K1 Fiance Visa Applications
Designed for individuals who are planning to marry an american citizen. It allows the foreign born fiance to come to United States before the wedding has taken place. The couple then has ninety days before the wedding ceremony must occur.
Overview & Eligibility
There is a two-step process in getting your K-1 visa. The first is The Petition, which is filed by your U.S
citizen fiancé and is a prerequisite to Step Two, The Application. The petition must be approved
before you can proceed to Step Two. An approval for The Petition will normally take about four months
and once The Application is filed, it will take approximately one to four months for the K-1 visa to be
issued.
There are certain requirements that must be met before commencing with this two-step procedure:
- The petitioner must be a U.S citizen.
- Both members must be of legal age and not already married.
- The foreign national must have a genuine intention to marry the petitioner after arriving inthe U.S.
- The couple must have met and seen each other within the past two years, unless they
practice a religion that forbids them to meet before marriage, or if their meeting would cause
an exceptional hardship. (Only the most extreme situations, including medical problems are
valid reasons to waiver this requirement.)
Pros & Cons
As with all types of visas there are certain limitations that come with the privileges:
Pros
- You and your minor children may come to the U.S in order to marry a U.S citizen.
- You may apply for permission to work immediately upon arriving in the U.S.
- If your U.S citizen fiancé(e) is unable to travel to your home country to marry you, the K-1 visa may be the only solution.
- Your minor, unmarried children under the age of 21 may come with you as accompanying relatives.
Cons
- You must marry your U.S citizen petitioner within 90 days after you enter the U.S.
- You must still apply for a green card after you get married if you want to remain in the U.S.
- A K-1 visa only lasts 90 days. It cannot be extended beyond that period under any circumstances.
- If you fail to get married within the 90-day period, you may be forced to leave the U.S.