Multiple trips to Thailand for K1?

[Reddstars 5]

This is mostly for any of you guys who have your Thailand K1 approved. Are there any of you who have only visited your fiancee in Thailand one time and got your K1 approved? Im doing a K1 and we are just weeks away from finishing. However I am using a visa company and they are saying they would prefer if I returned to Thailand one more time before my fiancee's interview. I know it would look good to the embassy to see I have had multiple trips to Thailand but we really are not planning on doing this and saving the money for our wedding and for her AOS. Let me know any thoughts on this guys thnx!!!!!

[kikis 0]

This is mostly for any of you guys who have your Thailand K1 approved. Are there any of you who have only visited your fiancee in Thailand one time and got your K1 approved? Im doing a K1 and we are just weeks away from finishing. However I am using a visa company and they are saying they would prefer if I returned to Thailand one more time before my fiancee's interview. I know it would look good to the embassy to see I have had multiple trips to Thailand but we really are not planning on doing this and saving the money for our wedding and for her AOS. Let me know any thoughts on this guys thnx!!!!!

OK IM NOT DOING A THAILAND KI BUT..I THOUGHT THE RULES WERE THE SAME.

THE REQUIREMENTS ARE TO MEET YOUR FIANCE AT LEAST ONCE IN PERSON. PROBABLY, THEY JUST WANT YOU TO DO THAT SO IT LOOKS GOOD.

[Bobby+Umit 161]

OK IM NOT DOING A THAILAND KI BUT..I THOUGHT THE RULES WERE THE SAME.

THE REQUIREMENTS ARE TO MEET YOUR FIANCE AT LEAST ONCE IN PERSON. PROBABLY, THEY JUST WANT YOU TO DO THAT SO IT LOOKS GOOD.

Each embassy/consulate has their own take on the rules. If they require more evidence of a valid relationship, they can ask for it and deny the case due to lack of such.

To the OP - I'm sure some petitioners going through that embassy will chime in with the requirements they faced.

[TheBears 9]

There are plenty of couples who only met once and were approved by Bangkok. That alone isn't enough to cause a CO at Bangkok to deny your petition. There would have to be other sketchy factors.

You're using a company. That's fine. But let's go over your evidence one more time. That's what they'll want to see. Also, have you made any attempts at Thai? Even little things like "Kop Khun Krap" or "Sawasdee Krap" to be included in e-mails/chats. It's something little and (to me) shouldn't make a difference, but I just saw one girl's experience where the CO was very persistent with questions about how they communicate.

Tell me more, Matt. I'll share what I know and what I've read from the girls at usvisa4thai. I'm sure others will join, too.

[Reddstars 5]

There are plenty of couples who only met once and were approved by Bangkok. That alone isn't enough to cause a CO at Bangkok to deny your petition. There would have to be other sketchy factors.

You're using a company. That's fine. But let's go over your evidence one more time. That's what they'll want to see. Also, have you made any attempts at Thai? Even little things like "Kop Khun Krap" or "Sawasdee Krap" to be included in e-mails/chats. It's something little and (to me) shouldn't make a difference, but I just saw one girl's experience where the CO was very persistent with questions about how they communicate.

Tell me more, Matt. I'll share what I know and what I've read from the girls at usvisa4thai. I'm sure others will join, too.

Oh yes we talk a little bit(nit noi) of thai in our emails, lol. We have all the usual evidence of our relationship...stack of emails, stack of text messages, stack of western unions, stack of pics of us together in Bkk and surrounding cities, boarding passes, luccage claim tickets, reciepts from stores when I was there, skype call loggs, skype chat loggs, cell phone call logs, reciepts for her wedding ring I bought, reciept for the wedding I have paid for already and of course all the required documents AOS, tax forms, employer letter, my letter of our relationship and lots of other things. She has done her medical and police check and she is just waiting on an interview date. Let me know what you think, thnx for your help

[SuperDuper! 230]

You can do it with one visit, but beef up all your evidences, and have it well organized. Think about some friends and family making a notarized statement on your behalf, stating that they see you in a genuine relationship. AOS is pricey. Just cut the big check, and I am still a hurting, hehe. Good luck in your VJ.

[Audy_Rob 26]

Hi Reddstars. I will not chime in on your question since my fiancee and I have not gotten through the interview yet. But I want to give you some information that should be very helpful.

1) There is a thread at the same Forum, K-1 Fiance Visa Process & Procedures

I will give you the link to that Thread called SAWASDEE 3.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/175951-sawasdee-3-2009-thai-thread-restarted/page__st__3105

This is a thread in ENGLISH only posted by Americans and Thais, like TheBears that is posting to you here. Please join us in there and ask your question. Several people have had their Fiance(e)s finish K-1 interviews and would be happy to help.

2) TheBears is a great lady. She can read the ALL Thai forum usvisa4thai or other fiance(e) visa forums and give us great insight. She is Fluest in both Thai and English. She posted two different listings at SAWASDEE 3 shortly after I joined so we can use that date to go back and find her postings of helpful hints for the Thai Embassy.

[thongd4me 69]

This is mostly for any of you guys who have your Thailand K1 approved. Are there any of you who have only visited your fiancee in Thailand one time and got your K1 approved? Im doing a K1 and we are just weeks away from finishing. However I am using a visa company and they are saying they would prefer if I returned to Thailand one more time before my fiancee's interview. I know it would look good to the embassy to see I have had multiple trips to Thailand but we really are not planning on doing this and saving the money for our wedding and for her AOS. Let me know any thoughts on this guys thnx!!!!!

This doesn't parallel your situation as much as you might wish,

but we met in 2003 online, and I went there in 2004, 2005,

2007 and 2008 in April. In April 2009 I was in the middle of

my divorce so I didn't visit. Divorce was completed on July 13

and I filed the K-1 on August 24. Her interview date was projected

to December and by that time it would have been close to 2 years

that we would not have met. I know it was not 100% necessary

as we had a very strong case and lots of evidence, but I decided

to visit her in October 2009 for moral support. The timing was

perfect; we got the NOA2 and packet3 while I was in Bangkok

and I was there to support her when she went for the police

report and the medical exam.

I left a few weeks before her interview and with the evidence

that we spent a month together in October everything went

very rapidly. The interview was on November 24.

She got the K-1 in almost 3 months flat.

Since we prepared together for the interview face to face,

it went without a hitch. She preferred me to be there for

the police & medical as she knew I couldn't be present at

the interview.

She came to NY on December 29 and we were married December 31, 2009,

[TheBears 9]

Oh yes we talk a little bit(nit noi) of thai in our emails, lol. We have all the usual evidence of our relationship...stack of emails, stack of text messages, stack of western unions, stack of pics of us together in Bkk and surrounding cities, boarding passes, luccage claim tickets, reciepts from stores when I was there, skype call loggs, skype chat loggs, cell phone call logs, reciepts for her wedding ring I bought, reciept for the wedding I have paid for already and of course all the required documents AOS, tax forms, employer letter, my letter of our relationship and lots of other things. She has done her medical and police check and she is just waiting on an interview date. Let me know what you think, thnx for your help

Awww! Rob, you're making me !

Matt, Rob makes a great point. The Sawasdee thread is full of tons of information and is a great source of moral support for people going through the same process in the same place as you.

In that vein, I should make a disclaimer that we haven't had our interview yet (37 more days! Woo!), and we're going for CR-1 instead of K-1.

That being said, though, Bangkok isn't one that puts more weight on CR-1/K-3 vs. K-1. The girls report that the female CO is nice and the new male CO is a pain in the rear. Both COs are American (or at least farang) who are able to speak and read Thai. There are, of course, Thai officials as well. If you two speak in English with each other, then her interview will also be in English. If she's unsure of a question, it's better for her to clarify in Thai rather than answer incorrectly.

Bangkok's standard questions are:

What is your SO's name? What do you call him? <Full name here, then any nicknames>

What does your SO do for a living?

When/where did you meet your SO?

When was the first time he came to Thailand? <Month Day Year, not the Day Month Year that is frequently used in Thailand>

How many times has he come to see you?

What did you do? <Use the pictures! "We went to Koh Chang with my family. In the photo albums you can find pictures of us snorkeling while there.">

When will you get married?

Back to topic, though. Evidence. You look good. I'm wondering if there was any snail mail exchanged between the two of you. Not necessary, but if you have it, it's nice to see.

It was mentioned before, but I'll say it again -- Take care to organize your evidence well. The window is like a bank teller window and not very deep. If the Thai officer feels she's presenting too much, the officer will say "That's enough" and not accept any more papers. Organize it well. Make sure Laddawan knows what each group contains and which groups she's going to submit first.

How your mind organizes things may be different from mine, but here is how I would do your evidence.

1. Electronic communication. E-mails, chats, text messages, etc. can be pared down to the last six months. The rest will be put in a separate group and not submitted unless asked for.

2. Phone records. Submit them all, starting from the first day you talked. Separate by month and mark with tabs.

3. Past meetings, paper. Here are your receipts, ticket stubs (unnecessary unless the two of you took a flight together), baggage claim tickets (unnecessary no matter what) copy of your passport (every page! This is what proves the dates you were in Thailand), etc. Make a Word document and type a footer explaining the item and its significance. "Receipt from Thai Seri Bookstore where Matt bought Laddawan ฿3000 worth of her favorite books. May 2 2009. Thai Seri Bookstore, Bangkok." Staple or tape the original to this page.

4. Past meetings, photos. Have fun! Pick 50-80 of your photos to print out. 4 to a page with a little sticky note explaining what's going on. Ex: The page has 4 photos of Bear and Husby making silly faces in front of a waterfall. The sticky note says: Bear and Husby enjoying their trip to Erawan National Park. These will be pics that summarize your relationship. Pics of you and parents/friends suggest her family approves of your relationship, which is something very important in Thai culture.

5. Photo albums. Whatever didn't get picked for item 4. All of your pics, Sir. There is no "I look like a salapao in this one, so I'm not using it" here.

6. Wedding planning. Everything. The receipt for the rings should be copied and submitted in this one and in item 3.

7. Financials. Money transfers and such.

Or however you want to organize it. Just be sure it's organized. Binders aren't a suitable option for this. Flexible report covers are better. You two pick what you want to submit first and what you want to hold back. I would submit 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 at the beginning. I'd keep 5, 6, and the second group of electronic communication as a backup. Of course, do with the Packet 3/4 forms as you've seen the other K-1s do, and keep a backup copy, too.

Your relationship letter will go on the top of the stack with a second copy of your entire passport. Double check your relationship letter. Make sure it includes the important events. Make sure Laddawan knows these dates/events.

Are you yet, Matt. I'm sorry. The simple answer is it won't be a problem that you've only met once because your evidence is solid. If you have any more questions or just want to come and play, join the Sawasdee thread. The guys and Kang Lang and Anya (I think the three of us make up the only ladies) are great. Or PMs, too.

Lots of luck!

P.S.: You and Rob have to hurry and send in Packet 3/4 so our SOs can interview on the same day!

[thongd4me 69]

I went for that "insurance" visit but in your case I would not think that is necessary,

especially with the general unrest they couldn't force that on you.

[Reddstars 5]

Wow thnx for the thorough explanation it is very much appreciated. I also got together a notarized letter from my mother and father talking about their acceptance of our relationship as well. An invoice for the purchase of our wedding package and pictures of the wedding chapel and reception area. All of our evidence is being put together by the visa company and Ive labeled lots of stuff but Im hoping they will put the last finishing touches on it in order to get her approval Another question how long approx does it take to get back the Thailand police background check? Her medical and background check were done on april 22 and we have nothing back on the background check as of today.

Thanx guys,

Matt