How do I get a fiance visa or K1 visa?

How do I get a fiance visa?There are two basic steps to applying for a fiance visa or K1 visa:

Step 1: Fiance visa petition

The fiance visa petition process begins when a United States citizen submits a Form I-129F fiance visa petition on behalf of their fiance. This petition requests that your fiance be allowed to enter the United States so that you can get married. You will need to wait for your petition to be approved before you can move on to the consular processing stage.

Step 2: Consular processing

The consular processing stage begins after the fiance visa petition is approved and the petition package is forwarded to the National Visa Center. The package will stay at the National Visa Center for a short time before being forwarded on to the embassy. The embassy will then contact you with information on how to schedule your fiance visa interview. During this stage you will need to submit the fiance visa application along with the supporting documents such as a medical exam report and police certificates. Assuming that all goes well at the interview, your fiance will be issued a fiance visa and will be able to join you in the United States so that you can get married.

A final step that is not part of the actual fiance visa process involves the application to get a green card after you get married:

Step 3: Adjustment of status / green card application

After you get married, your new spouse will need to submit an application to do what is called “adjustment of status“. This is the process that allows your spouse to get permanent resident status and a green card. After your spouse submits the adjustment of status application, they will normally be scheduled for an interview. If all goes well at the interview, they’ll get their green card in the mail shortly after the interview. The green card will be a “conditional green card” which means that in two years you’ll need to file a separate application to remove the conditions on the green card.

About Kimberley Schaefer

Kimberley Schaefer is an immigration lawyer with offices in Boise, ID and Rexburg, Idaho. She helps future Americans become citizens by assisting them with immigrant visas, fiance visas, adjustment of status and green card applications, applying for immigration waivers, fighting deportation and applying for asylum. To contact her, you can call (208) 918-0852 or send Kimberley an email now.

Comments

  1. paula lizardo batista says

    Hola. Mi nombre es Paula y resido en República Dominicana. Mi novio es puertorriqueño y quiere pedirme como novia para casarnos. Nos gustaría saber cual es el proceso y si el puede hacer el proceso desde allá puesto que no puede venir hasta noviembre por motivos de trabajo.

    • Kimberley Schaefer says

      Uno de los requerimientos para la visa de “fiancée” o “comprometida” es que ustedes se hayan visto en persona al menos una vez en los últimos dos años. ¿Cuándo fue la última vez que se vieron en persona? Apartando este requerimiento, tu comprometido puede finalizar el resto del proceso desde donde reside actualmente. Lo más seguro es que debas enviarle algunos documentos para la aplicación, pero él no necesita ir a República Dominicana para la entrevista de la visa.

      ¿Tu comprometido vive en el área de DC? Si es así, por favor hazle saber que puede contactarme para una consulta y discutir el proceso con mayor detalle. Si está fuera de DC y sus alrededores, pudiese hablar conmigo vía Skype y tú pudieses estar incluida en la llamada.

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Trackbacks

  1. […] total fees and costs for the entire fiance visa process, including getting the green card after your marriage, will typically range from $2,000 to $5,000. […]

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