What is a k1 visa from Thailand?
A K1 Visa is a US Visa which allows you as an American to take your Thai fiance/fiancée to the United States with the intention to get married when in the United States. You may attempt to take your Thai fiancée to the US on a different US Visa however this may be viewed at a later date as you having had the intention to take your Thai fiancée to the US without applying for a K1 Visa and thereby evading the checks and balances set by the United States Immigration Services with the K1 Visa.
If you are already married and have a Thai wife you would not be permitted to use a K1 Visa application from Thailand to take her back to the US as the K1 Visa was created for the sole purpose of a fiancée and not a wife. As a married American you have to apply for a K3 Visa which is Spouse Visa. See our US website or our other pages on the K3 visa Thailand.
Many clients wonder what the benefits are of the K1 fiancée visa compared to other US Visa options. We have listed below the many benefits of applying for a K1 Visa for your Thai fiancée. If you are considering using a US Tourist Visa for your fiancée - don't. The K1 Visa is the better option for a number of reasons as mentioned in K1 visa process.
- The K1 Visa Thailand is easier to obtain than the K-3 Visa. Comparing the two, the K1 Visa is much faster. The average K1 Visa application from submission to having a K1 Visa in your Thai fiancées passport is on average 4-6 months with us at TLS.
- Your Thai fiancée during the K1 Visa application process can have her child/children added to the K1-Visa petition as a K2 derivative. Once she is granted the K1 Visa the children would then also be granted a K2 Visa.
- For the purposes of the K1 Visa Thailand, children falling under the K2 derivative have to be unmarried and under the age of 21.
- Once your fiancée has her K1 Visa from Thailand and is in the United States, she can apply for a work permit to engage in lawful employment by filing a Form I-765.
These points as listed above would be the main benefits of taking your Thai fiancée back to the United States with a K1 Visa. If you have any questions about the K1 Visa and the process then speak to us online or at any of our offices in Thailand. With offices in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and Phuket we are best able to assist you with your US Fiancée Visa.