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HomeUS Visas for Thai Citizens
US Family-Based Visa
How We Help
US Family-Based Visa
for Thai Citizens
Family-based immigration to the United States depends on the relationship between the petitioner and the Thai family member, the petitioner's US immigration status and the category that applies to the case. Lawyers for Expats Thailand helps families identify the appropriate route and organise the relationship, civil and supporting evidence required as the case progresses.
How We Help
What we do when you apply
A family-based case is prepared around your relationship and circumstances, not a template. Here is what happens from the first call through to the visa decision.
1
Understand the Family Relationship
We establish who is petitioning, their US citizenship or immigration status, their relationship to the Thai family member and the circumstances that may determine the appropriate family-based category.
2
Identify the Appropriate Route
We review the family circumstances before documents are prepared so the case is built around the correct relationship and immigration classification rather than assuming every family petition follows the same route.
3
Prepare the Family and Civil Evidence
We organise the civil, identity, relationship and supporting documents needed to establish the qualifying family relationship and prepare for the relevant petition and visa stages.
4
Support the Case Through the Process
We help the family keep the information and documents organised as the matter progresses through the relevant US immigration and immigrant visa stages. US government authorities determine eligibility and make the petition and visa decisions, not Lawyers for Expats Thailand.
What We Do For Our Clients
The full scope of what we handle
A family-based case touches the relationship, the petition and the immigrant visa stage together. Here is the actual scope of what our team handles.
Identifying the Qualifying Family Relationship
US family-based immigration is relationship-specific. Potential family circumstances can include qualifying relationships involving parents, children, adult sons or daughters, and siblings, depending on the petitioner's status and the applicable category.
Q
Can any family member in the United States sponsor a Thai relative?
No. US family-based immigration is limited to qualifying relationships and also depends on the petitioner's US citizenship or immigration status. We establish the exact relationship and petitioner's status before identifying the appropriate route.
Establishing the Petitioner's Status
The family categories available depend partly on whether the petitioner is, for example, a US citizen or a lawful permanent resident. The range of relatives who may qualify is not identical.
Q
Does it matter whether my relative is a US citizen or Green Card holder?
Yes. The petitioner's immigration status can affect which family relationships may qualify and which immigration category applies. The case must therefore begin with the petitioner's actual status and the precise family relationship.
Proving the Family Relationship
The evidence depends on the claimed relationship. Relevant documents can include, depending on circumstances, birth certificates, marriage records, name-change records, adoption records where relevant, previous marriage documents, identity documents, household or family records where relevant, and other civil evidence connecting the petitioner and beneficiary. Thai documents may require appropriate translations depending on the US process and document.
Preparing the Family Petition
Many qualifying family-based cases begin with Form I-130 filed by the qualifying US petitioner. The petition stage establishes the claimed qualifying relationship. We help organise petitioner information, beneficiary information, relationship evidence, civil documents, names and dates, previous family or marital information where relevant, and supporting documentation.
Q
Does approval of the family petition mean the visa has been approved?
No. Petition approval and immigrant visa issuance are separate stages. Where immigrant visa processing is required, the beneficiary must still complete the applicable visa process and satisfy the relevant requirements.
Visa Availability and Immigrant Visa Preparation
Some qualifying family relationships fall within categories where visa availability can affect when immigrant visa processing can proceed, and immediate-relative and family-preference cases do not all operate on identical timelines. Where the case reaches immigrant visa processing, assistance can include organising civil documents, financial sponsorship material, applicant information, identity documents, relationship evidence, police or civil documents where required, medical requirements, and other case-specific evidence.
Q
Do all family-based cases take the same amount of time?
No. The immigration category, petition stage, visa availability where applicable and individual case circumstances can all affect how a family-based case progresses. We do not treat every family relationship as having the same timeline.
Preparing for the Consular Stage and Decision
Where the Thai beneficiary is completing immigrant visa processing abroad, the case ultimately reaches the appropriate consular process after the required preceding stages. We help review civil documents, organise relationship evidence, review names and dates, organise sponsorship documents, prepare the applicant to understand the interview process, and address further-document requests where appropriate — we do not coach false answers.
Q
Who decides whether a family-based immigrant visa is approved?
The relevant US immigration and consular authorities make the petition and visa decisions. Lawyers for Expats Thailand helps prepare and organise the case but does not control or guarantee the outcome.
Our Commitment To You
What you can hold us to
The Correct Family Relationship Comes First
We establish the petitioner's status and exact relationship to the Thai family member before preparing the case.
Evidence Built Around Your Family
We organise the civil and relationship evidence around the family's real circumstances rather than using the same package for every application.
Each Stage Explained Clearly
We help the family understand how the petition, visa availability where relevant and immigrant visa stages fit together.
Careful Preparation Without False Promises
We prepare the case thoroughly while remaining clear that US government authorities determine eligibility and make the immigration and visa decisions.
Who You'll Work With
Real people, not a case number
Kanokpich Ukritdutsadee (Lawyer Pook)
Managing Director & Lead Barrister
Leads the preparation of US family-based visa cases for Thai clients, personally responsible for identifying the correct qualifying relationship and category before evidence is organised.
Brian Ramsden
General Manager of Foreign Affairs
Your first point of contact. Brian coordinates the initial assessment of the family relationship and petitioner's status, and stays as your liaison as the case moves through the relevant petition and visa stages.
Related Resources
More on visas abroad for Thai citizens
For the other US visa services we handle, or other destinations we assist Thai citizens travelling to, see the pages below.
US Visas for Thai Citizens
→Visitor, fiancé(e), spouse and business visitor visas, and visa refusals, for travel to the United States
US Spouse Visa (CR-1/IR-1) for Thai Citizens
→Petition, financial sponsorship and immigrant visa preparation for Thai spouses of US citizens
US Fiancé(e) Visa (K-1) for Thai Citizens
→Relationship, petition and visa-stage preparation for Thai fiancé(e)s of US citizens applying for a K-1 visa
Visas Abroad for Thai Citizens
→Visa application support for Thai citizens travelling to the UK, Europe, Australia, the US and more
Lawyers for Expats Thailand, 2026. The content of this page is general legal information and does not constitute legal advice for any specific matter. Please contact us for advice on your individual circumstances.