USA Visa for Thai Wife
- Thread starter CO-CO
- Start date
Yorky
Fullritis Member
Bob takes his Thai wife back to the States regularly. I'll ask him tomorrow (if I remember).
Merlin
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My wife has a Thai friend who will marry her American fiancé very soon. He's using an American visa service to help her obtain a visa to live with him in Hawaii. The process has been followed by them both for several months so far, and the volume of evidence required by the US Immigration department is way more onerous than that imposed on farang here to obtain a marriage extension to our non-O visas!
SO far, I have seen a detailed questionnaire asking how and where they have met (every occasion) four witness statements to corroborate the responses given to the questionnaire, a declaration of intent to marry letter from the Thai lady, an income declaration from him with details of his property in Hawaii, where they will live if she is granted a visa, his future career intentions, information about any intent she may have to work in the US, their intentions regarding travel in the US, and also a visa application form.
This website: https://th.usembassy.gov/visas/nonimmigrant-visas/ provides a decent guide. It seems intended for those applying for a short-term visitors visa (max 6 months stay) As these two people intend to marry (either here before she travels to the US, or after arriving in the US) there is more than one type of visa involved, depending on the circumstances as advised by the visa agent in the US. She intends living permanently in the US too.
Those are complicating factors, but I can't help feeling that the agent is making a meal of the application. He has told them that their information package (which includes more than 20 captioned colour photos of them both in Thailand detailing locations, dates and occasions, including friends they met here, when her fiancée travelled here in late 2021) must be sent to him in California for vetting before being forwarded to USCIS in Lewisville TX.
Applying for the visa through the US Embassy in Bangkok might seem a simpler option for them.
I'm sure that several American SF members will have experienced the system for themselves, and their comments would be welcome.
SO far, I have seen a detailed questionnaire asking how and where they have met (every occasion) four witness statements to corroborate the responses given to the questionnaire, a declaration of intent to marry letter from the Thai lady, an income declaration from him with details of his property in Hawaii, where they will live if she is granted a visa, his future career intentions, information about any intent she may have to work in the US, their intentions regarding travel in the US, and also a visa application form.
This website: https://th.usembassy.gov/visas/nonimmigrant-visas/ provides a decent guide. It seems intended for those applying for a short-term visitors visa (max 6 months stay) As these two people intend to marry (either here before she travels to the US, or after arriving in the US) there is more than one type of visa involved, depending on the circumstances as advised by the visa agent in the US. She intends living permanently in the US too.
Those are complicating factors, but I can't help feeling that the agent is making a meal of the application. He has told them that their information package (which includes more than 20 captioned colour photos of them both in Thailand detailing locations, dates and occasions, including friends they met here, when her fiancée travelled here in late 2021) must be sent to him in California for vetting before being forwarded to USCIS in Lewisville TX.
Applying for the visa through the US Embassy in Bangkok might seem a simpler option for them.
I'm sure that several American SF members will have experienced the system for themselves, and their comments would be welcome.
If he/they have been married legally all that time I do not see her having any trouble getting a ten year tourist/marriage visa. If just for a visit should be easy enough.
Not being married as yet, or even legally married for at least 2 years or more makes it much more difficult it seems from all I have heard from and read.
gotlost
Kap Chong R Us Member
In 2007 my wife was intervied at the US Consultant in Chinage Mai on a Wednesday that Friday in the mail she recived her passport back with a 10 year multable visa. At that time we had only been married for about 6 months. I gave her my passport and my bank book which was looked at by an American that spoke perfect Thai. 
Coffee
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As an American I always ask Brits questions about US Customs and Immigration regulations regarding visas and such.
I take it was for a "tourist visa", correct ?
(Seriously. Why ask a 'septic', eh.)
CO-CO
Rather wrinkly & occasionally cantankerous member
As an American I always ask Brits questions about US Customs and Immigration regulations regarding visas and such.
I take it was for a "tourist visa", correct ?
(Seriously. Why ask a 'septic', eh.)
Like many Americans he is not very bright - so he came to what he saw as a useful source of knowledge.
The word 'visit' was the clue that most Brits would have picked up from my question.
gotlost
Kap Chong R Us Member
BTW I went to StarVisa which about 100 from yards the US Consulate. Me and the wife went back the morning of her appointment of the USC. We crossed the I's & doted the T's. Cost for this service including the US applications was 4000 baht for the US visa and 1500 to StarVisa.
Coffee
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CO-CO
Rather wrinkly & occasionally cantankerous member
Quite right there. lol
At which end of the bar were you sitting ?
Usual seat.
Anyway Coffee, it is the weekend - what are you doing up so early at this unGodly hour.....
gotlost
Kap Chong R Us Member
On the floor.
Coffee
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Yes Co-Co, some folks have problems with pussies on the weekend.
Mine is pooches albeit I do not see that as a problem. They are a pleasure.
Regardless of which day it is I've got four dogs that require getting a morning walk.
Each day starts before 06:00 ...(although some morning-afters are just a tad harder).
Now I review two newspapers online (WSJ, NYT) with my morning java following that dog walk.
It sometimes depends where you try to get it, and who is behind the desk doing approvals. Bangkok isn't so easy from what I've been told by others over the years. Haven't done it myself, but will be doing so after the 1st of the year. Been waiting for the covid to calm the hell down in BKK and no need to do so quickly. .In 2007 my wife was intervied at the US Consultant in Chinage Mai on a Wednesday that Friday in the mail she recived her passport back with a 10 year multable visa. At that time we had only been married for about 6 months. I gave her my passport and my bank book which was looked at by an American that spoke perfect Thai.
gotlost
Kap Chong R Us Member
This the contact info for Star Visa by the new US Consult give them a call.
Address: 114/10 โครงการกรันพลัสมอลล์2 ถ.เชียงใหม่บิสเนสพาร์ค เมือง Chiang Mai 50000
Areas served:
Chiang Mai
Hours:
Open ⋅ Closes 8PM
Phone: 099 140 3553
Yorky
Fullritis Member
I checked with Bob today. His wife has now had two ten year visas issued and the second was "easy". He is of the opinion that obtaining a spouse visa today is far easier that when they applied for her first one. Basically his initial application was some 15 - 20 years in the past and cannot equate to the rules/procedures in force today.
Stargazer
Surin Legend
In 2018, it took us 6 months to get a 'fiancé' visa for my wife to come to USA to marry me. We were sternly warned that if we got married outside the USA without permission, the wife might never be admitted to USA. I read the rules, and figured out that they HAD to say yes unless she had a criminal background. It just requires patience. After marriage in 2019, my wife received her first 'conditional permanent resident' visa for just 2 years. We just applied to remove the condition, which will result in a 10 year permanent resident visa. That's a surprisingly pain in the ass application requiring absurd documentation to prove the marriage isn't a scam. Next summer, after 3 years of marriage to a USA citizen, she can apply for US citizenship, which appears easier! Then she'll be a dual national with both Thai and US passports, which will make international travel much easier, plus we'll be done kowtowing to USA immigration officials. And we've done it all without any legal help. I've found that the Thai process is just about as bureaucratic and nitpicky as the US one. The US one is very costly now, and much more difficult these days to get approvals than back 20 or more years ago.
Stargazer
Surin Legend
I cannot compare 20 years ago to today. Generally, the older we get, the more we are inclined to think things are getting worse. And we may be right!
But, as Sting sang "When the world is running down, you make the best of what's still around..." I'll eventually report on how my wife's application to become a US citizen goes. I had no trouble getting 'Global Entry' status for her to ease our commute (allows bypassing lines for passport control on the way into US). Thailand has its own bureaucracy issues. I am getting nowhere in acquiring a 10 year LTV, although I am much overqualified. I just don't meet the exact criteria, and there is no flex available. In the USA, my wife's main obstacle will be passing the rather arbitrary 'English fluency' requirement. It just depends on the whim of the examiner, as her English is fractured but not bad.