U.S. Visa for Thai wife

[Arkady]

So US citizens get visa on arrival in Thailand - no questions asked - but don't extend that to Thais ? And people on here bitch about Thai immigration policy <deleted>

My Thai wife just became a US citizen with all the rights and privileges and equal protection under the law, of every other american citizen. When she goes any place she is indistinguishable from every other American , all these only after 5 years in the US

I wonder how long it would take you to be a Thai citizen indistinguishable from every other Thai citizen? Think about that on your next visa run or run with the law in Thailand or when paying Farang prices. or............

To The OP:

Sorry for the Off Topic reply

(Edit to include apology to OP)

It is much easier to become a naturalized US citizen than a naturalized Thai but, if you look at it another way, you read about wives of US citizens who can't even obtain a tourist visa to visit the US, whereas US citizens can visit Thailand without a visa and can stay long term on stay extensions just by showing a modest bank balance. Which way around would you prefer it? Very high barriers to entry but once you're here a transparent roadmap to PR and citizenship or easy entry and easy long term stay but hard to get PR and citizenship?

I guess that most of the foreign retirees wouldn't be in Thailand at all and would have never met their Thai wives, if Thailand applied the same immigration laws as the US.

[sirineou]

So US citizens get visa on arrival in Thailand - no questions asked - but don't extend that to Thais ? And people on here bitch about Thai immigration policy <deleted>

My Thai wife just became a US citizen with all the rights and privileges and equal protection under the law, of every other american citizen. When she goes any place she is indistinguishable from every other American , all these only after 5 years in the US

I wonder how long it would take you to be a Thai citizen indistinguishable from every other Thai citizen? Think about that on your next visa run or run with the law in Thailand or when paying Farang prices. or............

To The OP:

Sorry for the Off Topic reply

(Edit to include apology to OP)

It is much easier to become a naturalized US citizen than a naturalized Thai but, if you look at it another way, you read about wives of US citizens who can't even obtain a tourist visa to visit the US, whereas US citizens can visit Thailand without a visa and can stay long term on stay extensions just by showing a modest bank balance. Which way around would you prefer it? Very high barriers to entry but once you're here a transparent roadmap to PR and citizenship or easy entry and easy long term stay but hard to get PR and citizenship?

I guess that most of the foreign retirees wouldn't be in Thailand at all and would have never met their Thai wives, if Thailand applied the same immigration laws as the US.

I Understand your concerns and I agree that there are real and perceived inadequacies in both countries immigration policies. But it is as important to understand that Thailand and the US are two different countries , with different social, economic, and political challenges, and as such have different immigration policies.

A reciprocity, policy ,(ie you afford the same immigration rules to our citizens as we afford to yours) would be disastrous for both countries. If it was easy to get a tourist visa to the US, half of Thailand would be there illegally now, on the other hand if it was easy for foreigners to move to Thailand long term and own property, It is the fear of the Thais that the country would be run-over by hordes of expats retiring or bumming around here, and adversely affecting the character of the country .

It is not a question of which country has the best immigration policy , to do so would be comparing apples and oranges the question is what can countries do, to make their immigration more fair and equitable. Unfortunately such question can not be logically addressed by all sides , because we also have the political component that infuses a certain amount of uncertainty in to the system given the political environment at this time, .

​So given the above dynamics we are left with the compromise we have now, not fare to all but seems to be working for most.

Arguably ,, all and all I believe the US to have a more comprehensive and fair policy simply because the US is an Immigrant country to begin with, It is much bigger than Thailand , has a larger budget , and is not homogeneous such as Thailand making it easier for immigrants to simulate.

Best of luck to the OP in obtaining a visa for his wife,

Not knowing all the variable, I would advice for them to go the Green card route and eventually citizenship for the wife, I know it is not an easy route but the effort is well worth it,

I also understand that given their situation it might not be an option for them at this time or even ever. But given the age discrepancy of most Thai Farang marriages, ( don't know if it exists here) it is safe to say that a day will come when we will pass away first, and it is my opinion that a US citizenship will help secure the future of our wife after we are no longer here.