What is a K-1 Fiancee Visa?

In situations where a United States citizen wishes to marry or has married an individual, the K-1 Visa, K-3 Visa or adjusting status to (green card).Lawful permanent residence (green card) are typically the most expeditious visas to reunite the U.S. citizen with fiancée or spouse. A fiancée of a U.S. citizen is eligible for the K-1 Visa and a spouse residing abroad is eligible for a K-3 Visa.

A U.S. citizen may petition for his or her spouse to obtain permanent residence if the spouse is residing in the U.S..The K-1 Visa is the most effective method for bringing an alien fiancée to the United States. A U.S. citizen may bring their fiancée to the United States by filing a petition with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

The alien fiancée is allowed to stay in the United States for ninety days.Subsequent to the ninety-day period, the U.S. citizen and alien fiancée must marry and file for lawful permanent residency (green card).

Moreover, the U.S. citizen and alien fiancée must have met within two years of filing the petition. A Waivers may be obtained to overcome the two-year meeting requirement.

Both parties must be legally able to marry. Therefore, divorces must be finalized prior to filing the fiancee visa petition.
Applicants must be aware of immigrant intent, unlawful presence, and public charge issues to ensure that they are in compliance with immigration law. Furthermore, the USCIS will scrutinize the relationship to ensure that it is bona fide and not entered into solely for the purpose of gaining immigration benefits.

Once USCIS approves the petition, the application is sent to the National Visa Center to perform security checks. The National Visa Center will forward the petition to the U.S. embassy.The consulate will send a letter to the alien fiancée requesting a list of documents.

The consulate will also commence security clearance processing. After 9/11 security checks have significantly increased the complexity of consular processing and have increased processing times. The security clearance will partly determine whether or not the beneficiary is inadmissible to enter the United States.

Once all processing is completed, and the applicant has all necessary documents, a consular officer will interview your fiancée to determine if they are eligible for the fiancee visa.

The officer will review all of the documents and question the K-1 Visa applicant to determine that the relationship is bona fide, ensure the applicant is not inadmissible and will not become a public charge. If the consular officers find that your fiancée meets all of the legal requirements, a fiancee visa valid for one entry for a period of six months is issued.

Alternatively, the officer may :

• deem that a waiver of inadmissibility is necessary;
• issue a denial or request additional documentation.

U.S. embassy processing tends to be the most intricate aspect of the fiancee visa process. Consequently, non-approvals may occur at the U.S. Embassy even if there is an approval by the USCIS.

The fiancee must marry the U.S. citizen within ninety (90) days of entry and apply for adjustement of status to obtain permanent residency (green card).Work authorization may be granted to K-1 Visa holders and typically requires an additional application after entry to the United States. With the adjustment of status application, the fiancée may also apply for employment authorization and permission to travel while the adjustment of status is pending.

If an applicant enters the United States on a fiancee visa they are ineligible for an extension of stay or change of status