We Got It!

[meme]

I posted this on the visa forum but I wanted to post it here as well as so many of you have been really helpful.

Quick background.

My Thai bf and I have been together going on 2 years now. lived together for a year and a half, I worked in Thailand but have been in Korea since November working for a bit. This summer I am going home to Canada for a visit and wanted to bring my bf. We put together a 30 page visa package with tons of pictures, letters from people, including a letter of invitaion from my mother, from his employer, from the head government official of his village, his school, his teachers etc etc.. tons of pictures of us showing the span of our relationship,including pictures of him in Korea. And soo much more. We provided so much info b/c he does not have assets and makes 5000 baht a month fixing air conditioners. We mailed in the applicaiton and he went in for an interview today. They said as we suspected that everything we provided was not a guraentee he would return, as his school is payed for by the government (adult ed) and he makes so little at his job. But after asking questions about me, my mom (who he met and spent time with) and flat out said you could earn so much more money in Canada why should we believe you?? He just told them the truth, he is the yongest of six, all of them have families,aside from him and it is his obligation to take care of his mother (his father has been dead for a long time) he could never leave her. So they talked about his family and she just said fianlly, I believe you. You can have the visa. But you better return etc etc.

The catch is that he has to return to the embassy once he has a return plane ticket (we didnt buy one yet b/c they are not refundable)and he will be given the visa that day. So needless to say I would feel better if he physically had it but I was not there during the interview and he said he is a 100% sure he has the visa, she filled out the paper work and kept his passport. He also said that in the end she was super nice to him, which is great as I thought they would eat him alive.

Originally we were going to try and get a visa to the US as well to see my dad, but this has been such a long nerv racking process one visa is enough for now!! Plus my dad can just come to Canada to meet him, a little easier that way.

Anyway ladies thanks again so muchhh!!!

Meme

[Boo]

great news meme, I hope you both have a great time

[sylvafern]

Great news - long, stressful process, isn't it! Easier second time round, tho (and probably after experience going to Canada, will be easier for getting a US visa in the future). I wonder how your b/f will like Canada??!! Thai food wis the thing my b/f misses the most (next time he's even going to take his own 'mama' as instant noodles are not as good in NZ as in Thailand! )

[meme]

Great news - long, stressful process, isn't it! Easier second time round, tho (and probably after experience going to Canada, will be easier for getting a US visa in the future). I wonder how your b/f will like Canada??!! Thai food wis the thing my b/f misses the most (next time he's even going to take his own 'mama' as instant noodles are not as good in NZ as in Thailand! )

Thanks Boo and SF,

Luckily he cooks cause god knows there will be no food spicy enough for him! When he was in Korea though he lost some weight cause he can't handle meat that isnt really fresh as everything that he eats is usually killed that day, and the vegetables are mostly fee of pesticides. So eating out of a supermarket was difficult for him. He survived off mama when we couldn't get fresh stuff. Good tip I will make sure we bring lots with us to Canada. Seeing as Korean is the only foreign country he has to compare to Canada I am sure he will love it seeing as there are no trees or grass in Korea and it sooooooooo built up.

[too true]

Congratulations Meme! I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time!

The first time my husband went to Canada he had trouble with the food. He found it boring after a while. And he'd wake me up in the morning after my parents went to work because he was so hungry from not eating sticky rice. Real or psychological I don't know.... Anyway, my parents don't live in a very big town, and we've always been able to find almost everything except fish paste. Instead of bringing a load of mama, which surely takes years off your life, or at least your intestines, why don't you go to one of the big shops here and get those packs of pastes that make curries or nam tok or laab? Before we leave Thailand, my husband always gets his mom to make him a tupperware thing of prik laab. He can make almost anything he wants with that. And my family loves when he cooks for them

Cheers,

TT

[meme]

Congratulations Meme! I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time!

The first time my husband went to Canada he had trouble with the food. He found it boring after a while. And he'd wake me up in the morning after my parents went to work because he was so hungry from not eating sticky rice. Real or psychological I don't know.... Anyway, my parents don't live in a very big town, and we've always been able to find almost everything except fish paste. Instead of bringing a load of mama, which surely takes years off your life, or at least your intestines, why don't you go to one of the big shops here and get those packs of pastes that make curries or nam tok or laab? Before we leave Thailand, my husband always gets his mom to make him a tupperware thing of prik laab. He can make almost anything he wants with that. And my family loves when he cooks for them

Cheers,

TT

Thanks TT!

Yes for sure we will bring all the curry we can. I know at least we can get nam blah in my home. When he came here to Korea his mother packed him (and I b/c I was starving for Thai food) huge bags full of Green curry paste, pad Pet and another one that I can't bother to try to spell, and little chillies red and green. So we will for sure bring all of that as well. Good tips though keep em comin.