SAWASDEE 2

[Devkpaik 1]

Does anyone else have any insight into this?

Devkpaik, It is not within 90 days of the K-1 visa. Her K-1 visa has been used, and is no longer valid. The requierment is to get married, legally, within 90 days of entry into the US.

The I-94 stub in your fiancee's passport is now her only evidence of being in the US legally, and it is the date stamped on it, which is the date you should submit your I-485 by, if you want to ensure your soon to be wife stays "in status". You will need to submit a copy of the I-94, front and back, with the I-485.

The I-485 only requires you be married within 90 days of entry, but the longer you wait, the longer it will take to get the GC, or EAD and EP.

As long as you get married within the 90 days, it is possible to go past the 90 days and not file your I-485, but unless you have a damn good reason for doing so, you should stick to the timeline.

Robert

Thanks Robert. I actually used incorrect terminology while asking the initial question. Yes the I-94 stub is what I was mentioning when I said "visa expired".

Thanks for the info. though, as this is what I previously thought but wasn't too sure about.

Good to get it cleared up.

[Thai family 0]

FYI... Anna and I just finished up our last unreliable $&%*# Skype chat...

... she donated her computer to charity and will be leaving to go to the airport in just over 12 hours now.

That leaves you about 36 hours? At least it is warmer in Florida than here in Colorado right now, at least I hope so.

Thai Mom

[toma1 10]

FYI... Anna and I just finished up our last unreliable $&%*# Skype chat...

... she donated her computer to charity and will be leaving to go to the airport in just over 12 hours now.

That leaves you about 36 hours? At least it is warmer in Florida than here in Colorado right now, at least I hope so.

Thai Mom

Ya, about 38 + however long it takes her to clear immigration in JFK. The flight leaves in 14 hours...

[afisher 0]

She can request the interview be conducted in Thai. The only issue would be if he asked the language in which the two of you communicate. If it is english and her english is very limited, it may raise the question in the CO's mind as to whether or not the relationship is bonafide.

That's exactly what I was going to say... if you don't speak Thai AND she doesn't speak English that is where the problem comes in. I've seen others that had the same issue. If she speaks well enough to communicate with you, that should be good enough.

BTW... "an unnamed source" at the Embassy says that the English speaking interviewers are MUCH nicer than the Thai speaking interviewers...

She can request the interview be conducted in Thai. The only issue would be if he asked the language in which the two of you communicate. If it is english and her english is very limited, it may raise the question in the CO's mind as to whether or not the relationship is bonafide.

That's exactly what I was going to say... if you don't speak Thai AND she doesn't speak English that is where the problem comes in. I've seen others that had the same issue. If she speaks well enough to communicate with you, that should be good enough.

BTW... "an unnamed source" at the Embassy says that the English speaking interviewers are MUCH nicer than the Thai speaking interviewers... Anna told me she "had fun" at the interview and that everyone was very nice, so experiences clearly vary widely.

That is correct. The interview can be conducted in Thai using a translator like people mentioned here already with no problem, however if she can't speak ANY english and you can't speak any Thai, then that will probably be a problem.

My fiance said the same thing at her interview. She had a friend who had an interview in Thai, and she said she didn't feel too comfortable during the whole process, whereas my fiance had her interview in English and she said the interviewer was extremely nice and friendly.

I wonder if when a Thai person chooses to do the interview in English does the interviewer speak fluent English to them or use "Thai English" ("I go store" as opposed to "I am going to the store") Could the Thai's do the interview in mixed English and Thai?

[toma1 10]

She can request the interview be conducted in Thai. The only issue would be if he asked the language in which the two of you communicate. If it is english and her english is very limited, it may raise the question in the CO's mind as to whether or not the relationship is bonafide.

That's exactly what I was going to say... if you don't speak Thai AND she doesn't speak English that is where the problem comes in. I've seen others that had the same issue. If she speaks well enough to communicate with you, that should be good enough.

BTW... "an unnamed source" at the Embassy says that the English speaking interviewers are MUCH nicer than the Thai speaking interviewers...

She can request the interview be conducted in Thai. The only issue would be if he asked the language in which the two of you communicate. If it is english and her english is very limited, it may raise the question in the CO's mind as to whether or not the relationship is bonafide.

That's exactly what I was going to say... if you don't speak Thai AND she doesn't speak English that is where the problem comes in. I've seen others that had the same issue. If she speaks well enough to communicate with you, that should be good enough.

BTW... "an unnamed source" at the Embassy says that the English speaking interviewers are MUCH nicer than the Thai speaking interviewers... Anna told me she "had fun" at the interview and that everyone was very nice, so experiences clearly vary widely.

That is correct. The interview can be conducted in Thai using a translator like people mentioned here already with no problem, however if she can't speak ANY english and you can't speak any Thai, then that will probably be a problem.

My fiance said the same thing at her interview. She had a friend who had an interview in Thai, and she said she didn't feel too comfortable during the whole process, whereas my fiance had her interview in English and she said the interviewer was extremely nice and friendly.

I wonder if when a Thai person chooses to do the interview in English does the interviewer speak fluent English to them or use "Thai English" ("I go store" as opposed to "I am going to the store") Could the Thai's do the interview in mixed English and Thai?

Fluent English... and I think they can only do it mixed if they choose a Thai interviewer. I don't think the English interviewers are fluent in Thai.

Edited December 16, 2008 by toma1

[birch- phuk_beer 0]

She can request the interview be conducted in Thai. The only issue would be if he asked the language in which the two of you communicate. If it is english and her english is very limited, it may raise the question in the CO's mind as to whether or not the relationship is bonafide.

That's exactly what I was going to say... if you don't speak Thai AND she doesn't speak English that is where the problem comes in. I've seen others that had the same issue. If she speaks well enough to communicate with you, that should be good enough.

BTW... "an unnamed source" at the Embassy says that the English speaking interviewers are MUCH nicer than the Thai speaking interviewers...

She can request the interview be conducted in Thai. The only issue would be if he asked the language in which the two of you communicate. If it is english and her english is very limited, it may raise the question in the CO's mind as to whether or not the relationship is bonafide.

That's exactly what I was going to say... if you don't speak Thai AND she doesn't speak English that is where the problem comes in. I've seen others that had the same issue. If she speaks well enough to communicate with you, that should be good enough.

BTW... "an unnamed source" at the Embassy says that the English speaking interviewers are MUCH nicer than the Thai speaking interviewers... Anna told me she "had fun" at the interview and that everyone was very nice, so experiences clearly vary widely.

That is correct. The interview can be conducted in Thai using a translator like people mentioned here already with no problem, however if she can't speak ANY english and you can't speak any Thai, then that will probably be a problem.

My fiance said the same thing at her interview. She had a friend who had an interview in Thai, and she said she didn't feel too comfortable during the whole process, whereas my fiance had her interview in English and she said the interviewer was extremely nice and friendly.

I wonder if when a Thai person chooses to do the interview in English does the interviewer speak fluent English to them or use "Thai English" ("I go store" as opposed to "I am going to the store") Could the Thai's do the interview in mixed English and Thai?

Fluent English... and I think they can only do it mixed if they choose a Thai interviewer. I don't think the English interviewers are fluent in Thai.

This "broken" English is how it is spoken everywhere in many countries. Not just by Thai.....

Now, same/same.......thats Thai....

[*Robert* 2]

There are no Thai COs at the consulate. They are all US citizens, and speak English as their primary language. If the CO speaks any Thai, it will be whatever they have learned from taking classes or from their time living in Thailand.

That's why it is best for the girls to be able to speak English with the CO.

One other thing to keep in mind, if you are not going to be accompanying your fiancée/wife back from Thailand, they need to be able to read, write, speak & understand enough English to make the journey here, especially at their POC. If they can't, they will have a lot of difficulties.

[ThaitoUSA 15]

On my last trip back from Thailand I was sitting next to a Thai lady who had married an American man and was coming over on a K3 visa on her own. Her English was not so good and once she knew I spoke Thai, she spoke to me only in Thai. As we neared LAX, the customs and immigration forms were passed out and she asked me to help her fill them out. I agree with roi_aggie that a non-native English speaker might find it a bit challenging to travel here by themselves. With that said, there are plenty of friendly travelers who are quite willing to help out.

Though we recently decided to have a Thai ceremony first and return to America together, rising prices have made that improbable, so my fiancee will be making the trip on her own. Fortunately she has already come to America on her own before and being an English teacher doesn't hurt either. If any of your significant others would like to have an English tutor of Thai origin, let me know and I can put you in touch with her.

[shawndoc 0]

Anyone have any suggestions for an inexpensive online translation service? The embassy took her translated copy of her birth certificate and she didn't make a backup copy, thinking the embassy would just use her Thai birth certificate. I'd like to be able to scan her Thai BC, and upload to a translation service who will email back the translated document for AOS.

[Thai family 0]

She can request the interview be conducted in Thai. The only issue would be if he asked the language in which the two of you communicate. If it is english and her english is very limited, it may raise the question in the CO's mind as to whether or not the relationship is bonafide.

That's exactly what I was going to say... if you don't speak Thai AND she doesn't speak English that is where the problem comes in. I've seen others that had the same issue. If she speaks well enough to communicate with you, that should be good enough.

BTW... "an unnamed source" at the Embassy says that the English speaking interviewers are MUCH nicer than the Thai speaking interviewers...

She can request the interview be conducted in Thai. The only issue would be if he asked the language in which the two of you communicate. If it is english and her english is very limited, it may raise the question in the CO's mind as to whether or not the relationship is bonafide.

That's exactly what I was going to say... if you don't speak Thai AND she doesn't speak English that is where the problem comes in. I've seen others that had the same issue. If she speaks well enough to communicate with you, that should be good enough.

BTW... "an unnamed source" at the Embassy says that the English speaking interviewers are MUCH nicer than the Thai speaking interviewers... Anna told me she "had fun" at the interview and that everyone was very nice, so experiences clearly vary widely.

That is correct. The interview can be conducted in Thai using a translator like people mentioned here already with no problem, however if she can't speak ANY english and you can't speak any Thai, then that will probably be a problem.

My fiance said the same thing at her interview. She had a friend who had an interview in Thai, and she said she didn't feel too comfortable during the whole process, whereas my fiance had her interview in English and she said the interviewer was extremely nice and friendly.

I wonder if when a Thai person chooses to do the interview in English does the interviewer speak fluent English to them or use "Thai English" ("I go store" as opposed to "I am going to the store") Could the Thai's do the interview in mixed English and Thai?

Fluent English... and I think they can only do it mixed if they choose a Thai interviewer. I don't think the English interviewers are fluent in Thai.

This "broken" English is how it is spoken everywhere in many countries. Not just by Thai.....

Now, same/same.......thats Thai....

Speaking of broken English, my husband started speaking to our DIL as if she didn't understand English, which is nuts, because she speaks and understands English perfectly. Her's is better than his!

Thai Mom

[Kang Lang 7]

Anyone have any suggestions for an inexpensive online translation service? The embassy took her translated copy of her birth certificate and she didn't make a backup copy, thinking the embassy would just use her Thai birth certificate. I'd like to be able to scan her Thai BC, and upload to a translation service who will email back the translated document for AOS.

shawn, we were in a similar situation. 2 suggestions i recommend contacting a court reporter very inexpensive relative to "translation services" since they only need to certify that they are fluent in both languages. or go to your local thai temple, since you are in socal you might want to make a trip to a wat, loads of people there could do it for you. (when we looked at online services they were $75+)

good luck

[daboyz 36]

Anyone have any suggestions for an inexpensive online translation service? The embassy took her translated copy of her birth certificate and she didn't make a backup copy, thinking the embassy would just use her Thai birth certificate. I'd like to be able to scan her Thai BC, and upload to a translation service who will email back the translated document for AOS.

shawn, we were in a similar situation. 2 suggestions i recommend contacting a court reporter very inexpensive relative to "translation services" since they only need to certify that they are fluent in both languages. or go to your local thai temple, since you are in socal you might want to make a trip to a wat, loads of people there could do it for you. (when we looked at online services they were $75+)

good luck

That's what I did here in Dallas. I went to the Wat, dropped it off, picked it up the next day. Had the official stamp and everything. Made a $25 donation and that was it.

[shawndoc 0]

I know where Wat Thai is, but its about a good 1.5 hour drive. Anyone know of any Thai temples closer to Anaheim? I did a google search but couldn't find anything conclusive.

[daboyz 36]

I know where Wat Thai is, but its about a good 1.5 hour drive. Anyone know of any Thai temples closer to Anaheim? I did a google search but couldn't find anything conclusive.

I found this site:

http://www.thai-la.com/temple.html

[HYENA 4]

Woohoo! NOA2 the 12th of December. It's a good thing too, cause I'm in BKK doing the medical and Police stuff. Can't wait!

Congratulations! That's awesome!!!!!!!

Mai dee! It took them a while to get your NOA2!

I'm waiting on mine to get my tickets and estimate when to go there and wait to bring her home.

I hope we don't run into any attitude problems...our relationship couldn't be more bona fide...but that's all up to one single individual and if it's "that time of the month" for him! LOL!

I was banking on returning 3/31 but how slow things look, not sure if 6 1/2 months is enough from filing date

Edited December 17, 2008 by HYENA