The K-1 Fiancee Visa Process

Explanation and Background of the K1 Visa

If you are ready to take your relationship further and bring your Fiancée to the United States, you have a few options. Before you assume a K-1 Visa is the only way, consider the alternatives. However, If you are ready to begin the immigration process then the K-1 is the best fit for your girlfriend or Fiancée. Note: The K-1 Visa is used if you are not married but intend on marriage after your Fiancée arrives. If you are already married then you must file a K-3 Visa for your wife and a K-4 visa for any children in the family. This process can be lengthy (see time issue for a US Fiancée Visa) for more details and expectations.

The K-1 Visa is an application for the woman you wish to marry.

Meaning: You have a relationship with her that can be proven via pictures, letters, emails, phone calls, wedding plans, etc. If you just met this girl, you can’t apply for a K-1 right away-and expect it to be approved.

This site will give you some resources to help you build the case for your application making it much more in line with what the Department of Homeland Security will look for. All the information provided is based on first hand experiences of men who applied for a Visa on behalf of their Russian Fiancée. In all cases, the men met the girls online, went to meet them and then submitted the application–and it was approved.

First Steps: Establish the Relationship

Once you have found a lady you are interested, you will want to meet her and see how things go. (See the page on Travel to Russia for details and tips on planning a trip). There are numerous websites available with Russian Women, however you have to be cautious as many scam artists also frequent these sites. We recommend you work with a reputable agency that has interviewed and photographed the woman you are interested in. This helps establish her as a legitimate relationship seeker.

If you haven’t met the lady of your dreams yet, then you want to consider a reputable online agency to find the right person for you. There are scammers who play on men’s good intentions to obtain money without ever meeting them. A reputable agency ensures the identity and intentions of the young lady are verified by a third party.

Document the Relationship

After finding someone you feel more serious about, you will begin to discuss meeting in person. At this point it is wise to begin documenting your relationship. It may seem silly to keep records of your phone calls and emails with your girlfriend, but later it will be proof of the relationship, how it began, grew and was maintained over a period of time.

Plan Your First Meeting

If you are planning a trip or have taken one-make sure you take lots of pictures with her. This is the essence of spending time with someone as far as DHS is concerned. The requirement that you meet the girl in her home country is no longer in place, but pictures of the two of you together is definitely essential. Additionally, copies of airline tickets, hotel receipts and pictures are essential elements of proving your relationship when you file the K-1 visa. More information on travel to Russia is available here.

Once you have the Visa and tickets in hand you are ready to plan your trip with you girlfriend. There are many things to discuss and coordinate before you pack your suitcase. In all of this process, you will be able to decide places to see and visit. Just remember to keep all your papers for future use, restaurant receipts, subway tickets, theater and tourism stubs, all of these look great on the “proof of relationship” portion of the K-1 package.

Advice from those who have been there:

Take a copy of the Background Information form* (Immigration G-325A with you on your trip. Your Fiancée will need to sign this and help you fill it out. The K-1 requires you and your Fiancée to complete a background form. It is also a good idea to obtain four immigration photos of her while there. This will save time when filing her application as you wont have to wait for her to have the pictures taken and then mail them to you.

After your visit, you will be more certain about applying (or not) for her K-1 Visa. Now it’s time to collect your documents and begin filling out the paperwork. Most of the information requested is very straight forward, until they ask you to provide proof of your relationship. Don’t be fooled with how general this question sounds. If you send two snapshots and write a couple sentences about how you met, you will most likely get a letter form the Immigration office asking for more information. This means your application will take even longer to be processed!

*There is a detailed guide and template regarding this topic in the Fiancée Visa Kit.

Filing the K-1 with the USCIS

A word about the processing time: The Fiancée Visa process moves slow! There are no quick ways to get this Visa, and it is not something to be requested lightly. Your paperwork needs to be very organized and easy to follow or the application will take even longer. If you visit the Immigration websites and check the processing times you will see that Fiancée Visas* are typically 4 to 6 months behind in backlog. You can track your application once you have a tracking number from the Immigration Office.

There are other factors to slow the process such as: The area you live in dictates where you send the K-1 application to a specified regional office. Each office has different processing times and issues. Also-the country of your Fiancée’s origin will dictate issues with when she can complete the required physical and interview in her home country. This will be done at an American Embassy where many applicants must report to be interviewed and approved to receive their visa. Once approved, your Fiancée will have 180 days to use her Visa (enter the US) and once in the US will have 90 days to marry you or return home. There are no known exceptions to this rule unless extreme situations occurred, and usually those are dealt with after the woman has returned home- unmarried. *This topic is covered in detail in the Fiancée Visa Kit.

Any documents that are originally in Russian must include a certified translationn into English by a competent translator. We recommend using a service familiar with visa processing and official documents with expertise in the Russian and English language. American Experience LLC offers an affordable solution for your translation needs and can provide digital and hard copy versions of your translated documents. Click here to read more>>.

Why does it take so long? I thought they were speeding the system up?

You have to consider that million sof applications are filed each year. Your request for your Fiancee is one of many that must be hand processed. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) relies on about 55 million paper-based files to adjudicate applications for immigration status and other benefits. Ensuring the currency and availability of these manual files, referred to as alien files, or A-Files, is a major challenge. To address this challenge, USCIS has initiated efforts, both long and near term, to automate the A-Files. The long-term effort is now being re-examined within the context of a larger USCIS organizational transformation initiative. In the near term, USCIS has begun a digitization program, which it estimates will cost about $190 million over an 8-year period to electronically scan existing paper files and store and share the scanned images.

The Interview

Once your Fiancée’s package is approved by the Immigration office, her papers are sent to the American Embassy in her home country. This can take up to two weeks or more. When the package arrives at the Embassy, they will send her a notice that her package is there and that she needs to schedule an interview. She will need to bring several documents (some are provided by you) to the interview, including a medical physical report, immunization report, results from blood tests, letter form the local police office stating she has no outstanding crimes, and a police report from every place she has lived in the last few years. She will be required to appear in person for her interview where they will ask for all documents and ask her questions* about her relationship with you. Typical questions are:

What is his name, what does he do for a living, where does he live and how did you meet?

If your Fiancée doesn’t speak English, the questions will be far more detailed, as it seems strange that a woman would marry a man she can’t communicate with. Most of these women do get approved, but the questions are more thorough as a precaution.

*This topic is covered in detail in the Fiancée Visa Kit.

Many Americans fly to the girls interview as a sign of support and commitment, but only the Fiancée is allowed in the interview.

Advice from those who have been there:

Your Fiancée will be asked for your financial affidavits* and possibly another background information form, along with additional proof of relationship. Since the wait for the interview is so long, couples get VERY nervous about the interview not going well. To ease this process, it is best to have everything imaginable present in a notebook for her to present should it be asked for. Documents, photos, notes on your family, if you have children, your address and place of work, etc.

*This topic is covered in detail in the Fiancée Visa Kit.

Finally!

Your Fiancée has her K-1 Visa! Now she can join you in the United States!

Time issue for a U.S. Fiancée Visa

The US Fiancée Visa application process is typically 4-7 months from the time you file the original paperwork. The process ends when she completes her interview at the US embassy in her home country.

During this time several key events take place:

• Acceptance of the application for a Fiancée Visa
• Processing of the application for a Fiancée Visa
• Approval of the application and forwarding to the US Embassy in her home country.
• Notification for her to appear for an interview at the US Embassy
• Completion of documents by her including
• –A police report from her home town
• –Completion of a medical exam including a blood test.

How long is a Fiancée Visa Valid?

A K-1 Visa is good for 6 months from the date issued, during which time your Fiancée can enter the US. Once she enters the clock is ticking with a 90 day countdown for her to either marry you or exit the country.

After that, your Fiancée needs to file for an adjustment of status to become a legal resident of the US. This is not a requirement, but without adjustment of status your Fiancée will not be able to obtain the necessary papers and documents to live a normal life. For example a social security card, drivers license, work permit or employment and a bank account. More information is available on this process in the Post Marriage section.