If a U.S. citizen is married to a Thai citizen, he/she can apply for a K3 visa for his/her spouse. The process for a K-3 visa takes bit longer than that of a K-1 visa but the process for obtaining U.S. citizenship may be faster.
It is always best to speak to a US visa immigration specialist in Thailand before applying for a U.S. visa in Thailand. The K3 Visa process is best summed up as follows:
- File an I-130 Immigration petition for the foreign spouse;
- After receiving the I-130 receipt, the U.S. citizen will have to file an I-129F petition.
- After approval of the I-129F petition, the case will be sent to the National Visa Center for processing.
- If the I-130 petition is approved prior to the I-129F, the I-129F will be canceled and the I-130 will be sent to the National Visa Center for processing.
- The National Visa Center will review the application then forward it to the U.S. Consulate.
- The U.S. Consulate will provide instructions to the spouse to complete online forms and gather documents including a criminal check and a medical exam.
- The U.S. Consulate arranges for the interview and the spouse will be required to bring the requested documents to the interview.
- If the consular officer is satisfied with the documents and answers, the spouse can pick up their passport with K3 visa within 5 to 10 business days.
The K3 Visa is a two-year multiple entry visa which allows the visa holder the right to travel in and out of the United States while her immigration petition is being processed. In addition, the K3 status holder has the right to apply for employment authorization. If you have any questions on processing a K3 visa, please see Starting Your K3 Visa Application Process In Thailand.