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.

@Pablo *******

Just depends on where your last TM30 was filed. If it was at the old address then no one will know you aren't staying there anymore and likely will be fine.

@Paul ******

most people do that so they don't make any mistakes

The rule is you must have the 800,000 in the bank for 2 full months before you apply for your extension (not before your extension ends, but when you apply) and then it must stay at 800,000 for 3 full months after you receive your extension. Then it can never drop below 400,000 the rest of the year. You bring it back up to 800,000 next year 2 full months before you apply and repeat the cycle.

As part of your application next year they'll want to see a 12 month bank statement to see that you kept it at 800,000 for 3 months after last year's extension and then never let it drop below 400,000.

There is no 90 day visa exempt. There is a 60 day visa exempt and you can get a 30 day extension, giving 90 days in total.

You can also apply for a 60 day visiting Thai family extension based on your wife after you get the 30 day extension.

It would probably be easier to get the 90 day marriage visa before you travel though and then get the 60 day visiting Thai family extension on that. One less trip to immigration if you do it that way.

@Christopher *******

each embassy sets their own requirements. So it will depend on the embassy you apply at. Some have given the visa for a single dentist appointment. Some may require more.

@Christopher *******

medical treatment is one of the qualifying categories

When I lived in a 40sqm condo by myself, I paid about 100-120 baht per month for water and around 2000-3000 per month for electricity. This was with the bedroom aircon at 19 all night.

My best guess, most of them are doing it illegally. That's why you see so many news articles about foreigners being arrested in Koh Phangan for working illegally.

To the Thai government, work is work. Regardless of if you are getting paid, taking donations, or volunteering completely for free, it's still considered work and needs both a work permit and a visa that permits working.

@Paul *******

last year was a long time ago. Things have changed multiple times between last year and now when it comes to bank accounts. They won't even do it for people on ED visas with a letter from their school anymore which used to be super easy.