Was I scammed

[Carlos and Jocel 2]

When I was researching getting a K1 Visa in Bangkok and went to the Embassy, it was closed, but there was a man standing in front that said he worked for an agency across the street. Long story short, I ended up using this agency that is supposed to assist in getting a visa. It cost me a pretty penny... $1800 to be exact which I put on my credit card..... I thought they were saying $1800 Baht, but they were talking dollars.

In hindsight, I think I could have done everything they are doing, and saved a lot of money. But, it's too late I already paid them, and pretty much what they did so far, was fill out all the paperwork for me, which was 2 different forms, and put it in a package for me to send with a payment to Homeland Secuirty. I thought they would be submitting something in Thailand, but then I realized that the whole process starts here in the USA. I am reading people's timelines, and I see that it takes a good 4-6 months for the whole process, some longer.

I am about to submit the forms on April 13th.... I wish I had known that it was as simple as it was to fill out the forms, as I could have had this paperwork in February when I returned from Thailand to the states. Instead I waited for this agency to put it together for me, but it took a while for my fiancee to get all the appropriate documents, and then when I did get the package I was short on cash so I had to wait until I had $455 to send with the package.

My question is has anyone used one of these agencies? Do you think I was ripped off, knowing that I could do all this myself? I am not sure if having this agency will be useful later on in the process??

MAKE THE STORY SHORT, YOU ARE BEEN SUCKER TO BELIEVING THEY CAN HELP YOU BECAUSE WITH OR WITHOUT AN ATTORNEY, TIME YOU WAIT TO GET APPROVED STILL ON THE USCIS DECISIONS THEN THE NVC. IF YOU CAN READ THIS, THEN YOU MUST AS WELL DID THE FORM YOURSELF... BECAUSE NOW YOUR $ 1800 SHORT AND STILL GONANA WAIT... BE CAREFUL NEXT TIME. THATS A BIG MONEY FOR THAILAND... SOMEONE WILL BE EATING SOME GREAT FOOD FOR AWHILE LIKE A CUISNE. BE CAREFUL NEXT TIME, SEARCH AND ASK AROUND!

[David Allen 3]

I agree with some of the later posts and would think you were not necessarily scammed. Before I filed for our K1, I looked into what it would cost to have an immigration attorney do this for me, and the price would not have been that different. I went for the option of doing this myself, and while the cost was certainly less, it also took more time to figure out everything, even with all the great help here. It has also cost a bit of time in correcting some of the mistakes that we made on the forms. In the end - we should get our visa ok (hopefully - we're waiting on correcting a few remaining items) but things MAY have been better if we had a professional helping us.. There are stories where lawyers make mistakes too, so there's no telling which is the best path - but if they're competent real attorneys, they might also help in the long run. So you might as well relax and let them help you, and if in the worst case scenario that they screw something up, you'll at least have grounds to dispute the charges.

Good luck with the visa.

-David

When I was researching getting a K1 Visa in Bangkok and went to the Embassy, it was closed, but there was a man standing in front that said he worked for an agency across the street. Long story short, I ended up using this agency that is supposed to assist in getting a visa. It cost me a pretty penny... $1800 to be exact which I put on my credit card..... I thought they were saying $1800 Baht, but they were talking dollars.

In hindsight, I think I could have done everything they are doing, and saved a lot of money. But, it's too late I already paid them, and pretty much what they did so far, was fill out all the paperwork for me, which was 2 different forms, and put it in a package for me to send with a payment to Homeland Secuirty. I thought they would be submitting something in Thailand, but then I realized that the whole process starts here in the USA. I am reading people's timelines, and I see that it takes a good 4-6 months for the whole process, some longer.

I am about to submit the forms on April 13th.... I wish I had known that it was as simple as it was to fill out the forms, as I could have had this paperwork in February when I returned from Thailand to the states. Instead I waited for this agency to put it together for me, but it took a while for my fiancee to get all the appropriate documents, and then when I did get the package I was short on cash so I had to wait until I had $455 to send with the package.

My question is has anyone used one of these agencies? Do you think I was ripped off, knowing that I could do all this myself? I am not sure if having this agency will be useful later on in the process??

[David Allen 3]

I have to ask... was this your first time in BKK??? Most people who have spent time in Bangkok usually learn very quickly not to respond to people appearing out of nowhere with offers too good to be true.

-David

When I was researching getting a K1 Visa in Bangkok and went to the Embassy, it was closed, but there was a man standing in front that said he worked for an agency across the street. Long story short, I ended up using this agency that is supposed to assist in getting a visa. It cost me a pretty penny... $1800 to be exact which I put on my credit card..... I thought they were saying $1800 Baht, but they were talking dollars.

In hindsight, I think I could have done everything they are doing, and saved a lot of money. But, it's too late I already paid them, and pretty much what they did so far, was fill out all the paperwork for me, which was 2 different forms, and put it in a package for me to send with a payment to Homeland Secuirty. I thought they would be submitting something in Thailand, but then I realized that the whole process starts here in the USA. I am reading people's timelines, and I see that it takes a good 4-6 months for the whole process, some longer.

I am about to submit the forms on April 13th.... I wish I had known that it was as simple as it was to fill out the forms, as I could have had this paperwork in February when I returned from Thailand to the states. Instead I waited for this agency to put it together for me, but it took a while for my fiancee to get all the appropriate documents, and then when I did get the package I was short on cash so I had to wait until I had $455 to send with the package.

My question is has anyone used one of these agencies? Do you think I was ripped off, knowing that I could do all this myself? I am not sure if having this agency will be useful later on in the process??

[vny 0]

Sorry to be so blunt, and I hope this helps someone, but this is what happens when people think with their wrong head.

I understand that finding your "soul mate" wherever in the world is a serious topic, but...........

Not being insensitive or anything, just realistic.

Sorry...........

[scandal 951]

I have to ask... was this your first time in BKK??? Most people who have spent time in Bangkok usually learn very quickly not to respond to people appearing out of nowhere with offers too good to be true.

-David

Hmmmm... did somebody pick up a katoey on Sukhumvit, and was shocked to discover the "surprise" within?

[daboyz 36]

I have to ask... was this your first time in BKK??? Most people who have spent time in Bangkok usually learn very quickly not to respond to people appearing out of nowhere with offers too good to be true.

-David

Hmmmm... did somebody pick up a katoey on Sukhumvit, and was shocked to discover the "surprise" within?

Wench stole my wallet Sukhumvit soi 19. Thank god a farang turned it in to the Sheraton. Gotta love Thailand.

[Noi3125 1]

About how long can I expect if I submit the forms this week, April 13th and they get there the 15th.... I see variences of 3-6 months even a year to be approved. In your experience how long does it take. Like every Thai woman she wants to come quickly I am telling her it will be at least 6 months, but I am guessing.

First of all I think everyone is correct. Unfortunately we often learn too many lessons the hard way. The next part of the process you will know more.

About timing there is a huge range represented here on VJ, and VJ is just a small portion of all the people applying for visas. Also no case is the same, just as no two people, no two relationships are the same. Sometimes by comparing to others we just become disappointed and frustrated. My personal approach was to expect the process to take a year start to finish and be thankful for everyday which gets taken off of that year long time.

But you are correct the current processing times range from about 1-6 months and then about 1-1.5 months from the approval of your K-1 at UCSIS until the interview. Some people get approved really quickly and others much slower, only God knows why. As mentioned before make sure you have plenty of photos for your interview.

Hopefully you get a rapid approval.

Take care,

Noi

[rayman2333 0]

I requested the help of an Agency in Bangkok, when I visited my Thai Fiance in January, we sat down with them and discussed what they covered in the whole process, being that my Fiance lives 3 hours from Bangkok & her English is moderate & computer skills are very poor, I had no alternative to seek help from a private party, to help her thru the whole process.

The fee I payed was $1,000.00 They basically told my Thai Fiance what documents she needed to provide & filled out her initial side of the I-12F Form, they also help her when Packet #3 arrives & for the Interview at the US Embassy in Bangkok.

I did aot of research looking for someone to help her & this lady who heads this Agency was really nice to me & my Thai Fiance when we met, so I'm happy so far!!

There was no way my Thai Fiance, would've been able to complete this by herself, So this was worth it for me

[rebeccajo 14]

When I was researching getting a K1 Visa in Bangkok and went to the Embassy, it was closed, but there was a man standing in front that said he worked for an agency across the street. Long story short, I ended up using this agency that is supposed to assist in getting a visa. It cost me a pretty penny... $1800 to be exact which I put on my credit card..... I thought they were saying $1800 Baht, but they were talking dollars.

In hindsight, I think I could have done everything they are doing, and saved a lot of money. But, it's too late I already paid them, and pretty much what they did so far, was fill out all the paperwork for me, which was 2 different forms, and put it in a package for me to send with a payment to Homeland Secuirty. I thought they would be submitting something in Thailand, but then I realized that the whole process starts here in the USA. I am reading people's timelines, and I see that it takes a good 4-6 months for the whole process, some longer.

I am about to submit the forms on April 13th.... I wish I had known that it was as simple as it was to fill out the forms, as I could have had this paperwork in February when I returned from Thailand to the states. Instead I waited for this agency to put it together for me, but it took a while for my fiancee to get all the appropriate documents, and then when I did get the package I was short on cash so I had to wait until I had $455 to send with the package.

My question is has anyone used one of these agencies? Do you think I was ripped off, knowing that I could do all this myself? I am not sure if having this agency will be useful later on in the process??

Yes, lots of people use them. They are called immigration attorneys in the USA. Why is it a scam when a Thai "agency" does it and not when an American attorney does? If you got what you agreed to pay for, what's the problem? It isn't a "scam", it is a service for a fee. Not much of a service, to be sure, and for less than many attorneys so, be happy.

If you hired an Americna attorney it would add to the process just the same, it is IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to file this for you. Yeah, they can lick the stamp, but not without YOU providing all the documents and information to fill in the forms. The typical attorney gets you to fill out a K-1 "questionaire" which is really just all the information they need to fill in the forms. By the time you complete the questionaire, you could fill in the form yourself!

Agreiing to pay someone else a fee for that which you can do yourself is NOT a scam. Now if he took your money and disappeared...THAT's a scam. He is just a Thai attorney.

What if you ever need an immigration attorney, Gary?

How do you know you won't?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

When I was researching getting a K1 Visa in Bangkok and went to the Embassy, it was closed, but there was a man standing in front that said he worked for an agency across the street. Long story short, I ended up using this agency that is supposed to assist in getting a visa. It cost me a pretty penny... $1800 to be exact which I put on my credit card..... I thought they were saying $1800 Baht, but they were talking dollars.

In hindsight, I think I could have done everything they are doing, and saved a lot of money. But, it's too late I already paid them, and pretty much what they did so far, was fill out all the paperwork for me, which was 2 different forms, and put it in a package for me to send with a payment to Homeland Secuirty. I thought they would be submitting something in Thailand, but then I realized that the whole process starts here in the USA. I am reading people's timelines, and I see that it takes a good 4-6 months for the whole process, some longer.

I am about to submit the forms on April 13th.... I wish I had known that it was as simple as it was to fill out the forms, as I could have had this paperwork in February when I returned from Thailand to the states. Instead I waited for this agency to put it together for me, but it took a while for my fiancee to get all the appropriate documents, and then when I did get the package I was short on cash so I had to wait until I had $455 to send with the package.

My question is has anyone used one of these agencies? Do you think I was ripped off, knowing that I could do all this myself? I am not sure if having this agency will be useful later on in the process??

Yes, lots of people use them. They are called immigration attorneys in the USA. Why is it a scam when a Thai "agency" does it and not when an American attorney does? If you got what you agreed to pay for, what's the problem? It isn't a "scam", it is a service for a fee. Not much of a service, to be sure, and for less than many attorneys so, be happy.

If you hired an Americna attorney it would add to the process just the same, it is IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to file this for you. Yeah, they can lick the stamp, but not without YOU providing all the documents and information to fill in the forms. The typical attorney gets you to fill out a K-1 "questionaire" which is really just all the information they need to fill in the forms. By the time you complete the questionaire, you could fill in the form yourself!

Agreiing to pay someone else a fee for that which you can do yourself is NOT a scam. Now if he took your money and disappeared...THAT's a scam. He is just a Thai attorney.

What if you ever need an immigration attorney, Gary?

How do you know you won't?

Hey, I was agreeing with you Rebeccajo! You once said I should expand my mind about this stuff, and lookie here! I did. I felt I was expanding my mind and thinking globally and all that. I said it was NOT a scam, just like when American attorneys charge the same for doing almost nothing. Gosh I try to defend attorneys by telling the truth about their legitimate business....and look what happens.

Well, still working on expanding

[busterbrown 0]

Last year, my fiancee (girlfriend at the time) applied for a US Tourist Visa. She insisted on using a thai visa service/agency. But after doing a little research, my conclusion was that each provider was just an overpriced 'forms' generator. That's it.

It's funny that there are so many visa agencies in Thailand, many in touristy areas. The claims they make are the reason THEY make money....things like "K1 visa's approved in 1 month, Guaranteed!" Each K1 petitioner/beneficiary goes through the exact same process, the same exact channels, and same exact embassy (country specific obviously). They play on the naivety of their prospective customers.

Finding VJ before starting our K1 visa process was extremely helpful as it provided everything for the beginner...even EXAMPLE forms. The forum was helpful for more specific questions we had. As far as the tourist visa, she received a 2 year multi entry on her own. And as far as the K1 Visa, paid $455 for the I-129F, $17 for the US postage, $8 for a notary signature, and $24 for postage on shipping paperwork to her in Thailand. That's it. No lawyer fees, no service fees, no agency fees. We'll start the $1055 AOS process soon with the help of VJ.

[rebeccajo 14]

When I was researching getting a K1 Visa in Bangkok and went to the Embassy, it was closed, but there was a man standing in front that said he worked for an agency across the street. Long story short, I ended up using this agency that is supposed to assist in getting a visa. It cost me a pretty penny... $1800 to be exact which I put on my credit card..... I thought they were saying $1800 Baht, but they were talking dollars.

In hindsight, I think I could have done everything they are doing, and saved a lot of money. But, it's too late I already paid them, and pretty much what they did so far, was fill out all the paperwork for me, which was 2 different forms, and put it in a package for me to send with a payment to Homeland Secuirty. I thought they would be submitting something in Thailand, but then I realized that the whole process starts here in the USA. I am reading people's timelines, and I see that it takes a good 4-6 months for the whole process, some longer.

I am about to submit the forms on April 13th.... I wish I had known that it was as simple as it was to fill out the forms, as I could have had this paperwork in February when I returned from Thailand to the states. Instead I waited for this agency to put it together for me, but it took a while for my fiancee to get all the appropriate documents, and then when I did get the package I was short on cash so I had to wait until I had $455 to send with the package.

My question is has anyone used one of these agencies? Do you think I was ripped off, knowing that I could do all this myself? I am not sure if having this agency will be useful later on in the process??

Yes, lots of people use them. They are called immigration attorneys in the USA. Why is it a scam when a Thai "agency" does it and not when an American attorney does? If you got what you agreed to pay for, what's the problem? It isn't a "scam", it is a service for a fee. Not much of a service, to be sure, and for less than many attorneys so, be happy.

If you hired an Americna attorney it would add to the process just the same, it is IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to file this for you. Yeah, they can lick the stamp, but not without YOU providing all the documents and information to fill in the forms. The typical attorney gets you to fill out a K-1 "questionaire" which is really just all the information they need to fill in the forms. By the time you complete the questionaire, you could fill in the form yourself!

Agreiing to pay someone else a fee for that which you can do yourself is NOT a scam. Now if he took your money and disappeared...THAT's a scam. He is just a Thai attorney.

What if you ever need an immigration attorney, Gary?

How do you know you won't?

Hey, I was agreeing with you Rebeccajo! You once said I should expand my mind about this stuff, and lookie here! I did. I felt I was expanding my mind and thinking globally and all that. I said it was NOT a scam, just like when American attorneys charge the same for doing almost nothing. Gosh I try to defend attorneys by telling the truth about their legitimate business....and look what happens.

Well, still working on expanding

Agreeing with me? Just what exactly do you think it is I "recommend"?

[busterbrown 0]

,

Edited April 12, 2009 by busterbrown

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Last year, my fiancee (girlfriend at the time) applied for a US Tourist Visa. She insisted on using a thai visa service/agency. But after doing a little research, my conclusion was that each provider was just an overpriced 'forms' generator. That's it.

Now in what way would an attorney handling a K-1 case be different? Just saying.

It's funny that there are so many visa agencies in Thailand, many in touristy areas. The claims they make are the reason THEY make money....things like "K1 visa's approved in 1 month, Guaranteed!" Each K1 petitioner/beneficiary goes through the exact same process, the same exact channels, and same exact embassy (country specific obviously). They play on the naivety of their prospective customers.

It is funny there are so many immigration attorneys in America, many in areas near international borders, in areas with high immigrant populations, I mean, imagine that! Attorneys make the same claims, even using the outdated and useless USCIS timelines as a "base" and showing how they do it faster. They ALL know that is the oldest case in the sysytem and ALL cases are faster. And how these forms generators choose the wording is critical. Embassies are required, by the state department, to process visas "within 30 days of receiving the application and all associated documents" which means, at the interview. You haven't even "applied" for the visa until the interview. Hehehe. See how they do that? Now, if they say "K-1 petitions approved in 30 days" it would be a scam. These services, and attorneys, cannot tell the truth, if they did, no one would ever use them. YES, they absolutely prey on the naivity of their victims. ( I should say "host" on, as they are much more like parasites than predators. Predators have to win fair and square, parasites sneak in on the host's weakness) The only way their service can be attractive is to LIE and the only way the host will not recognize the lies is if they are uninformed

Finding VJ before starting our K1 visa process was extremely helpful as it provided everything for the beginner...even EXAMPLE forms. The forum was helpful for more specific questions we had. As far as the tourist visa, she received a 2 year multi entry on her own. And as far as the K1 Visa, paid $455 for the I-129F, $17 for the US postage, $8 for a notary signature, and $24 for postage on shipping paperwork to her in Thailand. That's it. No lawyer fees, no service fees, no agency fees. We'll start the $1055 AOS process soon with the help of VJ.

Exactly, great site. We all work to stamp out the need for attorneys and Thai services. Well, you'll still have to pay for the medical and visa issuing fee. You aren't off the hook yet. I mean what if you ever "need" an immigration attorney? LOL I know...find nearby bridge...jump.

But it is NOT a scam

[busterbrown 0]

Well, you'll still have to pay for the medical and visa issuing fee.

Oh...forgot the medical and visa fees. She paid 2100 baht for the medical interview (previously up to date with all vacinations) and $131.00 for the visa. Don't remind her though, as I vaguely remember promising to reimburse her for those costs.