Correct. I do file my return every year despite not owing anything, but no Thai company hands out W-2s, that’s just an American thing. But the IV Unit (Immigration Visa Unit) at the embassy here demands proof, because so many don’t file like they’re supposed to. I guess anyone could fill out a return and give it to them without actually filing it. The tax transcript is proof of you having filed and that your income is what you said it was. But like I said, it’s frustrating in my case because they already know the income listed on my return no longer reflects my present income.
There is a Thai equivalent to the W-2, but it is called something else of course, it is just for Thai tax purposes, and even if the US government wanted to see that, which they don’t since it’s not an American W-2, I’d have to have it translated into English.
Hotcha! My tax transcript from the IRS arrived today (Wednesday), just nine days after calling them. Who said these were bad people? That completes everything we need … except for a US address, which will hopefully come in August. Plus there’s a good chance my wife will have to retake her physical, as those are good for only six months. She took hers at the end of March, so she must be in the US by the end of September. That will depend on how quickly I can secure an apartment once in Honolulu and then how long until her next appointment. But no big deal if she does have to take it again.
Okay. So here I am now in Honolulu, Hawaii. I moved into our new Waikiki apartment on Thursday. After signing the lease last month – and the wife signed it too thanks to the miracle of the e-signature – we sent a copy to US Immigration in Bangkok along with some other documents. But now that I’ve moved, they said I needed to update my information by submitting a new I-864. So we sent that in last weekend, and they received it on Monday. Now we wait to see if and when they give her a second interview. Looking at the tracking feature on their website, it says this could take several weeks. Yikes! I guess maybe they’re checking me out? But they’ve usually been pretty quick about stuff in our case.
And the saga is over! The wife just called me with the news that her Immigrant Visa has been approved. Immigration called her to tell her.
The reason they called was because her medical exam expires at the end of this month, and they wanted to know if she could travel this month. Otherwise, she’d have to take the physical again, which would delay issuance by maybe a couple of weeks into October. She said she could travel. She’d already reserved a seat on flights for September 27 and October 9 in anticipation. The October 9 flight is now out of course, so it will be September 27, but she’s also on standby for the 24th and 25th.
Looks like it’s going to be a nail-biting finish. The wife was supposed to be here tomorrow morning, but her flight has been canceled due to Typhoon Megi threatening Taiwan, where she has to change planes. She’s now rescheduled to arrive Wednesday afternoon. This is cutting it close, because she must – must – be here by Friday or else retake her Immigration physical exam, causing further delay. Exam results are good for six months, and Friday will mark six months since she took it.
Right now she’s booked on a flight for Wednesday, but it’s not confirmed. If for any reason she cannot get that flight – and she’s been told she can, she’s just awaiting formal confirmation – then she’ll look for any flight she can regardless of ticket cost.
The typhoon is expected to hit Taiwan tomorrow, so Wednesday should be okay.
It’s actually lightning speed by USCIS/State Department standards. If they’d had to go the regular route (filing in the U.S., followed by transfer to the National Visa Center for document collection, then onward to the local Embassy/Consulate), in most cases they’d be looking at a year to a year and a half, IF there were no significant delays for document collection, lost files, clueless call center reps, etc. Having the U.S. citizen living in one of the handful of countries where there is a local USCIS office that will accept an I-130 filed locally is a huge bonus. And the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok is much more helpful and responsive than many.
Yes, that is spot on. We went into the interview back in April knowing my lack of a US domicile was going to be a problem that needed correcting. But if I’d had an address at that time along with a couple of other minor documents they requested, my wife would have gotten her Immigrant Visa then, and that would have been in just 2-1/2 months. As it is now, we’re happy the whole thing has taken only eight months. And yes, the US Embassy in Bangkok has always been helpful to me. I can’t speak for other embassy locations, but I’ve been dealing with the one in Bangkok for decades, and they’ve always been great
As for the wife’s travel plans, she now has a confirmed ticket for Wednesday afternoon. And after a lengthy flight, she’ll land here on … Wednesday afternoon, and almost three hours before she left Bangkok! Love that International Date Line. She’ll be here with two days to spare before the deadline. We have requested there be no more typhoons.
And the nail-biting continues. Now they’ve moved the wife’s flight time up in Bangkok, and now it’s questionable if she’ll have time to make her connecting flight in Taipei. She may end up staying overnight in Taipei and traveling the rest of the way on Thursday.
Her flight leaves Bangkok in about seven hours from now. We’ll see what happens.
The wife has made it to Taipei but did indeed miss her connecting flight. She is now scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning (Thursday morning). Cutting it razor thin, but it should be okay.
The wife earlier called me from Taipei Airport. And just a little while ago, she sent me a message saying she was in line to board her flight, which was scheduled to leave just a few minutes ago. So I think it’s going to happen this time.
