Bringing Futrue Wife To Us

[cface]

Hello everyone,

I'm going to be marrying a Thai girl in the near future and it is also our plan to go back to the U.S. in October(or about then). Started reading up on getting her a visa to the U.S. and like most people more than a few things confused me. Any help answering the following questions would be greatly appreciated.

1. Is it a better idea to get married on paper in Thailand very soon and then apply for the spouse visa, or is it better to try and register her for the fiance (K) visa?

2. How do you petition the USCIS from Thailand? This appears to be step one as far as the U.S. embassy Thailand website says. It also seems like they think it is better to petition from the U.S. I have however been in Thailand for about 8 months now which might meet the resident of Thailand for 6 months requirement.

3. The interview at the embassy that my fiance would have to do, can it be done in Thai? Thought I read someone's post that said they had one in Thai. My fiance's English is pretty good, but it turns to crap when she gets shy/nervous, so the interview could be rough if she has to speak English.

4. Does any one know of a phone number that you can call at the U.S. embassy where you can actually talk with a person (know that's a crazy idea these days).

5. Hoping that the people on here with experience doing this might be able to give me an estimate of our chances of getting the visa. I do have some other job options I'd like to look into if I won't be able to take her to the U.S. Here is our basic run down. Her and I have been dating a little over 6 months, neither one of us has ever been married, we are nearly the same age(her 25 me 26), and neither one of us has any children. We currently both work as teachers, we both would intend on working in the U.S. but do not have jobs set up there at the present time, but my mother is more than happy to be used in the financial Affidavit of Support. I hope this helps.

Thanks for the help.

[callum06]

I hope you aren't a teacher??

[cface]

Yeah noticed the mistakes right away, but for the life of me I can not find where to go to edit or delete the post. Would appreciate some help on how to go about doing that.

[duran]

Yeah noticed the mistakes right away, but for the life of me I can not find where to go to edit or delete the post. Would appreciate some help on how to go about doing that.

Hi. I can speak a little to points 3 and 4, just based on my own GF's experiences. She told me that when she registered for the appointment, she had an option of choosing an English or Thai interview, and she chose the Thai one. I assumed that would mean that the interviewer would be a Thai national or an American who was absolutely fluent in Thai. Instead (according to my GF), it turned out to be a US farang woman who had a so-so command of Thai. Anyway, that was just one instance so who knows what the majority of situations are like.

As for contacting an actual live human being about visa issues, my GF said that was quite difficult to do. She was in a similar situation and had to reschedule an interview due to the red shirt protest in May and tried calling them directly with little luck. She actually said the embassy told people to post things on their facebook page and they would get a response!

[thaihome]

You can e-mail the USCIS office at [email protected] to ask about the residency requirements and any other question about submitting the I-130 in Bangkok. Seems they often take several days to answer. Would not bother trying to call as you will never get past the Thai receptionist.

Assuming you can pass the resident requirement, getting married immediately and filing the I-130 in Bangkok for the spousal visa is the probably the only way you will get it done by October this year. You cannot file for the fiancé visa in Bangkok, that must be done at one of the US Service Centers.

The process is pretty straightforward. You file the I-130 at the USCIS office, they approve it and forward to Embassy, who send you packet of other forms, such as the Affidavit of Support. You turn these in and apply for interview appointment. Once interview is done, unless there is something wrong, the visa is issued in a few days.

Good luck.

TH

[globalmenace]

Maybe things have gotten a LOT easier, but I wouldn't get my hopes up too much from Kuhn thaihome's post.

If she has sufficient assets and can overcome the assumption that she will NOT return to Thailand, she should be able to get a tourist visa to the US easily enough by October. If you want to get the spouse or finace visa, you're looking at a lot longer than that.

I have arranged two visas for ladies to the US on the fiance route, one took six months, the other nearly a year. My understanding is that the spouse visa takes even longer.

It's expensive, many forms, interviews, the list goes on and on. You might want to check the visajourney,com website and see what you're getting into.

Don't get your hopes up for a spouse/fiance visa by October.

My advice to the questions:

1) Fiance K-1 visa

2) Unsure, I did mine from the US. I doubt it though, you need to petition through USCIS. The embassy gets involved once the petition clears USCIS and they want to interview your girl.

3) The US embassy interview will be conducted by an employee who speaks fluent Thai. That is not an issue.

4) There is no such number for visa applications, once you have submitted the petition you can check status online.

5) Your chances are better than very good, but you do have to be patient. Same as when you and your beloved are married.

Good luck!

PS: Forget about the paid visa services in Thailand. From what I hear, they will just take your money and deliver nothing. This is one you have to do yourself.

[sirineou]

Hi Cface

you have 2 options

1 marry legally in Thailand and apply for a wife visa

2 apply for fiance visa and marry in the US

There advantages and disadvantages to both options

I chose the Fiance visa route, because at the time I was told that it was the fastest way ( about 2 years ago), this could have change now do to processing times at various processing center.

I can only talk to the Fiance visa way because they is the one I am familiar with , and I dont want to give you false information.you can get info on the wife visa from others that have gone through this process recently, in this forum or you can go to (Edit by 7by7; link removed, see forum rule 10)

for the K1 ( fiance visa) you will have to file at the regional office assigned to the area where you last lived in the USA the application fee is $ 450.00

and for as it took 3 months to be approved and send to the BKK embassy, upon arrival to the BKK embassy you will receive a package requesting additional documents after they receive the additional documents, they will set up an appointment ( either in Thai or in English, your choice) for an interview, assuming the interview went well, a visa will be issued with in a few days.

more info on the process can be obtained at:

http://www.uscis.gov...i-129finstr.pdf

download that document and read it well, it will give you easy to read step by step info as to what you need, where to file , how to file, and what forms to download.

the most important would be the I 129f form Petition

for Alien Fiancé you can download at :

http://www.uscis.gov...form/i-129f.pdf

it is in PDF form and you can type all your info in your computer and print it out,

the instructions document wii tell you what other documents you need

you will need form G-325A (Biographic Information) for you and your fiance http://www.uscis.gov...form/g-325a.pdf

and also a Means of support document document I 135 affidavit of support http://www.uscis.gov.../form/I-134.pdf

your fiance will need document to prove she is free to marry . does not have a criminal record, and some other things , all explained in the INFO document.

when you arrive in the USA you will have 90 days to Marry. I suggest you marry as soon as possible,

Upon marriage you will file for a change of status for your wife, at this time it will be a good idea to file for a provisional Social Security card. ( SSN) you will need it in case she wants to attent adult English classes, or maybe jointly file for taxes before green card is issued, ( we jointly filed for taxes immediate and I believe a joint tax return went a long way in helping expedite the green card application.)

I-485, Application To Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status http://www.uscis.gov.../form/i-485.pdf I dont remember the exact amount for the fee, it was about $900,00 and it included biometrics. make sure your fiance brings all her documents with her from Thailand , they will tell you that you need a new medical examination in the USA. itr is not true, if her exam in Thailand is not older than 1 year she can use it. as it costs about $200.00 to get a new one. ( we used her Thai exam and it was 13 months old and we still did not have a problem)

G-325A, Biographic Information again . http://www.uscis.gov...form/g-325a.pdf

I-765, Application For Employment Authorization in case she need to work before green card is issued: (Edit by 7by7: link removed, see post immediately below.)

I-131 application to travel, in case she wants to travel before green card is issued: http://www.uscis.gov.../form/I-131.pdf

for as,, the Visa application took about 8months and we had a 2 month delay after that because of an Embassy screw up

The Green card application took about About 3 months

2 years after application of fiance visa , my wife has her green card, drivers licenceare and me and my wife are happily living and working in the USA,

I am not an immigration lawyer, and not the brightest light bulb in the Christmas tree, but we were able to do everything on our own. The most difficult part will be the waiting, and the not knowing.

the embassy is terrible with their communications. I hope this brief explanation of the process helps to take some of the not knowing stress away.

Pm me if you need any additional info on K1 visa.

chock dee

Good Luck

PS I wish I had all this info when I Started my K1 applicain

[sirineou]

I-765, Application For Employment Authorization in case she need to work before green card is issued: http://www.uscis.gov...form/i-129f.pdf

I an having problems with the editor also, the quoted link in the above post is incorrect, the correct link is: http://www.uscis.gov.../form/I-765.pdf if any one knows how to correct it or if a moderator can correct the above post please do do. ,

I would hate for a future member searching the forum to get only the above post with out this correction and get the wrong information.

[pmcd8243]

If you reside in Thailand and have been here for more than 6 months you can apply for a fiancée visa in Bangkok. Its called a direct consular filing (DCF). You will need a co sponsor if you income is not more then 125% of the USA poverty level.

P

[cface]

Thanks for all the helpful replies.  After having read a bit more on visajourney.com I think might go the CR-1 visa route, and if possible do it with (DCF).  I know with the DCF you have to have lived in the country for at least 6 months I have been in Thailand for about 9 months.  Just wondering if working here makes me a legal resident and able to process the application this way.  Hope so, it sounds like the fastest, cheapest option.<br><br>I would appreciate help from anyone with experience or incite into the CR-1 visa or processing through direct consular filing (DCF).<br><br>Thanks,<br><br>Cface<br>

[cface]

I'm having some terrible luck with this website, not sure why all the weird writing ended up in my last reply. Sorry about that and hope everyone can still read it alright.

[XXpate48USA]

Thanks for all the helpful replies.  After having read a bit more on visajourney.com I think might go the CR-1 visa route, and if possible do it with (DCF).  I know with the DCF you have to have lived in the country for at least 6 months I have been in Thailand for about 9 months.  Just wondering if working here makes me a legal resident and able to process the application this way.  Hope so, it sounds like the fastest, cheapest option.<br><br>I would appreciate help from anyone with experience or incite into the CR-1 visa or processing through direct consular filing (DCF).<br><br>Thanks,<br><br>Cface<br>

I would, without hesitation, before bringing your thai wife to America, find out about the "affidavit of support" I.E. if you and your wife separate/divorce or simply split up while she is in America, she can go to government resources and get and recieve support and all the while, YOU will be fully responsible for paying back to the Gov everything that she gets. This does not end as long as she stays and even moves in with another boyfriend etc. You signed that "affidavit of support" this signs your life away with having to pay at least 125% of whatever the poverty level income is at the time. YOU will pay untill she re-marrys or goes back to her Home country. This is something that YOU better think long and hard about especially with the high rates of breakups with Thai/falang relationships.

Not to say all Thai ladys are on the dig, but face it. It is there and in high % . That money and green card is worth more to them than you realize. I am married to a Thai lady and I am doing all I can to find an "caveat" that is legal and will protect me after or if there is a breaakup/divorce etc. I absolutley will not sign away my life saving for god knows however long. You need this protection,!!

. One story that happened to a man in Seattle Washington. He married a philipino lady and brought her to America etc. After a short while her plan came into effect. She filed for divorce, got half his income pension and half of his assets. They went to courthouse for this final decree and right in the court room, he pulled his pistol and shot her dead. Obviously this man was furious that he had been used and then discarded along with losing all he had worked for all his life. I can understand what his feelings must have been.This happened about mid 80's before court house scanners were used for weapons etc.

The moral of all this is to protect yourself!!! legally before bringing your new wife to America, never let yourself get to a point that you are so vulnerable as she can take everything from you. To some of these ladys YOU are just a means to thier ends. It does not matter to these types that you may be heartbroken and now broke as long as they get what it is they want. Very sociopathic without concern for anyone except getting that buck and green card....You can rot in squaller as far as they will care. Just be careful and take the time to legally protect yourself from that kind of robbery!!.....It does happen more than people realize!

[bifftastic]

Thanks for all the helpful replies.  After having read a bit more on visajourney.com I think might go the CR-1 visa route, and if possible do it with (DCF).  I know with the DCF you have to have lived in the country for at least 6 months I have been in Thailand for about 9 months.  Just wondering if working here makes me a legal resident and able to process the application this way.  Hope so, it sounds like the fastest, cheapest option.<br><br>I would appreciate help from anyone with experience or incite into the CR-1 visa or processing through direct consular filing (DCF).<br><br>Thanks,<br><br>Cface<br>

I would, without hesitation, before bringing your thai wife to America, find out about the "affidavit of support" I.E. if you and your wife separate/divorce or simply split up while she is in America, she can go to government resources and get and recieve support and all the while, YOU will be fully responsible for paying back to the Gov everything that she gets. This does not end as long as she stays and even moves in with another boyfriend etc. You signed that "affidavit of support" this signs your life away with having to pay at least 125% of whatever the poverty level income is at the time. YOU will pay untill she re-marrys or goes back to her Home country. This is something that YOU better think long and hard about especially with the high rates of breakups with Thai/falang relationships.

Not to say all Thai ladys are on the dig, but face it. It is there and in high % . That money and green card is worth more to them than you realize. I am married to a Thai lady and I am doing all I can to find an "caveat" that is legal and will protect me after or if there is a breaakup/divorce etc. I absolutley will not sign away my life saving for god knows however long. You need this protection,!!

. One story that happened to a man in Seattle Washington. He married a philipino lady and brought her to America etc. After a short while her plan came into effect. She filed for divorce, got half his income pension and half of his assets. They went to courthouse for this final decree and right in the court room, he pulled his pistol and shot her dead. Obviously this man was furious that he had been used and then discarded along with losing all he had worked for all his life. I can understand what his feelings must have been.This happened about mid 80's before court house scanners were used for weapons etc.

The moral of all this is to protect yourself!!! legally before bringing your new wife to America, never let yourself get to a point that you are so vulnerable as she can take everything from you. To some of these ladys YOU are just a means to thier ends. It does not matter to these types that you may be heartbroken and now broke as long as they get what it is they want. Very sociopathic without concern for anyone except getting that buck and green card....You can rot in squaller as far as they will care. Just be careful and take the time to legally protect yourself from that kind of robbery!!.....It does happen more than people realize!

Good advice. Even if she's not on the dig and you do happen to split up for whatever reason, it still applies.

[XXpate48USA]

I hope you aren't a teacher??

You best sit down with your mother and explain ALL the ramifications of that "affidavit of support" and I mean ALL!!. You will be puting her into a sponsorship that could never end!! Make sure you and her know everything that could happen. Even consider all the most remote possibility's!!This could cost her for the rest of her life. I would consider re-thinking letting your mother get into that situation. If you can not do it on your own, and you care about your mother, do it yourself and if you can't at the moment, get a better job first so you are the one responsible. Don't do that to your own mother!!. If you still need mom's help, you are not ready to marry! no offence!