thailand2arizona

Our K-1 petition was approved by USCIS, transferred to NVC, and received by the embassy in Bangkok. I received the Packet 3 & 4 email saying we can schedule our interview. I know we need to fill out DS-160 and also do the GSS stuff (create profile ustraveldocs.com, make payment, and schedule interview), but I can't figure out which of those to do first. It seems like each of them depends on each other and it's circular: DS-160 asks what date you intend to come to the US, but how can you do that before you know your interview date? And you can't schedule your interview until you've done the GSS payment. The GSS form asks for your DS-160 confirmation number, but how can you know that number before you've submitted DS-160? Some people say (link 1, link 2)the DS-160 confirmation number is the same as the Application ID that you get when you start the DS-160 application ("AA" followed by 8 characters), but the embassy instructions say "Each visa applicant must have his/her own DS-160 confirmation page in order to receive an interview date", which implies that you need to submit the DS-160, not just start working on it. Bottom line, it seems like both forms require you to submit the other one first. I'm confused. Any help would be much appreciated.

Our I-129F was approved by USCIS and we got a case number from NDC. While working on the DS-160 form I realized I accidentally put my Thai fiancée's current city instead of her birth city in the birth city section of the old I-129F. Could the consulate in Bangkok check the I-129F against the DS-160 and/or her passport and notice the inconsistency, or is the I-129F a thing of the past that no one will check again since it was already approved? If it's possible that the error in the I-129F could pose a problem, should I submit a supplemental document to the consulate in Bangkok explaining the error?

That is a good point. I think you guys have convinced me that bank stuff isn't necessary. Thank you!

To your point, the Thai instructions say "A Form I-134 Affidavit of Support signed by the petitioner submitted with his or her IRS tax transcript (NOT 1040 Tax Returns) will satisfy this requirement". However, the USCIS instructions for Form I-134, which the Thai embassy links to, says you need to include bank evidence (see screenshot), so I'm not sure which source to trust.

Question for you and @IWander: The VisaJourney Guide I-134 section says: "Statement from an officer of the bank/financial institution with your deposits, identifying the following: 1. date account opened; 2. total amount deposited for the past year; 3. present balance". Are you sure that's not necessary if I have sufficient income?

Yes, my income is sufficient. I didn't know the bank statements are optional, that's interesting. The NOLO book doesn't say it's optional, I guess I'll have to see what the form itself says. I've heard it can take 6+ months to get the interview scheduled, so I'd rather not wait that long. The bank is also running a promotion where you get $900 if you sign up in January.

I am the US sponsor and my fiancée is in Thailand. Our K-1 petition has been approved and soon we will schedule her interview at the US consulate in Bangkok. One of the forms she needs to bring to the interview is Form I-134, which proves that I can support her financially (which I definitely can). I was planning to open a second bank account for reasons unrelated to this visa (the new bank is closer to my house), but I'm wondering if there's any chance that the consulate would think it's a problem that I opened a new account so recently and then transferred half of my money into it? I'm pretty sure I'm being overly paranoid – opening a new bank account is common and not sneaky or illegal – but I just want to check with this community. The NOLO book about K-1 visas says "Be aware that if [your average bank balance] is much lower than the present amount, the consulate will wonder whether the U.S. citizen got a quick loan from a friend to make the financial situation look more impressive." This makes me wonder if there are other bank-balance-related things that might make them suspicious. Has anyone ever heard of this being a problem? Thank you!