US issues for stop over

[Canadian_verbal_kint 0]

Hello,

 

These might seem like an odd question but my wife and I are flying to canada this summer and the best flights I've been able to find are flying from BKK to JFK. I have then booked an Air Canada flight from LGA to Toronto I get the AC flight for free via work so with the good deal on the premium economy from BKK to JFK it was hard to pass up.

 

My question is this, my wife being Thai has her one year Visa in and out of Canada. But as we are actually getting off the plane in NY and then transferring airports but NOT as part of a booked route, is that going to be an issue? I realize for me being Canadian it's not as I've done it before but what about my Thai wife only have her Canadian visitors Visa?

 

Might be a worry about nothing but better safe than sorry. We generally fly HK to Vancouver so it's not an issue... but damn those flights are too good to pass up....

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide...

[Tahoe_Bill 0]

Having heard on numerous occasions, the standard US pre-landing announcement that “all passengers regardless of their final destination must process through US immigration”.

I checked and it looks like a C1 visa will be required.

After checking the requirements for a C1 visa (about 2 printed pages), I’d say that if it’s not too late to change your itinerary it may be the easier course of action.

Otherwise you can contact the US Embassy in BKK at (e-mail): visasbkk@state.gov

or phone 02-205-4000.

The visa URL is : http://thailand.us-visaservices.com/Forms/default.aspx

 

Good Luck!

 

Bill

[joekicker 53]

She definitely absolutely must have a US visa to leave the immigration section.

 

As Mr Bill says, the US Embassy will fix you up, but it takes some time so get cracking on Tuesday. You can do most of the work online before then.

[Canadian_verbal_kint 0]

Thanks guys, I actually wimped out and changed the flight rather than go through all that paperwork I imagine it was probably easy but didn't seem worth the extra effort.. .I changed to BKK to MNL, Then on to Narita and from there to Toronto... paid slightly more but business on the NRT to YYZ leg so it's gonna have to do..

 

Much appreciate the heads up...

[joekicker 53]

Okay, good on you. Sure wouldn't have hurt her to have a US visa in the old passport, though.

[Canadian_verbal_kint 0]

Okay, good on you. Sure wouldn't have hurt her to have a US visa in the old passport, though.

 

Well here's the thing, I live in Niagara Falls, Ontario so while in Canada on this trip (about six weeks) will cross the border as I live about ten minutes from the Rainbow Bridge, so if there are any issues etc.. no big deal drive home... I would rather take the chance on having it work out while closer to home than in an airport hundreds of miles away still..so indeed she will get that US stamp.. just a little later is all.

[joekicker 53]

Small old world. That's where my wife got her first US stamp, after seeing the Falls' good side.

[vegasdave 0]

Yeah it is really too bad you had to change your plans. It is unfortuate that the US has gone so crazy on this sort of thing. I was thinking though. If you could teach her a few words of spanish, she could just cross the boarder from the south. Then she can get some free medical care, and a few other goodies on the way through. There is really no problem with this at all, millions and millions have done it and there are virtually no reprocusions. Ok I will remove tongue from cheek now

[joekicker 53]

Yeah it is really too bad you had to change your plans. It is unfortuate that the US has gone so crazy on this sort of thing.

 

Just to clarify, there hasn't been change on this in many, many decades. The only slight difference is that the Thai has to show up in person for an actual face-on-face interview, which most did before anyhow. But Thais always have had to have a visa to walk out of a US airport. Or a Canadian one. Where "always" is a very long time, heh.

[Sailfast 503]

I spent 10 days in Mexico last year and thought about having this thai girl meet me there. I figured the cost of the flight might be worth 10 days of Thai beaver but getting the visa seemed like too much trouble.