just returned from one month trip to Malaysia

aardvark · Jul 4, 2005

It's nice to be back from my business trip to Penang. I got home yesterday afternoon and looked at my lawn, and my goodness, it was almost two feet high. I felt guilty mowing some of the weeds with the finish mower this morning, but it's all I really have, don't have brush hog.

It's also nice to have options other than Chinese hawkers for food, and again driving on the *correct* side of the road. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Actually, I ate more than just Chinese, but the Chinese hawkers were most convenient for lunches, etc.

And, I think I fell in love. I met a woman I really like, who I have had a business relationship with for the last couple years. We had a very nice personal relationship for the last month. Now I am unsure what to do. I want to bring here here for a while to see what she thinks. I need to go find out about getting entry visas for non business visits.

Anyway, I'm still tired after the 38 hours on airplanes and in airports, and am going back to bed soon.

Jagmandave · Jul 5, 2005

Welcome back......

Getting a "tourist" visa shouldn't be a big problem, the trouble starts if/when you decide she should stay. My brother's wife is from England, and you'd think it would be a snap getting her in since she's from one of our "friendly" countries - took almost a year!
But you've got plenty of time to worry about that angle /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Moon · Jul 7, 2005

sounds like quite a trip. I was over that way in the Navy. Had quite a few guys who found true love and brought wifes back with them. It wasn't easy back then, but now it will take a bit more doing ....good luck with all the paper work and be patient....it'll all come together but it does take time.

aardvark · Nov 8, 2005

As an update, since I haven't been on this website for almost four months now, I married the woman I fell in love with in Malaysia, and am working on getting here here in Feb 2006.

Man-oh-man has my life changed, and for the better.

RedRocker · Nov 8, 2005

Man, you've been busy, congratulations.

EastTexFrank · Nov 9, 2005

Congratulations. You sound so happy. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I was out in Malaysia about 6 or 7 years ago. I really liked the place. I had a friend who married a local girl and never came back. He's still there in KL with 3 kids and very, very happy.

Be patient as far as the paper work is concerned. It can take quite a while. My experience with the process is 20 years old but even then it was frustrating. I used to joke that it would have been better to get an airplane to Mexico and come across the border like everybody else. That's not much of a joke anymore.

JPinnell · Nov 10, 2005

I met my wife while she was in the US on a "work exchange" type of Visa in March '02. We decided to do things the "right" way and she went home to her folks in Scotland 9/02 and I started processing paper work for her to come over so we could marry here.

It took 9 months and close to $3000 in medical exams, paper work, forms, photos, embassy visits, flights, etc. Most all of it took place in London which she had to fly to a couple of times from Shetland. She had to be examined by an "approved" doctor in London, etc. My end of things in the US was pretty easy, just a few phone calls and a visit or 2 to the local INS Office.

It seems the easiest thing to do is have her come over on a Tourist Visa and then "decide" to get married on a whim while she's here. Much easier and cheaper to get there status changed once they are in country. It's possible they won't recognize the foreign soil marriage and you could still bring her over the easy way. This is how all the mail order bride places handle things. They arrange a "tour" under the premise of a vacation and then they meet their husbands once in the US and marry while here.

In my opinion the whole immigration process screws the nice guys if you do it by the book through the sytem that's currently in place. INS doesn't tell you what you need to bring them when you have a meeting or how much the paperwork costs to file. Oh and then you'll need a medical exam for $300 and a chest X-Ray, etc. It all adds up :-(

- JP

aardvark · Nov 11, 2005

Yes, I have been busy. I've been in Penang for two of the four months since I first posted this thread. My yard looked like a mess when I finally returned.

As for doing things by the book, there are actualy two "correct" ways to do what I'm doing. One is to do all the paperwork first to do I130, I129f, K-3, etc, the other is I485 adjustment of status as was mentioned abbove. The lawyer I consulted with recommended either, and mentioned that the adjustment of status is much quicker.