Why I Got Married In Thailand

 A Few Reasons I Married a Thai Woman

1. Love & Responsibility

I married Pui because I love her and her daughter deeply. When you truly love someone, you do everything you can to build a better future and more secure life for them.

2. Family Urgency

My grandfather is 88 with progressing dementia, and my father is battling cancer. Time is limited—which makes it incredibly important that they meet the woman I love while they still can.

3. Visa Challenges

We tried bringing Pui to the U.S. on a tourist visa, but she was denied. So now we are pursuing a CR-1 marriage visa—the only real path to reunite her with my family.

4. Building a Better Future Together

Life in Thailand is difficult for the working class—long hours, 6 days per week, low wages, little financial security. By getting legally married, we can build a future where we split our lives between earning income in the U.S., and gaining access to affordable medical care in Thailand.  These decisions should increase our quality of life and create a stable life for our family.

5. Health & Wellbeing 

    Pui has been an excellent caregiver and house partner, especially on the days my health conditions are kicking my ass. I have an autoimmune disorder, spine degeneration, nerve damage, and other ailments that you can read more about here. It's been nice sharing a space with someone who is willing to care for me on the worse of days by cooking, or picking up food/medicine on my behalf. She also gives good massages and picks up the slack on all the little things I would neglect when not feeling great. I've struggled for many years to get my health under control and she has certainly been a big help to improve the quality of my life.  

What's Next?

Our next step is pursuing her CR-1 Visa and CR-2 Visa for her daughter, which still can take up to 14 months to be approved and cost thousands of dollars in fees. 

It feels absurd that government bureaucracy can prevent families from staying together and unfortunately a legal marriage doesn't automatically grant anyone a free green card or citizenship within the states (or rights to visit). It will still require paying significant fees to different departments of our government (This is the entire process for the CR-1 Visa). 

If anyone would like to send a wedding gift or make a donation, please send it HERE and it will go toward her and her daughter's visas, plane tickets, and toward helping a family stay united. Time we can never get back.
Thank you!

If you'd like to learn more about our story please visit my YouTube channel where I'll be answering questions about our relationship and life in Thailand!