Immigrant Visa
Immigrant Visa Process
Here are the three important steps to the Immigrant Visa Process:
1. THE FIRST STEP - THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
The process of applying for all categories of immigrant visas begins with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). In most cases, this consists of filing a petition with the USCIS office having jurisdiction over the petitioner's place of residence in the United States. The petitioner should contact the appropriate USCIS office using the Government Pages of the local telephone directory or by going to the USCIS website. If the petitioner resides in the United States, the processing time varies depending on the service center where the petition is pending. In a limited number of cases, if the petitioner can demonstrate current residence in Thailand for at least six months, the petition may be filed with the USCIS office in Bangkok. The general inquiry email box for USCIS Bangkok is BKKCIS.Inquiries@dhs.gov. To access USCIS forms, click here
2. THE SECOND STEP – THE NATIONAL VISA CENTER
Once USCIS has approved a petition, the petition will be forwarded to the National Visa Center (NVC). All petitions are administratively processed at the NVC.
Immigrant Visas:
The NVC is responsible for the collection of immigrant visa application fees and immigrant visa application documentation. When an applicant's priority date is close to being current, the NVC will contact the applicant and petitioner with instructions for submitting the appropriate processing fees. Please refer to the Department of State’s Visa Bulletin to check current priority dates. After the appropriate processing fees are paid, the NVC will again contact the applicant and petitioner to request that the necessary immigrant visa documentation be submitted to the NVC. NVC retains immigrant visa cases until they are ready for adjudication by a consular officer abroad. Once cases are documentarily qualified, NVC schedule interview appointments, notify applicants the appointment dates and forward the processed petitions to the embassy specified on the petition.
K Visas:
The NVC forwards approved K visa petition to the embassy specified on the petition and sends a notice to the petitioners to directing them to access further instructions from Bangkok Specific information web page. K visa application documentation and interview scheduling are handled at the embassy specified on the petition.
E-mail is the NVC’s preferred method of communication. The NVC’s e-mail address is NVCINQUIRY@state.gov.
3. THE THIRD STEP – THE EMBASSY CONSULAR SECTION
The Consular Section in Bangkok receives the approved petition from the NVC, and Consular Officer interviews visa applicants and adjudicates visa applications.
Immigrant Visas:
Immigrant visa applicants follow the appointment instruction packages received from NVC and bring necessary documentation to the visa interview at the date and time scheduled by NVC.
K Visas:
Once immigrant visa petitioners and/or applicants have received a notification from NVC that their petitions have been forwarded to Bangkok, they should electronically download and follow the instruction package for K visa applicants. When Immigrant Visa (IV) Unit has received all of the necessary documents for visa interview as specified on the instruction package, the applicant is considered "document qualified." The IV Unit can then schedule an interview appointment and notify the applicant of the date and time of visa interview via e-mail address specified by the petitioner and/or applicant. It is; therefore, important that a contact e-mail address is provided to the IV Unit along with the returned documents for visa interview. The petitioner and/or applicant should download and follow the appointment package for K visa applicants once being notified of the interview date by the IV Unit.
Please DO NOT SEND DOCUMENTS TO THE EMBASSY UNLESS YOU HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT YOUR APPROVED PETITION IS AT THE EMBASSY.
The Consular Section will schedule the applicant for an appointment approximately 6-10 weeks prior to the interview date. The interview dates can also be checked from the Scheduled Appointment menu on the left-hand side of this page.
We cannot expedite immigrant visa interviews except in cases of true emergency, such as military deployment or medical emergencies. In these cases, please inform us immediately so that we may do our best to be of assistance.
To contact the Consular Section’s Immigrant Visa Unit, see Contact Information.
Visa Interview
Once your interview has been scheduled, arrive at the Embassy at your appointed time. Bring complete and organized documentation. An embassy employee will review your documents and prepare your file for the interview with the consular officer. Screening time averages 1-3 hours. Incomplete and unorganized documents can delay the process. When your case file has been fully screened, a Consular Officer will call you to the window for an interview. You should plan to spend the morning at the embassy for this process. If your case is approved, the visa will usually be issued for pickup in 2-3 business days. At this time we cannot return passports by mail.
Applicants requiring additional administrative processing after the interview may experience delays (from several weeks to several months). We will inform applicants when this processing applies.
If you are found ineligible, the consular officer will advise you if the law provides for a waiver of your ineligibility.
Tips for avoiding delays:
- File the petition as early as possible.
- Ensure all of your biographical data is accurate and complete.
- Collect documents in a timely manner.
- Respond immediately to additional document requests.