Advice for applying for a US visa for me and my Thai wife

[karl2007]

I am getting ready to prepare for a tourist visa for me and my Thai wife. Just like to get some advice before we apply.

I am from the UK and I have been living in Thailand for 10 years. I have a work permit during that time. We will be resigning from our jobs if we get the visa. My Thai wife worked for a company for 9 years, but only 3 month ago was offered a better job with more money. So her current job is only 3 months.

We have been together for 8 years, and got married 3 years ago (just in the church with friends and family) We signed our marriage certificate last month. My wife has her ID card and passport in my surname from last month.

I have a good friend of mine who lives in New York and he has invited us over to stay. We we would like to stay for about 6 months (depending on how long we get on the visa for).

After 6 months we will return to Thailand again. I will look for another job and she will return to the job she is doing now.

We don't own any property, land or any cars. But we do have about 900,000 baht saved up in different banks accounts. I like to keep my money separate.

I was thinking about going to a visa agent to do this for us. But I have heard some unreliable stories about some of them. Can anyone recommend any reliable visa agents or if they even worth using?

Many thanks for any advice.

[Jeffrey346]

As a UK citizen you do not need a visa to enter the US. Your wife does. You will need to prove you have enough funds to support both you and your wife for 6 months. You should get a notarized statement from your friend stating that he will be providing lodging for your complete stay in the US.

If your wife has a bank account in her name with a decent balance[ 200,000+] for more than 3 months... that will help as well.

Good luck and let us know the outcome...

[post]

Jeffrey346, on 30 Mar 2016 - 17:30, said:Jeffrey346, on 30 Mar 2016 - 17:30, said:

As a UK citizen you do not need a visa to enter the US. Your wife does. You will need to prove you have enough funds to support both you and your wife for 6 months. You should get a notarized statement from your friend stating that he will be providing lodging for your complete stay in the US.

If your wife has a bank account in her name with a decent balance[ 200,000+] for more than 3 months... that will help as well.

Good luck and let us know the outcome...

Does the "Visa Waiver Program" allow UK citizens to stay in the USA for more than 90 days?

Edited March 30, 2016 by post

[theoldgit]

As a UK Citizen you need to apply electronically for authorisation to travel from the Department of Homeland Security, it costs US$14, and you have to apply online https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/. Beware of the numerous copycat websites who will do the same thing for, whilst these are genuine companies and are perfectly legal, they will cost more to do the same job.

For your wife it's more than just proving that you can support her in the US, the person interviewing her for her passport will start from the position that she's not going to return to Thailand, it's her job to convince them otherwise.

Being married to a Brit it's probably better for her than if you were American, but she still needs to satisfy the officer that she has strong ties to Thailand, you will be part of that evidence, evidence of your life here and your joint ties.

[dluek]

"evidence of your life here and your joint ties."

That includes careers in Thailand. If you tell the US authorities that you both plan to resign from your jobs before traveling to the US on tourist visas, there's a good chance that your wife will be denied. It will help a lot if your wife's current employer writes a letter stating that she is employed and is being allowed a leave to take a holiday in the States. Without any proof of long-term employment in Thailand, kids living in Thailand and/or major assets in Thailand (house, business, etc.), I'm afraid that she won't have a great chance of being approved.

[thailand49]

As a UK citizen you do not need a visa to enter the US. Your wife does. You will need to prove you have enough funds to support both you and your wife for 6 months. You should get a notarized statement from your friend stating that he will be providing lodging for your complete stay in the US.

If your wife has a bank account in her name with a decent balance[ 200,000+] for more than 3 months... that will help as well.

Good luck and let us know the outcome...

As a U.S. Citizen here you not being a Citizen I hope I am wrong but let me know if I am here! Impossible! especially for the length of time you want, no real ties to Thailand except for your word and your friends. 900,000 baht how far you think that is going to get you if one of you get sick or into a accident. If your friend put up a 1.000,000 USD Bond you might get in. Hope I'm wrong let us know of the outcome so the rest of us have some hope?

Good luck!

Edited March 30, 2016 by thailand49

[uptoyoumyfriend]

in order to be successful with this you probably have to go with the wife to the us embassy.in my opinion,and i gamed a lot with us immigfration,the 6 months will request will put them off.try 3 weeks tell them a nice story like honeymoon blabla.if the wife gets the visa then at the us border they will stamp in 6 months like everybody else coming with a visa.you as a brit are visa exempt and can only get 3 months.however you can go in and out after three months and renew.or what i have done in the past ,once in the us i applied for an extension.anybody can always apply for anything,they send me a letter that they wold work on my request and meanwhile this letter would be proof of my legality.they never got back to me.but i had the document and at departure in the us you never really see immigration anyway.you can also overstayin the us with not much trouble.

[shadowmaster1971]

Yes it is possible to get visa with no issue. Though you wont be able to attend the US embassy with your wife if they request an interview.

In my situation Im Australian Citizen, Hong Kong Resident, Thai wife, 2 kids Thai/Australian Passports. My wife doesn't work, owns a couple pieces of land.

I was finishing a role in HK at time my wife applied (Nov 2011). She had an interview at US Embassy in BKK, mostly asked her about me. Visa confirmed during interview. Granted 10 year multiple entry, with max stay for 6 months at a time. Just a required confirmation from my mother that we were staying at her residence in the US for 1 month.

[theoldgit]

in order to be successful with this you probably have to go with the wife to the us embassy.

Only the applicant is allowed inside, the husband cannot inside go and plead the case for his wife.

[karl2007]

Thanks for the information. I will keep you updated.

We will be applying sometime in April so just gathering information at this time.

Her boss has agreed to keep her job open so she can return to that job when we come back.

[smotherb]

You stand a better chance of getting her visa if she can prove her worth.

She needs as many of the following as possible to get best chance and shortest time for the visa:

1) her relationship and history with you--marriage, business partner, etc.

2) proof of current finances--bank accounts (hers preferably, but also joint with you) with sufficient funding for your stay (maybe $10k/mo) and perhaps more importantly, sufficient remaining money for your return

3) certification of places to stay and/or financial sponsorship in lieu of some of the finances above

4) past work history--decent jobs, the more office or professional the better, with letter confirming her employment when she returns

5) education attainment--university grad or post secondary education or training preferred, or confirmed continuing education for degree completion

6) proof of property/partnerships/possessions of value (not sure how much) held in Thailand or possibly held elsewhere outside the US

7) membership in professional or social organizations or clubs

8) proof of any other association to entities of social worth

USCIS wants to make sure she is not planning to stay in the US and her having sufficient assets and permanent associations outside the US helps assure them.

However, she will still need to convince her immigration interviewer of her intentions to return to Thailand--and you cannot be there with her.

Edited March 30, 2016 by smotherb

[sanukjim]

As a UK citizen you do not need a visa to enter the US. Your wife does. You will need to prove you have enough funds to support both you and your wife for 6 months. You should get a notarized statement from your friend stating that he will be providing lodging for your complete stay in the US.

If your wife has a bank account in her name with a decent balance[ 200,000+] for more than 3 months... that will help as well.

Good luck and let us know the outcome...

As a U.S. Citizen here you not being a Citizen I hope I am wrong but let me know if I am here! Impossible! especially for the length of time you want, no real ties to Thailand except for your word and your friends. 900,000 baht how far you think that is going to get you if one of you get sick or into a accident. If your friend put up a 1.000,000 USD Bond you might get in. Hope I'm wrong let us know of the outcome so the rest of us have some hope?

Good luck!

I tried the idea of putting up a bond of insurance before at US immigration s both in the US and here at the embassy.They will not allow such a thing.The visa (if a Thai lady can get one) is a one year visa the first time and a ten year if she is successful the next time. The stay is only for three months at a time.The a requirement to leave The US before another three months..She will need a large bank account land holdings count.and other reasons to require returning to Thailand..The people at the US embassy told me=y friend that after three times applying he might be successful in getting a visa for my wife as he had only been married for eight months at the time.They make it very difficult.

[KonaRain]

No exit visa? So overstay is not a problem.

10k$ per month? That's a lot of money.

Aloha

Good Luck

[mike324]

I think 6 month stay is very hard to get and unlikely. Her visa application may very well be denied, perhaps you should try 15 days or 30 days. Very common to get 5 or 10 year multiple entry tourist visa but again it depends on the interviewer and what they think of you during the interview. You may only get 1 year if approved which is still enough for your purpose.

1.) 900,000 baht saving is not enough to stay for 6 month especially if its a joint account for both of you.

2.) She just started a new job, its unlikely that a company will allow an employee who only started work for 3 months an extended 6 month break. Like the other poster said, if you can get her company to issue a letter saying she is allowed 6 month leave and why, it will help your application.

3.) Your friend is inviting you to stay at his/her house. That is the most common thing visa applicants say who are looking to stay long term in the US to work. If you have proof of hotel reservation, that would be more believable (not saying that you are lying). There are many budget hotel that caters to travellers and workers (3-6 month stay averages $20-25 / night), perhaps book with them and get a reservation - cancel the resveration at a later date and just pay the penalty or cancellation fee.

You should also book a car rental for X amount of time you are there to show you guys are embarking on a once in a lifetime road trip around the US. If you go this route, you can book many hotels/motels online nowadays with last minute cancellation with no charge. So you can book a road tirp around the US with hotel reservations in different states. Just cancel all once you get to the US. This requires very carefully planning so you don't incur big cancellation fees or can't even cancel your hotel.

Your problem not only lies with getting the visa, keep in mind that the immigration officer at the US are the one that actually decides how long you stay. They will want proof of what you are doing for 6 months, all your hotel and travel itinerary. If you are just saying you are staying at a friends place with no plans, you will be interrogated for a long time. So you should have on hand an itinerary and schedule of your trip in the US, where you plan o going, sites you are visiting.

Many Thais who own small business are even denied over a simple 1-2 week trip to the US (chances are better if applying with travel agency with group tour). So the odds are really against you when you are requesting for 6 months stay. That automatically means working for 6 month to bring money home to interviewers.

Good luck on the application and don't be late for interviews, they will not hesistate to scold you for being late.

Edited March 31, 2016 by mike324

[aronp1]

As a UK citizen you do not need a visa to enter the US. Your wife does. You will need to prove you have enough funds to support both you and your wife for 6 months. You should get a notarized statement from your friend stating that he will be providing lodging for your complete stay in the US.

If your wife has a bank account in her name with a decent balance[ 200,000+] for more than 3 months... that will help as well.

Good luck and let us know the outcome...

Also don't expect it to happen fast. My sister-in-law is married to a US citizen and it took her 1yr to get a visa. Whether that is normal or not I don't know. Just something to keep in mind.