K-1 (Fiancée) Visa:

What is it?
If you are a U.S. citizen, and you wish to marry a foreigner and bring her to the U.S. to become your wife, then a K-1 visa allows you to bring your fiancée here to get married. The K-1 Visa is sometimes referred to as a “fiancée visa”.

Once your fiancée arrives in the U.S. on the K-1 visa, you have 90 days to get married. Once you get married, your fiancée (now wife!) must apply to the USCIS for her Green Card before the 90 days expires [hence, you have 90 days both to get married, and for your wife to apply for her Green Card]. If you do not get married, then your fiancée must leave the U.S. upon expiration of the 90 days.

Requirements:
There are a number of requirements in order to apply for a K-1 visa for your fiancée:

1. You must be a U.S. citizen;
   
2. You must have met your fiancée within the past 2 years;
   
3. You and your fiancée must be legally free to marry (i.e. single or divorced);
   
4. You and your fiancée must have a serious intention to marry within 90 days of your fiancée’s arrival in the U.S.
   
5. You must meet minimum financial requirements;

Two-step process:
The K-1 application procedure is essentially a two-step process:
(a) first, you file paperwork with the USCIS in the U.S., and, once approved, then
(b) the case is sent to the U.S. consulate in your fiancée’s native country. She is asked to fill out paperwork and take a medical exam. She then goes for an interview in the U.S. consulate, after which her visa is granted.

The entire process takes from 4 to 6 months. That is a general estimate—the exact time would depend on the service center and foreign consulate involved in your case.

Are there better alternatives for bringing a fiancée to the U.S.?
Some people wonder if they can just bring their fiancée to the U.S. on a tourist visa, and then decide whether and when to get married. This probably wouldn’t work for two reasons:
(a) first of all, it can be exceedingly difficult for single women from most countries in the world to obtain tourist visas to visit the U.S. If your fiancée applies for and is denied a tourist visa, this can complicate any further visa applications.
(b) if your fiancée did manage to get a tourist visa and come to the U.S. and marry you, the USCIS might regard this marriage as the result of  visa fraud—subjecting your fiancée/wife to deportation proceedings.

It is much simpler and safer to opt for the K-1 route.

K-1 vs. K-3 Visa:
Another alternative is to marry your fiancée in her native country, and then apply for a K-3 visa for her to come to the U.S. as your wife. So the question is: is it better to bring my fiancée to the U.S. to marry here on a K-1 visa? Or is it preferable to marry in her native country, and then bring her to the U.S. on a K-3 visa?

All in all, K-1 visas are quicker to obtain. The K-3 visa is a bit more cumbersome and time-consuming than to obtain than a K-1 visa, There are two reasons for this: (a) a K-3 visa involves having TWO separate petitions filed with the USCIS, whereas a K-1 visa involves just one petition; (b) You could not apply for the K-3 visa until you were already married—and the logistics of arranging for this would probably take several months. Applying for a K-3 visa would probably involve longer periods when you and your fiancé/wife would be separated—you in the U.S., your new wife in her native country—waiting to make wedding arrangements, or waiting for the USCIS to process and approve her visa.

Hence, if you are planning the procedure from the beginning, it is quicker, and therefore preferable in most respects to pursue a K-1 visa for your fiancée.

IMBRA and the K-1 visa process:

The International Marriage Broker Regulation Act (IMBRA) became law in 2006. There are two instances in which IMBRA would require that you seek a waiver before proceeding with your K-1 petition: (a) if you have filed 2 or more K-1 visa petitions at any time in the past, or previously had a K-1 visa petition approved within 2 years prior to the filing of your present petition; or (b) if you have been convicted of certain violent crimes. If either of these situations pertain, it is possible to seek a waiver, and continue with a new petition. If IMBRA seems to affect your case, please contact us to discuss the situation and the possibility of seeking a waiver.

Do I need an attorney to obtain a K-1 visa for my fiancée?

It is not required that you have an attorney when you file the petition for a K-1 visa for your fiancée, but it is highly advisable to hire an attorney.

To navigate your way through the K-1 process, you have to fill out many forms. As a non-attorney, you will likely be unsure which forms to fill out, and exactly how to fill them out. You may read and reread the instruction, and think you understand . . . and yet some doubt may remain because you’ve never done this before. If you make any mistakes or omissions, then your case will be delayed, possibly for months, and you may even meet with a denial from the USCIS, which would require you to start all over again. During any delay, you will most likely be separated from your fiancée, creating a sense of intense anxiety and even despair.

If you hire an attorney, you are benefiting from his/her experience—attorneys handle cases like this day-in and day-out, and know exactly what to do to help you get the visa for your fiancée. In the vast majority of cases, it is well worth the money to hire an attorney.

Contact us about your visa today!