Guest Posted October 3, 2001 Report Share Posted October 3, 2001 JEFF: I'm sorry I can't reccomend any thai agency, as I would have no confidence in any of them. ( I've been "jearked around" a lot while trying to get things done the right way in thailand. ( and usa also). ( I don't even wonder why a gov. worker in Bkk making about $400 a month drives a bmw any more) I think ( short of saying I know for a fact) that ppl, both thais and westerners think of thai girls as "in the business" as their first thought, and act accordingly. a few years ago the point was driven home to me, while in Bkk airport with my daughter ( 14 at the time) she is thai. both the ppl at the JAL checking counter and the "offical asshole" at the desk behind the passport control area. made remarks ( in thai) about her traveling with her boyfriend ( me). ( and she is a u.s. citizen, with u.s. passort) It pissed me off, and hurt her. Its just the way ppl think, but still it hurts. here, in USA I must deal with gov ( dept of defence) every week, and see abuse of what little power the individuals have. The idea and system is good, its the petty ppl that run things that is the problem. on a better note "Overloaded with Thai girls instead of Mexican!" Now that would really be something, or even a thai style soi in TJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grabii Posted October 3, 2001 Report Share Posted October 3, 2001 Pasa and Phord, Does this mean that you guys hope the next shift of the San Andreas will be the really big one, and launch Southern Cal into SE Asia? Regards, JEff quote: Originally posted by pasathai: "Overloaded with Thai girls instead of Mexican!" Now that would really be something, or even a thai style soi in TJ quote: Originally posted by phordphan: Wow... Overloaded with Thai girls instead of Mexican! What a cool thought. <images/icons/laugh.gif> As Shakespeare said... 'tis a consummation devoutly to be wished. PhordPhan [ October 03, 2001: Message edited by: JEff ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grabii Posted October 3, 2001 Report Share Posted October 3, 2001 Pasa, It would piss me off too. The reasons for your point of view begin to become evident, and it is not possible to argue with real experiences. Hopefully, through boards like this, we can learn from other's experiences as well as our own so as to have a broader, more balanced view. My experiences with the consular section of the US embassy in Bangkok have all been positive, although very few in number. One such experience occurred several months after my wife and I returned to Thailand from our vacation in the USA (she was my girlfriend at the time and I was an expat). I went to the embassy to have a document notarized. I recognized the official as the same official who had interviewed my wife for her B2 visa. I mentioned the fact, thanked him for the visa approval, and told him that we had had a wonderful time on our holiday. He smiled slightly and replied simply, "It must have been one of the very few I've approved." During my wife's K1 visa application process I found the visa section to be very helpful, answering all of my e-mailed questions within 24-48 hours. The explanations for answers to certain questions displayed a good knowledge and understanding of Thai people and Thai customs. The K1 visa process is a lot more structured than the B2, with specific evidence required. But the consulate officials still have the responsibility to evaluate the information provided with the visa application for conformance with requirements and to determine the admisibility to the USA of the visa applicant. For one thing, present and former prostitutes are as inadmissible on a K1 as they are on a B2. So there is room for abuse in the K1 visa process just as there is in the B2. I have not heard of anyone having a hard time at a K1 interview within the last 2+ years, the anecdotal evidence indicating that the interviews consist of only a few simple questions and typically last 10-15 minutes or so. The embassy in Bangkok is known in marriage-based visa circles as being one of the most friendly in the world. My conclusion is that the current consular staff, under the current embassy management, are performing their jobs efficiently, effectively, and honestly. Unfortunately, the historical record of Thai tourists not returning from the USA has raised the burden of proof that current B1/B2 visa applicants must meet to overcome the presumption, written into US law, that anyone applying for a nonimmigrant visa is an intending immigrant. Regards, JEff quote: Originally posted by pasathai: JEFF: I think ( short of saying I know for a fact) that ppl, both thais and westerners think of thai girls as "in the business" as their first thought, and act accordingly. a few years ago the point was driven home to me, while in Bkk airport with my daughter ( 14 at the time) she is thai. both the ppl at the JAL checking counter and the "offical asshole" at the desk behind the passport control area. made remarks ( in thai) about her traveling with her boyfriend ( me). ( and she is a u.s. citizen, with u.s. passort) It pissed me off, and hurt her. Its just the way ppl think, but still it hurts. here, in USA I must deal with gov ( dept of defence) every week, and see abuse of what little power the individuals have. The idea and system is good, its the petty ppl that run things that is the problem. ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSTEACH Posted October 3, 2001 Report Share Posted October 3, 2001 Jeff, I agree 100% about the consular staff at the embassy in Bangkok. Very helpful. Never an attitude show about seemingly dumb questions I've asked. I think it, the embassy, gets a bad rap sometime because of a B2 denial. If people only did their homework, they would have much better results in visa interviews and thus have better attitudes about the embassy. I have nothing but praise for those that do that extremely difficult job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grabii Posted October 4, 2001 Report Share Posted October 4, 2001 Teach, Thanks for the supporting opinion. I would just like to clarify and summarize my opinions at this point, to avoid generating either false optimism or false pessimism. 1) It is very difficult for a single Thai woman, especially a young one, to get a B2 tourist visa to the USA. The reason is that US law presumes that any person applying for a nonimmigrant visa is intending to immigrate. Past experience with young, single Thai women indicates that this is a correct presumption. 2) Study of the appropriate sections of the Department of State's Foreign Affairs Manual, and a well prepared B2 visa application that addresses the requirements outlined in the FAM, can improve the chances that a B2 visa application will be approved. 3) The handicap that a BG faces in preparing a successful B2 visa application is not the fact that she's a prostitute, although if she admits to that fact on her visa application she is automatically excludable as a matter of law. Rather, her handicap is that she is unlikely to have circumstances that will allow her to present and document a case that meets the requirements outlined in the FAM. 4) Anyone who thinks that they can fabricate an acceptable set of circumstances for their BG girlfriend is probably kidding themselves. The consular officials in Bangkok know their post. They've seen it all, they know what tricks people try to play. Those who are not newbies - think back. Do you respond to BG's approaches today the same way today as you did when you were a newbie? Why not? 5) Not all BGs have the same circumstances. Some BGs can and have obtained B2 visas because they can develop and present a case that meets the burden of proof required to convince the consular officials that they will return to Thailand. Conclusion: Do your homework on both the visa requirements and the circumstances that your girlfriend has to work with. Then, if you think she can make a reasonable case, help her to present it and document it concisely and convincingly. chok dii khrap JEff quote: Originally posted by HSTEACH: Jeff, I agree 100% about the consular staff at the embassy in Bangkok. Very helpful. Never an attitude show about seemingly dumb questions I've asked. I think it, the embassy, gets a bad rap sometime because of a B2 denial. If people only did their homework, they would have much better results in visa interviews and thus have better attitudes about the embassy. I have nothing but praise for those that do that extremely difficult job. [ October 03, 2001: Message edited by: JEff ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 4, 2001 Report Share Posted October 4, 2001 I definitly have praise for the U.S. embassy staff also ( americans anyway, the thai workers are another thing ). Most, if not all the hassell I had was trying to get things done on the thai side of the paperwork in order to get things done to perfection before subbmitting to the embassy. I think the main thing to over come is proving the thai person comming to usa ( on a temp visa) it to prove they have a compelling reason to return to thailand) BTW: we are going throught the process agin soon/ ( adoption) lets hope things go smoothly this time. ( and no thai "experts" involved) Sharing info here is really great. ( expecially when no one gets "hot under the collar" about some subjects) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSTEACH Posted October 4, 2001 Report Share Posted October 4, 2001 Strange this thread is going on now. My Thai-Chinese GF called yesterday and said she was coming to see me in the US in a few weeks. I asked about the visa. She said no problem. Got it in a day, no questions. She however is middle/high class with a MBA, good job with a multinational corporation, and owns property in Bangkok. She surely wouldn't leave all this and become an illegal immigrant. Visa granted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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