Is the K3 worth it?

[Y's_habibitk 2]

I still don't quite understand the difference between the K3 and CR1. When you send in the I130 you've automatically applied for both, no? If one will be faster then you can abandon the one you have for the other. But other than differing processing times, what is the real difference and why don't they just automatically start processing the one that will be quicker? I'm doing DCF in Turkey for the CR-1. I hope that is the best route. I will verify it at the interview in December I suppose.

The differences are:

COST - like $1000 more for the K3, AND

Spouse with CR1 visa can work in the US starting the day they arrive.

k3 is free to file. how you calculated the cost?

it is free months faster than cr1. around 4-5 months in my case and heard the same from others too

Go with CR-1 (I-130) option only. Like others have said, it may be a bit quicker, however the overall process will be longer. With K-3 you have to file AOS, cost $1010, which you don't have to with CR-1. Money was the deciding factor for me, even though it was a bit late. I did apply for K-3, i wish I hadn't. It added an extra month of wait before getting my NOA2. Wish you all the best....

k3 is free. how u calcualting the cost?

like push said, they are talking about the TOTAL cost of the K3 with the AOS fees. You're right, the filing the petition itself is free, but applying for adjustment of status(after the spouse arrives) costs 1010.00

[matt01 0]

In some countries, the K3 is still a little (2-4 weeks) faster than the CR-1- in many countries, it is not. However, considering how long you wait overall (6-8 months), this really isn't that long, and you trade in the slightly shorter waiting time of being together for alot of hassle, time wasting and money when you get to the USA as you cannot work immediately, have to file AOS etc. So I agree with the majority on this site in saying the K3 is obsolete.

Sorry which visa did you go for?

[pushbrk 12,824]

In some countries, the K3 is still a little (2-4 weeks) faster than the CR-1- in many countries, it is not. However, considering how long you wait overall (6-8 months), this really isn't that long, and you trade in the slightly shorter waiting time of being together for alot of hassle, time wasting and money when you get to the USA as you cannot work immediately, have to file AOS etc. So I agree with the majority on this site in saying the K3 is obsolete.

Sorry which visa did you go for?

Penguin's profile indicates DCF, which means they went through either the CR1 or IR1 process by filing directly with a consulate abroad. Do do that, the US Citizen must actually reside abroad. K3 is not available in that scenario.

I brought my wife on a K3 visa but in 2006 when doing so still saved considerable time. I would NOT do it again and if fact my wife's sister's CR1 visa came faster this year than my wife's K3 did in 06.

[YGandMAT 0]

Just to keep things interesting, it looks like we get a different consulate depending on the path we choose. She's in Monterrey but the consulate there doesn't do K visas.

"The United States Consulate General in Monterrey, DOES NOT process V or K visa types. These visas are processed in the United States Consulate in Ciudad Juarez."

So, we can't even compare times within the same consulate. I'm drifting farther and farther from the K3...

Best of luck to you, and I hope this is the best decision. As I said before, for us it was worth it, even if the difference was only a week. We could not stand being apart. The money issue was not a problem for us, we did not care if we paid more. If you want to check the difference in processing times, try calling the consulate, they can tell you the difference.

Pushbrk, the "I was told" part, was when I called the consulate. So I did trust it was accurate information, no need to get defensive against me. I was just trying to help. So watch the tone, as you come a little to strong.

We do appreciate your experience and knowledge in this topic, but keep in mind you DO NOT have experience with the Juarez consulate. All consulates are different.

[YGandMAT 0]

I keep seeing it mentioned here and there, on this site and others, that the K3 is no longer useful. The speed is no better than normal CR/IR-1 process.

However, I don't get the feeling that everyone agrees. Even the processing time statistics on this site seem to show that the K3 would get my wife into the country sooner or at least have less chance of taking longer.

Note: She's in Mexico and I'm in North Carolina

So the question to the VJ community is: Is it worth it for me to start down the K3 path or just a waste of time and effort?

Thanks - I'm new here and loving the site

-Clayton

Ciudad Juarez takes longer to process and schedule interviews for CR1. I was told that the difference between the K3 and CR1 in Juarez would be 3 months. Our priority was to be together ASAP, so we did the K3. You can see our timeline below. When I applied back then, we had to mail the I-130 and I-129 separately, but now you send them together, therefore it could be a little faster.

no, you shouldnt send them together.

But thanks for sharing that with the OP, so thats another consulate that makes it beneficial to file k3.

Sorry, bad information on my part. Thanks for the clarification, somehow I remember that at one point, petitions where sent together. My bad.

[YGandMAT 0]

I keep seeing it mentioned here and there, on this site and others, that the K3 is no longer useful. The speed is no better than normal CR/IR-1 process.

However, I don't get the feeling that everyone agrees. Even the processing time statistics on this site seem to show that the K3 would get my wife into the country sooner or at least have less chance of taking longer.

Note: She's in Mexico and I'm in North Carolina

So the question to the VJ community is: Is it worth it for me to start down the K3 path or just a waste of time and effort?

Thanks - I'm new here and loving the site

-Clayton

Ciudad Juarez takes longer to process and schedule interviews for CR1. I was told that the difference between the K3 and CR1 in Juarez would be 3 months. Our priority was to be together ASAP, so we did the K3. You can see our timeline below. When I applied back then, we had to mail the I-130 and I-129 separately, but now you send them together, therefore it could be a little faster.

no, you shouldnt send them together.

But thanks for sharing that with the OP, so thats another consulate that makes it beneficial to file k3.

This Juarez information is more than two years old. Check the timeline. Also, "I was told..." contains no information as to the source. Let's keep the discussion to current actual facts where possible.

No, you cannot send the two petitions together.

this is getting a little comical push

K3 thru mexico shows 87 days till interview after receiving the file from NVC and CR1 shows 164 days(of course this counts the journey through NVC) that is double the time from NOA2... account for the lag in filing the 129f after 130 and you'll probably lose 2-4 weeks. that is still a difference of 56 days. thats the amount of time the OP can weight the benefits of cr1 against time lost

you can add it to your new list of confirms...jordan,mexico and...canda(?) right?

THANK YOU Y's habibitk!

[delfo399 0]

Hello,

I have read through the many VJ postings detailing the K3 shortcomings. I understand that in the long run going with a K3 is more expensive, and I understand that the I-130 "placement in line" will be lost when I file the I-129F (i.e. the I-129F date will be the date for both), which means K3 only makes sense if processing times for the specific consulate are much shorter for K3.

I married a Cuban girl (I was born and raised there too) and now I want to bring her here to the US. Our #1 priority is to have here get here ASAP. In other words, we want to use the fastest way possible, even if it is more expensive in the long run.

If someone has relatively recent information regarding processing times for K3 and/or CR1 for Cuba I would really appreciate if you could share it with me.

Thank you in advance