I'm planning to take my wife and daughter to visit my parents. My father emailed me and said that my uncle is friends with a US state senator who wants to help make sure that we get the visas. How should we do that? Should we ask him to send a letter of recommendation to me? Contact INS or the state department directly? Fax the embassy here in BKK?

Any advice would be well appreciated.

BBTJ

Should have known that the ongoing threads ranting about the unavailability of US visas for Thais would spawn a question like this.

Carefully read the threads, they are filled with stories that start with “I know a guy, I have heard”, etc. Carefully look for the actual first hand stories from people that have actually got visas for their wives and girlfriends, then decide which is more believable.

You don’t need a US senator to help you get a US visa for your wife (doesn’t your daughter have a US passport?).

Assuming you live and work (or retired) in Thailand and can prove that. Your wife will get a tourist visa with no problem, probably a 10 year multi entry. All you have to do is prove your ties to Thailand and your wife’s ties to you.

Fill out the application, make an appointment. Show your long term visas and work permit, get a letter from your employer saying you have a long term job and will return to that after the visit. Show joint bank accounts, etc. Go to the interview, if you did the paperwork correctly, you will be pleasantly surprised.

TH

As thaihome points out, very important you substantiate your returning as well.

My wife had next to zero ways to prove her return, so I submitted letter from my employer, papers I had on a restaurant and property I owned, our joint bank account, my bank accounts, etc.

She had to return to my office after interview to get my passport, and copy of baby's consular birth abroad certificate.

She then returned, and they gave her a one year multi-entry.

Sure a letter from a senator wouldn't hurt, but by no means required.

Dear Sir,

The above two postings are fairly spot on. I am a US immigration lawyer in Thailand, and without knowing anything about you or your case and this should not be construed as legal advice, the only two cents I would add is the fact that those Embassy officials really want to see "strong ties" to Thailand. This is not some formality, they want to be assured that she's coming back, in a way being married makes it seem as though she has a greater likelihood of staying in the USA. As the above posters said they want to see that YOU intend to return because the law presumes that she will not. I don't have anything against the tourist visa its just so subjective. With the K Visas and the Immigrant Relative Visas if you have the documentation and are qualified there's really not a lot an immigration official can do to keep her out, hey can stall but that is another story and where i come in. I wrote a bit about the Tourist visa:

http://www.thai-visas.com/node/8

Its more from the standpoint of those looking to get married, not those already married, but you get the idea