Visas to the U.S.

[Baraka]

I plan to get married to a Thai and am looking for a reasonably-priced legal firm to handle the paperwork, etc. and who has offices in Pattaya.

[drawp]

Siam Legal has an office in Pattaya, Thailand Lawyers, Attorneys, Solicitors - Visa, Property, Business - Siam Legal Thailand US UK Visas

Not sure whether they are any good or not, but I've seen other people swear by them. Just keep in mind, there is no way to guarantee a visa, these guys are just going to be reviewing and putting your paper work in order and just coaching your wife or fiancee for the interview. All of this is stuff you can find for free on the internet

[Davis Knowlton]

There are also a number of threads on TD beating this subject to death. Look 'em up. Everything a shyster could tell you about the process is in the threads here. And with better and more accurate information.

[atticusblue]

I hate to say this but you should maybe return to the U.S. , hire a U.S. immigration attorney and then go back and get her if the fiancee visa is approved. I went through the gauntlet of preparing all paperwork myself. It takes a LONG time with or without an attorney.

[rickschoppers]

Agree with the above........go back and then download all the needed paperwork if you really want to try this. Better to do the leg work yourself since it is not cheap to hire an attorney either in Thailand or the US and have them do the same thing you can do for free. They could string it out for quite awhile padding their fee. I am sure the threads on TD will give you all the info you need including what your girlfriend should or shouldn't day. Good luck.

[Baraka]

After being turned down twice for a tourist visa, we learned our lesson. The fiance visa is out, because I want to get married in Thailand(few of my assets are here, most are in the Sates), because property accumulated prior to the marriage is not part of any divorce settlement. A pre-nup is also possible, but IMHO unnecessary.
The only visa we can get is a K-3, which is not only expensive(over $2,000), but takes 8-10 months, which we are prepared to wait for.
Since the K-3 does NOT require the approval of the American Embassy(UCIS and Homeland Security), I am told that if the paperwork is properly filled out and your girlfriend is not a terrorist, common criminal or drug dealer, she would almost certainly be approved.
Any more thoughts or leads to other web sites or forums?

[rickschoppers]

Nothing is for sure and to try and get a Thai lady over to the US is no simple task. I have been tossing things around for the past four years and have decided leaving my wife in Thailand with our son is the best way to go. I only have another 1-2 years before retiring, so it's not worth the headache to deal with all the crap involed to get her over here. I don't think she would like it anyway and is probably happier staying in her homeland. How old are you? If you are in your 20's or 30's, it may be wiser to see how things go for the next 10 years with you coming back to the US alone. If you are in your 40's, 50's or 60's, it is not that long to retirement and again not worth the headache. You are fighting an uphill battle, believe me since it seems the US has a hard on for all Thai nationals and do not want them coming to the states for any reason. Save yourself some money and forget the idea of having her come over. Just my thoughts since I have been there, done that and finally decided it was not going to happen and saved some serious money and frustration.

[Baraka]

thanks for your thoughtful and lengthy reply. I AM retired and in my 70's. My GF is in her early 30's and needs to practice her English. We both want to spend 6 months in the U.S. and travel around the country(she hasn't stepped out of Thailand since forever) and possibly live 6 months in each country.
I agree the cost is substantial, but some of these firms guarantee K-1,K-3 or CR1 success(some are int'l and quite reputable), so I'm willing to chance it. Some of my friends have filled out the forms themselves; I'm not convinced I could follow them, altho they succeeded in getting the visa.
I'll let you know what I decide to do. But I'm a determined person...

[khang]

After being turned down twice for a tourist visa, we learned our lesson. The fiance visa is out, because I want to get married in Thailand(few of my assets are here, most are in the Sates), because property accumulated prior to the marriage is not part of any divorce settlement. A pre-nup is also possible, but IMHO unnecessary. The only visa we can get is a K-3, which is not only expensive(over $2,000), but takes 8-10 months, which we are prepared to wait for.

Firstly, let me say that you are wise not to take your marriage to the US (to live there), in your situation. In the US, marriage is a key to your bank account.

I am in much the same situation you are. I am retired and have lived here for several years. I am "married" to a Thai, though that marriage is not registered or recognized by the US. (Why would I care about such? I only did it to make the wife happy, but I'm not gonna put myself at risk of a western-styled fleecing in the event that the marriage fails.)

Like you, I would like to have my wife visit the US, the main reason for which would be to meet my family and parents. The parents are up in years, and it would be physically difficult for them to come here, but are eager to meet her, and she them. But after giving it some thought, to me, the K-3 Visa is entirely too expensive. Instead of forking out that kinda money, they will just have to be satisfied with video messaging.

Hey, you didn't say, how long have you been with your lady? And how long had you been with her when you tried to get the tourist Visa? AND, did you go with her to the Embassy when she had her interview? I'm interested to know how all of that transpired for you.

Back in 2004 (I had only been with my wife for a year at that point), I tried the B-2 Visa, unsuccessfully. Everyone wants me to try that one again. They say that, after all these years together, it HAS to be successful. For me, I'm pretty fed up with the whole Visa deal. As I said, the parents are the real reason for my wanting the visit. Once they pass, I frankly don't plan anymore visits to the US (I don't like it there), myself. If my kids and siblings, etc., want to see me, they can come here.

Whatever you decide, good luck. And I hope you tell all about it on this board.

[rickschoppers]

After being turned down twice for a tourist visa, we learned our lesson. The fiance visa is out, because I want to get married in Thailand(few of my assets are here, most are in the Sates), because property accumulated prior to the marriage is not part of any divorce settlement. A pre-nup is also possible, but IMHO unnecessary.
The only visa we can get is a K-3, which is not only expensive(over $2,000), but takes 8-10 months, which we are prepared to wait for.
Since the K-3 does NOT require the approval of the American Embassy(UCIS and Homeland Security), I am told that if the paperwork is properly filled out and your girlfriend is not a terrorist, common criminal or drug dealer, she would almost certainly be approved.
Any more thoughts or leads to other web sites or forums?

www.thaivisa.com has lots of information on obtaining all the different visas and may be of some help. Good Luck.