How does a Thai citizen get a tourist Visa to the USA?

[thailand49]

On 10/2/2024 at 12:09 PM, J Branche said:

I've heard Integrity Legal talk about this and he mentioned two things beside what is listed on the website.

 

A Thai tourist will need No or weak ties to the US and strong ties to Thailand and reason to return.

 

I would definitely make sure they have fairly recent passport stamps showing traveling to and returning from other countries to help bolster their case

 

I read one time it was easier to get a Visa for intention of marriage in the US then just as tourist but do Not know if this is true.

Know first and told first hand from the horses mouth.

Yes first and foremost money in bank her mame not joint, a business a real business not a personal small minimart for example. They know documents forged are very common.

Major red flag is she is here in Thailand you in U.S. that being said you are anchor there their concern legally regardless of thousand crossing the border illegally once she steps foot on U.S. soil and she ends up overstaying it is tough to remove her especially if you have resources to delay her departation.

Although my situation this was a long time ago I was married to her explanation provided interviewing felt we were lying (then I was allowed to attend interview) told why arent you applying for a marriage even though I made it clear we arent going to live in U.S.

If you use a law firm make sure it has a reputation with the Embasses  of applicants returning.  Im not a fan of Siam!

[Nid_Noi]

15 hours ago, Phillip9 said:

 

Even more genius.  That trip is several thousand miles, crosses through several countries, and would take a few days to complete.  Seems unlikely any single bus makes that trip.

‘Everything is well organized by the UN travel agent: food, money, connections, healthcare and lodging. In fact the trip from Panama is quite fast, some have done it in less than 5 days.

Overall a much faster procedure than going multiple times to the US embassy, take number, wait in-line, get visa denied, pay for travel, hotel and food, etc…and I don’t speak about the amount of documents and photocopies requested for each application.

[AAArdvark]

The embassy will spend less than 2 minutes talking to her and will generally not look at supporting documents. It is based on a gut feeling and how trust worthy and knowledgeable they think the applicant is. 

[GinBoy2]

To get back to the OP

 

The problem you have to overcome is this.

 

You say get a visa to visit you in the US.

 

In back of the CO's mind is that once in the US she doesn't leave and basically by-passed the normal immigration process.

 

If you are indeed in the US, living full time in Thailand would have been better, although not a golden ticket by any means, I know from bitter experience

[Oliver Holzerfilled]

I suspect in no small number of denied visas, despite the farang's insistence everything was in order and the denial was unjust, that there are skeletons in the Thai applicants closet that were bound to torpedo the attempt from day 1.   For example a prior denied visa attempt with a different farang the Thai applicant "forgot" to mention to the current farang.

[GinBoy2]

14 hours ago, Oliver Holzerfilled said:

I suspect in no small number of denied visas, despite the farang's insistence everything was in order and the denial was unjust, that there are skeletons in the Thai applicants closet that were bound to torpedo the attempt from day 1.   For example a prior denied visa attempt with a different farang the Thai applicant "forgot" to mention to the current farang.

Well that may be true, and previous applications may have been 'airbrushed' by the applicant.

 

But a B2 is subjective, whereas an immigrant visa is objective. Tick the boxes and it's a done deal.

 

A B2 doesn't require a background check as an immigrant visa does, so a B2 really comes down to the judgment of the CO, which again gets back to that subjective 'feeling' of the CO about the applicant

 

Like it or not given the number of Thai's in the US who overstay I get it

 

Oh and a little factoid, the US is home to the largest Thai diaspora, surprising since I always thought given the traffic here it would have been the UK

Edited November 1 by GinBoy2

[fceligoj]

I replied to this request before as has many others.  So, the information necessary is pretty adequate in detail, but no one seems to have a handle on the REAL decision being made by the ajudication officer.  Remember the law governing this application process is backward from the normal 'criminal law' in the US, ala the defendent is innocent until proven guilty.  It is vice versa when coming to a VISA.

 

With VISA applications, the applicant has to prove that he/she has serious reasons for returning to Thailand, such as family he/she is respomible for, a self-sufficient job (or business), and and tyically a sponsor (and not a husband or wife) in the US.  As a matter of fact, it would behoove you to travel to Thailand and be with her for the period of time of the application process.  So, essemtoially you are 'out of the picture.'

 

If you, the husband, are the sponsor, the officer immediately is concerned that the wife WILL NOT return to Thailand but stay with her husband and disappear into the country somewhere.  If her business is one that she could just stop operating because it is not critical for her livelyhood (you are the husband and you can easily suprt her as you should.)

 

Where is the family?  Any critical requiremenets like children that cannot leave?  older parents that she is required to maintain their living standards, provide them living expenses?

 

This seems to be a very hard story that has to be developed to convince the ajudication officer that she has to come back to Thailand.

 

Over and above, you don't indicate where she lives in Thailand.  If Vientianne is in close distance, it might be easier getting a tourist VISA there from the US Embassy than in Bangkok.

 

[GypsyT]

On 10/30/2024 at 4:49 PM, Phillip9 said:

Seems unlikely any single bus makes that trip.

Train roof top is more fancy..... Google for info.

[Lestat777]

On 11/1/2024 at 11:29 PM, fceligoj said:

I replied to this request before as has many others.  So, the information necessary is pretty adequate in detail, but no one seems to have a handle on the REAL decision being made by the ajudication officer.  Remember the law governing this application process is backward from the normal 'criminal law' in the US, ala the defendent is innocent until proven guilty.  It is vice versa when coming to a VISA.

 

With VISA applications, the applicant has to prove that he/she has serious reasons for returning to Thailand, such as family he/she is respomible for, a self-sufficient job (or business), and and tyically a sponsor (and not a husband or wife) in the US.  As a matter of fact, it would behoove you to travel to Thailand and be with her for the period of time of the application process.  So, essemtoially you are 'out of the picture.'

 

If you, the husband, are the sponsor, the officer immediately is concerned that the wife WILL NOT return to Thailand but stay with her husband and disappear into the country somewhere.  If her business is one that she could just stop operating because it is not critical for her livelyhood (you are the husband and you can easily suprt her as you should.)

 

Where is the family?  Any critical requiremenets like children that cannot leave?  older parents that she is required to maintain their living standards, provide them living expenses?

 

This seems to be a very hard story that has to be developed to convince the ajudication officer that she has to come back to Thailand.

 

Over and above, you don't indicate where she lives in Thailand.  If Vientianne is in close distance, it might be easier getting a tourist VISA there from the US Embassy than in Bangkok.

 

Hello,

 

I thought about trying the Vientianne route but it all seems like too much of a pain to deal with. I've decided I'm going to wait until I'm living in Thailand with her to apply for a tourist visa for her to come to the USA to visit my family. Hopefully that makes the process easier since we both would be living in Thailand and have no desire to live in the USA and would have no residence there anyway.

[Phillip9]

2 hours ago, Lestat777 said:

I've decided I'm going to wait until I'm living in Thailand with her to apply for a tourist visa for her to come to the USA to visit my family. Hopefully that makes the process easier since we both would be living in Thailand and have no desire to live in the USA and would have no residence there anyway.

 

You should be realistic and understand that her chances of getting a tourist visa are very low.  When a foreigner is married to an American and applies for a tourist visa, it is assumed that they plan to stay permanently in the US with their partner, and they are just trying to avoid the multi year, multi thousand dollar process of getting the correct visa.

 

She will need to provide some near proof that she will return to Thailand to have any chance at getting a tourist visa.  She will need to have something like aging parents or children in Thailand that she absolutely needs to return to and take care of.

[ChicagoExpat]

On 10/2/2024 at 5:26 PM, Imd8ta said:

About 7-8 years ago my wife's sister asked me if I could try to her a B2 visa to the US. She'd been a pharmacist in Pattaya for many years, but not much accrued funds to speak of. I made the application, paid the non-refundable fee, submitted all her business licenses and pics of her shop.              She got her 10 year B2 visa without a hitch. She's now a chef for a Thai restaurant in PA. and hasn't come back yet.

Congratulations on providing the perfect example of why people SHOULD be denied tourist visas, and make it hard for everyone else.

[Imd8ta]

The visa's legal. How does that make it hard for someone else? Cry elsewhere.

[Phillip9]

1 hour ago, Imd8ta said:

The visa's legal. How does that make it hard for someone else

She had a tourist visa, overstayed and worked.  That's definitely not legal. 

 

Very common and exactly the reason it's so hard for Thais to get a tourist visa.