U.S. immigration-user friendly?

[dean]

I posted a couple of months ago that I would be moving back to the U.S., along with my Thai wife and her three kids and our one son, assuming that they all get a permanent resident visa (except for the son, who is a U.S. citizen). Most of the information listed about how to apply is muddled and some contradictory. Immigration does not want you to call, so I paid the $12 to access their website. Unfortunately, they don't answer questions there unless you have a case number (catch-22). I finally sent in by mail to the office of Homeland in Bangkok (across from the embassy) the I-30 form and the biographical form, along with a check for $390, which is the highest of the three amounts I saw listed for payment. One month later, I get the forms and check back wisth a one word answer; incompleted filing, and to read the 10 page q and a that they included. I couldn't make heads or tails out of what I did wrong, so I contacted the phone number on the letterhead. The thai lady that answered (and who I met last Friday on my trip to Bangkok) told me that they no longer take applications by mail and no longer take checks, only dollars, credit cards or Thai baht. She told me to bring the forms, along with documentation in both Tahi and English. No appointment was necessary. She wasn't specific on what exact documents I should bring, so I brought everything that I had. She said to arrive early, as it could take some time. I took the train and arrived at 7:30 AM on Friday, 30 minutes before they open. I had imagined that I and the other person would be sitting at a table and they would look at the documents and tell me which ones they needed and how many copies. In reality, I stood on one side of a window and slid the documents to her on the other side. She wouldn't take all the documents but told me what she needed and how many copies. I first had to sort everything out and then give it back to her and then she would highlight, in yellow magic marker, what I had done wrong. For instance, on the forms that I filled out, if the question didn't apply to me, I put down "none." They want N/A (not applicible) instead. About 10:00 AM, she informed me that there could not be one application for my wife and 3 children. They all had to apply seperately. She then gave me the forms and it took about 75 minutes to complete these and go to the business shop on the first floor for more copies. After going through this, she then told me that she needed two passport photos one of me and one of my wife. She also needeed the Thai original and a copy of the children's birth certificates. I asked her to check my documents to see if I had them with me but she refused. At first, she said I would have to come back next week with the photos but after some discussion, she allowed me to mail in the photos and copies of the birth certificates, after I had paid the proper fees ($355 times four persons). These fees can not be paid at the Homeland office. They have to be paid across a busy street at the Embassy. She thought that the Embassy was open until 12:00 but after rushing across the street, the hours posted were from 7:30 AM to 11:00 AM and then 1:00-2:00PM. So, I sat for almost ninety minutes and paid the proper amount and took the receipts bck to homeland office, where I completed my time there at 1:50PM, almost 6 hours after I started. Now, I don't know how other governments handle immigration but it can't be as bad as the way the U.S. handles it. The Thai government requires as much paperwork but at least they are helpful most of the time. I received no help from the Thai lady at the Homeland office, except in allowing me to mail the photos and birth certificate copies back to her office. They will notify me of a time, around two months from now, that I and my wife and her three kids are to be at the Homeland office for the interview process (at least I hope that they will do all the interviews on the same day and not schedule 4 different days). I fully expect the interview process to be with the applicant on one side of the glass partition and the Homeland official on the other side. I'll post after going through the interview process.

[..]

Interviews will be at the embassy, not in the Sindhorn Bldg. You're done with the dragon lady over there (I know exactly who you are speaking of, and she really isn't that bad, just has requirements she has to follow).

 

But it will be same setup, them behind the glass. Maybe a Thai speaker, maybe not. Maybe have a chip on their shoulder and be an arsehole, maybe not.

 

The best tips I can give you for the interview is to:

a) bring more paperwork than they ask for (i.e., proof that you are really married like letters, joint accounts, pix, etc.)

dress like you are going to a business meeting; this may seem obvious, but I can't tell you how many folks I see going to these interviews in a singlet, shorts & flip-flops and wonder why the embassy employee immediately has a bad attitude about them !!

c) not too stressed about it; if you have all the things they want, then it'll be fine.

 

Good luck.

 

Cheers,

SD

[HSTEACH]

You shouldn't have any problems if all of your paperwork is in order. My wife's K-3 interview took all of 10 minutes, after waiting 3 hours to be called to the window. The consular officer was actually a nice guy.

[danno6]

Yes, I have the same experience to note. I did the K-1 process 2 years ago now, and it went very smooth on both ends. I went to the interview (dressed respectively) and it was indeed behind the glass. The person who interviewed my wife was very polite and friendly, and spoke a little thai. The biggest difficulty was with the intercom system...somewhat hard to hear and understand what was being said.

[dean]

I did wear a nice pair of dockers and a golf shirt last Friday and will dress appropriately at the interview (as will my wife and kids). The only thing that I'm worried about is having to proove that I can support a family of six at 125% of the poverty level (around $33,000) for three years. I haven't worked in 3 years, between breaking my arm and living here. But I have around 150,000 in either cash or assets. And I have a hardwood flooring business that has been in existance for almost 30 years and is now run by my brother. I have other money coming but it is in a trust and I don't think that immigration officials will count it. My brother (different one from the one running my flooring business), who is well off, was going to co-sponsor the wife and kids but, while he hasn't changed his mind, he is stasrting to get cold feet over the stipulation that the sponsosr and co-sponsor are on the hook for 10 years over any use of government assistance, which I would assume would incllude food stamps, government housing, government backed loans and hospital stays without insurance (I will be covered the day we land in the U.S.). So, I plan on going to the interview with just my own sponsosrship and if that is not enough, I will try to convince my brother that he has nothing to worry about with a co-sponsorship.

[khun_khon_neua]

Be glad that since you are living in Thailand you get to deal with a person at USCIS and can get this done in few months. If you had to deal with a US service center, this could take many months and from whatI have heard, you would never be able to deal with a real person.

:hubba:

[Hugh_Hoy]

...I know exactly who you are speaking of, and she really isn't that bad...

 

That's funny. She said the same about you.

 

So there ya go Dean...a little "romance" and you're golden. :thumbup:

 

HH

 

[dean]

I've seen here, HH. No thanks! I'd rather take my chance with the lottery method than spend 20 romantic minutes with her.

[dean]

At lest I could work while waiting in the U.S. I should have done whast my nephew did when he married a Mexican. He got her a tourist visa and then got married in Guadalahara and then they left the next day to go to U.S. She used her Mexican passport and her maiden name to enter. They then applied to get her a pernament resident visa. She couldn't leave the country or work while they waited for over a year but she was never deported and she eventually got the visa. Or I should have brought her and the kids in on a fiancee visa. I believe that she could work, pending the outcome of the application for a pernament residency visa. I'd much prefer to work while waiting than the present situation.

[HSTEACH]

The fiance(K1) would work only if you weren't legally married, ie, registered at the Ampur. Working on a K-1 while having a I-485 pending requires a EAD, employment authorization document, which takes a while to get.