Visa For America!

[MarilynFlys3]

Hi swadee ka! My Thai boyfriend and I would like to venture to America together. We have been to many countries together already and would now like to go to America! All I hear from people is how difficult the USA is to enter - can someone tell me the requirements? Do we need to have lots of money in our bank accounts and a house, garden and dog? If any one could point us in the right direction thankyou very much!!!!

:0)

[Thanyaburi Mac]

You can start the learning curve here: http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/niv_visa_classification.html

The main thing a consular officer will look at is your boyfriend's reasons to return to Thailand rather than stay in the U.S. as a Robin Hood.

BTW, are you an American citizen? If so, do you live here in Thailand?

Mac

[BB1950]

That might do for starters but there's a lot more. You might start by checking the US Department of State website:

http://travel.state..../visa_1750.html

You can also visit the US Embassy or Consulate in Thailand, to obtain information. There's usually a huge cue, so plan on being there a long time.

Keep in mind that it's very difficult for a Thai to get a Visa to enter the US. It will require a lot of patience and diligence. There are lots of Thais wanting to go to the US. There is a quota for the number of Thais accepted. Sadly, very few Thai applicants are accepted. The odds are not in your favor.

For a tourist, they must be able to prove that they have sufficient resources to cover expenses (including medical) while in the US, travel to and from the US, along with incentive (sufficient assets and work requirements in Thailand) for them to come back to Thailand. The applicant must not have any previous criminal convictions or ties to terrorist/criminal organizations (especially after 9/11). The bar is set extremely high, as many Thais want to stay in the US and not return to Thailand.

Another method is for a US business, or citizen residing in the US to sponsor a Thai. Again the US citizen or business must prove that they have sufficient resources to guarantee coverage of all expenses for the Thai while in the US (including medical), and to guarantee that the Thai will return back to Thailand. Again the applicant must not have any previous criminal convictions or ties to terrorist/criminal organizations.

This will require a lot of supporting documents and interviews. There must not be any hint of deception. It will take time and the US will verify all the validity of all documents submitted. All application costs and fees are not refundable should the applicant be refused. Also if the applicant is refused (in particular for fraud or deception), there's a good chance that they may be 'blacklisted'. In other words, any future applications/appeals by the applicant will be kindly rejected with the forfeiture of fees.

By the way, previous travel to some other countries, may not help. It may require a lot more documentation as to purpose and activity. Depends on the countries visited.

You might want to seek the services of a professional, experienced in dealing with Visas to the US. Keep in mind, that there is no guarantee. All costs and fees will not be refundable, should the application be rejected. It will be expensive.

Good luck!

Edited August 4, 2010 by BB1950

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Gotta ask, BB1950, where you got this info:

"Keep in mind that it's very difficult for a Thai to get a VISA to enter the US. It will require a lot of patience and diligence. There are lots of Thais wanting to go to the US. There is a quota for the number of Thais accepted. Sadly, very few Thai applicants are accepted."

-- Quota? Where did you see that?

-- Few accepted? Last good info I had on this, last year I think it was, was that over 85% of the B-1/B-2 applicants are accepted. Note, tho, this includes all applicants, from monks, business people, scholars, government officials, etc, down to the "girl friend" visa category of a short time tourist to Thailand, of which few probably make it through the gate.

Mac

[BB1950]

Gotta ask, BB1950, where you got this info:

"Keep in mind that it's very difficult for a Thai to get a VISA to enter the US. It will require a lot of patience and diligence. There are lots of Thais wanting to go to the US. There is a quota for the number of Thais accepted. Sadly, very few Thai applicants are accepted."

-- Quota? Where did you see that?

-- Few accepted? Last good info I had on this, last year I think it was, was that over 85% of the B-1/B-2 applicants are accepted. Note, tho, this includes all applicants, from monks, business people, scholars, government officials, etc, down to the "girl friend" visa category of a short time tourist to Thailand, of which few probably make it through the gate.

Mac

When I was researching it once, I recall running across a document on the US State Department website which showed the numbers of applicants accepted from various regions around the world allowed under the various classes of Visas. Unfortunately I don' t remember where it was, as I was reading a lot of documents at that time over several days.

[rfukata]

google US embassy Thailand (website) for specific information and criteria for visa class.

generally for a tourist visa, but not guaranteed of approval by consular officer.

1)compelling evidence that will tie you back to Thailand (and not overstay in US illegally)

2) employment current, past records with proof (salary, tax etc)

3) educational background

4) your house ownership paper will be helpful

5) your bank account information

6) ownership of your business; if so submission of income and taxation

7) itinerary and duration of visit

these are the kind of documents the consulate is looking for. good luck

[jfchandler]

Here's the link to the U.S. State Department report showing the numbers of total non-imm visas (all non imm categories) issued by Bangkok (and Chiang Mai) consulates annually from 1992 to 2009. Unfortunately, it only shows the raw numbers issued, not the numbers requested or approval/denial rates.

http://www.travel.st...earTableXIX.pdf

The picture doesn't look particularly good, with the numbers falling in recent years.... though not below the yearly numbers from some earlier years in the period. However, just as one indicator, the numbers for Korean were in the 200,000 to 400,000 in recent years, while Thailand has been in the 32,000 to 70,000 range.

Here's the two pages that show BKK's total highlighted...

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Gotta ask, BB1950, where you got this info:

"Keep in mind that it's very difficult for a Thai to get a VISA to enter the US. It will require a lot of patience and diligence. There are lots of Thais wanting to go to the US. There is a quota for the number of Thais accepted. Sadly, very few Thai applicants are accepted."

-- Quota? Where did you see that?

-- Few accepted? Last good info I had on this, last year I think it was, was that over 85% of the B-1/B-2 applicants are accepted. Note, tho, this includes all applicants, from monks, business people, scholars, government officials, etc, down to the "girl friend" visa category of a short time tourist to Thailand, of which few probably make it through the gate.

Mac

When I was researching it once, I recall running across a document on the US State Department website which showed the numbers of applicants accepted from various regions around the world allowed under the various classes of Visas. Unfortunately I don' t remember where it was, as I was reading a lot of documents at that time over several days.

BB1950

I think you might have run across the U.S. immigrant visa page, for which the quota for some categories is LONG. A Philippine sibling of an AmCit might have to wait 30 years before entering the U.S.!!

http://www.hooyou.com/visabulletin/index.html

Mac

[BB1950]

Gotta ask, BB1950, where you got this info:

"Keep in mind that it's very difficult for a Thai to get a VISA to enter the US. It will require a lot of patience and diligence. There are lots of Thais wanting to go to the US. There is a quota for the number of Thais accepted. Sadly, very few Thai applicants are accepted."

-- Quota? Where did you see that?

-- Few accepted? Last good info I had on this, last year I think it was, was that over 85% of the B-1/B-2 applicants are accepted. Note, tho, this includes all applicants, from monks, business people, scholars, government officials, etc, down to the "girl friend" visa category of a short time tourist to Thailand, of which few probably make it through the gate.

Mac

When I was researching it once, I recall running across a document on the US State Department website which showed the numbers of applicants accepted from various regions around the world allowed under the various classes of Visas. Unfortunately I don' t remember where it was, as I was reading a lot of documents at that time over several days.

BB1950

I think you might have run across the U.S. immigrant visa page, for which the quota for some categories is LONG. A Philippine sibling of an AmCit might have to wait 30 years before entering the U.S.!!

http://www.hooyou.co...etin/index.html

Mac

I think the report jfchandler posted looks more like the document that I ran across.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Gotta ask, BB1950, where you got this info:

"Keep in mind that it's very difficult for a Thai to get a VISA to enter the US. It will require a lot of patience and diligence. There are lots of Thais wanting to go to the US. There is a quota for the number of Thais accepted. Sadly, very few Thai applicants are accepted."

-- Quota? Where did you see that?

-- Few accepted? Last good info I had on this, last year I think it was, was that over 85% of the B-1/B-2 applicants are accepted. Note, tho, this includes all applicants, from monks, business people, scholars, government officials, etc, down to the "girl friend" visa category of a short time tourist to Thailand, of which few probably make it through the gate.

Mac

When I was researching it once, I recall running across a document on the US State Department website which showed the numbers of applicants accepted from various regions around the world allowed under the various classes of Visas. Unfortunately I don' t remember where it was, as I was reading a lot of documents at that time over several days.

BB1950

I think you might have run across the U.S. immigrant visa page, for which the quota for some categories is LONG. A Philippine sibling of an AmCit might have to wait 30 years before entering the U.S.!!

http://www.hooyou.co...etin/index.html

Mac

I think the report jfchandler posted looks more like the document that I ran across.

Yes, it's a good chart, I've downloaded it and saved to my HDD, Thx, JFChandler.

However, I don't see anything in it about "quotas per country or nationality, zip.

Mac

[bikerlou47]

BB1950 is a perfect example why everyone who looks for an answer here has to wade through a bunch of crap to get a an answer that is really helpful.

He made up so much crap in his answer even I can not believe he writes this as being serious.

CRAP CRAP CRAP!

That might do for starters but there's a lot more. You might start by checking the US Department of State website:

http://travel.state..../visa_1750.html

You can also visit the US Embassy or Consulate in Thailand, to obtain information. There's usually a huge cue, so plan on being there a long time.

Keep in mind that it's very difficult for a Thai to get a Visa to enter the US. It will require a lot of patience and diligence. There are lots of Thais wanting to go to the US. There is a quota for the number of Thais accepted. Sadly, very few Thai applicants are accepted. The odds are not in your favor.

For a tourist, they must be able to prove that they have sufficient resources to cover expenses (including medical) while in the US, travel to and from the US, along with incentive (sufficient assets and work requirements in Thailand) for them to come back to Thailand. The applicant must not have any previous criminal convictions or ties to terrorist/criminal organizations (especially after 9/11). The bar is set extremely high, as many Thais want to stay in the US and not return to Thailand.

Another method is for a US business, or citizen residing in the US to sponsor a Thai. Again the US citizen or business must prove that they have sufficient resources to guarantee coverage of all expenses for the Thai while in the US (including medical), and to guarantee that the Thai will return back to Thailand. Again the applicant must not have any previous criminal convictions or ties to terrorist/criminal organizations.

This will require a lot of supporting documents and interviews. There must not be any hint of deception. It will take time and the US will verify all the validity of all documents submitted. All application costs and fees are not refundable should the applicant be refused. Also if the applicant is refused (in particular for fraud or deception), there's a good chance that they may be 'blacklisted'. In other words, any future applications/appeals by the applicant will be kindly rejected with the forfeiture of fees.

By the way, previous travel to some other countries, may not help. It may require a lot more documentation as to purpose and activity. Depends on the countries visited.

You might want to seek the services of a professional, experienced in dealing with Visas to the US. Keep in mind, that there is no guarantee. All costs and fees will not be refundable, should the application be rejected. It will be expensive.

Good luck!

[jfchandler]

I think your criticism below is a wee bit overstated.... and not deserved.... Here's my take on the comments below...

BB1950 is a perfect example why everyone who looks for an answer here has to wade through a bunch of crap to get a an answer that is really helpful.

He made up so much crap in his answer even I can not believe he writes this as being serious.

CRAP CRAP CRAP!

That might do for starters but there's a lot more. You might start by checking the US Department of State website:

http://travel.state..../visa_1750.html

You can also visit the US Embassy or Consulate in Thailand, to obtain information. There's usually a huge cue, so plan on being there a long time.

[True about being there a long time... Not true about a personal visit being likely to obtain any helpful information from the staff there]

Keep in mind that it's very difficult for a Thai to get a Visa to enter the US. It will require a lot of patience and diligence. There are lots of Thais wanting to go to the US. There is a quota for the number of Thais accepted. Sadly, very few Thai applicants are accepted. The odds are not in your favor.

[True about everything here, except possibly for the "quota" reference. There may be quotas for imm visas, but never heard that for non-imm visas]

For a tourist, they must be able to prove that they have sufficient resources to cover expenses (including medical) while in the US, travel to and from the US, along with incentive (sufficient assets and work requirements in Thailand) for them to come back to Thailand. The applicant must not have any previous criminal convictions or ties to terrorist/criminal organizations (especially after 9/11). The bar is set extremely high, as many Thais want to stay in the US and not return to Thailand. [True true true]

Another method is for a US business, or citizen residing in the US to sponsor a Thai. Again the US citizen or business must prove that they have sufficient resources to guarantee coverage of all expenses for the Thai while in the US (including medical), and to guarantee that the Thai will return back to Thailand. Again the applicant must not have any previous criminal convictions or ties to terrorist/criminal organizations. [True except I'm not aware that an individual U.S. citizen can sponsor a Thai... A company can for a business visa...but beyond that???]

This will require a lot of supporting documents and interviews. There must not be any hint of deception. It will take time and the US will verify all the validity of all documents submitted. All application costs and fees are not refundable should the applicant be refused. Also if the applicant is refused (in particular for fraud or deception), there's a good chance that they may be 'blacklisted'. In other words, any future applications/appeals by the applicant will be kindly rejected with the forfeiture of fees. [True about forfeiting fees for rejected applications and requiring documents. Not true about interviews in that for tourist visas, usually its only one quick chat and out. The Consulate may well have a blacklist, but who really knows]

By the way, previous travel to some other countries, may not help. It may require a lot more documentation as to purpose and activity. Depends on the countries visited. [Probably true]

You might want to seek the services of a professional, experienced in dealing with Visas to the US. Keep in mind, that there is no guarantee. All costs and fees will not be refundable, should the application be rejected. It will be expensive. [True, except that a "professional" is not likely to accomplish any more than a regular applicant who properly prepares their documents]

Good luck!

[7by7]

BB1950 is a perfect example why everyone who looks for an answer here has to wade through a bunch of crap to get a an answer that is really helpful.

He made up so much crap in his answer even I can not believe he writes this as being serious.

CRAP CRAP CRAP!

Disagree with what another member has posted by all means; though you would come across as more believable if you actually said why you think what has been posted is wrong, with evidence if possible.

Any more posts like the above by anyone will be deleted and the poster given a holiday. You have been warned.