Opinion ID: 2743141
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Immigration Application Process

Text: The Immigration and Nationality Act (the “INA” or the “Act”) defines two classes of nonimmigrant aliens that are pertinent to this appeal: (i) . . . the fiancee or fiance of a citizen of the United States . . . who seeks to enter the United States solely to conclude a valid marriage with the petitioner within ninety days after admission; [and] (iii) . . . the minor child of an alien described in clause (i) . . . accompanying, or following to join, the alien[.] 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(15)(K)(i), (iii) (emphasis added). The K visa process begins when a U.S. citizen petitions the Department of Homeland Security to designate a foreign national as a nonimmigrant fiancé or fiancée (the “fiancée”). Id. § 1184(d)(1); 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(k)(1). If the fiancée has a minor child that is accompanying or following to join her, that child “may be accorded the same nonimmigrant classification” without a separate petition. 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(k)(3). The approved petition is forwarded to the U.S. consulate in the fiancée’s home country. 22 C.F.R. § 41.81(a)(1). The fiancée must then submit a visa application to the U.S. consulate in her home country, requesting a K-1 visa on behalf of herself and K-2 visas for her minor children whom she intends to join her. See id. § 41.81(a), (c). After receipt of an 3 approved visa application, the consulate issues the K visas, which, as nonimmigrant visas, generally bear validity periods reflecting reciprocity between the United States and the practices of the particular foreign government. Id. § 41.112(b)(1). Issuance of a K-1 or K-2 visa, however, does not guarantee the visa holder’s entry into the United States. 8 U.S.C. § 1201(h) (“Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to entitle any alien, to whom a visa or other documentation has been issued, to be admitted [to] the United States, if, upon arrival at a port of entry in the United States, he is found to be inadmissible under this chapter, or any other provision of law.”). Upon arrival at a port of entry into the United States, the alien fiancée –- like all nonimmigrant aliens -- must establish that he or she is then admissible. 8 C.F.R. § 214.1(a)(3)(i). After admission into the United States, the alien fiancée must marry the U.S. citizen petitioner within 90 days or depart the country along with any children holding a K-2 derivative visa. 8 U.S.C. § 1184(d)(1). Following the marriage, the K–1 visa holder and her minor children holding K-2 visas may apply for adjustment of status to lawful conditional permanent resident. 8 U.S.C. § 1255(d); 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(k)(6)(ii). The Attorney General may make the adjustment “in his discretion and under such regulations as he 4 may prescribe.” 8 U.S.C. § 1255(a). The applicant must be eligible to receive an immigrant visa and be admissible to the United States for permanent residence. Id. Section 1255(d) specifically addresses adjustment of status for K-1 and K-2 nonimmigrant visa holders. Id. § 1255(d). Under the statute, the Attorney General may adjust their status to lawful conditional permanent resident “as a result of the marriage of the nonimmigrant (or, in the case of a minor child, the parent) to the citizen who filed the petition.” Id. (emphasis added). The term “minor child” in 8 U.S.C. §§ 1101(a)(15)(K) and 1255(d) is not defined in those statutes or elsewhere in the INA. However, based on the definition of “child” in the Act, see 8 U.S.C. § 1101(b)(1), the term “minor child” for purposes of K-2 visas has been construed by the Board as a person who is unmarried and under the age of 21. Matter of Le, 25 I. & N. Dec. 541, 550 (B.I.A. 2011). Section 1255 does not specify when during the immigration process a “minor child” is required to be under 21 years of age, and the statute is likewise silent as to when an applicant for adjustment of status must demonstrate eligibility. 8 U.S.C. § 1255(a), (d); see also Carpio v. Holder, 592 F.3d 1091, 1098 (10th Cir. 2010) (“[T]he use of the term ‘minor child,’ provides no indication as to when that status must be established.”). 5