What are the experiences of expats bringing their Thai partners to other countries via fiancé or marriage visas?

Fiancé Visa Marriage Visa Visa Process for Thai Partners Expat Experiences Immigration Advice Thai Restaurant Ownership US Immigration Thai Citizenship

Nov 7, 2024

a month ago

John *********

ORIGINAL POSTER

I would like to know other expats experience.

Mine is that my wife secured her fiancé visa to the other country almost entirely without my help. Yes, she is very intelligent.   She also bought a Thai restaurant in the other country almost entirely without my help again. I had to quit my job to help. Yes, she paid me a lot more than my previous job. Now she is an other country citizen and we both collect other country senior citizen benefits.

My point is…all the expat men that I know and got married in Thailand were unable to bring their Thai wife to the other country. 

My conclusion is that it may be easier to get a fiancé visa as opposed to another type of visa.

That’s my experience. What is your experience?

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TLDR : Answer Summary

The original post shares the experience of an expat whose Thai wife successfully obtained a fiancé visa and became a citizen of another country. The author contrasts this with the challenges faced by other expat men in securing visas for their Thai wives. Comments include personal experiences about the fiancé visa process, comparisons to marriage visas, and discussions around the pros and cons of each route, as well as opinions on the motivation behind the original post.

David ********

My question is . Why are you asking ?? Seems like you're just trying to show boat. This is visa advice group how exactly are you contributing to visa advise with this post

a month ago

James *********

My friend recently brought his now wife over on a fiance Visa, it took just a bit over a year for approval

a month ago

Brandon ************

The 2 routes, Fiance Visa vs Marriage Visa both have pros and cons.

Fiance visa can be faster, but that's not guaranteed. The process overall will be longer though because they will get the visa, then travel to the US, then get married, then file for adjustment of status. The current wait time to get the green card after filing for adjustment of status is around 12-18 months right now, so that means the 3-year timer for citizenship eligibility doesn't start until more than a year after they enter the US in some cases. They also can't work or leave the US for the first 6-12 months until they either receive work/travel authorization or their green card. It's also significantly more expensive because each one of these costs several hundred if not thousands of dollars.

With the Marriage visa, it potentially takes longer than fiance process to actually get to the US, but once they get there they will immediately have a green card. This means they can start working right away if they want, they can leave the US and visit Thailand if they want, and that 3-year citizenship timer has already started. There are also far less fees because you don't have to apply for a bunch of different adjustments and such.

Mostly it comes down to if you are prepared to get married already while in Thailand, or if you are willing to wait the extra time to get to the US but have a faster process once you've arrived there.

a month ago

Bob ********

@Brandon ***********

could be worse under the next administration in January 2025. He hates foreigners.

a month ago

Reply to

Bob ********

Steve **********

In 2015 I did the fiancé visa as well. Applied in May. Approved in August and in September we were in Hawaii together.

She’s a citizen now.

a month ago

Ed *********

I would like to know others experiences with bringing Thai fiancé , wife to USA