The K1 Fiance visa

The K1 Fiancé visa allows the foreign fiancé to enter the US for marriage to a US citizen. Once a K1 visa is issued, the fiancé has roughly 4 months in which to enter the US, and 90 days from the time she/he enters in which to marry the petitioner.

The K1 process is not terribly daunting, but it can be confusing and stressful. We strive to remove the confusion and stress from it. We break the process down into 3 parts. Each part is relatively straightforward, in and of itself, but if one tries to figure it all out at once is when it gets confusing. The three parts are submittal, interview preparation, and adjustment of status/green card.

To start the process, we first have you email us copies of your documents, such as birth certificate, divorce decrees, etc. With this information we can fill out most of the forms. We then get online with you to complete the forms (about an hour) or ask you specific questions by email, then we will assemble a petition packet. Depending on where you and your fiancé are, we may opt to meet with you and/or the fiancé if at all possible, as this makes everything much more personal and allows plenty of opportunity for a question and answer period. The petition is then submitted to USCIS with the filing fee of $340.

Then starts the waiting, NOA1 receipt will arrive in about 2-4 weeks. From that point it will be  5-8 months, depending on which service center you must go through, before anything else is to be done when NOA2 approval notice arrives. In that time period we gather documents, help to get your fiancé a passport (if she hasn't one already), etc.

After approval of the petition, it goes first to NVC (National Visa Center in NH), where a MNL case number will be assigned, and it will then get sent to Manila Embassy. At that time you will need to pay the visa fee, set an interview date, and then we start preparing her for interview. When she goes to the medical and interview, she will have a packet of papers an inch or so thick, and should be able to hand any document to the interviewer in 5 seconds. The way we set the interview packet up makes it easy for her to do so. We also coach her in preparation for the medical and interview, so that she knows what to expect and is not so intimidated by what she will be going through.

After interview, we make sure she has attended the CFO seminar, and has the needed sticker in her visa. We coach her also in the trip, what to expect at port of entry, etc., to make it as easy and as stress free for her as possible. Once in the US, the first thing we do is help get an SS card for her. Once married, we help to file for the adjustment of status, and prepare her for the green card interview.

The current government based fees are;

Petition $340

Visa fee $240

Medical $223

Adjustment of status (once married in the US) $1070

There are many small fees also, such as for documents, pictures, transportation, etc. which do add up. Also, if she lives anywhere other than the National Capital Region you must figure in the cost of a trip to Manila for her, and staying there for most of an entire week (or make two trips).

Processing time vary according to how backlogged the USCIS Service Center is. Current processing times as of March  1, 2013 for K1 fiancee visa is 7-9  months.

That is pretty much it in a nutshell. Please feel free to contact us and ask any questions you may have and/or express concerns.

Thanks for reading,

Larry and Rony