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Posts Tagged ‘K1 Visa Process’
31st December 2009
Comprehensive Immigration Reform and Family Immigration
Posted by : admin
For those with relatives overseas the immigration process can at times seem interminable. In most cases, the visa process involves multiple US government agencies and can be somewhat confusing as Immigration is an area in which different regulations overlap.
Currently, there is a Bill in Congress that would reform the United States Immigration system. Many practitioners of Immigration law as well as immigrants feel as though the time has come to reform the American Immigration system. On the American Immigration Lawyers Association Leadership blog there has been a recent posting about the current state of the Immigration system, ways it can be fixed, and how all of these issues impact Americans as well immigrants. To quote directly from the blog posting:
“The crises in family and employment immigration are chronic and pressing. The backlog in family and employment waiting lines is gravely dispiriting and undermines the long-held principle of family reunification. Immigrant Visa Numbers Hopelessly Encased In Amber. The situation is deteriorating every day with more detentions, more denials, more delays, more deportations and more defective decisions. ICE has now reported 105 deaths in civil immigration custody since 2003. More Immigrant Deaths in US Detention CommonDreams.org Now is the time to turn the tide of the culture of “No” pervading our immigration system. We need to unite families and we need to keep industry vibrant and competitive.”
At present, the K1 visa process for Thai fiancees takes approximately 6-7 months from K1 visa application submission until final decision at the US Embassy in Bangkok.
The K3 visa process generally takes approximately 8 months from initial I-130 submission until the the visa interview.
It now takes about 11-12 months to process a CR-1 or IR-1 visa if the petition is filed in the United States of America.
There are some who would argue that it takes too long to obtain a US visa for an immediate relative. Others find it rather odd that a fiancee visa takes less time to process than a marriage visa. This could be attributed to the fact the K1 visa does not provide the bearer with long term lawful presence in the United States of America, but instead only provides the visa holder with 90 days status in the USA and the opportunity to adjust status to permanent residence subsequent to marriage.
The upcoming Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill will be an interesting thing to watch as it will likely have a dramatic impact upon future immigrants to the United States as well as some of those currently processing through the Immigration system.
15th November 2009
Current Processing times for K1 Visas, K3 Visas, and CR1 Visas
Posted by : admin
In previous posts on this blog we have provided information regarding the updated processing time estimates for K1 visa applications, K3 visa applications, and CR1 visa applications. This is simply an update as to the processing times at the time of this writing. For more information please see other posts on this blog or the website of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). To go to the USCIS website directly, please click here.
That being said, the following are the processing times for the USCIS Service Center in California. Please note that the I-131 application is for an advance parole travel document.
I-129F | Petition for Alien Fiance(e) | K-1/K-2 – Not yet married – fiance and/or dependent child | 5 Months |
---|---|---|---|
I-129F | Petition for Alien Fiance(e) | K-3/K-4 – Already married – spouse and/or dependent child | 5 Months |
I-130 | Petition for Alien Relative | U.S. citizen filing for a spouse, parent, or child under 21 | 5 Months |
I-130 | Petition for Alien Relative | U.S. citizen filing for an unmarried son or daughter over 21 | July 22, 2004 |
I-130 | Petition for Alien Relative | U.S. citizen filing for a married son or daughter over 21 | January 15, 2002 |
I-130 | Petition for Alien Relative | U.S. citizen filing for a brother or sister | April 15, 2000 |
I-130 | Petition for Alien Relative | Permanent resident filling for a spouse or child under 21 | June 01, 2006 |
I-130 | Petition for Alien Relative | Permanent resident filling for an unmarried son or daughter over 21 | August 22, 2002 |
I-131 | Application for Travel Document | All other applicants for advance parole | 3 Months |
These are the estimated processing times for the USCIS Service Center in Vermont. Please note that the I-131 application is for an advance parole travel document
I-129F | Petition for Alien Fiance(e) | K-1/K-2 – Not yet married – fiance and/or dependent child | 5 Months |
---|---|---|---|
I-129F | Petition for Alien Fiance(e) | K-3/K-4 – Already married – spouse and/or dependent child | 5 Months |
I-130 | Petition for Alien Relative | U.S. citizen filing for a spouse, parent, or child under 21 | 5 Months |
I-130 | Petition for Alien Relative | U.S. citizen filing for an unmarried son or daughter over 21 | July 02, 2006 |
I-130 | Petition for Alien Relative | U.S. citizen filing for a married son or daughter over 21 | June 04, 2006 |
I-130 | Petition for Alien Relative | U.S. citizen filing for a brother or sister | September 19, 2005 |
I-130 | Petition for Alien Relative | Permanent resident filling for a spouse or child under 21 | January 18, 2006 |
I-130 | Petition for Alien Relative | Permanent resident filling for an unmarried son or daughter over 21 | June 04, 2006 |
I-131 | Application for Travel Document | All other applicants for advance parole | 3 Months |
Always remember that USCIS Processing times are estimates only as each and every case is unique and therefore determining the processing time of one particular case can be very difficult.
26th April 2009
The National Visa Center (NVC) and US Visas from Thailand
Posted by : admin
What is NVC?
The process for obtaining US Immigration benefits can be cumbersome at times, but overall is generally smooth provided one understands the process or retains the services of an attorney with experience in immigration matters.
An often asked question regarding the visa process is: what is NVC and what do they do? NVC is an acronym that stands for National Visa Center. The National Visa Center is government office under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of State. NVC is located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The mandate of the National Visa Center is to process visa applications and ensure that visa petitions filed inside of the US for beneficiaries living abroad are transferred to the post with jurisdiction over the beneficiary’s home.
The National Visa Center is also responsible for collecting immigrant visa fees as well as certain documentation that will be needed in order for the consular officer to effectively adjudicate a US Visa application.
NVC processing: Non-Immigrant vs. Immigrant Visas
National Visa Center processing is more complicated and time consuming when it comes to US Immigrant Visas as opposed to Non-Immigrant visas. One of the activities that the National Visa Center routinely does is security clearances and background checks on those seeking to come to the United States. Since September 11, 2001 the National Visa Center has played an integral part in ensuring that visa applicants are properly screened in order to be assured that they do not pose a threat to United States security.
The National Visa Center (NVC) is sometimes confused with the NBC or National Benefits Center which is tasked by USCIS with maintaining processing pre-interview documentation for immigration interviews in the USA.
For those seeking to bring a Thai fiance to the United States on a K1 Visa, the processing at the National Visa Center will likely be faster than for those seeking to obtain an immigrant visa for their Thai loved one. This also holds true for the K3 Visa from Thailand for the supplemental I-129f petition. In any case, after the visa petition is approved by USCIS it is forwarded on to the National Visa Center and upon approval from that agency will be sent to the US Embassy or Consulate General.
Depending upon the caseload of the NVC at any given time it can take anywhere between 2 and 8 weeks to process a petition and forward it to a post abroad. However, this is merely an estimate and the processing time for all US agencies varies.
When filing a US Visa petition locally at USCIS in Bangkok, the National Visa Center does not enter into the process as the petition is forwarded literally across the street to the US Embassy in Bangkok.
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