SAWASDEE 3 (2009 Thai thread restarted)

[rin and john 71]

Well I can tell you we did not complete the series, we did not send in the Vaccination supplement, and we have our interview on July 14th with no RFE. As for free immunization shots, you may want to double check your sites information, it is normally reserved for children, and not adults for free. Also you have to have a CS update the shots record and not the free clinic. Which from what I have read most of the CS make you get an examination to update the record. In my research I have not seen anyone having to complete the immunization series to do AOS. I did lots of searches on this subject on this site, can you point me to where they said they were RFE for not completing the series?

If you are very concerned then get it done in BKK it will be cheaper, and then you can just pay to have the vaccinations transferred to the I693 from the DS2035.

Be prepared that they may ask you for the completed 693a at your interview, regardless of whether you received an RFE or not.

Agree, be prepared to be asked for a completed I-693 (parts 1,2, and 5 - I-693a no longer exists). The immunizations do not have to be complete, but they need to be up to date (not "complete" as some may not be age appropriate or have had sufficient interval to complete).

Rin had her first and second set of shots in BKK, but the children only the first. They had to go receive updated shots before the CS would complete the I-693 for their applications. Rin had to have a complete exam including TB skin test, blood test, and physical exam as it had been more than a year since her medical in BKK.

When we were at the CS, we met a couple that had made it all the way to the interview and were given an RFE at that point. They had 30 days to get the updated I-693 completed and submitted back to their local office.

Best of luck!

John

[ThaitoUSA 15]

So long as one already has a complete vaccination record and the medical is within the last six months, there is no need to send in any medical forms for AOS?

[BishopMnA 0]

So long as one already has a complete vaccination record and the medical is within the last six months, there is no need to send in any medical forms for AOS?

Hey Pete,

When I did my AOS almost two years ago (in Detroit) it was required that you complete the I-693A. So, I sent AAm's vacination record (she had her full vaccinations completed while she was in Thailand, prior to coming to the USA) to the person below who transcribed it onto the required I-693A form. I think the doctor charged me about $20, and had the document completed and mailed to our house in a very quick turnaround.

Dr. L. E. Arnold

4534 Westgate Boulevard, Suite 114

Austin, TX 78745

Tel: (512) 444-3131

Fax: (512) 447-4699

Interestingly enough, when AAm and I went to the AOS interview, the CO said to us, "You didn't need the I-693A because your DS-3025 (If I remember the form name correctly) was already completed by the physician in Thailand when she had her physical."

So...at that time, it was kinda of a roll of the dice. It seemed, again at that time, that even though the I-693A was definitely a firm requirement of the AOS process, that some CO's were letting people off IF they had the completed DS-3025 in their prior K1 medical package.

Anyway, it was worth it for us to have the I-693A in our hands in case they did ask for it.

Note: It used to be that Dr. Arnold's answering machine would ask you to leave a message if you called the number above, and in that message they would state that they would call you back. I left our information and they did indeed call back within about 30 minutes. Then they gave me their instructions on how to proceed. It was all very easy and cheap!

You might want to check with anyone else who has gone through this process more recently (someone on the AOS forum could probably help), because I read recently that the I-693a form had changed (been combined into existing form I-693). Nonetheless, if you give Dr. Arnold a call I am willing to bet that they can help you out. I got the impression that they literally do 100s of these each month...(probably from VJ advertising alone!)

Peace to you brother,

MarkNAAm

[GeneT 0]

Sure is quiet.....

We are busy trying to get all the evidence together and having "discussions" on how to best present the info

Hope everyone has a good weekend! I am spending it cleaning up the house and getting ready for my fiancee to be coming soon...positive thinking, ya know!

[rsn 135]

Sure is quiet.....

We are busy trying to get all the evidence together and having "discussions" on how to best present the info

Hope everyone has a good weekend! I am spending it cleaning up the house and getting ready for my fiancee to be coming soon...positive thinking, ya know!

Best of luck to you and your fiancee Gene. Kat and I made it back to the U.S. yesterday morning. Today is her first full day in the U.S.. Lots of new experiences for her!

Edited June 26, 2009 by rsn

[scandal 951]

Best of luck to you and your fiancee Gene. Kat and I made it back to the U.S. yesterday morning. Today is her first full day in the U.S.. Lots of new experiences for her!

That's great!

How was your POE experience at O'Hare? Did they put her in any kind of secondary processing, or was it just a quick stamp/I-94 at the Immigration counter?

How long did it take to clear the airport experience?

I ask because if all goes well, one week from today I'll be in the Arrivals area at ORD Terminal 5 waiting for Thanti... want to know if I should bring a long novel to read, or just a short story?

Seriously, welcome home, and for Kat - welcome to the USA!! :dance:

Edit --

OK, just read it off your timeline...

POE Review: Chicago

Event Description

Entry Date : 2009-06-25

Embassy Review : We lined up with everyone else and were directed to a special booth for K1/immigrant visa holders. The officer allowed me to stand with my fiancee while he looked at her documents & visa. They did a fingerprint scan, a photo, and asked her when we were going to get married. He explained to her that the docs in the brown envelope would be sent to the immigration officer nearest our place of residence. The officer was nice and helpful and the whole thing only took about 10 minutes.

Edited June 26, 2009 by scandal

[rsn 135]

Best of luck to you and your fiancee Gene. Kat and I made it back to the U.S. yesterday morning. Today is her first full day in the U.S.. Lots of new experiences for her!

That's great!

How was your POE experience at O'Hare? Did they put her in any kind of secondary processing, or was it just a quick stamp/I-94 at the Immigration counter?

How long did it take to clear the airport experience?

I ask because if all goes well, one week from today I'll be in the Arrivals area at ORD Terminal 5 waiting for Thanti... want to know if I should bring a long novel to read, or just a short story?

Seriously, welcome home, and for Kat - welcome to the USA!!

Edit --

OK, just read it off your timeline...

POE Review: Chicago

Event Description

Entry Date : 2009-06-25

Embassy Review : We lined up with everyone else and were directed to a special booth for K1/immigrant visa holders. The officer allowed me to stand with my fiancee while he looked at her documents & visa. They did a fingerprint scan, a photo, and asked her when we were going to get married. He explained to her that the docs in the brown envelope would be sent to the immigration officer nearest our place of residence. The officer was nice and helpful and the whole thing only took about 10 minutes.

Thanks! Yep, liked I mentioned in my POE review, it was pretty painless. We were confused about where to line up, but some roaming officer told us (after we asked) to line up w/ everyone else, then directed us to a special booth when she looked at Kat's visa and the fact that she had a brown envelope. We took Korean Air back to ORD, and when we got past customs & baggage claim the closest arrivals door/gate/whatever was 5C. Customs was painless too. They just looked at our customs slips for a second and waived us through even though we have 4 checked suitcases and a bunch of carry-ons.

Edited June 26, 2009 by rsn

[scandal 951]

Best of luck to you and your fiancee Gene. Kat and I made it back to the U.S. yesterday morning. Today is her first full day in the U.S.. Lots of new experiences for her!

That's great!

How was your POE experience at O'Hare? Did they put her in any kind of secondary processing, or was it just a quick stamp/I-94 at the Immigration counter?

How long did it take to clear the airport experience?

I ask because if all goes well, one week from today I'll be in the Arrivals area at ORD Terminal 5 waiting for Thanti... want to know if I should bring a long novel to read, or just a short story?

Seriously, welcome home, and for Kat - welcome to the USA!!

Edit --

OK, just read it off your timeline...

POE Review: Chicago

Event Description

Entry Date : 2009-06-25

Embassy Review : We lined up with everyone else and were directed to a special booth for K1/immigrant visa holders. The officer allowed me to stand with my fiancee while he looked at her documents & visa. They did a fingerprint scan, a photo, and asked her when we were going to get married. He explained to her that the docs in the brown envelope would be sent to the immigration officer nearest our place of residence. The officer was nice and helpful and the whole thing only took about 10 minutes.

Thanks! Yep, liked I mentioned in my POE review, it was pretty painless. We were confused about where to line up, but some roaming officer told us (after we asked) to line up w/ everyone else, then directed us to a special booth when she looked at Kat's visa and the fact that she had a brown envelope. We took Korean Air back to ORD, and when we got past customs & baggage claim the closest arrivals door/gate/whatever was 5C. Customs was painless too. They just looked at our customs slips for a second and waived us through even though we have 4 checked suitcases and a bunch of carry-ons.

Thanks -- that's great to know

[BishopMnA 0]

Kat and I made it back to the U.S. yesterday morning. Today is her first full day in the U.S.. Lots of new experiences for her!

Congrats RSN! Welcome KAT to the USofA!

Peace,

MarkNAAm

[GeneT 0]

Sure is quiet.....

We are busy trying to get all the evidence together and having "discussions" on how to best present the info

Hope everyone has a good weekend! I am spending it cleaning up the house and getting ready for my fiancee to be coming soon...positive thinking, ya know!

Best of luck to you and your fiancee Gene. Kat and I made it back to the U.S. yesterday morning. Today is her first full day in the U.S.. Lots of new experiences for her!

Ray that is awesome!!! And Kat, not sure if u guys made it back to Wis yet, but welcome to the Upper Midwest U.S. I hope you will like Brats and melted cheese! :-)

You will have to write with Nan when she gets here and compare notes on how to enjoy (??) the winters here ;-)

[shawndoc 0]

We didn't submit the 693, and we didn't get an RFE. Just sent in a copy of the vaccination form from the original exam in Thailand before the interview.

As long as the medical exam is within 1 year of your AOS interview, you should be fine. At worst you'll get an RFE, but there's lots of stories of people who didn't hire a doctor to transcribe the vaccinations, and did NOT get an RFE. There's few (if any) actual stories of people who didn't and got an RFE. Most who got RFE's are people who past the 1 year mark from the original examination or are from countries where the embassy doesn't require the vaccinations in advance like Thailand does. I think it just typical group think/fear that gets people worked up. The same thing that gets people to bring in an entire milk crates of "evidence" of relationship and other silly stuff.

Why spend money on a civil surgeon unless they ask for it? At the AOS stage your fiancee is already in the country legally, and should already have an AP to allow travel in/out of the country and an EAD to work. At worst you're looking at a 1-2 months delay in getting a green card, which doesn't really give you anything the AP/EAD don't.

[AaronLV 12]

We didn't submit the 693, and we didn't get an RFE. Just sent in a copy of the vaccination form from the original exam in Thailand before the interview.

As long as the medical exam is within 1 year of your AOS interview, you should be fine. At worst you'll get an RFE, but there's lots of stories of people who didn't hire a doctor to transcribe the vaccinations, and did NOT get an RFE. There's few (if any) actual stories of people who didn't and got an RFE. Most who got RFE's are people who past the 1 year mark from the original examination or are from countries where the embassy doesn't require the vaccinations in advance like Thailand does. I think it just typical group think/fear that gets people worked up. The same thing that gets people to bring in an entire milk crates of "evidence" of relationship and other silly stuff.

Why spend money on a civil surgeon unless they ask for it? At the AOS stage your fiancee is already in the country legally, and should already have an AP to allow travel in/out of the country and an EAD to work. At worst you're looking at a 1-2 months delay in getting a green card, which doesn't really give you anything the AP/EAD don't.

Well said. I completely agree with you. I think if you file AOS right after you are married you have nothing to worry about, all that I have seen is the people who are outside the year from their medical, or the people who are bordering the year get RFE's for it.

I will let you know in two weeks if they give us an RFE at our interview which I will be completely shocked if they do.

[scandal 951]

We didn't submit the 693, and we didn't get an RFE. Just sent in a copy of the vaccination form from the original exam in Thailand before the interview.

As long as the medical exam is within 1 year of your AOS interview, you should be fine. At worst you'll get an RFE, but there's lots of stories of people who didn't hire a doctor to transcribe the vaccinations, and did NOT get an RFE. There's few (if any) actual stories of people who didn't and got an RFE. Most who got RFE's are people who past the 1 year mark from the original examination or are from countries where the embassy doesn't require the vaccinations in advance like Thailand does. I think it just typical group think/fear that gets people worked up. The same thing that gets people to bring in an entire milk crates of "evidence" of relationship and other silly stuff.

Why spend money on a civil surgeon unless they ask for it? At the AOS stage your fiancee is already in the country legally, and should already have an AP to allow travel in/out of the country and an EAD to work. At worst you're looking at a 1-2 months delay in getting a green card, which doesn't really give you anything the AP/EAD don't.

Well said. I completely agree with you. I think if you file AOS right after you are married you have nothing to worry about, all that I have seen is the people who are outside the year from their medical, or the people who are bordering the year get RFE's for it.

I will let you know in two weeks if they give us an RFE at our interview which I will be completely shocked if they do.

That's probably gonna hit us

Thanti had her medical in Jan, after we got our NOA2 and thought we'd be heading for interview within weeks.

Then we got stuck at NVC.

Then we got stuck at the embassy.

Assuming no further delays, she'll have her interview, PASS IT (please please please) on Monday, come here in July, marry in Sept, file AOS/EAD/AP in Sept. Then it's a race from Sept 09 to Jan 10 to see if we're within the 1 year point of the medical.

No sense worrying about it now. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

[rsn 135]

Sure is quiet.....

We are busy trying to get all the evidence together and having "discussions" on how to best present the info

Hope everyone has a good weekend! I am spending it cleaning up the house and getting ready for my fiancee to be coming soon...positive thinking, ya know!

Best of luck to you and your fiancee Gene. Kat and I made it back to the U.S. yesterday morning. Today is her first full day in the U.S.. Lots of new experiences for her!

Ray that is awesome!!! And Kat, not sure if u guys made it back to Wis yet, but welcome to the Upper Midwest U.S. I hope you will like Brats and melted cheese! :-)

You will have to write with Nan when she gets here and compare notes on how to enjoy (??) the winters here ;-)

Thanks Gene. Yup, we made it back to Wisconsin Thursday evening. Luckily for her it's been plenty hot the last couple days. She says it is as hot as Thailand here right now, but I disagree. She's been pretty open to trying new American foods so far too. The winters are going to be interesting. She's most worried about those. If Nan is not already on usvisa4thai, she might want to consider getting on there. Kat already set up a meeting in July with some of the nearby girls on there. If Nan is on usvisa4thai, they should be able to hook up via PMs. BTW, the winters in MN are way colder than the winters in Madison

[rin and john 71]

We didn't submit the 693, and we didn't get an RFE. Just sent in a copy of the vaccination form from the original exam in Thailand before the interview.

As long as the medical exam is within 1 year of your AOS interview, you should be fine. At worst you'll get an RFE, but there's lots of stories of people who didn't hire a doctor to transcribe the vaccinations, and did NOT get an RFE. There's few (if any) actual stories of people who didn't and got an RFE. Most who got RFE's are people who past the 1 year mark from the original examination or are from countries where the embassy doesn't require the vaccinations in advance like Thailand does. I think it just typical group think/fear that gets people worked up. The same thing that gets people to bring in an entire milk crates of "evidence" of relationship and other silly stuff.

Why spend money on a civil surgeon unless they ask for it? At the AOS stage your fiancee is already in the country legally, and should already have an AP to allow travel in/out of the country and an EAD to work. At worst you're looking at a 1-2 months delay in getting a green card, which doesn't really give you anything the AP/EAD don't.

Well said. I completely agree with you. I think if you file AOS right after you are married you have nothing to worry about, all that I have seen is the people who are outside the year from their medical, or the people who are bordering the year get RFE's for it.

I will let you know in two weeks if they give us an RFE at our interview which I will be completely shocked if they do.

That's probably gonna hit us

Thanti had her medical in Jan, after we got our NOA2 and thought we'd be heading for interview within weeks.

Then we got stuck at NVC.

Then we got stuck at the embassy.

Assuming no further delays, she'll have her interview, PASS IT (please please please) on Monday, come here in July, marry in Sept, file AOS/EAD/AP in Sept. Then it's a race from Sept 09 to Jan 10 to see if we're within the 1 year point of the medical.

No sense worrying about it now. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

You should be OK. The one year requirement is medical to AOS filing.

From the I-693 instructions, section III, part 2, paragraph c (http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-693instr.pdf):

"You are not required to have another medical

examination as long as your Form I-485,

Application to Register Permanent Residence or

Adjust Status, is filed within one year of your

overseas medical examination."