Girlfriend denied a US tourist visa last week

[RaysFan]

We did all of the proper paperwork, had information about her employment, bank accounts, income, and her statement... Had the trip itinerary and invitation letters from me and my family... literally everything required.

 

They would not let me go into the interview with her (I  had to wait outside).

 

She told me the interview process was LESS THAN 2 MINUTES LONG.

 

She said they literally didnt even look at ANY of her paperwork.

 

They only asked her why she wanted to go to America, which she answered she wanted to come with her boyfriend and visit his family... 

 

She was immediately denied.

 

A little background information:

 

Shes 25... not a bar girl and doesnt look like one. Shes decently well off, her family runs an import/export business that does around 30-40 million baht per year. She holds a senior level management position in the company and has a good income (not to mention its owned by her parents).

 

I honestly feel like she was not given even the smallest chance or consideration. I dont know if she caught an interviewer on the wrong day or what... I mean immediate denial without any proper review of her paperwork or application? Not to mention the fact that she spent 10-15k baht just to do the interview (interview fee, hotel, food, 3 days off work). 

 

I called them and emailed them multiple times to be given a second chance and they just say "apply again"... 

 

Thats the stupidest thing Ive ever heard... How will "applying again" be any different this time? We will literally have the exact same paperwork which wasnt reviewed in the first place.

 

What can be done here? Can anyone help? Is there a way to get a hold of some sort of management to talk with instead of the generic copy and paste replies im getting as of now?

 

We have a 3 week trip completely planned out... We will be visiting my family in November, my brother is having a baby... My family are all excited for us to come, and my girlfriend is completely heartbroken.

 

I would greatly appreciate any help any of you can offer.

[CarolinaJames]

When my girlfriend applied, they only asked her questions about me. What was my job? How long have I lived here? Etc




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[Gumballl]

Quote

They only asked her why she wanted to go to America, which she answered she wanted to come with her boyfriend and visit his family... 

 

Perhaps the wrong answer to give.  Tourists go to the US to visit sites, take in the attractions, learn of the (ahem) culture, etc.

 

The Consulate Official may have thought that perhaps there were other plans.  Marriage perhaps?

 

Remember, the visa is for her, not for you... and it has nothing to do with you, your relationship, etc.  That's is why you should not have even come to the consulate.  Your GF does seem to have strong reasons to return to Thailand after a stay in the US, but for her to mention that she is only going there for your benefit and to meet your parents should not have even been brought up.

 

Anyhow, my 2 satang.

Edited July 26, 2017 by Gumballl

[keeniau96]

Purpose to be tourist, visit Hollywood, Las Vegas, Yosemite, San Francisco, also the families that invited her. Don't even mention boyfriends etc.

[mduras01]

I was told NEVER say it's a girl/boyfriend situation. As soon as romance is involved they may think her intent is to go get married--and there is a separate visa class for that.


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[Coconut Kidd]

Are you living in Thailand? If yes, did she have your passport with visas and extensions flagged?

 

If no....that might be the problem.

 

Edited July 26, 2017 by Coconut Kidd

[GLewis]

Ray, I may seem a bit harsh but my wife just got her new 10 year visa and told me about the process. I went with her expecting to go in as we had done the previous 20 years, but no, you can no longer enter with your spouse or girlfriend

 

To get more specific my wife was in for about an hour and a half, I had no idea how long she was interviewed but it did seem long. When we met up at Starbucks across the street she told me how it goes. 

 

You are interviewed in Thai and asked such questions as, How much do you expect to spend each day?,  How much have you budgeted per day. Where will you be visiting? What is your expected date of return.   I seriously doubt she was only asked one question and denied.  So had you discussed the finances of the trip? Had you told her the planned itinerary? What questions had you two discussed together?

 

You can google up a sample interview quite easily.   http://www.immihelp.com/visitor-visa/visitors-visa-interview-sample-questions-answers.html

 

They asked my wife the purpose and dates of her planned visit.   " I have no plans to go to the USA at this time but I have twins studying in the University of California system and if something comes up there I want to be able to get there quickly".. " Your visa is granted, you can have it mailed by EMS to your house"  Pretty well straight forward.

 

 Sorry that this happened but there is no appeal. You will have to try again.

[keithcresswell]

I wanted to take my girlfriend with me for a two week holiday to California, she was also refused within 2 minutes. It made no difference that we had had holidays in the UK and Australia they point blank refused any of her paperwork and only wanted to know about me such as why I had chosen to live in Thailand and a couple of other similar questions she wasn't prepared for.

[Blinky62]

We did all of the proper paperwork, had information about her employment, bank accounts, income, and her statement... Had the trip itinerary and invitation letters from me and my family... literally everything required.
 
They would not let me go into the interview with her (I  had to wait outside).
 
She told me the interview process was LESS THAN 2 MINUTES LONG.
 
She said they literally didnt even look at ANY of her paperwork.
 
They only asked her why she wanted to go to America, which she answered she wanted to come with her boyfriend and visit his family... 
 
She was immediately denied.
 
A little background information:
 
Shes 25... not a bar girl and doesnt look like one. Shes decently well off, her family runs an import/export business that does around 30-40 million baht per year. She holds a senior level management position in the company and has a good income (not to mention its owned by her parents).
 
I honestly feel like she was not given even the smallest chance or consideration. I dont know if she caught an interviewer on the wrong day or what... I mean immediate denial without any proper review of her paperwork or application? Not to mention the fact that she spent 10-15k baht just to do the interview (interview fee, hotel, food, 3 days off work). 
 
I called them and emailed them multiple times to be given a second chance and they just say "apply again"... 
 
Thats the stupidest thing Ive ever heard... How will "applying again" be any different this time? We will literally have the exact same paperwork which wasnt reviewed in the first place.
 
What can be done here? Can anyone help? Is there a way to get a hold of some sort of management to talk with instead of the generic copy and paste replies im getting as of now?
 
We have a 3 week trip completely planned out... We will be visiting my family in November, my brother is having a baby... My family are all excited for us to come, and my girlfriend is completely heartbroken.
 
I would greatly appreciate any help any of you can offer.

Can not talk for US , but took my previous lady to Australia twice and New Zealand once . Fist time only been together 3 months. Yes she did work in a bar . She had no money , still got bank statement 100 baht , many photos of visiting sites in Thailand and nearby country's . Temples etc they love . She had a daughter lived with her mum up north . We told them she was a house wife . BIG reason to come back. You fill out supporting guarantees. I went again with new girlfriend and got turned down . Reason , they were not convinced she would return . Daughter 24 looks after her self . And property in her mum's name. We will get on next attempt . Few extra porkeys in for good measure. If her passport has no bad marks on it , try again . Don't say too much about the business, they might think she wants to operate there . There are many agencies that can help . Six to ten thousand baht . Don't get ripped off and pay 30! Cheers good luck next time.


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[csabo]

Never never never never never say boyfriend.  I have posted it a dozen times to try to help others.  And now that you have and its in the system that she has an American BF she will never get one no matter what she says.  All the prep is a waste of time.  They make the decision based on the internet application long before the appointment.  If you try again you must answer the question "have you been denied before" and that's the first box they check on a new application.  Save your money and take a safari in South Africa cuz your honey ain't gonna see the States....ever.

Edited July 26, 2017 by csabo

[Emster23]

I'm an American, and if I were asked my opinion of embassy and visa section, I would need to use lots of **** in my expression. Friends ask "Why don't you bring wife to US? Won't Thailand let her go?" They don't believe me when I say it's the tw*ts at embassy that are stopping her.

[atyclb]

the line that supposedly works to get a tourist visa approval is " i heard donald trump is grabbing p u s s y"

[speckio]

from what I have heard.. as soon as a Thai girl mentions an American boyfriend it's pretty much end of discussion 

 

automatic denied!

 

They consider the risk of the girl fleeing and staying in the states and not returning to Thailand is greatly increased if there is an American boyfriend involved.

 

You should have done better research!

 

 

 

 

[speckio]

1 hour ago, csabo said:

Never never never never never say boyfriend.  I have posted it a dozen times to try to help others.  And now that you have and its in the system that she has an American BF she will never get one no matter what she says.  All the prep is a waste of time.  They make the decision based on the internet application long before the appointment.  If you try again you must answer the question "have you been denied before" and that's the first box they check on a new application.  Save your money and take a safari in South Africa cuz your honey ain't gonna see the States....ever.

3

well there is the k1 visa option... do you hear wedding bells? if not as stated above forget about bringing her to america.

Edited July 26, 2017 by speckio
words

[brewsterbudgen]

I wanted to take my girlfriend with me for a two week holiday to California, she was also refused within 2 minutes. It made no difference that we had had holidays in the UK and Australia they point blank refused any of her paperwork and only wanted to know about me such as why I had chosen to live in Thailand and a couple of other similar questions she wasn't prepared for.

What nationality are you? I'm British and would like one day to take my Laotian wife and British son for a 2 week holiday in California. Sounds tricky.

[gjoo888]

They most likely saw something in your girlfriend's application that was the reason for her visa rejection, and she was going to be rejected before she walked in the door. It's very difficult to obtain a tourist visa for a Thai girlfriend without her being able to show the embassy that there is almost no chance of her overstaying her visa and continuing to live in the states illegally. 

 

There could be many things that led to her rejection. Where do you live? If she put on the application that you live in the US, that's a big red flag. Does she own property in Thailand? That's something consular officials like to see. Hard to say without knowing more.

 

Probably your best chance of getting her a visa is to apply for a fiancee visa, but that's a whole different ballgame. 

Edited July 26, 2017 by gjoo888

[Thaidream]

Unfortunately, the Consular officer  believes that the purpose of the visit will end in marriage and not a return to Thailand.  There is plenty of information in the internet on reasons for denial- in fact- I believe they must quote the section of the law that was used to deny the Visa.  You might want to consider applying for the K Visa (fiancee) if that is your ultimate goal or simply re-apply for a tourist Visa with strong paperwork indicating you have no intention of marrying while in the US and making sure in the interview that point is made clear .

[tomwct]

To meet the family would be a Fiance Visa! You will have 75-90 days to visit your family. One time only unless she decides to stay and get married. You didn't say anything about yourself? 50 years old working where? She didn't qualify for a Tourist Visa.

[Matt K]

22 minutes ago, Emster23 said:

I'm an American, and if I were asked my opinion of embassy and visa section, I would need to use lots of **** in my expression. Friends ask "Why don't you bring wife to US? Won't Thailand let her go?" They don't believe me when I say it's the tw*ts at embassy that are stopping her.

I've been fighting this myself. My wife was denied when we were living in the UAE. We owned a house there, here in Thailand had an apartment, made good money, her name is on everything...denied. Her family also lived in the region, owning their own home and business. They seem to have a big problem with asians at the US embassy. Keep in mind that she's also a retired US military dependent. They never looked at our paperwork. Not once. Now we have to do a green card even though we didn't want to emigrate originally...

[speckio]

7 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

What nationality are you? I'm British and would like one day to take my Laotian wife and British son for a 2 week holiday in California. Sounds tricky.

i think its allot easier for her to obtain a visa since you are married. as long as as you meet the other requirements like wages and prove you are planning on returning to your home country it should be fine.. also when they ask reason for visit... the only acceptable reason is travel and holiday related. (want to take the wife and kids to disneyland)

 

Edited July 26, 2017 by speckio

[Dan5]

Its just generally tough to get a tourist visa to the US. Maybe the most difficult country to get a visa to. And they can reject it without having to explain why. Mostly they are concerned about people over staying their visas. But what other people said about not mentioning a boyfriend is also likely very good advice.  Fortunately though I am a US citizen, my Thai wife and I have no interest in visiting the US.

[realenglish1]

Her mistake was saying she was going with Her American boyfriend to visit family in the United States That's the end of the Visa interview

 

You can get your girlfriend a Fiance Visa 

[electric]

The OP has my sympathies. People denied a visa for a legit holiday are rightly very disillusioned with "the system".

 

Many of us expats gripe and whinge about Thai Immigration ... but it's a cake walk compared to the hoops that Thai's must endure to get a Tourist Visa.

 

The really filthy, despicable scam is that application fees are non-refundable if a visa is denied. (for Australian TR visas anyway)

 

That's just legal extortion in my opinion.

 

Anyway, OP .... best of luck with Plan B. I really hope you have success.

 

 

 

 

[cyberfarang]

It`s a similar process with the UK.

 

It is a fact that many young Thai women want to visit the west with intentions not to return to Thailand, either to work or to arrange marriages of convenience once there. If the OP`s GF would have booked her US visit with an organised tour, whereas the tour operator completes most of the paperwork for them, the she would have had a better chance of succeeding with her application. 

 

I have known of prominent Thai families in Thailand, that have showed details of incomes and bank balance sheets for a last 6 months period and had no problems in obtaining tourist visas to travel abroad. So in the OP`s case, something s amiss somewhere.

[moe666]

1 hour ago, csabo said:

Never never never never never say boyfriend.  I have posted it a dozen times to try to help others.  And now that you have and its in the system that she has an American BF she will never get one no matter what she says.  All the prep is a waste of time.  They make the decision based on the internet application long before the appointment.  If you try again you must answer the question "have you been denied before" and that's the first box they check on a new application.  Save your money and take a safari in South Africa cuz your honey ain't gonna see the States....ever.

Thats not true a friend of my wife had applied twice before and been refused, she married her boy friend and was approved for a 10 year visa. Me and the wife have lived together for 7 years and she applied last year before marriage, yes she was denied, the denial doesn't make any sense they didn't look at any of the supporting documentation. We will try again next year.

[brewsterbudgen]

It`s a similar process with the UK.
 
It is a fact that many young Thai women want to visit the west with intentions not to return to Thailand, either to work or to arrange marriages of convenience once there. If the OP`s GF would have booked her US visit with an organised tour, whereas the tour operator completes most of the paperwork for them, the she would have had a better chance of succeeding with her application. 
 
I have known of prominent Thai families in Thailand, that have showed details of incomes and bank balance sheets for a last 6 months period and had no problems in obtaining tourist visas to travel abroad. So in the OP`s case, something s amiss somewhere.

The process is not really similar, as there is no requirement for an interview for a UK visitor visa. The vast majority of UK visitor visas are granted whereas it seems very different for the US.

[volsfan]

People need to realize that, in most cases, they have made the decision before you ever get in the room. They do review the paperwork. That is why you submit it in advance. They don't just grab your file, look at it for the first time, and decide to deny it. 

 

Having also been a victim of the jerkoffs at the embassy, I have to agree that someone who meets the criteria for the visa (job, education, money, home, etc) should never mention that they have ever even met an American, much less are in a relationship with one. The only possible exception would be if the American were living and working in Thailand, and then you had better include substantial documentation of that fact. 

 

I work offshore, and even though I had been living in Thailand for years, and had a Non-O, they declined my wife a tourist visa, saying I did not have strong enough ties to Thailand. Real pieces of work in there. Easy to understand why they have to work behind bullet-proof glass!

[Winniej]

52 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

What nationality are you? I'm British and would like one day to take my Laotian wife and British son for a 2 week holiday in California. Sounds tricky.

I'm  not American  and my Thai girlfriend at the time  & I went for a holiday a few years ago to Hawaii . She applied for a US Visa and received a 10 year one . 

Just expkained we were tourists and playing golf etc . 

I was paying for most of the trip . 

It was surprisingly easy at the time 

[anto]

16 minutes ago, catman20 said:

this maybe slightly off topic but i know several Thai ladies go to USA either alone or with friends and they  never had a problem one ladies is going this weekend for a month.

If they have been before and did not overstay it should be easy as you say .The OP s girl was going for the 1st time .

[cyberfarang]

36 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

The process is not really similar, as there is no requirement for an interview for a UK visitor visa. The vast majority of UK visitor visas are granted whereas it seems very different for the US.

Disagree and it depends on the circumstances.

 

I have known several young Thai women that had no money, whereas their new found loves of their lives (British boyfriends) have tried to sponsor their trips to the UK. Everyone of them, without exceptions, had to be interviewed at the British embassy in Bangkok and most failed. There are no ways that a Thai person without already having some kind of US or UK visas can book a flight, just jump on a plane and travel to those countries.

 

Others who booked trips to the UK by official tours with reputable travel agents and companies were not required to be interviewed and had no problems. This is why I cannot understand if the OP`s story is fact and his GF is part of a successful multi million baht family company, why his GF did not book with a tour operator? As I said; something is amiss here.