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Posts Tagged ‘US Visa Cambodia’
2nd June 2020
While certain aspects of the COVID-19 situation seem to be evolving in a positive manner, there remain many travel restrictions in Thailand and the USA.
It appears that notwithstanding the overall restriction of foreign travel into Thailand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that accommodation for foreign nationals entering Thailand may be possible, provided they have a Thai Work Permit. However, it should be noted that a work permit (and presumably Business Visa or O Visa) is not the exclusive requirement to gain entry to the Kingdom. It appears that “fit-to-fly” documents must be obtained by travelers before departing for Thailand. Concurrently, it also appears that a Thai Entry Certificate issued by the Ministry of foreign Affairs in Bangkok will also be necessary, in addition to standard travel documents. These announcements are rather recent and full implementation of these policies remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, there is a great deal of interest regarding the possibility that the US Embassy in Thailand and the surrounding countries may reopen for visa interviews. However, as of the time of this writing it appears that the Embassies in Southeast Asia are unlikely to process out cases for K-1 visas, CR-1 visas, K-3 visas, or IR-1 visas any time soon. The following statement is noted on the US Travel Docs website for Thailand:
As of March 19, 2020, the United States Embassy and Consulate in Thailand are cancelling routine non-immigrant visa appointments. From March 24, the United States Embassy and Consulate is not accepting applications through Interview Waiver for any visa categories. We will resume routine visa services as soon as possible but are unable to provide a specific date at this time.
The following is noted on the same website for Cambodia:
In response to significant worldwide challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of State has temporarily suspended routine visa services at all U.S. Embassies and Consulates. Embassies and consulates have canceled all routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments as of March 20, 2020
Finally, a similar message is noted for Laos:
As of March 20, the United States Embassy in Vientiane, Laos is suspending routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments. We will resume routine visa services as soon as possible but are unable to provide a specific date at this time.
Clearly, it seems unlikely that visa applications, and the interviews associated therewith, are unlikely to occur in any of the above posts for the foreseeable future. The overall situation regarding entry to the USA and Thailand remains rather fluid, we will keep updating this blog as the situation progresses.
22nd April 2020
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.
1st March 2020
In recent months, both Thai and American immigration systems have been in a state of flux. In some ways the systems have become more streamlined, but in other ways it is becoming more difficult to navigate these systems. The Trump administration has been implementing policies which make immigration to the United States more difficult, as a practical matter. Recently, these prerogatives are starting to have an impact on the ground in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and ASEAN as a whole. For example, Myanmar has been placed upon a list of countries banned from traveling to the USA. As a result, Myanmar nationals will not be able to enter the USA, nor will such nationals be granted visas to travel to the USA. If and/or when this ban will be lifted remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, there has been a great deal of discussion surrounding the administration’s implementation of new public charge rules in relations to immigrant visas for the USA. It is clear that there will be a direct impact upon those who are seeking family based immigrant and non-immigrant visas to the United States. For example, those seeking a CR-1 visa or an IR-1 visa will need to deal with the DS-5540 Public Charge Questionnaire when undertaking Consular Processing of their cases at the US Embassy or US Consulate in the jurisdiction in which the applicants reside. Concurrently, it is also clear that those who travel to the United States on a K-1 visa or a K-3 visa will need to deal with the I-944 form as part of the implementation of public charge adjudication during adjustment of status to lawful permanent residence (a.k.a. “Green Card” status”).
A question posed to this blogger recently: When seeking a K visa abroad, will I need to fill out a DS-5540? The answer to this question is not overly clear at first glance. This blogger did some research and came upon the following information in the Foreign Affairs Manual:
9 FAM 302.8-2(B)(4) (U) Applying INA 212(a)(4) to Nonimmigrants
d. (U) Alien Seeking Admission as K Nonimmigrants: K nonimmigrants and their petitioners are not permitted to complete form I-864. You may request a K applicant complete Form DS-5540 to assist in evaluating likelihood of becoming a public charge. Note that K applicants will again be assessed under the public charge ineligibility by USCIS at the time of adjustment of status where the K nonimmigrant seeking adjustment of status will be required to submit a Form I-864.
It is clear that non-immigrant visas are not the same thing as immigrant visas, but K visas are an odd hybrid creature in the immigration world and their posture in these matters can be somewhat fluid. Note that the FAM states the adjudicating officer “may request a K applicant complete Form DS-5540,” but it is not required. Meanwhile, it goes on to note that the applicant is not allowed to file an I-864 and that the issue of public charge we be adjudicated again at the adjustment of status phase of the process. Is this wording designed to allow American Embassies and Consulates leeway to not require K visa applicants to file a DS-5540? Perhaps, the practical implications of the public charge rule at the US Embassy in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia remain to be personally witnessed by this blogger, but rest assured as soon a there is further clarification we will follow up on those developments.
9th February 2020
The Coronavirus: Impact upon Thai and American Immigration Matters
Posted by : admin
The coronavirus has been in the news quite a bit in recent days. It appears that China is taking drastic measures to curtail movement of people domestically and internationally in an effort to curb transmission of the disease. This article will look at some of the responses to these circumstances from both the Thai and American Immigration perspective.
Prior to the coronavirus’s prominence as a concern for international health authorities, Thai Immigration officials seemed to be mulling over the notion of waiving the fees associated with Thai tourist visas for Chinese and Indian nationals. This seemed to have been discussed in response to what was viewed by some as a rather less-than-optimal high season. Presently, it seems unlikely that visa fees will be waived for the foreseeable future. This news came at the end of a year which saw Thai Immigration officials promulgating regulations which placed new requirements and scrutiny on those seeking long-stay visas (including retirement, marriage, and business visas). It seems policymakers in the Immigration sector were looking to encourage a higher volume of tourists while simultaneously enhancing scrutiny and on those wishing to live in Thailand for prolonged periods.
As of the time of this posting, the numbers of Chinese nationals entering Thailand as tourists have substantially dropped. This is likely due to the fact that many cities and regions in China have been effectively quarantined and travelers are precluded from departing many cities in China for Thailand, or anywhere else. Concurrently, Thai Immigration authorities in airports are taking measures to screen individuals entering the country. However, it seems China’s domestic travel policies seem to be curtailing more travelers than Thai immigration policy. Exactly how coronavirus-related developments will further impact Thai immigration and tourism policy remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Coronavirus is impacting United States Immigration policy. However, as of the time of this writing it seems that the impact will not be substantial for those seeking US visas from places such as Thailand, Laos, or Cambodia as a recent proclamation from President Trump stated:
“I have determined that it is in the interests of the United States to take action to restrict and suspend the entry into the United States, as immigrants or nonimmigrants, of all aliens who were physically present within the People’s Republic of China, excluding the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United States.”
This news comes after reports that US visas are currently not being issued in China. Clearly, the administration is taking the coronavirus seriously, but it does not seem likely that this will directly impact the bulk of visa seekers from Southeast Asia. The current policy only will pertain to those who have visited China relatively recently. Therefore those seeking visas who hail from other countries (such as member states of ASEAN), and have not visited China, are unlikely to be affected by the new American proclamation regarding the coronavirus.
6th February 2018
What is the New National Vetting Center?
Posted by : admin
It has recently been announced that the Trump administration is creating a new “National Vetting Center”. The following article is intended to shed light on what this institution is designed to do and how it will fit into the overall immigration process.
It should first be noted that the National Vetting Center should not be confused with the preexisting National Visa Center which acts as a sort of clearing house and central repository for documentation pertaining to visa applications through the Department of State. The National Visa Center’s function is to gather relevant documentation and forward cases to the appropriate US Embassy or US Consulate for visa interview scheduling.
The National Vetting Center would seem to have a different mandate, although not altogether different as both institutions deal with matters pertaining to US Immigration. In an effort to provide further insight it is necessary to cite a recent article from the website of USA Today:
The National Vetting Center will be run by the Department of Homeland Security with assistance from the intelligence community and the departments of State, Justice and Defense. Its mission: To “collect, store, share, disseminate, and use” a broad range of information about people who seek to enter the United States, with a goal of identifying people who may be a threat to national security or public safety. “This is yet another step towards knowing who is coming to the United States — that they are who they say they are and that they do not pose a threat to our nation,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen in a statement.
Although disregarded by some at the time as overreacting, this blogger has noted in prior discussion of so-called extreme vetting policy that although it was initially discussed in a very narrow geographical and situational context the establishment of the National Vetting Center and the presumption that all future US Immigration processing will involve said institution shows that this policy will have broad ramifications for all visa applicants.
What does this mean for the timing of US visa applications? At this time it is too soon to say whether the addition of National Vetting Center protocols will result in slower processing times. However, it stands to reason that adding an entirely new institutional bureaucracy to the overall immigration framework will result in at least some delays in the processing of petitions and applications.
As has been discussed previously on this blog and through some of our firm’s videos: the Trump administration’s policies with respect to Immigration could have wide ranging and long lasting ramifications for those seeking visas in the future. Furthermore, if a deal can be reached with respect to Comprehensive Immigration Reform it looks as though the era of so-called “chain migration” (allowing extended family of Lawful Permanent Residents and American citizens to seek visa benefits) and the visa lottery will likely come to an end.
7th December 2017
ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 ពីប្រទេសកម្ពុជា
Posted by : admin
Khmer language translation of the video found here: ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 ពីប្រទេសកម្ពុជា
សួស្ដី! ខ្ញុំឈ្មោះ Benjamin Hart ។ ខ្ញុំគឺជាមេធាវី និងជានាយកគ្រប់គ្រងនៃក្រុមហ៊ុនIntegrity Legal នៅក្នុងទីក្រុងបាងកកនៃប្រទេសថៃ ។
នៅក្នុងវីដេអូថ្ងៃនេះ យើងនឹងពិភាក្សាជាពិសេសអំពីទិដ្ឋាការមួយគឺ ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 ដែលជាប្រភេទទិដ្ឋាការដ៏គួរអោយចាប់អារម្មណ៍មួយ ដោយផ្តោតទៅលើបរិបទប្រទេសកម្ពុជា សំរាប់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរដែលចង់ដាក់ពាក្យរៀបអាពាហ៍ពិពាហ៍ជាមួយប្រជាពលរដ្ឋអាមរិក ។ និយាយអោយចំទៅ គឺអ្នកដែលត្រូវរៀបអាពាហ៍ពិពាហ៍ជាមួយប្រជាពលរដ្ឋអាមេរិក ដើម្បីដាក់ពាក្យសុំទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 ។
ដូចដែលយើងបានលើកឡើងខាងលើ យើងស្ថិតនៅក្នុងទីក្រុងបាងកក ។ យើងបានរត់ការសំណុំរឿងរបស់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋថៃជាច្រើន ហើយដោយសារតែយើងក៏ស្ថិតនៅជិតប្រទេសកម្ពុជា ដែរនោះ ជាច្រើនឆ្នាំកន្លងមកនេះយើងក៏បានរត់ការអោយសំណុំរឿងជាច្រើនរបស់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរ ឬសំណុំរឿងផ្សេងៗទៀតដែលមានពាក់ព័ន្ធនឹងជនជាតិខ្មែរ ។ ដូច្នេះយើងចង់បញ្ជាក់ថា ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 នេះជាទិដ្ឋាការមួយដ៏គួរអោយចាប់អារម្មណ៍ ។
យើងសូមពន្យល់រៀបរាប់បន្តិចថាតើអ្វីជាទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 ។ ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 ត្រូវបានបង្កើតឡើងដោយយោងតាមប្រការមួយចំនួននៅក្នុងច្បាប់អាយុជីវិត ដែលត្រូវបានបង្កើតឡើងនៅក្នុងអណត្តិរបស់ប្រធានាធិបតី Clinton នៅពេលដែលមានសំណុំរឿងជាច្រើនដែលបានកកស្ទះ ពាក់ព័ន្ធនឹងប្រភេទទិដ្ឋាការប្ដីប្រពន្ធ គឺ CR-1 និង IR-1 ហើយនៅក្នុងទំព័ររបស់យើងនេះ ក៏មានវីដេអូមួយទៀតដែរ ដែលនិយាយផ្ដោតជាពិសេសទៅលើប្រភេទទិដ្ឋាការ CR-1 និង IR-1 នេះនៅក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា ។ នៅពេលនោះ ជាធម្មតាវាទាមទាររយៈពេលជាច្រើនឆ្នាំដើម្បីបញ្ចប់សំណុំរឿងមួយ ។ ក្រសួងមាតុភូមិ ធ្វើការសំរេចលើពាក្យធានាសំរាប់ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទរៀបអាពាហ៍ពិពាហ៍ ។ ក្នុងពេលជាមួយគ្នានោះដែរ វាទាមទារពេលប្រហែល ៦, ៧ ឬ៨ខែ ដើម្បីទទួលបានការសំរេចយល់ព្រមលើសំណុំបែបបទធានាសុំទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទគូដណ្ដឹង ។ ដូច្នេះជាចុងក្រោយ អ្វីដែលគេជួបច្រើន គឺស្ថានភាពដែលសំណុំរឿងគូដណ្ដឹងត្រូវបានដំណើរការលឿនជាងប្ដីប្រពន្ធ ហើយយើងសូមបញ្ជាក់ផងដែរថាតាមផ្លូវច្បាប់ ជាពិសេសច្បាប់អន្តោប្រវេសន៍ មិនមានភាពខុសគ្នានោះទេរវាងប្ដីប្រពន្ធ និងគូដណ្ដឹង ដោយតាមផ្លូវច្បាប់សំណុំរឿងទាំងពីរនេះត្រូវបានចាត់ទុកថាដូចគ្នា ។ បើគិតតាមផ្លូវរដ្ឋបាលវិញ មានការកកស្ទះសំណុំរឿងទិដ្ឋាការ ឬសំណុំពាក្យធានាប្រភេទរៀបអាពាហ៍ពិពាហ៍ជាច្រើន ។ ខ្ញុំមិនដឹងថាវាមកពីហេតុអ្វីដែរនោះទេ ប្រហែលជាអាចបណ្ដាលមកពីពួកគេដំណើរការទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-1បានយ៉ាងមានប្រសិទ្ធិភាពជាង ឬមកពីមានសំណុំរឿងទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-1មានចំនួនតិច ប៉ុន្តែនៅពេលនោះវាទាមទារពេលជាច្រើនឆ្នាំដើម្បីទទួលបានការដំណើរការពាក្យសុំធានាសំរាប់ការរៀបការជាមួយពលរដ្ឋអាមេរិក ដោយក្នុងខណៈពេលជាមួយគ្នានោះ វាទាមទារពេលត្រឹមតែប៉ុន្មានខែប៉ុណ្ណោះសំរាប់សំណុំរឿងគូដណ្ដឹង ។ ដូច្នេះហើយ ទើបពួកគេបានបង្កើតទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 ដោយនិយាយថា «ប្រសិនបើអ្នកបានដាក់ពាក្យធានាប្ដីឬប្រពន្ធរបស់អ្នកតាមប្រភេទទិដ្ឋាការ CR-1 ឬ IR-1ជាធម្មតាហើយ អ្នកអាចដាក់ពាក្យមួយទៀត ដោយសុំទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 វិញ» ។ អ្នកគ្រាន់តែដាក់ពាក្យម្តងទៀតតាមទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K ។ នោះហើយគឺជាអ្វីដែលពួកគេបានធ្វើ ។ ពួកគេគ្រាន់តែទាញយកសំណុំរឿងទិដ្ឋាការរៀបការទាំងនេះហើយនិយាយថា អូខេ សំណុំរឿងនេះត្រូវបានដាក់ពាក្យហើយ អ្នកត្រូវបញ្ជាក់ថាពាក្យធានារបស់អ្នកត្រូវបានដាក់តាមដំណើរការដូចដែលគេធ្វើសំរាប់គូដណ្ដឹង ។ ជាលទ្ធផល K-3 គឺជាពាក្យដែលត្រូវបានគេប្រើសំរាប់ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទរៀបការជាមួយពលរដ្ឋអាមេរិក ប៉ុន្តែតាមពិត វិធីតាមទំលាប់ដែលគេត្រូវធ្វើដើម្បីនាំអ្នកណាម្នាក់មកកាន់សហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកគឺតាមរយៈទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ CR-1 ឬ IR-1 ។ ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 ត្រូវបានគេប្រើជាទូទៅនៅក្នុងសំណុំរឿងនេះ ពីព្រោះមនុស្សទូទៅស៊ាំនឹងការរត់ការប្រភេទ K-3 ដោយសារតែវាគឺជាវិធីដ៏មានប្រសិទ្ធភាពក្នុងការនាំយកប្ដីឬប្រពន្ធមកកាន់សហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក ។ វាជារឿងមួយដ៏គួរអោយចាប់អារម្មណ៍ដែរ ដោយសារតែ ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 នៅតែតំរូវអោយមានការផ្លាស់ប្តូរស្ថានភាពអន្តោប្រវេសន៍របស់អ្នកទៅជាអ្នករស់នៅជាអចិន្ត្រៃយ៍ដោយស្របច្បាប់ ។ សំរាប់អ្នកដែលចង់ដឹងអំពីដំណើរការក្នុងការផ្លាស់ប្ដូរស្ថានភាពអន្តោប្រវេសន៍ សូមចូលទៅមើលវីដេអូនៅក្នុងទំព័រនេះផងដែរដែលពិភាក្សាជាពិសេសអំពីដំណើរការនៃការផ្លាស់ប្ដូរនេះ ប៉ុន្តែអ្វីដែលយើងនឹងពិភាក្សានៅថ្ងៃនេះគឺ ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 ។ ទោះបីជាទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទនេះអាចនឹងមានប្រយោជន៍នៅក្នុងលក្ខខណ្ឌសព្វថ្ងៃនេះ ក៏ប៉ុន្តែកាលពីមុនគឺមានបទបញ្ជារដ្ឋបាល ដែលជាគោលនយោបាយបិទតាមបែបរដ្ឋបាល ដែលត្រូវបានអនុវត្តដោយមជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការជាតិ ដែលជាធម្មតានិយាយថា «ឥឡូវមើល ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 ត្រូវបានបង្កើតឡើងសំរាប់ស្ថានភាពដែលទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទរៀបការឬទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទអន្តោប្រវេសន៍ ត្រូវបានបាត់នៅក្នុងគំនរឯកសារកកស្ទះរបស់ស្ថាប័ន USCIS ។ តាមពិតទៅ វាមិនមែនបាត់នោះទេ ប៉ុន្តែគឺវាជាប់ នៅក្នុងគំនរឯកសារកកស្ទះរបស់ស្ថាប័ន USCIS ។ ដូច្នេះហើយ ប្រសិនបើយើងទទួលបានពាក្យធានាសំរាប់ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 មុន យើងនឹងដំណើរការទិដ្ឋាការនេះមុន ប៉ុន្តែប្រសិនបើយើងទទួលបានពាក្យធានាសំរាប់ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទអន្តោប្រវេសន៍សំរាប់ប្តីប្រពន្ធមុន យើងនឹងដំណើរការទិដ្ឋាការនេះមុន ហើយយើងនឹងទុកពាក្យសុំទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3ជាមោឃៈ» ។ នេះជារឿងដ៏សំខាន់ ពីព្រោះតួនាទីរបស់មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការជាតិក្នុងដំណើរការទិដ្ឋាការអន្តោប្រវេសន៍ មានលក្ខណៈខុសពីទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K ។ សំរាប់ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការជាតិ គ្រាន់តែផ្ញើឯកសារសំណុំរឿងនោះទៅកាន់ស្ថានទូតដែលពាក់ព័ន្ធ ហើយស្ថានទូតនឹងដំណើរការសំណុំរឿងនោះតាមដំណើរការរបស់ស្ថានកុងស៊ុល ។ ចំណែកឯក្នុងសំណុំរឿងទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទអន្តោប្រវេសន៍វិញ ដំណើរការរបស់មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការជាតិមានសភាពយឺតយ៉ាវ ព្រោះមជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការជាតិត្រូវធ្វើការទទួលយកឯកសារនិងបញ្ចូលពត៌មាន ហើយខ្ញុំមិននិយាយថាមជ្ឈមណ្ឌលនេះធ្វើការសំរេចចេញទិដ្ឋាការនោះទេ ប៉ុន្តែពួកគេធ្វើការត្រួតពិនិត្យដោយល្អិតល្អន់ ដើម្បីធានាអោយប្រាកដថា ពួកគេមានពត៌មានគ្រប់គ្រាន់ដើម្បីបន្តដំណើរការ និងដាក់ថ្ងៃណាត់សំភាស ។ ដូច្នេះប្រសិនបើអ្នកអាចដាក់ពាក្យសុំទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 ហើយត្រូវបានគេសំរេចយល់ព្រមលើពាក្យសុំ នោះទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 នេះនៅតែដំណើរការលឿនជាងទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទអន្តោប្រវេសន៍ ។ ទោះបីជាយ៉ាងណាក៏ដោយ ខ្ញុំនៅតែយល់ថា មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការជាតិនៅតែរក្សាគោលនយោបាយបិទតាមបែបរដ្ឋបាល ដែលពួកគេត្រូវដំណើរការសំណុំរឿងអន្តោប្រវេសន៍មុន ។ ឥឡូវនេះ ការដំណើរការសំណុំរឿងអន្តោប្រវេសន៍ជាពិសេសគឺសំណុំរឿងប្ដីឬប្រពន្ធរបស់ពលរដ្ឋអាមេរិក ត្រូវបានកាត់បន្ថយយ៉ាងច្រើន ។ ស្ថាប័ន USCIS បានចាត់វិធានការសំខាន់ៗជាច្រើនដើម្បីធ្វើអោយនិតិវិធីរបស់ពួកគេកាន់តែមានប្រសិទ្ធិភាព ហើយពួកគេបានធ្វើវាអោយកាន់តែមានប្រសិទ្ធិភាពឡើង ។ ខ្ញុំគិតថាពួកគេមានបុគ្គលិកច្រើនជាងមុន ហើយក៏មានរឿងច្រើនដែរដែលត្រូវដោះស្រាយពាក់ព័ន្ធនឹងសំណុំរឿងទាំងនោះ ហើយពួកគេក៏មានធនធានជាច្រើនដែរដើម្បីអោយសំណុំរឿងទាំងអស់នោះបានដំណើរការទៅមុខ ដែលជាលទ្ធផល គឺខ្ញុំមិននិយាយថាទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 ផុតសម័យលែងត្រូវបានគេប្រើប្រាស់នោះទេ ប៉ុន្តែគឺវាលែងសូវចាំបាច់ក្នុងការប្រើប្រាស់ដូចកាលពីពេលដែលវាត្រូវបានបង្កើតពីដំបូងនោះទេ ។ ដោយសារមូលហេតុនេះហើយ ទើបខ្ញុំគិតថាអ្នកអាចនឹងឃើញសំណុំរឿងទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទK-3 កាន់តែតិចទៅៗដែលនឹងត្រូវដំណើរការនៅក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា ឬប្រទេសផ្សេងៗទៀត ។
6th December 2017
ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទរៀបការសំរាប់ពលរដ្ឋកម្ពុជាទៅរស់នៅសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក
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Khmer language translation of video found here: ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទរៀបការសំរាប់ពលរដ្ឋកម្ពុជាទៅរស់នៅសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក
សួស្ដី! ខ្ញុំឈ្មោះ Benjamin Hart ។ ខ្ញុំគឺជាមេធាវី និងជានាយកគ្រប់គ្រងនៃក្រុមហ៊ុនIntegrity Legal នៅក្នុងទីក្រុងបាងកកនៃប្រទេសថៃ ។
នៅក្នុងវីដេអូថ្ងៃនេះ យើងនឹងពិភាក្សាអំពីទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទរៀបការ ដោយផ្តោតទៅលើបរិបទនៃស្ថានទូតសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកប្រចាំនៅរាជធានីភ្នំពេញនៃប្រទេសកម្ពុជា ។
ដូចដែលយើងបានលើកឡើងខាងលើ យើងស្ថិតនៅក្នុងទីក្រុងបាងកក ។ ខ្ញុំគឺជាមេធាវីជនជាតិអាមេរិកាំង ប៉ុន្តែក្រុមហ៊ុនរបស់យើងគឺស្ថិតនៅក្នុងទីក្រុងបាងកក ។ ការងាររបស់យើងជាច្រើនដែលពាក់ព័ន្ធនឹងការធ្វើអន្តោប្រវេសន៍ទៅកាន់សហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក គឺកើតឡើងនៅជុំវិញទីក្រុងបាងកក និងការិយាល័យកុងស៊ុលនៃស្ថានទូតសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក ហើយជាពិសេស សំណុំរឿងរបស់យើង គឺនឹងត្រូវបញ្ចប់នៅក្នុងកុងស៊ុលនៃស្ថានទូតសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកនៅទីនេះ ។ ជាមួយគ្នានេះ យើងក៏ទទួលយកសំណុំរឿងផ្សេងៗនៅក្នុងតំបន់ផងដែរ ។ ខ្ញុំបានរត់ការសំណុំរឿងផ្សេងៗទាំងនោះញឹកញាប់គួរសមដែរ ។ បើនិយាយអោយជាក់លាក់ទៅ កម្ពុជាគឺប្រទេសមួយដែលខ្ញុំបានធ្វើការជាមួយញឹកញាប់ជាងគេនៅក្នុងតំបន់នេះ ។ ខ្ញុំគិតថា វាអាស្រ័យទៅលើឆ្នាំផ្សេងគ្នា ។ ប៉ុន្តែយើងបានពិភាក្សាអំពី ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-1 នៅក្នុងវីដេអូផ្សេងមួយទៀត ដែលជាទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទគូដណ្ដឹង ។ នៅក្នុងវីដេអូនេះ យើងនឹងពិភាក្សាជាពិសេសអំពីទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទរៀបការ ។ ដូច្នេះក្នុងពេលនេះ ខ្ញុំនឹងនិយាយអំពីទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ CR-1, IR-1 ឬ K-3 ។ មានវីដេអូមួយផ្សេងទៀតនៅក្នុងទំព័រនេះ ដែលនិយាយជាពិសេសអំពីទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 ហើយខ្ញុំនឹងទុកអោយវីដេអូនោះពិភាក្សាលំអិត ឬជាក់លាក់អំពីទិដ្ឋាការនេះ ។ ទោះបីជាយ៉ាងណាក៏ដោយ ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ CR-1 និង IR-1 ដែលទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ CR-1 គឺប្រភេទអ្នករស់នៅជាអចិន្ត្រៃយ៍ដោយមានលក្ខខ័ណ្ឌ និង IR-1 ជាប្រភេទសាច់ញាតិផ្ទាល់ ហើយអ្នកដែលចូលទៅកាន់សហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកតាមទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ IR-1 គឺជាអ្នករស់នៅជាអចិន្ត្រៃយ៍ដោយស្របច្បាប់ដោយមិនមានលក្ខខ័ណ្ឌ ដែលខុសពីអ្នករស់នៅជាអចិន្ត្រៃយ៍ដោយស្របច្បាប់តែមានលក្ខខ័ណ្ឌ ។ និយាយជារួម គឺខ្ញុំនិយាយអំពីជនបរទេស ដែលបានរៀបការ ហើយខ្ញុំនិយាយជាពិសេសអំពីពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរ ដែលរៀបការជាមួយនឹងពលរដ្ឋអាមេរិក ។ ទោះបីជាការវិភាគនេះអាចយកទៅអនុវត្តបានចំពោះអ្នករស់នៅជាអចិន្ត្រៃយ៍ដោយស្របច្បាប់នៅក្នុងសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកដែលមានបំណងចង់យកប្ដីឬប្រពន្ធជនជាតិខ្មែររបស់ពួកគេទៅកាន់សហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកក៏ដោយ ក៏ប៉ុន្តែខ្ញុំនឹងព្យាយាមនិយាយតែអំពីពលរដ្ឋអាមេរិក ដែលមានបំណងចង់យកប្ដីឬប្រពន្ធជនជាតិខ្មែររបស់ពួកគេទៅកាន់សហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកតែប៉ុណ្ណោះ ។
ដូចនេះ អ្វីដែលត្រូវគិតពាក់ព័ន្ធនឹងពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរដែលចង់ដាក់ពាក្យសុំទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទរៀបការដើម្បីទៅរស់នៅសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក គឺថាវាគឺជាដំណើរការដែលមាន៣ផ្នែក ដែលអ្នកត្រូវតែចាប់ផ្ដើមដោយរត់ការដាក់ពាក្យនៅក្រសួងសន្តិសុខមាតុភូមិ និងភ្នាក់ងារសេវាអន្តោប្រវេសន៍ និងពលរដ្ឋអាមេរិក ។ បន្ទាប់មកទៀត អ្នកត្រូវពាក់ព័ន្ធជាមួយនឹងមជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការជាតិ ដែលនៅក្នុងបរិបទទិដ្ឋាការអន្តោប្រវេសន៍ប្រភេទប្ដីឬប្រពន្ធ មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការជាតិមានតួនាទីផ្សេងពីតួនាទីរបស់ខ្លួនពាក់ព័ន្ធនឹងទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K គឺប្រភេទ K-1 និង K-3 ។ នៅក្នុងសំណុំរឿងសុំទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-1 និង K-3 ដែលក្នុងករណីទាំងនោះទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-3 ត្រូវបានសំរេចយល់ព្រម នោះមជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការជាតិគ្រាន់តែដើរតួជាទីកន្លែងលាងសំអាតឯកសារ ឬកន្លែងបញ្ជូនឯកសារ ដើម្បីធានាអោយប្រាកដថាសំណុំរឿងនោះចាកចេញពីភ្នាក់ងារ USCIS ទៅកាន់ស្ថានទូតក្រៅប្រទេសដែលសមស្រប ។ ពាក់ព័ន្ធនឹងទិដ្ឋាការអន្តោប្រវេសន៍ទៅរស់នៅសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក វិសាលភាពនៃការងាររបស់មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការជាតិគឺមានលក្ខណៈទូលំទូលាយ ។ ពួកគេធ្វើការប្រមូលឯកសារជាច្រើន ពួកគេនឹងទាក់ទងទៅអ្នកដាក់ពាក្យប្រសិនបើពួកគេមានអារម្មណ៍ថាខ្វះឯកសារណាមួយ ឬពួកគេមានអារម្មណ៍ថាត្រូវការពត៌មានចាំបាច់បន្ថែមទៀត ។ នៅក្នុងវីដេអូមួយផ្សេងទៀតនៅក្នុងទំព័រនេះយើងបានពិភាក្សាអំពីអ្វីដែលគេហៅថា និតិវិធីនៃការត្រួតពិនិត្យដ៏ខ្លាំងបំផុតរបស់រដ្ឋបាលប្រធានាធិបតី Trump ក្នុងពេលឥឡូវនេះ ។ ខ្ញុំមិនដឹងដែរ ហើយខ្ញុំក៏មិនទាន់បានឃើញការត្រួតពិនិត្យដ៏ខ្លាំងបំផុតណាមួយត្រូវបានធ្វើឡើងនៅមជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការជាតិនៅឡើយទេ ប៉ុន្តែខ្ញុំអាចមើលឃើញថានៅក្នុងពេលណាមួយនៅថ្ងៃអនាគត មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការជាតិនឹងអនុវត្តនិតិវិធីនៃការត្រួតពិនិត្យដ៏ខ្លាំងបំផុតនេះ ។ ទោះបីជាយ៉ាងណាក្ដី ពួកគេមានតួនាទីយ៉ាងសកម្មក្នុងសំណុំរឿងទិដ្ឋាការអន្តោប្រវេសន៍ ។ នៅពេលដែលមជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការជាតិយល់ថាឯកសារមានគ្រប់គ្រាន់ហើយ ពួកគេនឹងបន្តដំណើរការសំណុំរឿងទៅកាន់ស្ថានទូតសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកប្រចាំនៅរាជធានីភ្នំពេញ ហើយថ្ងៃសំភាសនឹងត្រូវកំណត់នៅស្ថានទូត ។ នៅពេលសំភាស មានរឿងជាច្រើនដែលអាចកើតឡើង ដែលមានដូចជាអ្វីដែលគេហៅថាសំណើ 221-G ដើម្បីស្នើសុំអោយបេក្ខជនដាក់ឯកសារបន្ថែម ដែលមន្ត្រីដែលធ្វើការសំភាសចង់ឃើញពាក់ព័ន្ធនឹងករណីនោះ ។ ជាទូទៅ បន្ទាប់ពីមានការត្រួតពិនិត្យពីមជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការជាតិហើយ ការស្នើសុំឯកសារបន្ថែមនេះមិនសូវជាមានញឹកញាប់ទេ ប៉ុន្តែវាអាចកើតឡើងបាន ។ ខ្ញុំមិនគួរនិយាយថាវាកំរកើតឡើងនោះទេ ។ នៅក្នុងករណីទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K-1 វាអាចកើតឡើងជាញឹកញាប់ ដោយសារតែស្ថានភាពនីមួយៗគឺផ្សេងៗគ្នា ។ ទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទរៀបការ ហាក់ដូចជាមានភាពច្បាស់លាស់ និងងាយយល់ ហើយខ្ញុំគិតថាវាជារឿងដែលត្រឹមត្រូវក្នុងការមើលទៅលើករណីនេះតាមបែបហ្នឹង ។ ប៉ុន្តែអ្វីដែលខ្ញុំចង់និយាយនៅពេលនេះគឺថា មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការជាតិនឹងកំណត់ថ្ងៃសំភាស ហើយកាលកំណត់នោះនឹងត្រូវបញ្ជូនទៅ កាន់ស្ថានទូតនៅរាជធានីភ្នំពេញ បន្ទាប់មកអ្នកត្រូវតែចូលសំភាស ។ ជារឿយៗ យើងធ្វើការត្រៀមសំភាសជាមួយអតិថិជនរបស់យើង ដើម្បីអោយពួកគេមានការយល់នូវអ្វីដែលមន្ត្រីកុងស៊ុល អាចនឹងចង់ដឹងពាក់ព័ន្ធនឹងពាក្យសុំ ឬពាក់ព័ន្ធនឹងចំណុចជាក់លាក់ណាមួយនៃអ្នកដែលដាក់ពាក្យសុំ ។ រឿងផ្សេងទៀតដែលយើងធ្វើគឺផ្ដល់នូវការយល់ដឹងខ្លះៗពាក់ព័ន្ធនឹងនិតិវិធីដែលសំណុំរឿងនឹងត្រូវដំណើរការនៅស្ថានទូត ។
ជារួម ខ្ញុំគិតថាវិធីមើលទៅលើដំណើរការទូទៅនៃការដាក់ពាក្យសុំទិដ្ឋាការអន្តោប្រវេសន៍ទៅរស់នៅសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកគឺដូចនេះ៖ វាចាប់ផ្ដើមនៅក្រសួងសន្តិសុខមាតុភូមិនៃសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក ហើយបន្តទៅមជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការជាតិដែលខុសពីទិដ្ឋាការប្រភេទ K មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលទិដ្ឋាការជាតិ មានតួនាទីយ៉ាងសកម្មក្នុងដំណើរការនេះ ហើយបន្ទាប់មកវានឹងត្រូវបញ្ជូនទៅកាន់ស្ថានទូតសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិកប្រចាំនៅរាជធានីភ្នំពេញ ។ នៅពេលនោះ ការសំភាសនឹងត្រូវធ្វើឡើង ហើយឯកសារបន្ថែមផ្សេងៗអាចនឹងត្រូវស្នើសុំ ដែលអ្នកនឹងត្រូវ រកឯកសារដើម្បីដាក់ជូនទៅកុងស៊ុលមុនពេលដែល ទិដ្ឋាការអាចនឹងត្រូវសំរេចយល់ព្រមចេញអោយអ្នកនៅចុងបញ្ចប់ ។
21st November 2017
Information Regarding American Marriage Visas From Cambodia
Posted by : admin
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.
21st November 2017
K-3 Marriage Visas From Cambodia
Posted by : admin
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.
10th November 2017
Information Regarding K-1 visas from Cambodia
Posted by : admin
The following is a transcript of the video found here: K-1 Fiance Visas From Cambodia:
In this video we are going to be discussing the K-1 Fiancee Visa specifically in the context of Consular processing in the Kingdom of Cambodia; specifically the US Embassy in Phnom Penh.
For those of you who have checked out this channel and seen some of the other videos, you probably know that we are based in Bangkok, Thailand, we do deal primarily with immigration matters arising with Thai-American nationality generally, we deal with a lot of US family immigration matters, fiancée visas, marriage visas etc.
Just because we’re located here, does not mean necessarily that this is our exclusive bailiwick with respect to US immigration. It is sort of interesting in so far as immigration attorneys who practice in the United States tend to have a plethora of rather wide range of nationality of clientele that they deal with, whereas, it is sort of somewhat inverted by us being based in Bangkok we primarily deal with Thai nationals. But that being said, I have dealt with cases involving the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, quite a number of cases involving that particular post, mostly because of its nearby proximity to Thailand here. But that being said, for those who are interested in sort of an overview of the process it’s best to sort of look at it in 2 phases: One involves the Department of Homeland Security. The Immigration apparatus, USCIS under the auspices of DHS, Department of Homeland Security, is going to go ahead and adjudicate what is called an I-129 F petition. That petition is basically the starting point of the process if you will. You have got to file a petition and you have got to get approval from the Department of Homeland Security, USCIS, before being able to proceed further with the K-1 visa. After the initial adjudication of the petition, and let’s go into some details of some requirements associated with the petition, most notably the couple in question must both be legally free to marry at the time that the application is filed. Moreover, both parties need to have met physically, in person within a 2-year period of their initial filing of the petition for a K-1 visa status. The big things to keep in mind is that “You have got to be legally free to marry”, you can’t be getting a divorce, you have to already be divorced if you have a prior spouse; you have got to be legally free to marry and the other thing to keep in mind is this can sort of happen in certain common law jurisdictions or sometimes even in civil law jurisdictions. You can’t get married legally while the K-1 is processing, even if it’s to each other, you have to wait and remain fiancées until the foreign fiancée in this case Khmer, presumably coming out of Phnom Penh, comes to the United States and then you have 90 days to get married and file to adjust status. Adjustment of status is a different process. It comes subsequent to marriage, in the United States. There’s another video on this channel which specifically discusses the details of adjustment of status. Suffice it to say that basically that’s the process by which the foreign fiancée, and later spouse, becomes a lawful permanent resident, aka a green card holder in the United States. So that’s sort of the back end of the process. Going back, petition, have to have met within 2 years of filing, need to be legally free to marry, there’s other details associated with this, I am not going to get too deep into that side of things, but presuming USCIS DHS approval, the matter is going to move quickly over to the National Visa Center which acts as a sort of clearing house or routing hub to send it to the appropriate Embassy or Consulate abroad, in the case of Cambodia Nationals, presumably that’s going to be Phnom Penh , Cambodia and at that point, you need to deal with the specific Consular processing mandates of the visa section of the Embassy over there.
It is interesting to bring up with respect to K-1 visas, they are what is considered a dual intent visa. So technically speaking, they’re non-immigrant category but for purposes of consular processing, and sort of the application process, they are treated for all intents and purposes as Immigrant visas, just like a spouse visa, CR -1 IR -1 or “shades of grey” here but the K-3 visa. So basically to sum up, with respect to this video, the process for getting a fiancée of Cambodian nationality into the United States, begins in the United States, progresses through multiple agencies over there before getting to the US Embassy in Phnom Penh and then there’s various documentation associated with the overall process and various documents which need to be translated from Khmer to English etc. Our services, we can provide those translations, part and parcel with what we deal with on a regular basis. I oftentimes have to go over to Phnom Penh to deal with clients as well and that can sometimes come up. But just generally speaking, as sort of from an overview of how the process works and what we can do to assist if necessary is basically, it starts in the US, comes over to the Embassy and finally, I think it is pretty safe to say probably 8 months, 9 months on average, all in, the processing time for getting a K-1. It can move faster, it can move slower. The thing to keep in mind with respect to all US visa applications is they’re like snowflakes, every one of them is unique, every one of them is slightly different and you are going to see one case may move inordinately quickly, we actually had one process through quite quickly as far as sort of compared to averages and I think it sort of just hit the right desk at the right minute and just sort of went through whereas some cases they just move more slowly. It’s going to differ, case to case, circumstance to circumstance but that being said, with respect specifically to Cambodia K-1 Visas again are going to start processing in the United States, they’re going to end up in Cambodia and then once the Cambodian national comes to the United States and marries their American citizen fiancée, they can go ahead and petition to adjust status and receive a green card in the US.
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