biggish data

SAWASDEE 3 (2009 Thai thread restarted)

QUOTE (HYENA @ Aug 27 2009, 12:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I feel for them and am motivated to find the means to get them into an airtight, air conditionable house.

Do they want A/C? Some don't. My wife hates A/C. She's from BKK and our condo there has A/C, but she never turns it on. Here in the states we live in Florida and she turns it off when I'm not home. Before we were married, she never used it in her place even though she had it and could easily afford to do so. "Too cold and bad for the skin."

toma1

Male

Thailand

2009-09-12 08:56:00

Not Able to Pay for Visa Appt App in Advance -- Now What???

You have some good answers here. Check with the bank branches if you can (maybe online) The branch of ProCredit Bank closest to the consulate in Kiev opens at 7am just for this purpose. Maybe a branch there does the same.

LOL... wow a lot of immigrants coming from Ukraine, huh?

toma1

Male

Thailand

2010-06-14 21:15:00

Staying in the us on a Tourist visa while waiting for K1 approval

I have, in my eyes at least, a fairly complicated situation. First my fiance is about 4 months pregnant, I filed for the K1 about 3 months ago...and am worried that we will not be able to get the visa before the baby is born, and we would prefer the baby to be born in the US to avoid any additional paperwork or delays in getting the K1 visa. My fiance does have a multiple entry tourist visa, which I believe is good for 6 months upon her entry into the US as a tourist. So the question I have is, can she use this tourist visa lets's say when she's 7 or so months pregnant and stay in the US on her tourist visa while we are awaiting the K1 approval, and the arrival of our baby? and would this look suspicious at the time of her interview? basically would this cause any other issues? I'm looking for a creative solution to a difficult problem, and hoping she can use the tourist visa to come stay in the US while we wait, we would certainly ensure she did not overstay her tourist visa. I am also aware that she has with the K1 the beneficiaries are often asked to show intent to return to their home countries, which she could do as she owns a house there and would have a return ticket home.any advise/help is greatly appreciated

I agree. Better bring her in soon if you are going to do it...

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-02-17 20:01:00

K-1 Visa denied

With God nothing is impossible and he will never let His children become miserable.

Hm... Ever heard of a place called Somalia? The Killing Fields? Concentration camps? :bonk:

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-02-17 20:09:00

DHL, FedEX, USPS.....

QUOTE (fpc95 @ Dec 3 2009, 10:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would like to know what peoples experiences are with shipping documents or packages to China? I have sent many things to China all by USPS and they can take forever to get their. I am specifically sending items to Guangzhou and they can take anywhere from 3-5 weeks for a post card to get there. If you send bunch of letters at the same time some will get their in 3 weeks and some in 5 weeks? I see that DHL is mentioned a lot when people ship things internationally? Is there any advantage to using DHL? I'm just trying to find the fastest way to get documents back and forth for signature purposes. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Chris

It usually depends on the service that you pay for and the city you are shipping to. The only way to answer this question definitively is to call each service and ask. Try UPS, DHL and Fedex.

Edited by toma1, 03 December 2009 - 11:34 PM.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2009-12-03 23:33:00

In theory, it sounds like your argument makes sense. I just have never seen any case in which this happened. Give me an actual example.

Can you give an example where a huge amount of evidence made a difference in an application that would have otherwise been rejected with the normal amount?

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-04-11 12:33:00

Why not bring it? Bring every shred of evidence you can. No one in this forum, or anywhere else will be able to tell you exactly what that particular CO will want to see on that particular day, so what do you have to lose by having every sort of evidence imaginable and letting the CO sort out what he or she wants to see.

I would bet that you will find very few people who have been denied a visa for having too much evidence.

And I would bet you are wrong. Try bringing your wedding photos to a K1 interview and see.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-04-10 10:59:00

Photos in winter and summer clothes accompanied by passport stamps and/or boarding passes with winter and summer dates, indicating travel to the country one of you lives in with are excellent evidence. Nothing wrong with evidence you create yourself, if it is corroborated by evidence you don't create yourself.

This whole thread is nonsense. A realistic tattoo can be made from henna. Or painted on. These guys aren't stupid.

Chance of helping: 0%

On the other hand, many people are--right or wrong doesn't matter here--actually biased against tattoos.

Chance of hurting: 5%

Do the math.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-04-10 10:57:00

For "her interview" a tattoo might help if it was on HER, not you. Hers is the primary intent being questioned.

HAHA, that's exactly what I was thinking...

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-04-09 23:19:00

2 - 4 months for Divorce to be final

There are laws which make eating ice cream on Sunday illegal, that doesn't mean that they can actually be enforced.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-06-01 22:14:00

2 - 4 months for Divorce to be final

I'm sorry for adding this, but.... If he is currently married (legally he is mind you), is this going to be a red flag when he goes to file and shows he met someone within past 2 years and started a relation? In some states, even if you are legally separated, you can still be charged with adultery should your significant other wish to pursue.And this will be a sworn direct admission of engaging in a relationship with the intent to marry prior to being legally divorced.. ? I would get some really solid advice on this issue before proceeding with filing. And you have a little time before that can happen anyhow. Good Luck......

You should be sorry... there is NO STATE in which you can be "CHARGED" with Adultery.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-06-01 20:54:00

K1 visa denied

I have been with my finace since 2009 i have been there every year except for this year

Um.. that's twice. Not extraordinary by any means.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-23 21:38:00

K1 visa denied

That really sucks to hear. I have reading such stories on the forum and it's really terrifying to read this and what ppl go through..So stressful. If that happened to me, I honestly would be distraught and most likely move out of this country and go somewhere like Canada, where, theres's less red tape and government regulations .. they realize the importance of couples wanting to be together. USA is a great place, but, the burden DHS puts on innocent tax paying citizens wishing to marry their loved ones is totally unacceptable.

LOL...

Just posted a thread about this. Canadan K-1 equivalent immigrant visa is currently running 21 months... best of luck.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-23 21:36:00

Denied at POE with valid visa?

To worry about it would be irrational actually.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-12-05 22:58:00

I'm unemployed financial responsibility

As a US Citizen, regardless of your income, or how you have earned a living, you must provide tax transcripts, else, you come off as looking like a tax invader.

invader-to enter forcefully as an enemy; go into with hostile intent: Germany invaded Poland in 1939.

Haha... interesting, but i think you mean "evader".

evader-to escape from by trickery or cleverness: to evade one's pursuers.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2012-01-16 12:35:00

Expedite due to work reasons

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIC) views such volunteering as “work” and requires proper employment authorization issued by that agency.

I'm thinking it's time to let this guy go down this road to prove it to himself... there are no more questions to be answered here.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2012-01-15 23:55:00

Expedite due to work reasons

My fiance is working for a company in the Philippines but sometimes her check is delayed for months. I run a small law firm and really need her help. I am thinking that my need for her help and her loss of income due to delayed pay may form a basis
for a request to expidite.

Any thoughts?

Zero percent chance is my only one... loss of income is not going to come close to clearing that hurdle.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2012-01-15 22:08:00

Hey, guys. I have not been in here for awhile since Teaw is here in the US with me. But, at the moment she is in Buriram on her one month visit and I am heading over at the end of the week and we will return together near the end of March. But, what I wanted to know is if any of you that are either in Thailand or have rented cars over there know of some good car rental outfits that are reasonably priced. We are going to do some driving around this trip instead of hanging in the village and BKK all the time. I enjoy seeing her family but I can't sit around drinking coconut milk too many days or I get crazy to do something!!!! So Teaw suggested that I post in here to see if you have any leads on a good car rental there. Thanks!!

I rented a car there ONCE and I would never do it again. I almost killed a guy on a motorbike. I can either drive on the left (UK) OR deal with crazy drivers (Mexico) but not both at the same time (Thailand). If you are going to rent one, don't use some small outfit--call Avis or on of the other big names and use some Platinum Mastercard for the insurance. Or--go Thai and rent a motorbike. I wouldn't drive one in Bangkok, but I think it would be fine out in the country.

Edited by toma1, 06 March 2012 - 11:13 AM.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2012-03-06 11:13:00

My fiance has his appointment in 10 days. Pray for a good result and a safe travel here! I can't wait.

I predict zero problems at the interview for Ice.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-12-04 14:26:00

The banks I use allow joint accounts apparently. That would be Chase and Fidelity. And FIA, which is loosely associated w/ Fidelity.

I was just talking to Chase so I asked, and you're right they do issue them now. Citi wouldn't for my Premier Pass card. So I wondered about this and I googled a bit and found that most financial advisors do not recommend joint accounts. Here is the gist of it:

While we have touched on this topic in many threads, I dont think we've ever had a discussion about the evils of joint credit accounts, joint mortgages, etc.

Joint credit accounts are really nothing more than COSIGNED loans (and by now we all know that cosigning is generally bad!)

Disadvantages of Joint Credit Accounts
1. A Late payment dings both credit reports
2. Both individual's debt/income ratios affected by balances reporting to the bureaus
3. Get only 1 credit card signup promo/ 1/2 the rewards cap of 2 separate accounts
4. If CC stolen, can affect both credit reports until corrected
5. Problematic if going through divorce/separation
6. If accounts closed, you may have no individual credit under your own name

It is generally best to keep ALL credit accounts (auto, credit card, home loans) separate and individual, whether before, during or after marriage. There are some instances where a joint account will be required (ie to qualify for a home loan of a certain size), but if a debt can be placed in 1 persons name alone, choose that option!

Joint bank/deposit accounts also share many of the same negative characteristics:

Disadvantages of Joint Bank/Deposit Accounts
1. A bounced check dings both people on Chex Systems
2. Get only 1 bank account signup promo, whereas you could get 2 if have individual accounts
3. If ATM stolen, can affect both people until corrected. With 2 separate accounts, the funds in other other account wont be affected
4. Problematic if going through divorce/separation (commingling of assets, etc).

Some advantages of Joint Accounts:

1. Simplified Bookkeeping (1 set of statements for every 2)
2. If one is unavailable to take care of a transaction for another, the spouse can assist.
3. Ease of transfer of assets upon death.
4. Ease of management of assets upon serious accident or hospitalization.
5. Less solicitations.

So there you have it. Depends on what's most important to you and where you bank.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-19 15:29:00

There are cards with better benefits that anyone with decent credit can secure.

Agree. But they require SOME credit, if not excellent credit.

If this is aimed at new immigrants, a better bet is for their USC spouse to add them to their existing credit accounts.

Disagree. Most banks won't allow TRUE joint cards anymore because of the problems associated with divorce. What this means is that the immigrant spouse never builds their own credit, because the reporting is done only in the name of the cardholder, not the users.

Edited by toma1, 19 September 2011 - 03:06 PM.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-19 15:05:00

http://www.capitalon...er-credit-card/

FYI... Thought you all might like to know about this. It's about a million times better than a secured card.
Pretty amazing benefit list considering than no credit is required. (Must have NO or very little credit--bad credit will not be accepted...) The only bad thing is the interest rate, but it has a 25 day grace period, so you don't pay if you pay off the balance each month.

Capital One® Cash Rewards for Newcomers

Summary of Key Benefits:

A card designed to help those new to the U.S. build credit with automatic reporting to three major credit bureaus
Learn more about U.S. credit with a free online guide provided by MoneyWi$e
Earn 2% cash rewards on travel purchases (!)
Earn 1% on all other purchases (!)
No foreign transaction fees (!)
No annual fee (!)

MasterCard Platinum Benefits:

24-hour travel assistance services-If your credit card is lost or stolen, you can get an emergency card replacement and a cash advance.
24-hour roadside assistance-If your car breaks down or you get locked out, call us and we'll send someone to the rescue.
Extended warranty program-You'll get additional warranty protection at no charge on items that are purchased with your credit card.
Travel accident insurance-Get automatic travel insurance at no extra charge when you use your credit card to purchase your fare.
Auto rental insurance-Rent a car with your credit card and you can get collision, damage and loss insurance.

Edited by toma1, 18 September 2011 - 11:05 PM.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-18 23:05:00

I felt like saying to they guy HEY, don't you listen to what I am telling you???? Dork!!! I just wanted to take her downtown during our 12 hours so she could see a little of London.

But of course, then she would have waited 12 hours in immigration detention instead of in front of Buckingham Palace... :lol:

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-15 20:29:00

My US passport works in most of those countries without a visa. The only pains I had was India and Pakistan. The Indian consulate took 4 days at the end of soi 23 to issue me a visa.

The Pakistani embassy was even worse. No invitation letter, no visa. That one took me about 2 weeks and it was only a 15 day single entry. Every time I had to back to Karachi or Islamabad, I had to go through the same mess. The Pakistani ambassador in Bangkok had to fax a letter to get me there.

Russia and Pakistan are just about the same. All of these are reciprocity related. They make it hard because we make it hard.

India does--apparently--have some issues with Westerners overstaying... mostly the types that want to live in an ashram and meditate. :rolleyes:

For the rest, it's mostly a national pride issue and they end up hurting themselves more than you or me. Brazil, for example, has no real reason to make visas more difficult for Americans, and they probably lose a lot of tourism revenue over it. I personally had two last minute opportunities to go to Brazil, and but for the visa issue, I would have probably gone at least once.

On the other hand, the US has a LOT of illegal Brazillian immigrants so we--at least--have a reason to have the restrictions in place.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-10 21:08:00

Off topic of course, but pretty funny the UK considers themselves part of the EU. They seemed to get all kinds of exemptions on that deal. Keeping the Pound etc.

Since the UK and Ireland are island nations and have only one way in and out by land they were given an exemption. The rest of the EU really didn't have much choice once the border controls were eliminated.

Euro use is not 100% tied to EU membership.

Sweden and Denmark are also EU members that are not in the Eurozone. And... there are a few micro states (i.e. Vatican City, Monaco, etc.) that are not EU members, but which DO use the Euro.

Of course, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland are not EU members and have their own currencies--BUT they ARE Schengen members!

The EU does seem to be requiring NEW members to use the Euro as a condition of membership, however. A lot of the East European (Romania, Bulgaria, etc.) members are being required to convert.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-10 20:38:00

Interesting. So the Russian visa is not the same as the Shengen visa?

Correct. Russia has their own system; they are not an EU country.

UK is also not a participant in Schengen, even though they are EU.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-10 20:11:00

She got a Schengen visa?

Yes... she has one, but I was talking about Russia in this case.

She got a 30 day Russia stamp the same way you would get a 30 day Thailand stamp. She just showed up at airport immigration in Moscow and they stamped her in...

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-10 19:49:00

Hilarious but true. You can forget about any EU countries without a Schengen visa. Green card doesn't equal US passport.

I got a 14 day stamp in Russia and the visa cost almost $250 because I had to have an invitation letter as well.

Ann walked in and got 30 days.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-10 19:04:00

Anyone know any good but cheap apartments in Chiang Mai?

The one I stayed at when I was there was good except for there was a club right below us.

I wanna find Ice an apartment just incase he has to move out.

Any suggestions on where to look?

Contact my friend Boong: service@btsthailand.com
Really nice woman, excellent English.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-10 18:55:00

Got a question maybe a few of you can answer. If I want to take Teaw to Europe or maybe on a Caribbean cruise...anywhere but Thailand...since she has a Thai passport but US green card, do I need to get visas for the countries we would visit or can we just use her passport and the green card? Thanks!!!

Mostly she will need a visa... and definitely for Europe. Exceptions are quite rare. Times vary: Ann got a Schengen visa at the Greek consulate in Tampa in 3 days. A Turkish visa took almost two weeks, though, but at least it was mail order.

Or go to Brazil or Russia... You'll need a visa, but she won't.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-10 18:52:00

True. However, Florida is not for me. I spent some time in Miami over several business trips at some of the local TV stations at a past job and I want too impressed with the price of goods over there.

I understand some people dislike hot weather as much as I dislike cold. For me, anything less than 10C is intolerable. Hot is not a problem.

As far as prices, sure, but that's Miami. Other places have better prices, though--even Orlando. And housing is mostly pretty inexpensive. I've never seen anywhere with as low of food prices as WI, though. And good selection, too. We do have better veggies in the winter, though. And they basically give away citrus in January/February.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-05 00:08:00

sales tax is only 5.5%, property taxes are no higher than Chicago, but state income is a bit higher than Chicago. Cost of housing is WAY lower than Chicago.

Ok, but you are comparing to Illinois. The midwest (and CA) is all crazy high taxes.

Florida income tax: 0%, property tax millage rate: 15, sales tax 6% (food is not taxed, though)
WI income tax was almost 7%, property tax millage rate was 26(!), and as you say, 5.5% sales tax.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-04 22:28:00

I lived in Madison proper at one time. Madison is one of those cities that lifelong residents brag about, for some reason. These types of residents seem to believe that Madison is some great, amazing, unique city. It's not. In fact, it's pretty lame.

Agree about Madison. Pretty lame.

Yeah, but the taxes... OMG the taxes... it's the only place I've lived that had high sales, property AND income taxes. Those really add up to a lot.

Also, housing was kind of expensive around Madison.

We live where we live because it's peaceful and picturesque but also not too far from "everything". The low cost of living is nice too.

I lived in Dartmouth, MA for about 6 years. It was GORGEOUS. But I'd never go back. Too small and too insular. Everyone on my street lived in the house they grew up in--or across from the house they grew up in--except for me and a pharmacist on the end.

Anyway, I'm definitely a city boy.

Edited by toma1, 04 September 2011 - 09:53 PM.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-04 21:49:00

Yep same here. Granted Anna has to live with Tom.

There went my whiskey.

Hey, well, look at the price of Sang Som..... it's at least quadruple what I remember.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-04 21:05:00

I don't have much experience with the North. I know it's way colder up there than where we live. Plus, more snow

I suppose people that live in Fairbanks say the same about Barrow... but really, once you hit -20, who cares about -30?

I remember winters around Madison lasting until May. (Meaning we still had temperatures below 0 C in May.)

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-04 21:00:00

Spent a few days in Milwaukee. I'm from Detroit. Seemed like a suburb of Chicago.

HA! You live in Detroit and you are hitting on Wisconsin? I've never lived there, but...

I've read that you have entirely abandoned communities up there!

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-04 20:55:00

Living in Wisconsin must suck. In general they want their food and language etc.

I lived there (not far from Madison) for about two years on a job I had. I wasn't a fan. To say the least, after living in 9 states, I'd probably put it last, or second to last.

The only thing I miss is the grocery stores. They had a fantastic selection of food--especially cheese, of course--but just about everything else, too.

Who lives in WI anyway?

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-04 20:50:00

I am curious for the K-1 folks that already have thier fiancee's/wives over in the USA. Do they like it better here than the Kingdom? I suppose it will make a HUGE difference where once lives and how, but anyhow interesting. We are at the interview stage in BKK, so will be posting an update shortly but frankly living between both countries now and love the Kingdom.

Nope. She MUCH preferred living in Thailand (as do I).

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-04 19:27:00

I've been wondering how hard the drivers license process will be for my fiance when she gets here to Nebraska.

Nowhere near as hard as the winter, I'll wager.

(Ann thinks our winters are too cold...)

Edited by toma1, 02 September 2011 - 09:10 PM.

toma1

Male

Thailand

2011-09-02 21:08:00