SAWASDEE 3 (2009 Thai thread restarted)

[daboyz 36]

And lets not forget the long flight over, especially if flying alone..

It's my understanding with a K1 visa the beneficiary must enter with the petitioner the first time they pass through customs so flying alone is impossible. Is this not true?

I've never heard that. As far as I know beneficiary can come alone.

[BishopMnA 0]

One thing I would suggest is to not overlook the amount of stress beyond the interview stage. The beneficiary can have a huge amount of stress about leaving friends, country, job, culture and family. I'm not sure if its good to bring all of that up to them but its definitely something to be sensitive of.

And lets not forget the long flight over, especially if flying alone. Navigating through transit airports, filling out the I-94, getting through Immigration and Customs at the POE. Then of course they have to adapt to a new home, different food, no more Thai TV or hearing Thai spoken everywhere they go. Next, there's the task of getting married, getting your certified marriage certificate, so you can apply for AOS, along with trying to get your SSN before you're within 14 days of your I-94 expiring.

Uh Yeah... you guys have a LONG LONG way to go, and a whole new set of obstacles to overcome.

Ahhhhhhh...lots of good enery in the thread this week...and lots of good excitement just around the corner....great to see that the 'bottleneck' <whatever it was> has been removed that that everyone is once again progressing.

What Roi_Aggie says is true though...once your SO is here...the VJ goes into phase II. There is still a LOT to do, and it can be equally as stressful. However, you'll be together and that makes it durable

Danny is also right - after your SO is here, there will be a LOT of cultural insights that they'll immediately pick up on. I remember my wife (and I) landed in Detroit on April 11th...her first time here. We we're driving out of the the airport, and into the countryside, and it was a typical cold/dreary Detroit day. My wife looked at the trees (with no leaves) and said, "What happened to the trees? Was there a fire?". She'd never experienced the changing of the seasons while living in Thailand. Winter, Autumn and Spring were unknown to her...so she really never knew that leaves fell off of the trees in the winter, and then came back in Spring. She seriously thought that the trees had caught fire and the leaves had burned off!

Its little things like that, and then alot bigger things also <wait until she tries to work in the USA!> that are quickly going to impress on your SO that life in the USA is not like the TV show 'Friends'...

Peace to all!

MK+JC+AK

[rsn 135]

Its little things like that, and then alot bigger things also <wait until she tries to work in the USA!> that are quickly going to impress on your SO that life in the USA is not like the TV show 'Friends'...

Is "Friends" seriously dubbed in Thai? I hope not. I'd hate to punish Thai people by unleashing that piece of ####### on their country.

[daboyz 36]

Its little things like that, and then alot bigger things also <wait until she tries to work in the USA!> that are quickly going to impress on your SO that life in the USA is not like the TV show 'Friends'...

Is "Friends" seriously dubbed in Thai? I hope not. I'd hate to punish Thai people by unleashing that piece of ####### on their country.

Thai subtitles.

[scandal 951]

And lets not forget the long flight over, especially if flying alone..

It's my understanding with a K1 visa the beneficiary must enter with the petitioner the first time they pass through customs so flying alone is impossible. Is this not true?

I've never heard that. As far as I know beneficiary can come alone.

Beneficiary can enter the US alone at POE. There is no need for the petitioner to enter at that time. It's a nice thing to do, but definitely not necessary.

[rsn 135]

Its little things like that, and then alot bigger things also <wait until she tries to work in the USA!> that are quickly going to impress on your SO that life in the USA is not like the TV show 'Friends'...

Is "Friends" seriously dubbed in Thai? I hope not. I'd hate to punish Thai people by unleashing that piece of ####### on their country.

Thai subtitles.

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Reply

EVER!

[BishopMnA 0]

A little update on the subject of travel plans... I know all of us who are having our interviews this month are starting to schedule flights. Some of the guys are flying to Thailand and returning with your SOs - that's great!

However some of us (myself included) don't have that luxury. I can't take the vacation days at work now, since I need them for a trip to Brazil to visit my kids later in July.

So our dilemma was about whether to buy Thanti's ticket now, or wait till she gets her visa officially approved post-interview. Obviously the safe thing to do is wait. But her interview is on Monday June 29 and if at all possible we were hoping for her to be here with me for 4th of July. That means she would need to get the visa approved on the Monday, and have it ready to be picked up in her passport no later than the Thursday, since Friday July 3 the embassy will be closed. If we wait till that week to buy the ticket we were afraid there may not be any seats available, or at least none at a good fare.

So in the end we went ahead. I booked her a one-way fare BKK-Seoul-ORD on Delta (operated by Korean Airlines). It leaves Thursday night, arrives in Chicago Friday morning. So if she gets the visa in time, we'll be together for the 4th. If not... it's a $250 change fee to rebook the ticket to a later date, and it's valid for a year. So worst case, I'm out $250 but now we have a real shot at getting her here asap after interview. The ticket itself was $981, booked on Expedia. All the roundtrip fares I saw were even higher, so the oneway made the most sense. Needless to say, we're entirely psyched!

Good luck to all..............

Hey Brother UsCandual,

Your plans sound great, and I agree with your thinking...its worth a $250 dollar role of the dice...no biggie, especially after all you've both been through

That is also fantastic news that you'll be heading down to Brazil to see the kiddos in July! That is very important! Does Thanti know that she'll be 'alone' in the USA during that time? That might be tough on the both of you...which...is one of the crappy drawbacks of immigration...after all that you will have gone through to bring her here, she'll still not be able to go with you to visit your own kids!

I remember my wife once said that she was very happy here, but that she felt a bit like a 'prisoner' during her first six months of so in the USA. She couldn't drive, couldn't work, and couldn't leave the country! All that passes away quickly during those first six months, but my wife is kinda 'strong minded / strong willed' ...and that was tough on her...

Of course, now she is exercising the entire 'land of the free' motto of the USA to the fullest each and every day! ...and has completely forgotten about her 'imprisonment' during those first six months

Peace to all, and blessings on your upcoming 'big days!'

MarkNAAm

[scandal 951]

Its little things like that, and then alot bigger things also <wait until she tries to work in the USA!> that are quickly going to impress on your SO that life in the USA is not like the TV show 'Friends'...

Is "Friends" seriously dubbed in Thai? I hope not. I'd hate to punish Thai people by unleashing that piece of ####### on their country.

Thai subtitles.

Quickest

Reply

EVER!

Oh, you haven't been on some of the OT threads.

Sometimes I start responding to a post, write a one-liner and hit send, and in the meantime there are 3 other posts between the original message and my response. Happens on the n00bz thread all the time.

[BishopMnA 0]

And lets not forget the long flight over, especially if flying alone..

It's my understanding with a K1 visa the beneficiary must enter with the petitioner the first time they pass through customs so flying alone is impossible. Is this not true?

Hey Wasabi,

They can come alone...no sweat.

I came with my wife though, and I was glad that I did! The Detroit POE is horrendously tough on immigration, and I had been traveling in/out of Detroit as an international business traveler for 10 years, so I knew this. And, true to form, they did hassle us, and we had to sit in 'immigration POE prison' for 3 hours (I think I wrote about this in my POE review). In the end, they just had to 'rubber stamp' one single document and let us in, which they did. But for those three hours, my wife and I watched those Jerk Immigration Officers really be rough on a LOT of other people who were also in the 'holding tank' with us. I guess I can respect their job, because Detroit has issues with immigration...but I mean, they were 'unhuman' at times...so I was glad I was with her, so she wouldn't be afraid (even though I was! ) In the end though, we can only do what we can do...and it seems like everyone has a unique experience at the POE...so...prayers to all for a pleasant passing!

Peace,

MarkNAAm

[*Robert* 2]

And lets not forget the long flight over, especially if flying alone..

It's my understanding with a K1 visa the beneficiary must enter with the petitioner the first time they pass through customs so flying alone is impossible. Is this not true?

I've never heard that. As far as I know beneficiary can come alone.

Beneficiary can enter the US alone at POE. There is no need for the petitioner to enter at that time. It's a nice thing to do, but definitely not necessary.

They do NOT have to be accompanied on ANY visa.

[BishopMnA 0]

Its little things like that, and then alot bigger things also <wait until she tries to work in the USA!> that are quickly going to impress on your SO that life in the USA is not like the TV show 'Friends'...

Is "Friends" seriously dubbed in Thai? I hope not. I'd hate to punish Thai people by unleashing that piece of ####### on their country.

I hear ya Brother RSN! It has to be one of the worst examples of American TV of all time...pitiful...

Yet, Friends is dubbed in almost all Asian countries...and in fact, alot of people over there watch it to practice their English...unfortunately...

Sigh... One of the things I did when my now-wife got here, was make sure she knew that Friends was horseshit...

Peace,

MK+JC+AK

[rsn 135]

Its little things like that, and then alot bigger things also <wait until she tries to work in the USA!> that are quickly going to impress on your SO that life in the USA is not like the TV show 'Friends'...

Is "Friends" seriously dubbed in Thai? I hope not. I'd hate to punish Thai people by unleashing that piece of ####### on their country.

I hear ya Brother RSN! It has to be one of the worst examples of American TV of all time...pitiful...

Yet, Friends is dubbed in almost all Asian countries...and in fact, alot of people over there watch it to practice their English...unfortunately...

Sigh... One of the things I did when my now-wife got here, was make sure she knew that Friends was horseshit...

Peace,

MK+JC+AK

Thanks for injecting some more info into this thread Mark. Especially the info about Detroit since I might end up landing there before Chicago if I take NWA back to the U.S.

[BishopMnA 0]

Its little things like that, and then alot bigger things also <wait until she tries to work in the USA!> that are quickly going to impress on your SO that life in the USA is not like the TV show 'Friends'...

Is "Friends" seriously dubbed in Thai? I hope not. I'd hate to punish Thai people by unleashing that piece of ####### on their country.

I hear ya Brother RSN! It has to be one of the worst examples of American TV of all time...pitiful...

Yet, Friends is dubbed in almost all Asian countries...and in fact, alot of people over there watch it to practice their English...unfortunately...

Sigh... One of the things I did when my now-wife got here, was make sure she knew that Friends was horseshit...

Peace,

MK+JC+AK

I'm sure that your wife will do fine there if she comes through the Detroit POE, Brother RSN. One consideration that I would give to you...if she is flying from Thailand alone and if it is possible, if she lands at Detroit, it would be great if you could just drive over there and pick her up. Its about a 4 hour drive, which I'm sure you know...and that will actually be quicker than her waiting in DTW, and then jumping on another plane to Chicago. Plus, after going through immigration at DTW...she might be 'overwhelmed' with having to recheck bags, transfer to another flight....all that jazz.

Just a thought...but...one good thing about the NWA international terminal in Detroit...it really is a FANTASTIC terminal, so if she does change planes there, it won't be difficult. Its not like Dallas international or other international terminals...all the international flights are contained in that one 'building'...so she'll be able to easily find her way around...won't have to jump trams across the airport or anything like that...

Peace!

MK+JC+AK

Thanks for injecting some more info into this thread Mark. Especially the info about Detroit since I might end up landing there before Chicago if I take NWA back to the U.S.

[rsn 135]

Its little things like that, and then alot bigger things also <wait until she tries to work in the USA!> that are quickly going to impress on your SO that life in the USA is not like the TV show 'Friends'...

Is "Friends" seriously dubbed in Thai? I hope not. I'd hate to punish Thai people by unleashing that piece of ####### on their country.

I hear ya Brother RSN! It has to be one of the worst examples of American TV of all time...pitiful...

Yet, Friends is dubbed in almost all Asian countries...and in fact, alot of people over there watch it to practice their English...unfortunately...

Sigh... One of the things I did when my now-wife got here, was make sure she knew that Friends was horseshit...

Peace,

MK+JC+AK

I'm sure that your wife will do fine there if she comes through the Detroit POE, Brother RSN. One consideration that I would give to you...if she is flying from Thailand alone and if it is possible, if she lands at Detroit, it would be great if you could just drive over there and pick her up. Its about a 4 hour drive, which I'm sure you know...and that will actually be quicker than her waiting in DTW, and then jumping on another plane to Chicago. Plus, after going through immigration at DTW...she might be 'overwhelmed' with having to recheck bags, transfer to another flight....all that jazz.

Just a thought...but...one good thing about the NWA international terminal in Detroit...it really is a FANTASTIC terminal, so if she does change planes there, it won't be difficult. Its not like Dallas international or other international terminals...all the international flights are contained in that one 'building'...so she'll be able to easily find her way around...won't have to jump trams across the airport or anything like that...

Peace!

MK+JC+AK

Thanks for injecting some more info into this thread Mark. Especially the info about Detroit since I might end up landing there before Chicago if I take NWA back to the U.S.

Actually I'll be over there for her interview, so I will be personally escorting her back to the U.S. (assuming she gets the visa). I totally forgot until recently about rechecking bags and the fact that I'll have to go through immigration in Detroit instead of my final destination, Chicago. I usually fly Chicago to Tokyo to BKK via ANA, but their rates for the period near her interview date are outrageous for some reason.

Edited June 8, 2009 by rsn

[scandal 951]

Hey Brother UsCandual,

Your plans sound great, and I agree with your thinking...its worth a $250 dollar role of the dice...no biggie, especially after all you've both been through

That is also fantastic news that you'll be heading down to Brazil to see the kiddos in July! That is very important! Does Thanti know that she'll be 'alone' in the USA during that time? That might be tough on the both of you...which...is one of the crappy drawbacks of immigration...after all that you will have gone through to bring her here, she'll still not be able to go with you to visit your own kids!

I remember my wife once said that she was very happy here, but that she felt a bit like a 'prisoner' during her first six months of so in the USA. She couldn't drive, couldn't work, and couldn't leave the country! All that passes away quickly during those first six months, but my wife is kinda 'strong minded / strong willed' ...and that was tough on her...

Of course, now she is exercising the entire 'land of the free' motto of the USA to the fullest each and every day! ...and has completely forgotten about her 'imprisonment' during those first six months

Peace to all, and blessings on your upcoming 'big days!'

MarkNAAm

Yeah, Thanti and I have talked about that week when I go to Brazil. In fact, if she has interview complications and is unable to fly at the start of July, we'll postpone her travel from Thailand until after I've returned from Brazil in August. We don't want her to arrive in the US just days before I leave.

There are several options we've considered. One is that she'll just stay in our home (sounds great to say "our" ) in Chicago. The other option is that she may go out of town to one of several friends in Denver or Florida. We haven't decided yet.