SAWASDEE 3 (2009 Thai thread restarted)

[ArizonaMike74 0]

I don't think Tom and Teaw have been denied. I think they are still in AP which happens at the Embassy after the interview. Not at the NVC like with ArizonaMike. I certainly hope it was not denied, I am still pulling for Tom and Teaw but it could be a few months.

Good luck all.

Wow. Tom if you have not been denied that is good news - what have you found out about the admin review process at the embassy? I'm guessing it's more mushroom treatment but maybe you have an idea of what to expect from other cases posted online here. In the NVC thread I was told the fact that I have a BKK # from the NVC is good news so I'm going to try to stay positive and focus on that. I would like to visit Mimi again but the upcoming wedding and travel costs require that I save as much as I can (I'm going to try and fly both Mimi and her mother her for the wedding and take all of us on a Vegas/Disneyland vacation after). When I flew to Bangkok from Phoenix a year ago it was $950 roundtrip and now, pricing from BKK to PHX roundtrip on the same airline - United, it is $1450. When I add both Mimi's one way ticket and her mother's round trip ticket it will be $2500 to $3000 - if her mother flies back after October it jumps to $1850 since Nov-Dec is the busy airfare season.

The only thing that is saving my sanity at this point is how patient and positive Mimi has been through this whole process. I've been able to stay fairly Zen about the whole thing until yesterday when I found out about this NVC garbage for the first time. I guess if she wasn't so extraordinary I wouldn't be going to the lengths that I am to bring her here.

I will tell you that it has given me a new perspective on how broken our immigration system is. Living in Arizona I've know this for a long time but now I truly realize how difficult it is for immigrants to come here legally. Now that Arizona is in the national spotlight because of our new law giving the police the ability to ask for documentation on "reasonable suspicion", I hope that this will make politicians take a harder look at immigration reform not just border security. Even our former governor, Janet Napolitano, now head of Homeland Security has forsaken us now that she has moved on to the White House. Now that everyone is in an uproar about this new law maybe that will make people learn more about immigration law and start a real dialog.

Mike

Edited May 5, 2010 by ArizonaMike74

[Tom and Teaw 1]

Mike, we have not been denied. After Teaw's interview they asked for more proof of relationship and after Teaw submitted hundreds of pages of emails, chats, over 70 pics and other stuff, they called her and told her to come pick up her passport. When she finally went to get the passport the paper she got with it said the case was in AP and they would contact her. I would suggest your fiancee start reading a site called usavisa4thai. It is written in Thai and a lot of the girls there post what is going on with their case. AP in BKK is taking anywhere from 2-4 months and they seem to be doing it on a regular basis to many of the girls lately. I am sure NVC will try to move your case out as quickly as possible but you should make sure that your fiancee has a ton of stuff to give them at the interview. I thought I had more than enough to show the relationship but they wanted more. So we are hoping it won't take them anywhere close to 4 months, but I have no idea how they process them when they go into AP. I emailed them twice last week, two different email addresses asking for an update but they have not answered back, which is unusual since they usually do respond. From what Teaw has learned on that Thai website, people have been told don't contact us...we will contact you when we are ready.

Forgot to mention....how do you expect to get your wife's mother here? Getting a travel visa is near impossible and that's the only way I know she could come here and return back home for a wedding. You might try to get more info from members on the best way to try to do that.

Richardying, from what Teaw has been reading in the website, interviews are now being set 4-6 weeks out from the interview date. I believe our summertime is when they get busier at the embassy with interviews...or maybe they just go on vacation more. I wish I got 22 paid holidays a year like they do!!!!

Edited May 5, 2010 by Tom and Teaw

[Audy_Rob 26]

Forgot to mention....how do you expect to get your wife's mother here? Getting a travel visa is near impossible and that's the only way I know she could come here and return back home for a wedding. You might try to get more info from members on the best way to try to do that.

Richardying, from what Teaw has been reading in the website, interviews are now being set 4-6 weeks out from the interview date. I believe our summertime is when they get busier at the embassy with interviews...or maybe they just go on vacation more. I wish I got 22 paid holidays a year like they do!!!!

Hi Tom, good to read a post from you. I was going to reply to ArizonaMike about the same thing. Audy thinks her mother can just come here anytime after Audy passes her K-1. I have tried to tell her the mother still needs to qualify for the B-2 which is extremely difficult to impossible from Bangkok. Maybe that is a good thing because I do not know what I would do with her Mother here anyway?

Glad you are still with us Tom. Hang in there.

Good luck to all.

[ArizonaMike74 0]

Mike, we have not been denied. After Teaw's interview they asked for more proof of relationship and after Teaw submitted hundreds of pages of emails, chats, over 70 pics and other stuff, they called her and told her to come pick up her passport. When she finally went to get the passport the paper she got with it said the case was in AP and they would contact her. I would suggest your fiancee start reading a site called usavisa4thai. It is written in Thai and a lot of the girls there post what is going on with their case. AP in BKK is taking anywhere from 2-4 months and they seem to be doing it on a regular basis to many of the girls lately. I am sure NVC will try to move your case out as quickly as possible but you should make sure that your fiancee has a ton of stuff to give them at the interview. I thought I had more than enough to show the relationship but they wanted more. So we are hoping it won't take them anywhere close to 4 months, but I have no idea how they process them when they go into AP. I emailed them twice last week, two different email addresses asking for an update but they have not answered back, which is unusual since they usually do respond. From what Teaw has learned on that Thai website, people have been told don't contact us...we will contact you when we are ready.

Forgot to mention....how do you expect to get your wife's mother here? Getting a travel visa is near impossible and that's the only way I know she could come here and return back home for a wedding. You might try to get more info from members on the best way to try to do that.

Richardying, from what Teaw has been reading in the website, interviews are now being set 4-6 weeks out from the interview date. I believe our summertime is when they get busier at the embassy with interviews...or maybe they just go on vacation more. I wish I got 22 paid holidays a year like they do!!!!

Tom -

I'm glad to hear that you have not been denied but I'm not sure what additional "administrative processing" they are performing at the embassy level if it's not security checks - it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. You've given them a ton of evidence and they've examined it so why are they still sitting on it?

Yes Mimi does read the "usavisa4thai" site and gets a lot of info from there so I trust she is gathering the additional evidence she will need for the interview. I understand where you guys are coming from on the mother thing but Mimi and her mother Waralee are very confident that Waralee will not only get a B2 Visa to come to the wedding but that she will get a 5 or 10 year B2 visa. I'm hoping for just a 90 day Visa but I think Waralee's chances are good because she owns a lots of property (rice farm, land with one new house paid for and building a 2nd house now, and money in the bank).

She also has a current passport and has traveled quite a bit to Europe (she is widowed from a Swedish man). Mimi is helping her with her B2 application and even though it would save me a lot of money now and for future visits if the Visa is denied, I understand that Waralee is worried about her daughter coming to a strange place and wants to be sure she will be safe and happy here. I also understand it will ease Mimi's transition to America if she has her mother here for the first few months.

Mike

[ArizonaMike74 0]

Oh and for some good news for a change it appears the Red Shirts should be going home soon since the Bangkok Post is reporting that they've accepted a compromise from the prime minister that will dissolve parliament at the end of September in time for November elections.

I think this is great relief for everyone with loved ones in Thailand especially those still needing interviews, medicals, etc.. It appears they will pull off a minor miracle of a resolution to this conflict that does not involve more bloodshed

[TheBears 9]

No, Tom! No more mention of vacations. 22 days of paid vacation makes me want to cry. Then again, yesterday was Coronation Day, but Husby still had to work. Maybe it's alright.

Hi Tom, good to read a post from you. I was going to reply to ArizonaMike about the same thing. Audy thinks her mother can just come here anytime after Audy passes her K-1. I have tried to tell her the mother still needs to qualify for the B-2 which is extremely difficult to impossible from Bangkok. Maybe that is a good thing because I do not know what I would do with her Mother here anyway?

Glad you are still with us Tom. Hang in there.

Good luck to all.

You would go to the typical tourist spots around your home. You'd go shopping and hear about how expensive everything is. Then, as a reward for it all, you'd get some really great home-cooked meals. Audy would have the comfort for a few weeks while she adjusted, and then you'd both have the time alone you so want.

..........

Mike, everything is fine. They'll do their checks then forward your case. Like Tom said, a lot of girls have ended up in AP recently. Use this extra time to beef up your case so Mimi isn't one of those girls. No offense, Tom.

Start thinking about how your American-Thai relationship differs from a Thai-Thai relationship. Start fixing the differences. If you can't think of anything, ask her.

Start picking up the language. A tiny bit goes a long way. Even if you think "This is America; she needs to speak English." She'll feel like you're accepting of and interested in her culture, and the embassy will view it as an attempt at bridging the differences and genuinely building understanding in a cross-cultural relationship. If she's not able to teach you some, there are plenty of (free) websites aimed at teaching Thai to farang. You don't have to be fluent, but you should be able to wai and understand things like Kop Khun Krap and Mai Pen Rai. These two phrases alone will help you enormously through your relationship. Right, guys? Really, though. Thai is a difficult language. You putting the effort in can help show that you're in this relationship for real.

Pictures. Chat screenshots. Things that show it is you and her talking and furthering your relationship. The point here is to leave no doubt as to the fact that it's you and her.

Actual letters. No e-mails or chats. Letters and cards. It's not difficult or expensive. It shows that you're putting a little more thought into things than some internet relationships do.

The parents! Have you met them? Do you talk? Do you at least inquire about them? Two important questions to Thais: How are you feeling? Have you eaten yet? These indicate caring. If you don't care, you wouldn't ask; right? So just ask how her parents and siblings are doing. If Big Brother Ek has an important event, ask how it went. Heck, even as an American girl, I'd be thrilled if my loved one remembered and inquired about my family. Parents are a very big part of life for Thais and Thai-Thai relationships. As such, you should make the attempt.

Try to understand her better:

Is she Buddhist? (Note: 95% of the country is.) What do you know about it? What do you know about how it affects her day-to-day living? I'm not saying convert. I'm not saying you have to believe, accept, or anything at all. I'm saying you should learn. Even if she's not Buddhist, it has a very large impact on the entire country. The only people the King bows to are his late mother and monks. My husband is Christian. He still pulled me out of the way when I nearly bumped into a monk in a photo store. What about Thailand? I'm not saying go and spend 20 hours each day studying politics and geography and agriculture. No need to understand the intricacies behind Red vs. Yellow and such. Just ask her about things that are relevant to her. Not only is she bringing all of this with her to the US (You can't just ditch an entire upbringing.) and thus helpful to you, it will show the embassy you're trying to understand her. Fraud relationships don't bother with understanding on a deep level.

Evaluate yourself for red flags. Look at your relationship with Hater Goggles on. What do you see? What can you fix? How do you explain the ones you can't fix?

Mike, hon, you have a Blessing In Disguise. Whatever triggered the additional checks will be cleared up before the interview, and you have more time to prepare. Anyone who thinks pictures are not looked at and chats/e-mails are not read before the interview is on a very illicit substance. Same thing about an opinion being formed prior to the interview. It's either yes, no, or maybe. Your girl will have the actual interview to attempt to influence that opinion. If it's yes, she'll have to try hard to screw it up. If it's no or maybe, she'll have to try hard to change it and will most likely get AP. Why not do what you can now to make the CO think "yes" from the start?

Good luck, Mike! And yes, please do encourage her to sign up at usvisa4thai. The girls are super sweet and full of knowledge and support. Also have her search pantip.com. The embassy has an open question and answer session once a month. The transcript is posted there. It's very insightful. I don't know where you would find it in English, though.

..................

Side Note: Go Spurs!

[Tom and Teaw 1]

Now Kari, I DO NOT get 22 days paid vacation a year. Right now I get 3.33 weeks a year and next year after June 1 it goes up higher...thankfully!!! I was talking about the embassy folk in BKK get 22 days paid HOLIDAYS with all the US and Thai holidays they get. I wish I got that many holidays here in the US!!! And I am sure they get some great federal vacation time too!! And I got another first degree murder conviction yesterday so now I have another 7 day trial appeal to do. May is going to be a very profitable month for transcripts as I finished the 2 week appeal and sent that bill in Monday. Teaw and I joke that I am working so hard to pay the sinsod!!! EIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I think Teaw taking the copy of my Thai divorce when I told her to leave it home and then giving that to them by mistake instead of the ring receipt raised questions in their mind. I have not blamed her for it, although we have talked about it and I tell her well, I screwed up too and should have sent more information for her to take. She was pretty upset at herself for doing that but that's life. It's water under the bridge now and I am past that and waiting to see what comes next. Did you tell Teaw about the pantip.com site and where to look for the discussion board? If you could, I'd appreciate it so maybe she can learn more and give her input. I do wish it was in English cause maybe it would help all of us to be able to read it.

AZ Mike, you might not have any problem getting the B2, but I know one Thai lady who owned her home, was a govt school teacher, had letter from her employer, money in the bank and she was denied twice!!! And I think you will have an uphill battle with the fact she would be coming with her daughter for her wedding and they might just think she would decide to stay here. I hope you can get her here but I would not expect it and if she gets it, then you can go bonkers!!! I too would LOVE to know what they are looking at during an AP. Too bad we didn't have someone on the inside that could tell us, or someone we knew who had recently worked there. And it would be nice if they would tell you what they are looking at so maybe you could give them more specific information depending on what it was. They won't even answer my emails now and give me a status update.

Audy, I am still here. Usually check the thread every day but don't always write something. We are just waiting hoping they will give us the visa soon. As far as I am concerned my divorce should be a non-issue. They should realize that the relationship was over 7 months before I could get back to get the divorce done and Teaw and I were well on our way in our relationship. God forbid they should just ASK ME to explain what happened, which I could easily do and show them why and how that marriage started failing within 2 months after we got married. But of course, being so many miles apart I can't just jump on a plane and go over and take care of it when I get off work on Friday!!! It does take some planning, putting in for time off work, etc. Yes, I am hanging....literally...hahaha!!!!!!!!!!

[ArizonaMike74 0]

..........

Mike, everything is fine. They'll do their checks then forward your case. Like Tom said, a lot of girls have ended up in AP recently. Use this extra time to beef up your case so Mimi isn't one of those girls. No offense, Tom.

Thanks for the encouragement and advice!

Start thinking about how your American-Thai relationship differs from a Thai-Thai relationship. Start fixing the differences. If you can't think of anything, ask her.

Start picking up the language. A tiny bit goes a long way. Even if you think "This is America; she needs to speak English." She'll feel like you're accepting of and interested in her culture, and the embassy will view it as an attempt at bridging the differences and genuinely building understanding in a cross-cultural relationship. If she's not able to teach you some, there are plenty of (free) websites aimed at teaching Thai to farang. You don't have to be fluent, but you should be able to wai and understand things like Kop Khun Krap and Mai Pen Rai. These two phrases alone will help you enormously through your relationship. Right, guys? Really, though. Thai is a difficult language. You putting the effort in can help show that you're in this relationship for real.

I am on my second Thai learning computer program - I have learned simple greetings and phrases like Mai Pen Rai but I have a LONG way to go. I don't think I'll ever read Thai but I would like to at least be able to speak decent Thai. She wants our children to speak both and I don't want to be left out of any conversations:)

Try to understand her better:

Is she Buddhist? (Note: 95% of the country is.) What do you know about it? What do you know about how it affects her day-to-day living? I'm not saying convert. I'm not saying you have to believe, accept, or anything at all. I'm saying you should learn. Even if she's not Buddhist, it has a very large impact on the entire country. The only people the King bows to are his late mother and monks. My husband is Christian. He still pulled me out of the way when I nearly bumped into a monk in a photo store. What about Thailand? I'm not saying go and spend 20 hours each day studying politics and geography and agriculture. No need to understand the intricacies behind Red vs. Yellow and such. Just ask her about things that are relevant to her. Not only is she bringing all of this with her to the US (You can't just ditch an entire upbringing.) and thus helpful to you, it will show the embassy you're trying to understand her. Fraud relationships don't bother with understanding on a deep level.

It is funny you mention that because one of the things that attracted me to Mimi is that she is not only fluent in English but she considers herself Christian. I was raised Christian but converted to Buddhism. I still celebrate Christmas with my family and she still goes to Temple so we understand and respect both belief systems which is a big help especially when it comes to family and holidays. I already visited the closest Thai Buddhist temple (about 25 minutes from me), and plan to take her there when she gets here. I also read quite a bit about Thailand before I went there in order to understand the culture as much as possible (my friend Dan is Thai and he recently moved back to Thailand with his family which is how this whole thing got started).

Evaluate yourself for red flags. Look at your relationship with Hater Goggles on. What do you see? What can you fix? How do you explain the ones you can't fix?

Mike, hon, you have a Blessing In Disguise. Whatever triggered the additional checks will be cleared up before the interview, and you have more time to prepare. Anyone who thinks pictures are not looked at and chats/e-mails are not read before the interview is on a very illicit substance. Same thing about an opinion being formed prior to the interview. It's either yes, no, or maybe. Your girl will have the actual interview to attempt to influence that opinion. If it's yes, she'll have to try hard to screw it up. If it's no or maybe, she'll have to try hard to change it and will most likely get AP. Why not do what you can now to make the CO think "yes" from the start?

Good luck, Mike! And yes, please do encourage her to sign up at usvisa4thai. The girls are super sweet and full of knowledge and support. Also have her search pantip.com. The embassy has an open question and answer session once a month. The transcript is posted there. It's very insightful. I don't know where you would find it in English, though.

Side Note: Go Spurs!

I'll just ignore that last one

Thanks again for all the encouragement and advice!

Mike

[Tom and Teaw 1]

Go Lakers!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TheBears 9]

....

Teaw and I joke that I am working so hard to pay the sinsod!!! EIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...

Did you tell Teaw about the pantip.com site and where to look for the discussion board? If you could, I'd appreciate it so maybe she can learn more and give her input. I do wish it was in English cause maybe it would help all of us to be able to read it.

You guys a so cute!! I guess I can forgive the Lakers things.

Yes, I'll find the pantip.com discussion and send it to Teaw. I'll post the link here, too, if any other SOs would like to read it.

...

Very nice.

Reading and writing Thai isn't difficult. For me, it helped me "see" the tones and improved my pronunciation. A cute little site is learningthai.com . They cover reading, writing, speaking, and listening. My son enjoys the Learn to Write Thai coloring books that Husby sends him. He's doing pretty good with it.

That's interesting to hear about your conversion to Buddhism and her Christianity. That's how Husby and I were when we met. It's good that you know where your local wat is. Are there any Thai churches in your area she might be interested in?

..........

Husby is at Bumrungrad getting his medical done. He should be good with all of his immunizations. All I can do is hope for no sketchy spots on his lungs.

[ShaneH816 0]

Hello,

I am a 21 year old full time student and I havnt had a real job for a couple years. I read that the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok does not accept co-sponsors for a K-1 Visa?????I was planning on having my dad co-sponsor my fiance. Is this true? does anyone have some first hand experience about this issue? I would greatly appreciate any help.

Thanks

Shane Headlee

[AaronLV 12]

Hello,

I am a 21 year old full time student and I havnt had a real job for a couple years. I read that the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok does not accept co-sponsors for a K-1 Visa?????I was planning on having my dad co-sponsor my fiance. Is this true? does anyone have some first hand experience about this issue? I would greatly appreciate any help.

Thanks

Shane Headlee

From what I have read on this forum, BKK does not accept co-sponsors. Most of the SE Asian countries do not. I would suggest finding a 2nd job to push your income level over the poverty level. Or you could marry and go the CR-1 route, if I remember correctly they will accept co-sponsors for a married couple (someone else can chime in and confirm).

[TheBears 9]

Hey, guys!

Just popping in to confirm that titers can be used instead of immunizations during the medical at Bumrungrad. If you SO is needle-shy, they might want to draw titers first to avoid the MMR and varicella boosters. Td will still need a jab, though.

[toma1 10]

Hey, guys!

Just popping in to confirm that titers can be used instead of immunizations during the medical at Bumrungrad. If you SO is needle-shy, they might want to draw titers first to avoid the MMR and varicella boosters. Td will still need a jab, though.

Taking blood OUT for a titer test requires a needle in longer than an MMR shot. Plus if the titers are low, you are going to have to go back for more shots later (unless they run the test on the spot).

Finally, titer tests can be pricey here... I'm sure they cost less in Thailand, but are they still probably more expensive than a shot.

[Tom and Teaw 1]

I guess I can forgive the Lakers things. .................

Well, I am from So Cal and spent most of my life there and was and still am an LA Kings fan. So I automatically root for the Lakers even though I

hardly ever watch a game!! Give me hockey anytime!!! Teaw already knows I will watch games on TV and it will be fun to see how she reacts when I

take her to a Carolina Hurricanes game.