SAWASDEE 2

[rin and john 71]

Here's one from a year and a half ago.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...st&p=617349

Just FYI, the links on that one no longer work.

Sorry about that! I didn't check it first.

Try this one (about four posts earlier):

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...st&p=616828

Edited July 23, 2008 by rin and john

[birch- phuk_beer 0]

Here's one from a year and a half ago.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...st&p=617349

Just FYI, the links on that one no longer work.

Sorry about that! I didn't check it first.

Try this one (about four posts earlier):

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...st&p=616828

i tried to open it but the zip file is corrupted.

[Thai family 0]

Does my Fiance have to fill out everything in packet 3? And then what is packet 4?

I never recieve our packet 3, but I got our packet 4 today and express shipped to my fiancée earlier today.

click here for packet 4, the files are in JPEG format. I tried the PDF file format, but I can't get it to decompress to a smaller size that is very clear.

I found this one that worked, but the forms were hard to read.

Thai Mom (waiting, trying not to be anxious - 21/2 hours until appointment)

[Thai family 0]

Disregard the last one. I couldn't get it to open again.

Sorry,

Thai Mom

[Tom and Teaw 1]

Here is the answer I received tonight from the embassy concerning translated documents:

You do not have to have translated documents certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. To have them translated by a competent translator will be sufficient.

Regards,

Correspondence Unit

[huge316 0]

Here's a few updates now that we are finally together here in the USA!!!!

If any of you want more detail on my first hand experience of interview and the embassy from my previous post, say so and I'll be happy to post more about it. As far as POE in Chicago went, very easy. I told the girl directing the lines we were there for a K1, she said my fiancee could come into the US passport line with me. When we got to the counter, the man was confused why I was standing there with her when everyone else went up one by one, I informed him we were doing a K1, he said "OH GREAT" very sarcasticly, seems not many of those come through so he just wanted to get it over with. He didn't ask a single question to either of us, he just immediately stamped my passport without really even looking at it or me, then started stamping hers as well. He tore open the brown envelope, which just contains everything you gave to the embassy, looked through it for about 15 seconds, wrote her A# on the visa and said, "thanks have a nice time". He gave us our passports back and we were on our way. FYI, the Xray is not for them, it's for your own records according to him, so no need to even lug that thing with you in the carry on bag which it doesn't fit into. Would have been good to know before when we were all worried about bending it to fit in the carry on bags. Customs was easy as well, they didn't even check us, just asked if we had any fruit or meat, I said no, I have some cookies and a half bottle of thai whiskey... do you care about that? They said no and sent us on our way and wished us good luck. Couldn't have gone smoother! I expected a hard time as the last time I came back they searched everything and asked me questions for 15 minutes about why I was in Thailand for 3 weeks and why I go there so much. Guess that reason was apparent this time, I was just worried they wanted to search all of her things as she has some nice jewelry and such and I didn't want to get taxed on anything since a lot of it was new and according to the customs form you are allowed $100 of goods as an immigrant. Not sure what they really take into consideration there though, so I wouldn't stress too much if any of you are coming in to Chicago as your POE. We just got her phone switched over today being the Thai phones are all GSM so AT&T just popped a SIM card in and we were good to go. Just getting the joint bank account set up tomorrow and a state ID if she can get one now and we should have everything in order for AOS... I think. We still have time to worry about that later, this week it's just time to relax and enjoy the fruit of our labor in this process.

For those of you wondering about translations, we just did ours with a local attorney there, he was reasonable, 700 baht per page and he had everything stamped with a certified translation seal and his signature verifying that they are correct, which is all that is required. Luckily she only needed 2 pages translated, the single certificate and one for the proof of custody of her boys, otherwise she had everything translated previously from her visits to Australia, so that worked in my favor.

Good luck to you all!!!

Steve & Bualai

[Thai family 0]

Welcome to the USA, Bualai!

Thanks for the good report. More info on your interview experience wouldn't help the kids at this point, as they are at the embassy now for the interview. It might be helpful to someone else, though. You already shared a lot of good info. My husband has gone to bed and will sleep like a baby through this, but there's no way I can sleep until there's word from Bangkok. I can picture the kids having to wait until last for the interview because it's hard to imagine my son having everything organized the way the screener would like. He's a bit casual. I think my DIL is more organized, but she has been extremely busy.

I'm happy to hear your POE experience was painless.

Enjoy!

Thai Mom

[Thai family 0]

VISA GRANTED!!! :dance:

- after a five hour wait. They really should have someone on hand to check blood pressures. It would be an interesting study.

They arrived at the embassy at 6:45. They did wait in line for a short while.

He thought they saved the K and immigrant visa interviews until last. Perhaps someone was on vacation. One man became very angry when his wife was denied a tourist visa.

Three simple questions:

1) How did you meet? (College sweethearts, although I don't think she answered it exactly that way).

2) How many times and how much has he visited you? (They lived in the same condo complex for fourteen months, traveled fairly extensively together, and this is the second time he's been back since they were married in October)

3) How did you communicate when he was in the states? (Just look at the phone records)!

He couldn't hear her interview, as that particular microphone was turned lower than some. He went up to the window and the Consular Officer

said "We appreciate you being here, but we just want to talk to your wife." I guess that meant he was already convinced that they are husband and wife. The officer was Anglo and looked like he was in his thirties. Everyone was very nice.

They have a copy of her vaccination record - important to us public health types, and important to her because she's not fond of shots.

He didn't know if they used the back up I-134 from Dad, or if he qualified on his own. He gave it to the screener in a sealed envelope with the rest of the documents. It will always be a mystery, which is not helpful to others in similar situations. I am assuming they at least opened it.

They are allowing him to pick up her visa on the 28th at 3:00. She has to be at work.

They are very excited. All of the effort has paid off. Now their legal secretary can take a vacation until AOS or until the I-130 gets to the NVC, if ever.

My DIL is a very special person and always expresses her gratitude, which reinforces my behavior.

Thanks for all of your help and encouragement through this process. We're not through yet!

Thai Mom

[Devkpaik 1]

Thai Mom,

Congrats!!!!! Tell your children congrats too okay!!!

[birch- phuk_beer 0]

VISA GRANTED!!! :dance:

Excellent----congrats

[Dagobert 0]

VISA GRANTED!!! :dance:

Wonderful news and mucho congratulations!!!

[Tom and Teaw 1]

Congrats, Thai Mom. Now you can rest easy and sleep.

[Thai family 0]

Thanks for the congratulations, sharing in our celebration and the whole nerve-wracking process. I did sleep quite well.

I didn't wake my husband up. He just came home for lunch and still hadn't heard the good news because he hadn't wanted to wake me up, either!

Bangkok seems to be a fairly reasonable, as long as one isn't applying for a tourist visa. I wouldn't be saying that if they were denied or got put in AR. It sounds as though she was calm, cool and collected. I had been somewhat concerned since she had been denied a tourist visa there before. Take heart, for all you still awaiting interviews. It sounds like the CO had his decision made prior to asking the three questions. I will tell J & A that they have lots of friends on Visa Journey who had a big part in this approval.

Blessings to all,

Thai Mom

[rin and john 71]

Thanks for the congratulations, sharing in our celebration and the whole nerve-wracking process. I did sleep quite well.

I didn't wake my husband up. He just came home for lunch and still hadn't heard the good news because he hadn't wanted to wake me up, either!

Bangkok seems to be a fairly reasonable, as long as one isn't applying for a tourist visa. I wouldn't be saying that if they were denied or got put in AR. It sounds as though she was calm, cool and collected. I had been somewhat concerned since she had been denied a tourist visa there before. Take heart, for all you still awaiting interviews. It sounds like the CO had his decision made prior to asking the three questions. I will tell J & A that they have lots of friends on Visa Journey who had a big part in this approval.

Blessings to all,

Thai Mom

I agree with your comment that the CO has made his decision (or at least he is 99% sure) prior to the interview in most cases. When they called Rin to the window, our visa application was laying in front of the CO with a red "approved" stamped across the top of it.

John

[Kang Lang 7]

i'm late but a huge congrats to you thai mom. you must be so relieved!