My Thai wife was rejected for a B-2 (visitors) visa.

[TomKorat33]

TLDR

 

This question is for American's that are legally married to Thai nationals. is it possible for my Thai wife to get a B-2 (visitors visa) to the USA despite being married to me (a citizen?)

__________________________________________________________________

 

MORE INFO

 

We live in Thailand and we have no intention on living in the United States. We just want to visit my mom and dad.

 

She was denied despite having a serious job/career (official government teacher), assets (2 cars paid in full, a house mortgage with 500k Baht in equity, shares in the "teacher savings union" bank, land valued also at several hundred thousand baht).

 

We thought these were sufficient to prove strong ties requiring her to return to Thailand. (My wife suspects the system did not correctly show the above-mentioned assets because she updated her online file but never got confirmation of the update from the embassy website).

 

Anyway, my question as stated in the beginning. Is it possible for a Thai, who is married to an American citizen, to be issued a non-immigrant (visitor/tourist) visa?

 

My wife and I are quite distraught. We have 2 young sons that my late-aged mom and dad have not seen in over 2 years.

 

Also, if there is a better forum for these sort of questions please let me know. Thank you.

 

Edited November 12, 2021 by TomKorat33
make it more clear

[Fore Man]

There must be a good reason they denied her.  Did she make it to the final interview at the Consulate?

 

My Thai wife had zero issues obtaining her visa, but we used a reputable agent in our prior home town of Chiang Mai. They made everything easy.  You might consider employing an agent to find out why your spouse was denied and then consider using them to start a new application. 

[DineshR]

There should be no problems with getting a visa for your wife if you are legally married and provide all the required information. My wife got her 10 year visa with no issues. You should go back and check the application one more time to ensure you made no errors in the application and also review what happened at the interview to determine if there were any issues during that interview. You should try again but double check everything to make sure the application is flawless. Good luck !

 

[Chad3000]

My wife also - second ten year visa. No interview and approved in less than one working week. We've made 5-6 trips about 3 weeks each for the exact same purpose.

 

Maybe it's the children. Dunno why you'd take them with the covid and expense though.

 

She seems perfect. I'd ask for reconsideration.

 

Sorry, maybe she'd applied before with someone else?

 

Maybe questions in the app were answered inconsistently and was auto rejected.

[thailand49]

I was in the same situation over 15 years ago!  From reading during the years the same questions and problems people are having going through the website process might not be the way since the cases are from my experience being pre-judge and basically profiled that everyone might be lying? For whatever reason their process don't seem to get the big picture?  I know in my case I was married wanted to do the same thing just make a quick visit rejected number of times told that it would be easier to just apply for a green card?

 

Years those who I know I recommend a firm just across the street from the Embassy their reputation is well known to the Embassy. Sometimes doing it yourself and getting rejected the cost for each application and frustration just isn't worth it you need someone who has access inside who can speak and understand the in and out and convey it back to you and your wife in particular so she is prepared when she is interviewed. From the interview with the lawyers to get all the facts from the feedback from family and friends the money isn't much worth every baht? Shoot be a PM and I will forward you the firm contacts.

 

Regardless, good luck.

 

 

Edited November 13, 2021 by thailand49

[JerseytoBKK]

If you had scrolled through some of the posts about this topic written in the last 2 months, you have have seen some excellent advice.

 

What is your status? Work permit or retired? How long have you been here in Thailand? Your wife should have taken your passport with her to show that you are committed to staying in Thailand. Perhaps the interviewer thought that you plan to take your family to the US to enroll the kids in US schools. Is there a reason your parents can't visit and was that documented?

[spidermike007]

Apply for a marriage visa. We did, and had no issues. Have her bring your original passport with her. That is all they wanted to see. They did not look at her bank statements, house deeds, land deeds, business ownership, etc. They just studied my passport, saw that I travel back and forth, and granted her a 10 year, multiple entry visa. 

[Elkski]

Mike, I Didn't know there was a marriage visa?  A B2?   

Did she get rejected before having an interview? 

An agent can only help you fill out the DS160 but using your info. They don't have special access.   So I assume the children have a USA passport? 

She sounds like a financially lucky find. 

Anything in her past that may cause concern?  Maybe spend the 165$ and help her fill out the DS160. 

 

[bbko]

Many years ago my wife wanted to visit the US so we applied for a B-2/tourist visa and had zero problems, she brought all the supporting papers (chanote, marriage/birth certificates, bank statements, tax ID #, car registration, etc.) and the only two they looked at were the marriage certificate and my son's birth certificate (both registered with the US Embassy).

 

OP is your marriage and children's birth registered with the US Embassy? 

[sanuk711]

The Power of the CC..... I learnt that a long time ago when dealing with so many Goverment departments--in another life.

 

You write back to them TomKorat33, appealing against the decision ---questioning the decision, stating why your wife should be allowed, and you CC the letter to the Embassy's  Ambassador/your Congress-Person/ your Senator/your Local newspaper....etc ...etc 

You dont even need to send it to half the people you have written CC at the end of your letter.

 

Everyone in these sort of organizations has to cover their bottoms-- I have lived and dealt with government dept in 4 different countries--

 

Trust me you will get a response.

 

 

Edited November 13, 2021 by sanuk711

[86Tiger]

20 minutes ago, sanuk711 said:

The Power of the CC..... I learnt that a long time ago when dealing with so many Goverment departments--in another life.

 

You write back to them TomKorat33, appealing against the decision ---questioning the decision, stating why your wife should be allowed, and you CC the letter to the Embassy's  Ambassador/your Congress-Person/ your Senator/your Local newspaper....etc ...etc 

You dont even need to send it to half the people you have written CC at the end of your letter.

 

Everyone in these sort of organizations has to cover their bottoms-- I have lived and dealt with government dept in 4 different countries--

 

Trust me you will get a response.

 

 

 

 

I will agree with this.  I call it going nuclear. 

 

A congressman or senator phone call to State will get more done in shortest amount of time than any thing known.  No one wants to be subject of congressional inquiry for any reason.  No low to middle level government employee wants any attention what so ever from higher ups.

 

And if your congressman is in an election year great and wonderous things can be achieved.

[7700]

Consider it a saving grace.   I took my Thai wife to USA and she became Americanized….The exact thing I was trying to avoid when I married Thai Gal.

bring your folks to The Land of Fake Smiles, don’t take your wife to the USA.  It’s like letting your most obedient pet run loose forever.

[WhiteBuffaloATM]

Denied How ? For What Stated Reasons? Normally Rejection Letter w/ Reasons…….

[sanuk711]

2 hours ago, 86Tiger said:

A congressman or senator phone call to State will get more done in shortest amount of time than any thing known

I dont think you need the phone call ---IMO...--the power of the CC on the bottom of a letter works wonders......

[dlclark97]

3 hours ago, WhiteBuffaloATM said:

Denied How ? For What Stated Reasons? Normally Rejection Letter w/ Reasons…….

My experience with a rejection for my wife and step daughter was that we received to rejection letter and were advised to reapply after waiting for a while.  We had all the correct documents.  No reason was given for the rejection.

[dlclark97]

For TomKorat33.  At this time unless you are sneaking across the river from Mexico immigration is very tight.  As far as her assets they my be considered as things that are easily sold.  As far as her job, being a government school teacher is not usually a high paying or particular prestigious job and likely easy to walk away from.  If she were a secretary at a major international company, an airline flight attendant or similar her job would be looked upon as highly prestigious and one she would not likely walk away from.  Has she travelled to other countries and returned?  Those passport stamps could be a positive.  I say the above as I once attended a briefing by the ACS when they were making quarterly presentations around the country and tourist visas was one of the most discussed topics.  Also what we were told was that because of the number of persons applying for visas to the USA is that the interviewing agents only had a 3-5 minute window when interviewing each applicant.  In my case my wife and step daughter's documents, and there were several, were never looked at by the interviewer.  An agent may help.  In addition to the documents you should find one that can 'school' your wife how to answer various questions.     

[WhiteBuffaloATM]

3 hours ago, 86Tiger said:

 

 

I will agree with this.  I call it going nuclear. 

 

A congressman or senator phone call to State will get more done in shortest amount of time than any thing known.  No one wants to be subject of congressional inquiry for any reason.  No low to middle level government employee wants any attention what so ever from higher ups.

 

And if your congressman is in an election year great and wonderous things can be achieved.

sounds good.very knowledgeable & assertive. except why would politicians at that level be remotely interested to intervene with somebody’s random visa denial. unless they happened to be looking to fight that battle for higher purpose. otherwise, nothing in it for them.

[WhiteBuffaloATM]

secretary and flight hostess are not “prestigious” jobs. and why should that matter.

she’s married to a us citizen. case closed. issue visa. assume the kids are not american. 

but denying her the visa is denying her kids grandparents the right to see their grandchildren.

where is the compassion ? just money is it ? and if they did apply to stay lpermanently later, how could they be denied that either ? kids are or should be american by father. if why not ? 

[bojo]

3 minutes ago, WhiteBuffaloATM said:

secretary and flight hostess are not “prestigious” jobs

I'd say they are held in high esteem by most in Thai society..........flight crew positions are ones that many Thais aspire to and well paid secretarial jobs can come with serious pay packets, especially where a command of a second language is required.............................................

[lopburi3]

As said the key to receiving approval is that you plan to return to Thailand and not stay in USA and convert to green card status (cutting the normal process time this takes from overseas).  In my case we had gone through the process and received approval to apply for visa but decided to remain in Thailand - that old paperwork provided immediate approve of ten year tourist visa as was obvious no intent to shortcut due process.  The children being dual nationals may not be all positive (visit family) as can also be viewed as likely they wish to remain in USA.  No real answer except try again (may have been a Covid Wall rejection) and provide everything possible to show family (not just wife) plan to return and remain in Thailand.  As said the marriage path is available but now have to do through US reginal office taking up to a year but nothing to prevent return to Thailand (although to me it seems foolish to have to do this when long term stay is not the intent).  

[Chad3000]

8 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Apply for a marriage visa. We did, and had no issues. Have her bring your original passport with her. That is all they wanted to see. They did not look at her bank statements, house deeds, land deeds, business ownership, etc. They just studied my passport, saw that I travel back and forth, and granted her a 10 year, multiple entry visa. 

Marriage visa? IR1 CR1 NO!!! Do not do this!!!

[Chad3000]

4 hours ago, 86Tiger said:

 

 

I will agree with this.  I call it going nuclear. 

 

A congressman or senator phone call to State will get more done in shortest amount of time than any thing known.  No one wants to be subject of congressional inquiry for any reason.  No low to middle level government employee wants any attention what so ever from higher ups.

 

And if your congressman is in an election year great and wonderous things can be achieved.

Do not do this.

 

Your congressman is not interested in this drama assuming you have a congressman bc you live in Thailand.

 

When making a CR1 visa this is the absolute last resort and rarely acted upon. For a visitors visa this is a waste of time and just pixx off the embassy.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 11/12/2021 at 1:59 PM, TomKorat33 said:

This question is for American's that are legally married to Thai nationals. is it possible for my Thai wife to get a B-2 (visitors visa) to the USA despite being married to me (a citizen?)

__________________________________________________________________

 

MORE INFO

 

We live in Thailand and we have no intention on living in the United States. We just want to visit my mom and dad.

 

I've gone thru this -- successfully -- with my Thai wife and the U.S. consulate in BKK. Here's the three most important things I learned going thru their process that are key to a successful application

 

1. Make sure the Thai wife brings with her to her appointment both your original U.S. passport that hopefully shows an extended period of annual visa/extension permissions for you to live in Thailand, as well as photocopies of your main passport page and all those retirement / marriage / business visa/extension stamps. And that she hands all those (your original passport and the photocopies) separately and prominently to the consular office who is interviewing her at the very start of the interview.  The upshot is, they're going to base their decision as much on the details pertaining to YOU as they will the details regarding your wife. And the history of visa/extension stamps for Thailand is going to show you have an ongoing, stable, well-established history of residency here.

 

2. If the reason you're planning the trip is to visit your parents / have the wife meet your parents in the U.S., have your parents write a signed letter addressed to the BKK Consulate in which they are extending an invitation for you and your Thai wife to come to visit them in the U.S. on (whatever the dates are of your trip). Have them write that you've been married together for X years living in Thailand together, but the wife has yet to meet your parents (or whatever other applicable personal details apply), and mention that your parents are of such and such age (getting up there in years). Include a reference to that letter in your online application for the tourist visa, and have the wife bring a printed/signed copy of the letter with her on the day of the interview, and make sure she also presents it separately to the consular staff.

 

[In that case, I also included with the letter a marked photocopy of my father's U.S. state ID card, along with his personal email and phone contact info, just in case any Consulate staff folks might think I was trying to pull a fast one on them. The ID card copy also served the second purpose of documenting the age of my parents, as I had explained in the letter.]

 

3. Make sure you fully and accurately complete all the details of the tourist visa application, and have the wife bring with her a well-organized set of supporting photocopy materials of any pertinent stuff, like land ownership docs, bank account statements, written permission from her work to travel to the U.S. for the specific time of the trip, and any other pertinent stuff. And make sure she's familiar enough with what she has to be able to tell the consular officer what she has and offer him/her to see those materials, if they have any interest.

 

In my wife's case, all they really cared about and were interested in was my history of visa/extensions living in Thailand and the invitation letter from my parents wanting us/her to come visit them. She had everything else, but they pretty much didn't show any interest in the rest.

 

PS - You mentioned having applied and being denied. Once denied, I don't think you can immediately simply apply again and likely expect a different result. You probably need to give some time (I can't say I know exactly how much) before re-applying again... though probably at least some months would be best.

 

 

[KhaoYai]

Can't help you on the visa but I have a question:  Don't US Immigration issue you with a reason for refusal?  Its a little difficult to deal wit the reasons for refusal if you don't know them.

[spidermike007]

5 hours ago, Chad3000 said:

Marriage visa? IR1 CR1 NO!!! Do not do this!!!

No. A B1/B2 visa for the US. Best visa for a spouse. Fairly easy to get. 

[onekoolguy]

9 hours ago, WhiteBuffaloATM said:

Denied How ? For What Stated Reasons? Normally Rejection Letter w/ Reasons…….

She probably got the standard form letter that they give to most applicants? Almost everyone is rejected at the Bangkok embassy. I very recently offered to pay for my step daughters university education is the USA. After being accepted by the school she went to the embassy for the interview and was rejected. The interviewer told her that he thought that as a "Thai Woman"  he felt that she already had enough education! What an insult!

[PuaSai]

Agents can be costly.  Used one before.  Did they ask for pictures of you both?  100 was what we had to have per the agent.  Marriage registered with Amphur.  They don't recognize the Buddhist ceremony.  Did your wife ever apply in the past?  Did she ever get rejected in the past?  Assets should help, but there's something that may not be right with the application.  Did she have difficulty with the interview?  The agent went over information with my wife before the interview.  Just throwing some stuff out here to think about.  Good luck.

[PuaSai]

16 minutes ago, PuaSai said:

Agents can be costly.  Used one before.  Did they ask for pictures of you both?  100 was what we had to have per the agent.  Marriage registered with Amphur.  They don't recognize the Buddhist ceremony.  Did your wife ever apply in the past?  Did she ever get rejected in the past?  Assets should help, but there's something that may not be right with the application.  Did she have difficulty with the interview?  The agent went over information with my wife before the interview.  Just throwing some stuff out here to think about.  Good luck.

Here are some links that should be of use.  Did they give what section of the law the visa was denied?  For example: an INA 221 (g) refusal.  Check out this link.  They explain the different reasons of refusal.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/visa-denials.html#214b

 

 

[PuaSai]

4 minutes ago, PuaSai said:

Here are some links that should be of use.  Did they give what section of the law the visa was denied?  For example: an INA 221 (g) refusal.  Check out this link.  They explain the different reasons of refusal.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/visa-denials.html#214b

 

 

One more link.  Re-read the refusal letter and look for the INA Law utilized for the refusal then look it up on one of these links:

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/waivers.html

 

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

How young and attractive is the wife? I'm serious. I remember a post on here from a guy who's tried bringing a few different ladies over many years, wives and GFs. He said the difficulties he encountered were proportional to how young and attractive they were, as this supposedly increases their likelihood of doing a runner once they get stateside.

 

My buddy's ex whom he'd brought from the Phils did exactly this. Didn't take her long to get the GC, benefits, and the kindness of strangers on her own.

 

I doubt you'd have this problem with two kids now between you, but immigration officers tend not to be as optimistic. I'm looking to bring my wife over in a few more years and am wondering how it'll go. Good luck.