Welcome to the Immigrant Visa Homepage!

Immigrant visas are required for all persons who plan to travel to the United States to establish permanent residency.  You should be able to find answers to many of your questions about the immigrant visa process on this website.

Days and Hours of Operation

The Immigrant Visa Unit is open between 7:00am-4:00pm Mondays–Fridays by appointment only.  The Immigrant Visa Unit interviews immigrant visa applicants in Bangkok once their approved petitions have arrived from the National Visa Center and the Packet 3 has been returned to the Embassy.  Immigrant Visa interviews in Bangkok are by appointment only.  Please see the Immigrant Visa Process section for more about the interview process.

How to Apply

You cannot begin an application for an immigrant visa at U.S. Embassy Bangkok.  The process for all immigrant visas, other than the Diversity Visa Lottery process, begins with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the U.S. or, in limited cases when the petitioner resides in Thailand, with the DHS office in Bangkok.  The family member or employer in the U.S. must begin the process by filing an I-130 petition or I-129F fiancée petition with the DHS office with jurisdiction over their place of residence.  More visa information for immigrants is available on the Department of State's travel website.

The Diversity Visa Program provides a certain number of permanent resident visas annually. These visas are drawn from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.