ThyJourney

7 hours ago, Alec619 said:

Fiance was denied at the first interview circa 2015. Had to complete a waiver which was subsequently approved fifteen months later Jan 2018. She entered legally via k1 June 13 2018 and we got married August 28 2018. I just updated my timeline to reflect this.

Congrats!!  Don't forget to change your W4 (tax) to reflect this. Can be easily missed with all the immigration document preparations. 

On 8/26/2018 at 2:31 PM, Alec619 said:

Hello. Just curious as to whether when filling out the AOS paperwork I put down my fiance's maiden name or married name? We will be getting married in about a week. 

Just as stated before you will write down married name since she will be married when you file AOS.  According to your timeline if you are planning on getting married in a week you will void the K1 VISA, because your fiance hasn't  have an interview at the consulate. Plus, she is not in the USA. 

3 hours ago, Jojo92122 said:

You do not need a licensed translator.  Anyone who meet the requirements to understand both English and Thai can do the translation.  You already have it translated.  Get a friend who knows both languages to sign the translator's certification.  Not hard for your new translator to use the old translated document as a model to make a new translation.  

Looks like things changed there in Thailand.  Received an RFE back in 2014 that included the translator's certificate and they still insisted we have the gov. credentials.  Of course, it could of been a discriminating USCIS officer at the time reading over our  documents. 

4 hours ago, JB and AMF said:

That’s right. They want certification from the translator in which we can’t provide because we can’t find the translator anymore 😂. So what we will do now is to find a translator in US that can translate our original marriage certificate to english (with translator’s certification). Do you think that will be the best option since we can’t find the guy in Thailand who translated our documents last year?

If your spouse in Thailand i would highly recommend translating there. Many places to go. Even the local University English teacher or student fluent in English can sign the certification and translate your documents.  According to the recent post and others i've read anybody that is fluent in Thai and English can sign the translator's certification.  My current wife used a service to translate, which was easy to do and we didn't want to take the chance for RFE.

1 hour ago, missileman said:

 

 

Looks like i received one of those RFE letters awhile back ago. I would print the above out, "Certification by Translator' and have the translator fill this out with their stamp. Maybe the translator was not recognized by the MFA or their credential expired.  Helps even if the translator is a current government employee. Also, the translation copy layout should look exactly like the original copy with the appropriate civil stamps.  Good luck.

17 hours ago, Mark Newcomb said:

Howdy - I have been reading your responses and appreciate the knowledge you have on the VISA process.  I think that my wife and I were  thorough on the application that we submitted.  Our I-130 petition was received at the Nebraska service center on April 13, 2018.  I have lots of questions but the most important one concerns is there any way to speed up the process or is it pretty much a hurry up and wait?  I am returning to Bangkok so that I can be with my wife while the petition is in process and have the ability to stay for an extended period of time if I have to.  The problem that I have however is a medical one.  I am facing having to have a back fusion totally replaced due to failure and rod breakage and may have to return to the United States to have it done sooner than the projected processing time estimate.  I have testimonies from my doctors that it is necessary for me to have care and assistance when this procedure is done and that my wife is a critical piece of my recovery.  How do I go about amending the application to add these letters into evidence?  I do have the outside chance of assistance from a family friend who has deep political influence but it would require her to involve her son who has taken over their corporations.  Could that help or would I just be wasting everyone's time?  Many thanks for any advice in advance.  Mahalo, Nuke 

Glancing at the timeline for I-130 filer will take about a year. In your situation it is not a medical emergency for an expedite at the moment, but will be if your spinal rods fail and rupture your spinal canal while in Thailand. Have you flown before with your bad back or are you on some serious meds? 

I agree with your doctor testimonies that you'll need the assistance and care during and after your hospital stay from surgery. Since you've been through it before with prior rod fixation you  know what it will take after surgery. 

Any submission of your current testimonies from your neural doctor before you leave will make it worse for your situation while in Thailand for your known spinal issues.  Only expedite you'll see is the emergency evac from Thailand to USA, which all can been avoided. Have you looked into having surgery done in Thailand? There are some really good neural doctors there just as qualified as in USA if not better. Be cheaper there then here for the surgery and hospital stay. 

On 7/6/2017 at 11:54 AM, danlrob said:

What is the best way to send money to Thailand.  I will be sending direct to a bank account.  Unfortunately my credit Union will not do foreign transfers.  Western Union takes 4 days to complete the transfer.  Is there another service that is faster?

 

Thank you

Create an online Bank of America Account and/or Paypal. 

2 hours ago, pushbrk said:

There are certain countries where translations by private individuals are not accepted like they are from other countries.  China is one of those.  I didn't realize Thailand was one too.  For China, only translations from the Government Notarial Offices (Gong Zheng Chu) are accepted.  What is the specific requirement for Thailand?

The translation can come from a business as long that business is accepted and approved by Thai government including the  MFA 'Ministry of Foreign Affairs."  I would highly recommend translation around offices that are MFA approved. Even a translation from a professional translator at the University that teaches English can get rejected if not around the MFA. 

18 minutes ago, John951 said:

So I was going to start and get my girl her immunizations at any clinic but she read somewhere on the internet that the embassy only has a few that are approved. Can anybody verify this ?

The embassy list three approved places for medical exams. The immunization can be taken anywhere, but be sure to have your fiance keep record of those vaccines so she can take to her medical exam. List of vaccines and places to receive the medical exam are listed in packet three under 'Medical Examination Instructions'.   Follow the link from the Thai Embassy website: https://th.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/packets/

Don't make any appointment for medical exam. You will be informed when to make that appointment before the interview. Just work on the vaccinations for now. Any incomplete vaccines she will receive during the medical exam. 

You can use the 'Certification by Translator' only if they are officially certified. Regardless if they can translate without any problems.  Have received an RFE due to not certified to translate. We even provided 'Certification by Translator', but they requested a stamp on that form showing the certified member number. 

You have a lot of good insight from others here.  The before are correct that a ceremony is 100% entertainment.  Also, I would not get married like others have mention due to the cost for Sid Sod and marriage fraud after the submission of the 129f. You’ll be fine with a ceremony/party, because the State Department does not recognize it unless it has been officially documented and stamped at the local Ampurs.  Any ceremony you do before interview I would highly suggest you don’t label them as ‘Wedding’.  Label as ‘Engagement’ is fine since this is the reason for being engaged and will not propose any issues. Photos from such party and any emails, Line video/chat, cell phone records will make the interview process much easier for your fiancé.  In my opinion the submission of your travel photos together with the letter of intent and travel itinerary is not enough evidence to show you are real couple before interview.  Then again it will come down to the officer at the consulate doing the interview.  

An engagement and wedding ceremony is far different there than Western. Thai consulate will recognize its only fiancé or a party.  I’ve been through both types of customs in past, official and non official that was included with the CR1 and later 129f. 

This website will help guide you through the overall VISA process and will inform you about future documents to obtain:

https://th.usembassy.gov/visas/fiancee/how-to-apply/

So far looks good. I see the State Department implemented the G325 into the i-129F and of course increased the fee.  This is entirely up to you and your fiance, but how about a simple fiance ceremony with family on your next visit? or just photos with your fiance family should be suffice enough.  Good luck with your journey and be patience. 

You can have the  SSC that says "Valid for work only with DHS Authorization"  removed after she receives it if you want. All you have to do is submit your documents for AOS, EAD and AP using your last name once you get your copy of Marriage Certificate.  Since she received her GC you'll just have to resubmit the SSC application to change her last name and to change the status of the current SSC to remove the "Valid for work....".

Congratulations!!    

Congratulations!!    Yeah,  i guess you were lucky they didn't want you to participate in the interview with your spouse. During my wife interview they didn't ask her many questions, but the officer drilled me and interrogated me during the entire interview process.   

Good morning. I just had my fiancé apply for her social security card. She should have that in approx 5-10 days. My questions is, we are getting married on the 16th of December. She wants to take my last name after we marry. When we submit the paperwork to apply for the AOS, EAD and advanced parole can we request the name be changed to reflect her married name then? Or do we have to wait until she receives it then pay the fees again to change her name?

You could of have waited to apply for SSC after marriage then use your last name on the SSC application. Either way her SSC will say "Valid for work only with DHS Authorization"  when she receives it. Submit your documents for AOS, EAD and AP using your last name once you get your copy of Marriage Certificate.  Once your wife  receive Green Card you can submit SSC application to change her last name and to change the status of the current SSC to remove the "Valid for work....".

Good luck and Congratulations!!    

On 10/7/2017 at 6:28 AM, shoeman009 said:

Good Morning.

 

First off, thank you in advance for the help each of you gave as we came through our K1. It was quite an education and anyone who followed, She is now here and we are married! I have a few questions now about the next steps.

 

Her passport has her maiden name and so do her IDs for Thailand. Her green card will have her married name. What are the steps to merge those? Should we approach the Thai Consulate in Houston to change her passport or wait till we are in Thailand next year?

 

How long does take typically to get the advanced travel documents? We want to go over to Thailand in April, just wondering if that is possible. We filed adjustment on September 1st.

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences and insights.

Here’s the simplest way and preferred way, but of course that’s entirely up to you. Keep her Thai passport and Thai ID’s in her maiden name. Also, keep Thai Passport and ID’s up to date. Apply for US passport after she is US citizen.  All she has to do when she travels outside the US is to show Green Card and Marriage Certificate when she enter the USA.  During the times she has two passports, use the US Passport in married name and when you enter Thailand use Thai Passport in her maiden name.  Using her Thai passport she can stay long as she wants without having to apply for VISA if she had used her US Passport.

Here's my two cents worth:

I would not pay Sid Sod. Before doing anything both of you should read 'Thailand Fever', because it's pretty accurate. Amazon sold it cheap: https://www.amazon.com/Thailand-Fever-Chris-Pirazzi/dp/1887521488/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501121760&sr=8-1&keywords=thai+fever

Next thing you should do is to take a vacation from your busy schedule and travel to Thailand and meet her in person and then meet her family. Sometimes it may not even work out and you'll both will not have to worry about anything. You have to remember before you two decide to get married there is a Engagement ceremony with small amount of money involved to pay for ceremony and little sid sod. Usually, after the Engagement ceremony the family will pick date for wedding for you two to choose and also the price for the Sid Sod will be discussed. In my opinion, you will be wasting a lot of money and you will probably will not see a penny of it after paying any amount of the traditional Sid Sod. 

Keep it simple and just do a K1 visa so she can visit the USA earlier time within a year. CR1 will take on average 14 months and might be too long for her to wait. Not sure where her  family is located, but if they are located near Bangkok this place offer good price for very good exquisite traditional ceremony. Of course, with every ceremony there is the thai traditional wear you will have to rent for yourselves and the family. http://www.rueanpranine.com/   or have ceremony at her place with her family and friends.

You mention she is nurse, right?  My wife is a nurse as well and is prepping for the board exam and licensing in USA. They will still need to prep for the certification board exam. Reason i mention this is because if she is here on CR1 after you two married there in Thailand. She could change her mind and leave you. Living in the USA is not what most think it is and most thai are cultural shock, home sick, lonely, etc. and will expect to travel back home to leave USA for good.

meaning you just lost  the entire Sid Sod and you will still be responsible for her expenses as stated in the Affidavit Support. 

With a K1 visa, she is here and if she wants to stay then your all good to go. You'll have extra money for making family, new house, etc....  You will not with Sid Sod. 

Hello sfcscott,

All is good and that is just a reminder. Wife received same right after she received interview appointment date. Just make sure to bring all original documents you did not send in packet 3. Keep in folder, which will include original Birth Cert with translation copy; Original Police Cert; Sealed medical envelope(DO NOT OPEN); Probably anything extra you can think of for just in case they ask for it. And the kitchen sink. Lol.

Do not forget to bring any original documents.

Good luck with the interview. Your fiance will do just fine.

sincerely,

ThyJourney

She went to the Bumrungrad Hospital. She paid 3,100 Baht for the medical exam then an additional 3,400 Baht for vaccination. The Embassy recently made it more expensive after Oct. 1st due to the addition of more exam (Gonorrhea).

I would schedule medical exam ASAP! My wife schedule her medical appointment right after submission packet 3 and when we first known about the interview appointment. Just call the medical and they will schedule her in about 10 days prior to her visa interview appointment. The medical results is within 5 days waiting period. Also, they will give you an appointment for medical results.

Pay the fee after the DS-260 has been submitted online. when you submit and pay the fee it will include everything. https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/

"Scandi" is correct. Your petition has been approved regardless if it has been sent to consulate or VISA Processing. Expect and prepare for Packet 3, which will arrive within the next 4 weeks

"Thanks for providing this information David. I am worried about the vaccines and xray since my fiancee is pregnant. I am understanding that since she is pregnant shes cant perform a chest xray due to damage to the child. I wonder how that will work against her during the interview"

I work in medical field and i can inform you that it is highly unlikely. TB check only requires one chest xray. Be sure to inform your fiancee that they give her a lead linen gown to drape over her abdomen.

The Ex will fill out and submit form I-407 along with her GC and copy of finalized Divorce papers.

http://www.uscis.gov/i-407

Thank you all for the advice. I will inform her to return GC and i will for sure notify USCIS she is no longer in US.

She wants GC or not, it is her responsibility to notify them. You are not her to call and tell USCIS that "I don't want my green card anymore."

Just finalize your divorce and you are good to go.

Good Point! She signed off the divorce papers that contain all the financial disputes then that should clear me of the "Affidavit of Support".