SAWASDEE 2

[Yodrak 7]

rin and john,

My wife uses ThaiTel.com for phone cards, which I started using a few years ago before she immigrated to the USA. We haven't compared pricing recently, ThaiTel is cheap enough that we don't go chasing fractions of pennies.

One thing to be careful of when comparing prices is the time rounding for the length of the call - typically either 1 minute or 3 minutes, but sometimes 30 seconds. The 3-minute rounding usually costs less per minute, and if calls always last for a long time are the better value. But if calls are not always answered and a machine picks up, a lot of 3-minute calls to the machine can very quickly cause the effective cost to increase above the higher price of 1-minute rounding cards.

Yodrak

.....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?

[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)

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!

John,

Thank you sooooo much, the good news is that he got each of those forms in the packet 3 mailing and has already completed his medical exam! so looks like we are all set to just hurry up and wait for notice of interview. Maybe BKK is eliminating packet 4 and consolidating. Here is hoping we get our interview maybe around his birthday and we can spend it together. I have not seen him since Dec. 2005.

[samsbs 0]

I know I asked this before, but I need to be refreshed on the subject.

My wife wants to bring her mother over for a visit from Phnom Penh. At the interview what will they ask for as proof she is returning. She is 66 so I don't think she will be looking for a boyfriend. she has birth cert and deed to her property but that is about all. She has no money so we will be paying her way. Is she doomed for failure?

[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!

John,

Thank you sooooo much, the good news is that he got each of those forms in the packet 3 mailing and has already completed his medical exam! so looks like we are all set to just hurry up and wait for notice of interview. Maybe BKK is eliminating packet 4 and consolidating. Here is hoping we get our interview maybe around his birthday and we can spend it together. I have not seen him since Dec. 2005.

Kang Lang,

Wow! A year and a half! I was able to go to Thailand five times last year (mostly work related) and it was still difficult waiting. Hope your interview comes soon.

Here is the link to Bill's post on packet 4. It does list the documents required and the order (and it at least gave me peace of mind that I had everything I needed)! Best of luck!

John

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;#entry617349

[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)

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!

John,

Thank you sooooo much, the good news is that he got each of those forms in the packet 3 mailing and has already completed his medical exam! so looks like we are all set to just hurry up and wait for notice of interview. Maybe BKK is eliminating packet 4 and consolidating. Here is hoping we get our interview maybe around his birthday and we can spend it together. I have not seen him since Dec. 2005.

Kang Lang,

Wow! A year and a half! I was able to go to Thailand five times last year (mostly work related) and it was still difficult waiting. Hope your interview comes soon.

Here is the link to Bill's post on packet 4. It does list the documents required and the order (and it at least gave me peace of mind that I had everything I needed)! Best of luck!

John

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;#entry617349

That's great that you were able to go so many times last year. We just keep telling ourselves that it will be worth the wait! I could not get the link to work for some reason but at least I know that I should start contacting the embassy in about a weeks time to see if they have sent packet 4.

Thanks so much for the encouragement!

Lin

[aitian 0]

Hey all!

I received the Packet 3 in the mail yesterday (by the way I got lucky with sending in early as my package sent to the embassy was received the same day my packet 3 was posted from the embassy, pretty cool).

I have a question that has been touched on here but I am a little more confused after reading the instructions and checklist sent by the embassy. Members have stated that the "verification of unmarried status" is usually only for those that have been married before, but the exact wording on the checklist states, "Verification of Unmarried Status for K-1s and spouse visas if you did not register a previous marriage." From this wording, I am reading that they want this verification from fiances and spouses that have never been married before. Is this just bad wording by the embassy or does my fiance (never been married) need this verification now?

[Yodrak 7]

aitian,

It sounds to me like the consulate has updated the checklist that is sent out in the visa application packet, as there did not used to be an item about 'Verification of Unmarried Status' on it. The version of the checklist on the embassy's web site does not contain this item. I would love to see a copy of the checklist you received.

Getting to the point, for people who have been married before a divorce certificate should be sufficient evidence of current un-married status. In the context of Thailand, it is quite common for Thai couples to have a wedding ceremony but not go to the Ampur and register a marriage. They will behave as if they are married, refer to themselves as married, and consider themselves to be married - but they are not married. Anecdote: When I met my wife she told me that she had been married and divorced so when I filled out DS-156 for her, twice, for 2 B2 visas, I marked that she was divorced. Then when we started on I-129f for her K1 visa I asked for her divorce certificate and when she told me that she did not have one I learned that she had not, in fact, been married. So for the K1 process I marked her as single on all forms. When we got to the visa interview I mentioned the discrepancy to the interviewer, expecting that it might be a problem, and he replied, 'I understand, it's a common thing here'.

But this can be a very unclear situation to people who are not familiar with Thailand, in particular to the USCIS back in the US where registering a marriage is an almost automatic event following the wedding ceremony. In the US way of thinking, therefore, when there has been a wedding ceremony there is also a registered marriage. Perhaps the consulate in Bangkok now wants documentation for the file to make sure there is no confusion when a single Thai woman has been 'married Thai style'.

Yodrak

Hey all!

I received the Packet 3 in the mail yesterday (by the way I got lucky with sending in early as my package sent to the embassy was received the same day my packet 3 was posted from the embassy, pretty cool).

I have a question that has been touched on here but I am a little more confused after reading the instructions and checklist sent by the embassy. Members have stated that the "verification of unmarried status" is usually only for those that have been married before, but the exact wording on the checklist states, "Verification of Unmarried Status for K-1s and spouse visas if you did not register a previous marriage." From this wording, I am reading that they want this verification from fiances and spouses that have never been married before. Is this just bad wording by the embassy or does my fiance (never been married) need this verification now?

Edited May 23, 2007 by Yodrak

[Kang Lang 7]

Hey all!

I received the Packet 3 in the mail yesterday (by the way I got lucky with sending in early as my package sent to the embassy was received the same day my packet 3 was posted from the embassy, pretty cool).

I have a question that has been touched on here but I am a little more confused after reading the instructions and checklist sent by the embassy. Members have stated that the "verification of unmarried status" is usually only for those that have been married before, but the exact wording on the checklist states, "Verification of Unmarried Status for K-1s and spouse visas if you did not register a previous marriage." From this wording, I am reading that they want this verification from fiances and spouses that have never been married before. Is this just bad wording by the embassy or does my fiance (never been married) need this verification now?

i just got the checklist recently too, but my checklist simply says:

"if you were previously married, you must submit a certified copy of your marriage certificate and proof of termination of your previous marriage (e.g. death certificate of spouse, final decree of divorce or annulment).

i took that to mean that since my boyfriend has never been married (not even thai-style) that we do not need a certificate of being single? does your say something different aitan?

Lin

[BishopMnA 0]

Hey all!

I received the Packet 3 in the mail yesterday (by the way I got lucky with sending in early as my package sent to the embassy was received the same day my packet 3 was posted from the embassy, pretty cool).

I have a question that has been touched on here but I am a little more confused after reading the instructions and checklist sent by the embassy. Members have stated that the "verification of unmarried status" is usually only for those that have been married before, but the exact wording on the checklist states, "Verification of Unmarried Status for K-1s and spouse visas if you did not register a previous marriage." From this wording, I am reading that they want this verification from fiances and spouses that have never been married before. Is this just bad wording by the embassy or does my fiance (never been married) need this verification now?

Hey Aitian,

Congrats on getting your pkt 3 in the mail, also in the great timing for sending in the early pkt 3 <haha>.

AAm/I received our pkt 4 in Nov or Dec of last year, and in the list of documents to bring to the interview, the 'verification of unmarried status' document was not mentioned. Therefore, when AAm/I went to our interview on Jan 30, we we caught off-guard. The CO (Great Guy!) was very helpful in explaining the condition upon which we were now required to present this document, but none-the-less, there was no advance notice that it was even required. So, we had to go get the document from her local Amphur in Chiang Mai and bring it back to BKK before they would issue the visa.

In our case, the CO told us the the 'verification of unmarried status' was required for us because AAm had never been legally-married, but has children. We're going to bring her daughter over in a year. The CO then explained that in order to resolve any 'potential' custody disputes, we needed to present this cert that states she's never been married.

I wasn't with AAm when she went to the Amphur in Chiang Mai. However, AAm told me it was a very easy document to get. She just went in and asked for it and they printed it/gave it to her same day. She then took it to BKK a couple weeks later and was issued her visa.

I'm just curious, does it now state in PKT 3/4 that this is a required doc?

Anyways, it seemed to be an easy doc to get. If you're in any way worried, just have your fiancee get this doc from her local amphur.

Peace and congrats on getting close to your interview date! I think it was about 6-8 after the IVU received our PKT 3 until the interview...so you're not far from it!

Peace,

Mark-N-AAm

[Kang Lang 7]

hi there just a thought would a joint credit card account be helpful in proving an ongoing relationship?

[aitian 0]

Attached is the 3rd page of the checklist I received in my packet 3 that mentions "verification of unmarried status." It can be found under the "other" section.

I think we may have to head up to her hometown to get one of those letters real quick. Maybe they will let her mother get it for her and save us the trip up there.

Edited May 23, 2007 by aitian

[Kang Lang 7]

hmm interesting aitan, my doc does not have that section but i am going to have him get his certificate anyway just to make sure would hate to have him denied for something so simple.

we owe you a debt of gratitude sounds like you saved us a headache

Thanks!!!

[Yodrak 7]

aitian,

Interesting, and it confirms what I wrote in my post.

So you're saying - indirectly - that your fiancee was previously 'married Thai-style' to some guy?

Yodrak

Attached is the 3rd page of the checklist I received in my packet 3 that mentions "verification of unmarried status." It can be found under the "other" section.

I think we may have to head up to her hometown to get one of those letters real quick. Maybe they will let her mother get it for her and save us the trip up there.

Edited May 23, 2007 by Yodrak

[ding 1]

aitian,

Interesting, and it confirms what I wrote in my post.

So you're saying - indirectly - that your fiancee was previously 'married Thai-style' to some guy?

Yodrak

Attached is the 3rd page of the checklist I received in my packet 3 that mentions "verification of unmarried status." It can be found under the "other" section.

I think we may have to head up to her hometown to get one of those letters real quick. Maybe they will let her mother get it for her and save us the trip up there.

I asked Lek to go to her village and take the "Cheif" (or whatever) to the Amphur with her -where she got 3 stamped copies stating that she hadn't been married. Certififed translations after.

[aitian 0]

aitian,

Interesting, and it confirms what I wrote in my post.

So you're saying - indirectly - that your fiancee was previously 'married Thai-style' to some guy?

Yodrak

Attached is the 3rd page of the checklist I received in my packet 3 that mentions "verification of unmarried status." It can be found under the "other" section.

I think we may have to head up to her hometown to get one of those letters real quick. Maybe they will let her mother get it for her and save us the trip up there.

Okay, I get what your saying. With the use of 'register', the embassy probably only wants this from people who have had marriages that have not registered them or have kids which would make the embassy think that the person may have been married before.

Nok has never been married either way but I think we may get the paper from her hometown just in case it is needed. Since this is a new form of the checklist, maybe they plan on requiring this now. I just want to be safe when it comes to any documents the interviewer may want.