US Visa for Thai Wife

[ChiFlyer]

I have decided that I would like to take the Mrs. to the US for about one month. I have some things to do there. I would like to see my grand-kids. I would like my immediate family and a few friends to meet my wife and vice versa. 

I realize getting a US visa for a Thai National can be a rough road to travel and will take at a minimum 6 or 7 months. This will be a very expensive trip, probably costing $30,000 USD. I need Business Class air at this point in my dotage, car rental for one month, hotel for one month (probably a lower end Residence Inn), and eating out a lot etc.

The Mrs had her Thai passport renewed this week. I would like to make the trip in September (usually nice weather in Chicago). Given an expected 7 month process to obtain the visa, we need to get that going now.

I am thinking that it might be advisable to hire an agent to shepherd the process.

Does anyone have a recommendation in that regard? 

[G_Money]

The head lady at TikTok agency knows the best agency for this particular request.

While renewing my retirement visa in November I was chatting to her about the difficulties of Thais traveling to the USA.  

She mentioned one particular agency. I do not remember the name but recall it’s on Pattaya Klang.

 I would recommend visiting TikTok in Jomtien and have a chat with her.

You mentioned Mrs.  Is she a girlfriend or spouse.  If a spouse you may be able to obtain her permanent residence card I-551 (green card) at the USA Embassy in BKK.

Update:  just noticed Thai wife in topic so should make the process easier.

Edited January 11 by G_Money

[momo5]

Assuming you’ll apply for a tourist visa; if so, this could be problematic as intention to immigrate will be assumed, and this assumption is stronger as she the wife of an American citizen.    
 

You’ll need to convince the consular officer of her intention return to Thailand, which as you’re married, is related to your intent to return. Absence of real property in the US and a deeply rooted life in Thailand over a good period of time will be most helpful in this regard. 
 

Normally I’d recommend just plugging along the immigration path on your own as it’s very straightforward, but for your situation, an agent with this particular experience would be helpful considering you don’t have much time to be denied and try again. 

[momo5]

20 minutes ago, G_Money said:

The head lady at TikTok agency knows the best agency for this particular request.

While renewing my retirement visa in November I was chatting to her about the difficulties of Thais traveling to the USA.  

She mentioned one particular agency. I do not remember the name but recall it’s on Pattaya Klang.

 I would recommend visiting TikTok in Jomtien and have a chat with her.

You mentioned Mrs.  Is she a girlfriend or spouse.  If a spouse you may be able to obtain her permanent residence card I-551 (green card) at the USA Embassy in BKK.

Update:  just noticed Thai wife in topic so should make the process easier.

Only if she intends to immigrate.  And after an extended time outside of the USA, permanent residence can be revoked.  Now, one could apply and receive a green card, and then never intend to use it again after returning to Thailand, but spelling this out to the consular officer will result in denial as a tourist visa is the one intended for short term visits.
 

Also, a spousal visa takes anywhere from 10-18 months (unsure id current processing times) and is much more involved and expensive than a tourist visa. 

[momo5]

46 minutes ago, ChiFlyer said:

 

I realize getting a US visa for a Thai National can be a rough road to travel and will take at a minimum 6 or 7 months. This will be a very expensive trip, probably costing $30,000 USD. I need Business Class air at this point in my dotage, car rental for one month, hotel for one month (probably a lower end Residence Inn), and eating out a lot etc.

 

Current wait time for the required interview for a B1/B2 visa out of Bangkok is 93 days, with visa available a few days  after that if approved  

I-130 for a spousal visa would be handed through consular processing as you reside in Thailand, but still anywhere from 6-14 months (cannot find current processing times for consular handling). 

[Luv2Phuket]

Following with interest.

Although nowhere near a need for me at this juncture, i could see it being something I will want in the future.  

@ChiFlyer - good luck!  I hope you will update us on how it goes.

[ChiFlyer]

27 minutes ago, momo5 said:

Current wait time for the required interview for a B1/B2 visa out of Bangkok is 93 days, with visa available a few days  after that if approved  

I-130 for a spousal visa would be handed through consular processing as you reside in Thailand, but still anywhere from 6-14 months (cannot find current processing times for consular handling). 

My legal address is in the US. My Thai Wife and myself are legally married in Thailand, but have not requested to have our marriage recognized in the US.

She has a passport that she has used to exit and return to Thailand without incident (Norway and Hong Kong). She owns property and has bank accounts in Thailand that I believe shows proof of evidence that she will return to Thailand.

Just trying to figure out how to get this done with the least amount of admin pain. 

[Bruce Mangosteen]

This company handled my wife's fiancee visa:  https://www.americavisa4thai.com/

Went through without a hitch despite the delays and other difficulties associated with COVID.  Afterward, they gave me advice all the way through the green card process, which we also went through without a hitch, for no extra charge

The owner, Jim Styers, was personally involved all the way through.  I believe he used to live in Buriram; I found his name on a web board, highly recommended then.  The girl in his office in Bangkok is very good, very thorough, and writes excellent English.  Lady M. spoke glowingly of her help preparing for the embassy interview.

100% unreserved recommendation.

Believe me, your search is over.  

Edited January 11 by Bruce Mangosteen

[momo5]

32 minutes ago, ChiFlyer said:

My legal address is in the US. My Thai Wife and myself are legally married in Thailand, but have not requested to have our marriage recognized in the US.

She has a passport that she has used to exit and return to Thailand without incident (Norway and Hong Kong). She owns property and has bank accounts in Thailand that I believe shows proof of evidence that she will return to Thailand.

Just trying to figure out how to get this done with the least amount of admin pain. 

Yes, but do you maintain residence in the US?   This is crucial as a tourist visa is a non immigrant visa and the consular office is obligated by statute to assume intent to immigrate which means the applicant has to work backwards to alleviate this concern by providing strong evidence of intent to return.  A US citizen spouse with residence in the US will be seen by the consular office as strong evidence of intent to immigrate. 
 

Requesting recognition of marriage is irrelevant - there is no requirement to register marriages abroad at a US embassy.  The marriage will be recognized as long as it was legal in the jurisdiction it took place; one cannot be legally married and pretend they are not.  
 

Her property, bank accounts and previous foreign travel, particularly in Europe, do provide strong evidence; but marriage to a US resident spouse can be a problem - the obvious response from the embassy will be why not apply for the I130?  They know the visitor visa is quicker and cheaper, so will be cautious this is not why you are going this route.

visajourney.com is an excellent resource; I recall two gentlemen in South America trying to do exactly what you are doing, visiting the US with their foreign spouse, and both had this same issue of overcoming the assumption that their spouse intended to use the tourist visa as a run around to the spousal visa and eventual green card. 

[ChiFlyer]

1 hour ago, momo5 said:

Yes, but do you maintain residence in the US?   This is crucial as a tourist visa is a non immigrant visa and the consular office is obligated by statute to assume intent to immigrate which means the applicant has to work backwards to alleviate this concern by providing strong evidence of intent to return.  A US citizen spouse with residence in the US will be seen by the consular office as strong evidence of intent to immigrate. 
 

.....

hmmmm - interesting indeed.

I do in fact maintain legal residence in the US. I use my son's address as my legal address. Sounds like this may be a problem. Thanks for your input. 

[ChiFlyer]

2 hours ago, Bruce Mangosteen said:

This company handled my wife's fiancee visa:  https://www.americavisa4thai.com/

Went through without a hitch despite the delays and other difficulties associated with COVID.  Afterward, they gave me advice all the way through the green card process, which we also went through without a hitch, for no extra charge

The owner, Jim Styers, was personally involved all the way through.  I believe he used to live in Buriram; I found his name on a web board, highly recommended then.  The girl in his office in Bangkok is very good, very thorough, and writes excellent English.  Lady M. spoke glowingly of her help preparing for the embassy interview.

100% unreserved recommendation.

Believe me, your search is over.  

Sounds like there may be a difference here. We are looking for a tourist visa, not a fiancee visa.

[little_me]

A tourist visa would generally be the easiest, least paperwork, and you oughta be able to complete it all without assistance... excepting the fact that you will need to absolutely convince whoever at the embassy she has no intention of staying in the US past the 30 days (or however long they grant that for...). 

You having a mailing address in the US doesn't help.

Being married to you really doesn't help, it means she's eligible for a immigrant (family) visa, but my understanding is this doesn't matter when considering her for a non immigrant visa (can almost kinda hurt).  Be very aware of the difference between asking to move there vs. visit.

It's not about her being any security risk, it's all about her going home in 30 days.

She's got to have something she need to return home for that she can prove is very important to her.  Being married to you, can you convince them you don't want to be there?  (having traveled other countries and returned might help..., but still).

But, you can ask for a family / spouse visa. More work. Longer wait. You definitely can leave whenever with it, aren't forced to stay, but may face issues on a second trip, you should research that.

And in my very little experience (GF getting a fiance visa 20 years ago), having been declined a tourist visa won't cause issues getting a family visa later. But, the other way around, if you apply for a family / immigrant visa, there's probably no way she's going to ever get a tourist visa, having basically requested to come here permanently, and then ask maybe just a short trip is fine while waiting for an answer... that's not a good look.  (if they declined her because they thought she might not go home, and then she asks to stay permanently, pfft, they're apparently all good with that).

[Bruce Mangosteen]

19 minutes ago, ChiFlyer said:

Sounds like there may be a difference here. We are looking for a tourist visa, not a fiancee visa.

I'd expect them to be able to handle both.  If they tell you otherwise, eh, nothing ventured etc.  

[ChiFlyer]

I sent out 3 emails today and made a phone call or two based upon responses to this thread and my own personal experience.

I tried Maneerat who I use for my Thai Visa renewals. They responded promptly that this is not something that they do and they have no recommendations for anyone who does this type of work.

I spoke with a friend who made this application with a Thai Wife and had it denied. 

I sent an email request to the Tik-Tok Agency for additional information. No response, but I did send that request late on a Friday afternoon.

I sent out a request for info to  https://www.americavisa4thai.com/

Their response was prompt and we are discussing how to proceed. They say that given the situation we have a high probability of success. We shall see.

 

Edited January 12 by ChiFlyer

[Bruce Mangosteen]

53 minutes ago, ChiFlyer said:

I sent out a request for info to  https://www.americavisa4thai.com/

Their response was prompt and we are discussing how to proceed. They say that given the situation we have a high probability of success. We shall see.

Glad to hear of this.  

[little_me]

I'd always encourage people to check out the embassy's website first and go through the instructions and requirements.  It's usually a few steps and may not seem very organized, but the instructions are there and not complicated, anyone should be able to follow along on there own. But even if you do hire someone, you'll understand what they are doing and why they request certain things.

https://th.usembassy.gov/visas/nonimmigrant-visas/

It was almost 20 years ago I got my wife's fiance visa and accompanied her during the interview. In the waiting room I met an American that ran one of the more popular Fiance / marriage visa services at the time and he was discussing this with me, interested to find out what kinda mistakes I made I think. But, what he told me, anyone should be able to do it themselves, the parts he found hardest for most couples was getting the forms filled out (in English) with all the information for the ladies who couldn't read / write English well (sometimes were barely literate at all). And little details, like getting them to dress presentably (i.e. business casual) for their interview.

There were a few little details, when I discussed with him, and had a copy of all the paperwork with he that he looked at that he told me weren't necessary, like an English translation of her birth certificate, being the US Embassy in Thailand they would've accepted that in Thai, but not other foreign languages...  Basically errorring on the side of caution provided more evidence than he thought was needed and had a few things translated to English unnecessarily.

But having never actually used a visa service, if they did all the running around to collecting information, i.e. Thai birth certificates and police reports, etc., that might be worth it, but I'm not sure if they do that or send you out to get that all yourself for them?  I know she spent quite a bit of time and effort to gather that information and pay off the police to cover up her criminal past for her.

 

[Bruce Mangosteen]

1 hour ago, little_me said:

It was almost 20 years ago I got my wife's fiance visa and accompanied her during the interview.

I'd imagine that things are a bit different now, given all the changes that were made in the years post-9/11.  The US immigration situation is also radically different now, and we also had to navigate all this shit in the middle of the COVID situation.

I found it very helpful because the service filled out all the paperwork, arranged and collated the package, and advised us what sorts of proof of relationship to include, how much of each sort, etc.  That saved me a ton of time, and really streamlined the process.

They also coached Lady M. on the sorts of questions to expect and helped her get her answers straight.  They advised her of the things to emphasize and not to discuss, and helped her get our "origin story" sounding natural.  The latter is pretty  important, they want to know if you're making it up on the fly or whatever, and we were asked this in several different ways at different points in the process.

The running around for the police reports and medical checks was dead easy, no need for help on that stuff.  I don't think anyone could do that for the wife regardless.

In retrospect, I'm glad I used a service, and if I had to do it again I'd use the same service again.

As always and with everything, YMMV.

[momo5]

6 hours ago, ChiFlyer said:

I sent out 3 emails today and made a phone call or two based upon responses to this thread and my own personal experience.

I tried Maneerat who I use for my Thai Visa renewals. They responded promptly that this is not something that they do and they have no recommendations for anyone who does this type of work.

I spoke with a friend who made this application with a Thai Wife and had it denied. 

I sent an email request to the Tik-Tok Agency for additional information. No response, but I did send that request late on a Friday afternoon.

I sent out a request for info to  https://www.americavisa4thai.com/

Their response was prompt and we are discussing how to proceed. They say that given the situation we have a high probability of success. We shall see.

 

Very good. 
 

I still highly recommend visajourney.com. They’re a group of do-it-yourselfers along with some pros.  They have country-specific forums and visa-category forums and a bunch of others.  I know for a fact there are several who have done exactly what you’re trying to do and many are open to private conversations to help out. 

[forcebwithu]

I asked an American friend who obtained a visa for his wife about how he went about it. Here's his response with cousin's name redacted.

The lawyer we used is no longer around as far as I know.  One of his assistants, Rita went on to start her own firm Rita Visa advisors at ritavisa.com and we did have her help with the green card paperwork successfully.  Last fall xxxx's cousin and family along with her mother applied for a tourist visa doing all the paperwork themselves.  In November they all received 10 year multiple entry visas on their first attempt.  It only took about one month and required minimal paperwork from me such as proof of employment and an invitation letter.  Not sure about the cost but that should be online.

[losgrad]

Agree with some of the above posters.  My wife is now on her 2nd 10-year USA Tourist Visa.

We initially used a local law office to help submit the initial application to book the interview as I was unsure about some of the questions on the application.

After that my wife (a former school teacher) did her due diligence homework, my adult children submitted letters of invitation with their business cards and I provided my passport with Thailand Permission to Stay -Retirement.

She was thoroughly prepared with documents, pictures, appropriate appearance and her wit as the interview included reconfirmations and attempts at confusion in both English and Thai.

I have always maintained ownership and residency at my USA real estate (multiple properties).

Your wife needs to read and prepare as much as she can as the interview is somewhat short and can take a unique direction. I was not allowed to accompany my wife.

After 15+ trips, sometimes we get sent to secondary at USA Customs and Immigration because an agent thinks we should apply for a "Green Card," but after review of our travel history the Secondary Agent agrees the Tourist Visa is the appropriate document.

Good luck and due diligence 👍

Edited January 13 by losgrad

[ChiFlyer]

Been working on preparing the info for the agent to file the DS160 for the last few days. A bit of a pain, but needs to get done.

I did look at the US Embassy web site for DS160 directions. Lets say it is confusing. I am glad that we are going the agent route. They are supplying templates for letters and DS160 info. Quite helpful, but additional work by me is required. I would estimate the Mrs and I will be working on this off and on for a week (finding gaps and doing research). We will then have drafts to review with the agent.

The Mrs owns significant Thai based assets with an approximate value of 12 M THB. This is a big plus. Documenting all of this will be a pain, but we had wills done about a year ago so all of the legal description is there. 

A bigger pain will be describing her work history. She has been an entrepreneur owning about a dozen hair salons over the years, a few restaurants, a couple of MPs, etc. Basically she has been, for the most part, the owner-manager. Glad we have an experienced agent to help sum this one up.

The overall education description will also take some work. She made it through what I think was high school and then took some additional courses to better herself. Again the agent being able to help wordsmith this is a plus.

The Mrs and I have a working session for a few hours tomorrow to flesh things out and identify any gaps.

More later.

[ChiFlyer]

On 16/01/2024 at 23:56, ChiFlyer said:

Been working on preparing the info for the agent to file the DS160 for the last few days. A bit of a pain, but needs to get done.

I did look at the US Embassy web site for DS160 directions. Lets say it is confusing. I am glad that we are going the agent route. They are supplying templates for letters and DS160 info. Quite helpful, but additional work by me is required. I would estimate the Mrs and I will be working on this off and on for a week (finding gaps and doing research). We will then have drafts to review with the agent.

The Mrs owns significant Thai based assets with an approximate value of 12 M THB. This is a big plus. Documenting all of this will be a pain, but we had wills done about a year ago so all of the legal description is there. 

A bigger pain will be describing her work history. She has been an entrepreneur owning about a dozen hair salons over the years, a few restaurants, a couple of MPs, etc. Basically she has been, for the most part, the owner-manager. Glad we have an experienced agent to help sum this one up.

The overall education description will also take some work. She made it through what I think was high school and then took some additional courses to better herself. Again the agent being able to help wordsmith this is a plus.

The Mrs and I have a working session for a few hours tomorrow to flesh things out and identify any gaps.

More later.

The agent is moving this along quite nicely. We have the DS160 almost ready to submit.

We shall see.

 

[losgrad]

Please remember, a tourist visa is her application for a Visa; not an 'ours'

IMHO, she should focus on:

1. Purpose of Visit

2. Reason for returning to Thailand

 

Purpose of visiting the USA is to see people, places and things not available in Thailand.  A casual/temporary visit versus a permanent change in environment.  She should understand every detail of why she is going, where, who will be seen, how long, exactly when, etc...

Real Property can be managed/sold remotely, so i don't understand why some rationalize it's a 'reason for returning' to Thailand.

A Business Ownership history could mean there are many opportunities if she relocated to the USA.

A primary reason for returning to Thailand is because you, her husband, an expat are returning and she wishes to stay with you.

Good luck.  I have spoken with some expat acquaintances where their wives were denied.  They also seem to focus on real property, financial assets and work history vs current; but i don't know the details of their wives interview, her demeanor, etc..

Take care.

 

[Bruce Mangosteen]

4 hours ago, ChiFlyer said:

The agent is moving this along quite nicely.

Out of curiosity, which one did you pick?

[ChiFlyer]

17 hours ago, Bruce Mangosteen said:

Out of curiosity, which one did you pick?

The one you recommended.

https://www.americavisa4thai.com/