Advice On Us Visa

[bigbadthaijohn]

I need a little advice. I have to get our appointment at the embassy to get visas for my wife and step-daughter (6yrs old) to go visit my parents for 2 weeks and I have a couple of questions I could use some help with.

1. Do we need separate paperwork for each of them?

2. Any advice on what kind of evidence we should use for the "proof of ties outside the US" would be extremely helpful.

3. Should we go for type B-2 visas or types K-3 (spouse of a citizen) and K-4 (child of K-3)?

Would really appreciate any help that someone could give us. Thanks a lot.

BBTJ

[Smokin Joe]

You should be applying for the B-1/B-2 "Tourist" visa if you want it anytime soon. You get an immediate disapproval or tentative approval at the interview with the visa issued within a few days.

Your info is sketchy but if YOU live in Thailand and have a retirement or marriege extension of stay and/or a work permit you should be able to get tourist visa's for them easliy enough.

[bigbadthaijohn]

Sorry about the lack of details.

I have lived in Thailand for the last 5+ years. I work at a university and have a non-B and work permit.

Does anyone think that it would make a difference that my wife and daughter can't speak English? (I'm fluent in Thai and that's how we communicate) I would think that it would help the case that we will be coming back for real. Right?

Oh, and I forgot one more thing. What paperwork (in the evidence of ties) needs to be translated to English? All of it? And do they want copies or originals?

Thanks everyone.

BBTJ

Edited April 29, 2008 by bigbadthaijohn

[RY12]

I've read a few posts where YOU working in thailand AND have proof of a real relationship seemed to seal the deal in terms of getting the tourist visa, even when there wasn't much money in bank accounts, etc. So that's definitely the route you should go on before the K visas, which take 30 years to get through immigration . I wouldn't imagine the english would matter, since I've heard that the interviewers pretty much make up their mind before the interview... correct me if i'm wrong?

[vinny]

I need a little advice. I have to get our appointment at the embassy to get visas for my wife and step-daughter (6yrs old) to go visit my parents for 2 weeks and I have a couple of questions I could use some help with.

1. Do we need separate paperwork for each of them?

2. Any advice on what kind of evidence we should use for the "proof of ties outside the US" would be extremely helpful.

3. Should we go for type B-2 visas or types K-3 (spouse of a citizen) and K-4 (child of K-3)?

Would really appreciate any help that someone could give us. Thanks a lot.

BBTJ

1. I would expect so.

2. See also Visa denials.

3. It would depend on purpose of travel. If visiting, then B-2; else Spouse and corresponding child visa.

[Shah Jahan]

just tell them the truth and make sure your wife does the same

you may have to give her a quick boot camp in the falang concept of honesty

because thats what the officer will be looking for

ie.....

Q: When did you meet?

A: Last year

Q: But your husband said you met 2 years and 3 months ago. LIAR - REJECTED.

that is a typical situation .

make sure she knows the full name and address of your parents (or sponsors) as well

not speaking English shouldn't be a problem - it wasn't with mine.

[Smokin Joe]

Not speaking English is no problem. The embassy has interviewers that speak Thai.

No need to translate anything to English

Only bring originals. The embassy will make a copy of anthing they want to keep on file.

This is based on personal experience. I tried to get one for the wife twice before getting married, denied both times. Once married though the wife was issued a B-1/B-2 valid for 10 years

[RY12]

This is based on personal experience. I tried to get one for the wife twice before getting married, denied both times. Once married though the wife was issued a B-1/B-2 valid for 10 years

When you finally got it, were you working in Thailand? And you were just married under Thai law? I thought I heard that being married was a big no-no for the tourist visa because the embassy assumes you're just taking her to the US to start a new life there? Perhaps you're experience indicates the marriage showed sufficient relationship to the girl rather than that?

Edited April 29, 2008 by RY12

[jstumbo]

You can get married on a tourist visa. That is what people use that come to Thailand.

If you are married under Thai law, you are married under US law also. If it is legal in Thailand, then it is recognized, enforced and legal in the US.

If you were living in the US. Came to Thailand on a tourist visa and got married to a Thai woman, and then applied for a tourist visa for your new wife to come to the states, you would not get it.

If you were living in Thailand, got married, and still planned to live in Thailand, then you would probably get the tourist visa for your wife.

[bkk_mike]

I'm thinking back to 2004 here, so if things have changed, I'll apologise now.

However, if you're just applying for a tourist visa, I know when I did it the kids who were travelling didn't even need to attend the embassy.

My mother-in-law (who doesn't speak English) and my wife (who does) both got multi-entry tourist visas.

The first day you go in with the application, you just need to fill in a set of forms for each person, and hand in the receipt from paying at the post office. They then give you an interview, at which people (other than children usually) need to attend in person as they'll get fingerprinted and photographed. (To ensure that the person that turns up for the interview is the person who lands in the US).

After the interview, we got told yes, and a few days later picked up the passports.

My wife and mother-in-law only went for the interview. The kids never went to the embassy at all.

Edit: I did attend the interview, but got asked to stay back for the initial questions. However after a few minutes I got asked a few questions too, mainly because I work for a US firm.

Edited April 29, 2008 by bkk_mike

[RY12]

If you were living in the US. Came to Thailand on a tourist visa and got married to a Thai woman, and then applied for a tourist visa for your new wife to come to the states, you would not get it.

If you were living in Thailand, got married, and still planned to live in Thailand, then you would probably get the tourist visa for your wife.

The second one is what I meant, if he's permanently living in Thailand and married under Thai law, he'll probably have a good shot of getting the tourist visa if they both just want to go back to the US for a little bit. Does anyone have a sense of just how far this working in thailand aspect gets your wife on the tourist visa? have there been stories where competent guys who worked in thailand, and who applied in a reasonable manner, weren't able to get a tourist visa for their wife? I saw some old posts in the search tool that showed guys with only 100k in the bank or something and an unemployed wife getting her the tourist visa, because they themselves worked in thailand.

Edited April 29, 2008 by RY12

[jstumbo]

3. Should we go for type B-2 visas or types K-3 (spouse of a citizen) and K-4 (child of K-3)?

K3 and K4 are for immigrating to the US. They are not visas for visiting the US and can take up to a year or more to get.

[jstumbo]

If you were living in the US. Came to Thailand on a tourist visa and got married to a Thai woman, and then applied for a tourist visa for your new wife to come to the states, you would not get it.

If you were living in Thailand, got married, and still planned to live in Thailand, then you would probably get the tourist visa for your wife.

The second one is what I meant, if he's permanently living in Thailand and married under Thai law, he'll probably have a good shot of getting the tourist visa if they both just want to go back to the US for a little bit. Does anyone have a sense of just how far this working in thailand aspect gets your wife on the tourist visa? have there been stories where competent guys who worked in Thailand, and who applied in a reasonable manner, weren't able to get a tourist visa for their wife? I saw some old posts in the search tool that showed guys with only 100k in the bank or something and an unemployed wife getting her the tourist visa, because they themselves worked in Thailand.

It is all about showing that the Thai person is going to return to Thailand. When it is a wife of a US citizen that lives in Thailand, I think it almost always comes down to showing that the US citizen has a reason to return and the Thai citizen will return with you. If you can show that you have been living in Thailand and will be continuing to live in Thailand, that you have connections here in the way of a job, then she has a pretty good reason to return. If you come here for 3 months and then try to get a visa, they would probably not give her one, because you are really just visiting at that point, not living here. They figure that you both would just stay back in the US because you have not created a life for yourself in Thailand.

Even being poor where the US citizen could show that they were living in Thailand would be better and stand more of a chance compared to a guy living in the US, and his wife living in Thailand with a job and a home. In that case they would figure that she would have more of a reason to stay in the US with her husband compared to going back to Thailand. Why would she need a job in Thailand if she was living in the US, and she is not losing property just because she moves to the US.

Edited April 30, 2008 by jstumbo

[thaihome]

I have never heard of someone that correctly filled out the forms and submitted proof of the USC spouse working (or retired) in Thailand that has been refused a tourist visa for the wife.

In addition to copies of your visa extensions and work permit (with all renewals), get a letter from employer saying you have a permanent position that you will return to after your visit to the US. You should also include copies of joint bank accounts (regardless of balance) and any property you (or her) may own.

TH

[BlackArtemis]

When I was getting my wife's visa I wrote my state congressman. My wife said that they gave her a 10 year right after she gave em a letter with the letterhead of "The Congress of the United States of America".

Have your parents call or write for you, for me it was hassle free and their office was more than willing to help me out. They also faxed the letter to the consulate prior to my wife's appointment.

Remember, we vote them in so they can work for us