I just received a call from Hawaii, that the lady who was subletting my small house there has suddenly and unexpectedly died. She was also taking care of my cat, so I have to make an emergency trip back there. I am 61 years old and have a chronic medical condition, Parkinson's disease, that makes it almost impossible for me to take care of business there (let alone of taking care of myself.) I've been living in Thailand with my girlfriend for the last 5 years. She is a tremendous help with this illness.

I would like to take her to Hawaii with me to help with all those things I need help with. She has a college degree, and for the last 5 years has been helping me with my consulting business for which I've been paying her 30,000/month under the table. However, she almost certainly would not be granted a tourist visa to the US. They would probably determine that she has no 'compelling reason' to return to Thailand. But she really is not any kind of flight risk.

What I'd like to know if anyone has any experience or knowledge about whether or not the embassy would be any more likely to look favorably on us because of this emergency situation. We were planning on getting married next year, but if it would help the situation, we could get married on Monday.

If there's any chance at all of getting her any type of visa, I don't want to screw things up by saying or doing the wrong thing. I'm terrified of travelling without her.

On the face of it, I think your girlfriend would probably qualify for a visa without the "emergency" circumstances.

Much of the interviewing officer's focus will probably be on you, your status here in Thailand. The presumption often is that if you look like a good candidate for return to Thailand after your U.S. visit, the probability is that your GF would return with you. That's pretty much how it went with my now wife's first three visas, the last one being a 10-year one since she'd established that she returned after the visit. Plus, I was on continued Thai visa extensions for "retirement."

You seem to be working here, so do you have a year-by-year Thai visa extension, hopefully, also a work permit. That'd help.

Rent a house, apartment, condo? In whose name?

Other reasons for you to return? Established consulting business here??

So, take a look at the Embassy's Non-Immigrant visa info here: http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/non-immigrant_visas.html

Also look at www.visajourney.com, lots of good stuff.

As far as an expedited U.S. visa interview, info here: http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/non-immigrant_visas/expedited-appointments.html

Apply for an Emergency Appointment

Mac

Thanks for the advice. We're going to try.