[Angeheade]

Thanks so much guys!

I figured it out right before you posted... whew! She was worried something had happened to me because my phone was on but I left it in the car when I got home... I had 25 missed calls... hehe

I'll agree completely though... love is difficult. I'm learning as much Thai as I can as fast as I can because her English is pretty limited and my Thai is only from a month of experiance. We could communicate very well in person, but over the phone is incredibly difficult...

Still, she's a wonderful woman... I really hope something becomes of this...

I'll definitely be a regular here!

[TainuibeFaimb]

I have just negotiated the K-1 visa process in bringing my fiancee to the US. It took 7 months from start to finish. It's pretty straight forward if you make sure all the T's are crossed and the I's dotted but the time it takes is frustrating. The time really is ridiculous. We began our application right after Homeland Security took over the INS. The processing time for K-1 visa doubled, from 90 days to 180+ days. From what I hear, the application fees just increased substantially too.

[Angeheade]

Thanks man, I'll send a priv. message your way!

[TainuibeFaimb]

These are the ultimate authorities on visa stuff. http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov/obt...isa/index.html http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/embassy/index.htm http://uscis.gov Get your information here and you will have no problems knowing what to do. I do not personally know much about tourist visas, but I have heard they are quite difficult to get. I think she needs to post 1 million baht (~$25000) to guarantee she will return to Thailand when her visa expires, but I have also heard that other "evidence" of intent is also possible. Good luck.

[verybigf]

What VisionChaser says it true up to a point. It's a good idea to look at the official documents. However, I think that it is also worthwhile trying to learn some things from others who have gone through similar processes. I've dealt with US immigration as an Alien and it's not always easy. This is not a uniquely US problem, I've sometimes heard bad things about the New Zealand embassy in Bangkok.

The key thing to watch with any such agency anywhere in the world is accidentally starting off badly, for example by giving them inconsistent information, making it look like you are trying to do something wrong. So be very careful and honest.

You can, of course, google for other discussions about these issues on the web. Another way of getting some useful information about this (and many other issues) is to find some local Thai people to talk to. If you are still at University there may be Thai students. Maybe there is a Temple in your area that you can visit. If you are considering a long-term relationship then I think it's really useful to have a few other Thai friends. It helps to get your "special" friend into perspective as an individual, not just a "Thai person".

[Angeheade]

Thank you... it is reassuring that someone who's seen this thinks things are okay!

Yeah, I wasn't worried about the dinner- I was somewhat low on cash on-hand, but really the way I viewed it was that they'd done a lot for me in kindness and I could do the same for them in a small way, and $25 in the USA would *not* get you what we had that night for food and beverage!!!

I'm already trying to plan things by budget, a trip for her here, or vice-versa. The biggest obsticle right now for me is this dang language barrier. In person we were great, very few misunderstandings or problems. Phone-wise... ugh! I'm trying, but man... its crazy.

Right now I'm trying to get her to understand that she needs to apply for a visa soon if she wants to visit in April or May. I'm trying to figure out how to arrange things since I know its going to be about $120 (all fees total) and she won't have the money for it... I just wish I had another way to communicate, she's tried to send me e-mail but I'm not sure if she has had a chance to actually send one yet or if she got my address wrong!

I really hope this works because she's got my mind on her constantly...

[NanoGordeno]

I saw this book many times and just ignored it. As others have said the cover is kinda off putting, and since the whole farang/thai relationship problems dont seem to be a problem for me ... but is the book worth reading? does it have some particular insight that other publications lack?

[verybigf]

Is the book worth reading? does it have some particular insight that other publications lack? Hmm, I don't know quite how to answer that. People with a lot of experience have said that there's nothing surprising in it, which I guess is a positive comment, really.

There is an extensive discussion about the difference between Thai and farang families and relationship expectations. I've never seen a detailed explanation of naam-jai, sam-nuk-bun-kun, and gat-dtan-yuu anywhere else (but of course I haven't looked very hard). My feeling is that if you know about those concepts you don't need the book, but if you were saying "sam-who?" you really do need help

Even if you do know the concepts, it may be helpful. It is written in both English and Thai so you can tell your friend to "read this section, that's what I'm worried about!"

[qilmuz6v]

And they can tell you what you will need to obtain a visa, but it used to be a job when you return or own property or some other reason that would cause you to return, such as family standing. But probibly just like the Thai and how they feel that day and how you impress them. I hope this helps.

On January 19, 2006, the U.S. Embassy launched a nationwide visa information and appointment system. Anyone applying for a non-immigrant visa in Thailand must make an appointment by accessing the “Visa Information and Appointment Website and Call Center Service” by Internet or telephone. To use this service, you must purchase a Personal Identification Number (PIN) online or by phone using a credit card or at a participating Thailand Post Office. The PIN will allow you to access visa information and to schedule nonimmigrant visa appointments for up to five family members with the same last name residing at the same address.

Visa Information and Appointment Website: http://thailand.us-visaservices.com

Visa Call Center: 001-800-13-202-2457

Visa Information: (+66) 0 2205 5003 (English) or 0 2205 5007 (Thai)

But do it as soon as you can as it takes up to 2 months sometimes and even longer.

[Angeheade]

Visionchaser: We're trying to plan a trip for her to visit the US in May, when she's on Holiday from school for a couple months- after that she's just a few months away from her degree. I'm actually pretty excited to show her the US and the differences in our culture- she's shown me her home and I've met most of her family; I'd like to do the same.

Any tips on getting her here for a visit? I'm doing some research on visas and what-not. I'll definitely be searching these forums for info. too!


iGotNoTime: thanks much! I'll be around, for sure... I know this is going to be difficult for us, but I'm all for it... you treasure that which you struggle for.


mikenz66: I saw someone recommend that book in another article... pretty tempted to buy it so I know what to expect- already some things I've read here have me thinking- nothing good or bad, just wondering what will happen next. I appreciate it though! Thanks much!


See you around!

[TainuibeFaimb]

The biggest obsticle right now for me is this dang language barrier. In person we were great, very few misunderstandings or problems. Phone-wise... ugh! I'm trying, but man... its crazy. That is an issue. The phone is going to be a problem. My wife and I used email mostly, with occasional phone calls to hear each other's voice and all that coo, coo stuff LOL There are translators in places that specialize in transmitting email messages. The translations are not always the best, but we were able to coordinate the visa process that way. They were also able to fax me documents, such as birth records, etc. for her. So, we used the phone for the lovey dovey stuff and email for the technical stuff. I don't know what your girl's situation is, but the typical translation fee for us was about 100 THB per message, on the average.

[Angeheade]

Hi all, new to the threads here and hope to be a regular as I was just in Thailand for a month...

However, I'm in need of some urgent help...

I made some wonderful friends while I was there, but also met an amazing woman. We exchanged addresses and phone numbers when I left, but I cannot dial her from the US...

The numbers she gave me are as follows
0011-06-0XXXXXX
as well as
00906XXXXXX

where XXXXXX is matching in both cases. While I was in Korat I was able to dial her usually just using the 06-0XXXXXX set, but now that I'm in the USA I have no way to dial as it just says "Invalid number".

From what I understand, I need to dial
011-66-citycode-XXXXXX

but, when I try that, again, invalid number...

I managed to get a Thai answering machine/voicemail of some sort when I removed all the 0's from the numbers she gave me, so dialing
011-66-9-6-XXXXXX

gave me a result of some sort, but I'm not sure if this is correct...


Its even worse because she just called me crying and was really upset that I hadn't called since I arrived back in the US 24 hours ago, and before I could get into explaining that I can't figure out how to dial her number the call was dropped...

Please help, I don't want to lose a good friend to a misunderstanding...

[qilmuz6v]

I have a Thai lady friend from years ago that had a boyfriend in the states, he owns a lot of property and is well off so to speak, and a prof. at a univ. in a southern state, my friend had a very nice home in BKK with a value of 12 mil baht.
4 years ago she was going to the states to marry, it took her months to get her visa, so it is no easy matter to get a visa for a Thai, no matter the social standing of the partys involved.

[Angeheade]

Are the numbers without the city code 7 digits like the local calls in the US? Her last 7 begins with a 0... this is confusing, let me tell you...