Guest Posted January 20, 2002 Report Share Posted January 20, 2002 Well.....I'm not sure where to start but here goes. I met a great girl in BKK. She had the right qualifications and she managed a 10 year tourist visa to the USA. So she comes over for a month stay. They stamped her passport for 6 months entry. She's been here for 3 months and plans on being here another three months until her 6 months are up. I need to start doing something now if I want to keep her here. The thought of getting married scares the hell out of me. I turn 40 next week and have never been married. I also have substantial assets that I want to protect if things go wrong. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Any one know of options to keep her here on some other kind of visa? business, college? (she's 31, has four year degree already) I already know I can get a fiancee visa and have her return for three more months. I NEED MORE TIME. Help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardinalblue Posted January 20, 2002 Report Share Posted January 20, 2002 Have her sign a little piece of paper protecting your assets and also gives you a little more insight into her character. Don't get hung up and let time as your determining factor. What's the difference between 3 months and say 9 more months? You will have wet feet in either case. It is just personality and feelings about marriage. Have you thought about setting a deadline with regard to a decision? We do it with all other matters in our lives. I don't buy into the slogan "you'll know the right time to marriage". It's BS for guys like us. For you to even contemplating marriage given your disposition(?), might tell you something. For me, SHE will be the determining factor, not my analysis and re-analysis of it. Get my drift? Sincerely, Cardinalblue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSTEACH Posted January 20, 2002 Report Share Posted January 20, 2002 Well let's see.... you want her to stay with you, but are really unsure about marriage. If you want to do this legally, consider the following options. 1) Have her return to Thailand and apply for a student visa, although she'll have to show proof she's been admitted or accepted to a US school of higher learning. BTW.. she can't apply and be accepted to Harvard if you expect her to stay with you in say, California. The INS takes a poor view of this tactic. 2) Apply for the K-1 while she's still in the US. By the time it's been approved by the INS, she can return to Thailand for her interview. Time away from you... maybe 2-3 weeks. 3) Go to Thailand, get legally married, and apply for the K-3 visa. This is an updated version of the old dependant visa. Shorter wait, but since it's relatively new, I'm not sure of the correct timelines. Don't just decide to marry in the states and then go to the INS and hope for her adjustment, they can be sorta nasty about this as she came as a tourist, not to get married. Sometimes a lady will enter the US on a tourist visa and be asked by the INS officers at her point of entry.. " You're not coming here to marry are you?" They mean that! Last thing, the INS officers have to make a judgement call of how long to admit a person when they show up at our shores with a B2 in hand. It's their call. If she ducks across the border to Mexico, and then tries to reenter, she may be denied. They'll think she wants to be an immigrant, not a visitor. Good luck in whatever you do decide... HSTEACH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 21, 2002 Report Share Posted January 21, 2002 Thanks everyone for the advice and food for thought. I don't think she could leave the USA and reenter. If she's been here six months already in a year then any more time and she would be a resident and not a tourist. I beleive that even Canadian citizens can only spend a maximum of 6 months out of a 12 month period. Anyone have more information on the advantages or disadvantages of marrying here vs. Thailand? Thanks WA for the link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 21, 2002 Report Share Posted January 21, 2002 Post deleted by DoxyBlue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 21, 2002 Report Share Posted January 21, 2002 Dude.. Heres the link we talked about: http://k1.exit.com/touristframes.html. I think however that you will have to marry her to keep her here, unless you want to do what I did (let her go back and decide one week later that you missed her too much). Aya just filed all the papers, she has a SS #, work card and Alaska ID, we are just waiting for interview! If you do get married get a pre nup, but have everything translated ito Thai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2002 Report Share Posted January 22, 2002 quote: Originally posted by mapper: I need to start doing something now if I want to keep her here. I have friend now working in LA. First when she went there she had only tourist visa. Then she bought student visa in LA. Let see, like you apply to some language school there they will help you out to get a visa, you no need to go study. I don't know what school but I heard plenty there. Better to try that way. Don't GET married with anyone if you still not sure. There you maybe get divorce easy and it's still ok for your social life but not for us. Thai social still not open mind that much for divorce woman. Think about her too. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2002 Report Share Posted January 22, 2002 Nutgirl, I am thinking about her welfare. Because I may not want to marry her , doesn't mean that I don't care about her. If we don't get married I will still care for her very much and help her in any way I can when she goes back to Thailand. Just because you care about or love someone doesn't neccessarily mean you should marry them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2002 Report Share Posted January 22, 2002 E-mail me at its_thaishowtime@hotmail.com Have several sugestions on other USA visas she could qualify for, but probably she will need your help. If you do this particular visa, she will have a WORK PERMIT and be able to legally live in the USA. At the end of two years, she simply applies for a new visa again. The best of all, this visa has nothing to do with marriage. Sounds exactly what you're looking for...helping her and letting her stay in the USA. Need to ask you several questions to reco which Visa would be the best for her. E-mail me and I'll be glad to explain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2002 Report Share Posted January 22, 2002 I believe you can marry her in USA and still do a K-3 visa. This new visa should allow her to stay with you while your I-130 and I-485 are pending - at least for the lenth of her current visa. The main thing is that she didn't enter USA with plans to marry. That would be aginst immigration policy and she could be deported. INS knows these things do happen. People enter the USA and then fall in love and marry. This is OK as long as she didn't enter intending to marry. If you marry in Thailand she will have to wait there for at least 3 or 4 months while you do the K-3 spouse visa (maybe longer). I married my wife this last December and am doing the new K-3 spousal visa for her. I think this is much better for us because with the K-3 we can travel anytime. Also the wedding in Thailand was really nice. On a separate note a divorse is only about $2.00 in Thailand if both agree. If I were worried about assets I would marry in USA and get a pre nep. I would marry her ASAP and file the I-130 - then the I-129F. She still might have to leave the USA if her current visa expires before your I-129F is approved. From what I understand if she stays past her visa or enters USA under false pretence she could be bared from USA for 3 to 10 years. If you marry in Thailand (registered) she can't enter back into the USA without telling she is married. She would need a K-3 or spouse visa. I would say get married as soon as possible and do the I-130 and I-129F. This would minimize your time apart if in fact she has to return before approval. The main thing to remember is that she must not have entered the USA with the intention of getting married. But the INS allows for things that do happen. If your not sure about her forget it. Also she might prefer a Thai wedding. There is no way she can live with you in USA once your married (registered) in Thailand. You will be separated for at least 3 or 4 months unless you visit her. She can stay while she has a visa - but not re-enter. I would make up my mind very quickly. My first Thai g/f could travel to the US anytime. It's a long story but I'm glad I waited. The only problem for me is having to learn more Thai language. My wife always calls me at 5AM in the morning. I can't even speak english at that hour. It's quite a bit of paper work to marry a Thai girl. The hardest part for me was deciding to go ahead with her. Anyway if you want to keep her just go get married and file a I-130. Then you have a couple weeks do do the I-129F (then the I-134) and it doesn't end there. Once she has the 2 year K-3 visa you have to do the I-485 and I-864 forms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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