I-130 and K-3 Visa

[9jaLove 0]

Hello everyone!

I am new at this. Just got married on 5/5/2011 in Nigeria to my husband who is Nigerian. I just returned home on Monday and started my process already. I sent out my I-130 and all my supporting documents on Saturday, May 14th via FedEx. It should arrive by Tuesday.

I am still confused on the whole process and I am really depending on God's grace that everything goes as planned. Can someone give me a run down on how the process works? I read up on a few things so I included pics from the wedding, an affidavit from my friend, and my flight receipt as supporting documents. Oh, can someone give me an estimate of time of how long it should take and what my next step will be. I believe I have to wait for the receipt from the I-130 then send out the I-129F, then my husband can complete his paperwork for the K-3.

I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks!!

[jkelly07 120]

your married so you send 1-130 form, cr1 visa, you don't need to file the 1-129f thats for fiance'e people not married yet,the k-3 was no longer used.the 1-130 takea about 8 to 12 months to be approved,when you have your interview you need to bring all your proof of relationship, trips, pictures,etc good luck.

[Inky 1,110]

CR-1 guide http://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide1

NVC guide http://www.visajourney.com/examples/NVC_Process_Flowchart_v1-2.pdf

Just so you know

K-3 visa will cost USD $1705

CR-1 visa will cost USD $945

Go with the CR-1. Not only is it cheaper it insures a green card on entry. K-3 is being phased out.

[jennie ann 15]

your married so you send 1-130 form, cr1 visa, you don't need to file the 1-129f thats for fiance'e people not married yet,the k-3 was no longer used.the 1-130 takea about 8 to 12 months to be approved,when you have your interview you need to bring all your proof of relationship, trips, pictures,etc good luck.

Congratulations on your marriage and welcome! Just to clarify jkelly07's comment a little, the I-130 itself, which is just the initial petition filed with USCIS that, when approved, allows you to then apply for the CR-1 visa, takes about 5 months to be approved. But yes, the whole CR-1 process including the processing at the National Visa Center and waiting for an interview at the consulate/embassy will take about 8 to 12 months.

You have the option to file the I-129F for the K-3 visa, but as far as I know, I think that's pretty much pointless now, as they will simply tie the two petitions together and the I-129F/K-3 process will be administratively closed. Some people may still have reasons for doing so, but I'm not sure what those are. I'm sure you can find more info on the forums.

If you just stick with the I-130 petition, you'll be on track to apply for a CR-1 visa, which grants conditional residency (you apply to have the conditions removed within the 90 days before your husband's two-year "anniversary" of entering the US). You should familiarize yourself with the process using the guides on this site (there is a link to them at the top of the VJ website). I personally like this guide:

http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/How_Do_I_Bring_My_Spouse_%28Husband_or_Wife%29_to_Live_in_the_United_States%3F

When you get your receipt number for your I-130 petition from USCIS, you can go here to sign up for case status updates:

https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/jsps/selectusertype.jsp

And when the time comes (when you reach the NVC processing stage, or preferably before, as it takes some time to get the civil documents you need), make sure that you check the Department of State's website and read all of their instructions there:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_4354.html

So basically, make sure you do your research: read the guides, read the official websites, browse/search the forums because many questions you have will have probably been answered, and for anything else that you're confused about, just post a question on the appropriate forum. Good luck!