State Department & Immigration Forms for US Visas

Getting a United States Visa for a Foreign National can be a somewhat complicated endeavor. The complications can be exacerbated if the applicant is living in a country geographically distant from the United States of America. This is especially the case in the Kingdom of Thailand which is very far from the USA.

When it comes time to process a visa application through the United States Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand it is necessary to compile a relatively large assortment of forms. This requirement is confusing in some cases because many people in the USA mistakenly believe that the initial application submission is the only time that forms must be filed for the acquisition of a United States visa. In reality, the United States Embassy requires a great many forms of its own.

One reason that may account for this seemingly redundant process is the fact that the United States Embassies in any country are under the jurisdiction of the State department while the USCIS is overseen by the relatively new Department of Homeland Security (DHS). These two bureaucracies handle different aspects of the Immigration process. With regard to Embassy processing, the Consular Section first receives the case from the National Visa Center (NVC). Upon receiving the petition, the Consular staff will notify the prospective beneficiary that the visa application process can begin within the notification will be an explanation of the forms necessary to get the visa application approved.

For the K1 fiance visa, these forms generally include forms like the DS-156 and 157 Although this is not an exhaustive list and many Embassies have different protocol for processing visas so extensive research may be required. The "DS" in front of the numbers denotes that the forms are issued by the Department of State, Immigration forms can be discerned by their use of the initial "I" before the specified number.

Once all of the necessary forms and documentation is compiled, the visa applicant will need to send the documentation to the Embassy in order for the interview appointment to be set. After receipt of this packet and the completed forms, the Embassy will set the interview appointment and the applicant will need to arrive prepared to demonstrate the bona fide nature of the relationship upon which the visa is being issued. If approved, the applicant generally must return to the Embassy within a few days to pick up their passport with the visa in it. The visa conferee must enter the USA on the visa within a 6 month period or else the visa will expire.