Thai gf visa app to go to USA denied, have some questions..

[3bj]

Hi, I have been staying in Thailand with my gf for the past 2.5 years here in Thailand. I am 37 years old, and I have been using tourist visa to stay for this time. With all the new visa stuff happening, I decided it was time to make a trip home and bring her to meet my family. So we did the application and went for the interview. My girlfriend is the owner of her business, she has her own money in the bank, she owns a condo, she has paid for and owns a motorbike also. She also has living family who lives near her.

I think you can agree with me that she should have no issue with obtaining a visa. She has a lot more things than most 37 year old thai girls aside from the rich hiso. So yesterday she was refused a visa at the interview. When she came out of the embassy and told me I was shocked. She then told me that the man only asked her 2 questions, and then waved her off. She said he asked her "where do you want to go" she said Ohio, then he asked "what does your boyfriend work" she answered "he works online" then he waved her off. I thought this is crazy, she has her own money, so what does it really matter about my work?

Then on the way home, she starts to remember more of what happened. She tells me that when she was waiting for her interview, a lady asked her a couple questions. She asked her "did you come here alone" she answered yes. I don't know why she said yes, because it is nothing to hide that I came with her and was waiting outside. My gf was very nervous, and i think she assumed this lady was not the person interviewing her and just quickly answered her questions. The second question was "did you change your name" and my gf answered no I have not. Then in the car she tells me that when she was a child up to 14 years old she had a name and then changed it when she turned 15 years old with the government and obtained her ID card, but she forgot because it was so long ago and she has not used that name for a long time.

I can't figure out what it is that caused her interview to stop before being able to present all of her documents like the papers showing her purchase of the business, her bank book, her condo papers, etc. I think maybe since she told the lady she had not changed her name, then tells the man I "work online" which is very vague, but she doesnt understand my work anyways, and I don't think that is as big of a deal as telling the lady that she had not changed her name.

Can anyone help me understand this? Anyone who has experience please give me your opinions as to why she has done wrong. We plan to do a new application soon, and go to the interview again. I have explained to her that you have everything you need to be granted a visitor visa, just be honest about everything. We want to go the the US for her to meet my family, we do not have the money right now to get married. So I felt like it was best to have her apply for the B2 visitor and then after we come back to Thailand we can decide the future of where we choose to get married and live. Isn't this a good idea? I mean can't we travel with our gf back home without getting married??

Edited September 22, 2015 by 3bj

[Stray]

I honestly can't respond to what went wrong but, as far as reapplying, does the US have a 1 year exclusion after a visa has been denied?

[3bj]

there is no time frame, you can reapply immediately.

Edited September 22, 2015 by 3bj

[JAFO]

There a numerous reasons why she could have been denied and quite honestly a lot of it is very subjective. I have watched numerous Thai's denied a VISA and when asking it was all over the map as to why. My GF and I did the form online, paid the fees and went to the interview. She owned a home(took the Chanote), had a very nice job at a hospital(got a letter from the hospital), owned a car(Took the greenbook) and had cash in the bank(Took the bank statements). We also took a very detailed itinerary of what her trip was to be about. Visiting family is a bit vague. Never ever discuss anything about marriage(even jokingly). Keep it very focused on traveling as a tourist.

If all you posted is accurate and factual she appears to have had all base reasons covered that her trip is to really visit and return to continue on with business and life. However if her business is not lucrative, meaning it could close up shop and no loss, that the condo she owns could be easily rented or there are other names on the ownership those can be issues. From what I have gathered in the past is the form submitted and the interview had some sort of conflict or something was asked or said that raised a concern. If anything is off it immediately raises the red flag and they are usually dismissed. It is not uncommon.

It is my understanding they want to see an itinerary and an address where you will stay and the big one is how long does she plan on staying? example would be, she wants to see NY, Florida, California and she is asking for a 6 month Visa. Probably going to be an issue.

Some comments FWIIW, I have seen many gals that "dress up" for the interview. I know it shouldn't matter but it does. Have her dress very average if that makes sense. Did she ask for the interview in English or in Thai? If English, it bodes better for what ever reason.

As for reapplying yes you can immediately reapply but you have to pay the fee again(at least you used to have to, do not know if it has changed on the last 3 years). My GF and I were worried that if she got denied and we reapplied we had to start all over again and pay the fee again. My biggest heartburn from reading online and speaking with the handful that were denied is they do not tell you why and you have no appeal process. It either it flew or it didn't. While my GF was accepted no issues a few of her friends in the past had been denied and gave up and they were just coming as a group of gals to see California.

I hope some of this helped. Good luck on round 2

Edited September 22, 2015 by JAFO

[BKKdreaming]

Did she apply with her given name at birth ? or her new name she got at 15 ?

I know many Thais that changed names because the first given name was unlucky or ????

But it does cause confusion in the West or that you are trying to hide something ,

[3bj]

@BKK she gave them the name on her current passport, which is the name she changed to at age 15. I am not sure what they want, it says to give full name as is on passport or ID card etc. I was thinking maybe since she made a mistake and said she didn't change her name, they maybe seen on the computer while bringing up her details, that she had in fact changed it.

There a numerous reasons why she could have been denied and quite honestly a lot of it is very subjective. I have watched numerous Thai's denied a VISA and when asking it was all over the map as to why. My GF and I did the form online, paid the fees and went to the interview. She owned a home(took the Chanote), had a very nice job at a hospital(got a letter from the hospital), owned a car(Took the greenbook) and had cash in the bank(Took the bank statements). We also took a very detailed itinerary of what her trip was to be about. Visiting family is a bit vague. Never ever discuss anything about marriage(even jokingly). Keep it very focused on traveling as a tourist.

If all you posted is accurate and factual she appears to have had all base reasons covered that her trip is to really visit and return to continue on with business and life. However if her business is not lucrative, meaning it could close up shop and no loss, that the condo she owns could be easily rented or there are other names on the ownership those can be issues. From what I have gathered in the past is the form submitted and the interview had some sort of conflict or something was asked or said that raised a concern. If anything is off it immediately raises the red flag and they are usually dismissed. It is not uncommon.

It is my understanding they want to see an itinerary and an address where you will stay and the big one is how long does she plan on staying? example would be, she wants to see NY, Florida, California and she is asking for a 6 month Visa. Probably going to be an issue.

Some comments FWIIW, I have seen many gals that "dress up" for the interview. I know it shouldn't matter but it does. Have her dress very average if that makes sense. Did she ask for the interview in English or in Thai? If English, it bodes better for what ever reason.

As for reapplying yes you can immediately reapply but you have to pay the fee again(at least you used to have to, do not know if it has changed on the last 3 years). My GF and I were worried that if she got denied and we reapplied we had to start all over again and pay the fee again. My biggest heartburn from reading online and speaking with the handful that were denied is they do not tell you why and you have no appeal process. It either it flew or it didn't. While my GF was accepted no issues a few of her friends in the past had been denied and gave up and they were just coming as a group of gals to see California.

I hope some of this helped. Good luck on round 2

@JAFO thank you so much for sharing. I will try to elaborate on some of your points. The details of what she will be doing on the trip were vague, but very truthful. She told them that we are going to Ohio to visit my family, and when asked how long she wanted to stay, she said she wasn't sure, she wanted to see if you was able to get a visa before making specific plans. It seems a bit out of line to expect people to buy plane tickets, book hotels etc then find out they are denied a visa and so they lose all that money for nothing. The lady then said give me something, so she said about 2 months she would stay there. As far as the address goes, I wrote an invitation letter with specific address and also I had my mom take pics of the house and printed them on paper for her to take to the interview, this was suggested by the lady whom she talked to on the phone prior to going.

She wore a pair of jeans, shoes not flip flops or tennis shoes, but also not formal high heels, and a casual t shirt.

She was given the interview in English from an American male, although I don't recall her having an option unless they asked her when she went into the embassy, as you now I had to stay outside.

Yes there is no appeals process and we must pay the fee again.

It would be nice to find out something, it seems a bit thai style to do things this way imo. I am going to contact the US Dept of State - Bureau of Consulate Affairs to see if i can speak to another American who can inform me on this matter. I called the Embassy while in BKK, but it was a Thai lady who pretty much

was not going to have a conversation, she just kept repeating what was on the paper they gave her that told her she was denied.

Edited September 22, 2015 by 3bj

[VIPinthailand]

I will answer straight to you. don't be upset, I know what they think in US embassies.

she has been denied because she looks like a bar girl, has tatooes... whatever.

she has no babies who stay in Thailand, and you work on line, yeah sure....digital nomads, they don't like so much.

she has no real intention to come back.

for the USA you are the perfect idiot to fall in love of a thai lady, and once you both are in America first thing you do is to get married...

yeah yeah you think I talk bs, right? but why do you want present your girl to your parents. marriage, sex, boom boom, then she will call for her parents to come to live the American dream... then cousins. like Mexicans.

reapply if you want, they will deny you.

best for you is to apply for a K1 visa.

[JLCrab]

From Post #1: ... then he asked "what does your boyfriend work" she answered "he works online" then he waved her off.

I think that is pretty much your answer - YOU have no reason to return to Thailand.

[HooHaa]

i suspect JL Crab may be close to the mark.

when i took my now ex to Canada she had to check the boxes but the onus was on me. they wanted proof of my income, employment and wanted to know MY intentions. Once i was vetted, she was in.

And yes, i had proper visas and work permits as well as a 2 year employment contract.

Despite VIPinthailands semi-literate attempts to sound knowledgeable he really is talking through the wrong orifice.

[3bj]

From Post #1: ... then he asked "what does your boyfriend work" she answered "he works online" then he waved her off.

I think that is pretty much your answer - YOU have no reason to return to Thailand.

This is one thing I have been pondering on, I forgot to explain thoroughly about my work in the US. I am union Pipefitter for 15 years. She doesn't really understand

even when I have talked about it before.

What do you mean "YOU have no reason to return to Thailand" ? What does it matter if I have a reason or not? She has many reasons to return to Thailand, and I think that is what is important, right?

[3bj]

I will answer straight to you. don't be upset, I know what they think in US embassies.

she has been denied because she looks like a bar girl, has tatooes... whatever.

she has no babies who stay in Thailand, and you work on line, yeah sure....digital nomads, they don't like so much.

she has no real intention to come back.

for the USA you are the perfect idiot to fall in love of a thai lady, and once you both are in America first thing you do is to get married...

yeah yeah you think I talk bs, right? but why do you want present your girl to your parents. marriage, sex, boom boom, then she will call for her parents to come to live the American dream... then cousins. like Mexicans.

reapply if you want, they will deny you.

best for you is to apply for a K1 visa.

I dont think you talk BS, you sound like a rocket scientist...

[gk10002000]

Well the name change is a red flag. Right or wrong, not disclosing that up front will likely put her on the low priority for processing. I don't know how officially that is done in Thailand, court order, etc. Does she have any records of that? Did she answer "no" to the have you ever been known by any other name" type of quesionts?

[vaultdweller0013]

From Post #1: ... then he asked "what does your boyfriend work" she answered "he works online" then he waved her off.

I think that is pretty much your answer - YOU have no reason to return to Thailand.

This is one thing I have been pondering on, I forgot to explain thoroughly about my work in the US. I am union Pipefitter for 15 years. She doesn't really understand

even when I have talked about it before.

What do you mean "YOU have no reason to return to Thailand" ? What does it matter if I have a reason or not? She has many reasons to return to Thailand, and I think that is what is important, right?

Your immigration status in Thailand is important because many people try the tourist visa route intead of the fiance/spouse visa route because it is much easier. That is, they get a tourist visa for their Thai partner, then once in the US they convenietly just happen to decide to get married and then apply for their new spouse to stay permanently. So, in many cases, they will want to see that their American partner has a reason to return to Thailand to avoid this.

Her response that you "work online" was probably the worst possible in this regard because if you can work online from Thailand, there is no reason you can't work online from the US. Also, responsing that she wanted to see if she was able to get a visa before making specific plans probably didn't help. It could have been interpreted as "we are going to see if we can get the visa, and if so, we are going to go to the US to get married." Alternatvely, it could be interpreted to shows a lack of a strong reason to return to Thailand. For example, it could be interpreted to mean that even though she owns business, she can just pick up and go at any time without needing plan how her business would operate while she is gone, which would mean that the business is not a strong reason to come back to Thailand.

Unfortunately, because they don't give a good rejection reason, it is all speculation.

[fireplay]

This is such a valid topic to me as i am planning the same route. One thing i am going to do is have my gf take my passport into the interview. I have lived in thailand for 6 years on my 4th nonimm b visa. I too work online. Will me having a non immb help to show my roots are planted in thailand?

[BKKdreaming]

This is such a valid topic to me as i am planning the same route. One thing i am going to do is have my gf take my passport into the interview. I have lived in thailand for 6 years on my 4th nonimm b visa. I too work online. Will me having a non immb help to show my roots are planted in thailand?

They are worried about HER roots, not yours ,

She has to have a solid reason why she needs to be back in Thailand ,

Like others have said they think her plans are to stay in the USA ,

I hate they are this strict , but then again it has "saved" many American men from themselves

Good Luck and make sure she knows the answers to the usual questions ,

[fireplay]

This is such a valid topic to me as i am planning the same route. One thing i am going to do is have my gf take my passport into the interview. I have lived in thailand for 6 years on my 4th nonimm b visa. I too work online. Will me having a non immb help to show my roots are planted in thailand?

They are worried about HER roots, not yours ,

She has to have a solid reason why she needs to be back in Thailand ,

Like others have said they think her plans are to stay in the USA ,

I hate they are this strict , but then again it has "saved" many American men from themselves

Good Luck and make sure she knows the answers to the usual questions ,

Hmmm i understand that. So what do you propose is the best strategy?

Gf- 23 just graduated from university with a degree in biology. Lives with me in chiang mai. Doesn't have money or any property. Comes from standard middle class family...dads a temple home contractor builder moms an artisan of crafts.

My girlfriend doesn't even really want to go to USA....but i refuse to marry or invest until she experiences my culture and my family...you know gain understanding and experience sort of thing. I think it will give her more appreciation of the cultural differences we have.

I go back to the states every year. So my trip after this year...next year...there is a family reunion. You know mountain biking in moab sorta trip. What is her chances?

Neither of us want to live in the states. I have nothing there. My gf wants to go live in tokyo...maybe...but the us is way too far away from her family and thai people.

[CWMcMurray]

Its all speculation, but my guess would be the name change issue...

As it seems the U.S. embassy now submit online application in advance.

So my the time you come in for interview, it is likely all has been reviewed and investigated

It seems Miley that they may have found out about the name change and that is why they directly asked about it.

When they 'caught her in a lie' .. Would guess that pretty much eliminates any chance

[villagefarang]

This is such a valid topic to me as i am planning the same route. One thing i am going to do is have my gf take my passport into the interview. I have lived in thailand for 6 years on my 4th nonimm b visa. I too work online. Will me having a non immb help to show my roots are planted in thailand?

They are worried about HER roots, not yours ,

She has to have a solid reason why she needs to be back in Thailand ,

Like others have said they think her plans are to stay in the USA ,

I hate they are this strict , but then again it has "saved" many American men from themselves

Good Luck and make sure she knows the answers to the usual questions ,

Hmmm i understand that. So what do you propose is the best strategy?

Gf- 23 just graduated from university with a degree in biology. Lives with me in chiang mai. Doesn't have money or any property. Comes from standard middle class family...dads a temple home contractor builder moms an artisan of crafts.

My girlfriend doesn't even really want to go to USA....but i refuse to marry or invest until she experiences my culture and my family...you know gain understanding and experience sort of thing. I think it will give her more appreciation of the cultural differences we have.

I go back to the states every year. So my trip after this year...next year...there is a family reunion. You know mountain biking in moab sorta trip. What is her chances?

Neither of us want to live in the states. I have nothing there. My gf wants to go live in tokyo...maybe...but the us is way too far away from her family and thai people.

It is common knowledge that the embassy considers all tourist applicants as intended immigrants and it is up to the applicant to prove they will not stay in the US. Proving a negative can be difficult and I don’t see your girlfriend as having much chance of succeeding. She may stand a better chance by leaving you out of the discussion altogether.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Here's a post I made a few days back to a guy seeking a tourist visa for his wife, it also applies to you in my not so humble opinion.

What is (or are) the reasons for you to return to Thailand after the U.S. visit? Got a long term lease on an apartment? Car? Motorcycle? Bank account here? Things to sort of establish that you are fixing to live in Thailand for the foreseeable future?

My now-wife has had four tourist visa interviews, the first three as a girlfriend, all four interviews focused on my status in Thailand, she was asked no Qs, never pulled out any of the couple of kilos of paper she had in the bag, The key was my status in Thailand. Could be your's, too,.

Mac

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/856380-b2-visa-interview-for-my-thai-wife/

As far as the interview goes with the U.S. Consular officer (not "immigration"), it's very important to show YOUR status here in Thailand:

-- Do you work here? If so, your wife should take along your Work Permit.

-- Are you here on a visa extension for "marriage" or "retirement"? Long time? Several extensions?

-- Your wife should take your passport with her to the interview and hand it over to the interviewing officer at the beginning. You should flag the visa extensions so they're obvious to the officer.

Reason for showing your passport with extensions, and work permit if applicable, is to show that YOU are established in Thailand, the assumption being, then, that you will most likely return after the U.S. visit, and that your wife will most likely return with you.

Mac

[JLCrab]

From Post #1: ... then he asked "what does your boyfriend work" she answered "he works online" then he waved her off.

I think that is pretty much your answer - YOU have no reason to return to Thailand.

This is one thing I have been pondering on, I forgot to explain thoroughly about my work in the US. I am union Pipefitter for 15 years. She doesn't really understand

even when I have talked about it before.

What do you mean "YOU have no reason to return to Thailand" ? What does it matter if I have a reason or not? She has many reasons to return to Thailand, and I think that is what is important, right?

No -- You refer to the woman as your Thai GF yet you have no definite plans to return to or live in Thailand. The Embassy then assumes that the real reason here is that you two want to live together in the US. For them at the Embassy, it has happened too many times.

BTW if you really just want for your TGF to meet your family, you can all arrange to meet in Bermuda where a Thai citizen can get a visa exempt entry for up to 6 months no questions asked

Edited September 23, 2015 by JLCrab

[fireplay]

From Post #1: ... then he asked "what does your boyfriend work" she answered "he works online" then he waved her off.

I think that is pretty much your answer - YOU have no reason to return to Thailand.

This is one thing I have been pondering on, I forgot to explain thoroughly about my work in the US. I am union Pipefitter for 15 years. She doesn't really understand

even when I have talked about it before.

What do you mean "YOU have no reason to return to Thailand" ? What does it matter if I have a reason or not? She has many reasons to return to Thailand, and I think that is what is important, right?

No -- You refer to the woman as your Thai GF yet you have no plans to return to or live in Thailand. The Embassy then assumes that the real reason here is that you two want to live together in the US. For them at the Embassy, it has happened too many times.

BTW if you really just want for your TGF to meet your family, you can all arrange to meet in Bermuda where a Thai citizen can get a visa exempt entry for up to 6 months no questions asked

A part of it is meeting family....a part of it is experiencing american culture....social interactions and all the nuances of American society. Meeting the family on some tropical vacation will do nothing for that.

[JLCrab]

A Thai citizen can visit Bermuda without any visa issues. For a US family, the flight is not more than traveling to Florida. If you can get your significant other a visa for the US then have at it. If not, then you can go to Disneyland in Hong Kong for her to experience American culture and nuances of American society.

Edited September 23, 2015 by theoldgit
Unecessary quotes removed.

[theoldgit]

Please refrain from all the follow on quotes, they are unnecessary and making the thread difficult to follow.

[2fishin2]

A Thai citizen can visit Bermuda without any visa issues. For a US family, the flight is not more than traveling to Florida. If you can get your significant other a visa for the US then have at it. If not, then you can go to Disneyland in Hong Kong for her to experience American culture and nuances of American society.

Thats not the topic at hand.

[JLCrab]

From the first paragraph Post #1: With all the new visa stuff happening, I decided it was time to make a trip home and bring her to meet my family.

[VIPinthailand]

you have to be nuts to bring a thai lady to the USA.

what she has to gain? why not go to Europe on vacation? , easier to get a visa.

[fireplay]

you have to be nuts to bring a thai lady to the USA.

what she has to gain? why not go to Europe on vacation? , easier to get a visa.

Um...i am from the us. My family wants to meet her and true to form...they don't travel much. Besides...as I said...her exposure to American culture i believe will help her understand me better and have deeper appreciation of our differences.

[robertthebruce]

you have to be nuts to bring a thai lady to the USA.

what she has to gain? why not go to Europe on vacation? , easier to get a visa.

Easier to get a Visa for Europe ??? Not sure about that one....

[JAFO]

@3BJ,

You are welcome. There are some good points additionally mentioned in the thread. The big one assume the interview is conducted under the full belief she is trying to exit Thailand and not return so the burden of proof resides with her to show she is deeply tied to Thailand and has to return. Aging parents she cares for, a child, viable job, etc. Honestly a car, motorcycle and even a condo are not compelling items to make one return especially being you are American and those 3 things could be written off easily if she moved and stayed in the US.

Again a huge part is perception she has to overcome. Someone mentioned early back about Tattoos, dressing leading one to think she is not who she states she is, uneducated, cannot speak English well, pregnant, large age gaps are another etc. Those are all huge red flags. Saying or showing you were married in Thailand has no pull in her visiting the US(in fact might be a big negative).

There is nothing wrong with you being part of the application, I was. But to your point it did seem silly to have to have a detailed travel itinerary, flights and hotels booked before VISA acceptance. Lots of risk with airfare etc. We did not have any of that. We had a proposed detailed plan(if the VISA was approved) and places we were going to see, people we were going to visit and appx time frame. She applied for a 30 day Tourist Visa, they gave her a 10 year VISA with a 6 month stay.(I never understood that but OK) Like you, I was not present in the interview so she must have done well.

Additional info, I was not working at the time as I had resigned from the company I was working for in Thailand for a US company although it was not asked on the form. She told me she told them I was retired even though I was almost 20 years to young to be eligible for official retirement.

FWIIW after our arrival here to that states the control aspect was not over. She was detained at SFO for 2 hours as immigration officers held 3 people from the flight to screen them. they were walked to a holding room. Finally after a very calm but pointed discussion with the agents about it, she was released but they did question me to see if my answers aligned to hers so you better be on the same page. It was a bit unnerving as she had no ability to contact me, no phone service, no contact info. 1 of the 3 gals they denied arrival and she had to fly back and was not able to leave the airport. Not sure why, she was Japanese not Thai.

Interestingly after about 1 month being back here in the states I was tracked down by a former colleague friend of mine and they wanted me to join his start up company. After a long discussion, we decided to stay and that became another entire process to become naturalized. We got married and started the process for her to stay. The pressure was on us to show there was no intent to emigrate here and this entire thing was a scam. That process is a thread all by itself. I learned a ton of invaluable information about the process.

Again Good Luck. in the end, while I do not have specific numbers, I suspect the applicant denied % is probably very high. I saw WAY more coming out upset, angry and even crying versus the handful I saw come out happy and ready to go.

Edited September 23, 2015 by JAFO

[JAFO]

you have to be nuts to bring a thai lady to the USA.

what she has to gain? why not go to Europe on vacation? , easier to get a visa.

Um...i am from the us. My family wants to meet her and true to form...they don't travel much. Besides...as I said...her exposure to American culture i believe will help her understand me better and have deeper appreciation of our differences.

While a bit off topic but equally as important, you are absolutely spot on Fireplay. I am so glad we came. She has a very solid understanding of my thought process and why I did the things I did in Thailand and now she has some hands on of how life is in the US. She has a much better appreciation of our differences. We now have a balance that had she not come when we move back we would likely have trying moments. Watching the news or US TV is not a substitute for living it. That media arena is heavily skewed from real life.

Edited September 23, 2015 by JAFO