Has Anyone'S Wife/Gf Actually Got A Us Tourist Visa?

[Strange]

Im just curious how many people have actually got a tourist visa for the states. Seems almost impossible to get one, and it ALSO seems like the embassy personnell dont even know what they want to see. Looks like they just take a look at the person and if they dont look up to thier standards then its "Im sorry I will not grant your visa. Please exit to your left."

Ive been with my girl for a little more than 3 years. We have been all over south east asia. I work offshore and live in thailand for 5 months a year. She has a rental contract for our house in her name, a car/motorbike in her name. We have a legitimate relationship documented with a BILLION photos, email, ticket stubs... She spent like 3 months gathering all the documents and labelling folders and preparing for the interview. Getting documents from my parents while I was offshore. We thought we had it in the bag. Huge legal pouch full of individually labeld folders. Letter from my family... 10,000 USD in her thai bank to cover emergencies.

We arrived at 7:30 and she went in. I didnt see her again until AFTER 2 PM! Finally she came out and said she got denied. I said what happend, and she said he didnt even look at her evidence or paperwork. He just read my letter, and in it I said that I stay in thailand on tourist visas, And he said that I (the boyfriend) do not show strong enough ties to thailand and he can not grant the visa. W.....T.....F?

My girl was shocked, and asked what she should do? He said "I dont know, maybe you should travel more together" huh?? He also said "Maybe it would be better if you were married" then promptly told her to leave.

Those people are unbelieveable and im ashamed that they are representative of my country.

Im sure this has been done before, but I would really like it if I could get other peoples experiance on the subject.

Also, do you guys think it would be easier if we were married and I changed over to a non imm "O" in an attempt to satisfy these people? We have been talking about getting legally married for a while now. I dont plan on going back to live in the states for a while, or I would get married and apply for the CR-1.

[BuckarooBanzai]

Before my wife and I were married, she received two visas to the US. This was before 9-11 though and things were different. One thing that I think was paramount though is that I claimed her as my fiancé. This designation does make a difference. We also had years of travel together documented in our passports. The first visa was for 2 weeks. A year later she got another visa which we requested for one month and were surprised when we found out that they had given her a 10 year visa instead. This was still before we were married. I know of many instances that visas have been denied though and for travel to many other countries, not just the US. If you do not have proof of secure ties with the gf then I think you will have a problem.

Edited February 23, 2011 by BuckarooBanzai

[ProThaiExpat]

"Compelling Reasons to return to Thailand" are the magic words. Evaluate her chances by making a list of her compelling reasons to return, ranking them from most important downward. Then use your own judgement as to the quality of the reasons. The interviewer is mandated by law to start the interview process with the assumption she will overstay and it is up to her to prove to him otherwise.

Money, ownership of land and the like are not compelling reasons to return.

Your long stay in Thailand in the past and into the future can be compelling if your relationship with her is strong and well documented. The question remains, why you haven't married her after so long a time with her.

Yes her visa chances increase if you married her.

Yes her visa chances increase if you have long stay visa in Thailand, have an established domicile in Thailand and she has a job of long standing to return to. Having and caring for her children, if any, also is a compelling reason to return. Purpose of trip, whether you will accompany her etc. are critical questions.

There are many threads on this subject in Thaivisa.

[Strange]

"Compelling Reasons to return to Thailand" are the magic words. Evaluate her chances by making a list of her compelling reasons to return, ranking them from most important downward. Then use your own judgement as to the quality of the reasons. The interviewer is mandated by law to start the interview process with the assumption she will overstay and it is up to her to prove to him otherwise.

Money, ownership of land and the like are not compelling reasons to return.

Your long stay in Thailand in the past and into the future can be compelling if your relationship with her is strong and well documented. The question remains, why you haven't married her after so long a time with her.

Yes her visa chances increase if you married her.

Yes her visa chances increase if you have long stay visa in Thailand, have an established domicile in Thailand and she has a job of long standing to return to. Having and caring for her children, if any, also is a compelling reason to return. Purpose of trip, whether you will accompany her etc. are critical questions.

There are many threads on this subject in Thaivisa.

There are soo many conflicting opinions about the US tourist visa.

She graduated uni, but has no job. No kids. We rent a house and finance a car. Just regular stuff. We have been talking about getting married but we have been stalling because we cant decide what US Visa to apply for. Know what I mean?

Well I think we will apply again after we get married and I change my visa. I really thought we had it in the bag and im still REALLY annoyed about the whole thing.

[KamnanT]

"Compelling Reasons to return to Thailand" are the magic words.

Very true and two significant elements of this determination are (1) the perceived strength of the relationship and (2) the strength of your (not only her) ties to Thailand. If you are here on a visa exempt entry or a tourist visa, the consular officer is more likely to think that you are returning to the US and trying to take your GF with you than if you have a non-immigrant visa and a work permit. Marriage will certainly help with the "strength of relationship" part, but if you have few demonstrable ties to Thailand yourself, even that may not be enough for a B1 (visitor) visa.

[traveldog]

"Compelling Reasons to return to Thailand" are the magic words.

Very true and two significant elements of this determination are (1) the perceived strength of the relationship and (2) the strength of your (not only her) ties to Thailand. If you are here on a visa exempt entry or a tourist visa, the consular officer is more likely to think that you are returning to the US and trying to take your GF with you than if you have a non-immigrant visa and a work permit. Marriage will certainly help with the "strength of relationship" part, but if you have few demonstrable ties to Thailand yourself, even that may not be enough for a B1 (visitor) visa.

So my retirement visa is not really looking that good, though I used to have a non imm B when I did work maybe my 9 years of living here will help though only married to my wife for 3. Gee what an ordeal just to take her to see my country which to be honest I have no real desire to do and even less so with all this...thanks to Kamnan, Prothai and others for their advice...3 more weeks till my wife goes for her interview will report her outcome.

[maccaroni man]

my wife got her visa on her own merit without mentioning me, she had a job and reason to return to thailand visa it was good for 10yrs. imo i would have been happy to put up with a bit more hassle at thai immigration if my visa was for 10yrs.

[Strange]

my wife got her visa on her own merit without mentioning me, she had a job and reason to return to thailand visa it was good for 10yrs. imo i would have been happy to put up with a bit more hassle at thai immigration if my visa was for 10yrs.

If you dont mind me asking, what is your wifes job? And what were her reasons for returning?

Im just curious what satisfies these people...

[Strange]

"Compelling Reasons to return to Thailand" are the magic words.

Very true and two significant elements of this determination are (1) the perceived strength of the relationship and (2) the strength of your (not only her) ties to Thailand. If you are here on a visa exempt entry or a tourist visa, the consular officer is more likely to think that you are returning to the US and trying to take your GF with you than if you have a non-immigrant visa and a work permit. Marriage will certainly help with the "strength of relationship" part, but if you have few demonstrable ties to Thailand yourself, even that may not be enough for a B1 (visitor) visa.

So my retirement visa is not really looking that good, though I used to have a non imm B when I did work maybe my 9 years of living here will help though only married to my wife for 3. Gee what an ordeal just to take her to see my country which to be honest I have no real desire to do and even less so with all this...thanks to Kamnan, Prothai and others for their advice...3 more weeks till my wife goes for her interview will report her outcome.

So your wife is going for a tourist visa interview in 3 weeks? Good luck man. I am curious to see if she gets it.

[Strange]

"Compelling Reasons to return to Thailand" are the magic words.

Very true and two significant elements of this determination are (1) the perceived strength of the relationship and (2) the strength of your (not only her) ties to Thailand. If you are here on a visa exempt entry or a tourist visa, the consular officer is more likely to think that you are returning to the US and trying to take your GF with you than if you have a non-immigrant visa and a work permit. Marriage will certainly help with the "strength of relationship" part, but if you have few demonstrable ties to Thailand yourself, even that may not be enough for a B1 (visitor) visa.

I mean I have as many ties to thailand as I can possibly have if I get married and change visas. I guess I could buy a house, but that would still be in the wifes name not mine. I dont work in thailand so no work permit, not old enough to retire... Make money out of the country so dont pay any taxes in thailand. What else can I possibly do?

[KamnanT]

So my retirement visa is not really looking that good, though I used to have a non imm B when I did work maybe my 9 years of living here will help though only married to my wife for 3.  Gee what an ordeal just to take her to see my country which to be honest I have no real desire to do and even less so with all this...thanks to Kamnan, Prothai and others for their advice...3 more weeks till my wife goes for her interview will report her outcome.

Apologies, I didn't mean to imply that those on retirement visas had weaker ties to Thailand than those who are working here. I meant only to highlight that someone who stayed in Thailand from time to time on visa exempt entries or tourist visas would be viewed as transient and thus not a particularly strong "reason to return" for a partner applying for a US visitor's visa.

[traveldog]

So my retirement visa is not really looking that good, though I used to have a non imm B when I did work maybe my 9 years of living here will help though only married to my wife for 3.  Gee what an ordeal just to take her to see my country which to be honest I have no real desire to do and even less so with all this...thanks to Kamnan, Prothai and others for their advice...3 more weeks till my wife goes for her interview will report her outcome.

No apologies needed, I think I have pretty decent ties, condo in my name, renewed retirement visa, marriage cert, and wife too with house and part time job...but still we have the 20 year age difference and frankly it seems the whims of the interviewer come to play. What ever happens happens...we would lose the ticket but more importantly my sister in the US is just dying to see us....thanks again.

Apologies, I didn't mean to imply that those on retirement visas had weaker ties to Thailand than those who are working here. I meant only to highlight that someone who stayed in Thailand from time to time on visa exempt entries or tourist visas would be viewed as transient and thus not a particularly strong "reason to return" for a partner applying for a US visitor's visa.

[maccaroni man]

my wife got her visa on her own merit without mentioning me, she had a job and reason to return to thailand visa it was good for 10yrs. imo i would have been happy to put up with a bit more hassle at thai immigration if my visa was for 10yrs.

If you dont mind me asking, what is your wifes job? And what were her reasons for returning?

Im just curious what satisfies these people...

she had long term employment and her work and family were her complelling reasons to return. she was only going to visit the USA for 4wks but they gave her a 10yr visa. great for us, we got married while we were in the states and have had 2 children in those 10 yrs.

and have returned 2x as well. I assume renewal will be easy with the children being american citizens but we will do our next application while we are in the US.

[jdinasia]

my wife got her visa on her own merit without mentioning me, she had a job and reason to return to thailand visa it was good for 10yrs. imo i would have been happy to put up with a bit more hassle at thai immigration if my visa was for 10yrs.

Same here, my partner managed his visa on his own (he did mention me and had documentation but was never asked for it.) 10 years, no problem. The house, car etc ... all paid for in cash (his) and an executive level position with a major company. They asked how long he'd be staying and his reply was simple, "13 days as I cannot afford more time off from work."

[mizzi39]

Yes, my wife on her first try in January 2010. approved for 10 years. Need to reevaluate your situation and try again. Chok dee

[gorshar]

First try, on her own, 10 year multi-entry.

Immigrant visa approved three years later. Not a big deal either, just a bit of hassle with getting the paperwork right but nothing major.

[AA1]

Yes, my wife on her first try in January 2010. approved for 10 years. Need to reevaluate your situation and try again. Chok dee

I had a similar experience to you a couple of years ago. My son moved to Boston US from London to work so we wanted to go and see his new home. Having heard how difficult it was to get a US Visa, I spent days filling in my wife's online application form making sure that everything was totally accurate. Wife went for her interview and she said the American who 'interviewed' her started of by saying that they had already decided to give her a 10 year multi entry Visa so they filled the interview time with a chat in Thai!! I then rang a friend in England saying I didn't know why I had worried so much. His reply was had I got a Visa as another Englishman who worked for us had had to get one to go to Florida for a holiday!! I was amazed. The US website is very unclear which English persons needed one. I went to the Embassy where they did not know either so sent me off to a US Immigration Office where a group of us tried to decide and concluded that with the age/type of my passport I didn't. We were going for holiday to England and from there having a week in Boston. Would have been very embarrassing if we had got to Heathrow and been told my wife could go and visit my son but I could not!!! We went and had a great time and are back there again this year to meet my newly born granddaughter.

So for my wife travelling:-

To the US - given a 10 year multi entry Visa. No problem.

To the UK - given a 2 year multi entry Visa maximum even though she has been to the UK 5 or 6 times with no problems. My complaint is why is the British Embassy so mean!!

Good luck to everyone who tries to get a Visa for their wife/girlfriend.

They need it and much of the time there seems no ryme or reason for the decission.

[ashbee]

Mine got a 10 year mutli-entry visa on the first try all by herself. All she did was take a letter from her work and a bank statement I think. She also got a 5 year EU visa on the first go as well.

[featography]

"Compelling Reasons to return to Thailand" are the magic words. Evaluate her chances by making a list of her compelling reasons to return, ranking them from most important downward. Then use your own judgement as to the quality of the reasons. The interviewer is mandated by law to start the interview process with the assumption she will overstay and it is up to her to prove to him otherwise.

Money, ownership of land and the like are not compelling reasons to return.

Your long stay in Thailand in the past and into the future can be compelling if your relationship with her is strong and well documented. The question remains, why you haven't married her after so long a time with her.

Yes her visa chances increase if you married her.

Yes her visa chances increase if you have long stay visa in Thailand, have an established domicile in Thailand and she has a job of long standing to return to. Having and caring for her children, if any, also is a compelling reason to return. Purpose of trip, whether you will accompany her etc. are critical questions.

There are many threads on this subject in Thaivisa.

There are soo many conflicting opinions about the US tourist visa.

She graduated uni, but has no job. No kids. We rent a house and finance a car. Just regular stuff. We have been talking about getting married but we have been stalling because we cant decide what US Visa to apply for. Know what I mean?

Well I think we will apply again after we get married and I change my visa. I really thought we had it in the bag and im still REALLY annoyed about the whole thing.

Marry in Thailand is cheaper, easier, and recognized legally in US. Marry here, later marry someone else in US without a legal divorce here, you are still guilty of bigamy. In 2007, my legal with marriage papers, wife applied at Bkk US consulate. She said it was demeaning how she was treated, but being a, shall I say, persistent, strong willed woman, prevailed and got a tourist visa. I accompanied her but stood away from her while she talked to 2 people, first an American young man, no problem, expedited her to the next window quickly and was very polite and professional, speaking excellant Thai, where she got a Thai young woman, who confused my wife with her English skills. At that point, wife turned, signaled for me to come over, and I asked the lady what was the problem. Lady said, she asked wife where is my home. Wife said US, and that gave the impression that I was there visiting. I explained to her that just like with Thai when you ask someone where home is, the answer refers to family home where one grew up. In that context, US is my home, but I showed her my drivers license and said I was retired and reside full time here in Thailand. The lady lost a little face there, but we had documents showing the wife owned a late model car, paid for, bought before I moved here, owned the home we live in, bought before I got here, owns her own RESPECTABLE business, started before I got here, had photos of her entire family, and farm,showing she owned a segment of it, and explained we are only going to the US for a vacation so my wife can meet my family.WE are returning HOME to Thailand. With egg on her face, the lady granted the visa, we went to the US for a month. Incidentally, as one poster misunderstands, a tourist visa is not for an extended period of time, the wifes showed 6 mos, but rather that shows the window of time that the tourist can use the visa to travel to the US. It is misleading the way it appears on the stamp in passport, but upon clarification later at the consulate, found the later to be the case.

Suggestion, be legally married here, show every document she has pertaining to her, and showing reason to trust that she will return, and not abondon you once she is on US soil. If she has an average education, is under 40, these raise flags with the consulate, like it or not, fair or not, that is the way it is.

I will say that my "adopted" Thai daughter, university degree, speaks perfect Australian English applied in person at the same consulate to visit US on a tourist visa. She said they gave her the same indignity, as the wife got with the woman there, but, in the case of "adopted" daughter, she was alone for the interview, had a Thai passport with all the Asian country visa stamps in it from representing her employer on many many business trips. She doesnt own a home, but rents, didnt own a car at the time, but showed family ties here. She got the visa that day, and has been back to the US 2 more times since then.

Sorry to make this a novelette.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

First try 10 years multiple, less than a two-minute conversation. She's just a poor Isaan farmer's daughter, but I could show we'd been together for 4+ years already, married for two, we went in with our baby and I had held the same WP for 4 years. The decision was 100% based on the officer's trust in her own intuition that we were genuine.

[WarpSpeed]

Yes before we were married my wife got a tourist visa just about a year post 911. She is Chinese not Thai though (should have made it harder in all reality) had good ties here in her job and had already traveled to France prior which is one reason she did it as it's easy to get a visa to France but, her trip to the U.S. was an afterthought we decided to do shortly after her trip to France..

[Arkady]

My wife got a 10 year tourist visa to the US on the first attempt before we were married but we claimed fiance status. She was a full time student on a degree course which counts as a good reason to return to Thailand, just like a full time job. She already had one UK visa and a Schengen visa. I was between jobs at the time but being a Thai PR was accepted as a good enough reason for me to return to Thailand. Being married will help but they will still look for strong evidence that both parties will return to Thailand and a tourist visa won't cut it. A non-O visa might help a bit, as it indicates intent to stay in Thailand long term but the key would be strong evidence that have a job in another country to return to. Did you submit a letter from your employer explaining you are a full time employee and that you are on leave until such and such a date when you start work again?

In the days when they didn't stop husbands, friend etc from going to the US embassy accompanying visa applicants I met quite a few US citizens married to Thais who had been denied over and over again and had virtually given up hope of either taking their wives to the US. Most of the Americans were on retirement visas and couldn't demonstrate enough reason to come back to Thailand. Others were trying to get settlement visas for their wives but didn't have large enough pensions to support them in the US.

[WarpSpeed]

First try 10 years multiple, less than a two-minute conversation. She's just a poor Isaan farmer's daughter, but I could show we'd been together for 4+ years already, married for two, we went in with our baby and I had held the same WP for 4 years. The decision was 100% based on the officer's trust in her own intuition that we were genuine.

Not solely, you had a verifiable income as well..

[tutone]

No problem for me. Had tons of documents, they didn't even look at. My wife is 50 year old and previously had a K-1 fiancee visa. We got married in U.S. but she didn't want to live there. Maybe the consulate figured since she had been to U.S. and returned she was not a risk to stay illegally. I have a retirement visa, property, house, car, etc. so there was that additional indication that we would return. She is employed, has money, property, etc. The funny thing is although we had all the documents to support these things, they never looked at them. Just asked her a few questions about where she was going and why. She was in and out in about 2 hours. We spent about 2 months in U.S. The only disappointment I had was that her tourist visa is only good for one year. Expires this coming July. I was hoping she would get a 10 year that I had heard about. Now will have to reapply next time we go back for a visit. Applying was relatively painless, but don't like the idea of doing it again and paying, of course.

[VisasPlus]

Mine got a 10 year mutli-entry visa on the first try all by herself. All she did was take a letter from her work and a bank statement I think. She also got a 5 year EU visa on the first go as well.

What is a 5 year EU visa ? For which countries, and for what purpose ?

[bkk_mike]

Wife got hers in 2004. 10 year one...

Admittedly we'd been married for 5 years, had the house here, and I'm not American so they were sure we weren't using a tourist visa visa as an alternative to a settlement visa.

[waxon]

Easiest way for her to get visa is to not mention you at all and have a good reason to return to Thailand (e.g.; verifiable job, business owner, university course, etc). Once a relationship is established with you, then your situation becomes a strong influencing factor. You will then need to prove that you will return to Thailand as well (e.g.; work permit, condo ownership, etc).

Our first attempt to get my then fiancee a visa so she could meet my family before we got married was denied. She owned a business, but it was small. No property. No car. I was living in Thailand on a Tourist Visa (traveled for work frequently enough to always have a 90-day TV). Her visa app was DENIED in about 1 minute.

Got married (in Thailand). Work and living arrangements still the same. Visa app DENIED in about 2 minutes. Marriage makes no difference. In fact, the embassy people "decided" we were going back to the US (since I had no compelling reason to return) and that my wife would overstay her tourist visa. Neither of us planned - or wanted - to live in the US, only visit my family so they could now meet my new wife. Did not matter.

Tried again the 3rd time. I know, what was I thinking since nothing had changed in our situation, but now we had been married for 6 months. Initially, her visa was denied but I spoke with the interviewer and he told me that his decision was based on MY situation (i.e.; no WP). We had traveled all over SE and E Asia by then. Visas from China and Japan. Stamps from Singapore, Malaysia, HK. After a few minutes discussion, the interviewer said he was taking a chance, but would give my wife a visa valid for one trip, for one week, and that she had better come back. That shows how much the interviewer's personal judgement makes in these situations. He confirmed with me that they start all interviews with the opinion the visa applicant is planning to overstay.

Now, I took a contract that has me working from the US for the next 2 years. We don't want to live in the US forever, but I would like my wife to be with me while I am on this contract. Any non-immigrant visa is out. We own a house (in my wife's name of course), car, have multiple joint bank accounts in Thailand. I have a Thai business. A work permit. A contract agreement that shows my contract is for 2 years. The embassy will not give her a non-immigrant visa.

Okay, we are married. Have been for 3 years now. We can apply for an immigrant visa. We don't need to live forever in the US, but with an immigrant visa she will never need to worry about a tourist visa again. We applied last August. Still no visa. Immigrant visas can take up to 3 years to process. No problem, I applied for a K-3 visa. The K-3 (already married) visa is based on the original immigrant visa application, but speeds the process up. Can get visa within about 8-9 months. Applied in September. Got a DENIAL letter in December. K-3 app was denied because I had sent in a payment of $455, which while stated in the application is not necessary when the immigrant visa (I-130) was already in process and paid for. Denied for "improper paperwork".

If you want to get a marriage-related visa for your gf, I strongly suggest she get a tourist visa first then you get married in the US. The process for her to then get a visa based on marriage is much faster - and she can stay in the US until it is granted by applying for a K-1/3 (depending) after you are in the US.

I got NVC to reinstate the K-3 app we submitted, but I am not sure if the clock got reset or if the 4 months since we originally submitted still count against the 8 months it takes. The NVC is a big black hole when it comes to how much time is left before your application gets to the top.

Good luck.

[Lance_A_Lot]

In 1995 my Thai wife got a 10 yr. tourist visa to the U.S. We were/are legally married and had a son who was/is an American citizen. When we traveled to the U.S. my in-laws

in Chaiyaphum cared for our son.

My wife owned two homes at the time in Thailand, had a bank account, etc. We visited the U.S. for about two months.

In 2009 I applied for an Immigrant Visa on her behalf which she obtained. We moved to the U.S. in Dec. of 2009. She has her Permanent Residency Certificate (Green Card) and Social Security card.

She successfully obtained a driving license in the U.S. (took exam in English as required) and now has a decent job that she enjoys working as a chef in a decent Thai (well, Americanized Thai/Asian) restaurant.

Edited February 27, 2011 by Lance_A_Lot

[waxon]

Wife got hers in 2004. 10 year one...

Admittedly we'd been married for 5 years, had the house here, and I'm not American so they were sure we weren't using a tourist visa visa as an alternative to a settlement visa.

My wife's best friend, married to a German MD who spends 6 months a year at his condo in Phuket and 6 months at his house in Germany, applied for a US tourist visa. Asked for one trip, got a 10 year visa. That was her first attempt. Pretty easy when the husband is not US.

[theoldgit]

A friend of my partner told us that she wanted to go to the US for a holiday, I tried to lower her expectations by politely explaining that whilst she intended to visit distant relatives somewhere in the US, as young single girl with no job, no money in the bank and no assets she probably wouldn't get a visa. My partner chipped in and reminded me that I said the same about her aunt, though she was not a young girl, she also had distant relatives, had no money in the bank though she work on a tiny smallholding farming rice, she was given a 10 year visa at the first attempt last year, I had no answer.

All seems very hit and miss and depends on the mood of the consular official on the day.