Is it hard to bring a Thai woman back to the US for marriage?

Question

I am traveling back to Thailand this November for three weeks this time and hope to find my other half !
The Thai people are just amazing and I fell in love with the country and the people there on my last visit to the Land of Smile's.
I have had my fill with the unfaithful cheating women of the US .

Answer 1

It's easy. You can apply for a K-1 visa for her and it takes about 4 months. Marrying a Thai woman is also an expensive undertaking.

Form Fee
I-129F $170 fiancee visa application
I-485 $325 permanent residency application
I-864 none

Immigration lawyer in Thailand ~$1,500.
Transportation costs - depends, where you live, how many trips
Dowry $3,000 - $5,000
Phone bill after marriage - $40-$80/month

Read form I-864 instructions. You must sign this form stating that you have sufficient finances to support your foreign spouse and will do so, even if you get divorced!

The Immigration lawyer in Thailand is necessary unless your fiancee is very well educated and useful even then. Obtaining the required documents, filling out forms, translations, medical and police records is difficult for her and impossible for you. With a good Thai lawyer, the fiancee visa (I-129F) process is about 3-4 months. Without ,it may be years.

Don't get married in a foreign country! For some reason a fiancee visa is much easier to get than a spouse visa (I-130). It may take a year to get a spouse visa. A traditional wedding ceremony with the lady's family is not legal and can (should) be done before applying for the fiancee visa.

Dowry is expected of men marrying a Thai lady. The family wants to be certain that the new husband is financially secure and can take care of their daughter.

As stated in a previous answer, you do become part of large extended family. Your spouse will want to help them and will be quite disappointed if you cannot or will not.

Your spouse will miss her family and want to keep in contact. Lingo (VOIP) is 7 cents/minute to Thailand plus $20/month. There will be many hours of calls per month.

People are people. There are good and bad people in every country. Yes, Thailand is a beautiful country and the women are exotic and attractive. Please don't be so naive as to think they are saints as well.

This answer is limited to the legal and financial requirements. The other answers here have good advice regarding relationships and risks of rash actions.

You can e-mail me if you want more details. My Thai wife has her permanent residency and can soon apply for US citizenship.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

To answer your question without sweeping generalizations is difficult. There are big differences between socio-economic groups and between different geographic regions. To generalize, you’ll find that traditional / conservative Thai values such as Thai women being chaste until marriage are observed in the deep south as well as among upper middle-class families, especially of 2nd or 3rd generation Thais of Chinese descent. On the other hand, you’ll find that in farming communities, it is very widespread with sex before marriage. But, again to generalize, the problem is not as much a question of deteriorating moral values, but rather that young males are allowed to be very irresponsible, i. e., they can leave the pregnant girl on her own without being condemned or reprimanded by the community. In urban settings, the guys act the same way in the poorer socio-economic groups. This is not really anything new. When I was at Thammasat (over 10 years ago), the same patterns were found in a research project we did. But, the globalization and pop-culture influences have impacted the values of the Thai urban youth. It is not something that started happening after 2002 (when you left), but the strength or impact of such influences have accelerated over the past decade. And it is not only western influences, but also various trends from Japan and South Korea. I’m sure you know some of the many Thai pop bands (such as China Dolls) Grammy invented (copied) from what was popular in Japan. One aspect of these influences is a more liberal attitude to premarital sex among many young urbanites. While a survey indicates 70% of the respondents have had premarital sex, I am not sure this represents the full picture. Before assuming a survey represents the ultimate truth, one should question who and how many were asked. The respondents probably do not represent all of Thailand’s population, but only a certain part (e.g., Bangkokians). But I am pretty sure the trend (an earlier survey indicated 50% while the recent survey indicated 70%) indicated by the surveys is correct . . . . premarital sex is getting more common and thus more accepted in Thai society.

Answer 4

Please listen to Spanky, Fffrrree, and Brendan G. They are correct to my research. I understand how you feel about American women. I have a Thai girlfriend now in Bangkok. It took a year for it to develop. The visa process is a long and arduous one, photos, emails, visits to Thailand. The mainstream Thai women are very conservative and some can be just like American women. Just interested in Money, looks and possessions. Just be careful. Always do things with one eye open. You will be over 7000 miles away things happen like any relationship. The Thai women are very faithful once you gain their confidence. It is unending unlike any women I have met. Beer Bar and massage girls you have one chance in a thousand of finding someone nice. Online, you have probably a better chance but, keep in mind they prowl there too. Also be prepared that she may not want to come to the United States. I think Spanky said it, they are very family oriented and a maturing nation. Women are suppressed as second class citizens. They are not use to making such drastic decisions except if they have had the opportunity to go to school outside Thailand. I plan on retiring there at least part time. Learn as much as you can in your readings online and books. Get a feel for Thailand. ThailandGuru seems to be the most neutral in his representation. Try reading Culture Shock! Success secrets to maximize Business in Thailand, though it is a business book it is short and to the point about the social economic structure of Thailand and the "Thai way" of life. You can the business part and the total book is only 240 pages and I think the applicable part is like 80 pages of reading. Good luck and meet as many women as you can. And remember if they work during the day, that's good. Or rather if they want to be home at 9 pm that could be good.

Answer 5

Wow man, jai yen yen.. chill out.. If you have only been here once, you have alot of cultural things to learn.. Just a couple here for starters - - they say you don't only marry a thai woman, you marry her whole family [ and since you are a wealthy Westerner, you will be expected to help out financially - if you think you are not, just look at how much your plane fare and hotel cost and then divide by 3000 baht and figure out how many months or years of labor you just spent for a vacation.. so, be prepared to share as it will make your wife very unhappy if she has a wealthy husband and she cannot help her family... [ she cannot be happy eating off fine china if her momma is drinking from a coconut shell ] - - ok - be prepared for many cultural misunderstandings.. it is not easy for a Thai to use the "no" word.. so, often they will say yes, but mean no.. you figure it out for yourself..

But to answer your question, the only way to bring a girl back is with a fiance visa [they give you 3 months but there is alot of paperwork first] or if you marry her here and it is better if she has a legit work history etc.. and 1 or 2 vacations here will not appear too legit on your part.. The embassy is not really too encouraging..

oh, there is soooo much more..

Answer 6

I'm glad that you like Thai girls and you wanna marry her. Hope your dreamed wife then!

My friend's boyfriend hires a lawyer to take over these situation cos it's quite wasting time and money. I heard that they pay a lot. The bad news is my friend didn't got her visa.

I think it depends on age, education etc.. Age is the most serious problem. If your wife-to-be is around 20-30, the Embassy will clarify her as a potential to be a prostitute.

Well, take care of her..

Answer 7

It might be harder to send her back after buying her a house down there and helped her family up from their poor living conditions.
Its normal that Thai girls want a divorce after the house - build for your money is finished. Maybe she have a Thai man waiting. He accept to wait 4-5-6 years, until she have their house finish build.
Hard - but that's a fact many times.

Answer 8

WOW!
The degree of racism here is astounding. I am a farang (foreigner) who has lived in Bangkok for 3 years. I have a Thai girlfriend and she is wonderful and faithful.

*Many* Thai bargirls are real operators, so the caveat to be careful should be heeded. Use your common sense. Test her. If she likes you and respects you (or maybe even loves you), she'll understand.

In short, trust, but verify.

BUT, it's not impossible to find a good woman here. email me at: [e-mail] if you want to chat more.

Good luck!

Answer 9

The American embassy in Manila, Philippines, has a list of all the American government regulations. I assume they would be the same from Thailand. The American Embassy web site in Thailand did not seem to have any information. Check this site
http://usembassy.state.gov/manila/wwwhlove.html
The quickest way is to get a fiance visa, and marry in America. She will need to get a Thailand Passport. You will need to send in the forms listed on the web site. It could take a year to get it all done. Some people pay to have the forms filled out. Be sure to get the right type of photos, for the forms. Good luck.
You may be able to find a wonderful girl to marry in three weeks. You may need a longer relationship than that to convince the embassy, to allow her to come to America.

Answer 10

Well since 9/11 it's not easy. She no longer automatically becomes a citizen when you marry her.

There's a cultural gap you have to deal with. Your bride may be thinking things she cannot express to you and vice versa.

Also; if you were attrcted to the cheating type in America, you will be attracted to the cheating type in Thailand. Human nature is the same around the world, my friend. The problem is the women you're choosing.