Teddy64

Question: has anyone ever asked the Embassy for help in expediting a K-1 application from the start? My finace is in the Philippines, in a very poor purok, nowhere near an urban section or town. To get to her village, you have to cross a river on a raft. I emailed the embassy requesting help while I am finishing my paperwork to file this week. I am in hte process of writing the cover letter now requesting expedition based on humanitarian, and extreme emergent situations. I am also planning on contacting my senators/state representatives requesting assistance. I thought I knew poverty until I saw the village. The village made a campground look good. It was very much off the beaten path for anyone but pinoys.

Cheers,

Darren

Darren,

Sorry to hear of your difficulties. I am a newbie and can't be of much help, other than to keep my fingers crossed for you and positive thoughts for you and your fiancee.

My wife (from Thailand) and I are still waiting for our K-3 visa, following her interview on October 1st, 2010. The process is incredibly slow and needs revision.

Take care,

John

This is excellent advice, especially the bold statements.

This is your opinion. It is not excellent advice. It just adds to the emotional pain I am feeling regarding my wife's Visa application. Do not contact me anymore.

I think you're in denial. Yes, I read the "particulars" very carefully. Mostly, they were not actually particulars. They were your understandably emotional and inexperienced interpretation of what you heard first and second hand. Unlike you, this ain't my first rodeo and I'm not emotionally involved. You can bet your boots, I "understood" better than you have any frame of reference to comprehend.

As for the "I" statements. You missed the point. You said, "There should..." when you are in no position to judge whether there should or should not be (whatever). I absolutely clearly understood your "There should" to mean, "I want" and/or "I wish". That you want it and/or wish it is understandable but there are reasons why "investigations" don't have time limits. The reasons they "don't" are the same reasons they "should not", no matter how much we may "want" or "wish" they would.

The Consulate's fraud unit IS doing and WILL complete their job, whether you want them to or not and whether you like how long it takes. You can spend your time berating them or otherwise spinning your wheels if you wish. My advice is to have that heart to heart, get down to the details talk with your wife and see what about the interview or her past may have triggered this. Perhaps you won't find an answer, but if you do, you'll then be able to start preparing any needed response.

Do not contact me anymore.

Thank you

Pushbrk,

Thank you for your comments. My mother is a family therapy psychologist. She tells many people about the "me" or "I" statements, and to use they, them statements etc. That doesn't mean I agree with her or you. Just because people give advice, doesn't mean it's good. Some of what you are saying is true.

Yes, it's the government. Slow to change, or no change at all. But change starts somewhere when there are problems. I disagree with you about th consular official doing her job. Either you did not read the particulars, or did not understand.

In any case, one thing is clear - hurry up and wait...

My wife's police report was clean.

We used a Thailand attorney to assist us in the process.

I have no idea what the Embassy in Thailand is in AR this long for.

I know one thing though, they need to replace the consular official in charge of applications.

She is incompetent and discriminates.

hey Teddy - what's the status on the I-130? If it's still at NVC and not closed, you have (IMO) some chance to kick the CR-1 visa process into play - where she'll get another interview.

If NVC closed it, though, because of the fraud investigation on the K-3 (highly probable, btw), then at some point, you'll want to submit a new I-130 - also pay attention to any paperwork coming back to you FROM USCIS about the denial.

Sorry for your plight, though - these things suck, much.

Thank you for your assistance

Thank for the information and advice Ning.

It has been five months since her interview, and the Administrative Review was started.

I said there were a problem with prostitutes applying for visas, from what the consular official in charge told me in Thailand. In addition, the offiial in charge said there were 7 woman, and 3 men whom applied for visas recently. The official did not say these people were prostitutes, just a larger amount of females, which seems very logical to me.

This is strange even for Thailand.

These reasons you state are ridiculous. Do you mean to say they gave you a document with these reasons for the delay on it?

# 1 Her ability in English isnt an issue.

# 2 Legaly married is as married as you can be.

# 3 This gang of 7 hookers applied for immigrant visas & that affected your wife? This makes no sense at all.

# 4 Meeting on the net is accepted. There are many visas approved after meeting on the net. That includes me. They didnt question us about it other than the initial question.

Something happened at the interview to give the officer the impression your wife worked in a questionable enviorment. They are required to investigate the situation. This isnt the first time we have heard of these investigations.

In the end I hope she will be approved but you will both have to endure the investigation time period. I assume she had a police report that didnt indicate any problems. The embassy will double check her background by contacting the central police department. They will inquire with police in her city,town or village. When that investigation is done they will report the findings to the embassy. This is why no one can tell you how long it will take. Everything takes a long time in Thailand compared to the USA.

Politicians have little impact on the workings of USCIS other than approving their budget. There are few circumstances where they can or will help. They all have a staff member trained to placate the voter.

It is true that you must wait. It isnt true that it will be years. The last case that involved this type of investigation that I know of took about 60 days. That person was employed in a bar/ restaurant. The word bar set off a firestorm. She was actually employed as a cleaning person. The visa was approved.

Immigration reform has been on hold for 60 years. It will remain so for a long time. The US governemnt has too many other problems to deal with as we can see every day.

These matters are very personal & emotional for all of us as we endure them. My advise is to forget the attack tactics & try to work on positive measures for your future. There is no reason to think she wont be approved in the end.

Ning has the right idea on this one. I seriously doubt they put your wife's visa in AP for any of the reasons you stated. I don't think you have your facts straight.

AP is, sometimes, part of the process. Others in Thailand have gone though it, though it is not typical. You'll just have to wait it out, like everyone else. There are two others I know of who went through AP and, eventually, were granted a visa: Tom & Teaw, and eric_f. The former user recently went through this, so you may want to talk with him.

Thank you for responding. The consular official in charge stated when I went to Thailand in December of 2010 that they have had a problem with ladies from Thailand leaving their husbands, or prostitution.

My wife's character is beyond reproach. She is a hair dresser. She has her certificate from the Cosmotology school she went to. And has a beauty shop.

I have stayed the summer with her at her parents home. They are fantastic. She has taken two English classes. A wonderful woman.

It wasn't even her Internet account, but her friends who contacted me online. And I decided to obtain a Thailovelinks account.

Thank you for the background information. It is nice to know that it is not uncommon to go through Administrative Review. There needs to be a timeline on completion though.

To whom it may concern:

My name is John. I got married to my Thai wife in June of 2009. We waited a long time to get through the application process for her K-3 Visa. She had her interview at the U.S. Embassy in Thailand on October 1st, 2010. They delayed her Visa following her interview for the following reasons, they are:

1. She doesn't speak enough English

2. They didn't believe she was married to an American husband (me)- even though she had all the legal official documents

3. They have had seven female and 3 male Thai applicants apply for a U.S. Visa. They have a problem with prostitution

4. We met on the internet dating service "Thai Love Links" (how else will we meet?" 1 out of 5 marriages today are from an Internet dating site

These were the reason (generalized and discriminatory, not based on any facts regarding my wife's application).

I went to see the U.S. consular official in charge. She was mean, rude, and would not take my wife's application off fraud investigation.

I asked when the investigation would be completed. She stated there is no time limit. They also stated they were understaffed. That is not applicants problem. They should not make applicants, who LOVE and MISS each other dearly suffer due to cuts in federal employee budgeting (cut backs in personnel).

I have already written my local Congressman, Jerry Lewis in CA. I also wrote Dianne Feinstein. Both were worthless in helping me out. Nothing they could do for the "Adminstrative Hold" the U.S. Embassy consular official in charge did with my wife's K-3 Visa application.

All I hear I can do is wait... Worse case scenario is that my Wife (excellent character - my Wife) and I could wait 2-3 more years. What a joke... The immigration system is broken.

There needs to be an act of Congress to change the procedues, rules, and regulations within the U.S. Embassy in Thailand; so that they have a time limit on investigations. They are putting good applicants in generalized categories based on fraud signs - which are unfounded and not based on fact.

In addition, I would love the U.S. Embassy consular official in charge, whom I met, be investigated for discrimination and incompetence. The U.S. government needs to relinquish the amount control the U.S. Embassy consular official in charge has. Congressman/Congresswoman as well as Senator's cannot overturn the officials decisions to investigate, and other related decisions. What if the official is incompetent? Who supervises the official?

Does anyone know what can be done to expedite my Wife's Visa? HELP PLEASE!