Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Just a quick update: We are on AOS limbo. Processing dates have finally been updated for our local office, and now state they are processing applications with receipt dates from Feb 1, 2006, our Receipt date is December 29, 2005. Today we'll be customer service to try and find out what the holdup is, will keep you all posted. Ty Man, that is brutal. What is the delay? We submitted our paperwork in March and have our Interview on August 9th. Good luck. I know you are frustrated. Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-07-18 08:06:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Hope everyone had a happy fourth! We got our NOA for the AOS interview Aug 23. Still wondering if we will get an EAD or do we have to wait for the green card for her to work? What is the EAD anyways and when did most of you get it? Thanks everyone, KnJ Hope everyone had a happy fourth! We got our NOA for the AOS interview Aug 23. Still wondering if we will get an EAD after the biometrics interview, or do we have to wait for the green card for her to work? What is the EAD anyways and when did most of you get it? Thanks everyone, KnJ EAD stands for Employment Authorization Document. If you applied for one you certainly should have already received it. I'm hoping since you are unsure what it is for that you did not spend the money and apply. Her interview is a little over a month away.	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-07-06 07:05:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	What reason did they give you the ticket for? Dan Tell me you are kidding Dan, please. Who should have gotten the ticket? My friend is a State Trooper in Georgia and I can only guess at what the ticket was for but probably failure to maintain control of the vehicle or driving too fast for conditions. Anya, what was the ticket for? LS	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-06-27 05:51:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	fyi, the lady at the S.S.A. office had been there for many years and although I disagreed with her reasoning she probably was right. Rich, Simply said, the lady was wrong. As long as you have a certified marriage certificate, passport, and I-94 that isn't within 14 days of expiring, you can get a new SSN card. There are many posts concerning this issue, and if you look for posts by MDYoung, who is the VJ expert, he explains the whole process. Robert Robert, Then I guess she was right. Although she did not ask to see my I-94 I did not try to make this change to the new married name until after the I-94 had expired and we were well into the AOS process. Thisa arrived in the U.S. on 1.21.06 and we got the S.S.N. with her maiden name about 14 days after P.O.E.. I tried to change the S.S.N. to her married name sometime in June so well outside the 90 day window for the I-94. She made a note on the record and my understanding is that as soon as the Intv is complete her S.S.N. will update automatically and a new card will be sent. My friend suggested getting married first and getting the card issued in the new, married name but I did like so many on VJ and got it issued 14 days after P.O.E.. If the update doesn't happen what's a third visit to the S.S.A.......only another 2 hours. Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-06-24 15:52:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Wi wants to get her named changed. She does not have a middle name, and wants to use her maiden name for it. The courthouse said, "She would have to fill out forms to make the change official". Then, we will be applying for her new Social Security card. We will keep ya'll posted. Brent and Wisakha Brent and Wi, Might want to save yourself a visit to your local S.S.A. office. Since you are in the AOS process I assume your situation will be much like mine. S.S.A. would not issue a new S.S.N. with her married name UNTIL her AOS status is resolved. I argued with the lady that this made no sense and that her AOS documents (which I had with me) are in her married name. I also did the same thing with my wife regarding a middle name. We used her maiden name as her middle name. Also, when I got her State I.D. a couple of weeks back I used all three names in case there was ever a question. fyi, the lady at the S.S.A. office had been there for many years and although I disagreed with her reasoning she probably was right. Good luck with the AOS process. Mine took about 4 1/2 months from filing to Intv date. So, somewhere between 4-6 months is reasonable. We saved the money on AP and EAD since my wife is now pregnant and the process moves along so quickly. I think my friends AOS two years ago took something like 17 months. A note on your Biometrics appt. Once you get the letter you can show up before your appt date and take care of this. This might speed up your processing. No need to wait for the official date for Biometrics as long as you have the letter. Also, take your marriage certificate with the raised seal. If her passport and name on the appt letter are different you will need the marriage certificate. Luckily, my clerk of court faxed me the document so I did not have to return. gl2u Rich Edited by LastSurvivor, 23 June 2006 - 06:28 PM.	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-06-23 18:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	It should only take about a week to receive your S.S.N. in the mail. Two weeks max. You need to return to the office or figure out if there is a way to call them. Over a month is unheard of based on the most timelines I've seen. Mine took six days and included a weekend. Rich Edited by LastSurvivor, 21 June 2006 - 03:20 AM.	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-06-21 03:19:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Notice of Action letter today! AOS interview scheduled for August 9! 4 months and 16 days. Not too bad. Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-06-17 20:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	[quote name='malydon' date='Jun 11 2006, 11:55 AM' post='245042'] [/quote] I am wondering if anyone has found an inexpensive way to call to Thailand. My wifes cousin, in Chicago, has just told her about www.tollthai.com We are trying it now and it seems to work great. It is $0.01 per minute to Thailand with a $0.99 fee applied every two weeks and the credit is good for 90 days. You buy a $20.00 credit to begin. Its strange the first time you use it and it says " you can talk for 1 day and 9 hours" It is working great for us! Mike and Jass [/quote] I use a company called www.sawasdeetalk.com. If you have a broadband internet connection (ADSL or Cable Modem) you can talk over the internet unlimited for $34.99 per month. Here is why I like www.sawasdeetalk.com. The broadband phone plugs into my router and then my normal cordless phone plugs into that device. The size of the broadband phone is about the size of a pack of playing cards. My wife calls Thailand 2-3 times per day. She can be anywhere in the house and make the call and does NOT have to sit at a computer when making the call. Her talktime averages about 3000 minutes per month. I also pay an extra 2.99 per month for a U.S. phone number. At the time I signed up the choices for U.S. numbers were only in NY and LA. Now, there are numbers all over the country so there is a good chance your city is on the list. In a nutshell here are some of the highlights of using the service. 1. Unlimited minutes to any phone in Thailand or the USA for $34.99 per month. 2. Can use a regular phone. No need to sit at a computer when making calls. As long as your computer is connected to the internet and turned on you can make calls 24/7. 3. Call forwarding, Voice Mail all included in the above price. When travelling to Thailand simply forward this number to your Thai number and family members/friends can call you in Thailand without entering any lengthy pins or 1-800 numbers. They just dial your number. In my case an L.A. number. The number is automatically forwarded to Thailand and the quality is amazing. No extra charge for this. 4. Another note about call forwarding. Say you are Washington, DC and your spouse wants to call her mom in Thailand. Access the internet and change the number you have forwarded and wait five minutes. You can then call your number and your wife can talk with mom. 5. If you want, you can take the device with you to Thailand and plug into your laptop. If you have a broadband connection your USA number will ring in Thailand. So, you can call from Thailand to the U.S. for free as well. 6. When you call Thailand from the phone you enter the number just like you were in Thailand. 098998xxx and then the pound key. PM me if you have any questions. I also have a code which is good for new service and the monthly $34.99. Saves 5%. If interested PM me for the code. In the past I would call Thisa using callthai.net and net2phone but the advertised rate per minute was always a bit higher because of taxes and such. Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-06-12 05:34:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	[quote name='thai2luv' date='May 28 2006, 12:10 PM' post='220750'] [quote name='Elena' date='May 28 2006, 01:05 AM' post='220512'] [/quote]BTW what do you mean by supporting docs? Do you mean the entire I-134 Affidavit of support? The lady at window 5 will definitely tell him copies are not acceptable, and have your fiance ask to reschedule the interview. [/quote] That's good to know that it's possilbe to reschedule the interview. I really hope so. I sent the entire I-134 in the mail, the notarized one along with the original employment letter. I emailed my husband copies but the I-134 obviously won't have the notary seal because it's a photocopy. [/quote] Let us know how it works out. Other than making closet space, what did all of you do to make your fiancee comfortable whe she arrived? Anyone have the thai satellite TV? How can I get it here in Los Angeles? I remember we talked about this a while back, but I can't find the thread. [/quote] I purchased a Coolsat 6000 receiver and a 30 inch dish and we are hitting the 97-W IA bird for all the Thai channels that are free. She LOVES it and I kind of enjoy watching it every so often. I'll post more details later but yes it is possible and the only cost is the equipment and the effort of putting it up. RIch	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-05-28 12:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Dennis and Tik's interview was yesterday. I wonder how it went???? Dennis and Tik had their interview on Monday. There was a problem and they are to return to the embassy and hopefully things will be worked out Thursday or Friday. I know very little about the details but everyone keep them in your thoughts. I'm looking forward to meeting Tik very soon. Hopefully Dennis can fill us in on the details next week. Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-05-24 05:34:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	We still haven't started our AOS yet. Dan, I know it has been posted before somewhere but shouldn't you really start the AOS process within the 90 days after P.O.E.. Is she techincally here illegally now? Looking at your timeline you are well over that amount. Hope this does not cause any problems in the future. Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-05-10 05:34:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Rich, Actually, by definition, "[t]he term "immigrant" means every alien except an alien who is within one of the following classes of nonimmigrant aliens ..." The list of exceptions is lengthy and detailed, but a quick reading does not find an exception for undocumented aliens who are present in the USA. Indeed it appears that for non-immigrant aliens who are in the USA what makes them non-immigrants is that they are documented as such. Without documentation they are immigrants by definition of law. INA Title 1, Section 101(a)(15) Yodrak While I guess this could be called a "rant" it is something on my mind today. ALL of us have worked through the Visa process paying the fees and waiting months or years for our loved ones to join us. This blurb today from www.boortz.com is right on the money. Political correctness seems to be the order of the day in the media. I'm listening to CNN this morning as I prepare these program notes. Time after time I hear the word "immigrants." Only once thus far have I heard any derivative of the word "illegal" used in a story. The idiotic phrase "undocumented workers" comes up now and again. It seems that the last thing that the media wants to do is to call them what they are .... illegal aliens. By definition they are not "Immigrants." Immigration is a legal procedure which these people have not followed. They're aliens ... again, by definition ... and they're here illegally. That adds up to illegal aliens. While they're trying to close down some American cities why can't we just call them who and what they are? Just kind of rubs me the wrong way when I think of the hoops I had to go through for my fiancee to enter the country legally. Rich I actually heard someone say the other day: "Just because someone is an illegal immigrant does not mean they are breaking the law." uhhhhm, yeah right. Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-05-01 11:50:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	While I guess this could be called a "rant" it is something on my mind today. ALL of us have worked through the Visa process paying the fees and waiting months or years for our loved ones to join us. This blurb today from www.boortz.com is right on the money. Political correctness seems to be the order of the day in the media. I'm listening to CNN this morning as I prepare these program notes. Time after time I hear the word "immigrants." Only once thus far have I heard any derivative of the word "illegal" used in a story. The idiotic phrase "undocumented workers" comes up now and again. It seems that the last thing that the media wants to do is to call them what they are .... illegal aliens. By definition they are not "Immigrants." Immigration is a legal procedure which these people have not followed. They're aliens ... again, by definition ... and they're here illegally. That adds up to illegal aliens. While they're trying to close down some American cities why can't we just call them who and what they are? Just kind of rubs me the wrong way when I think of the hoops I had to go through for my fiancee to enter the country legally. Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-05-01 08:15:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Hey does anyone know how to get a state ID with her married name on it or do we have to wait till the AOS is approved?? Thanks, KnJ Well, in Georgia it is the same place you get your Driver's License. For me that's my local State Patrol office. Take photo ID and your marriage certificate. The certified one and not a copy as the raised seal is important. I'm on my way next week to pick it up. You do not have to wait until AOS approval. Just get it in her married name. I should have done this BEFORE our biometrics appointment. Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-04-29 17:49:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Gongrats on the interview. What happens next after you send in the AOS packet? How do I know where the interview will be for biometrics. Thanks everyone. Kirk and Jenny Kirk & jenny, After sending AOS package you should received an "NOA" for the I-485; in that NOA there will be instructionson how to schedule biometrics. Don't know if things have changed but thats is how my wife's experience went. Good luck, regards, George Yes, things have changed. Your biometrics appointments will be scheduled for you by your local office and you will receive an appointment letter in the mail (usually about 4 weeks after the NOA). You can no longer schedule your own biometrics appointment. I have heard of some people doing a "walk in", we tried but were turned away and told to wait for our appointment. You can do a walk-in but only after you have received the appointment letter. We received our appointment letter rougly 13 days after our NOA1 with a date of 4/18. We could have walked in anytime between April 12-18 for the biometrics. One note: If your wife does not have a state issued photo id yet you will need a marriage certificate to indicate name change. I had to have this faxed from my county courthouse which kept me from having to return. The biometrics appt had her married name and her passport had her maiden name. I've got to get the state ID next week so I don't have any more problems. Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-04-29 08:48:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Tiksman, Robert is quite correct in his use of 'chan'. The pronoun is appropriate for use by males with intimate friends or lovers, and when used in such context the listener will not think it incorrect or funny. My wife said the exact same thing! Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-04-24 16:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Thanks Brent and Ty! my dilemna now is the I-693A. my fiance had her medical exam and shots done in bangkok in feb '06. how do i obtain the results to file for the I-485?? they kept everything there. now i have to pay $150-$350 here for the civil surgeon to perform the shots and a medical exam!! what should i do? Sorry, I posted a reply to your question above without really understanding your situation. Sorry. I would call the hospital first and have them email, fax or snail mail you a copy of her vaccination record. Look through your paperwork first and make absolutely sure you do not have this information. Medically I'm not sure getting the shots again is a good idea or if it can be done. Rich Edited by LastSurvivor, 22 April 2006 - 08:46 AM.	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-04-22 08:46:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	WHeww.. Hello all!! First I want to say congratulations to everyone that have made it/been approved/etc... since my last post. It's been awhile since I have posted anything. We were waiting on our NOA2 to arrive after having to send additional evidence to the CSC back in March. I'm happy to announce that it FINALLY came in the mail today, April the 21st!! So it took a little while, but I guess that's why it's called a journey!! I've been out of the loop for a little bit too...so...just wondering if there is anything "new" I need to watch out for or do next..just wait for the paperwork to get to Bangkok right?? I tried to explain it as clearly as I could to my beautiful Ploy, but I would really appreciate a helpful "volunteer Thai fiancee" to call my fiancee to explain to her what to expect next!! I really think that would help out!! Especially ones that have recently been through the process. Just let me know!! Thanks in advance!!! Any other help / advice / words of wisdom is more than welcomed!! Thanks all!! That is GREAT!!!!!!! CONGRATZZZZ!!!! I can have Tik call her and explain to her .. I asked Tik and she said OK she can do!. PM me with her # if you want Tik to call. I was worried about you because you have not posted in a while. Good to hear from You!! I can volunteer my wife's services as well for making phone calls and helping out with the "what to expect" factor. We have free calls to the USA and also to Thailand and she LOVES to talk. Dennis, are you excited yet? How many days until the interview? Have you started packing yet? Looking at your latest picture you do need to get out in the sun a bit more. Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-04-22 08:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Thanks Brent and Ty! my dilemna now is the I-693A. my fiance had her medical exam and shots done in bangkok in feb '06. how do i obtain the results to file for the I-485?? they kept everything there. now i have to pay $150-$350 here for the civil surgeon to perform the shots and a medical exam!! what should i do? Double check through all the paperwork she received.. they will usually give her an unsealed copy of her vaccination records... it might be there mixed in with other paperwork. If she does not have it, then I think she would have to go to a civil surgeon and get a new medical / shots (there has to be a way to avoid this, but I'm not sure how. Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in.) You can find a list of local Civil Surgeons here. As you already know your fiancee has had all the shots necessary to come to the U.S.A. There is no need to pay anything to a Civil Surgeon except the clerical cost of transferring that information to the I-693A form. She does not need an exam or more shots. Find Civil Surgeions in your area and start making some phone calls. I found one who transferred the information for $25 from the paperwork she brought back from her medical exam in Bangkok. Some Civil Surgeons will charge more and some of the ones who want to make a little extra cash will tell you she has to have the exam again costing anywhere from $200-$300. Again, just make some phone calls. Explain your situation and that your wife does not need another exam. To carry this a step further when you make the call tell them the shots on her paperwork from Bangkok. If any are missing you can have your local medical doctor give these vaccinations and save even more money as the charge from the Civil Surgeon can be high. Bottom line there is no need to pay a Civil Surgeon anything except for their time of copying that information over to the I-693A. Most likely somewhere between $25-$50. Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-04-22 08:22:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Thanks Twellspeak. Now tell me about the vaccination supplement. All I have is the checklist from Bangkok. What did you use for yours? Thanks alot, K n J We looked online and went to a local civil surgeon. Some of the shots require that a series bee completed, so she may need more shots. The shots can be expensive at a civil surgeon, so be prepared to possible shell out a bit of cash. Ty My civil surgeon advised that if Thisa needed more shots I could have these done by my primary care doctor. We use Kaiser so if more shots had been necessary we could get these done at a reduced cost and then carry the documentation to the civil surgeon to be transferred. No need to pay the Civil Surgeon for the extra series of shots unless of course your wife does not have health care yet. LS	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-04-18 21:41:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	They are not the same numbers.....A# can be found on the NOA #2 , look next to "beneficiary", The red numbers on the k-1 visa is the non-immigrant visa number. 100% correct it's the red number Thanks Twellspeak. Now tell me about the vaccination supplement. All I have is the checklist from Bangkok. What did you use for yours? Thanks alot, K n J Do a search for civil surgeons in your area. Then start making phone calls. All you need is to have the information transferred from your Bangkok form to I believe an I-693. Not sure about the number but the Civil Surgeon will know the proper form. Call around as they can and do charge pretty much whatever they want to transfer the information. Some will even say NO. I called about 4 places and a wonderful lady did the work for me at $25. There is no reason to have the medical exam again unless it has been over one year. Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-04-17 21:56:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Well.. we finally had Dao's biometrics done today for both AOS and EAD. When she asked how long it would be before she would receive her card the only answer they would give is "up to 90 days". I know it will not take that long .... unless... hmmm I dont want to even think about it! 90 Days for her Green Card? I hope that is the case. Mailed off my AOS packet on 3/27 and our biometrics appointment is scheduled for next week. 4/18 to be exact. Rich Edited by LastSurvivor, 14 April 2006 - 04:58 PM.	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-04-14 16:56:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	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? I know you didn't ask for the advice but you probably hit the nail on the head. At some point it is time to change banks. I sent an email to my bank and not only did they respond with exactly what I needed but I received it the NEXT day. Now, thats customer service. You shouldn't have these kinds of problems from your bank. Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-04-11 07:50:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Breaking news interview date assigned May 22 2006 7 am That's GREAT NEWS Dennis! Thisa and I are looking forward to meeting Tik! Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-04-04 11:15:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Anyone tried to bring Mama or Papa to the U.S.? As mentioned a bit earlier my wife of 2 months is expecting a little one. This was not something we planned but one of those 1% out off 99% issues you hear about with birth control. Anyway, I would love to fly her mom over before the delivery and for a short time after. Is this possible or should I not make the effort? She has ties to her country including a rubber tree plantation, a home, a husband and two other children. My wife has already told her the chances are ha-sip ha-sip (50-50). Any thoughts? Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-04-01 16:47:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Life is full of little surprises! I am mailing off the AOS paperwork tomorrow and we found out today that before the end of the year I will get TWO extra tax dedections. One for my new wife and another in November! We were taking precautions but I guess when it's time it's time! 2006 is shaping up to be a GREAT YEAR! Now I can pull out that I-765 (EAD) My Best, Rich Edited by LastSurvivor, 23 March 2006 - 10:18 PM.	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-03-23 22:17:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Can someone please explain this to me? I am in the process of filing for AOS in the next day or so. I've been trying to decide whether or not to file the EAD paperwork as well. A friend directed me to this link: http://policy.ssa.go...b4?OpenDocument From the above link is the following statement: The following lists nonimmigrants, by alien classification, who are authorized to work in the U.S. without specific authorization from INS. The alien’s I-94 will not have the INS employment authorization stamp and the alien will not have an EAD. In that list for class of admission is K-1 (Fiance(e) of U.S. citizen) What am I missing here? My wife would like to work and the above indicates there should be NO NEED to file for EAD and pay the fee. But, her S.S.N. card indicates: VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION Rich Edited by LastSurvivor, 21 March 2006 - 10:41 PM.	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-03-21 22:40:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	An Alaska Cruise I have been considering a cruise to Alaska leaving in July. We are going to leave from Seattle and return to Seattle. I got to thinking more about this on the way home today from work and I'm not sure she can do this. We leave a U.S. port and return to a U.S. port but will be travelling in INTL waters. One of the stops is in Canada and I just figured we would stay on the ship. I'm thinking that even though we stay on the ship she will be required to go through customs and immigration upon our return to Seattle. Is this true? Is this a no-no with the K-1 visa. We were married on 2/10 but no way will the AOS be back by July. Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-02-17 17:29:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Hi All! Thisa and I were married on Feb 10th. In my haste to do the deed I placed the ring on the WRONG hand. We had a small service in our home with a few family members and a cake and some fruit after the service. All in all a very nice day. Now the AOS process begins. I have a couple of questions if someone could give me some input. We are going today or tomorrow to change her S.S.N. to reflect her married name. Do I wait until this is complete with S.S.A. and then fill out the forms with her first name and my last name on the form? I'm concerned that her K-1 and Passport have her maiden name. I've also considered using her maiden name as her middle name on the I-485 and supporting documents. Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-02-15 07:21:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Thank you all for your input. Ton calls home everyday to talk to Mom and some days to her friends. I think that actually makes it worse. The more she calls, the more homesick she gets. Rich, I have been very patient. It has nothing to do with patience when the person refuses to speak. Her english is fine when talking to me, but she won't talk to anyone else. I have not worked since we came back to the states and I am about to go back next week. I can't imagine how board she will be then. I am planning on taking her to Thai town this week and hopefully a Temple. But I am finding out, the more Thai stuff we do, the more she misses home. Every time we start talking and things seem a little better, then she does a 360 again and we get into it all over. I will keep all posted. Hello Dan, I did not want to cause offense. I guess I have just experienced the total opposite reaction with Thisa. She never stops smiling, loves my parents and loves to work outside in the garden every day. Even on the cold days. She talks to her mom every day for 40 minutes or so. Maybe this can not be salvaged. America is very different from Thai culture. I hope this works out....don't give up too soon. Two weeks is a relatively short time. Does she have any hobbies or interests you can help her with? gl2u and Ton. Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-02-02 13:39:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Not even 2 weeks yet and I am sendning Ton back home to bangkok. She is too home sick and I can't deal with that every day. I have tried to talk to her about it, but she doesn't talk, she just clams up. I don't think I will ever date anyone from a non-english speaking country again. Dan, Please do not take this the wrong way because I mean it with the best intentions. It seems like maybe you are not willing to work on this and maybe you have a bit of a temper. I remember a couple of months ago you were ready to throw in the towel and things worked out. Now, after only two weeks you are yet again ready to give up. Patience does not seem to be one of your virtues. This is not easy! For you or Ton. It takes a LOT of work on your part. You have to go out of your way to help her make friends, entertain her, show her how much you love her, eat Thai food everyday and then just when you think you've done it all come up with something else to make her happy. While I think many of us would LOVE to live in Thailand we have not actually made the move. She will most likely be homesick for months and it is unreasonable to believe any different. Think about everything she has given up to come to the USA with you. She is probably terrified. I think you should both calm down and work at this. Certainly do not get married until you have had the better part of your 90 days. Have her talk to a few of the girls from the forum. My fiancee' will gladly call her and say hello if you'd like. Sometimes just talking to another Thai can make a HUGE difference. PM me if you would like for Thisa to call and say hello. Rich Edited by LastSurvivor, 02 February 2006 - 06:31 AM.	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-02-02 06:27:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Thisa received her S.S.N. today! Only 6 days after the submitting the paperwork. She wasn't very excited because she still isn't quite sure why she has one and I'm not 100% sure how to explain exactly why she needs one. I'm sticking with the "can go to doctor" now and get BIG shot! On another lighter note. I called her from work this morning and we talked briefly about 8:30am. She walked downstairs and had some food. Then walked outside and locked herself out of the house without a phone. Mom called to check up on her and after no answer she came to make sure she was ok. Thisa spent 3 hours outside with it 50 and windy. Mom said she was jumping up and down when they pulled into my driveway. She only laughs about it and is all smiles. How refreshing! Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-01-31 13:55:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Hello All, When Thisa arrived in the U.S. I took her to Buford Highway in Atlanta. This is the rather large area for buying any type of ethnic foods. She has talked to her mother and told her she is very happy because she can pretty much get any Thai food she desires! Before we left she had asked if America had rice. I jokingly told her only 3 months every year is rice available and there is absolutely no seafood. I think I had her going for a few minutes anyway. While shopping in one of the larger markets I noticed she kept looking at the "white" eggs and asking where the chicken eggs were. Seems she wanted the "brown" eggs or yard eggs. She thought the "white" eggs were all duck eggs and let me know she did not like duck eggs. I explained they were all chicken eggs and got the "are you sure"? Last night a friend of ours and fellow visajourney member who returned on Saturday with his fiancee' came over for dinner. While helping Thisa cook dinner she opened up our fridge and pulled out a pkg of eggs. She looked inside and then closed the lid and pulled out another carton with the same reaction. I started laughing because I had a pretty good idea what was going on in her mind. Thisa had to explain that they were all chicken eggs but I'm not sure she believed us. More funny stories later. Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-01-30 21:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	The new aquarium is nice and I understand it is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. I found the water a bit cloudy for viewing the fishies though. Have Fun. Rich Rich, I'm cracking up laughing over Yodrak catching your slip-up with "Southern Hemisphere"!! The aquarium is the one thing that Chutima really wants to see. As for shopping, there are plenty of other places to go in that area, like MBK, and her apartment is right next to "The Mall" in Nonthaburi on Ngam Wong Wan road! I was just quoting what the guy on the skytrain told me who lives in Bangkok. While nice I'm sure it's not as big as the one in Atlanta they just built near the Olympic Park. Didn't really give to much thought to where in the world exactly Thailand is located. I just know it's a LONG flight. Let me know when you visit if the water is a bit clearer. Found it very distracting. Looked like everything was in a fog. On a lighter note Thisa and I walked all over Bangkok looking for a denim dress. We walked every inch of MBK, The weekend Market....blah, blah, blah. After two days of searching we checked one of the sidewalk shops in front of our hotel and found two for 800 baht. Amazing. Inches from the front door. Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-01-30 20:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Robert, I was at the Siam Paragon on Jan 09. Not much open in the way of stores so no need to worry about spending a lot of money. I think the bowling alley and the theatre are opening up soon but there were only a handful of stores open. The new aquarium is nice and I understand it is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. I found the water a bit cloudy for viewing the fishies though. Have Fun. Rich	LastSurvivor	Male	Thailand	2006-01-29 10:55:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Need help!!	yes, you can file for a fiance visa even you have known the person 1 day. its totally up to you. However I would suggest atleast getting to know the person before filing.	Leedah	Female	Gambia	2008-11-16 20:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	USCIS, you win...sort of...and a question about canceling the K-1	This topic is going to the wayside now. We all know that the wait is maddening and tough to say the least. However, one thing plays into these situations. Most people who choose to marry non-citizens are level headed and patient. Think about it. A person HAS TO be level headed enough to step outside of their comfort zone to even leave the U.S. and travel to another country. The average U.S. citizen didn't own a passport until recently and that was due to new regulations that required passports for cruise ships, etc. Heck, the past vice-presidential candidate JUST got a passport LAST YEAR. And that was the GOVERNOR of a STATE! So when we travel to foreign lands, we learn to adapt to cultures that are not usually our own. We learn when to keep our mouths shut to avoid unlawful police and when to speak up while haggling with local merchants. We learn how to be patient AND LEVEL HEADED from the situations we encounter. And that is what makes us usually choose to marry the non-citizen in the first place. Patience & Level Headedness. Patience when our SO says a word that is not quite translated correctly in English. Level Headed when our SO's (who've probably never been to the U.S.) tell us how the U.S. is and why we (the citizen) should listen to their "version" of the U.S. (lol) Patience when well meaning strangers (coworkers, friends, family, etc) wonder why your not with your SO and why its taking so long (why do folks think being a citizen implies an automatic ticket to the U.S.) Level Headed enough to file the paperwork to start the immigration process. People on VJ are a different breed. These people are doing for themselves and their SO's what the average person would just pay an attorney thousands of dollars to do. After reading this post, I ask everyone one of you to give yourself an empowered pat on the back. I still say its best to be patient and wait or go to your SO and wait the process out there. Why give in to your emotions at this crucial time? No matter what people want to say, the U.S. is still more free and a better place to live than most other countries. I've traveled and lived in more countries than I can count and I still look forward to getting off the plane and seeing the "Welcome To The United States of America" signs when exiting to the gateway. You will be with your SO soon enough. Be patient.	Leedah	Female	Gambia	2008-11-11 22:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	USCIS, you win...sort of...and a question about canceling the K-1	I DEFINITELY don't think you should cancel your K1. Why not just go back to China for about 3 months (if you can) with your sweetheart and wait it out together??? Simply get a street address type mail box. Have your mail sent to you their in China. (USCIS wont forward mail, but a 3rd party will). Trust me, if you go the K3 or regular I-130 to CR-1 route, you WILL wait longer than the K1 . For some reason the K1 is usually faster than other routes, however that changes from time to time depending on the service center your at. Again, don't chunk your petition. Your just throwing away your "place in line". Refiling again as a married couple doesn't make your wait faster and you'll be more pissed off than you already are. PLUS this would most likely put a SERIOUS strain on your marriage....and that's something no couple needs...especially a new couple just starting out together. Hope my advice helped you. Good luck on whatever you decide. Leedah Self-Proclaimed Bystander	Leedah	Female	Gambia	2008-11-11 21:29:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	i129-f international address ok?	I am sure that there are others here who are much more knowledgeable about this subject, but if I were you, I think I might just go ahead and get married in Costa Rica and do the DCF thing and ask my parents to sponsor us. You'd still have the domicile/support issue to deal with, but at least you and your fiance/husband wouldn't have to wait as long to jump through all the immigration hoops.	John & Mary	Female	United Kingdom	2009-03-28 18:49:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Question about timelines	Right now, Gary, it looks as if it's varying a good deal. In April the wait time was about three weeks before Packet 4, but there was at least one exception of a couple who waited nearly two months. I haven't been able to find anyone who sent back Packet 3 in late April or May who has received Packet 4 yet. Looks like the London embassy is a bit crowded this summer and we're probably in for a wait of at least 4-6 weeks for Packet 4. Of course, every time I make a prediction about such things, I'm dead wrong!	John & Mary	Female	United Kingdom	2009-05-20 18:14:00