interviewer clearly wanted to see that I live here and have strong ties to Thailand as well.

 

I had that happen once as well, and it led to a denial. My GF at the time actually had photocopies of all my retirement visa stamps thru the years in her folder when she went for the interview... But she got flustered, forgot she had them, and couldn't produce them for the consul agent when he asked. Result: tourist visa denied....  

 

Learned a very important lesson from that experience that paid off in subsequent visa apps to the Embassy once married. Made sure my wife took my passport in with her, and briefed her ahead of time that they very likely would want to see those (which in fact they did!)

 

But from our last goround with the Embassy here, as I mentioned above, probably the most important thing they were interested in, and wanted her to see and produce, was the invitation letter written by my parents inviting my wife to come and visit them in the States.  She produced that and my retirement visa laden-passport, and the tourist visa was approved!

 

 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

30 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

But from our last goround with the Embassy here, as I mentioned above, probably the most important thing they were interested in, and wanted her to see and produce, was the invitation letter written by my parents inviting my wife to come and visit them in the States.  She produced that and my retirement visa laden-passport, and the tourist visa was approved!

 

 

Back in the 1990s, before we were married, my then-fiancee applied for a tourist visa so that we could visit the US. Although she was working for a large European firm at the time, she had an entry-level job and did not have substantial savings or property to show. Along with her application, she submitted a letter from me stating our intent to return after two weeks in which I also mentioned my position with an American multinational company. She also submitted a letter that I had obtained from a senior person at a prominent American organization that mentioned my involvement in the American business community. She was granted a visa in spite of being in her 20s, unmarried, having a modest job, few financial assets and no property to show.

 

About three years ago she again successfully applied for a visa so that we could escort our daughter to the US to start university. The interviewer was only interested in seeing my passport and not any of the other documents my wife brought in to support her application. 

 

Based upon our experience, I have come to believe that it is equally or more important for the US citizen spouse to demonstrate significant ties to Thailand when the Thai spouse is applying for a US tourist visa.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

4 hours ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

Based upon our experience, I have come to believe that it is equally or more important for the US citizen spouse to demonstrate significant ties to Thailand when the Thai spouse is applying for a US tourist visa.

 

My wife also brought along (as should anyone applying) an HR letter from her Thai employer confirming her job and granting her X days of vacation leave to visit the U.S. But the Embassy folks didn't seem to pay much attention to that, nor ever ask her about her work, job, salary, etc.

 

Nor at that time, did my wife have any substantial Thai assets. She had a good salary, but basically no money in the bank at that time, no car, no ownership of property, etc etc.  All the kinds of things that applicants are often told they need to have to apply for and receive a tourist visa... And yet, she was approved because she had what they were looking for.

 

 

[GinBoy2]

So I hope the OP has recognized from all the replies, it really is a <deleted> shoot, and God knows what, if any documentation the CO's really want to see.

 

Years ago, before we were married my wife applied for a B2.

She's a professional women, good salary, letter from her employer approving her vacation, our joint bank account details, car titles, joint medical insurance documents, house chanot, travel plans etc.  

Yep she was denied.

 

All I wanted to do was to go visit my daughter who had just had a baby for 3 weeks.

 

Gave up on tourist visas after that, because I wasn't going to simply line the State Departments pockets with fees for ultimately failed applications.

 

Of course all the same stuff applied when we filed for a CR-1 immigrant visa, and that just sailed through.

 

What is really aggravating, is that unlike the Brits and other who get a letter sating 'why' the application was refused, we get no indication of the reasons, which is why we were never prepared to make any subsequent B2 applications just to throw away money

[bwpage3]

23 hours ago, Rick Bechard said:

Honestly, I would say there isn't much reasoning going on at the embassy. The first application only mentioned that she had travelled to Australia and was married to a US citizen. There was no mention of my Australian citizenship in that application. I kept it pretty simple. In the second application I sent her with a cover letter to explain our being settled here, that my mother who I have not seen since 2003 had been hospitalized and I wished to take my wife for a visit. 

 

Frankly, if we wanted to leave Thailand we could be back in Australia within a month. That is actually the better option because Australia has an excellent public health system. I have had multiple surgeries including cancer and never paid anything. There is also a government pension for retirees if your income is insufficient to support yourself. If we had stayed, my wife would have had citizenship and an Australian passport at the end of this year. Then she could have travelled freely to the US. What my wife found in Australia is exactly what I told her about there and the US. You will make more money than in Thailand, but you will spend it all on living and you will find you have less free time and money than in Thailand.

 

Living in the US is not really a practical idea. Especially trying to restart there when you are retired. I have a friend who went back with his wife 14 months ago. They are already planning to ditch the green card and come back by the end of the year. The minimum income last year to qualify to sponsor was ($19,000) 125% of the poverty level. That is $300 a month above poverty. My retirement income would be in the range of $500 a month above poverty. Not even a comfortable lifestyle compared to Thailand.

 

But, yes, I started the immigrant visa process after the second denial. Then gave the visitor visa one last shot to try to avoid the cost of the immigrant. Not going to play the "reapply when your circumstances change" game again. See how we go there, but I expect it to be a hard go. Buying or renting will easily take half my income. 

There are a few upsides. I have 3 grandkids I have not met and a couple of kids I have not seen in 5 or more years. If we make the 3 years to get her citizenship OK, but no big benefit other than she can travel more freely. If she accumulates 5 years with me there, she qualifies for surviving spouse benefits under social security in the future.

 

 

It's not just the US. Living in any country will such paltry means is a foolish idea. 

 

She can only collect social security when she reaches the US social security age, unless she has already paid 10 years into the US social security system.

 

If you have a huge age difference, she may not get anything for quite a while.

[riclag]

7 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

So I hope the OP has recognized from all the replies, it really is a <deleted> shoot, and God knows what, if any documentation the CO's really want to see.

 

Years ago, before we were married my wife applied for a B2.

She's a professional women, good salary, letter from her employer approving her vacation, our joint bank account details, car titles, joint medical insurance documents, house chanot, travel plans etc.  

Yep she was denied.

 

All I wanted to do was to go visit my daughter who had just had a baby for 3 weeks.

 

Gave up on tourist visas after that, because I wasn't going to simply line the State Departments pockets with fees for ultimately failed applications.

 

Of course all the same stuff applied when we filed for a CR-1 immigrant visa, and that just sailed through.

 

What is really aggravating, is that unlike the Brits and other who get a letter sating 'why' the application was refused, we get no indication of the reasons, which is why we were never prepared to make any subsequent B2 applications just to throw away money

What was the cost of that CR 1 ?  Estimate .

 

"Of course all the same stuff applied when we filed for a CR-1 immigrant visa, and that just sailed through. "

Edited May 30, 2021 by riclag

[GinBoy2]

6 minutes ago, riclag said:

What was the cost of that CR 1 ?  Estimate .

Trying to remember but with all the fees, and Yes I was lazy and paid someone to prepare everything, $2K seems about right..

 

You can do a CR-1/IR-1 yourself, but its a sh**t load of documentation and i wasn't prepared to screw it up and go back to the start and paid an attorney to do it for us. 

Take out that and the filing fees, around $1k I think

[JerseytoBKK]

On 5/29/2021 at 12:09 PM, Rick Bechard said:

But, yes, I started the immigrant visa process after the second denial. Then gave the visitor visa one last shot to try to avoid the cost of the immigrant. Not going to play the "reapply when your circumstances change" game again. See how we go there, but I expect it to be a hard go. Buying or renting will easily take half my income. 

There are a few upsides. I have 3 grandkids I have not met and a couple of kids I have not seen in 5 or more years. If we make the 3 years to get her citizenship OK, but no big benefit other than she can travel more freely. If she accumulates 5 years with me there, she qualifies for surviving spouse benefits under social security in the future.

 

 

 

Good luck! A couple of people have posted in the past that while it takes more money and a lot more time, getting the immigrant visa is a more straightforward process with better chance of a positive result.

 

 

[Elkski]

you say she wants to see the US before moving there? you say your company is paying for all this because? Maybe they want to transfer you there with your wife? It doesn't seem to me like you have a very good chance of getting a tourist visa when your ultimate goal is to stay there someday. als o if the woman is good looking I think that hurts their chances

[GinBoy2]

27 minutes ago, Elkski said:

you say she wants to see the US before moving there? you say your company is paying for all this because? Maybe they want to transfer you there with your wife? It doesn't seem to me like you have a very good chance of getting a tourist visa when your ultimate goal is to stay there someday. als o if the woman is good looking I think that hurts their chances

Well without knowing the OP's actual situation I'd say this.

 

Tourist visa are at the end of the day horribly subjective, and the end results as this thread proves are al over the map.

 

Immigrant visas on the other hand are objective. Tick all the boxes, cough up the paperwork and it's a slam dunk

[bunnydrops]

I tried to get my wife a tourist visa twice, failed. Broke down and got her in with a greencard, and now a citizen. I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer but I did the forms myself. Not really that hard, but time consuming. I do know a woman married to an American that got a 10 year tourist visa, but on her 3rd trip, it was taken away from her, telling her next time she would have to get a different visa. On that trip, she overstayed. Her husband wrote to immigration, and against what I thought was all odds, he got her an extension. My wife hasn't talked to her in a while so I don't know the final outcome.

[GinBoy2]

8 hours ago, bunnydrops said:

I tried to get my wife a tourist visa twice, failed. Broke down and got her in with a greencard, and now a citizen. I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer but I did the forms myself. Not really that hard, but time consuming. <snip>

You are right, it's very doable by yourself.

 

But back in the day when DCF was possible at the USCIS office in Bangkok, I remember siting there waiting with my wad of paperwork, talking to this couple with their two sheets of the I-130 paper.

 

Of course they were summarily dismissed and I moved forward.

 

I accept I'm lazy and could have done it all myself, but especially these days you've got to be damn careful on preparation 

Edited June 1, 2021 by GinBoy2

[riclag]

Please let us know how you made out !

[Elkski]

Doing a CR1 visa or like me a K1 is easy enough by yourself.   A lawyer will still need you to provide all the information so your paying to fill out the forms.   I've heard 60k-100 k baht. 

Hard part is parents names, bdays, birthplace.  5 years residency for both and employment ( might be easy or hard?).  A few questions on the forms are ambiguous but put your government form hat on.  In a few places not enough room on the forms or require Thai script.  Can fill out as PDF then print and hand fill in so it fits.   Can copy and paste Thai script from an email or something if your keyboard doesn't have Thai.  Hardest and most frustrating  part  for me was the hour or more wasted getting my fiancee to give me correct addresses.  Seems that there are many ways people write addresses in Thailand.   I don't think they teach this in school or something.   

Edited June 6, 2021 by Elkski

[GinBoy2]

1 hour ago, andy said:

Tourist visas are tricky because every situation is different.

Well you are right there.

 

But I have struggled to see any consistency in what the rules are.

 

Some folks tell you without any real compelling reason to return, their spouse/gf gets a 10 year visa.

 

Others that 'seem' to tick all the boxes get refused.

 

My wife was in the later group, no idea why she got refused which was the most aggravating. 

 

If, like the Brits and others we could get a letter explaining the denial it would go a long way to defuse the frustration

[Rick Bechard]

On 5/30/2021 at 11:49 AM, bwpage3 said:

It's not just the US. Living in any country will such paltry means is a foolish idea. 

 

She can only collect social security when she reaches the US social security age, unless she has already paid 10 years into the US social security system.

 

If you have a huge age difference, she may not get anything for quite a while.

Trying to establish a new life in the US or any similar country after retirement without some serious funds and income is foolish. Now if we divested here, all good. But I shipped my entire garage including my 1980 Harley here from Australia 2 years ago. Not about to go shipping it all again to the US. You have to ask yourself to what end? Here we holiday on the various islands. Can't do that in the states. I have experienced the old saying   "You can never go back. What you left behind is no longer there". 

 

Not a huge difference in age. She will likely be retirement age about the time I fall off the perch.

[Damrongsak]

On 5/30/2021 at 4:46 AM, GinBoy2 said:

Trying to remember but with all the fees, and Yes I was lazy and paid someone to prepare everything, $2K seems about right..

 

You can do a CR-1/IR-1 yourself, but its a sh**t load of documentation and i wasn't prepared to screw it up and go back to the start and paid an attorney to do it for us. 

Take out that and the filing fees, around $1k I think

Glad I got an IR-1 for my wife back in '79 or '79.  Didn't cost squat, relatively speaking, as I had nothing.  I did all the paperwork and even translated her Thai documents myself.  (They didn't like my handwritten translations, so the ladies up front sent me to the Consul officer.  We BS'd about my Peace Corps service and Thai language and all was well.  Ladies up front made me use their typewriter and paper to make presentable translations.)  

 

I know this has little relation to things today, but you just have to jump in and take charge.  I ended up getting a job for a year as a sub-contractor to the State Department, processing Lao refugees for resettlement.  Even had an office in the Embassy, 555.  I didn't like some of the immigration officers. 

 

Edit: I preferred staying in the Ban Vinai Hmong refugee camp with my clients up in Loei. 

 

Edited June 7, 2021 by Damrongsak

[Heng]

21 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

Well you are right there.

 

But I have struggled to see any consistency in what the rules are.

 

Some folks tell you without any real compelling reason to return, their spouse/gf gets a 10 year visa.

 

Others that 'seem' to tick all the boxes get refused.

 

My wife was in the later group, no idea why she got refused which was the most aggravating. 

 

If, like the Brits and others we could get a letter explaining the denial it would go a long way to defuse the frustration

 

One of the things that you can't prove, but seems true anecdotally, is that many people will get denied just for rubbing the consular officer the wrong way.