Immigrant Visa process made easy at the “Lik” Published June 11, 2007 By Capt. Rose Richeson 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey -- A team from the U.S. Embassy in Ankara is scheduled to visit the Airman and Family Readiness Center June 11-12 to discuss the Immigrant Visa application process with Team Incirlik members and their families. Roger Rigaud, Ankara Embassy deputy consul, will deliver a presentation June 11 at noon in the AFRC conference room followed by a question and answer session on Immigrant Visa procedures for foreign nationals married to U.S. citizens. Individual appointments to discuss the process one-on-one or follow up on already submitted applications can be scheduled through the AFRC by calling 676-6755. "The biggest change in the process is the new requirement for a criminal check under the Adam Walsh Act of 2006," said Mr. Rigaud. "This has added to the processing time, as petitions can no longer be approved at post, but rather must be screened by Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. We will however, continue to accept petitions." When applying for an Immigrant Visa it is important to know that the citizen's spouse submits the petition application, not the other way around. "The non-citizen applicant is present at the visa interview in Ankara when the petition is approved," said Mr. Rigaud. "At that time, the non-citizen is notified of the scheduled interview date for both parties to attend and what documents they'll need to present." The purpose of the June visit is to save applicants one of the trips to Ankara by accepting petitions at the time of the visit for those prepared to file. The Embassy staff reminds applicants that there are no special or unique requirements for Turkish nationals when getting a visa and stresses the importance of applicants being aware of the timeframe and documents required ahead of time. "The application process can last between two and eight months, depending on the necessity of security clearances and/or response times from other agencies," said Mr. Rigaud. Both Turkey-specific Immigrant and Non-immigrant Visa information is available online in English and Turkish at http://ankara.usembassy.gov under the "visas to the U.S." tab. Additional general information is available at the following Web sites: www.unitedstatesvisas.gov, www.immigration.gov and www.dhs.gov.