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United States Immigration law is a constantly changing kaleidoscope of regulations, case law, statutes, and rules. In this authors opinion, the K1 visa process may change slightly in 2010. This brief piece dissects the K1 visa process and explains the possible changes in store for those seeking a K1 fiance visa in the future.

For those unfamiliar with the K1 visa process the following is a brief synopsis:

First, a K1 visa petition is filed by a US Citizen fiance at a USCIS Service Center in the United States. USCIS adjudicates the petitioner and, if approved, forwards it on to the National Visa Center. The National Visa Center conducts a security clearance and forwards the case on to the Embassy or Consulate overseas. In Thailand, virtually all K1 visa applications for those in Thailand are adjudicated at the United States Embassy in Bangkok. The Consular Officers and State Department Personnel at the US Embassy will carry out a visa interview and, if the visa application obtains approval, issue the K-1 visa.

For the most part, the process explored above will, in all likelihood, remain substantially the same for most visa seeking couples in 2010. However, a recently proposed rule from the United States Department of State would increase the United States Embassy processing fees. A recent proposition would increase these fees from $131 to $350. By most estimates, a fee increase of $220 is significant. This may have an impact upon those who even opt to file for a K1 visa as this $350 Consular Processing fee could prove to be prohibitively expensive.

Another change that could occur in 2010 involves Comprehensive Immigration Reform. At present United States legislators and the President are discussing ways of overhauling the American Immigration system. Some have wondered if these changes to the US Immigration system will impact the K category visas under the Immigration and Nationality Act. It is this author’s opinion that 2010 will not likely see dramatic changes for those seeking a K1 fiancee visa, but by being prepared for upcoming legislation attorneys, applicants, and petitioners will be able to better anticipate possible problems before they arise.

(Please note, the above article should not be viewed as a sufficient substitute for individualized legal advice from a competent licensed attorney. The above information is for general purposes only and should not be construed as advice regarding a specific set of factual circumstances. For those who are interested in obtaining information about United States Immigration law, it might be optimal to make contact with a licensed United States Immigration lawyer.)

Benjamin Hart is licensed to practice law in the United States. He is also the Managing Director of Integrity Legal (Thailand) Co. Ltd. Reach Integrity Legal at 1-877-231-7533, +66 (0)2-266-3698, or info@integrity-legal.com. On the internet please see: K1 visa Thailand or K1 visa.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/law-articles/us-visas-2010-k1-visas-for-thai-fiancees-1772813.html

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 24th, 2010 at 10:28 pm and is filed under Personal injury. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.