Bringing Thai girl to the States, permanently.

[racinkc1]

I plan on flying my girlfriend to the states in a little less than a year from now (11 months or so) so that we can work and live together in California. I do plan on legally marrying her to help with her US citizenship process. So that we can start to feel out this arduous process, should she be looking to obtain a nonimmigrant work visa initially, or should she look to immediately obtain an immigrant visa? Any advice or good sources for information would be appreciated. 

 

Khrap Phom ????

[ubonjoe]

Moved to the visas for other countries forum.

[tjintx]

My suggestion is to do, at least, an initial consultation with a US immigration lawyer.   The process is not straightforward.  

[impulse]

1 hour ago, tjintx said:

My suggestion is to do, at least, an initial consultation with a US immigration lawyer.   The process is not straightforward.  

Good advice.  It's really easy to delay or derail the process if you do things in the wrong order.

 

[Gumballl]

She needs to apply for a K-1 visa, not an employment visa. Work (if she chooses) comes later once you are married and she has both a 'green' card (Conditional Resident) and a Social Security Number.

 

A lawyer is not necessary to apply for the K-1; all instructions are crystal clear. Make sure to keep records of your relationship to the Thai woman (emails, pics, trips to Thailand to visit her, etc.).

[impulse]

8 minutes ago, Gumballl said:

She needs to apply for a K-1 visa, not an employment visa. Work (if she chooses) comes later once you are married and she has both a 'green' card (Conditional Resident) and a Social Security Number.

 

A lawyer is not necessary to apply for the K-1; all instructions are crystal clear. Make sure to keep records of your relationship to the Thai woman (emails, pics, trips to Thailand to visit her, etc.).

The first reason to get an immigration attorney is to decide whether the K-1 path is the best for his plans.  (Does he want to get married in Thailand, or later in the USA?)

 

Once she's declared an intent to get married, the simple 10 year multi entry tourist visa is off the table.  And that may be the simplest and quickest way to get her to the USA to see if she even likes it there.

 

I'm not claiming to be an expert.  There's lawyers for that.  I just know enough guys that have regrets over the way they went about it and complicated the process, some adding years.

 

[Maha Sarakham]

Have your soon to be Thai wife join the Facebook groups called 'visausa@thai' and 'VISA2USA'.

 

These are two very active and organized groups that the Thai ladies document the steps required and support one another with pursuing their green cards.

 

My wife recommends at the time of this post, that marrying in Thailand prior to coming to the USA is the fastest route, subsequently applying for a CR1 Visa instead of the K1 Visa.  Due to significant covid delays, waiting for a green card has taken some ladies up to 2 years going the K1 route, while the CR1 will facilitate the green card up front and likely take less time.

 

Hope that helps.

[zzzzz]

Been there, done that 
TWICE>( 2 different thai ladies)
1st time married in Thailand and she went as my wife
2nd time Fiancé visa ( K-1) and married within 90 days 

you dont need a lawyer.  but get ur stories straight,  (you did NOT meet in a bar) have photo's to back up ur relationship and it really helps if;
1. you live together for awhile 

2, she has travelled out of Thailand with you

FYI: the process is very straight forward and it might take a  bit longer than 11 months,  as you can only do 1 step at a time an cant do the next step till the previous one is done and approved. so dont make any plans just yet.

 

The tourists visa is hard to get unless she is educated, employed and possibly owns land /house
 

[gt162]

8 hours ago, zzzzz said:

Been there, done that 
TWICE>( 2 different thai ladies)
1st time married in Thailand and she went as my wife
2nd time Fiancé visa ( K-1) and married within 90 days 

you dont need a lawyer.  have photo's to back up ur relationship and it really helps if;
1. you live together for awhile 

2, she has travelled out of Thailand with you

FYI: the process is very straight forward and it might take a  bit longer than 11 months,  as you can only do 1 step at a time an cant do the next step till the previous one is done and approved. so dont make any plans just yet.

 

The tourists visa is hard to get unless she is educated, employed and possibly owns land /house
 

"but get ur stories straight,  (you did NOT meet in a bar)"

 

You're right, US Embassy in BKK knows most Thai/Farang marriages/relationships are between Thai bargirls and/or freelancers from online dating web sites like ThaiCupid, ThaiFriendly, ThaiFlirting, Tinder, etc, etc. They goes through these all the time and are required to makes sure it's real. 

US Embassy like other embassies wants to know this is not just a fling, loneliness, desperation, mistake and be burden to tax payers back home.

 

[bunnydrops]

Another good site is https://www.visajourney.com/

I did the CR1. I believe you have to live here 6 months and marry here for that. After getting all the paper work in, it only took 3 months. I have helped two couples get K-1s. The first before Covid took about 7 months, the second, after Covid 2 years.

[Iamfalang]

Can you not find true love in a bar?

friend’s wife gained 40 lbs and he went back to Thailand.   Okay, not really friend.  They divorced.

Immigration kept wondering why I was swiping my phone.  You can find true love with more than one person!!!

[bkk6060]

Good luck.  My friend waited 15 months for a U.S k-1 approval.

Then, after being in the states for several months he still has not gotten the proper documents approved so his wife can work.  They have just been sitting around waiting bored to death and his wife started drinking everyday.  He is regretting all of it at this point wishes he was back in Thailand and single.

 

[CartagenaWarlock]

Bring her on a finance visa (K1) which is easier to obtain. After she lands in the USA, marry her in Las Vegas within 90-day, get her a social security number and apply for Green card. While waiting for a GC, get her a work permit and enroll her in a community college. 

[bkk6060]

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/green-card-sponsoring-fiance-spouse-29026.html

 

Here is some info. it can take several years to get all the proper approvals.

[impulse]

14 hours ago, gt162 said:

US Embassy like other embassies wants to know this is not just a fling, loneliness, desperation, mistake and be burden to tax payers back home.

One of my flights to China, I sat next to a guy who was flying to Beijing to have it out with the US Embassy staff who had declined a fiancé visa for his gal.  He was livid because they'd been internet dating for 2 years and he'd actually spent a week with her in a Beijing hotel to make sure it was the real thing.

 

I came away with a new appreciation for what the embassy workers are up against when they make their decisions.  Sometimes, they're protecting us from our ourselves.

 

Edit:  Which I agree, shouldn't be their job.  But they're also protecting the USA and the integrity of the immigration system.

 

[racinkc1]

On 4/9/2022 at 8:15 PM, impulse said:

The first reason to get an immigration attorney is to decide whether the K-1 path is the best for his plans.  (Does he want to get married in Thailand, or later in the USA?)

 

Once she's declared an intent to get married, the simple 10 year multi entry tourist visa is off the table.  And that may be the simplest and quickest way to get her to the USA to see if she even likes it there.

 

I'm not claiming to be an expert.  There's lawyers for that.  I just know enough guys that have regrets over the way they went about it and complicated the process, some adding years.

 

I dont plan on marrying her in Thailand, unless that somehow made the process easier. 

[racinkc1]

On 4/9/2022 at 8:47 PM, Maha Sarakham said:

Have your soon to be Thai wife join the Facebook groups called 'visausa@thai' and 'VISA2USA'.

 

These are two very active and organized groups that the Thai ladies document the steps required and support one another with pursuing their green cards.

 

My wife recommends at the time of this post, that marrying in Thailand prior to coming to the USA is the fastest route, subsequently applying for a CR1 Visa instead of the K1 Visa.  Due to significant covid delays, waiting for a green card has taken some ladies up to 2 years going the K1 route, while the CR1 will facilitate the green card up front and likely take less time.

 

Hope that helps.

Thank you. We are aware of the VISA2VISA forum and she is on it. We will dig more into getting married here into Thailand first. Good advice. 

[racinkc1]

On 4/9/2022 at 8:53 PM, zzzzz said:

Been there, done that 
TWICE>( 2 different thai ladies)
1st time married in Thailand and she went as my wife
2nd time Fiancé visa ( K-1) and married within 90 days 

you dont need a lawyer.  but get ur stories straight,  (you did NOT meet in a bar) have photo's to back up ur relationship and it really helps if;
1. you live together for awhile 

2, she has travelled out of Thailand with you

FYI: the process is very straight forward and it might take a  bit longer than 11 months,  as you can only do 1 step at a time an cant do the next step till the previous one is done and approved. so dont make any plans just yet.

 

The tourists visa is hard to get unless she is educated, employed and possibly owns land /house
 

Thanks for this. We have:

tons of photos (2 years worth).

lived together (not sure how to prove this)

She is getting her Bachelors next month.

She has work for Pandora for 10 + years

but, she doesn't own any property.

 

It sounds like our first step would be to get married here in Thailand and obtain our marriage cert.? 

[racinkc1]

On 4/10/2022 at 5:09 AM, gt162 said:

"but get ur stories straight,  (you did NOT meet in a bar)"

 

You're right, US Embassy in BKK knows most Thai/Farang marriages/relationships are between Thai bargirls and/or freelancers from online dating web sites like ThaiCupid, ThaiFriendly, ThaiFlirting, Tinder, etc, etc. They goes through these all the time and are required to makes sure it's real. 

US Embassy like other embassies wants to know this is not just a fling, loneliness, desperation, mistake and be burden to tax payers back home.

 

We did meet on Tinder almost two years ago. Should we say we met somewhere else? 

[racinkc1]

On 4/10/2022 at 8:05 AM, bkk6060 said:

Good luck.  My friend waited 15 months for a U.S k-1 approval.

Then, after being in the states for several months he still has not gotten the proper documents approved so his wife can work.  They have just been sitting around waiting bored to death and his wife started drinking everyday.  He is regretting all of it at this point wishes he was back in Thailand and single.

 

Why doesn't she just work off the books? My gf is hard core when I comes to not abusing substances. 

[racinkc1]

On 4/10/2022 at 8:09 AM, CartagenaWarlock said:

Bring her on a finance visa (K1) which is easier to obtain. After she lands in the USA, marry her in Las Vegas within 90-day, get her a social security number and apply for Green card. While waiting for a GC, get her a work permit and enroll her in a community college. 

Looks like a couple people laughed at your response, but never replied to it to explain why... You dont think it would be easier to get married in Thailand first? Will she obtain a SSN right after we marry? 

[Skallywag]

On 4/9/2022 at 6:05 PM, racinkc1 said:

I do plan on legally marrying her to help with her US citizenship process. So that we can start to feel out this arduous process, should she be looking to obtain a nonimmigrant work visa initially,

Girlfriend or a Thai slave to get a job and provide you with income in California?  555

Think we need to hear the "girlfriends" side of this story  555   

 

K1 visa worked for me in the early 90's . Got her a Social Security number the day after she landed at the local SS office in Seattle.  After my son was born she went to work 7-12's at a seafood processing plant in Alaska and made good money, built her Mom a new house after 2 years working in the U.S.

[racinkc1]

On 4/10/2022 at 8:24 AM, bkk6060 said:

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/green-card-sponsoring-fiance-spouse-29026.html

 

Here is some info. it can take several years to get all the proper approvals.

haha im blocked from the site because my VPN

[Will B Good]

The one thing I wouldn't do is watch '90 Days'......the US TV series.......nightmare.

[gamb00ler]

On 4/10/2022 at 8:09 AM, CartagenaWarlock said:

Bring her on a finance visa (K1) which is easier to obtain. After she lands in the USA, marry her in Las Vegas within 90-day, get her a social security number and apply for Green card. While waiting for a GC, get her a work permit and enroll her in a community college. 

My stepson (born in US) grew up in CM and wanted to move back to US with his Thai gf.  He investigated and determined getting married in Thailand would greatly shorten and simplify the path to SSN and green card.  His mother and I were living in US at the time.  We wrote a letter stating that we would support he and his wife as needed and he included that in the application package for his wife's visa.  He had restaurant management work history and he included a letter indicating potential employment in that field for himself after moving to US.  His wife had her Thai bachelors degree before submitting her application.

 

Her application was accepted without any request for further proof/more details.  She received her SSN shortly after arriving in US and her green card (with shorter validity than normal) followed in another month or so.

 

Sorry, but I can't remember how long the process took.  I'll guess it was about 5 months from application submittal to arrival in US.

1 hour ago, racinkc1 said:

I dont plan on marrying her in Thailand, unless that somehow made the process easier. 

If the processes remain the same as 6 years ago, marriage in Thailand will be quite a bit faster (according to my stepson).  Apparently there is a chat forum somewhere specifically for foreigners going through the process of taking their new spouse back to USA.  That's where the stepson found information about processing/waiting times for the different methods.

1 hour ago, racinkc1 said:

Looks like a couple people laughed at your response, but never replied to it to explain why... You dont think it would be easier to get married in Thailand first? Will she obtain a SSN right after we marry? 

I am one of the "laughers" and did so based on my opinion of best method to get your gf to USA.

[Elkski]

You don't need a lawyer!

It's a choice between aCR1 or K1 .

A bit different costs.

A bit different timing on when your 10 year commitment of support for her kicks in. How rushed are you to go to USA? Can you handle separation.   All the timelines of both Visa's were reset in 2018 after trump and his  ambassador took hold.   Then covid hit.   I started our K1 in Feb 2020. What was before an average 259 day process took till April 26 2021. Speaking as a K1 experience  SS card is easy to get , just have her name on a utility bill and provide that to SS.  Then can open bank account. SS office not open door due to covid excuse. Armed guards now. Appointment only. We sent in change of status in late July but had aRFE. Request for more information. Submitted that in December.   We got her work permit  and advance parole last week.    With K1 she can't travel outside the US until getting the advanced parole.   A travel card that tells Airlines it's ok to fly you to US.  That means for 11 months if she had to return to Thailand for an emergency the K1 is invalid.   Crazy government policies.    She may get a job soon but for us that's not critical except once she gets 40 quarters in as a worker she can get I think half my  SS benefits even if she moves back to Thailand. SS System rules require an expert.  As I understand it a guy could marry 4 women for 10 years each and they all would be entitled to 50% of his benifits. 

I would suggest you going the CR1.  This will take longer to get but she can work right away and no travel restrictions.    This means she can work up till the move in Thailand and then right away in US.   Can you delay your move for the 18 months or whatever the current CR1 timeline is.  Check the sites mentioned for that. 

Again no lawyer needed.   as far as where you met that has no bearing. legally you only have to meet this person in person for one week in the three years prior to application for a k1. And for a CR1 the only requirement is that you are married. you do not need any lawyer  support. If you're thinking about this you should make sure you have a valid birth certificate for her. Suda bot.

My wife even says if she is sex worker it's no problem. My wife follows those Thai Facebook pages which actually sometimes are better informed than visa journey website. And the visausa@thai FB website is best. The K1 gives you 90 days plus the year or more wait to commit to marriage.  If your sure about marriage and her working is a financial need then CR1 is probably best.   .your income needs to be 125% of poverty rate.  I think thats like 25k but assets x5 can also qualify.  We were separated by covid.  I did the K1 shortly after returning from  my 7th visit to see her in Jan 2020.  To return was 14 day quarantine and seemed risky so I did K1.   If I had just got married or started the K1 the July trip before we would have beat the covid delay. 

If your sure about this girl go CR1 if not K1.   

 

 

 

[impulse]

1 hour ago, racinkc1 said:

She is getting her Bachelors next month.

She has work for Pandora for 10 + years

but, she doesn't own any property.

With that kind of work history, she may get a 10 year multi entry tourist visa in a few weeks  (or maybe not).  I had a friend come to the US to visit me just before Covid and she had no property.  Just a good job, a little money in the bank and she had gone to school in Australia so she had some international travel history.  She hired a local BKK visa agency and they suggested she keep my name completely out of the process.  Told her it would just complicate things.

 

What worked for my friend may or may not work today, or for someone else.  Covid has probably changed things and made some processes quicker and some slower.  Professionals keep up with those changes to make the best suggestions based on today's conditions. 

 

Here's an excellent thread and linked articles for why they make it "complicated":