K-3 Visa is it still an active or an obsolete visa?

[Karee 4,190]

In 2012, out of all spousal visas, 0.33% were K3. That's about 210 out of just under 50,000.

Do you have a link to that? I'm trying to explain that to someone on another website, and it's not getting through to them.

[NikLR 13,227]

omg i had the link somewhere upon a time

search my posts LOL

[Silnjoe 0]

Do you have a link to that? I'm trying to explain that to someone on another website, and it's not getting through to them.

omg i had the link somewhere upon a time

search my posts LOL

Copied below are links to a post I made earlier about the rates of K-3 approvals with respect to I-130s. FYI, I personally do not believe that the K-3 is obsolete. I've checked with multiple Tier 1 and Tier 2 reps that state that the I-130 and I-129F are processed independently. What happens is that if the I-130 arrives to the NVC first or whilst the NVC is processing the I-129F, then they automatically close the I-129F. My immigration attorney says that from 2010 - 2012 they were approving I-130s so fast that most of the I-129Fs got closed. Now, they're not processing so fast, are they?

Perhaps this link sheds a little light:

http://www.travel.st...isaCategory.pdf

If I am reading this table correctly, they issued 290 K-3 visas in Fiscal Year 2012. That number seems very low, and I imagine there were many more then 290 applications for a K-3 visa. Key word "imagine"--I don't know how many were submitted. Total Workload says 353 and Waived/Overcome says 35. This could mean they received only 388 applications for a K-3 visa in FY 2012 (?). Or, perhaps it indicates only those K-3s that were processed before an I-130, so we don't know the real denominator.

Compare that with the following table on Immediate Relative Visas:

http://www.travel.st...ort-TableII.pdf

Grand total was 88,769 Spouse IR-1/CR-1. Note, that these are issued at foreign service posts, so not the case of a K-3 entering and then adjusting status (I think).

Earliest records I could find were 2001, where they processed 3 K-3 visas, and then 2002 - 2006 was the big pick-up, peaking in 2003 at 13,623 K-3s awarded (vs 46,411 Spouse IR-1/CR-1). It seems at that time, there were better figures for K-3s awarded vs. the long haul I-130, approximately 1 to 3.4. 2012, it looks like it's closer to 1 to 341.

http://www.travel.st...FY1997-2001.pdf

http://www.travel.st...rtTableXVIB.pdf

http://www.travel.st...03 table II.pdf

Disclaimer: I do not say that these tables mean that submitting a K-3 visa alters or affects your I-130 in any way, such as changing it's position in the queue. I still want to know if that is a fact or coincidence with reported cases. These tables do seem to indicate that the number of K-3s awarded are miniscule and probably not helping the vast majority reunite with their families faster.

Edited November 21, 2013 by Silnjoe

[Billyk 6]

K-3 visa is useless and make you even more struggle in the process. With K-3 which takes about same amount of time as CR-1/IR-1 and it is Non Immigrant and you can not work with it. After getting K-3 visa then you have to apply for AOS, while you are waiting for the interview if you need to work then you have to apply for EAD. After getting EAD then you apply for SS which is conditional. You again go for AOS interview and after getting GC then go to the SS office to apply again. This all we experienced in 2008 and not sure if they improved the process but so far people are not encouraged to go after K-3. She arrived here in US March 2008 and was able to legally work in August 2008 then her interview was in November 2008. My two cents!!!!!!

[NikLR 13,227]

Good to have that information. The actual process has not changed. The immigrant must still do the AOS, interview, pay all that extra money, if you have children you should file the I-130 for them as well since there will be problems if the I-129F is closed at the NVC (which it is 99% of the time.) Ugh, it's just a headache thinking about all the extra things needed for the K3 vs the CR1. But to each their own.

[Mharvian 2]

According to what we have read before it says that this visa shortens the time of separation of love-ones. After filing the I-130 last March 29 we did try to file this K3 (I-29F) Visa last July. After we got the NOA 1, we didn't hear any progress on this visa.

My husband called the tier 2 yesterday inquiring on our I-130 petition and the lady said our case it is still at NBC and it might take a year before the approval.

My hubby filed the I-130 on February 2013 then the I-129F on April.. The I-130 was approved in USCIS October 2, 2013 while the I-129F was December 3, 2013.. My hubby keep calling the NVC to get the case number for the I-130 since it was the first one approved but they keep on saying that it was not yet on their system. When we found out that the USCIS already approved the I-129F my hubby called the NVC again to ask for a case number. they told him that they still dont have the I-130 on their system but they do have the I-129F(K3) so we get the case number for it. they also told him that they sent a mail to my hubby and that the K3 was already forwarded to uS Embassy Philippines.

We're now still waiting for the NVC mail to know what were going to do next.