How to Bring Your Friend, Fiancée, or Spouse to the U.S.

So you’re looking for a firm to help you bring a Thai friend, fiancé, or spouse to the United States. You’re considering firms both in the U.S. and Thailand. Here are some things to consider as you make your decision based upon our client’s feedback. This is also coming from my personal experience when my wife immigrated from Thailand to the U.S. several years ago. Your primary goal in engaging a firm is to get it right the first time so you can get your matter to the finish line as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Mistakes or omissions can result in significant delays or even rejection of your application. You’re also probably looking to take as much stress out of the process as possible, both for yourself and for your Thai fiancé or spouse.

So, what should you be looking for to achieve these objectives? First and foremost is a real sense of partnership with your counsel, including their being available to you to answer questions and address concerns. And you should be provided a roadmap at the outset, a complete list of documents and information needed on your end to complete the application process.

Second, you should have a way to safely and securely provide your firm the information it needs. About 80 percent of U.S. immigration firms use the same cloud based client portal hosted by leading immigration software provider, DocketWise. An added benefit is that the software will automatically populate your USCIS and NVC applications and petitions.

Third, there should be some support for your fiancé or spouse to collect what he or she needs here in Thailand, including the medical certification and police clearance. And having someone guide them through this in their native Thai can also be a significant benefit. Fourth, your friend, fiancé, or spouse should be prepared for the all important embassy interview.

This is the last chance for the U.S. government to ensure that the applicant is qualified. It is, in my view, essential for the Thai applicant to understand what will be asked so they can go into the interview with confidence. Finally, your firm should get bonus points for membership in the American Immigration Lawyers Association, as this will indicate that the firm is staying up to date on best practices.

Choosing a firm with whom you’ll have a relationship for a year or more may end up being the most important part of the immigration process. I hope this video gives you a framework to think through your choices and to ask some good questions. If you found this helpful, please like and share. And for more U.S. visa updates, please subscribe to our channel. Thanks for watching.