The US Department of State (DOS) has announced that, effective immediately, all K fiancé visa applicants must complete the Form DS-160 online. This form replaces forms DS-156, 156K and DS-230. However, there are exceptions to the online DS-160 requirement, if prior to October 7, 2013, one of the following applies:
- The K visa applicant is already scheduled for an interview;
- The K visa applicant has already been interviewed and the case is pending;
- The K visa applicant has already filed a signed and unexpired Form DS-156, DS-156K and/or DS-230 or received instructions to do.
Such online filing is certainly welcome for the processing of fiancé visas. However, the DOS should still work to ameliorate the tangled web of requirements for K fiancé visa processing at US consulates worldwide. Even though US immigration law is Federal, it is not applied uniformly at the various consulates. Also, the processing itself differs, with the NVC taking control over some of the cases before forwarding them to the US consulate. Therefore, it is advantageous to hire an experienced immigration attorney to assist with the cumbersome process.