Integrity Legal

As the current economic situation in Thailand continues down a precarious path due to lockdowns. There are many who fear tourism may not return to Thailand in high numbers any time in the near future. In fact, quarantine rules do not look like they are going away and the Phuket sandbox has proven to be less of a draw than initially anticipated. There are some who have speculated that Thailand may have come to overly rely upon tourism as an integral component of the overall economy. Whether or not this is true is difficult to ascertain, but it should be noted that anyone predicting the events of 2020 and 2021 in, say, the year 2018 would have been called worse names than crazy so the notion that Thailand came to overly depend upon tourism is only an argument that operates logically in hindsight.

Although the Phuket sandbox has been discussed a great deal as of late, there is also a similar program which has been initiated in Samui and those wishing to avail themselves of this tourism opportunity may do so by traveling through Bangkok in “sealed terminals” in order to undergo “sandbox quarantine” for 14 days on that island. Presently, travel restrictions in Thailand have precluded wide travel latitude for those wishing to leave the Phuket sandbox, but this does not appear to currently be an issue in the Samui system. Those wishing to travel to Bangkok from abroad may do so, but they are still required to undergo quarantine in a Bangkok hotel via the Alternative State Quarantine system.

Business travelers to Thailand are not precluded from using either the Samui or Phuket sandboxes so those with a Thai business visa and/or Thai work permit may return to Thailand without undue hardship. It is worth pointing out that Thailand is one of the few jurisdictions in Southeast Asia which is trying to maintain tourist travel as well as admitting non-immigrant visa holders such as the aforementioned B visa holders as well as those holding an O visa for marriage to a Thai or for retirement. Thai Embassies and Consulates are still issuing O-A retirement visas to those retirees abroad. Thailand remains one of the few countries in Southeast Asia actively issuing visas to foreign retirees.

Those seeking visas to the USA may continue to do so under present circumstances although appointment scheduling has proven somewhat cumbersome in recent months as the American Embassy in Bangkok appears to be either understaffed or unable to process a large caseload due to restrictions associated with the response to COVID-19. However, appointments are available, albeit it in a relatively limited number.

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Posted in Thailand Visa, US Visa Thailand | No Comments »

The overall posture of American immigration has improved considerably since the beginning of 2021. With the transition to a new administration there have been a number of changes in how immigration cases are processed. As noted previously, the public charge rule has reverted back to pre-Trump criteria. Concurrently, it appears the current administration has rolled back a potentially disturbing policy regarding collection of biometric data from not only intending immigrants to the United States, but American petitioners and sponsors as well. Presently, there are a number of backlogs holding up cases at various points in the US immigration process. For example, processing times at USCIS are longer overall. Meanwhile issues at the National Visa Center are prolonging case processing. Finally, the US Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand has had to postpone a number of appointments citing the COVID situation. Although it seems the Embassy is prioritizing family based Immigrant Visa Unit matters over the non-immigrant visa unit as some level of priority seems to be conferred to cases such as applications for the K-1 visa (for fiances of America citizens) and the marriage visa cases (K-3, IR-1, and CR-1 visas). There does seem to be some hope on the horizon that things will start looking better as this administration does not seem as intent on being deliberately obtuse with respect to processing immigration cases.

Turning to Thai immigration news, the situation in Thailand has turned less positive since April and the upshot in an immigration context is the re-extension of the quarantine time in Thailand. As of the time of this writing, all travelers (including those vaccinated) arriving in Thailand are required to undergo a 14 day quarantine. On a more general note, Thailand remains under a state of pseudo-lockdown which is having a tremendously negative impact upon the SME sector. However, there is hope that things will begin to turn around as the COVID vaccination is rolled out in early June. Key officials in Thailand have also stood firm behind their commitment to reopen Phuket for the “sandbox” initiative in July. This is apparently still moving forward and, as yet, this doesn’t seem likely to be cancelled. That stated, many initiatives (such as “travel bubbles” or reduced quarantine) have been proposed and ultimately shot down or have been rolled out only to be rolled back. Therefore, it is difficult to predict exactly how things will progress moving forward in the course of the next few weeks, but hopefully these days ahead will be better than those recently transpired.

Tags: American Embassy, American Visa, CR-1, CR-1 Visa, CR1, CR1 Visa, CR1 Visa Thailand, immigration, IR-1, IR-1 Visa, IR1, IR1 Visa, IR1 Visa Thailand, K-1, K-1 Visa, K-1 visas, K-3, K-3 Visa, K1, K1 Visa, K1 Visa Thailand, K1 visas, K3, K3 Visa, K3 Visa Thailand, Thai, Thai Embassy, Thai Immigration, Thai Visa, Thai Visas, ThaiEmbassy, Thailand, Thailand Immigration, Thailand Visa, Thailand Visas, thaivisa, US Embassy, us embassy bangkok, us embassy thailand, US Visa, US Visa Thailand, US Visas, USA Visa, visa, visas
Posted in Thailand Visa, US Embassy Thailand | No Comments »

The overall Immigration system in both the United States and Thailand have been in a state of flux for a number of months. The transition in Administrations in the United States has had a number of effects upon the Immigration apparatus as a whole, most recently the Secretary of Homeland Security announced changes with respect to the public charge rule. To quote directly from the Department of Homeland Security website:

Today, DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced that the government will no longer defend the 2019 public charge rule as doing so is neither in the public interest nor an efficient use of limited government resources.

“The 2019 public charge rule was not in keeping with our nation’s values. It penalized those who access health benefits and other government services available to them,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Consistent with the President’s vision, we will continue to implement reforms that improve our legal immigration system.”

President Biden’s Executive Order on Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans called for an immediate review of agency actions on public charge inadmissibility and deportability. DHS’s review, in consultation with the Departments of Justice and State and the federal benefits-granting agencies, is ongoing.

Clearly, this represents a sea change with respect to immigration policy on issues associated with acting as a sponsor for an intending immigrant or in cases where adjustment of status is involved. This is likely to have a tremendous impact upon processing of cases such as the K1 Visa, the K3 Visa, the CR1 Visa, and the IR1 Visa. In K-1 visa cases, those acting as sponsors must file an I-134 affidavit of support while the I-864 applies to immigrant visas. Hopefully, the recently announced policy change will benefit those seeking these types of visas.

Meanwhile, it seems officials in Thailand are going ahead with easing of quarantine measures. The process of lifting the quarantine is slated to occur in phases, with phase 1 set to commence in April. There are to be 4 phases of the quarantine easing with phase 2 (so-called “area quarantine“) set to commence at the beginning of the summer and apparently the Kingdom will open much more in October. Much of the reopening appears contingent upon the broad adoption of so-called vaccine passports, with certificates of entry to be phased out in favor of that documentation. Notwithstanding these announcements, it now appears that quarantine will continue albeit on a truncated basis, with those who can prove prior vaccination and a clear COVID test able to enjoy 7 days of quarantine (as opposed to 14 days) beginning in April. Those unvaccinated with a clear COVID test will only be compelled to quarantine for 10 days.

Tags: area quarantine, asq, commonpass, CR-1 Visa, CR1 Visa, CR1 Visa Thailand, immunity passport, IR-1 Visa, IR1 Visa, IR1 Visa Thailand, K-1 Visa, K-3 Visa, K1 Visa, K1 Visa Thailand, K3 Visa, K3 Visa Thailand, quarantine, Thai Immigration, Thai Visa, Thai Visas, Thailand Immigration, us embassy bangkok, us embassy thailand, US Visa, US Visa Thailand, USA Visa, vaccinate, vaccinated, Vaccination, vaccination passport, Vaccinations, vaccine, vaccine passport, vaccine passports, vaccines
Posted in Thailand Visa, US Visa and Immigration | No Comments »

The past 6 weeks have been very eventful in terms of the response to the COVID-19 (or Coronavirus) lock down in Thailand. This crisis has also had a significant impact upon the American visa process. By way of an update, the Thai government has recently announced an easing of restrictions associated with the lock down of business and social interaction in Thailand. It now appears that as of May 3rd, small eateries, parks, hair salons, stores selling certain retail as well as electronic goods, and pet shops will be allowed to reopen. Thai government officials have announced that further phased reopening measures will be implemented in coming weeks should circumstances permit. Concurrently, it was initially announced that the ban on the sale of alcohol in Thailand would be extended throughout the month of May. There was some speculation that a “grace period” would be permitted on Mat 1st and 2nd to allow the public time to “stock up” on alcohol products in anticipation of further restrictions over the forthcoming month.

Shortly after these predictions and the announcement that the ban on alcohol sales would continue, it was announced that retail alcohol sales could recommence beginning May 3rd. Further, it appears that those eateries which maintain an alcohol license and usually sell alcohol in the course of their day-to-day business will be permitted to sell alcohol on a “take-away” basis. Therefore, for the forthcoming days small restaurants and other venues will be reopened to the public and life in Thailand appears to be normalizing somewhat. Notwithstanding these measures, restrictions on pubs and entertainment establishments remain.

While all of this is unfolding in Thailand, in the USA the US immigration system appears to be preparing for further delays associated with the processing of visa cases. The following announcement from USCIS recently came to this blogger’s attention:

On March 18, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services temporarily suspended routine in-person services to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). USCIS plans to begin reopening our offices on or after June 4, unless the public closures are extended further.

In prior announcements it had been noted that May 4th would be the presumptive date of reopening. It now appears that there will be at least another month delay for in-person services with USCIS. At the same time, the new Immigration Ban remains in effect although it is unlikely to have any impact upon those seeking a K-3 visa, CR-1 visa, IR-1 visa, or K-1 visa from Thailand as the ban specifically excludes spouse visas and only pertains to immigrant visas. Therefore, as a fiance visa is not, by definition, an immigrant visa, the provisions this new ban do not apply to fiances of American citizens. However, notwithstanding the fact that the immigration ban does no directly impact most family based visas from Thailand it is effectively a moot point for the immediately foreseeable future due to the fact that the Immigrant Visa Unit and the Non-Immigrant Visa Unit at the US Embassy in Bangkok are not currently holding visa interviews nor are the issuance immigrant and non-immigrant visa as they remain closed due to the coronavirus. We, in this office, are currently looking at the USCIS presumed reopening date as the best indication of when it seems prudent to presume that the Embassy will reopen for interviews. That stated, the ultimate date of reopening remains to be seen, but we will try to keep you up to date on this blog.

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Posted in Thailand Business, US Embassy Thailand, US Visa and Immigration | No Comments »

An Executive Order has been issued by the Trump administration regarding suspension of immigration to the United States for the forthcoming 60 days. However, the order does not appear to apply to those seeking a K-1 visa to bring a foreign fiance to the USA. Concurrently, it also does not appear to apply to American visas for the spouses and children of U.S. Citizens. To quote directly from the relevant sections of the order as posted on the White House website:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including sections 212(f) and 215(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. 1182(f) and 1185(a), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, hereby find that the entry into the United States of persons described in section 1 of this proclamation would, except as provided for in section 2 of this proclamation, be detrimental to the interests of the United States, and that their entry should be subject to certain restrictions, limitations, and exceptions.  I therefore hereby proclaim the following:

Section 1.  Suspension and Limitation on Entry.  The entry into the United States of aliens as immigrants is hereby suspended and limited subject to section 2 of this proclamation.

Sec. 2.  Scope of Suspension and Limitation on Entry.  (a)  The suspension and limitation on entry pursuant to section 1 of this proclamation shall apply only to aliens who:

(i)    are outside the United States on the effective date of this proclamation;

(ii)   do not have an immigrant visa that is valid on the effective date of this proclamation; and

(iii)  do not have an official travel document other than a visa (such as a transportation letter, an appropriate boarding foil, or an advance parole document) that is valid on the effective date of this proclamation or issued on any date thereafter that permits him or her to travel to the United States and seek entry or admission.

(b)  The suspension and limitation on entry pursuant to section 1 of this proclamation shall not apply to:

(i)     any lawful permanent resident of the United States;

(ii)    any alien seeking to enter the United States on an immigrant visa as a physician, nurse, or other healthcare professional; to perform medical research or other research intended to combat the spread of COVID-19; or to perform work essential to combating, recovering from, or otherwise alleviating the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, as determined by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or their respective designees;  and any spouse and unmarried children under 21 years old of any such alien who are accompanying or following to join the alien;

(iii)   any alien applying for a visa to enter the United States pursuant to the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program;

(iv)    any alien who is the spouse of a United States citizen;

(v)     any alien who is under 21 years old and is the child of a United States citizen, or who is a prospective adoptee seeking to enter the United States pursuant to the IR-4 or IH-4 visa classifications;

(vi)    any alien whose entry would further important United States law enforcement objectives, as determined by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or their respective designees, based on a recommendation of the Attorney General or his designee;

(vii)   any member of the United States Armed Forces and any spouse and children of a member of the United States Armed Forces;

(viii)  any alien seeking to enter the United States pursuant to a Special Immigrant Visa in the SI or SQ classification, subject to such conditions as the Secretary of State may impose, and any spouse and children of any such individual; or

(ix)    any alien whose entry would be in the national interest, as determined by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security, or their respective designees.

Sec. 3.  Implementation and Enforcement.  (a)  The consular officer shall determine, in his or her discretion, whether an immigrant has established his or her eligibility for an exception in section 2(b) of this proclamation.  The Secretary of State shall implement this proclamation as it applies to visas pursuant to such procedures as the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, may establish in the Secretary of State’s discretion.  The Secretary of Homeland Security shall implement this proclamation as it applies to the entry of aliens pursuant to such procedures as the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, may establish in the Secretary of Homeland Security’s discretion.

(b)  An alien who circumvents the application of this proclamation through fraud, willful misrepresentation of a material fact, or illegal entry shall be a priority for removal by the Department of Homeland Security.

(c)  Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to limit the ability of an individual to seek asylum, refugee status, withholding of removal, or protection under the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, consistent with the laws of the United States.

Sec. 4.  Termination.  This proclamation shall expire 60 days from its effective date and may be continued as necessary.  Whenever appropriate, but no later than 50 days from the effective date of this proclamation, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Labor, recommend whether I should continue or modify this proclamation.

Sec. 5.  Effective Date.  This proclamation is effective at 11:59 p.m. eastern daylight time on April 23, 2020.

Sec. 6.  Additional Measures.  Within 30 days of the effective date of this proclamation, the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, shall review nonimmigrant programs and shall recommend to me other measures appropriate to stimulate the United States economy and ensure the prioritization, hiring, and employment of United States workers.

Sec. 7.  Severability.  It is the policy of the United States to enforce this proclamation to the maximum extent possible to advance the interests of the United States.  Accordingly:

(a)  if any provision of this proclamation, or the application of any provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this proclamation and the application of its provisions to any other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby; and

(b)  if any provision of this proclamation, or the application of any provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be invalid because of the lack of certain procedural requirements, the relevant executive branch officials shall implement those procedural requirements to conform with existing law and with any applicable court orders.

Sec. 8.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or,

(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b)  This proclamation shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c)  This proclamation is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-second day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fourth.

DONALD J. TRUMP

 

Clearly, there are many who might see their cases negatively impacted by this order. To preface any further analysis, it should be noted that visa processing has been suspended at the US Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand as well as the US Embassy in Vientiane, Laos and the US Embassy in Phnom Phen, Cambodia due to the COVID-19 outbreak. So regardless of this order, it is not currently possible to obtain a visa from these posts as interviews have been suspended. Bearing the above in mind, the following analysis will demonstrate that this order will NOT have an impact on fiance visa and marriage visa cases for the fiances and/or spouses of American citizens:

The executive order states: “The entry into the United States of aliens as immigrants is hereby suspended and limited subject to section 2 of this proclamation.” The K-1 visa is designed for the fiance of an American citizen to to travel to the United States with the intention of marriage. It grants the bearer 90 days of lawful status in the USA in which to marry their American fiance and file for adjustment of status to lawful permanent residence (aka Green Card status). It is important to note: the K-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa, albeit a dual intent visa. For purposes of processing it is treated as an immigrant visa (for example K-1 cases process through the Immigrant Visa Unit of the American Embassy in Thailand), but pursuant to United States law it is in fact a non-immigrant visa. The above cited executive order only pertains to immigrant visas. Therefore, this order does not have any bearing upon the processing of a K-1 fiance visa case.

What about cases involving the spouse of an American citizen where the spouse would enter the USA and be granted an I-551 stamp thereby granting permanent residence to the foreign spouse upon entry? The above executive order speaks directly to such a situation: “The suspension and limitation on entry pursuant to section 1 of this proclamation shall not apply to:…(iv) any alien who is the spouse of a United States citizen“[Emphasis Added]. Clearly the suspension ordered in Trump’s executive order will exempt spouses of Americans. Therefore, those foreign spouses of American citizens seeking a K-3 visa, CR-1 visa, or IR-1 visa will not be adversely impacted by the provisions of this executive order.

Finally, the following should be noted: “This proclamation shall expire 60 days from its effective date…This proclamation is effective at 11:59 p.m. eastern daylight time on April 23, 2020.” Thus, unless this order is extended it will expire 60 days from now. We will keep readers updated on this blog as the situation progresses.

Tags: American Embassy Bangkok, American Embassy Thailand, CR-1 Visa, CR1 Visa, CR1 Visa Thailand, Executive Order, Fiance Visa, Fiancee Visa, immigration, IR-1 Visa, IR1 Visa, IR1 Visa Thailand, K-1 Visa, K-3 Visa, K1 Visa, K1 Visa Cambodia, K1 Visa Laos, K1 Visa Thailand, K3 Visa, K3 Visa Thailand, Trump, Trump Executive Order, us embassy bangkok, US Embassy Cambodia, US Embassy Laos, us embassy thailand, US Immigration Executive Order, US Visa Cambodia, US Visa Laos, US Visa Thailand, visa, visas
Posted in CR1 Visa, Department of Homeland Security, Fiance Visa Thailand, IR1 Visa, K-3 Visa Thailand, K1 Visa, K1 Visa Thailand, K2 Visa, K2 Visa Thailand, K3 Visa, Legal News, National Visa Center, US Consulate HCMC, US Emassy Mongolia, US Embassy Afghanistan, US Embassy Australia, us embassy bangkok, US Embassy Bangladesh, US Embassy Brunei Darussalam, US Embassy Burma, US Embassy Cambodia, US Embassy China, US Embassy Dhaka, US Embassy Fiji, US Embassy India, US Embassy Indonesia, US Embassy Iraq, US Embassy Japan, US Embassy Kabul, US Embassy Kyrgyz Republic (Kyrgyzstan), US Embassy Laos, US Embassy Malaysia, US Embassy Maldives, US Embassy Mauritius, US Embassy Mongolia, US Embassy Myanmar, US Embassy Nepal, US Embassy New Zealand, US Embassy Pakistan, US Embassy Philippines, US Embassy Phnom Phen, US Embassy Rangoon, US Embassy Russia, US Embassy Singapore, US Embassy South Korea, US Embassy Sri Lanka, US Embassy Tokyo, US Embassy Turkmenistan, US Embassy Uzbekistan, US Embassy Vietnam, US Embassy Yangon, US State Department, US Visa, US Visa and Immigration, US Visa Thailand, USCIS | No Comments »

It now appears that all visa services provided to foreign nationals at American Embassies and Consulates abroad have been suspended. In a recent article from Reuters, the following was reported:

The United States is suspending all routine visa services as of Wednesday in most countries worldwide due to the coronavirus outbreak, a spokeswoman for the State Department said, an unprecedented move that will potentially impact hundreds of thousands of people…The State Department spokeswoman said U.S. missions abroad will continue to provide emergency visa services “as resources allow,” and that the services to U.S. citizens will remain available.

Concurrently, the following message was issued by the US Embassy in Thailand:

Information for Immigrant Visa applicants regarding novel coronavirus: As of March 19, 2020, the United States Embassy and Consulate in Thailand are cancelling Immigrant Visa appointments until further notice.  We will resume routine Immigrant Visa services as soon as possible but are unable to provide a specific date at this time.  Once we resume Immigrant Visa operations, we will contact you with a new appointment date. Applicants who had their Immigrant Visa interviews cancelled due to the cessation of operations will be given first priority for rescheduling.

Meanwhile, it now appears that all intending entrants to Thailand will be required to present a medical certificate prior to boarding a plane for Thailand. To quote directly from a recent article in the Bangkok Post:

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand now requires all air passengers, Thai and foreign, to show Covid-19-free health certificates and Covid-19 insurance before boarding their flights to Thailand…Airlines must require passengers to present health certificates issued no more than 72 hours before the  flight departs. The certificates must guarantee that the passengers are free of Covid-19, regardles where they board. Airlines must also require that passengers have insurance covering Covid-19 treatment in Thailand, up to at least US$100,000.

We will keep this blog updated as the situation evolves.

Tags: American Embassy Bangkok, American Embassy Thailand, American Visa, American Visa Thailand, border run, corona virus, coronavirus, CORVID, CORVID-19, COVID, covid-19, covid-19 thailand, covid19, covid19 thailand, CR1 Visa Cambodia, CR1 Visa Laos, CR1 Visa Thailand, don muang, Fiance Visa, Fiance Visa Cambodia, Fiance Visa Laos, Fiance Visa Thailand, Fiancee Visa, ir1 visa cmabodia, IR1 Visa Laos, IR1 Visa Thailand, K-1 Visa, K-3 Visa, K1 Fiance Visa, K1 Visa, K1 Visa Cambodia, K1 Visa Laos, K1 Visa Thailand, k3 marriage visa, K3 Visa, K3 Visa Cambodia, K3 Visa Laos, K3 Visa Thailand, Marriage Visa Cambodia, marriage visa laos, Marriage Visa Thailand, Suvarnabhumi, Thai Visa, us embassy bangkok, us embassy thailand, US Visa, US Visa Thailand, USA Visa, visa, Visa Run, visas
Posted in Thailand Visa, US Visa Thailand | No Comments »

Khmer language translation of the video found here: ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ K-3 ពី​ប្រទេស​កម្ពុជា

សួស្ដី! ខ្ញុំ​ឈ្មោះ Benjamin Hart ។​ ខ្ញុំ​គឺ​ជា​មេធាវី និង​ជា​នាយកគ្រប់គ្រង​នៃ​ក្រុមហ៊ុនIntegrity Legal នៅ​ក្នុងទី​ក្រុង​បាងកក​នៃប្រទេស​ថៃ ។

នៅ​ក្នុង​វីដេអូ​ថ្ងៃ​នេះ យើង​នឹង​ពិភាក្សា​ជា​ពិសេស​អំពី​​ទិដ្ឋាការមួយគឺ​ ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ K-3 ដែល​ជា​ប្រភេទ​ទិដ្ឋាការ​ដ៏គួរអោយ​ចាប់​អារម្មណ៍មួយ ដោយ​​ផ្តោ​ត​ទៅ​លើ​​បរិបទ​ប្រទេស​កម្ពុជា សំរាប់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ​ខ្មែរ​ដែល​ចង់​ដាក់​ពាក្យ​រៀបអាពាហ៍ពិពាហ៍ជា​មួយ​ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ​អាមរិក ។ និយាយ​អោយ​ចំ​ទៅ គឺ​អ្នកដែល​​ត្រូវ​​រៀបអាពាហ៍ពិពាហ៍ជា​មួយ​ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ​អាមេរិក ដើម្បី​ដាក់​ពាក្យ​សុំទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ K-3 ។

ដូច​ដែល​យើងបាន​លើក​ឡើង​ខាង​លើ យើង​ស្ថិត​នៅ​ក្នុង​ទីក្រុង​បាង​កក ។ យើងបាន​រត់ការ​សំណុំរឿង​របស់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ​ថៃជា​ច្រើន ហើយ​ដោយ​សារ​តែ​យើង​ក៏​ស្ថិត​នៅ​​ជិត​ប្រទេស​កម្ពុជា ដែរ​នោះ ជា​ច្រើន​ឆ្នាំ​កន្លង​មក​នេះយើង​ក៏​បាន​​​រត់​ការអោយសំណុំរឿង​ជាច្រើនរបស់​​ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរ ឬ​សំណុំរឿង​ផ្សេងៗ​ទៀត​ដែល​មាន​ពាក់ព័ន្ធ​នឹង​ជនជាតិ​ខ្មែរ ។ ដូច្នេះ​យើងចង់​​បញ្ជាក់ថា ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ K-3 នេះ​ជា​ទិដ្ឋាការ​មួយ​ដ៏​គួរ​អោយ​ចាប់​អារម្មណ៍ ។

យើង​សូមពន្យល់​រៀបរាប់បន្តិច​​ថា​តើ​អ្វីជា​ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 ។ ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 ត្រូវ​បាន​បង្កើតឡើង​​ដោយ​យោង​តាម​ប្រការ​មួយ​ចំនួន​នៅក្នុង​ច្បាប់អាយុ​ជីវិត ដែល​ត្រូវ​បាន​បង្កើត​ឡើង​នៅ​ក្នុង​អណត្តិរបស់​ប្រធានាធិបតី Clinton នៅ​ពេល​ដែល​មាន​សំណុំរឿង​ជា​ច្រើន​ដែល​បាន​កកស្ទះ​ ពាក់​ព័ន្ធ​នឹង​ប្រភេទទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្ដី​ប្រពន្ធ គឺ CR-1 និង IR-1 ហើយ​នៅ​ក្នុង​ទំព័រ​របស់​យើង​នេះ​ ក៏​មាន​វីដេអូ​មួយ​ទៀត​ដែរ ដែល​និយាយ​ផ្ដោត​ជា​ពិសេស​ទៅលើប្រភេទ​ទិដ្ឋាការ​ CR-1 និង IR-1 នេះនៅ​ក្នុង​ប្រទេស​កម្ពុជា ។ នៅ​ពេល​នោះ​ ជា​ធម្មតា​វា​ទាម​ទារ​រយៈពេល​ជា​ច្រើន​ឆ្នាំ​ដើម្បី​បញ្ចប់​សំណុំរឿងមួយ ។ ក្រសួង​មាតុភូមិ ធ្វើ​ការ​សំរេ​ច​លើ​ពាក្យ​ធានា​សំរាប់​ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ​រៀប​អាពាហ៍​ពិពាហ៍ ។ ក្នុង​ពេល​ជាមួយ​គ្នា​នោះដែរ​ វា​ទាម​ទារ​ពេល​ប្រហែល ៦, ៧ ឬ​៨​ខែ ដើម្បី​ទទួល​បាន​ការ​សំរេច​យល់​ព្រម​លើសំណុំបែបបទ​ធានា​សុំ​ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទគូដណ្ដឹង ។ ដូច្នេះ​ជា​ចុង​ក្រោយ​ អ្វី​ដែល​គេ​​ជួប​ច្រើន គឺ​​ស្ថានភាព​ដែល​សំណុំរឿងគូដណ្ដឹង​ត្រូវ​បាន​ដំណើរ​ការ​លឿន​ជាង​ប្ដីប្រពន្ធ ហើយ​យើង​សូម​បញ្ជាក់​ផងដែរ​ថា​តាម​ផ្លូវ​ច្បាប់ ជាពិសេស​ច្បាប់​អន្តោប្រវេសន៍ ​មិន​មាន​ភាព​ខុស​គ្នា​នោះ​ទេ​រវាង​ប្ដីប្រពន្ធ​ និង​គូដណ្ដឹង ដោយ​តាម​ផ្លូវ​ច្បាប់​សំណុំរឿង​ទាំង​ពីរ​នេះ​ត្រូវ​បាន​ចាត់​ទុក​ថា​ដូចគ្នា ។ បើ​គិត​តាម​ផ្លូវ​​រដ្ឋបាល​វិញ មាន​ការ​​កក​ស្ទះ​សំណុំរឿង​ទិដ្ឋាការ ឬ​សំណុំពាក្យ​ធានា​​ប្រភេទ​រៀបអាពាហ៍ពិពាហ៍ជា​ច្រើន ។ ​ខ្ញុំ​មិន​ដឹង​ថាវា​មក​ពីហេតុ​អ្វី​​ដែរនោះ​ទេ ប្រហែល​ជា​​​​អាច​បណ្ដាល​មក​ពី​ពួក​គេ​ដំណើរ​ការ​ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ K-1បានយ៉ាង​មាន​ប្រសិទ្ធិភាព​ជាង ឬ​មក​ពី​មាន​សំណុំរឿងទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ K-1មាន​ចំនួន​តិច​ ប៉ុន្តែនៅ​ពេល​នោះ​វា​ទាម​ទារ​ពេល​ជា​ច្រើន​ឆ្នាំដើម្បី​ទទួល​បាន​ការ​ដំណើរ​ការ​ពាក្យ​សុំ​ធានា​សំរាប់​ការ​រៀបការ​ជាមួយ​ពលរដ្ឋ​អាមេរិក ដោយ​ក្នុង​ខណៈពេល​ជាមួយ​គ្នា​នោះ វា​ទាម​ទារ​ពេល​ត្រឹម​តែ​ប៉ុន្មាន​ខែ​ប៉ុណ្ណោះ​សំរាប់​សំណុំរឿង​គូដណ្ដឹង ។ ដូច្នេះហើយ ទើប​ពួក​គេបាន​​បង្កើតទិដ្ឋាការ​​ប្រភេទ K-3 ដោយ​និយាយថា «ប្រសិនបើ​អ្នក​បាន​ដាក់​ពាក្យ​ធានា​​ប្ដី​ឬប្រពន្ធ​របស់​អ្នក​តាម​ប្រភេទទិដ្ឋាការ CR-1 ឬ IR-1ជា​ធម្មតាហើយ អ្នក​អាច​ដាក់​ពាក្យ​មួយ​ទៀត​ ដោយ​សុំទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ K-3 វិញ» ។ អ្នក​គ្រាន់​តែ​ដាក់​ពាក្យ​ម្តង​ទៀត​តាម​ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ K ។ នោះ​​ហើយ​គឺ​ជា​អ្វី​ដែល​ពួក​គេ​បាន​ធ្វើ ។ ពួក​គេ​គ្រាន់​តែទាញ​យក​សំណុំរឿងទិដ្ឋាការរៀបការ​ទាំង​នេះ​ហើយនិយាយ​ថា អូខេ សំណុំរឿង​នេះ​ត្រូវ​បាន​ដាក់​ពាក្យ​ហើយ​ អ្នក​ត្រូវ​បញ្ជាក់​ថា​ពាក្យ​ធានា​របស់​អ្នក​ត្រូវ​បាន​ដាក់តាម​ដំណើរការ​​ដូច​ដែល​គេ​ធ្វើសំរាប់​គូដណ្ដឹង ។ ជា​លទ្ធផល K-3  គឺ​ជា​ពាក្យ​ដែល​ត្រូវ​បាន​គេ​ប្រើ​សំរាប់​ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ​រៀបការ​ជាមួយ​ពលរដ្ឋ​អាមេរិក ប៉ុន្តែតាម​ពិត ​វិធីតាម​ទំលាប់ដែល​​គេត្រូវ​​ធ្វើ​ដើម្បី​នាំអ្នក​ណា​ម្នាក់​មក​កាន់​សហរដ្ឋ​អាមេរិកគឺ​តាម​រយៈទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ CR-1 ឬ IR-1 ។ ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ​ K-3 ត្រូវ​បាន​គេ​ប្រើ​ជា​ទូទៅនៅ​ក្នុង​សំណុំរឿង​នេះ ពី​ព្រោះមនុស្ស​ទូទៅ​ស៊ាំនឹង​ការ​រត់​ការ​ប្រភេទ​ K-3 ដោយ​សារ​តែ​វា​គឺ​ជា​វិធី​ដ៏​មាន​ប្រសិទ្ធភាព​ក្នុង​ការ​នាំយក​ប្ដី​ឬប្រពន្ធ​មក​កាន់​សហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក ។ វា​ជា​រឿង​មួយ​ដ៏​​គួរ​អោយ​ចាប់​អារម្មណ៍​ដែរ​ ដោយ​សារ​តែ​ ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ​ K-3 នៅ​តែ​តំរូវ​អោយ​មាន​ការ​ផ្លាស់​ប្តូរ​ស្ថានភាព​អន្តោប្រវេសន៍​របស់​អ្នក​ទៅ​ជា​អ្នក​រស់នៅ​ជាអចិន្ត្រៃ​យ៍​ដោយ​ស្របច្បាប់ ។ សំរាប់​អ្នក​ដែល​ចង់​ដឹង​អំពី​ដំណើរ​​ការ​ក្នុង​ការ​ផ្លាស់​ប្ដូរស្ថានភាព​អន្តោប្រវេសន៍ សូម​ចូល​ទៅ​មើល​វីដេអូនៅក្នុង​ទំព័រ​នេះផង​ដែរ​ដែល​ពិភាក្សា​ជាពិសេស​អំពី​ដំណើរ​ការ​នៃការ​ផ្លាស់ប្ដូរ​នេះ ប៉ុន្តែអ្វី​ដែល​យើង​នឹង​ពិភាក្សា​នៅ​ថ្ងៃ​នេះគឺ ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ​ K-3 ។ ទោះ​បី​ជា​ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទនេះអាច​នឹង​មាន​ប្រយោជន៍​នៅ​ក្នុង​លក្ខខណ្ឌសព្វថ្ងៃ​នេះ ក៏​ប៉ុន្តែ​កាល​ពី​មុនគឺ​មាន​បទបញ្ជា​រដ្ឋបាល​ ដែល​ជា​គោលនយោបាយ​បិទតាម​បែបរដ្ឋបាល ដែល​ត្រូវ​បាន​អនុវត្ត​ដោយ​មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការ​ជាតិ ដែល​ជា​ធម្មតា​និយាយថា «ឥឡូវ​មើល ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ​ K-3 ត្រូវ​បាន​បង្កើតឡើង​សំរាប់​ស្ថានភាព​ដែល​ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ​រៀបការឬ​ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ​អន្តោប្រវេសន៍ ត្រូវ​បាន​បាត់​នៅ​ក្នុង​គំនរ​ឯកសារ​កក​ស្ទះ​របស់​ស្ថាប័ន USCIS​ ។ តាម​ពិត​ទៅ​ វា​មិនមែន​បាត់​នោះ​ទេ ប៉ុន្តែ​គឺវា​ជាប់ ​នៅ​ក្នុង​គំនរ​ឯកសារ​កក​ស្ទះ​របស់​ស្ថាប័ន USCIS ។ ដូច្នេះហើយ​ ប្រសិន​បើ​យើង​ទទួល​បាន​ពាក្យ​ធានា​សំរាប់​ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ​ K-3 មុន យើង​នឹង​ដំណើរ​ការ​ទិដ្ឋាការនេះ​មុន ប៉ុន្តែ​ប្រសិន​បើ​យើង​ទទួល​បាន​ពាក្យ​ធានា​សំរាប់​ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ​អន្តោប្រវេសន៍​សំរាប់ប្តីប្រពន្ធ​មុន យើងនឹង​ដំណើរ​ការ​ទិដ្ឋាការ​នេះ​មុន ហើយ​យើង​នឹង​ទុកពាក្យ​សុំ​ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ​ K-3ជា​មោឃៈ» ។ នេះ​ជា​រឿង​ដ៏​សំខាន់​ ពី​ព្រោះ​តួនាទី​របស់​មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការ​ជាតិក្នុង​ដំណើរ​ការ​ទិដ្ឋាការ​អន្តោប្រវេសន៍​ មាន​លក្ខណៈ​ខុស​ពី​ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ K ។ សំរាប់​ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ K​ មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការ​ជាតិ គ្រាន់​តែ​ផ្ញើ​ឯកសារ​សំណុំរឿង​នោះ​ទៅកាន់​ស្ថានទូត​ដែល​ពាក់​ព័ន្ធ ហើយ​ស្ថានទូត​នឹង​ដំណើរ​ការ​សំណុំរឿងនោះ​តាម​ដំណើរការ​របស់​ស្ថានកុងស៊ុល ។ ចំណែកឯក្នុង​សំណុំរឿង​ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ​អន្តោប្រវេសន៍​វិញ ដំណើរ​ការ​របស់​មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការ​ជាតិមាន​សភាព​យឺតយ៉ាវ ព្រោះមជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការ​ជាតិត្រូវ​ធ្វើ​ការ​ទទួល​យក​ឯកសារនិង​បញ្ចូល​ពត៌មាន​ ហើយ​ខ្ញុំ​មិន​និយាយ​ថា​មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលនេះ​ធ្វើ​ការ​សំរេច​ចេញ​ទិដ្ឋាការ​នោះ​ទេ ប៉ុន្តែ​ពួក​គេ​ធ្វើ​ការ​ត្រួត​ពិនិត្យ​ដោយ​ល្អិត​ល្អន់ ដើម្បី​ធានា​អោយ​ប្រាកដ​ថា ពួកគេ​មាន​ពត៌មាន​គ្រប់គ្រាន់ដើម្បី​បន្តដំណើរ​ការ និង​ដាក់​ថ្ងៃ​ណាត់​សំភាស ។ ដូច្នេះប្រសិន​បើ​អ្នក​អាច​ដាក់​ពាក្យ​សុំ​ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ​ K-3 ហើយ​ត្រូវ​បាន​គេ​សំរេច​យល់​ព្រមលើ​ពាក្យ​សុំ នោះទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ​ K-3 នេះ​នៅ​តែ​ដំណើរ​ការ​លឿន​ជាង​ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ​អន្តោប្រវេសន៍ ។ ទោះ​បី​ជា​យ៉ាង​ណា​ក៏​ដោយ ​ខ្ញុំ​នៅ​តែ​យល់​ថា មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការ​ជាតិនៅ​តែ​រក្សា​គោលនយោបាយ​បិទតាម​បែប​រដ្ឋបាល ដែល​ពួកគេ​ត្រូវ​ដំណើរ​ការ​សំណុំរឿង​អន្តោប្រវេសន៍​មុន ។ ​ឥឡូវ​នេះ​ ការ​ដំណើរ​ការ​សំណុំរឿង​អន្តោប្រវេសន៍​ជា​ពិសេស​គឺ​សំណុំរឿង​ប្ដីឬ​ប្រពន្ធ​របស់​ពលរដ្ឋ​អាមេរិក ត្រូវ​បាន​កាត់​បន្ថយ​យ៉ាង​ច្រើន ។ ស្ថាប័ន USCIS បាន​ចាត់​វិធានការ​សំខាន់ៗជាច្រើន​​ដើម្បី​ធ្វើ​អោយ​និតិវិធី​របស់​ពួកគេ​កាន់​តែ​មាន​ប្រសិទ្ធិភាព ហើយ​ពួកគេ​បាន​ធ្វើ​វា​អោយ​កាន់​តែមាន​ប្រសិទ្ធិភាព​ឡើង ។​ ខ្ញុំ​គិត​ថា​ពួកគេ​មាន​បុគ្គលិក​ច្រើន​ជាង​មុន ហើយ​ក៏មាន​រឿង​ច្រើន​ដែរដែល​ត្រូវ​ដោះ​ស្រាយពាក់​ព័ន្ធ​នឹង​​សំណុំរឿង​ទាំង​នោះ ហើយ​ពួក​គេ​ក៏​មាន​ធនធាន​ជាច្រើន​ដែរ​ដើម្បី​អោយ​សំណុំរឿង​ទាំង​អស់​នោះ​បាន​ដំណើរ​ការ​ទៅមុខ ដែល​ជា​លទ្ធផល គឺ​ខ្ញុំ​មិន​និយាយ​ថា​ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ​ K-3 ​ផុត​សម័យលែង​ត្រូវ​បាន​គេ​ប្រើប្រាស់​​នោះ​ទេ ប៉ុន្តែគឺវា​លែង​សូវ​ចាំបាច់​ក្នុង​ការ​ប្រើប្រាស់​ដូច​កាលពីពេល​ដែល​​វា​ត្រូវ​បាន​បង្កើត​ពីដំបូង​នោះ​ទេ ។ ដោយ​សារ​មូលហេតុនេះ​ហើយ ទើប​ខ្ញុំ​គិត​ថា​អ្នក​អាច​នឹង​ឃើញ​សំណុំរឿង​ទិដ្ឋាការ​ប្រភេទ​K-3​ កាន់​តែ​តិច​ទៅៗដែល​នឹង​ត្រូវ​ដំណើរ​ការ​នៅ​ក្នុង​ប្រទេស​កម្ពុជា ឬ​ប្រទេស​ផ្សេងៗទៀត ។

Tags: American Marriage Visa, American Visa Cambodia, K-3, K-3 Visa, K3, K3 Visa, US Marriage Visa, US Marriage Visa Cambodia, US Visa Cambodia, USA Visa Cambodia
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The following is a transcript of a video which can be found here: US Marriage Visa Cambodia

In this video today, we are going to be discussing marriage visas in the specific context of the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

As you can see from the aforementioned preamble to this video, we are based here in Bangkok. I am an American attorney but the firm is based here in Bangkok. The bulk of our work in US immigration matters does revolve around Bangkok and the Consular section of the US Embassy here primarily our cases that are going to end up at the US Consular Section here. That being said, we do take other cases in the region, I do deal with a fair number of these rather frequently. Cambodia is one I deal with probably more often than any other country in the region if I ‘m being very specific. It kind of depends on the year, I guess. But that being said, the K-1, we discussed specifically in another video, that’s a fiancée visa. In this video, we are discussing US marriage visas specifically. So for now, I’m talking about the CR-1, IR-1 or the K-3 visa. There’s another video on this channel which goes specifically into the K-3 visa and I am going to sort of leave it to that video to discuss that directly if there’s specific things to think about with respect to the K-3. But suffice it to say, the CR-1 and the IR-1, CR-1 is Conditional Resident category, IR-1 is Immediate Relative and the person that enters on an IR-1 enters in unconditional lawful permanent residence as opposed to conditional lawful permanent residence to the United States. Generally speaking, I am talking about foreign nationals married, and I am specifically talking about Khmer, Cambodian Nationals married to an American citizen. Although some of this analysis could apply to a lawful permanent resident in the United States trying to bring their Cambodian spouse over as well but I’m going to try to keep it more on point with respect to an American citizen, seeking to bring a Cambodian female or male spouse to the United States.

So the thing to think about with respect to Cambodian nationals applying for marriage visa benefits to the US, it’s kind of a 3 part process in so far as you have to initially deal with the Department of Homeland Security and their United States Citizenship and Immigration Service  apparatus. Then you have got to go ahead and deal with the National Visa Center which in the context of Immigrant Spousal Visas, the National Visa Center is a very different animal than when you compare it to the K categories, the K-1 and the K-3. In the K-1 and the K-3 cases, in those cases where the K-3 gets processed through, in a way NVC just acts as a sort of clearing house or sort of a postal hub, if you will, to make certain that the case gets from USCIS over to the correct embassy abroad. With respect to US Immigrant visas the NVC’s job is much more broad in scope, and depth for that matter. They do a lot of document collection, they will do follow ups if they feel there’s a document deficiency or they feel that more information is necessary. In another video on this channel we discussed the so called extreme vetting protocols of the Trump Administration right now. I don’t know, specifically I haven’t seen anything with extreme vetting happen yet at NVC but I can see theoretically, sometime in the future, extreme vetting protocols may pertain directly to NVC at some point as well.  But that being said, they have a much more active role in the immigrant visa cases.  Once they are satisfied documentarily at National Visa Center, they will then go ahead and process the case out over to the embassy in Phnom Penh and an interview date will be set at the embassy. At the interview, things can happen like what are called the 221-G request for further documentation where basically the interviewing officer determines that they would like to see something more with respect to the case. Generally speaking, after an NVC vetting, this isn’t very frequent, but it does happen. I shouldn’t say that it’s infrequent. In K-1s, it can happen quite frequently because the circumstances are different. Marriage visas, the cases tend to be more clear-cut, I guess is the right way to look at it.  But that being said, basically the point I want to get across is, NVC will set that interview appointment, it will get over to the embassy in Phnom Penh and you have got to get in for an interview. We oftentimes do an interview prep with our clients so that they have an understanding, generally speaking, what the officer is probably going to want to know regarding the application or regarding the specifics of the person making the application and the other thing is we provide some insight with respect to the protocols for how the case is going to be taken in and dealt with at the post.

So to sort of sum up, I think the way to look at the overall process of applying for a US immigrant is this: it starts in the United States with the Department of Homeland Security, it moves over to the NVC which unlike the K categories, the NVC has a very active role in this process and then finally, it’s going to end up at the US Embassy at Phnom Penh and at that point the interview is going to take place and it’s possible more documentation could be requested and you may have to deal with a follow on submission before hopefully, the visa is ultimately approved.

Tags: American Visa Cambodia, CR-1 Visa, CR1 Visa, CR1 Visa Cambodia, I-129f, I-130, IR-1 Visa, IR1 Visa, IR1 Visa Cambodia, K-3 Visa, K3 Visa, K3 Visa Cambodia, Marriage Visa Cambodia, US Visa Cambodia, USA Visa Cambodia
Posted in US Embassy Phnom Phen | No Comments »

The following is a transcript of the video which can be found here: K-3 Visas from Cambodia.

In this video today, we are going to specifically discuss one visa that is sort of an interesting little niche visa, the K-3 visa, in the specific context of a Khmer, Cambodian national who would be seeking that in connection with marriage to a US citizen. Let’s be clear, you have got to be married to a US citizen in order to apply for a K-3.

First things first. As previously noted in my preamble, we’re located here in Bangkok. We do deal with a large number of Thai cases but being fairly geographically close to Cambodia, over the years we’ve done a fair number of Cambodian cases or cases that arise with a Cambodian national, a Khmer national involved. That being stated, it should be noted that the K-3 is an interesting animal.

To provide a little background on what the K-3 visa is. The K-3 visa was created pursuant to the provisions of the LIFE act created under the Clinton presidency and it was created at a time when the back log associated with spousal visas, CR-1 and IR-1, and there’s another video on this channel specific to CR-1 and IR-1 visas, in Cambodia. Basically, at the time, it was taking multiple years to get finalized Department of Homeland secure the approval of the petition for marriage visas. Meanwhile, at the same time it was like 6 or 7 months, 8 months to get a fiancée visa petition approved. So you ended up with the sort of counter intuitive situation where fiancées were moving through the system more quickly than spouses and it should be noted that from a legal perspective there is no qualitative difference as far as the law is concerned, specifically Immigration law is concerned, with respect to a fiancée versus a spouse; from a legal standpoint they’re treated the same way.  From an administrative standpoint, they just had a high back log of marriage visas or marriage petitions, for whatever reason, were they were processing K-1s more efficiently or they just had a lower case load, I don’t know what the deal was, but at the time it was taking multiple years to get a petition for marriage to an American citizen process through and meanwhile it was taking a matter of months for fiancées. So what happened is they created this K-3 category and the K-3 category was created, basically they said “look if you have got a petition on file for a spousal visa benefits in the normal manner, the CR-1 or IR-1 category basically, you can take that filing and do a duplicative version of that and go ahead and file for this K-3 category. You just go ahead and file it again through the K line. That’s basically what they did. They just took these marriage visa cases and said – Okay, it’s been filed, you have got to prove it’s filed and you put it in the line that was processing for fiancées so what ended up happening is K-3 has kind of become the ubiquitous term for a US marriage visa but in point of fact, the traditional methodology of bringing someone into the United States is through a CR-1 or IR-1 visa.  The K-3 just sort of became rather common place in the lexicon of these matters because people got used to dealing with K-3s because that was effectively the way to get your spouse into the United States. It’s interesting because K-3 still requires adjustment of status to lawful permanent residence.  Those of you who are interested in learning about that, in order to get a green card you have to undergo the adjustment of status process and I urge you to take a look at the video that specifically discusses the adjustment of status process on this channel, but something to bring up with respect to K-3s in the present context. Although they may be useful under present processing conditions, in the past there was an administrative ruling, it was a policy of administrative closure that was undertaken by the National Visa Center whereby they basically said – “Look, the K-3 was created for these situations where basically a marriage visa, an immigrant visa case got lost in the back log of USCIS. Not lost but stuck in the back log of USCIS. So if we got the K-3 position first we will process through on the K-3. But if we get the petition for the Immigrant Spouse Visa first, we’re going to process the Immigrant Spouse Visa benefits. We’re going to disregard the K-3”. This is important because NVC’s function is qualitatively different in an immigrant visa context that it is in a K Visa context. The K Visa context, NVC just shoots the case on to the embassy in question and the embassy sort of deals with all the nuts and bolts of the consular processing. In an immigrant visa context, the NVC process is slower because NVC deals with the nuts and bolts of document intake and in a way, I won’t say, adjudication but sort of pre vetting to make sure that they have generally what they need to go ahead and continue to process and get an interview scheduled. So in a way, the K-3 may still, if you can go ahead and get one through, the K-3 may still process more quickly compared to an immigrant visa but it’s my understanding that NVC still maintains the policy of administrative closure, where they get the immigrant case first and now processing of immigrant matters, immigrant spouse matters of American citizens, has reduced significantly. USCIS, to their credit, took significant substantial steps to make their process more efficient and they streamlined it, and I think they got more staff and things to deal with those matters and they put more resources on getting those cases processed, and as a result, in a way the K-3 is, I won’t say it’s obsolete, but its original reason for being there is not quite so pressing as it was at the time that it was created. And for that reason, I think it’s very probable that you are going to see fewer and fewer K-3 visas being processed in Cambodia or elsewhere.

Tags: American Embassy Cambodia, American Embassy Phnom Penh, American Visa Cambodia, CR-1 Visa, CR1 Visa Cambodia, I-129f, I-130, Immigrant Visa Unit, IR-1 Visa, IR1 Visa Cambodia, K-3 Visa, K3 Visa, K3 Visa Cambodia, US Marriage Visa Cambodia, US Visa Cambodia, USA Embassy Cambodia, USA Embassy Phnom Penh, USA Visa Cambodia
Posted in US Embassy Phnom Phen | No Comments »

The administration of this blog routinely posts the updated processing time estimates for the Service Centers of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). The following was quoted directly from the official website of USCIS:

It should be noted that these processing time estimates do not reflect the time it takes to obtain a US visa as the US visa application process can be time consuming even after an initial immigration petition receives approval since processing at the National Visa Center and/or a US Consulate or US Embassy abroad may also be required.

Tags: Fiance Visa, Fiancee Visa, I-129f, I-130, K-1 Visa, K-3 Visa, Marriage Visa, US Visa Application, US Visa Process, USCIS
Posted in E1 visa, E2 Visa, EB-1 Visa, EB-2 Visa, EB-3 Visa, EB-4 Visa, EB5 Visa, Fiance Visa Thailand, I-601 Waiver, IR1 Visa, K-3 Visa Thailand, K1 Visa, K1 Visa Thailand, K2 Visa, K2 Visa Thailand, K3 Visa, L1 Visa, same sex visa, US Visa, US Visa and Immigration, US Visa Thailand, USCIS | No Comments »