SAWASDEE 2

[SanFrancisco-BKK 0]

Lin,

Based of previous posts I believe that amount of $ in saving account is not as important and showing employment history (Letter from employer, tax return(s), and 3 month of worth of pay checks). I will also be including my 401k and title of the house.

You better meet minimum income requirements if you live here in SF Bay Area. Otherwise you way bellow poverty level here.

from

josh,

we are pretty close in timeline, i started prepping packet 3 in hopes to finish before my fiance received it too, it took about 3 weeks from transfer from nvc to my bf receiving packet 3. so you jumping ahead is very unlikely to make much of a difference may want to wait say 7business days from transfer point and then you won't even worry about having to run extra copies . GOOD LUCK! Who knows we could be in the embassy at the very same time!

So anyways I have a question about the i-134 probably asked here other times but will ask again (sorry)

i do not have a lot of money in my savings account about $500 is that a big deal? i have no problem meeting the income requirements at all according to the standards outlined (they seem to think i could support a family of 10+ on my income hahaha..UH NO!) and i do have a decent amount in my 401k would i need to bring that to substantiate my i-134 doc?

any help is appreciated

[SanFrancisco-BKK 0]

My main communication source is Yahoo Messenger and now Skype (much better video and sound quality then YM). I love the price – free.

For the phone calls I use www.omni-access.com for years. It is not the cheapest way, but I get nice records of phone calls in PDF format via email - great for evidence of relationship.

$0.04 per min to cell phone with no connection fees is a great price though. Thanks for the tip.

Just wondering what phone cards other people on this thread use to call Thailand. I have been using the Mega Clean and Stable card (www.uniontelecard.com) which charges four cents a minute with no connection or maintence fees. It rounds up to one minute. This card is great if you call Thailand during the day. The connection is usually very clear. The problem is at night you have to call several times before you get a clear connection. Makes no sense to me why it is bad at night. I am calling from California to my fiancee's cell phone. Hoping someone has a better card than this.

[Kang Lang 7]

josh,

we are pretty close in timeline, i started prepping packet 3 in hopes to finish before my fiance received it too, it took about 3 weeks from transfer from nvc to my bf receiving packet 3. so you jumping ahead is very unlikely to make much of a difference may want to wait say 7business days from transfer point and then you won't even worry about having to run extra copies . GOOD LUCK! Who knows we could be in the embassy at the very same time!

So anyways I have a question about the i-134 probably asked here other times but will ask again (sorry)

i do not have a lot of money in my savings account about $500 is that a big deal? i have no problem meeting the income requirements at all according to the standards outlined (they seem to think i could support a family of 10+ on my income hahaha..UH NO!) and i do have a decent amount in my 401k would i need to bring that to substantiate my i-134 doc?

any help is appreciated

Thanks a bunch! I thought it might be alright but thought I better check first since we all want to have more information available then not enough.

I just sent a letter to the IRS to try and track down my 2004 tax return I cannot for the life of me find it, I am afraid I won't get it in time to take with me since the IRS takes forever to process things I wonder if I could just get copies of my w-2 and use that with a letter of explanation? any thoughts?

Thanks again.

[rin and john 71]

Just wondering what phone cards other people on this thread use to call Thailand. I have been using the Mega Clean and Stable card (www.uniontelecard.com) which charges four cents a minute with no connection or maintence fees. It rounds up to one minute. This card is great if you call Thailand during the day. The connection is usually very clear. The problem is at night you have to call several times before you get a clear connection. Makes no sense to me why it is bad at night. I am calling from California to my fiancee's cell phone. Hoping someone has a better card than this.

I used www.tollthai.com. Can get a number and pin to call for $0.01/minute to mobile phone in Thailand. Used it for over a year before Rin came to USA. She uses it to call back to Thailand now. Same issue, sometimes get a very clear connection, other times takes 3 or 4 attempts to get through with a decent connection but for a penny a minute, I was willing to try again. Had a different calling card prior to that (don't remember the name) that had advertised $0.03 per minute, but frequently charged up to $0.10 per minute. I ended up calling them two or three times; they would credit my account, everything would be ok for a few days, then it would go back to $0.10 per minute. I have never had an issue with the charges on tollthai.

Good luck!

[Yodrak 7]

Kang Lang,

I don't keep much money in my savings account either - only enough to be sure that I won't bounce an occasional check. So I always showed $0 savings on my affidavits of support to avoid having to document an insignificant item.

Yodrak

.....

i do not have a lot of money in my savings account about $500 is that a big deal? i have no problem meeting the income requirements at all according to the standards outlined (they seem to think i could support a family of 10+ on my income hahaha..UH NO!) and i do have a decent amount in my 401k would i need to bring that to substantiate my i-134 doc?

.....

[Yodrak 7]

Kang Lang,

Unless things have changed very recently Bangkok asks for only the most recent income tax return.

Yodrak

.....I just sent a letter to the IRS to try and track down my 2004 tax return I cannot for the life of me find it, I am afraid I won't get it in time to take with me since the IRS takes forever to process things I wonder if I could just get copies of my w-2 and use that with a letter of explanation? any thoughts?

Thanks again.

[Kang Lang 7]

Kang Lang,

I don't keep much money in my savings account either - only enough to be sure that I won't bounce an occasional check. So I always showed $0 savings on my affidavits of support to avoid having to document an insignificant item.

Yodrak

.....

i do not have a lot of money in my savings account about $500 is that a big deal? i have no problem meeting the income requirements at all according to the standards outlined (they seem to think i could support a family of 10+ on my income hahaha..UH NO!) and i do have a decent amount in my 401k would i need to bring that to substantiate my i-134 doc?

.....

thanks yodrak! i think i won't mention mine either since it's an insignificant amount. as for the taxes i have heard one year also but my attorney keeps insisting it must be 3, probably no big deal since i have '05 and '06 available and we will be more than 1/2 way into '07 before we get our interview date.

you guys are awesome!

[Kang Lang 7]

Packet 3 sent EMS last night (pacific time) and medical complete!!!

Happy Friday everyone!

[afterforever 0]

Wow you are getting sooooo close now. I am very happy for you. I will be leaving to Thailand on Sunday and will be sending my package to CSC on Wednesday. My journey will be starting. Hope things go quickly for you now.

[stl_bkk 0]

Lin,

You can try e-mailing the visa section - find and follow the present protocol for e-mail inquiries. In my wife's case it was about 4 weeks between the date that my approved I-129f petition left the NVC and the date that the IVU recognized that they'd received it.

In those days one could go to the consulate and pick up a K-visa application package, but not now as I understand it. However, most of what's in it is now posted on the embassy's web site.

Yodrak

wonder if anyone who is ahead of me in the process can offer some guidance, our petition left nvc on 20 april, my question is does anyone have any idea about the following...A) are you able to contact anyone at the embassy regarding packet 3, when it will be sent out etc.? also is it possible to go to the embassy and pick up packet 3 if you have your BNK number? it is very frustrating that it's just a black hole. any tips or help would be appreciated.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!

Lin

Thanks Yodrak, unfortunately when you email now you only get an automated response indicating that they do not answer queries about k-1's at all and when i called i could only get a recording no way to get an actual person on the line. *ugh* just thought i would take a stab at it and see if anyone had any current info but my guess we'll be in the 4-6 week range for our packet 3 to arrive. Has anyone else had a long wait for packet 3? I know that most of the timelines i have read are some where in the 7-14 day range. (BTW Yodrak, hats off to you for surviving the agony that is the wait for a visa through Thailand.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Lin

Lin,

I have emailed the US Emassy in Thailand numerous times in the past and YES, there is an automated response their email servers send out to us. The last time this reply was sent to me was in Oct 2006.

In reviewing the automated email US Embassy sends out I saved, you might want try this in your next email. In the subject line make sure you have 2nd IV Inquiry BNK (your fiancees case number) and applicants surname

Thats unless the US Embassy has updated their automated replies?

For anyones interest here is the automated reply I received below:

================================================================================

=============

The Visa Unit of the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok has received your e-mail inquiry. We regret that we are unable to send a personal reply to each inquiry due to the large volume we receive daily. We have found that many of the inquiries we receive are readily answered by information available on various U.S. Government websites and this response is designed to help you access that information quickly.

If, following a review of all information provided, you still have an inquiry regarding a specific issue with a visa case pending at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok , please send an additional email to visasbkk@state.gov with the following information:

For Immigrant Visa (including Fiancée) Cases: The subject line must contain "2nd IV Inquiry", and the case number (with prefix of BNK or PHP), and the applicant's surname. The first paragraph must include the full names of the petitioner and the applicant, the type of visa, whether the visa is for a Thai or Cambodian national, and your contact information. Please note that we are not able to provide routine status updates on the more than 7,000 cases that we handle annually, nor are we able to respond to routine questions regarding whether or not we have received your case from the NVC.

Good Luck Lin!

Regards,

George

George thanks for that info.

Did you ever receive a reply with “2nd NIV Inquiry” in the subject line? If so do you remember how long it took?

Appreciate it

Alek & Pok

[meandwi 0]

Finally after almost a year after we first sent in our AOS, we recieved our NOA I-797C, our interview date! I have seen many other applicants do this in 5 to 6 months. I believe ours was delayed (almost a year) due to our change of address. My thanks goes out to this thread and all who support it for helping us do this on our own.

We will be bringing my wifes sister here to help her with the birth of our new baby girl, due in October and to attend Florida Atlantic University. She will come on a student visa and the University here will help with all the arrangements. Again thanks and be patient to all those waiting for their loved ones.

Oh, by the way, DONT USE TOLLTHAI for overseas phonecards!!!!!! after giving my debit card information to them to buy $50 worth of time, close to $1,400 was taken from my account! I had to get a new card number and wait 2 months for the bank to release the funds back into my account!

[Kang Lang 7]

Wow you are getting sooooo close now. I am very happy for you. I will be leaving to Thailand on Sunday and will be sending my package to CSC on Wednesday. My journey will be starting. Hope things go quickly for you now.

gosh thanks!! i am getting giddier and more impatient it's weird when i was just waiting for uscis to process i wasn't this crazy but the closer we get the more impatient i become! i hope we have an interview in the next 2 months! i hear that you don't get a notice about interview for about 6 weeks but who knows maybe i'll get lucky we didnt' do too badly w/ the packet 3 it was only 3 weeks.

good luck with your journey and enjoy your visit to thailand!!!!

[Kang Lang 7]

Wow you are getting sooooo close now. I am very happy for you. I will be leaving to Thailand on Sunday and will be sending my package to CSC on Wednesday. My journey will be starting. Hope things go quickly for you now.

gosh thanks!! i am getting giddier and more impatient it's weird when i was just waiting for uscis to process i wasn't this crazy but the closer we get the more impatient i become! i hope we have an interview in the next 2 months! i hear that you don't get a notice about interview for about 6 weeks but who knows maybe i'll get lucky we didnt' do too badly w/ the packet 3 it was only 3 weeks.

good luck with your journey and enjoy your visit to thailand!!!!

does anyone know what packet 4 docs are? i couldn't find anything on the embassy website? (any help is appreciated)

[rin and john 71]

Wow you are getting sooooo close now. I am very happy for you. I will be leaving to Thailand on Sunday and will be sending my package to CSC on Wednesday. My journey will be starting. Hope things go quickly for you now.

gosh thanks!! i am getting giddier and more impatient it's weird when i was just waiting for uscis to process i wasn't this crazy but the closer we get the more impatient i become! i hope we have an interview in the next 2 months! i hear that you don't get a notice about interview for about 6 weeks but who knows maybe i'll get lucky we didnt' do too badly w/ the packet 3 it was only 3 weeks.

good luck with your journey and enjoy your visit to thailand!!!!

does anyone know what packet 4 docs are? i couldn't find anything on the embassy website? (any help is appreciated)

Kang Lang,

Rin never did receive a packet 4. Here is the e-mail string of my correspondences with them requesting the packet 4 be re-sent and their response. I would start contacting them next week. I used info from Tucsonbill's packet 4 posts in this thread to put the information in the correct order. Didn't seem that important as the lady at the window sorted through all of it anyway.

Hope this helps!

"Dear Sir,

Though the applicant did not receive the mailed Packet 4, the applicant can come to the Embassy for the visa interview on 17-APR-2007 at 07:30 am. This email can be printed out as reference to enter the Embassy on that day.

We still conduct the visa interviews on 17-APR-2007.

In the mailed Packet 4, there are forms included that can be obtained through these links;

DS-230 Part II;

http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/81807.pdf

Medical Examination forms, in case the applicant did not have them yet;

DS2053

Medical Examination for Immgrant or Refugee Applicant

DS3024

Chest X-Ray and Classification Worksheet

DS3025

Vaccination Documentation Worksheet

DS3026

Medical History and Physical Examination Worksheet

Regards,

Correspondence Unit

-----Original Message-----

From: Bangkok Visa(Bangkok)

Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2007 12:06 PM

To: Bangkok Auto Replies (Not for Public Use)

Subject: FW: 4th inquiry BNK2007XXXXXXXXX

-------------------------------------------

From:

Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2007 1:05:52 AM

To: Bangkok Visa(Bangkok)

Subject: Re: 4th inquiry BNK2007XXXXXXXXX

Auto forwarded by a Rule

Dear Sir/Madam,

We have not yet received the packet 4 sent on March 27th. Can it be re-sent (or else picked up at the Embassy)?

Additionally, noted today that Songkran holiday will now be the 13th to the 17th. Will this impact the appointment schedule?

Best regards,

John

----- Original Message -----

From: "Bangkok Auto Replies \(Not for Public Use\)" [visasbkk2@state.gov]

Sent: 03/27/2007 10:52 PM

To:

Subject: RE: 4th inquiry BNK2007XXXXXX

Dear Sir/ Madam,

The IV Unit in Bangkok has received the returned Packet 3 of the

applicant on March 14, 2007.

The interview appointment has already been scheduled for the applicant

on 17-APR-2007 at 07:30 am.

We mailed the Packet 4 which is an interview appointment letter to this

address yesterday (March 27, 2007).

(address deleted)

Regards,

Correspondence Unit

-----Original Message-----

From: Bangkok Visa(Bangkok)

Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2007 10:28 AM

To: Bangkok Auto Replies (Not for Public Use)

Subject: FW: 4th inquiry BNK2007XXXXXX

-------------------------------------------

From:

Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2007 11:27:46 PM

To: Bangkok Visa(Bangkok)

Subject: 4th inquiry BNK2007XXXXXX

Auto forwarded by a Rule

Dear Sir/Madam,

Concerning K-3 Visa petition

Case number BNK2007XXXXXX

Petitioner:

Applicant:

Please notify me at xxxxxxxxxx whether the Embassy has

received

our Packet 3 checklist (mailed via thai post on 3/13/07) and if an

interview date has been scheduled. Also please advise if packet 4 has

been

sent to the applicant. It has been two weeks since it was returned to

the

Embassy and I am concerned that it may have been lost in the Thai post.

Thank you for your kind assistance.

Best regards,

John"

[rin and john 71]

Finally after almost a year after we first sent in our AOS, we recieved our NOA I-797C, our interview date! I have seen many other applicants do this in 5 to 6 months. I believe ours was delayed (almost a year) due to our change of address. My thanks goes out to this thread and all who support it for helping us do this on our own.

We will be bringing my wifes sister here to help her with the birth of our new baby girl, due in October and to attend Florida Atlantic University. She will come on a student visa and the University here will help with all the arrangements. Again thanks and be patient to all those waiting for their loved ones.

Oh, by the way, DONT USE TOLLTHAI for overseas phonecards!!!!!! after giving my debit card information to them to buy $50 worth of time, close to $1,400 was taken from my account! I had to get a new card number and wait 2 months for the bank to release the funds back into my account!

Thanks for the feedback on Tollthai. I haven't had any problems, but will continue to check my statement. Any advise on another phonecard for Thailand?