Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	QUOTE (dbirner @ Nov 15 2007, 09:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> WOW! It is good to see everyone still checking in. CJ, Sam, Jene, Ty. In a way, I feel like I kind of miss you guys. After all, we used to spend so much time on here. Anyway, I don't know who can give me the advise I need, BUT, Ton and I are planning on moving to Bangkok. After doing some research, it appears that it is easier for Thai's to move here, than it is for us to move there. Sam how are you? Dan Wow! I am jealous. I wisk we could move back to Thaialnd now. If you are moving to Bangkok to work it can be a hassle. Retiring there doesn't look too bad. I believe that Ton needs to live in the US a minimum number of days per year to keep her green card. A good friend of mine who is a British citizen lives in Bangkok now. he lived in the US for many years and had his green card. His kids were born here and are now out of college. A few years back they took his green card away because he didn't meet residency requirements. He had a 3 year contract with a company in Bangkok. That ran out so now he started his own business. He is married to a Thai citizen but he is still have problems getting a visa for an extended stay. Gene	statman78	Male	Thailand	2007-11-16 08:22:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	QUOTE (twellspeak @ Nov 2 2007, 01:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Still checking in.. I just took a look at the form to remove conditions for Dao. Ouch $545 now! We sent in our $545 in September. Ying had her biometrics done Nov 8th. Now we wait to see if we'll have another interview or get approved without the interview. Next year we'll probably go through the same thing for citzenship. Gene	statman78	Male	Thailand	2007-11-16 08:13:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	QUOTE (Honeybarbie @ Oct 5 2007, 02:05 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hi ka , just join here now im waitting for NOA2 ,taking so long so bored is 123 days now grrr nice to meet u all Welcome!	statman78	Male	Thailand	2007-10-15 09:56:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Hi Anya, It's good to be back on VJ. I see that many of the people that posted on this thread in the past have moved on. I've noticed that Yodrak has posted any comments lately. I remember seeing his posts on a daily basis. several of his suggestions helped us through the process. We've been happily married over 2 years now. Time flies! Ying has been back home 3 times since she moved to the US. She is always happy to go back to Thailand but when she's there she looks forward to coming back to the US. Since we added anew feature to our phone service she calls back to Thailand almost everyday. For $10/month we have unlimited calling to any number in Thailand. We just filed our I-751 to renew her green card. More waiting. Next November Ying may apply for citizenship. She still has a year to decide. Take care!	statman78	Male	Thailand	2007-09-26 09:27:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	QUOTE (dbirner @ Sep 15 2007, 10:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes. Ton was just there for a month and half. I went for the last week of her visit, and then we flew back together. We had a nice time. I don't think Ying could take a month and a half back in Thailand. Her family would drive her crazy and she would run out of money since her favorite thing to do in Thailand is to eat and find bargins! Whenever we come back we always have to ask the hotel for a scale so we can balance out the weight in our luggage.	statman78	Male	Thailand	2007-09-16 10:37:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	QUOTE (dbirner @ Sep 12 2007, 12:31 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> 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.	statman78	Male	Thailand	2007-09-15 20:59:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	QUOTE (winters @ Sep 7 2007, 05:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> 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!	statman78	Male	Thailand	2007-09-10 10:21:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	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!	statman78	Male	Thailand	2007-09-06 19:04:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	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 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 Edited by statman78, 19 February 2007 - 08:08 AM.	statman78	Male	Thailand	2007-02-19 08:07:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	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!	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-09-19 14:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	[/quote] 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? [/quote] The advance Parole document should work the same. As long as you have the documentation linking the names you should be ok. Gene [quote name='Yodrak' post='303547' date='Jul 11 2006, 02:21 PM']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 [quote name='statman78' post='303383' date='Jul 11 2006, 04:01 PM'] ... Since her green card and tickets were in her married name we only had to fill out 1 customs declaration when we returned. Gene[/quote] [/quote] 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	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-07-12 12:29:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	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	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-07-11 13:31:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	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.	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-06-13 07:33:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	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	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-06-12 08:22:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	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.	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-06-05 12:53:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	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.	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-05-31 16:48:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	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	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-05-29 08:41:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	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!	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-05-17 07:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	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!!	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-05-09 12:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	[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!	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-05-02 13:13:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	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	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-05-01 05:23:00
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? 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.	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-04-13 06:42:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	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	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-04-05 08:56:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Well it is now official. Ton and I got married today Now I dred having to go through the whole AOS process Dan 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.	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-04-03 10:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	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.	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-03-25 08:02:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	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	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-03-24 11:10:00
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 CONGRATULATIONS! Hey Everybody!!! I'm tok jai mot mak mak!!! I just received an e-mail from BNK Visa telling me that Chutima has an interview date of May 16th at 0730!!! ( Kop koon mak krap Ken for your "how to" e-mail advice!) I can't tell you all how much a relief this is for both Chutima and myself!!! Congratulations also to you Rich for your fantastic news, and to Dennis and Thai2luv who are right behind me!!! Then there is Mike, who is just in front of me! Take good notes Mike!!! Of all the news so far, this is by far the best!!! Of course, getting that visa will be even better, but as far as I'm concerned, it's all down hill from here!!! Thanks to everyone who has answered my questions and given advice. I think this is by far the best thread on VJ, and the best group of people! You guys and gals are the bestest!!! Robert Congratulations! For us the easiest part of the entire process was the interview. Of course the hardest part is WAITING for the interview!	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-03-24 07:49:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Hi I will come through Bangkok from Cambodia for K1. Can I deliver in person the checklist and get the interview schedule or mail it in . I am not sure about the procedure. What documents besides the checklist I will turn it in. please advise. Thanks I don't know if things have changed but last year Ying was able to drop off the checklist along with the other required documents in person. Ying dropped off the documents that Ufkenmill listed. Yes you are correct...under the new procedure it must definitely be mailed in. They no longer have an open window in the afternoon. Mike Too bad they changed their procedure. Last year about this time Ying was able to call everyday to find out when the petition arrived. She was then able to go to the embassy the next day to drop off her paperwork. I'm sure it saved us about a month.	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-03-23 15:15:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Hi I will come through Bangkok from Cambodia for K1. Can I deliver in person the checklist and get the interview schedule or mail it in . I am not sure about the procedure. What documents besides the checklist I will turn it in. please advise. Thanks I don't know if things have changed but last year Ying was able to drop off the checklist along with the other required documents in person. Ying dropped off the documents that Ufkenmill listed.	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-03-23 07:25:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Our case was sent to Bangkok yesterday the 21st. There was 2 cases sent to BNK on the 21st.. Hey Thai2luv maybe the other case is yours!!! Congratulations! One step closer! Good Luck! About 1 week after Ying's case was sent to Bangkok she started calling the embassy to make sure it arrived. The day after it arrived she turned in her paperwork so that an interview date could be assigned.	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-03-22 10:35:00
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 Rich, I think your wife's status changes after marriage. She may not be considered a K-1 visa holder. Ying was in the same situation and needed EAD to work while waiting for her green card. George, We found some very nice homes in Chiang Mai. The price was great. The complex had a club/exercise room room, swimming pool and tennis courts. Homes ran between $60K-$70K and most had a balcony with a view of the mountains in the distance. We also saw some cheaper ones but they were not as nice. We also started looking into a condo in Bangkok which are also reasonable. We want to get a place either in Chiang Mai or Bangkok to use as a winter home when I retire. It will sure beat spending Dec-March in Wisconsin! Gene Hey Gene, Thats cool, hope it all works out for you. I also have a friend that is in planning stages to retire in Chiang Mai (within 4 years), and he described similar houses at around the same prices. As for me, retire? perhaps in 20 years George, I still have some time before retirement too (10-14 years) but we are still considereing buying something within the next few years. May be we can rent it out to VJ members that are heading back to Thailand to visit family.	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-03-22 08:48:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Hi Gene, Welcome back to the forum..I am very glad to see you here again! Sumitta Thanks! It's good to be back.	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-03-22 08:16:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	I know this isn't the right place to ask this question but... I just found out that the hotel that i love in BKK isn't available for our dates. My king bed non-smoking is sold out. Can some of you recommend someplace ? Mike Mike, Glad to hear that everything worked out. We usually stay at the JW Marriott. Earlier this month we stayed 1 night at the Majestic Suites. It's on Sukhumvit Road between the Marriott and The Landmark Hotel. The room was clean and modern with a king size bed. The room was a little small and had a tile floor. We booked online. We were pleasantly surprised since we only paid $41 for a night.	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-03-21 16:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	In case anyone hasn't seen, there was a guy who destroyed the Erawan shrine area outside of the Hyatt in Bangkok early Tues. morning. http://www.bangkokpo...ws.php?id=86406 Having been there many times with Jum, I feel sad for what happened. I hope and pray that everything will be ok for everyone and that the shrine will still carry on and be able to be rebuilt so that others can show their faith. C.J. A very sad story. We were there earlier this month. I feel the same way! We checked out some houses and condos during our trip. Very reasonable and I'm sure extremely reasonable for you guys from the Bay area. heheheh...the housing here is CRAZY (price wise) it's all about getting the right loan with a great interest rate (and perhaps 2 incomes) to get a house here (for most) . Someday I plan to retire in Thailand and when we go back this Sept, we may look into some land/property to buy and pay installments on. CJ&Jum: thats too bad people need to destroy things to get attention and got him killed as well!! regards, George George, We found some very nice homes in Chiang Mai. The price was great. The complex had a club/exercise room room, swimming pool and tennis courts. Homes ran between $60K-$70K and most had a balcony with a view of the mountains in the distance. We also saw some cheaper ones but they were not as nice. We also started looking into a condo in Bangkok which are also reasonable. We want to get a place either in Chiang Mai or Bangkok to use as a winter home when I retire. It will sure beat spending Dec-March in Wisconsin! Gene	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-03-21 07:24:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Man, wish i can work in Thailand!! regards, George I feel the same way! We checked out some houses and condos during our trip. Very reasonable and I'm sure extremely reasonable for you guys from the Bay area.	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-03-20 20:15:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Gene, I was wondering why you haven't posted for so long.....sounds like a great time you both had!! Hey are all luggages limited to 50lbs now to and from Thailand....what airline did you fly? My mom recently flew Northwest to Bangkok, her check in luggage weighed in at 70lbs each but the lady at the counter said luggages to Bangkok are now limited to 50 lbs, but since it was a NEW rule, they let her pass thru w/the 70 lbs (each) luggages. I can't wait to get back myself, my wife & I have planned a trip for this Sept and eating and shopping is what we also want to do, well to be honest, for me= eating, my wife=shopping!!! Hi George, How's little Anthony? I bet you and Pocky are having a great time with the little guy. We flew Northwest and we were aware of the luggage limits. When we flew out of Milwaukee we only had 2 checked bags. One was about 1-2 pounds over weight and the other was a few pounds under. They made us shift some things so that both met the 50 lb. (23 kg) limit. Inside Thailand we flew on Air Asia. Their limit is 15 kg per bag. Since we started in Bangkok we were able to leave some things there while we headed to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Are you planning to travel within Thailand when you go in September? We got a great deal with Air Asia. When we booked our tickets late last year they had a special anniversary promotion. We got 2 round trip tickets for about $46.00. The tickets were free and we only had to pay the tax. If things go right I'll be in Bangkok the last week of April for work. Ying will be staying in the US. I think she would like to come along but we don't want to burn up my frequent flyer miles and I think she doesn't like the time it takes to get there. Take care,	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-03-20 14:42:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Hi All, It’s been awhile since I’ve been on VJ. It’s good to see so many happy couples finally together. Ying and I just got back from Thailand last week. We hit Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai with a short day trip into Myanmar. It was her first trip back home since coming to the USA last May. I thought I would relay some useful (maybe?) information for those of you who may be heading back with your Thai wife for the first time. Ticketing: Ying’s ticket was issued under her married name even though her passport is in her maiden name. We took her passport, her green card (in married name) and our wedding certificate. We did not have any issues except 1 that was not related to this documentation. When leaving Thailand Ying had a little problem, she had her departure card but Thai immigration did not have a record of her arrival card. It took an extra 10-5 minutes for her to get through. Eating: Be prepared to eat and eat and eat. It started by having som tom and fried noodles at a street vendor when we arrived late on the 3rd and it never ended. Shopping: This was second only to eating. We ended up just about maxing out our baggage limits (size and weight) on the way home. The last day in Bangkok we got a scale from the hotel and weighed each bag to make sure we didn’t exceed the 23 kg max limit per bag. Customs/Immigration in USA: Even bags of snacks should be declared. Ying had some bags of prepared snacks that were found when we had some of our bags checked at customs. We did not declare them as “food” and we were told that we should. They let us keep them, even the processed durian in a tube unfortunately! With all of the shopping and eating we still had time to hit some of our favorite spots…The Huntsman Pub in the Landmark Hotel (Bangkok) and The Riverside (Chiang Mai). For those heading to Chiang Rai I highly recommend taking a boat ride up the Mai Kok River (800 baht) to the elephant camp and some hot springs. For both of us it was only 200 baht for a 30 minute elephant ride. In Chiang Mai it would have cost 1200 baht per person for a 1 hour ride. The strangest part now is that Ying is glad to be back home in the USA and I can’t wait to head back to Thailand!	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-03-20 09:27:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	SAWASDEE 2	Hi All, It's been a long time since I have been on VJ. I think the last time I was here was back in December. Looks like I need to do some reading to see what has been happening. I know that this is in the K1 forum but I have a question for those of you out there that have travelled back to Thailand with your Thai wife. Here's the situation. We are heading back to Thailand on March 2nd. Ying's passport has here maiden name while her Green Card is in her married name. We have heard that her airline ticket can be issued in either her maiden name or her married name as long as we have her passport, green card and our marriage certificate showing her married name and maiden name. Does anybody have any experience with this?	statman78	Male	Thailand	2006-02-15 13:21:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Denied Entry - Will I-601 be needed	Just an fyi...my husband was denied several times while we were going through the waiting period for k-1. At the interview, they had his picture and all the notes related to the refusals (same reason...lack of strong ties to Canada). The interviewer had a good chuckle at how scared my hubby looked in the pics and he deleted them. At the POE, the officer there had a hard time trying to get rid of even more info on the refusals. There were some other text messages he had to delete, he was new & didn't know how to. My point is, if you have a form, you might want to hang onto it for the interview just in case. Probably not a big deal, but if you had to prove it was just a matter of lack of strong ties, you'd have something.	CBR	Female	Canada	2008-12-19 23:21:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	RRrrgh...Request for Evidence!!!! :help:	I'm confused, are you posting about your i-129f? This is the AoS section. Or did they ask this of your AoS applications?	CBR	Female	Canada	2008-12-16 08:29:00