Integrity Legal

For those interested in finding out detailed information regarding fiance visas from Thailand please see our main page at: K1 visa Thailand. For more details about United States Visas generally please see: US Visa Thailand.

The New Year has dawned and the K1 visa still remains the most popular method employed by American Citizens when they wish to be reunited with their Thai fiance or fiancee in the USA. At the present time, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) is estimating that the K1 visa processing time will be approximately 5 months. This estimate measures petition processing time from filing until final USCIS adjudication. For Thai fiancees seeking a K1 visa from the US Embassy in Bangkok this estimate does not take into account the processing time at the National Visa Center (NVC) nor the processing time for a K1 visa application at the US Embassy.

Generally, NVC takes approximately 14 days to process a visa petition, conduct a security clearance, and forward the file to the US Embassy. At present, it has been this author’s opinion, based upon prior experience, that this is usually the amount of time that it takes for the NVC to process the case file.

Once the file arrives at the US Embassy in Bangkok the officers will send a notice to the applicant and/or the attorney of record informing those concerned that they can now begin compiling the visa application. Generally, it takes approximately 2 weeks to compile the necessary documentation to send to the Embassy so that the Embassy staff can schedule the visa interview. In 2009, the Embassy began notifying applicants of appointment scheduling via email. This greatly streamlined the process and cut days, or, in some cases, weeks off of the final phases of the K1 visa process.

In those instances where a K1 visa applicant received a 221g refusal and request for further documentation, the Consular Officers generally processed the application efficiently and diligently once the applicant (or their attorney of record) presented the requested follow up documentation. It seems unlikely that this diligence and efficiency will subside in 2010.

The K1 visa process in 2010

At the time of this writing, it would appear that the K1 visa process will not be significantly changed in the near future and cases will continue to process through the system as before. However, with Comprehensive Immigration Reform on the horizon, there is good reason to believe that eventually the K1 visa process may change as a result of Congressional revision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). How these revisions will effect the K1 visa process remains to be seen. With all of this in mind, this author believes that the year 2010 should be a dynamic year for United States Immigration.

Tags: Fiance Visa, Fiance Visa Thailand, Fiancee Visa, Fiancee Visa Thailand, K-1 Visa, K-1 Visa Process, K-1 Visa Thailand, K1 Visa, K1 Visa Process, K1 Visa Thailand, us embassy bangkok, US Visa Thailand