Sawasdee 4 (Thai K-1s in 2010)

[kenny1 0]

I doubt the schedule will be updated this week. Maybe next.

Richard, I'm sorry to say, but you should start your counting new. This time start with the day the IV unit in Bangkok opened (May 24) instead of May 10. Coming back from a 2 week vacation at work, are you able to pick up right exactly where you left off? I have no doubt the embassy received a massive stack of case files all at the same time. The mail was backed up, remember? Those cases were all delivered/picked up the same day and added to the lot already waiting. More work at one time without increasing the number of workers means that the work will take longer to get done. Priority is going to go to those cases that were canceled, as it should. Then they'll start assigning dates to that massive stack of cases. Your timeline is great -- only 3 months. Just a little more patience.

Are you sure your evidence is solid? Get your Hater Vision Goggles out and look again. Has she had her medical? If not, does she want to go to her local clinic to get her MMR, Tdap, and varicella immunizations before her medical? It'll be less expensive. If she's coming from outside of Bangkok, the money she saves from that can be put toward her travel expenses. Take this time and do some mock interviews, some easy, some difficult. Perhaps the best thing to do is just forget about the interview entirely. Wait 2 weeks. Don't call. Don't e-mail. Don't add to their workload. Give them time to process everything. Work on her English and your Thai. Anything to take your mind off of things. The embassy personnel are only human; you have to be patient with them.

Good. Som nam naa.

Thanks for the advice but I still think it is BS. There is never a sense of urgency with the embassy staff. They should understand they affect peoples life. My two cents.

[Reddstars 5]

Yeah the embassy received our packet yesterday now we are waiting for our interview date as well. We have a July 17th wedding date planed for and paid for as well. We are keeping our fingers crossed. My fiancee also told me the embassy will be closed on friday the 28th and also monday the 31st as well.

Matt

[kenny1 0]

Yeah the embassy received our packet yesterday now we are waiting for our interview date as well. We have a July 17th wedding date planed for and paid for as well. We are keeping our fingers crossed. My fiancee also told me the embassy will be closed on friday the 28th and also monday the 31st as well.

Matt

Matt,

Wishing you good luck. Having a paid for wedding date assumed a huge risk. I don't understand how they couldn't have started working on rescheduling people when they had the temp location at whatever Hotel they were at. Secondly, it is still not clear if we will have to pay $200 more for the visa fee as they have increased it to $350.

[Tom and Teaw 1]

Well, they are Federal employees and when have you ever heard of one working his butt off to get his job done? I don't have much faith either that they will put in extra effort OR extra hours...although they should since I am sure they got paid for all the time off they had!! They should be required to put in some overtime to catch up. Remember, we can all post our two cents on the embassy Facebook site or Twitter and wherever else they solicit input.

As for the increase in the fee, I would think that anyone that has already paid...and I am not quite clear if this is the fee paid at the post office or some other fee...then you should not have to pay the increase. They won't make it retroactive. I am assuming this was the fee the fiancee pays before the interview.

Matt, I would be real worried about having planned and paid for a wedding on a certain date since they embassy stresses to NOT buy plane tickets or make other plans until the visa is in hand. But maybe you will get lucky since you hit right about the time they stopped working because of the protest and they will give your interview some priority. But remember, they not only take the US holidays off, but many of the Thai holidays too. But good luck!!

Kari, HI!!!! Teaw's wishing every day for that phone call, poor girl!!! But she is hanging in there and being strong.

[TheBears 9]

Hello! It's good to know that Teaw is making it through. Maybe while they're looking through their massive stack of cases, they'll pull hers, too. Satu!!! It's ####### how they're handling your case. Have you been able to get a reply or a reason as to exactly what they're trying to see?

[Audy_Rob 26]

...Perhaps the best thing to do is just forget about the interview entirely. Wait 2 weeks. Don't call. Don't e-mail. Don't add to their workload. Give them time to process everything...

Good advice now.

[Tom and Teaw 1]

Hello! It's good to know that Teaw is making it through. Maybe while they're looking through their massive stack of cases, they'll pull hers, too. Satu!!! It's ####### how they're handling your case. Have you been able to get a reply or a reason as to exactly what they're trying to see?

Of course not. I just get the standard email answer. I am giving them 90 days before I go talk to my Congressman and see if he can't get them off their butts. The divorce should have absolutely no bearing on the visa. All they have to do is make a quick check and see that she is still in Thailand and never came here. I'd really like to know the percentage of cases they are putting in AP now compared to the past. I bet it's increased a lot.

[ArizonaMike74 0]

I have a question about the Police Report. It seems that many people, maybe even most people here, pay the Police "extra" so they can get their police report the same day. My fiance' thinks she should wait the two weeks for them to mail the report (she hasn't gone to Bangkok to get Medical/Police Report yet). I don't trust the Police or Postal Service so would rather she get it the same day. How much "extra" can/should she pay for this extra service?

Thanks!

Mike

[ArizonaMike74 0]

Matt,

Wishing you good luck. Having a paid for wedding date assumed a huge risk. I don't understand how they couldn't have started working on rescheduling people when they had the temp location at whatever Hotel they were at. Secondly, it is still not clear if we will have to pay $200 more for the visa fee as they have increased it to $350.

What fee are you talking about? On the Embassy's web site the application fee is still the same:

"Fees

Most non-immigrant visa applicants must pay a non-refundable Machine Readable Visa (MRV) application fee. Effective January 1, 2008, the MRV fee is US$131 or THB 4454. Only those individuals instructed by a consular officer not to pay are exempt from paying the non-refundable MRV fee."

Are you talking about a fee for when you actually pick up the approved Visa?

Thanks,

Mike

[daboyz 36]

What fee are you talking about? On the Embassy's web site the application fee is still the same:

"Fees

Most non-immigrant visa applicants must pay a non-refundable Machine Readable Visa (MRV) application fee. Effective January 1, 2008, the MRV fee is US$131 or THB 4454. Only those individuals instructed by a consular officer not to pay are exempt from paying the non-refundable MRV fee."

Are you talking about a fee for when you actually pick up the approved Visa?

Thanks,

Mike

http://www.visajourney.com/news/2009/12/21/proposed-increase-of-non-immigrant-visa-fees-k-1-visas-raised-to-350-previously-131/

[Tom and Teaw 1]

I have a question about the Police Report. It seems that many people, maybe even most people here, pay the Police "extra" so they can get their police report the same day. My fiance' thinks she should wait the two weeks for them to mail the report (she hasn't gone to Bangkok to get Medical/Police Report yet). I don't trust the Police or Postal Service so would rather she get it the same day. How much "extra" can/should she pay for this extra service?

Mike, I would not pay a baht over FREE for the police report. When Teaw went down there to get hers, they took her picture and then told her to come back in 10 days. It was ready on time and she did not pay a baht for anything. If you don't have an appointment yet and not in a big rush, don't even offer to pay extra. It's just their way to suck more money out of her/you. They also asked for a copy of MY passport but I told Teaw not to give it to them. They have no reason to see my passport info for her police report. I am sure they will mail it to her and she can always call around the time it is to be ready and ask them if it was mailed yet and when so she can have an idea when to expect it, then if there is a problem get on them again.

[rsn 135]

I have a question about the Police Report. It seems that many people, maybe even most people here, pay the Police "extra" so they can get their police report the same day. My fiance' thinks she should wait the two weeks for them to mail the report (she hasn't gone to Bangkok to get Medical/Police Report yet). I don't trust the Police or Postal Service so would rather she get it the same day. How much "extra" can/should she pay for this extra service?

Thanks!

Mike

If you are talking about donating money to the police fund in order to secure expedited service, some have done that and it does seem to speed things up a bit. Around April, they ask you to donate to their songkran fund. I don't remember how much, but it usually isn't much, and possibly worth it if you are in a time crunch.

[AaronLV 12]

This is a better link: http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1263.html

I would guess the application date would be the date when Packet3 is sent in, since they require a copy of the Visa Fee at that time. So send in the packet before June 4th, and I would think you would be ok.

[DaveTX 2]

Technically, you are not supposed to even turn in Packet 3 until you receive the police report. The thing you send in attests that you already have the stuff they want. That was the motivation for our "donation" which shaved a week off the time. I don't know about same day.

[TheBears 9]

Hang in there, Tom.

Mike, are you serious?! I certainly wouldn't (and didn't) make any donations for a PCC. It's a public service. Ours didn't take 2 weeks, either. I have heard stories of the PCC getting lost in the mail. Does she have friends or relatives in Bangkok? She can sign a power of attorney allowing them to pick up the PCC for her. They may need a copy of her ID/passport, too. I'm not certain. The friend could then take it to her or she could meet her friend halfway. Where does she live? Husby goes into Bangkok frequently to argue cases and heads out to some of the provinces to meet clients or hang out with friends sometimes. I can ask him if he knows any way to help.