# US B2 visa application

A few weeks ago I posted about some concerns I had regarding the application for a B2 visa being submitted by my wife. The original post: <[members only]/>. Some of the feedback I got in response was very useful. Thanks to Bob Haas and Robert Bob Howard especially, as following their comments I made sure my wife was prepared to dig deep on the topic of my, the husband. And I'm happy to report that yesterday her application was approved.

I am thankful for the comments that helped us prepare, so just thought I'd share this in case it's useful for anyone out there.

Our preparation:

Identified what the visa might even remotely be interested in and came up with loads of questions on each. My wife made sure she knew all the facts and practiced concise responses. She's not a natural in this sort of thing, so we practiced quite a bit. Mock interviews helped. Mock interviews with others (my friends) helped even more. We did not engage any company to help. I relied heavily on AI to help me come up with her 'training material', although that was certainly not without issue (isn't all AI!?)

I ensured that she had every document that could even remotely be useful. Judging by what I saw on Wireless Road, ours was way overkill. Not a second do I regret the effort put into this though. I'd rather have her carry way too much, than have her not carry that one document that would have made a critical difference.

Because of the time of day, we didn't want the anxiety of 'can we get a car', 'will traffic be horrible', and 'will she get car sick' and so we booked a hotel nearby. Great move. It got us away from our condo and thus away from distractions. We relaxed, did some soft rehearsals, walked over to the embassy just to see, and just hung out together. She went to sleep super early and we got up at 5:00 for an 8:30 booking: she wanted to do a few more rehearsals before the main event.

How did it go:

Arrived 15 minutes before the appointed time. It wasn't busy. She basically went straight in, and I went to collect our things from the hotel and settled in at a nearby coffee place we had agreed. I thought she was allowed to bring water but not her handbag. Turns out it was the other way around. Oh well.

The photo we included was not acceptable. And we hadn't thought to make sure to carry some cash, so she had to come out to get cash and then restart the process. As she went in a second time, I thought "if this added anxiety costs her the visa, I'm a dead man!" ... anyway, there is a photo machine inside. Takes 150 baht. Take used bills, new ones don't work. No change.

Inside everyone is packed like sardines. There is very little seating and you're constantly moving along in a queue. After security the first stop is, I guess, 'enrollment'. Thai agent checks docs, takes prints, asks a few basic questions and tells you your photo is no good and to go get a new one. Pass this and you go to a US agent who checks your fingerprint (I guess against the enrolled version?). People are grouped by interview time, and when the group is called you then queue single file towards the visa officers. You can hear every interview happening around you. My wife told me about some of the rejections she overheard that surprised her ("you make this much money and you've never traveled abroad? that doesn't make sense", "you say you traveled to Europe but you can't show me the passport with that visa"). We had read that 'people report getting calmer as they progress along the process', but this was not the case for my wife! Total time from in to eat (excluding the new photo bit) was about 1.5 hours.

The interview took 2 minutes. If that. Approved! My wife said all she wanted to do was run back to tell me the news and that her smile was so big it made her face hurt.

At the nearby coffee shop I was surrounded by people going to apply. Many of them were reciting their answers. Many excited returns from those who got approved applications. I was just getting another coffee when I saw her looking for me, and I already knew from her face her application was approved.

My wife has a B2 level of English. By no means fluent. We speak a mixture of Thai, English and my native language between us. Officers assume English, and their Thai is (according to my wife) pretty horrible. She heard very heavy accents, and their comprehension of answers given seemed basic to her as well.

Conclusion:

For any of our other visa applications, there is very little prep. I have a standard set of documents, we update, print, go over the details a few times over a coffee before the appointment time, she goes in, and done. It's all document-based, so who cares what the VFS people think.

This prep was intense. Maybe we overdid it, but we invested a lot of time as my wife is not used to this sort of thing. Halfway through, we agreed that had we known how much work this was going to be that we probably wouldn't have submitted. But we did. So we forged ahead.

And having been approved is of course a great reward. We're excited to go see our friends now.

# US B2 visa application concerns

My wife is applying for a B2 visa to visit the USA. 5y married to EU citizen, >10y of international travel with many trips to Europe, multiple Schengen, UK visa and a Canada visa, 550k in her bank account, owns property in Thailand, 20y Thailand-resident husband reliant on her for visa. I guess her being a housewife is suboptimal, but decent profile otherwise. Still, some questions:

1. She is insisting on doing the interview in English while I think she should go for Thai. She's at a B2 level: she searches for words, makes mistakes, etc. but can generally make herself understood. Thoughts on English vs. Thai for the interview?

2. She isn't great at remembering loads of little facts, and gets nervous speaking to officials, and doesn't understand what the underlying concern of questions are. Although of course she won't have memorized a description off the internet, I'm still worried she'll sound rehearsed. Of course we are doing mock interviews, but she has seen me naked so I don't impress as much as a visa officer would. Anybody have experience, and how much of an issue this would be? Any recommendations? I've seen these former visa officers offering mock interviews for $500 but that seems a bit over the top to me.

3. One could argue rejections increased to 27% since the current administration took office (FY2025 stats mangling). Has anyone got some real data on this?

Not sure where to ask this question. Today we went to the American Embassy. My Thai girlfriend had an appointment. We hope to get a B1 B2 visa for her to travel to America for holiday. I hired a Thai company to help us prepare all the documentation necessary for her application, checked all the boxes.

 According to the Visa company, she met all the requirements. Submitted a flawless application .

She just returned from her appointment at the Embassy. She was denied a B one B2 a Visa .

The reason, insufficient information. That’s it, no explanation of what the insufficient information was. 

Hello all! Does anyone have experience or advice for a Thai citizen to get a Visa to visit USA? I have a friend wanting to come visit, but after hours of research I cannot seen to find any real solid information. Some places say buy airline tickets first before interview to show return flight, others say wait for Visa approval.

It looks like the B2 visit is what they are looking for for tourism visit, but could they take some English classes here and travel as student? Since this can be a costly process, I am hoping some here have some advice about best chances of making this happen.

Thanks in advance!

Im here in retirement visa. I’m planning on going back to US mid-May to attend best friends wedding and be for a month Would love to get my Thai partner to be there with family and friends but I know I know not easy.

I think it’s about assets and perceived escape potential.

She owns property, homes, has teenage daughters she’s responsible for, job but not regular like corporate income. We’ve together a little less than a year - that may be a qualifying or disqualifying factor.

Don’t tell me it’s not easy I know - but maybe there is the right person to ask and maybe make it happen. Like an agency

Thanks

I would like to know if it is possible to obtain a B2 visa in Thailand

I am from the US and marrying a woman from Hua Hin. I want to have her visit the states and possibly stay for an extended visit. What are my visa options. How long does it usually take to get visa?

Has anyone got a tourist visa for their Thai Wife to visit America? We have no plans to ever move to the USA so a tourist visa to visit family seems more ideal compared to a green card.

If so any advice would be grateful.