Visa To America (B2) - For Girlfriend - Specific Advice Please!

[smileplur]

Hi forum members,

I will try to keep this short and sweet. My girlfriend is applying for a B-2 Visa to visit the US. She has her interview on Monday morning at the crack of dawn. I'm not permitted to go with her, so I have to weekend to make sure everything is sorted out. I am wondering what you think her chances are of successfully passing the interview. What else can I add?

She has the following:

• Completed DS-160
  
• Reciept of payment for the PIN and Visa Fee
  
• Bank Statements for the last year
  
• Letter of Support from her big boss stating her salary and permission to leave for 2 weeks in October. It also states that she will have a job when she returns.
  
• Letter of Support from her direct manager - pretty much states the same
  
• Letter of Support from me stating that we have been together for 2 years and I have every intention of returning to Thailand
  
• Letter of Support from my boss of 3 years attesting to the fact that I have held my position for 3 years and will be given another contract at the end of my current contract
  
• Letter of Support from my mother who holds a top secret security clearance stating that she will cover the costs associated with transportation, shelter and food for the short trip. It also sttes her position with the federal government.
  
• Several pages of small photographs documenting our living standard, home, vacations, and quality of life here in Thailand
  
• Photograph matching the DS-160
  

All are neatly prepared in the order requested. The fees are all paid.

The facts are:

• She is a university graduate
  
• Her salary is 14,500 baht per month + service charge (hotel and varies by month)
  
• She has contributed a small amount of 1,000 - 2,000 baht a month to a separate savings account + plus a lump sum of 40,000 baht (the lump sum was her own money from her parents about 6-7 months ago)
  
• My mother has been here to visit us. Numerous friends have been here to visit us. Unfortunately, some members of my aging family are unable to make such a trip.
  

What do you think? Can you offer any advice, suggestions, tips, or insights regarding what she is going to experience on Monday morning? Have I forgotten anything?

Thank you so much for your help!

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Suggest she take along your passport that shows your visa status here, and your Work Permit, further evidence that you're here working. She should have these in her hand right up front as the interviewing ConOff may not want or need to go through the rest of your stack paperwork.

Your G/F's ties to you are important, thus it's also very important to show that you will be returning to Thailand after the visit.

And, it'd be better if you had your ongoing contract in-hand, rather than a statement that you'll be given another one on return.

Mac

[smileplur]

Thanks Mac,

My company has my passport at present for a 90 day report they are doing for me in the morning. I should be able to get it back sometime tomorrow afternoon. I will send her with both my passport and my work permit which show my continuous stay and exemptions for the past 3 years and the very frequent visits leading up to my moving here.

Getting the new contract on such short notice might be problematic. If I can't get it, I have an amendment to my current contract that states my salary will be reviewed in May of 2013 unless terminated. I negotiated for a higher salary halfway through the contract. Should I send that with her in the event that I cannot get my new contract in my hands tomorrow?

[smileplur]

Furthermore, my passport will reveal that I already have the re-entry permit. Good call.

[sirineou]

anything that supports you long term employment in Thailand and your and your GF's desire to return is helpful.

For what you wrote, I think that it would be unreasonable, to say the least, for them to refuse her a visa.

Chok Dee

[CDNinKS]

They want to be sure she will return to Thailand. The best thing is proof that she has left the country before and returned. It is probably too late at this point but a trip to Singapore or any place that she does not need a visa for will go a long way. I did that with my wife and after that it was no problem to get an Australian and then Shengen visa.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Smile

"Getting the new contract on such short notice might be problematic. If I can't get it, I have an amendment to my current contract that states my salary will be reviewed in May of 2013 unless terminated. I negotiated for a higher salary halfway through the contract. Should I send that with her in the event that I cannot get my new contract in my hands tomorrow?"

Yes, definitely take the amendment along. Add a short Post-It note to it highlighting that it's a contract extension.

Mac

[smileplur]

I know people often don't return to post a follow up to how things went. It generally annoys me on the forums where I mainly post (Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree). So, here I am to report what happened.

My girlfriend took the documents above. I was unable to get a new contract. As it turns out, they were very keen to see my Passport and Work Permit. The advice for her to take those two documents proved invaluable! A huge thank you for that!!!!

They read all of the letters, but they were mostly concerned with the letter from my mother and from me. The cross referenced everything in the letters with my passport. My girlfriend says they spent a lot of time with my passport. They went through every page meticulously. They went through it like this three times!!

They kept referring back to the passport with each document. It's what sealed the deal in her opinion.

She was told she was being granted a B-2 Visa, given instructions regarding where to go pay for the postage, and to expect her passport back in a few days. She said thank you.

So, she was successful. Thank you so much for the advice. It has certainly made a big difference in this case. I am extremely grateful for your help! Keep up the good work guys!

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Well, congrats, and glad that worked out.

Just curious, how long a visa did she get? Sometimes for the first one, it may be a single entry 6-monther, other times it may be a 10-year multiple.

Enjoy!

Mac

[CDNinKS]

Just went thru this process, or I should say my wife did, and all went smoothly. She received a 10 year visa even though this was her first US visa. She has had a Shengen and an Australian visa before though.

[theoldgit]

Post removed from this old thread, question has been asked elsewhere.