BishopMnA

aitian,

Interesting, and it confirms what I wrote in my post.

So you're saying - indirectly - that your fiancee was previously 'married Thai-style' to some guy?

Yodrak

Attached is the 3rd page of the checklist I received in my packet 3 that mentions "verification of unmarried status." It can be found under the "other" section.

I think we may have to head up to her hometown to get one of those letters real quick. Maybe they will let her mother get it for her and save us the trip up there.

Okay, I get what your saying. With the use of 'register', the embassy probably only wants this from people who have had marriages that have not registered them or have kids which would make the embassy think that the person may have been married before.

Nok has never been married either way but I think we may get the paper from her hometown just in case it is needed. Since this is a new form of the checklist, maybe they plan on requiring this now. I just want to be safe when it comes to any documents the interviewer may want.

AAm/I didn't have that in our packet 3 documentation, and it wasn't listed in the Packet 4 documentation either. So, that seems new. Its good that it is in there. IMHO, the packet 3 and 4 that we received from the IVU were really 'junk'. They sent us forms with expired dates, it wasn't arranged at all, half of it seemed to have been typed on a manual typewriter, and all the papers were completed bent/folded. I ended up not using any of packet 3...and did everything from forms off the embassy website...which, is quite good!

Hey all!

I received the Packet 3 in the mail yesterday (by the way I got lucky with sending in early as my package sent to the embassy was received the same day my packet 3 was posted from the embassy, pretty cool).

I have a question that has been touched on here but I am a little more confused after reading the instructions and checklist sent by the embassy. Members have stated that the "verification of unmarried status" is usually only for those that have been married before, but the exact wording on the checklist states, "Verification of Unmarried Status for K-1s and spouse visas if you did not register a previous marriage." From this wording, I am reading that they want this verification from fiances and spouses that have never been married before. Is this just bad wording by the embassy or does my fiance (never been married) need this verification now?

Hey Aitian,

Congrats on getting your pkt 3 in the mail, also in the great timing for sending in the early pkt 3 <haha>.

AAm/I received our pkt 4 in Nov or Dec of last year, and in the list of documents to bring to the interview, the 'verification of unmarried status' document was not mentioned. Therefore, when AAm/I went to our interview on Jan 30, we we caught off-guard. The CO (Great Guy!) was very helpful in explaining the condition upon which we were now required to present this document, but none-the-less, there was no advance notice that it was even required. So, we had to go get the document from her local Amphur in Chiang Mai and bring it back to BKK before they would issue the visa.

In our case, the CO told us the the 'verification of unmarried status' was required for us because AAm had never been legally-married, but has children. We're going to bring her daughter over in a year. The CO then explained that in order to resolve any 'potential' custody disputes, we needed to present this cert that states she's never been married.

I wasn't with AAm when she went to the Amphur in Chiang Mai. However, AAm told me it was a very easy document to get. She just went in and asked for it and they printed it/gave it to her same day. She then took it to BKK a couple weeks later and was issued her visa.

I'm just curious, does it now state in PKT 3/4 that this is a required doc?

Anyways, it seemed to be an easy doc to get. If you're in any way worried, just have your fiancee get this doc from her local amphur.

Peace and congrats on getting close to your interview date! I think it was about 6-8 after the IVU received our PKT 3 until the interview...so you're not far from it!

Peace,

Mark-N-AAm

I've flown alot, and each time that I missed the outbound flight, the return flight was automatically canceled. So, I wouldn't follow your travel agents advice.

However, you could book her a round trip ticket, originating from her country, with a return date in the WAY far future (which could save money too). Then, she just wouldn't use the return ticket, cuz she's be staying with you in the USA.

I would also be try to be more sure about her chances of passing the interview. I was confident when my fiancee (now wife) went to her interview and I flew over to be with her. As it turns out, we were missing a document, and her visa wasn't issued for a few weeks. I had to book another flight to go back to pick her up later...plus change her original flight. It was expensive...

However, if it is at all possible, I do think it is a good idea for you to travel to the U.S. with her. Most likely, she'll pass the interview. In our case though, the POE was a bit more of an effort. Nothing was wrong, but it was her first time to the U.S., and immigration at Detroit gave us a 'hard look', made us sit in a room for about two hours before they finally said 'OK!'. For me, it didn't seem like a big deal at all, but for her...she was really worried and I was glad to be with her. So, its a tough choice, but if I had to do it again, I would be with her for the entry in to the U.S., before I would be with her at the interview....

But, as you know...every case is different...

Peace!

MK

I would like to apologize to everyone on the Sawasdee thread. I should not have flooded this current page with a childish argument. This was the first time I have ever felt I was being personally attacked on a forum and could not stop myself from responding. I know I hate it when others turn a thread into a personal argument. I will not make anymore posts that are not conducive to this forum.

Sincerely,

Josh

Hey Josh,

I downloaded the forms from the website and sent in the information early as well, prior to receiving pkt 3. I believe I downloaded the checklist/DS-230 and also sent two photos and a copy of our passport picture pages. In our case, this saved us about 3 weeks.

Good luck to you and your fiancee on your Visa Trip! You're getting close!

Peace,

Mark-N-AAm

I don't know if that is the average or not, but from reading on VJ about other people's interview experiences, it does sound common.

If you've filed all the right paperwork then you'll be fine. We had to file an 'extra' report that wasn't listed in Pkt 4 to verify that my fiancee was indeed single. She's been a single mom all her life (never married), so that required an extra form from the local police station...in our case.

One more interesting thing: I had prepared a TON of evidence supporting our continuted relationship from the time of KI petition filing to the date of the interview. I presented that to the lady at Window #5 when she collected all our paperwork. However, the CO didn't even look at it. He just immediately handed it right back to me!

Peace,

Mark-N-AAm

Hey Goontar,

Here is one more interesting thing that the CO did tell us when we are there in BKK for the interview. He told me/us that he is 'allowed' only 5 minutes for each interview! I thought that was short...but he said they have so many applications to process that he has to limit his time for each interview in order to complete them all.

Perhaps that is one reason that he didn't ask us too many questions!

Peace!

Mark-N-AAm

Hey Goontar,

I had the same experience as Dvddvd. I too listed my fiancee's kids on all paperwork. When we went to Window #5 on the day of the interview at the Consulate in BKK, the lady asked us if her kids would be coming to the U.S. at the same time. I told her that they would be coming at a later time. She made a quick note (not sure what she wrote) and stuck that in our file. We then sat down and waited (about 1.5 hours or so) to be called for the interview. When we were called, the CO (extremely helpful and kind gentleman) had the note and asked us again about her kids. We gave the same reply. He then gave us some more additional, and helpful, information about completing the K2 process for her kids, and that it must be completed within one year of the issuance of the K1 visa.

He then just asked a few simple quesions:

1. Asked my fiancee if she wanted to answer in English or Thai. She chose English.

2. He asked her where/how we met.

3. He asked me where I worked.

That was it! We were missing one document, so we did have to come back and turn in that document at a later time. Once we turned in that document, my fiancee was given her visa the same day.

Our interview experience was very simple/easy. I hope yours experience will be equally as smooth!

Peace

Mark-N-AAm

hello all

this website has been invaluable. some great news; my fiance had her interview yesterday and was approved. thanks to all who have contributed here. i can't imagine going through this process without it. there are so many small questions that pop up and i don't know what we would have done without it. most likely we would have gone much crazier, but thanks to this site we only went crazy. ha. thankyou thankyou thankyou

dvd

Hey Dvddvd,

Congratulations! That is great news! I'm sure you're fiancee and you will be happy!

Peace,

MK

Does anyone know anything about the "Certificate of Being Single"? Is this necessary for everyone? Thanks.

Hey Goontar,

At our BKK interview, the IVU did request for the 'certificate of being Single'. The CO (great guy!) explained to us that it was required in our case because my fiancee had never been married, but at the same time had children. He explained that the document would be required in our case just to 'avoid any future/possible custody disputes' with bringing her kids to the United States on a K2 Visa.

We had never heard of this document before the interview. My fiancee had to travel back to Chiang Mai, get the document from the local Amphur, and then return it to the IVU unit in BKK before her visa would be issued. Due to the timing of our return flights (which were for 3 days after the interview), I actually just returned alone to the United States, and rescheduled her flight to the U.S. My fiancee picked up the form in Chiang Mai about a week later (easy to get...just asked for it at the desk and they printed out a form and gave it to her...no other family members or friends needed to help provide additional proof). Then, I came back to BKK about a month later and we turned it in together...and they issued the visa the same day.

I agree with the posting below that suggests to get one. For us, it was easy to get...and it was free...you might not need it, but just in case...

Peace and GOOD LUCK!

Mark-N-AAm

Hey guys, I have recently found out that I would need to prove that i am single...

I have been looking on website and I have only read about single status certificates. Did any of you guys need to have this proof too? If you did, do you know where I can obtain it? And I live in UK if that helps

You only need to prove you are single if you were previously married, were you?

I'm not sure about the Process in the UK. However, my fiancee in Thailand also had to get this same document. In her case, it was because she had children, but had never been married. She had to have this in order to prove that there would never be any custody concerns regarding her kids. For us, we simply had to go to the local police station in the city where she lived, and request it there. I believe they provided it right on the spot.

Peace,

Mark-N-AAm

Wow...what a moving and wonderful story of your wife's recent arrival in the United States! WELCOME TO HER! I thoroughly enjoyed reading how she is doing well and the way you are doing so well also. I believe that must be a great start to a perfectly matched couple!

I also liked the story because my fiancee just arrived in the United States as well! After 3.5 years of being a couple, with the last 8-9 months being the K-1 Visa process, she finally arrived in the United States on 11 April! She is also adapting so easily to here...and...we are also in Ohio! We're in Toledo! My fiancee is from Thailand, so as you can imagine, she was also AMAZED and excited to see snow last weekend. It snowed all Saturday night, big Christmas-style snowflakes. She absolutely loved it. And, like your wife, she was absolutely thrilled when I took her to the Asian market here in Toledo. Now, I am eating Thai food everynight, because she is so happy to cook!

BTW - you mentioned that there is an international festival coming up in Dayton. Is that just a Phillipino event...or truly international? I would like to take my fiancee there if it is truly international.

Peace to you and your new wife...and CONGRATS!

Mark-N-Aam

We also did not know the DOB or location for my fiancee's father. We put 'unknown'. We were never questioned about it...

Dvd,

I agree with Yodrak. I was present at AAm's interview in BKK. At that time, the CO (who was an incredibly good person) told me directly that my presence did not have any influence on his decision making process. He stated that the USCIS side of the K1 equation (petition/nvc/etc) handled all the queries about me, and that at the interview he was only concerned with her. He said it was nice that I was there as a show of support, but it had no bearing on his decision making process.

Yet, back to what Yodrak has said, I did find it beneficial to be there. We were missing one document (which was not listed in PKT 4). It was a benefit to me that I was there, because the CO was able to fully help me understand the next steps on how to obtain the document and bring it back to the Embassy etc... My fiancee also speaks English quite well, but I think I would have had a difficult time understanding why I needed this document/why it wasn't listed in PKT 4 etc...if my fiancee had to explain all that to me over the phone. As it turns out, it wasn't a big deal at all to get this document. However, it might have seemed 'traumatic' to me if my fiancee had to explain over the phone...

Plus, I think it would have been extremely difficult on my fiancee to have had to go through that alone. Since I was with her, had clear instruction from the CO, I was able to understand and get the missing document easily.

So, in my opinion the short answer would be that your presence doesn't influence the CO's decision, but there are alot of intangible befefits to you being there.

Peace,

MK

Hello all!

I haven't actually posted here in about 2-3 months...because I've been on a whirlwind, but its been great...overall.

AAm and I went to our final BKK interview on 30 January. We were missing one document, which the CO admittedly stated we were not informed was required (never mentioned in PKT 4). AAm has never been married. However, she does have a daughter that we do plan to bring to the United States in about one year (once we're settled). So, we had a similar situation as Tucson Bill. We had to present a 'certificate of eligibility to marry/singles certificate/never been married certificate'. I can't remember what it was actually called. Well, AAm lives in Chiang Mai. So, we didn't have time to run back to CM and then get the document from the local police station and return to BKK before I had to return to the U.S. So, we took our time. AAm turned in the document a couple weeks later and got her visa. However, I was 'back on the road again' with my job by that time.

Well, to make a story short, I'm going back to Thailand this weekend and picking up AAm. We'll FINALLY be together back in the United States as of Wednesday 11 April.

We're very excited and looking forward to the next AOS process...haha.

Well, peace to all and once again, THANK YOU ALL, for the help you've given AAM & I along the way...

I'll c u guys in the next AOS forum...and here more often now...

Peace,

Mark-N-AAm

Give 'em Hell Bill! Sounds like you've got them on the ropes! I'm sure both visas will be granted...and will pray for exactly that!

Peace,

MK

We are turning in 3 years of tax returns with our I-134, as proof. That seems to be the standard/best way to fill that requirement. We've also turned in a letter of employment (on company letterhead), and a couple months worths of pay stubs.

Peace,

MK

Hey guys,

I've finished all of the paperwork for our interview on 30 January. I just have one question about the 'order of documents' that is listed in Packet 4. On that document, it requests copies + originals of the all the documents (birth cert/divorce/marriage/death/adoption/etc...) to be taken to the interview.

Up til now, I've only been sending them copies of these documents. Are they actually going to request to see the originals as well at the time of the interview?

Its not a problem either way...I'm just curious.

Peace to all,

MK

Hey Ken b

The emails to the Embassy are scanned for Key Words by their Email systems when they arrive. Therefore, if they don't key in on certain words, I believe you will get that response...you posted.

The subject line I always use(d) is: Inquiry: Case # BNK2006****** (Beneficiary's name)

I've always received replys using this subject line...with 24 hours usually.

Peace,

MK

Yes. Tax returns are required for Thailand. One of the forms in packet 3 (DS-156), in the middle of the form, asks for 'evidence of financial support'. To meet this requirement, we filled out the Affidavit of Support form from packet 3 (Form I-134) and also attached three years worth of tax returns + w2s (all copies) as proof of income.

While on the DS-156 form it doesn't specifically ask for the tax returns themselves, this is how my lawyer (who I only used in the initial month of filing...to help start the process) informed me to meet this requirement. I had also provided these same tax returns + W2s when I filed my original I-129F.

Hope this helps,

MK

Hey Ding,

I'm not sure where you are in the process. However, those DS*.* forms do not need to be filled out until much later in the K-1 process. After you mail your original I-129f with the USCIS, you will receive your NOA1 (notice of arrival of your petition at the USCIS), then they will begin their investigation. Somewhere down the line (for us about 2 months), the USCIS will finish their checks and approve your I-129f Petition. They will then send you a NAO2 (notice of acceptance). Once that is done, the USCIS will forward your petition to the NVC (National Visa Center). It will stay there for a short time (several days to several weeks). Then the NVC will send your entire package to the Embassy in Bangkok. Once the Embassy in Bangkok receives the complete package from the NVC, they will prepare what is known as 'Packet 3', and send it to your fiancee's address in Thailand. In packet 3 will be these same DS*.* forms. That is when your fiancee will fill out these forms. In packet 3 will be further instructions as well. She can fill out these forms at that time. Also at that time she will have to fill out a checklist and another form and send those forms + some pictures back to the embassy. Once the Embassy has that information, they will send her 'package 4'...which will be her official notification of her scheduled interview date.

So, if you are new in the process, you don't need to worry about the DS*.* forms until much later in the process...once she has received her packet 3 from the Consulate in Thailand.

If you've already received your packet 3....then you have the DS forms and additional instructions. She can fill them in now and be ready to take them with her to the interview..

Peace,

MK

Everything should be fine

It took us 5 weeks to go from USCIS to NVC...they will get to it

Peace,

MK

Congrats Randy! We are one day behind you!

Peace!

Mark-N-AAm

Hey Peterson,

I can just tell you my experience regarding our interview schedule. I received email confirmation from the Consulate that they received our completed Packet 3 on 27 November. I too thought that I would see our interview date posted on the internet in a couple weeks. However, it never was posted! So I emailed them about once a week, each time they stated that our interview had not been scheduled. Finally, they back to me replied to me on 2 January with good information, stating that our interview date had finally been scheduled for 30 January.

So, as you can see, about 5 weeks passed before our interview was scheduled. During those 5 weeks, I saw the same pattern that you've stated you're seeing on the interview schedule website. Lots of applicants getting their interview dates.

I can't say how exactly the Consulate determines the final interview date for all applicants, I can just say that it took longer than normal to get my interview date scheduled (probably due to holidays), and that once it was scheduled, it wasn't at the end of the line...it was squeezed in the middle of the list. So, have patience. I suspect that the Consulate may still be slow concerning the scheduling of final interviews, but I suspect that you won't lose an entire month either.

Here's hoping all goes well for you! Either way, congrats on getting this far in the process! You're almost there!!!!

Peace,

Mark-N-AAm

Hello all,

Over the past few months I've posted a many questions/comments and received great replies from all. I want to thank you all for your help! Two of the questions that I've asked have concerned the Police Report and the Medical Report. I also emailed the embassy in Bangkok to get their responses. I've copied and pasted my questions to the embassy below, and then copied and pasted their exact responses beneath. I thought this would be good information to share with this group.

1. CONCERNING THE VALIDITY TIME FOR THE POLICE REPORT (< OR > 90 DAYS):

Q: Can you please confirm how recent the required Police Report must be for K-1 applicants? The Bangkok Royal Police states that the police report is valid for 12 months. However, I believe that the U.S. Consulate requires the Police Report to be less than 90 days old for K-1 Applicants.

A: Dear Sir, The police record requirement for K 1 visa applicant is as follows; The police record from Thai police authority is required for the applicant who lives in Thailand more than 6 months. The police record from other country is also required if the applicant used to live in other countries for more than 12 months or was arrested for any reason, regardless of how long they have lived there. For Thailand, the police record is good for one year. Regards, Correspondence Unit

2. CONCERNING THE MEDICAL REPORT FROM MCCORMICK HOSPITAL IN CHIANG MAI:

Q: My Fiancée recently completed her K-1 Visa Medical Examination at McCormick Hospital in Chiang Mai. McCormick Hospital told her they would mail the completed report forms directly to the Consulate in Bangkok. Is this the correct procedure, or should my fiancée ask for McCormick Hospital to give the completed medical report to her so that she may bring it herself to our interview on 30 January?

A: Dear Sir, It is the correct procedure. The hospital can directly mail the medical examination result to the IV Unit.

Regards, Correspondence Unit

Once again, thanks to all!

Peace,

Mark-N-AAm

Hello all,

My wife-2-b completed her med exam Dec 30th at McCormick Hospital in Chiang Mai. The hospital told her that the med report would not be finished for about 7-10 days, because they have to send out for some of the lab results and because they are closed for quite a week during the holidays. So, we don't have the medical report in hand as of yet.

However, my wife-2-B then stated that she thought the hospital told her that they would mail the completed med report directly to the Consulate in Thailand, instead of asking her to pick it up. Is this the normal process? I thought that the hospital would hand the report directly to her and then we would carry it with us to the interview.

Peace,

MK