u.s. visa/citizenship for thai wife and son

[joe84330]

thai wife and i have been together almost 9 years now. she has a 13 year old son who has been living with us for around 6 years. wife and i have 2 kids together, 3 and 6.

i'd like to take them all to the states next year and am curious about the visa process. as i understand it, due to living here in thailand for the last 9 years i can apply for her green card in bkk, rather than sending the application to the u.s. i've read that the fee is a bit over 900 usd and should only take around 3 months versus 9 months or more if we applied in the u.s.

what about the 13 year old son? i will be adopting him, but that's a long process as i understand it and others here have said it's better to go the green card route for him first rather than waiting for the thai wheels to spin.

the process for the youngest two kids is pretty straightforward, show up at the embassy in bkk, fill out forms, pay some money and presto they are u.s. citizens.

i'm not interested in tourist visas, prefer to go the citizenship route. if anyone could offer suggestions or tips on how and where to start the process for the wife and son it would be appreciated.

[Ausresident]

Hi joe84330,

When you say green card are you referring to the lottery or are you considering sponsoring your wife and her son for a visa?

[joe84330]

green card is for permanent residency. since the wife and son are immediate family members there is no lottery or waiting in line as i understand it. it's supposed to be a standard fill out forms, pay, interview and wait up to 3 months for the visa. i read somewhere in the past that her visa/green card would be just a bit over 900usd but now i can't find that same link anywhere.

[joe84330]

http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/A1en.pdf

found this but it's a much different process and cost than what i read before. still looking.

[HeijoshinCool]

You can save time and money by filing here, as long as you haven't left Thailand within the last six months.

You start by filing an I-130 Petition for Alien Relative (your wife). This is done at the USCIS, not the consulate. Fee is $425, or so.

Once they accept the petition, about 2-4 weeks, it goes on to the consulate. Fee there is about $270. You would be seeking an IR-1 immigrant visa. The green card comes with it, which allows your wife to go to work right away.

You add your wife's children to the petition.

Before they are awarded a visa, you must have an reestablished "domicile" stateside. You must also meet some financial requirements. Your kids will add to that amount, which is either an income in the States that is 125% above poverty level, or a lump sum 3-1/2 times that, in a bank account or other tangible liquid asset.

There is another small fee at the end of the process.

By the way, you can also save initially by doing the translation of documents yourself, as far as the USCIS is concerned, rather than paying a service. The USCIS does not require that translations be certified. The folks there are very helpful.

[joe84330]

thanks for the info.

as a follow up, i'm assuming that by "You can save time and money by filing here, as long as you haven't left Thailand within the last six months." that you are referring to some extended period of time and that a visa run to vientiane does not affect the process?

[AaronLV]

thanks for the info.

as a follow up, i'm assuming that by "You can save time and money by filing here, as long as you haven't left Thailand within the last six months." that you are referring to some extended period of time and that a visa run to vientiane does not affect the process?

You can file with the USCIS office in Bangkok if you have been living here for at least 6 months with the appropriate visa and/or extension. If you are living here on a tourist visa, you cannot file through the office and would have to do so back in the states, and that will add at least 3 to 6 months to the application time.

Head over to Visajourney, they have guides to help you through the process.

[HeijoshinCool]

thanks for the info.

as a follow up, i'm assuming that by "You can save time and money by filing here, as long as you haven't left Thailand within the last six months." that you are referring to some extended period of time and that a visa run to vientiane does not affect the process?

.

I had a lawyer in BKK tell me that sometimes that is a problem, but usually not. You have been here overall, full-time, 9 years. Send an email to USCIS and ask them.

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