USCIS Bangkok - operationally closed on 18 OCT

[TimBKK]

https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-uscis-office/international-offices/thailand-uscis-bangkok-field-office 

 

Thank you for contacting the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Field Office located in Bangkok, Thailand.

 

Please be informed that our office is permanently closing on December 31, 2019.  The last day that we will accept applications/petitions and be open to the public is October 18, 2019.  After October 18, we will only respond to email inquiries that relate to a case that is currently pending with our office.

 

Please visit our office website at www.uscis.gov/bangkok for general information about USCIS services and form filing instructions.

 

After October 18, the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok will assume responsibility for some services previously provided by USCIS to individuals residing in Thailand – please see the chart below for more detail.

 

If you reside in a country previously assisted by our office - Australia, New Zealand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, East Timor, Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong – you must follow these filing instructions:

 

Service/Form	Filing Instructions
Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative	File your petition by mail with the USCIS lockbox facility in Dallas. You can find additional filing information on the Form I-130 webpage. USCIS may authorize the Department of State to accept a petition filed with a U.S. embassy or consulate in limited circumstances (PDF, 61 KB). To request to file Form I-130 at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, please visit the embassy’s website.
Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant (for Widow(er) petitions only)	If you are a widow(er) of a U.S. citizen, please see the Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant page for the most current filing instructions.  You may file your Form I-360 at the U.S. embassy or consulate that has jurisdiction over the area where you live.
Form I-131A, Application for Travel Document (Carrier Documentation)	If you are a lawful permanent resident (LPR) who has lost your LPR card and/or re-entry permit and you need travel documentation to return to the U.S., you can file your Form I-131A with any U.S. embassy consular section or USCIS international field office. To make an appointment to file the Form I-131A for travel documentation at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, see the embassy’s website.
Form I-407, Record of Abandonment of Lawful Permanent Resident Status	Submit your Form I-407 to the USCIS Eastern Forms Center. You can find additional filing information on the Form I-407 webpage. In very rare circumstances, a U.S. embassy or consulate may allow you to submit a Form I-407 in person if you need immediate proof that you have abandoned your lawful permanent resident status. The most common need for an expedited application is to apply for an A or G visa.
Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition	You must file your petition with the USCIS Nebraska or Texas Service Centers, depending on where the petitioner lives in the United States. You can find additional filing information on the Form I-730 webpage. For beneficiary interviews/processing, contact the U.S. embassy consular section in the country where the beneficiary resides.
Form N-400, Application for Naturalization	If you are a member of the U.S. military stationed overseas, please see the Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, page or call 800-375-5283 for the most current filing instructions. For qualified children of active-duty service members stationed abroad, the proper form to file is the N-600K, Application for Citizenship and Issuance of Certificate Under Section 322.
Form I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of an Orphan Petition	You must file your Form I-600A application by mail with USCIS lockbox facility in Dallas. The USCIS National Benefits Center will process the application. You may find additional information on the Form I-600A webpage.
Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative	You may file your Form I-600 petition: ·        By mail with the USCIS lockbox facility in Dallas The USCIS National Benefits Center will process your petition; or ·        In person with the appropriate U.S. embassy or consulate in the adoptive child’s country of origin (if certain criteria are met). You may find updated information on the Form I-600 webpage on the USCIS website.

 

General information about the U.S. Embassy Bangkok is available on the embassy website. You may also contact the embassy by calling +66-2-205-4000.

 

For information on other immigration benefits, please visit uscis.gov. We suggest you use Ask Emma for more details about what you want to accomplish. Many times, you may be able to complete your task online.

 

If you have a question about a pending application or petition, you can send USCIS a secure message through your USCIS Online account. Creating an account is easy.

 

If you need to talk to a representative for another reason and are outside the U.S., you can call +1-212-620-3418 Monday-Friday 8 am-8 pm EST.

 

Sincerely,

 

USCIS Bangkok Field Office

[TimBKK]

By this I mean the office is PERMANENTLY CLOSING TO THE PUBLIC after Friday, October 18th.  Just want to be clear on this point.

[GinBoy2]

Sad Loss, but a sign of the anti immigrant sentiment wandering the halls of US power nowadays.

 

Many of us benefited from Direct Consular Filings at USCIS in Bangkok which shaved off many months of the application and approval process.

 

Hopefully sometime in the future rationality will return in the post Trump era (which in itself is ironic since he seems to have a liking for immigrant women!) and those of you still resident in Thailand will be able to enjoy the benefits of local filing

[kingstonkid]

Not just a sign of the times for US.  A lot of countries are also getting stricter.  Cdns are looking forward to after petite Pierre leaves and things can get tougher lol

 

[sawadeeken]

I think the British recently did the same thing....... Real Estate (property values - in Bangkok Area) have recently reached 'HIGHS' that make more money for the governments (to sell the property) than they make from taking caring for their own citizens........

 

If this post is just a joke.......... then...... and only 'then'........ so is Mine.......

 

But on the other hand...... If this is REAL..... I am really concerned as a USA Citizen....... Is Our USA government "giving up" on Thailand................... THEN WHAT??????????????? For us Americans, do we need to fear going to or staying in Thailand????????????

[sawadeeken]

In Reality  ........................ I, as an American citizen, Trust my government................

I think they know something that I don't know....... (YET)

I TRUST THAT the USA government has a reason for this and will still continue to take the best care for it's citizens............

I also, along with 'our' government, think Thailand is attacting 'ALL Western World Countries' and I hope this example of our USA 'PULLING OUT' of Thailand will have some effect on this "PRESENT" THAI (Graft- Ridden) government...............

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

it'S citizebs

[La Migra]

While not in favor of closing the overseas USCIS offices - and acknowledging it is related to the President's tapping the brakes on immigration..... it is a lot cheaper.  From a US taxpayer's standpoint, it costs a lot less to pay employees salary at a USCIS Service Center (Omaha), than to pay; housing, private schooling for kids, health care, moving costs, etc., plus salary in Bangkok.

[CH1961]

3 hours ago, sawadeeken said:

For us Americans, do we need to fear going to or staying in Thailand?

I was sure that all the Americans I met in the bars were former special agents or Delta forces without fear. At least that's what they told me ????. 

[AgMech Cowboy]

On 10/11/2019 at 8:32 AM, Tmacdadi said:

Thank you for contacting the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Field Office located in Bangkok, Thailand.

 

If you reside in a country previously assisted by our office - Australia, New Zealand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, East Timor, Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong – you must follow these filing instructions:

If you are a Citizen of the USA this closure has no effect on you. It is for people who wish to obtain citizenship and immigrate.

[GinBoy2]

2 hours ago, AgMech Cowboy said:

If you are a Citizen of the USA this closure has no effect on you. It is for people who wish to obtain citizenship and immigrate.

I think the problem is that people don't understand that USCIS isn't part, or in any way is connected to the Embassy.

 

US Embassies and consular activities are an arm of the State Department, whereas USCIS is an arm of Homeland Security

[GinBoy2]

7 hours ago, La Migra said:

While not in favor of closing the overseas USCIS offices - and acknowledging it is related to the President's tapping the brakes on immigration..... it is a lot cheaper.  From a US taxpayer's standpoint, it costs a lot less to pay employees salary at a USCIS Service Center (Omaha), than to pay; housing, private schooling for kids, health care, moving costs, etc., plus salary in Bangkok.

Thats an interesting question.

 

As I understood it, there were four USCIS American employees, plus that Thai lady who worked the front desk. I'm sure there were probably a few more local employees. Office rent in the Sindhorn Building, wonder how that cost stakes up against the processing cost at the lockbox center in Dallas.

 

Of course we'll never know, and it's not the real reason for shuttering the overseas office, but an interesting thought