Visas: what are they? This question might sound as though it can be easily answered, but up until the end of World War 2 many nations did not readily issue passports and even fewer actually issued visas.
The Visas discussed in this article are not the kind that you swipe at the local mall to buy things. Instead, they are the documents needed in order to enter most countries around the world. A mistaken belief held by many is based upon the notion that a visa entitles the bearer entry into a country. In most cases, a visa is not the equivalent of a "right of entry." Instead, a visa is simply an acknowledgment by a diplomatic or consular officer that the person holding the visa should be accorded the right to seek entry.
In Thailand, there are many different visa categories under Thai Immigration law. Thailand also has a seemingly similar Permanent Resident system to that of the United States of America. However, looks can be deceiving as Thai Permanent Residence is extremely difficult to obtain and there is a quota set for people of differing nationalities. In the late 1970's the Thai government authorities at Royal Thai Immigration promulgated non-immigrant visa categories. At present the most common categories are the B visa (Thailand Business Visa), the Thailand O Visa, and the Thailand Retirement Visa.
Many Thai people seek to obtain travel privileges to the United States of America. One of the most sought after US visas from Thailand is the US Fiance visa. The K-1 visa is designed for foreign fiancee's (in this case Thai fiancées) of United States Citizens who seek entry to the USS in order to marry their loved one.
In some cases, where a couple is already married, it may be necessary to file for a classic United States Immigrant Visa. The Immigrant Visa (CR-1) entitles the bearer to conditional permanent residence in the United States. In many instances, the Spouse visa will take one year to acquire. However, for those couples who are already married and wish to expedite the process the K3 marriage visa is an option. The K-3 is actually a non-immigrant visa category, but it does allow the visa beneficiary to adjust status (acquire a Green Card) in the United States. There was a time when the K-3 was thought of as advantageous due to the fact that Immigrant visas took much more time to process. Now, the K3's effectiveness has waned due to more efficient processing on the part of USCIS.
Thailand and the USA are not the only countries issuing visas as they are generally obtainable from most countries around the world.
(This is not legal advice, but intended for educational purposes. No Attorney/client relationship should be inferred from reading this article.)
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The Author, Benjamin Hart, is a licensed attorney in the USA. He currently acts as Managing Director at Integrity Legal (Thailand) Co. Ltd. To contact Integrity Legal Call Toll Free 1-877-231-7533 or in Thailand +66 (0) 2-266-3698. Visit Integrity Legal on the Internet at
K1 fiance visa or
k3 marriage visa
