US citizen, better to marry Thai in US or in Thailand (registered)?

[JTXR]

What are the pros and cons of each? 

 

1. For ease of change with Thai immigration from retirement visa to marriage visa

2. For ease in eventually getting US marriage visa down the road

2. In case of divorce down the road

Also, to do pre-nup, is it wise to do one in the US and also in Thailand?

[spidermike007]

For me the biggest issue would be the divorce if that were to take place. So, I would opt to marry in Thailand, as her claims against your assets are minimal. You still have a relatively easy process to get a visa. I think perhaps marrying in the US might make it easier to get a green card, but I'm not sure about that. 

[steve187]

more hoops to jump through for a yearly married extension, if married in USA

[Sluglord]

29 minutes ago, JTXR said:

What are the pros and cons of each? 

 

1. For ease of change with Thai immigration from retirement visa to marriage visa

2. For ease in eventually getting US marriage visa down the road

2. In case of divorce down the road

Also, to do pre-nup, is it wise to do one in the US and also in Thailand?

 

Thai

Thai

Thai

[Sluglord]

Don't go to United States with her for any more than a visit. Bad idea

[bunnydrops]

By US law, if you marry here (legal) you are married there, Although, they may not know. It is faster to get her a green card if you marry here and stay here 6 months before applying.  I know people who went the K-1 route and have been in the US for over 2 years and still do not have a green card. ( They get a piece of paper that allows them to work and to travel to and from the US until their request is approved or rejected.

Lots of info here

https://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/110-ir-1-cr-1-spouse-visa-process-amp-procedures/

Edited December 27, 2023 by bunnydrops
addition

[dingdongrb]

1 hour ago, Sluglord said:

Don't go to United States with her for any more than a visit. Bad idea

...and why is that?

[timendres]

2 minutes ago, dingdongrb said:

...and why is that?

 

In my case, my Thai wife hated the US and blamed me for "dragging" her there.

[Sluglord]

6 minutes ago, dingdongrb said:

...and why is that?

 

Rarely works. All sorts of additional drama is added to the relationship. States is also entering a hard recession. I'm glad we stayed and my wife glad we stayed. 

[bunnydrops]

3 minutes ago, Sluglord said:

 

Rarely works. All sorts of additional drama is added to the relationship. States is also entering a hard recession. I'm glad we stayed and my wife glad we stayed. 

Out of the many that I know. Only one very young girl went into tears and returned after 2 months, ending the marriage.

[VocalNeal]

Either way, you'll need it certified and translated into the other language.🤔

[Dickie Dee]

2 hours ago, JTXR said:

What are the pros and cons of each? 

 

1. For ease of change with Thai immigration from retirement visa to marriage visa

2. For ease in eventually getting US marriage visa down the road

2. In case of divorce down the road

Also, to do pre-nup, is it wise to do one in the US and also in Thailand?

What’s wrong with “Hon. gonna be late getting back tonight!  See you then sweetie!

[PingRoundTheWorld]

1 hour ago, Sluglord said:

States is also entering a hard recession.

LOL what recession? 2024 is fixing to be a boom year unless something drastic (war) happens.

 

Marriage: terrible idea for a man in the US, if you have to get married do it in Thailand.

Greed card: if you wait two years after the marriage before taking her to the US, it will simplify and speed up her green card application so she'll get a permanent green card instead of a conditional one which she'll have to change to permanent one after two years.

Divorce: absolutely do it in Thailand if you can. If you live with her in the US you will have to divorce in the US, and say goodbye to over half your savings, investments, and retirement savings.

 

Groom beware.

Edited December 27, 2023 by PingRoundTheWorld

[Sluglord]

11 hours ago, bunnydrops said:

Out of the many that I know. Only one very young girl went into tears and returned after 2 months, ending the marriage.

 

It's not just the shock and especially not simply farm girls missing pla-lah and buffalo. She's going to have to grind it out in a low paid, unskilled job for decades. The returnee probably need some or all of her income just to stay afloat. Two week holidays. No education. Quite often repatriation the expat has his own issues returning, jobs.

 

She'll get online and get up to no good. She'll see Bentleys and mansions and wonder why she can't have that. Then she'll understand why... She's with the wrong guy. A lifetime of undeserved expectations. 

 

Even being together for a very long time doesn't reduce some of these issues although it will help. New marriage? She's basically uprooted by long stayer, not 15yr expat missing cool weather, bread and burgers... trouble. 

 

 

BTW I don't think the embassy registers any marriage and no idea how that might play out in the 50 states as marriage is States Rights issue. Unnecessary and certainly zero benefit here

Edited December 27, 2023 by Sluglord

[Sluglord]

10 hours ago, PingRoundTheWorld said:

11 hours ago, Sluglord said:

States is also entering a hard recession.

LOL what recession? 2024 is fixing to be a boom year unless something drastic (war) happens.

 

Seriously? The Thai economy hasn't turned in a meager 4% growth in decades. EU is a basket case, UK and US. You don't read much. Understood. 

[bunnydrops]

We

7 hours ago, Sluglord said:

 

It's not just the shock and especially not simply farm girls missing pla-lah and buffalo. She's going to have to grind it out in a low paid, unskilled job for decades. The returnee probably need some or all of her income just to stay afloat. Two week holidays. No education. Quite often repatriation the expat has his own issues returning, jobs.

 

She'll get online and get up to no good. She'll see Bentleys and mansions and wonder why she can't have that. Then she'll understand why... She's with the wrong guy. A lifetime of undeserved expectations. 

 

Even being together for a very long time doesn't reduce some of these issues although it will help. New marriage? She's basically uprooted by long stayer, not 15yr expat missing cool weather, bread and burgers... trouble. 

 

 

BTW I don't think the embassy registers any marriage and no idea how that might play out in the 50 states as marriage is States Rights issue. Unnecessary and certainly zero benefit here

Of course, some will not do well in the labor market, but would they do better here? You seem to suggest they are working as singles instead of in a couple. I know many that are doing quite well. One with a 4th-grade Thai education, started at $11 an hr. doing landscape, but being a very hard worker was making $24 an hr in less than 4 years. Another got a job driving mail delivery for the US post office with all the benefits. You really have a very negative opinion of Thai women.

As for the US marriage. As a US citizen, you are not allowed to have more than one spouse. If you have a wife in the US and you get a legal marriage here or in any other country, you can be prosecuted for bigamy.

Edited December 28, 2023 by bunnydrops
typo

[gargamon]

You missed an option. You want to know if it's better for someone to be married in the US or Thailand. Best option is to not get married.

 

You'll wish you had taken my advice at some point. 

[swm59nj]

It all depends the type of marriage visa you are considering. There is CA 1 and K1. The CA 1 takes longer. 
And as for her only getting a menial job in the United States. That depends on certain factors.  Of course if she is not educated and can’t speak English well enough.  She probably will get a menial job.  And even if educated but her English skills are poor. Her job prospects will be restricted. But if she is educated and can communicate.  Her prospects can be good. 
If you have assets I would suggest a prenup.  
I would suggest consulting an Immigration attorney.  Preferably in the United States. 
And keep in mind .  Immigration attorneys in the United States do not do prenups. You would have to consult a Family Law Attorney for that. 
   It’s like some of the expats in Thailand.  They have barebones income and not much savings.  Because they worked at menial low paying jobs in their respective countries.  So they end up with nothing.  But blame their respective countries for their personal shortcomings. Always have to ridicule Western countries every chance they get

    

[Captain Monday]

Don’t marry ‘em and don’t take them out of the country.

 

In a Switzerland, Norway, Korea you might not have the option but “Marriage” is a real expensive way to get a visa in Thailand imho

Edited January 3 by Captain Monday

[sirineou]

These are a few things to think about,

First If you have doubts about your wife, you should not be getting married anyway. 

But if you plan to make a life together , Marry in the US

This is what we did many many happy years ago and do not regret it. 

Easier to get her Green card, and subsequent citizenship. 

most of us are older than our wives and the chances are that we will pass away many years before them, If you live in the US for 5 years your wife would qualify for  Social Security  survivor benefits. Also a US passport for the wife would make your life easier if you both plan to do some international traveling in the future. 

 

PS: with the green card the wife can not be out of the US for more that 6 months, so you can still spend 5 months in Thailand every year, once she gets her citizenship, you are good to go and live anywhere you you want .

 

Edited January 3 by sirineou

[metisdead]

Some posts contravening our Community Standards have been removed.

[impulse]

Not to be a downer, or wish this on anyone, but if you are married and you feel it going south on you, are you better off living in Thailand or the USA when the divorce happens?  I've heard horror stories of foreign wives (not just Thai) that get involved in support groups whose entire purpose seems to be to pick their husband's bones as clean as possible when they decide it's over.  Happened to a couple of guys I knew with Filipino wives.  Met them while stationed in the Phils, and to listen to them after the fact, they're convinced the Green Card, citizenship, then a lucrative divorce was the plan all along.

 

Edit:  BTW, when I looked at them and then looked at their gorgeous wives, I scratched my head and wondered...

 

Edited January 4 by impulse

[GinBoy2]

On item 2, if you are applying for a US greencard, makes no difference to USCIS if you were married in the US or Thailand, so long as it's a legal marriage.

 

One thing I would say, 'if' you think getting married in the US then apply for a change of status for your wife while in the US is a simple route, don't even think about it.

 

USCIS views that very badly because they see it as trying to circumvent the normal immigration process

[Irish star]

I always heard K-1 Fiancé Visa marry in USA 

[Irish star]

On 12/27/2023 at 4:15 PM, dingdongrb said:

...and why is that?

They change for the worst most of them 

[GinBoy2]

2 minutes ago, Irish star said:

I always heard K-1 Fiancé Visa marry in USA 

Thats slightly different.

 

A K-1 is a single entry visa approved in the home country, the woman enters the US then marriage happens within 90 days, but then you still need to apply for immigrant status

[sirineou]

10 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

On item 2, if you are applying for a US greencard, makes no difference to USCIS if you were married in the US or Thailand, so long as it's a legal marriage.

Yes but you have to register your marriage in the US , and chase a whole different paper trail .  

Much easier to do it there and all these things are done automatically. 

then an easy matter to register the marriage in Thailand because you as a farang do not have a very long paper trail in Thailand.

[ibjoe]

Considerations: If you get a K1 visa, you have to wait about a year (during which you can see if you really like each other enough to still want to get married), then you can get married in USA with a 90 buffer time for your prospective spouse to see if they like it. Then it can take a long time to get a green card. If you get married in Thailand you can get a CR1 visa, which also takes about a year, but your spouse can get a work permit within a few days of arrival, and a green card within a few months.

Edited January 4 by ibjoe
clarify work permit vs green card

[Captain Monday]

On 12/28/2023 at 5:17 AM, Sluglord said:

 

It's not just the shock and especially not simply farm girls missing pla-lah and buffalo. She's going to have to grind it out in a low paid, unskilled job for decades. The returnee probably need some or all of her income just to stay afloat. Two week holidays. No education. Quite often repatriation the expat has his own issues returning, jobs.

 

She'll get online and get up to no good. She'll see Bentleys and mansions and wonder why she can't have that. Then she'll understand why... She's with the wrong guy. A lifetime of undeserved expectations. 

 

Even being together for a very long time doesn't reduce some of these issues although it will help. New marriage? She's basically uprooted by long stayer, not 15yr expat missing cool weather, bread and burgers... trouble. 

 

 

BTW I don't think the embassy registers any marriage and no idea how that might play out in the 50 states as marriage is States Rights issue. Unnecessary and certainly zero benefit here

You are on the right track and not the worst thing that can happen. If she is attractive enough once permanent residence is in hand no ”grinding it out” at the Thai restaurant. First infidelity and then  just marry up the economic ladder.

Thai lady bestie in US admits it is the most likely pattern.

 

If you want an Asian lady in the US find one already holding a passport ot greencard plenty available, in your reasonable age range.

[Thingamabob]

My Thai wife and I were married in Taiwan in 1990. We have never married in Thailand, an arrangement with which we are both entirely happy and which has produced no drawbacks as yet. However I would be cautious about marrying in the US. If at some point a separation/divorce came about the cost would likely be far greater in the US than in Thailand.