Erich&Chanisa

My wife has been here for about 3 years so she's not as easy to please as when she first got here but I made her very happy recently by buying her a outdoor propane cooker with a 22-inch wok: http://www.amazon.com/Eastman-Outdoors-37212-22-Inch-Carbon-Steel/dp/B0002OOMRG/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_0_2

Best pad thai ever comes out of that thing.

Most of the other suggestions on this thread are great, btw. One thing you can do to help her improve her english is to watch a lot of american shows and movies on Netflix. With most shows and movies on Netflix, you can turn on english subtitles which has been a great help to her as far as understanding spoken english, especially the southern accents that she often hears here in NC. Be careful about what you let her watch, though (says the guy whose wife made him sit through about 8 season's worth of Malcolm In the Middle.)

Submitted P3 on Monday, anyone else having trouble getting the hard copy in the mail? I emailed them to ensure they received it, and they said they shipped it out just after the New Year and she still hasn't gotten it. Anyway, hoping it gets scheduled soon, looking at bigcasino's info it shouldn't be too long till interview.

No need to even wait for it. If you've verified that they sent it and you know your case #, just download all the forms you and submit your packet 3 that way. (This is what Chanisa and I did -- we never received our packet 3 stuff.)

Erich

She sounds like a real 'force of nature'

Mark

Thanks Mark!!! Very aptly put! Keeping up with her physically and mentally will be a full-time job!!! I'm not complaining -- I haven't felt so alive in years.

Erich

Woohoooo!!! Chanisa got her visa!!!

Here's how she described the interview:

Chanisa's appointment was scheduled for 7am, Dec 30th.

Chanisa arrived at the embassy at 5:45am and stood in line to wait to be admitted to the embassy. Although she was the first K-1 visa seeker to arrive, she was 5th in line -- the first 4 people wanted tourist visas. She claims she was the best-dressed of the K-1 visa seekers Typical Chanisa -- That's my girl!

At 6:30am, the embassy doors were opened. She waited until 7am when an announcement was made that K-1 fiancée seekers should come to window #5.

The woman at window 5 asked for specific original documents (including a document that had been missing from our packet 3). It was a good thing that Chanisa's documents were organized (tabbed) in a such a way that she could quickly and easily find the requested documents. Chanisa then sat down and waited for her name to be called.

At 8:30, she was the 5th K-1 seeker to be called to window #6 where she greeted an unsmiling woman who was initially somewhat cold. (Chanisa bravely kept smiling, though.)

Chanisa was then asked to sign a document that affirmed that she was telling the truth and then she was quickly fingerprinted.

Then, the interviewer began questioning Chanisa:

"How did you meet your fiancé".

"When did he come to see you?"

"How much time did you spend together?"

"What is your fiancé's job?"

"Do either of you have any children?"

"When will you get married?"

DONE!!

The woman then told Chanisa that she could pick up her visa on Jan 6th!!!

The interview was conducted entirely in English and took less than 4 minutes. Note: Chanisa is a fairly proficient (and very confident!) english speaker.

Chanisa's advise/comments:

Treat the interview like a job interview. It is important to be confident!

When you talk to the interviewer, make eye contact and be cheerful. She also said to pretend (haha) that you really really love your fiancé (even if you are mad at him for waiting until the last minute to send some documents!)

NOTE: Of the 5 K-1 seekers Chanisa knew about (including herself), 3 were granted visas and 2 were not.

She'll be flying in to SFO on Jan 13th!!!

Thanks to all who contribute to this great and very useful forum!! God bless the interwebs!!

Erich

Thailand or Siam? What’s in a Name?

Good Stuff!! Thanks!

I am also interested in a very colorful, formal Ao Dai

You'll get a better response by posting on www.usvisa4thai.com, which is kind of like visajourney for thai girls (mostly girls, anyway) who are emigrating to the USA.

I know a little bit about this topic.

Yes, what is needed are tax transcripts and they are free of charge.

For me, the easiest and quickest way to get my transcripts was to go down to my local I.R.S. office where they were given to me on the spot.

(Ordering them on the phone turned out to be a frustrating experience for me because, besides waiting on hold for at least 20 minutes before being able to speak to a human, I failed to answer the I.D. verification questions quickly enough (What was your address in 2006?, How did you file?, etc.) for the I.R.S. to be assured that I was me. Arrrrgghhh!!)

Hi all, I am just thinking ahead here. Our 129F is still at CSC but we should be approved I am hoping in Dec. I am trying to make sure our K1 visa is done by May when I come. I have downloaded all the docs from the embassy website and will be compleating them in the next month so they are ready to go. My question is can you turn in your packet 3 before they mail it to you? I can track my app from NVC to the Bangkok embassy and download al the forms before so after the embassy has it can I just send in a completed packet 3 or should I wait for the embassy to mail it to us and then send it in? One more quick ? how long from the time you turn in packet 3 and 4 till the interview? I see different embassy have different times from a few weeks to 5 months so does anyone know how long Bangkok is running now? Thanks for all the help everyone

Hi BC75,

Yes, you can send in Packet 3 stuff as soon as you have your case # and are sure that the embassy has your case. I'll explain how I know this later tonight when I'm not so pressed for time. (I'm actually on my way to the post office to send my baby the I-134 and other doc's she needs to send in packet 3 for us!)

Re: the wait times between sending in packet 3 and your interview date, the most current info I have is not so great. Per usvisa4thai, One woman sent in her packet on November 20 and her interview was scheduled for December 17. This really sucks because earlier in the month people were getting their interviews only 10 or so days after sending in packet 3. I'm still holding out hope that my fiancée gets her interview and visa in time to make it here by Christmas, though.

Good luck and thanks to all that have contributed to this excellent thread!!

Erich

Sorry for doing this the lazy way, but the following email thread should explain why it's ok to send in packet 3 stuff before receiving packet 3 in the mail (provided you have the case # and you're sure the embassy has received your case.):

IV Inquiry -- BNK 2009 xxx xxx-- xxxxxxxx, Chanisa

Reply

|

Erich xxxxxxxx

RE: K-1 fiancée visa Thai Applicant (beneficiary) Info: Chanisa xxxTele...

Nov 17 (11 days ago)

Erich xxxxxxx

to visasbkk, Chanisa, Chanisa, erich.xxxxxxxx

show details Nov 17 (11 days ago)

RE: K-1 fiancée visa

Thai Applicant (beneficiary) Info:

Chanisa xxxxxxxx

Telephone (in Thailand): 081-xxx-xxxx

Email: xxxx_xxxxxxxxx@hotmail.com or chanisa.xxxxxxxx@gmail.com

American Petitioner Info:

Erich Richard xxxxxxxx

Telephone (in USA): 704-xxx-xxxx

Email: erich.xxxxxxx@gmail.com or erich.xxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.com

Dear Sir or Madam,

I have 2 questions that I hope you can answer.

1. Can you please tell me whether you have received our K-1 fiancée visa case/application from the National Visa Center?

Please note that we received our case number, BNK 2009 xxx xxx, after speaking with USCIS on the phone.

2. If the answer to the preceding question is "yes", can we send in the current (Rev. May-09) packet 3 checklist and required documents (all obtained from your website) even though we have not yet received packet 3?

Like almost every couple seeking a K-1 visa, we want to be together as soon as humanly possible.

Thank you for your time.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Erich

Nov 17 (10 days ago)

Bangkok Auto Replies (Not for Public Use)

to me, chanisa.xxxxxxxxxx

show details Nov 17 (10 days ago)

Dear Mr. Erich:

The Immigrant Visa Unit of the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok received the above captioned case for Ms. CHANISA xxxxxxxxx from NVC on November 10, 2009. The Packet 3 which is an instructional letter was mailed to the applicant’s address below on November 10, 2009.

CHANISA xxxxxxxxx

xxx MOO. xxx, xxxxxxxxxx

CHALERMPHRAKIAT

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT 80290

In order to schedule an interview appointment, the IV Unit has to receive these following documents from the applicant through the mail.

DS-230 Part I

Signed checklist

2 frontal photographs

a photocopy of the applicant’s passport photo page

and photocopies of all required application documents listed in the Packet 3 checklist.

This is to make sure that the applicant will have all application documents on the interview day. Please do not mail any original official documents, such as the original birth certificate, original passport to the IV Unit by mail as the documents can be lost in the mail. For medical examination result, the applicant can submit in person on the interview day. Normally, after the IV Unit received the complete returned Packet 3 documents from the applicant through the mail, the interview appointment can be scheduled for the applicant in 2-6 weeks later. By that time, we will notify the applicant by mail.

This is our mailing address.

U.S. Embassy

Consular Section

Immigrant Visa Unit

95 Wireless Road

Bangkok

10330

Regards,

Correspondence Unit

Nov 17 (10 days ago)

Erich xxxxxxx

to Chanisa

show details Nov 17 (10 days ago)

CHANISA!!!!!!!!!!! Time to hurry!!!! Oh ######!!! I need to hurry to get you my documents!!!!

- Show quoted text -

Hopefully that's not too confusing for anyone who's not as tired as I am right now.

Erich

So in the excruciating count down to interview time, my fiancee is obsessing about all the possible things that can go wrong in the interview and have the visa denied. I don't recall seeing anyone denied from the Bangkok embassy for a K-1 and post about it here. Anyone know of anyone denied and why?

Most people are eventually approved. Bangkok is better than many other places, that's for sure. But if you haven't seen any denials, then I think you probably didn't go back far enough. There are lots that have not been approved on the first try. Many of those got a visa on the second try. I think the most common reason was that the embassy did not believe the relationship was real.

From what I can tell, the more reasons the beneficiary has NOT to leave Thailand, the more likely the visa is to be granted. For example:

Things like this tend to result in a favorable decision on the first try:

has a good job

owns property in Thailand

has money

has a college education

speaks English fluently

is from Bangkok

long relationships

Things like this tend to cause more scrutiny:

not enough photos of you together in different places at widely different times

does not speak English well (especially if you do not speak Thai)

no high school education

no job/money

is from the Northeast

short relationships

ever worked in a bar

I think the more correct version would be "doesn't HAVE to leave". I digress.

I'm curious. What is it about you that makes you so much better than everybody else? You have talked about how much money you spent for your Sin Sot, even pointing out that you posted a picture of it on Wikipedia, and how you are a professor, and how you always seem to act like you are better than everyone else! Do you think you are the only one on here that has a college degree and makes good money? Have you ever considered that some people are as educated and wealthy as you but don't feel the need to disclose this type of personal information on a public website? The purpose of this web site is to help others going through the immigration process; not talk about how good they are, which obviously seems to be your thing. The fact that you came up with your two lists shows how arrogant and unsympathetic you are to others going through this process. People here don't need to know how much money you paid for your Sin Sot, because all it does is make it harder on those who don't have that kind of money to throw around. Using vocabulary that most people never use in day to day conversations doesn't make you look smarter, it makes you look smug. If you can't offer advice that will help the average person going through this process succeed, then you need to find a web site that only caters to the rich, educated, and egotistical. (Notice I didn't use the adjective "famous", because you are certainly not that.) You only make people wonder; If he is as educated and wealthy as he profess', why is it he had to go to Thailand to find a bride? There are many of us here who were already working and traveling overseas when we met our fiancées, not stalking them on the internet. Which one are you? Please don't assume that all of us on here are poor, old, uneducated, fat, bald, ugly Americans that can't find anything better. We can't all be like you and have such a gay looking goatee; however, we can surpass your education and income level, but chose not to flaunt it in other people's faces.

Bwahahahaha!!

My 2 cents:

Robert, dude, c'mon, you need to chill. ALL of us here have enough in common to get along better than you seem to want.

You DO and have contributed a lot to this board and thread -- BUT you come off as being intolerant, unlikable and uncool too often to be criticizing someone as relatively inoffensive as Toma1 (or Hyena, for that matter) in such harsh terms. It's hypocritical and smacks of plain old insecurity, ya crotchety old so and so.

When Toma1 says something lame (and this does happen, haha), don't you think the better response is to gently poke fun at him (the way Daboyz does)? Look, you're aren't gonna actually fight anyone on the internets, man. What WILL happen is your negativity will drive people away from this VERY worthwhile board. You don't want that to happen, do you? I know I don't.

Peace.

Erich

Hi all, I am just thinking ahead here. Our 129F is still at CSC but we should be approved I am hoping in Dec. I am trying to make sure our K1 visa is done by May when I come. I have downloaded all the docs from the embassy website and will be compleating them in the next month so they are ready to go. My question is can you turn in your packet 3 before they mail it to you? I can track my app from NVC to the Bangkok embassy and download al the forms before so after the embassy has it can I just send in a completed packet 3 or should I wait for the embassy to mail it to us and then send it in? One more quick ? how long from the time you turn in packet 3 and 4 till the interview? I see different embassy have different times from a few weeks to 5 months so does anyone know how long Bangkok is running now? Thanks for all the help everyone

Hi BC75,

Yes, you can send in Packet 3 stuff as soon as you have your case # and are sure that the embassy has your case. I'll explain how I know this later tonight when I'm not so pressed for time. (I'm actually on my way to the post office to send my baby the I-134 and other doc's she needs to send in packet 3 for us!)

Re: the wait times between sending in packet 3 and your interview date, the most current info I have is not so great. Per usvisa4thai, One woman sent in her packet on November 20 and her interview was scheduled for December 17. This really sucks because earlier in the month people were getting their interviews only 10 or so days after sending in packet 3. I'm still holding out hope that my fiancée gets her interview and visa in time to make it here by Christmas, though.

Good luck and thanks to all that have contributed to this excellent thread!!

Erich

Question about the "Single" Cert

Hi All,

I got my NOA2 on Oct 23 and so my fiancée and I are getting a jump on things by preparing everything for packet 3.

We are a little confused about whether it's necessary to furnish a "Verification of Unmarried Status", though, since she will be sending in a divorce certificate.

After digging around on this excellent site, I've discovered that the packet 3 info/checklist dated 09/08 asks for the "Verification of Unmarried Status", but the newer (newest?) checklist dated May-09 does not seem to ask for this. Additionally, my sweet Chanisa is telling me that folks over on usvisa4thai are saying that the single cert IS required.

Now, the simplest thing for us to do would be to simply have my fiancée get the single cert just in case, however that is turning out to not be so simple -- though she's 28 years old, she's been told to bring in her 70+ year-old parents before they'll give her that document. Arrrrrggggghhhhhh!!!

Anyway, I hope someone can shed some light on this requirement.

BTW, though this is my first post, I've read every page of this thread and feel like I've gotten to really know some of you. Hyena and Daboyz, your posts make me lol often. Keep up the good work!!

Erich