Okay, we have a close friend (and no she is just a close friend of my family's) and we want to give her a holiday in California with us for 2- 3 weeks in May or June (she is employed at the General Hospital and has been for the last 19 years in Radiology) and is 40 years old with no children or husband, she has her family (3 sisters, 2 nieces and her 69 year old mother) here, is a resident of Mae Sot and has no intention of leaving or living anywhere else. It is really to say thank you for all the help and support she has shown to my daughter (as well as to all of us really) while my daughter was in Thailand doing volunteer work here in Mae Sot.

Perhaps you could tell me what we will need to do and what requirements there are. As I said, she is government employee (with ID) and will ONLY be coming for a holiday as she has never been to the US before and will be staying with us in CA and will require no funds of her own for hotels, travel and the like. We will buy her ticket and sponsor her completely. Of course her shopping while there is hers...LOL.

She has a Thai passport that is new and has never been outside this region of the World. So it would be a great trip for her. Again, she is a close friend of our family and we just want to be able to give her this trip.

Many thanks in advance.

Here's where you start the project, at the U.S. Embassy's www page:

http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/non-immigrant_visas.html

One quick Q here: are you and your family in California now? Or, are you still here in Thailand, going to the U.S., and returning to Thailand. Would sure be easier if the latter, I think.

In any case, the lady needs to establish to the interviewing ConOff's satisfaction that she'll be returning to Thailand after the U.S. vacation. Having a longterm job sure helps, as does family here.

Mac