U.S. permanent residency visas-within grasp ()finally)!!

[dean]

Thanks for the explanation,SD. Besides explaining this to my wife, I'll type a note for her to give to one of the officials directing people to different lines. I'll also put on the note that I'm just outside the baggage claim/exit doors, but I don't expect that they would allow me to come back if there are any problems. I may give them my U.S. cell number, also.

[nkped]

If she has her visa package out and visible, she should be directed to the correct line as a matter of course.

[dean]

Either my wife or the eldest child will be pushing the stroller with our son in in and I would prefer that the wife holds on to the documents, possibly even all of the passports. I'll pass on your suggestion to her. But I'll still give her the note, just in case (too many bad experiences with homeland and embassy employees in Bangkok, I guess).

[dean]

I went to Bangkok on Monday (from Pattaya, where the family is on vacastion until Friday) to my lawyer's office to finally pick up the passports with the visas in them and the envelops that are to be presented to immigration officials in LA on arrival. All looks to be in order on that front. I went to the Embassy also, because this is monday and they only see people with immigrant visa problems on Monday from 1:00-3:00 P.M. I wanted to find out what happened to the family photos that I gave them and what happened to my bank passbook, that I gave them to prove my asssets in Thailand. After a 2 hour wait, they told me that the photos are not returned (no big deal) and they could not find my bank passbook (which is a big deal). They suggessted that I file a police report that it is missing and take that to the bank. I had long ago (days after handing it over at the interview process) removed all the money from the account, except for 450 baht, by using my ATM card. So, I'll take out the rest of the money and effectively close the account. I'll open another account when I come back on vacation next year. Like I said before, ASSUME THAT ANYTHING SUBMITTED TO THE HOMELAND SECURITY/EMBASSY WILL BE LOST AND TRY, IF POSSIBLE, TO KEEP DUPLICATES OF EVERYTHING. I'll make my last report on this subject after my family enters the U.S. (hopefully) on October 18th.

[Bangkoktraveler]

Hummm, when I did the paperwork for my wife, they got one payment for something like $340.00. They cashed the cashier's check and then notified me they never received payment. Being in a hurry, I sent them another cashier's check. Later, I tried getting my money back - TS (tough shit).

[dean]

Just a postscript. My wife and 4 kids arrived on China Airline on October 18 around 8:15 P.M. and walked out of customs about 9:55 P.M. The interview process with the immigration officer took around 45 minutes. The only response from the immigration officer that she shared with me was his comment that out son could enter the U.S. with no problem, while my wife and her kids had to be passed by him first. It probably wasn't as strange a statement as my wife thought but it did scare her for awhile. So, they are in the U.S./Kansas City and I don't have to deal with immigration for another 2 years. Last wednesday, she got her social security number and dealing with them was a breeze. We'll see how she like the U.S. by December, when the sub-freezing temps occur with regularity.

[HSTEACH]

Congrats Dean!! Now go find a good Asian foodstore and they'll be happy. As far as the cold is concerned, my wife has been here almost four years and she still thinks anything below 60 degrees F is cold.

[Bangkoktraveler]

Glad you made it dean!

 

 

As for climate, my wife loves where we live. We have snow, that is, up in the mountains. Nice to look at the mountains and see the snow and that is about as close to the snow as we get. We have a couple of orange trees which keep us in oranges during the winter and spring. Strangely, our dog loves to peel the oranges and then eats the orange. Sounds like the dog is Thai, what do you think?

[TheCorinthian]

Funny story:

 

(Well, now it is funny)

 

My buddy was getting his Thai wife a visa and all that in 2001. As you might guess, almost 95% done and 9/11 happens. The agents call him in about 9/20, apologize profusely, then throw his entire file on the shredder.

 

He had to start all over again.

[dean]

One more postscript. I expected to get the wife and children's green card from my local social security office, which is wrong. The packet that you give to the immigration officer on entry to the U.S. is sent to the local immigration office (in this case, as the entry point was LAX it was sent to the immigration office in Laguna Nigel) They use the address that you supplied to immigration in Bangkok embassy as your U.S. residence. As I supplied my brother's address, he started receiving the green cards about two weeks after my wife and kids arrived in U.S. It did surprise me that they were mailed regular post and not registered. The kids green cards came but the wife's didn't Immigration told me to wait a month and then call back and another one would be sent at no charge. In the meantime, she can use her visa as her green card.