The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs will conduct a pilot testing of a digital visa at the U.S. Embassy in Dublin, Ireland for a small number of K-1 fiancé(e) visa applicants. The DVAs will only be issued to those who plan to travel directly to the United States from Dublin.
A K-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows a foreign-citizen fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen to enter the United States to get married and eventually become a permanent resident through the filing of a marriage based green card application.
The pilot scheme is being tested in Dublin due to the presence of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) pre-clearance at Dublin Airport, strong relations with the Irish government, and the participation of airlines flying out of Dublin directly to the United States who are already enrolled in CBP’s Document Validation program.
The DVA program continues to develop and may eventually be expanded to further visa categories if successful with this pilot.
For more information, the Department of State issued an update on the pilot: Digital Visa Authorization (DVA) Proof of Concept (state.gov). For more general information on K-1 visas, the Department of State provides a thorough FAQ: Nonimmigrant Visa for a Fianc(é)e (K-1) (state.gov).
Should you have any questions relating to this change, please contact Mairin Hoban ([email protected]) and Aryanah Eghbal ([email protected]).
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