| There is a lot of information out there on the web | | | | exact, with the home country that would necessitate a |
| regarding acquiring a tourist visa for a Thai girlfriend. | | | | return to Thailand. Strong ties are usually exhibited by a |
| Most of the discussions found on the web seem to | | | | well-paying career or profitable property. Merely |
| convey the perception that tourist visas are relatively | | | | wanting to “see the country, take in the sights” |
| easy to obtain. There is always one person who will | | | | does not inspire confidence from the consular officer. |
| claim that it was easy for them to get a tourist visa | | | | Conversely, this actually strengthens the suspicion that |
| for a wife, a girlfriend, a fiancée or a friend. | | | | the tourist visa is actually going to be used as a way |
| Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is: tourist visas | | | | to permanently stay in the United States. In the event |
| are incredibly hard to obtain and that the rejection rate | | | | that the couple do in fact get married during her stay in |
| is somewhere around 80%. This incredibly high | | | | the United States, this may be viewed as an attempt |
| rejection rate stems from the suspicion or presumption | | | | to defraud the United States government. In this |
| that the tourist visa would be used simply to | | | | regard, a tourist visa can do more harm than good. |
| circumvent the ordinary process of petitioning a visa | | | | It may appear that the better option is to acquire a K1 |
| for fiancé or a wife by marrying the Thai fiancé | | | | Visa Thailand, considering the high possibility of a |
| or girlfriend while in the United States and thereby | | | | subsequent marriage while in the US as a K1 Visa |
| getting the chance to remain in the country | | | | Thailand actually takes advantage of this weakness in |
| permanently. | | | | the tourist visa, not to mention the high rejection rate |
| One way to overcome this presumption is through a | | | | for a tourist visa application. |
| showing of “strong ties,” financial ties to be | | | | |