Michael Smith

Only an immediate relative can petition for a sibling. Your relationship through marriage is not enough - your wife would have to petition for her. Only a limited number of of people can immigrate in any one preference and from any one country, each year. Currently 4th preference (sibling) petitions are being processed from May, 1996 so she would have at least a 10 year wait.

Since we will be living in Thailand in five years or so, we will probably not even try.

Thanks to everyone for the responses.

Besr Regards,

Michael and Naphalai

I have my lady here (finally!) and we are very happy! Thanks to all from VJ who answered questions and helped us along the way. We should show up in the AOS forum shortly.

Yes, one day, I will update my timeline. Consider me spanked. :-)

Does anyone here know the procedure, or could give me a pointer to the procedure to bring a relative here? Is being a relative by marriage enough? Do we need to have AOS complete before we start this?

The deal is this: My ladies sister took over her job (as a housekeeper) in HK when she left to be with me. The sister wants to go back to Thailand soon, but is working in HK at my fiancees old job for the money. My ladies mother died when she was 16, and my lady and her sister are used to depending on each other and are very close.

I would not mind a bit if her sister were to live with us. She is very nice, and very hard-working, and I really like her. None of us are young, so the "romantic interlude requiring privacy" stuff is not a problem. My income can cover four or five people by the current "guarantee" standards so that should not be a problem either.

I want to bring my fiancees sister here, and I have not the first clue how to begin, or how long the process is. Pointers to information are most welcome. A first clue as to how long it will take would be welcome also, because I do not have one.

Best Regards,

Michael and Naphalai

Consider yourself lucky that they had the courtesy of calling you and testing you, Guangzhou would have not done that.

I have nothing but good to say about the actions and professionalism of the US Embassy in HK. On three seperate occaisions I emailed them for information, and each time I got a response within 24 hours. It was not always the response I wanted, but they did not leave me hanging.

In addition, the woman consular officer who called me to test my language skills answered a few questions, and gave me her personal email address so I could email her if I had any further trouble. She is married to a Brit, and went through the same K1 process to marry him.

Overall a pretty positive experience.

Regards,

mds

My fiancee is Thai working in HK. She just had the interview and they noticed that she did not speak much English. By "not much" I mean damned near none. When they asked her how she talked to me, she told them that I spoke Thai. Evidently they did not believe her.

So three days after the interview I get a call from the Embassy in HK, while sitting at my desk at home working. The gal states that for purposes of record-keeping they need to know if I can speak Thai. (Yeah, right) She just happened to have a Thai speaking consular officer on the line who she passed me off to. We talked in Thai for about 10 minutes, and I guess he passed me, because she said that as soon as my fiancee coughed up the one birth certificate for her daughter we were short, she could have the visa. No further interview required, just show the birth certificate at the window, and drop off her passport. The Chinese New Year gets in the way, but we should have the visa in a week or so.

Has anyone else had a Consulate or Embassy call to check on language skills?

Regards,

mds

PS - Hope to be in the AOS forum soon! I GET TO GO GET MY GIRL IN TWO OR THREE WEEKS!! YEE...HAA!

I received three NOA2 emails from CSC last night. Woo Hoo!

I am going to see Naphalai for my birthday October 9. I want to see if while I am in HK I can walk her through as much of the process as possible. Naphalai is a sweetie, but does not really understand how picky our government is about paper work.

Does anyone know if the BKK police or the HK police will do a check with just a copy of my NOA2, or if there is some other document included in Packet 3 they want to see ? If possible I would like to get the police check and the medical check done while I am there. I want to have Packet 3 completed and waiting so when she gets it from the HK Embassy she can immediately return it.

Thanks for any advice.

Regards,

Michael

hi

Hi, back. Nice to meet you. Good luck!

Regards,

michael

mds,

You've got it! I think that most people would like clearly defined targets to shoot at, but the subjectivity can be very beneficial if one recognizes the freedom it gives them to make their case. If there were a fixed set of firm documentary requirements, and one couldn't meet any one of them, they'd be SOL. How 'fair' would that be?

While I agree with you in principle, in this little exercise all I want is to get my girl to me in the least possible amount of time. (the phone bills are KILLING me). Ambiguity slows things down. I guess I just have to accept that it is part of the process, and quit looking for black and white answers.

Roi_aggie - Thanks for the response, and I think I am going to follow your lead. My girl has been working at an old folks home in HK for 5 years, and there really isn't any question about her documentation, so I am not too terribly worried we will be asked to produce the document.

Besides- anyone who sees a copy of the slushy stuff we have been exchanging lately is going to see it and say "Get those two a ROOM!". :-)

Regards,

Michael

A 'single certificate' is not often requested by the consular officers in the consulate in Bangkok, but I have heard of it being asked for on rare ocassions - e.g. when the woman's title on her passport or ID card indicates that she is a Mrs. and she claims never to have been married, or when the evidence of relationship includes information about a Thai wedding ceremony.

Ok. This makes perfect sense.

The consulate in Hong Kong's response to your question was quite appropriate, whether you liked it or not. And to my mind, they did answer your question - a 'singles certificate' is not a firm, across-the-board requirement, but in some cases it may become a requirement.

Appropriate, perhaps, but hardly informative. Your description was much more to the point.

There is much about the visa process that is subjective and there are few documents that are firm requirements. A visa applicant is free to present whatever information they have and wish to present in support of their application. If the consular officer handling the application is satisfied that they can approve the application with the information that has been provided they will do so, if there are any points on which they are not satisfied they will ask for something more. Can't be more specific than that about your fiancee's application until they have seen what her situation is and what information she presents.

I am beginning to realize that process is not as "cut and dried" as I would like. If I just know the requirements, I will meet them. It seemed to me as though the guy was being purposefully evasive, when evidently he was not.

Thank you for the response, and in particular for reminding me how subjective the entire process is. I was looking for a firm "Yes" or "No", when in fact "Maybe" really is the correct answer.

Regards,

mds

My fiance is Thai and working in HK on contract. We have NOA1, and I just returned the IMBRA RFE.

We are trying to make sure we have all of the documents needed for Packet 3 sorted out as far in advance as possible. She lost her birth certificate so we have to do a power of attorney to her sister in Thailand to get it, etc. We will wait for the Medical and Police till we get NOA2.

While she was in the Thai Consulate in HK, some gal at the consulate tried to convince her that she would need to haved a "Single Certificate" that certifies she has never been married. Getting the certificate while she is in HK is fairly expensive because of the whole "remote'" thing.

I emailed the HK Consulate, and asked them if the "Single Certificate" was required for Packet #3. They answered in vague generalities that "Any document that you think might help" should be produced. I sent them a second email asking specifically if it was required for Packet 3 and the guy said :

"A certificate of never married is not listed on the document checklist;

however, it may be required when the consular officer deems it useful at the

visa interview. Alternatively, your fiancée may wait for the consular

officer's decision at the visa interview if such document is required in her

case."

Thanks for the clear "Yes" or "No"...... Jerk.

What does the collective mind here think? Should I get it? The cost will probably be USD $250+ by the time all is said and done. It is small money if it saves us a longer wait, but it is large enough that I do not want to flush it if I do not need to.

I personally think I annoyed the guy answering the emails by making him answer the question twice, and he wants to make me sweat a little. My inclination is not to get it, but I don't want to make my sweetie think that there is any comparison between being with her sooner and a few dollars.

Any info or opinions are welcome, as I have never heard of this "Single Certificate" thingy before.

Best Regards,

Michael

We just received a NOA1 and I think we were moved to CSC.

I have not received a notice, but they cashed my check. The same day they cashed my check, I got the mail and received what I think is an NOA1. (Is the NOA1 just noted as a "Receipt Notice": in the "Notice Type" box?)

The NOA1 had a return address of the CSC, even though I just filed at the NSC.

I just created an account at the USCIS using the number on the NOA1, and the "last updated" date on the account was today. Is that a "touch"?

The received date on my NOA1 is May 22, and the notice date is June 1.

Regards,

Michael

responded to your PM (and can't believe I spelled sceptical with a K!!!!!hahahah)

You think that is bad? I build a website www.thaiterracerestaurant.com for some friends of mine who own a restaurant here, and are helping me learn to speak Thai. When I first put the site up, the guy who manages the restaurant pointed out that I spelled "restaurant" "resteraunt" on several pages. Nice to have a non-native speaker correct your spelling I don't think I will ever misspell that word again, though.

nd just wanted to wish you all the very best after reading your post again here..sometimes it's very hard to believe in love after you've been put through the mill, but as you say, time will prove things out. I, for one, will be rooting for you both. M.

Thank you very much for your kind wishes.

Regards,

Michael

Thank you all so much for the good wishes.

Wednesday, the third of May, I fired off the I-129F packet by express mail. I am anxiously awaiting the notification of delivery from the shipper.. I quadruple checked it, and followed the checklist in the FAQ religiously, so hopefully it is OK. I would like to avoid RFE's.

Could someone tell me who runs this site? It is a truly wonderful resource for anyone going through this process, and I would like very much to thank them.

Best Regards,

Michael

PS - I was going to try to "just wait" until Napha could be here with me to see her again, but after looking at the wait times, that is not going to work. If I am really, really lucky, I can wait till we get NOA2, and then fly to HK to help her do Packet 3. If not, my passport is going to get more stamps, because I have six weeks of vacation "on the books", and I want to be with her NOW. The key is to not burn so much vacation(and Cash) that I can't afford to be there for her during Packet 3 and the interview. Hell, she can't get time off till later in the year, anyway(she used all she had in HK and BKK with me on my last trip). If I can set Packet 3 up correctly(so the interview is hopefully a "slam dunk") I should be able to arrive a day or two before the interview, and go to it with her.. Given other peoples experiences I have read about on this forum, I am not going to schedule departure tight with the interview. I want a week after the interview until our flight. If there is a last minute snag, that gives us a week to fix it, and still travel together. If there are no snags, we can party it up for a week in HK.

Our I-129F application was returned yesterday after 18 days. I sent the application to the Omaha, NE address and I was supposed to send it to USCIS/NSC, PO Box 87130, Lincoln, NE 68501-7130. Also they said that they cannot accept personal checks and that it has to be a Cashier's Check or a Money Order. I am resending today overnite mail with a notification for delivery. So we're back to square one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

::sigh:: I just sent ours off yesterday.

I sent it to the correct address, but I did send payment via a personal check.

I wonder if I will be getting it back in about 18 days?

Regards,

Michael

Hi there all! My name is Michael, and I am just starting the process to bring my lady Naphalai from Thailand to the US to be with me..

She lives in HK, and works as a caretaker and masseuse in an old folks home in HK, because she can make more money in HK than in Bangkok. It was kind of the usual thing, we met on the net, and started talking and ended up talking more, and more, and MORE. Her best girlfriend owns a small internet cafe in HK, which helped.

I am sorry, but when you both agree in advance that you will be on webcam for 1 hour, and then end up talking for 6 hrs on the cam, and then doing it again the next day, and then do the same for every weekend for the next four months there is something Going On!. She works about 14 hrs per day in HK so we can only talk on week-ends.

I finally had to see her, so I flew to HK spent some time there, and we flew to Thailand together and spent some time there with each other, and with her family. At my age(49), and with some REALLY bad history, I am a little sceptical about "love". I refuse to say that this is love. (she isn't a kid, she is 42)

All I know is that I care about her and think about her every single day, and I want to be with her all of the time. Love, Not love, who cares? She will come here and be my lady, and I really want that more than anything in the world. She will take care of me, and I will take care of her, and I truly think we will be very, very happy together.

I think I have all of the papers together, and will doublecheck over the next 2 days. All I need to do is generate a checklist and a letter, and I think we have it covered! I will create a Timeline soon, and keep it updated.

MEGATHANKS to whoever set up this site, and manages it! The Fiance visa process is not that complex once you know what it is, but starting off from scratch is difficult. If it were not for this site, I would have paid someone to set up the visa, not because I could not set it up, but because I did not know what was required.

Regards,

Michael

PS - One of my favorite blogs in Thailand is kind of under attack by google.com . If you have a minute please go to http://www.mangosauce.com/about/google_kil...sident_blog.php The blog owner "David" is a really nice guy. I am the guy referred to as MDS in the entry. I reallly think that everyone on the web needs to stand up to corporate arrogance and indifference, and kind of draw some lines. Just read the article, and if you are not pissed, do nothing. If you are pissed, send a nasty little email to google, per the directions in the article. I really and truly believe they deserve it. Google is really big, but I do not think they own us........................yet.