CRI visa or K3 Visa

[Chez&Rick 11]

Hi! I am a Filipina. I am married to an American. He is trying to get me to live in the USA. We are confused of what to file. We want a quick process that will take less than a year to get me there. What will be the most suitable to file a K3 visa or CR1 visa. Do someone know how much time will it takes with both visas? and we are receiving bad inputs about K3 visa, they said its already obsolete. Can someone help us on this one base on their experience. thank you alot in advance

[IndigoSkies 168]

K3 VISA will basically mean that you get to come to America sooner and wait for your CR1 to get approved. When it's all said and done, you're going to need at least 6 months to get the K3 VISA. (Could be shorter or longer.) CR1 means you get to wait outside America while your CR1 gets approved. It will take about a year also. You decide if you want to wait 6 months or 12 months to get inside America. Whatever you decide, you can then file K3 or CR1.

Personally, I don't like extra hassles and went with CR1. I figured if I lived more than two decades of my life without a wife, I can live 6 more month without one also. But that was me. You're not me.

[dailypattern 0]

Hi. I would say fill out both applications I-130 and I-129F and see which one gets approved faster. There are additional instructions in the I-129F on what to do, like sending a copy of the NOA1 along with your application for I-129F. Good luck.

[caly 48]

You are not receiving bad information. The K-3 is an obsolete visa. It was useful a few years back when spousal visas were taking 2-3 years to adjudicate. Current processing times are, on average 8-12 months for the CR-1.

These days K-3s are rarely (if ever) issued. What usually happens now is that both the I-130 and I-129f are approved at the same time and then the I-129f is automatically administratively closed.

The information you are looking for is stated here: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_2993.html#21

Also, when filing both, the initial I-130 gets pulled out of it's place in the queue and is matched up with the I-129f so you end up actually losing time for no reason. Not to mention, it's kind of a waste of money to file the I-129f today.

Edited January 17, 2013 by caly

[dailypattern 0]

The K-3 is an obsolete visa. It was useful a few years back when spousal visas were taking 2-3 years to adjudicate. Current processing times are, on average 8-12 months for the CR-1.

These days K-3s are rarely (if ever) issued. What usually happens now is that both the I-130 and I-129f are approved at the same time and then the I-129f is automatically administratively closed.

Also, when filing both, the initial I-130 gets pulled out of it's place in the queue and is matched up with the I-129f so you end up actually losing time for no reason. Not to mention, it's kind of a waste of money to file the I-129f today.

There's no charge to file the i-129f when it is filed following the receipt of the i-130.

[caly 48]

There's no charge to file the i-129f when it is filed following the receipt of the i-130.

My bad.

[NikLR 13,227]

The K3 route is more expensive than the CR1. Not because of the I-129F petition itself but because of the adjustment of status later on. Check the guides. The amount of time difference is negligible and you actually can be a productive member of society quicker as a CR1/IR1 than as a K3 visa holder.

But still the visa itself is obsolete due to the NVC administratively closing the I-129F when they receive it at the same time or after the I-130.

[bsd058 296]

File the I-129F anyways. In the end it doesn't take extra time, it doesn't cost extra to file, and if they approve your I-130 beforehand, it doesn't change anything. It does cost more in the long run to adjust status, but really, it's worth it to be approved earlier if you are approved earlier.

It's not completely obsolete. If things change and the service centers become slow for I-130 apps and approve 129F applications quicker, then you could be looking at a lot of saved time. And depending on your current living expenses and what you do for a living, that extra time, is extra money. So in the end it actually might end up saving you money.