statman78

I am coming back with my fiance tomorrow to the US, she is entering on a K1 Visa. I was wondering is it better for us to enter together in the same line? or in seperate lines? Any experience with this out there?

We went through the same line without any problems.

Wow that is amazing for only $10. How is the call quality? Gene long time since I have seen you on here! Of coarse I haven't been on here either.

Dan

Hi Dan,

It's great to see that everything is going well for you and your wife. Monday we'll be sending in the paper work to remove conditions on Ying's green card.

we've used Vonage for several years and the call quality has been very good. Ying tells me that the calls to Thailand sound the same.

Have you two been back to Thailand yet? We try to get back once a year for vacation. Last year Ying got back twice. She came with me during 1 of my trips for work. We already have tickets to return next March for a couple of weeks.

Or are we suppose to go get a stamp in his passport or something?

thanks

Good question as according to law you are supposed to carry your GC at all times. At the same time you have to submit your original GC with the I-751!

SNAFU! Situation Normal! All Fooked Up!

According to the instructions for the I-751 you only need to send a copy of the front and back of the GC.

sawadee krup everyone!

That's great news about vonage, I use vonage i'll definately get that added. I was using nobelcom calling card, the talk thailand plan at about 1.2 cents a minute which isn't bad

especialy if your like me and most often use a cell phone.

I wonder what else people have learned now over the years of distance communications.

When I snail mail, at first I used Fed ex, which cost 45.00USD to send a few pages and photos (don't do this), now I always just go to the post office, and mail a letter or package for just a few dollars.

cheap and relaible.

When I need to send money, I opened another free checking account and just sent a card to my fiancee, now I can just pop into my online banking and transfer free,

She's gonna leave the card with her mom, so we can send her money too. (I didn't activate the card till it had arrived)

When I buy plane tickets, I always use farecompare.com

That's all I can think of at the moment. Thanks for the vonage tip!

Best regards

I called Vonage last Thursday evening to confirm the rates and coverage. yes, only $10 for unlimited calling to Thailand land lines and mobile numbers. After a couple of minutes to confirm everything we had immediate service. This was about 7 PM. Ying immediately dug out her phonebook and started calling. She stopped at about 11 because she was too tired to go on! I think she called half of Chiang Rai!

Hi Everyone,

It's been awhile since I posted here. My wife, Ying and I are enjoying out life together. We are in the process of getting her 10 year green card. I just want to let you know there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

For those looking to to find a cheap way of calling Thailand from the US I want to let you know that Vonage has some new international calling plans. We have had the unlimited calling plan for awhile and it has worked very well for us. Now they offer unlimited calling to Thailand (including mobile phones) for $10/month. Now Ying doesn't need to buy the calling cards. We just signed up and Ying is preparing for a long night on the phone

Best of luck to all of the couples that are in the midst of obtaining the visa!

Hi all!

I just thought I'd pop in and say "Hi" - the ceremony was great and we leave in 2 days for the USA! Pao is packing as I type and I am wondering if she needs to make any special declaration regarding all the personal effects she will be bringing with her to the USA. We will be leaving Wednsday at 8:30am Thailand time, that's Tuesday evening US time, give or take a few hours, then its a little over 20 hours from Bangkok to Tucson.

I'm so happy! (we both are), :D:D

Kha poon krab! (Thank You!) - to everyone for all your help!

Bill & Pao

When Ying came to the US for the first time (almost 2 years ago) we had the maximum amount of luggage and she did not need to declare anything. We did get asked if we were bringing any food and our bags were x-rayed but were not opened.

Have a safe trip back to the US!

Gene

GOT IT!!

Pond had her interview this morning got there about 6am. Got the call 10 minutes ago about 9:45am bangkok time. Very simple interview the woman was very cordial and caring.

The questions she was asked: (in case anyone is preparing for theirs and curious)

WHere and when we met:

how many times I had been to visit

when the last time I was there

where she will live

pretty simple. I was worried since I wasn't able to go with her.

I cannot thank everyone here enough I would have been lost without this website.

Congratulations!!

Considering current events in Thailand with the coup situation - I hope everyone in the queue for visa processing stays safe and sound, and the delay (if any) is minimal.

kenk3z

We hope all of our loved ones in Thailand are safe during this coup. Let's all hope this ends quickly and peacefully!

Thanks Gene, but she doesn't have a green card yet, just the parole doc I-512. Do you still think we can go back to Thailand and get back in the USA?

The advance Parole document should work the same. As long as you have the documentation linking the names you should be ok.

Gene

Gene,

You would have had to fill out only 1 customs form even if they were not. The criteria is family unit, not name.

Yodrak

... Since her green card and tickets were in her married name we only had to fill out 1 customs declaration when we returned.

Gene

Yodrak,

I thought the the family needed to be travelling with the same surname. I may be confusing this with a different country's form since I have been travelling a lot lately and filling out many forms.

Gene

got a phone today from the youth place, seems my ex tries desperatly to reduce the amount he has to pay for his doughter... now, he says, coz i am shifting soon to the states, and the living costs are lower then here, he wants to pay much less.. its crazy, coz even now, he is paying the absolute minumum what is required in switzerland! he pays only 500 $! for me nothing.

please, does anybody know how much the law says in usa about paying minimum alimony to a 5 year old child? are there any rules? i have a meeting next week with them, and dont know what i should agree.

thank you very much for your advice!

Each state has different laws regarding alimony and child support. In Wisconsin there is no minimum amount for alimony but there is a guideline for child support that recommends 17% of income. Check the laws in your state.

Exciting news from C.J. & Jum. We had our wedding ceremony at the beach in Fort Fisher, NC, close to Wilmington, NC on July 3rd. I will post some pictures once I get them all together. Glad to hear of everyone elses recent marriages and good news. The long wait is over and we can all continue on with our lives. Good luck and continued success to everyone!

C.J. & Jum

Congratulations to all recent newlyweds! (and soon to be newly weds).

Hi yodrak, her ID has to match her parole document to fly. How else can she prove she is the one holding the parole document if she has no matching ID. Her name has to match her airplane ticket to fly ya know? Can't buy and airline ticket without ID.

Skyman,

When we went back to Thailand Ying's passport has her maiden name and her green card has her married name. The tickets were issued in her married name. We took our original marriage certificate (we ordered several with the raised seal) and we didn't have any problems. Since her green card and tickets were in her married name we only had to fill out 1 customs declaration when we returned.

Gene

Hello to all

Can anyone tell me how to go about cancelling a K1 application that has not yet been approved?

The NOA1 was in March but no NOA2 yet.

Does a person have to describe the situation or is it as simple as an email or phone call?

thank you in advance for any advice you may have.

Best Regards

samiam

All you need to do is send a letter to the service center stating that you want to withdraw the application. You do not need to state a reason.

Jean, Ton and I are also planning to move to Thailand. I haven't really done that much research yet, but we plan on doing that in a couple of years...

Dan

Dan,

I already received a few contact email addresses. I gladly share any information I receive.

I'm off to Thailand this Thursday. I'll be there 2 weeks for work. Unfortunately Ying will not be able to come along.

I am looking into the advantages of living in Thailand after I retire. Do any of you know an American that is retired and living in Thailand that I could contact? I have many questions and have only found some of the answers on the internet. Most of the sites I’ve found deal with Americans living and working in Thailand. I don’t plan to work. I just want to sit back and enjoy not having to shovel snow in winter! My retirement is still down the road but Ying and I are starting to plan now and we are considering buying a house in Thailand within a year or 2.

Gene

Most processed and prepackaged foods are allowed in small limited quantities as personal effects and/or gifts. These items should be declared at the port of entry on form 6059-B. Exceptions may apply due to mad cow, the avion flu, and other risks.

However, if you don't declare it, then it's likely Customs/USDA will never know, unless you are unlucky enough to have your bags examined.

When travelling by myself I don't have any problems because my bags are never searched. The 2 times I have travelled with Ying our bags have been x-rayed and 1 time they were searched. At least in Minneapolis a large percentage of the asian passengers get their bags searched even if they say that they do not have any food.

Hi Everyone,

We have our interview sheduled for 23 June which is a Friday. Does anybody have experience with a Friday interview? If approved, do you go back Friday afternoon or Monday afternoon for the visa? Thanks!!!

Most likely you will have to go back on Monday afternoon. The visas are usually given out the next business day.

Ton is still having some adjustment problems.

Dan

Dan,

Just hang in there. It took Ying several months to adjust but now things are going great! We just celebrated our first anniversary May 25 and are looking forward to many more. If you want you can have Ton contact Ying directly. She'll be happy to help in any way she can. Send me a PM and I'll give you her email and phone number.

Gene

Well we are here. Su and I arrived on May 11th at 12:50pm in NY. So far everything is going well and she is adjusting well. Still very tired and wants to sleep most of the time but all in all everything is good. She has tried to get in to our car from the driver side a few times and stops once she sees the steering wheel.

Went to a few stores to shop for food but everything is PANG! Then I took her to a Super WallMart you would think she was a kid in a candy store. She said that it was like Tesko Lotus.

All the funny things that has happen with other member (Like the eggs) has happen with us too.

Now it is time to plan the wedding and then the AOS.

Thanks to all

Ray and Su

Welcome!

WOOHOOOOO!!!

My AOS is approved!!!! YEY

we went to charlotte today (3 hrs drive) for 9.30 appointment.. they called us in at 9.20 (we arrived like 45 mins early) and she just took our papers and ask me only one question..."how did we meet" and then we talked all about our dog and her dogs and then she said i'm approved!! YEY !! we went out at 9.35am... in and out.. so fast!

I was kinda panic though so I gave her my real documents (also my W2) and i wasnt thinking about it until we drove back.. i have to ask for a replancment we had the copy but well.. she got both the real one and the copy one and problably didnt notice it ... or - it might just laying around in the waiting area.. who know.. i know only i dont have it now.. lol

she also took my EAD cards (the real one and the interim one) and i have a stamp on my passport - the Green Card will be in a mail about 2 weeks

oh.. she mention that she was so surprised our case is done so fast.... normally Charllote office takes longer time... we just fly!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!

[Hey Statsman, what kind of paperwork did Ying need to get her drivers liscense. So far all I have is the marriage certificate and the SS card, all with her maiden name on it. I need something with her new name on it. Thanks, Kirk and Jenny

All Ying needed was anything with her name on it with our address, her passport and our marriage certificate. She had to take a written exam then pass a driving test. I think each state is different. In Wisconsin an illegal alien can get a drivers license as long as they a piece of mail with their name and WI address on it. The leaders of our state don't care if the person is in the US illegally. They just want drivers to have a license because the feel the person is a better driver because they passed the test.

Gene

We finally got our AOS interview letter in the mail today. We are scheduled for June 19. and we only have to drive about 9 miles to get there! I am sure that day will come sooner than we think. So I guess now I need to get started on gathering/copying all the paperwork i think I might need. If all goes well, it will mean about 1 year total for the whole process. Faster than I expected when I first started, thats for sure.

Great News! Good luck at the interview!

All,

A month or so ago I had a few PMs with someone here about housing developments in the Chiangmai area. I have since emptied my message folders (the hand is quicker than the brain) and forgotten who. I have some further information if my correspondant is interested.

Yodrak

Hi Yodrak,

That was me. Ying and I are still interested. I hope your recent trip to Thailand was enjoyable. I am in Bangkok now but I am heading home tomorrow.

Gene

Do I need to write about just the first time we met or everytime? I am just probably over thinking this question but just want to make everything perfect. thanks

I just wrote about the first time we met then I just made 1 staement about trhe number of times we met after that.

My bank, Citibank, has a standard financial information form for immigration purposes. this form does not include deposits made for the past 12 months. The bank rep ran on about a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo and would not include it on the form.

Anyone else run into this issue? Any ideas on what I should do, other than change banks?

Do you have access to your statements on-line? Any way to print those out and attach to the imigration form from Citibank?

Does the letter from the bank itself is good enough? Anybody can confirm?

Thanks.

Last year I took a similar letter from my bank, copies of some monthly statements and I also had my local branch print out an account summary that had current balance, date the account was open and that it was never overdrawn.

We didn't have any problems.

CONGRATULATIONS!!

My fiance(e) got her Visa! She got it April 4. I started the process (NOA1) September 26, so about 6 & 1/2 months total going through CSC.

Thought I'd share my experience since I've learned so much from here...

Got to the Embassy at 7:45am and went in and checked in at window 5 with all of our paperwork. They seem to start the K-1 interviews when the clock hits 9am. We were about the 5th or 6th called to window 6. We we're interviewed by a well spoken falang about mid-thirties. He said hi to the both of us and asked her if she spoke english. She said yes and he continued writing stuff down. Then he asked her where she learned english, she then told him from school and reading alot. He asked where she was from and she told him Petchabun. He then continued writing more stuff down. Then he took a breath and directed his questions to her and asked where we met. Then asked me how many times I've come to see her and I said 5 times and he seemed a little shocked by that and told me that was 'dedication' and we laughed. That was it and told us to come back the next day at 3pm and pick it up. Seemed very nerve racking but was pretty easy in the end.

I got her birth certificate translated the next day at one of those shops down the road on the corner of wireless and sukhumvit for 200 baht and now I'm ready to head home with her and get married and start the AOS process

Great News!

Congratulations!!

As many of you know Su passed her interview back on Feb 7th with Jum. She was waiting for the xrays and Dr reports before she could be cleared and given the Visa. Well after two months of emotional pain and several trips to the Dr and some meds I am happy to report everything is fine. The Dr will be sending the report to the Embassy and we will finally get our visa.

So if anyone else has a problem like this don't worry have faith and every thing will work out. I know it will be hard, because you can not get answers right away but let the Dr do his or her job and give it time.

Ray

Well it is now official. Ton and I got married today

Now I dred having to go through the whole AOS process

Dan

:dance:

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Hi All,

Anybody planning to be in Bangkok at the end of April? I'm heading there for work. I'll be there April 24 - May 2. It would be great to have a Singha or 2 with some other VJers. Unfortunately Ying won't be along this time. She has to work.

A few questions...

What is the address of the Bangkok Post Office where the US$100.00 visa fee is paid?

Does my fiancee need to bring anything regarding her case to the post office?

What identification is required at the Medical Exam?

thanks

Here's the info I got from Ying.

Where to pay visa fee:

NANA Post Office

118-122 Sukhumvit Rd., Soi Nana (Soi 3), Klongtoey Bangkok 10112

SILOM Post Office

333 Silom Rd., Bangrak, Bangkok 10504

SATHORN Post Office

175 Sathorn City Tower Bldg. Floor B-1, South Sathorn Rd., Tungmahamek, Sathorn, Bangkok 10341

KLONG TOEI Post Office

1422-1424/2, Soi Srintr 6, Rama IV Rd., Klong Toei, Bangkok 10111

PATPONG Post Office

113/6-7 Suravongse Rd., Bangrak, Bangkok 10506

There are other places

She had to fill out a form, pay the money and show her ID.

For the medical exam she took the forms from packet 3, her passport, 2 photos and money to pay the fee. Here is what the cost was last year, Medical exam cost: 2 shots – 3000 baht, 3 shots 4300 baht

Which Post Office is closest to the Embassy, maybe Nana?

I am only familar with the location of the Nana post office. It is on the south side of Sukhumvit Road between the Nana BTS station and Soi Nana. It is a small store front. I've walked past it dozens of times before Ying pointed it out to me. If you are familiar with the area it would be just west of the Landmark Hotel in a set of shops that include the Majestic Suites Hotel and a Subway Sandwich Shop. Ying went to this post office because it was near Bumrungrad Hospital. In 1 day she dropped her paperwork at the embassy, had her medical exam at Bumrungrad and paid the $100 at the post office.