US Visa Thailand: Information About United States Visa Denials
By: US Visa Lawyer | Posted: 30th March 2010
The thought of a visa denial is very distressing for many bi-national couples. The following article will briefly discuss visa denials generally and provide information about forestalling a denial.
The US visa process for the spouse or fiancee of a United States Citizen is somewhat byzantine as there are multiple departments and agencies that adjudicate different aspects of visa petitions and applications. Even after a visa is issued, the alien fiancee or spouse must still pass through a Customs and Border Protection inspection at a port of entry in the United States of America.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) is the initial adjudicator of nearly all family based visa petitions. USCIS will evaluate a couple's documentation as well as their factual situation in order to determine if they meet the general legal requirements. USCIS also takes measures in order to ensure that the petitioner is eligible to petition for the benefits being sought. During USCIS's adjudication, steps will also be taken in order to make certain that the petition complies with the provisions of the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act (IMBRA) as well as the Adam Walsh Child Protection Act (AWCPA). In most situations, the success of a USCIS petition will hinge upon the documentation presented to the reviewing officer.
In the vast majority of family based cases the next phase of the process involves the United States National Visa Center (NVC). This phase could be problematic for those couples seeking a K3 marriage visa as recent NVC protocols call for the "administrative closure" of certain K3 visa applications. Although this is not technically a denial, it has the same effect as the application will be closed. Fortunately, a married couple may still pursue immigrant visa benefits.
In most family based cases, the final phase of the process occurs at the United States Embassy or Consulate with jurisdiction over the foreign fiancee or spouse. In Thailand, the Consular Section of the US Embassy in Bangkok adjudicates nearly all family based immigrant visa applications for Thai nationals. Consular Officers will scrutinize the facts of the visa application in order to determine if the prospective Beneficiary should be admitted to the United States of America. In a K-1 visa case, the adjudicating officer will likely scrutinize the bona fides of the relationship as well as the applicant's subjective intent to marry in the USA. However, the authenticity of a spousal visa application is investigated as well, but these issues can be especially acute during the visa application process for a fiancee.
After a visa interview, it is possible that the application will be denied outright, but this is not usually the case. The issuance of a 221(g) denial, which is essentially a request for further documentation, is a more common method of visa refusal. In most cases, when the documentary insufficiency is overcome the visa will be issued.
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Ben Hart is a lawyer from the USA and Managing Director of Integrity Legal (Thailand) Co. Ltd. Contact Integrity Legal at 1-877-231-7533, +66 (0)2-266-3698, or info@integrity-legal.com. See Integrity Legal on the web at:
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Tags: regulation act, customs and border protection, citizenship and immigration, immigrant visa, uscis, visa applications, citizenship and immigration service, united states citizenship and immigration service, national visa center