Pattaya...guilty by association?

[skrewball 0]

Hello all,

I am getting ready to start my CR-1 process for my soon to be Thai wife and some of the things I've read on this forum have me concerned.

I have been with my fiancee for 2.5 years now. Many trips within Thailand, trips to Singapore and a cruise through the Pacific together. I am financially secure enough that I can work when I want and support her and her daughter without worry.

YET, She used to be a waitress in Pattaya. Now, I know there will be eye-rolls because no-one is innocent in Pattaya. I am not some love struck moron...I met her in Pattaya as a waitress. I didn't ask...she didn't tell and she hasn't been back there in years. So...my concern is the CO's demenure towards her in a future interview.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Did the CO show compassion in lieu of a long established relationship? Or were they hell bent on trying to get to her to admit she was a working bar-girl?

I am genuinely asking here...please do not get into a discussion of the truth or lie, the regulations and such. She was a waitress and I truly believe her. Hell, I am living with her in Thailand now and she has never given me concern as to her past.

SO...worked in Pattaya...are we screwed from the start? Thank you to all for the help.

[Karee 4,190]

Hello all,

I am getting ready to start my CR-1 process for my soon to be Thai wife and some of the things I've read on this forum have me concerned.

I have been with my fiancee for 2.5 years now. Many trips within Thailand, trips to Singapore and a cruise through the Pacific together. I am financially secure enough that I can work when I want and support her and her daughter without worry.

YET, She used to be a waitress in Pattaya. Now, I know there will be eye-rolls because no-one is innocent in Pattaya. I am not some love struck moron...I met her in Pattaya as a waitress. I didn't ask...she didn't tell and she hasn't been back there in years. So...my concern is the CO's demenure towards her in a future interview.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Did the CO show compassion in lieu of a long established relationship? Or were they hell bent on trying to get to her to admit she was a working bar-girl?

I am genuinely asking here...please do not get into a discussion of the truth or lie, the regulations and such. She was a waitress and I truly believe her. Hell, I am living with her in Thailand now and she has never given me concern as to her past.

SO...worked in Pattaya...are we screwed from the start? Thank you to all for the help.

Whether fairly or unfairly, that's gonna raise some suspicion with the embassy. I guess it depends on where she worked as a waitress. If she worked at a Chokchai steak place or 13 coins, or something along those lines then probably not. If she worked as a waitress at a bar that had a silver floor to ceiling dancing pole in it, then there's probably going to be an issue.

[skrewball 0]

Thanks for the reply. I I appreciate it.

It wasn't a gogo. It was a your typical Pattaya bar but it was trying to be more as a sports pub. It wasn't like those pushy beer bars that dot the place but it had staff waitresses and staff bar girls. She was a waitress. Reinforced by the fact when I asked her out she said "When I get off of work".

[Karee 4,190]

Thanks for the reply. I I appreciate it.

It wasn't a gogo. It was a your typical Pattaya bar but it was trying to be more as a sports pub. It wasn't like those pushy beer bars that dot the place but it had staff waitresses and staff bar girls. She was a waitress. Reinforced by the fact when I asked her out she said "When I get off of work".

You should change your profile to reflect Thailand. That way when you post something Thai related, it will show up on the Thailand Portal.

[khwaidee1 196]

Hello all,

I am getting ready to start my CR-1 process for my soon to be Thai wife and some of the things I've read on this forum have me concerned.

I have been with my fiancee for 2.5 years now. Many trips within Thailand, trips to Singapore and a cruise through the Pacific together. I am financially secure enough that I can work when I want and support her and her daughter without worry.

YET, She used to be a waitress in Pattaya. Now, I know there will be eye-rolls because no-one is innocent in Pattaya. I am not some love struck moron...I met her in Pattaya as a waitress. I didn't ask...she didn't tell and she hasn't been back there in years. So...my concern is the CO's demenure towards her in a future interview.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Did the CO show compassion in lieu of a long established relationship? Or were they hell bent on trying to get to her to admit she was a working bar-girl?

I am genuinely asking here...please do not get into a discussion of the truth or lie, the regulations and such. She was a waitress and I truly believe her. Hell, I am living with her in Thailand now and she has never given me concern as to her past.

SO...worked in Pattaya...are we screwed from the start? Thank you to all for the help.

I was told that even the mention of Pattaya is not only a red flag but the death knell. I read a post about a guy who's fiance worked for housekeepinng in a small hotel on a Soi that was very quiet. My recollection was that she was denied. We went to Jom Tiem once for a weekend but were told never to use the P word ever as the Embassy will pick up on it right away. We chose not to include the beach pics from Jom Tiem. Maybe do a search here as to your best course of action. I am just telling you what I was told.

[slowlyman 118]

Always a guess I suppose. Karee has been around longer then I have so he would have more experience as to weather it has been an issue in the past. I'm sure Ning will chime in with her thoughts as well.

I would "guess" it would be less of an issue with a CR-1 then it would be for a K-1.

In our case, the concern raised at the Embassy interview & at the point of entry related to our 20 year age difference, not her previous employment.

I would suggest you front load with extensive relationship history, and highlight employment "after" Pattaya.

Never lie. never try to hide the Pattaya part of her life, just don;t put it front and center.

Please don;t fall into the line of thought that the Embassy is hell bent on denying Visa's. That is just not the case. They have rules, you need to follow those rules to the letter. You can do this on your own. Just bounce any questions off this board before you submit anything. Check everything twice, thrice, and so on. Give them no excuse to flag you.

You are in for a long journey. Find a comfortable chair and an adult beverage. You're going to be here a while.

[slowlyman 118]

I was told that even the mention of Pattaya is not only a red flag but the death knell. I read a post about a guy who's fiance worked for housekeepinng in a small hotel on a Soi that was very quiet. My recollection was that she was denied. We went to Jom Tiem once for a weekend but were told never to use the P word ever as the Embassy will pick up on it right away. We chose not to include the beach pics from Jom Tiem. Maybe do a search here as to your best course of action. I am just telling you what I was told.

NEVER LIE!

These guys do this for a living they will pick up on it if you use the P word or not.

I was told, I read, I heard. I know you mean well Khwaidee1, but we have no idea of the rest of the story. There are many reason a Visa can be denied.

If this is a legitimate and honest relationship, there is no reason Pattaya on it's own should cause a denial. Lets just take this one step at a time. If the OP wants to file for a CR-1, lets give him all the help we can and hope it works out for the best.

[Karee 4,190]

I was told that even the mention of Pattaya is not only a red flag but the death knell. I read a post about a guy who's fiance worked for housekeepinng in a small hotel on a Soi that was very quiet. My recollection was that she was denied. We went to Jom Tiem once for a weekend but were told never to use the P word ever as the Embassy will pick up on it right away. We chose not to include the beach pics from Jom Tiem. Maybe do a search here as to your best course of action. I am just telling you what I was told.

Yeah I've been told that if you even mention the word "bar" you can forget it. Of course they can't deny you for that, but they can just come up with some other default reason for denial like they don't think it's a bonafide relationship and use that as an excuse.

[khwaidee1 196]

Whether fairly or unfairly, that's gonna raise some suspicion with the embassy. I guess it depends on where she worked as a waitress. If she worked at a Chokchai steak place or 13 coins, or something along those lines then probably not. If she worked as a waitress at a bar that had a silver floor to ceiling dancing pole in it, then there's probably going to be an issue.

I too would defer to Karee. If it was a legit place then I guess it should be no problem. We were just told that the COs look for the P word. But, as slowlyma points out it is a CR-1 which is a lot different that the K-1. The Embassy interview was very perfunctory and we front loaded the hell out of our petition.

[khwaidee1 196]

NEVER LIE!

These guys do this for a living they will pick up on it if you use the P word or not.

I was told, I read, I heard. I know you mean well Khwaidee1, but we have no idea of the rest of the story. There are many reason a Visa can be denied.

If this is a legitimate and honest relationship, there is no reason Pattaya on it's own should cause a denial. Lets just take this one step at a time. If the OP wants to file for a CR-1, lets give him all the help we can and hope it works out for the best.

Agreed. I was just passing on what someone told us. There are a ton of legitimate jobs in Pattaya I know, we got so worried we were even afraid to mention that we even went there.

[Karee 4,190]

Here's the issue plain and simple. Has nothing to do with Pattaya. It has to do with being a bargirl. If they smell anything that relates to that, forget it. Just so happens that Pattaya is the bargirl capitol of Thailand. I've heard lots of stories about the U.S. embassy and this subject long before I even thought about getting my wife a visa to the U.S. while I was living there. Stories like the girl showing up in tight jeans and high heels for the interview. Denied right off the bat. Stuff like that.

So my advice is don't outright lie about it as slowlyman said, but do your best to frame it in a good light. Her length of employment there might be key, like she worked there for a month and that was it. Has she had jobs at other places doing other things besides being a waitress? Has she been a waitress in other places in Thailand? (Not Nana, Patpong, or Cowboy)

Kwaidee brings up something that has often perplexed me about that embassy. They seem to grant K-1s with no problems at all. However, when is comes to an immigrant visa like IR-1/CR-1, they can be a pain in the a$$. My guess is that in the K-1 scenario, they are just giving out a single entry non-immigrant visa, and if USCIS wants to allow them to adjust status and get a green card, that's on them. In the IR-1/CR-1 any approval will result in a green card and permanent residency based solely on the decision of the consulate. You know, typical govt. buck passing. Like I said, just a guess.

The bottom line is she worked at a place where some of the girls could be bar-fined from your description above, and that doesn't look good to the embassy.

[slowlyman 118]

Here's the issue plain and simple. Has nothing to do with Pattaya. It has to do with being a bargirl. If they smell anything that relates to that, forget it. Just so happens that Pattaya is the bargirl capitol of Thailand. I've heard lots of stories about the U.S. embassy and this subject long before I even thought about getting my wife a visa to the U.S. while I was living there. Stories like the girl showing up in tight jeans and high heels for the interview. Denied right off the bat. Stuff like that.

So my advice is don't outright lie about it as slowlyman said, but do your best to frame it in a good light. Her length of employment there might be key, like she worked there for a month and that was it. Has she had jobs at other places doing other things besides being a waitress? Has she been a waitress in other places in Thailand? (Not Nana, Patpong, or Cowboy)

Kwaidee brings up something that has often perplexed me about that embassy. They seem to grant K-1s with no problems at all. However, when is comes to an immigrant visa like IR-1/CR-1, they can be a pain in the a$$. My guess is that in the K-1 scenario, they are just giving out a single entry non-immigrant visa, and if USCIS wants to allow them to adjust status and get a green card, that's on them. In the IR-1/CR-1 any approval will result in a green card and permanent residency based solely on the decision of the consulate. You know, typical govt. buck passing. Like I said, just a guess.

The bottom line is she worked at a place where some of the girls could be bar-fined from your description above, and that doesn't look good to the embassy.

I asked Jin about this. She interviewed twice, Both times she was surprised how many girls dressed like they worked at a bar. Many left in tears. She just thought that was the dumbest thing they could have done going to the interview.

[khwaidee1 196]

I asked Jin about this. She interviewed twice, Both times she was surprised how many girls dressed like they worked at a bar. Many left in tears. She just thought that was the dumbest thing they could have done going to the interview.

I went with my wife to her interview. A few days before we went shopping. She dressed like she worked in office, white blouse, black skirt with matching jacket and flat shoes. I saw a few of the girls go for the interview dressed like they had just come from a club! #######! I never learned their outcome. They showed up holding a loose stack of papers and short dresses and high heels, to each their own I guess!

[Karee 4,190]

I went with my wife to her interview. A few days before we went shopping. She dressed like she worked in office, white blouse, black skirt with matching jacket and flat shoes. I saw a few of the girls go for the interview dressed like they had just come from a club! #######! I never learned their outcome. They showed up holding a loose stack of papers and short dresses and high heels, to each their own I guess!

That's exactly what I told my wife. Dress like you work in an office. Black pants, white shirt, no heels. Pretend like it's a job interview at AIS, or True, or some other business.

[Karee 4,190]

Hello all,

I am getting ready to start my CR-1 process for my soon to be Thai wife and some of the things I've read on this forum have me concerned.

I have been with my fiancee for 2.5 years now. Many trips within Thailand, trips to Singapore and a cruise through the Pacific together. I am financially secure enough that I can work when I want and support her and her daughter without worry.

YET, She used to be a waitress in Pattaya. Now, I know there will be eye-rolls because no-one is innocent in Pattaya. I am not some love struck moron...I met her in Pattaya as a waitress. I didn't ask...she didn't tell and she hasn't been back there in years. So...my concern is the CO's demenure towards her in a future interview.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Did the CO show compassion in lieu of a long established relationship? Or were they hell bent on trying to get to her to admit she was a working bar-girl?

I am genuinely asking here...please do not get into a discussion of the truth or lie, the regulations and such. She was a waitress and I truly believe her. Hell, I am living with her in Thailand now and she has never given me concern as to her past.

SO...worked in Pattaya...are we screwed from the start? Thank you to all for the help.

One thing I just noticed. If you're living with her in Thailand, you should be going the DCF route. That is super fast. What kind if Thai visa do you have? If it's a Non-O or Non-B, you should be good to go.