K1 visa or cr1 visa

[Cjluna214 2]

My boyfriend and I have been together for the past 2 years and 4 months. He lives in Dominican Republic and I in New jersey. We havent yet applied for any visa. Before we do so we wanted to get more information about our options. I'm 23 and he is 25. I work at a retail store here in New Jersey earning minimum wage, 8.50 per hr. He works at a cafe earning I believe the minimum over there. I wanted to know if the fact that we are young affects our chances of getting approved or not. And does our salary count as well. I currently live with my mother who makes about 13000 a year. He's told me numerous people have told him it's difficult to get a k1 fiancé visa approved in Dominican Republic due to fraud. We just want the best chances of being together with the least problems no matter how long. Any tips or advice.

[YouAndMeForever 1,022]

My boyfriend and I have been together for the past 2 years and 4 months. He lives in Dominican Republic and I in New jersey. We havent yet applied for any visa. Before we do so we wanted to get more information about our options. I'm 23 and he is 25. I work at a retail store here in New Jersey earning minimum wage, 8.50 per hr. He works at a cafe earning I believe the minimum over there. I wanted to know if the fact that we are young affects our chances of getting approved or not. And does our salary count as well. I currently live with my mother who makes about 13000 a year. He's told me numerous people have told him it's difficult to get a k1 fiancé visa approved in Dominican Republic due to fraud. We just want the best chances of being together with the least problems no matter how long. Any tips or advice.

I think you should definitely choose the CR-1 way.

Your salary does count, his doesn't. You must make $19,662/year (125% of the poverty line) to be able to sponsor your fiancé. If you don't earn that much a year, you'll need a co-sponsor (anyone around you who is above the 125% of the poverty guidelines). On the top of that, getting a co-sponsor for a K-1 would be hard, because the Dominican Republic is deinitely considered as a high fraud country and those countries' U.S. embassies look at cases with a co-sponsor with suspicion and may deny your fiancé. A lot of people made that mistake... they filed for K-1 with a benefiniciary from a high fraud country (Nigeria, Ghana, Dominican Republic, India, etc.) and then they were denied and had to do the CR-1 after all that anyway, so they wasted a lot of time (and money).

But the good thing is that with the CR-1 visa co-sponsors are definitely are allowed in every country! So get married and go with it, in your case it's A LOT better and safer.

Hope this helps!

Best of luck!

Edited August 7, 2014 by YouAndMeForever

[JIJourney 96]

whichever one you are ready for. fiance to being a married couple is a big step

[Team_Healey 6]

Hello!

Not sure if any help but here's my personal experience:

My Husband and I had met online and first started thinking about the K-1 visa as a valid option as we dated online for 2 years. I decided to meet him in person first as it is a major step (in both deciding to get engaged and to meet physically to meet the requirements of the K-1). I went to him for 3 months on a visitor visa everything was perfect!

Now, this is where my situation differs as I decided to move Countries to be with him. At the time we were still going to do the K-1 Visa as we were engaged but life hit us as I became pregnant. I decided I really wanted to be a family and married in NZ and file for CR-1.

For you I would first check if you both have already physically met, gather all photo's and boarding tickets, e-mails, etc. that applies to your relationship if you intend to get engaged and apply for the K-1 Visa.

If you are still unsure about being engaged, do try and visit each other as often as you can first, visiting will less liken the probability of it flagging up as fraud if you both have spent the money to keep up this relationship. It might be easier later on to stay with either one of you in your relative countries to decide what to do as far as it goes to getting engaged. This may require either of you to support one another when visiting and staying as the traveler usually can not work while just on a visitor's visa.

Personally, I decided to visit first on New Zealand's Visa Waver for maximum of 3 months. I could not work with this option and both my Husband and I knew this. After the 3 months I returned to the U.S. and saved up for a ticket back to NZ and applied for a Working Holiday Visa for 12 months. After that I was allowed the minimum of a year Work Visa under Partnership.

These are the steps I have taken if you are looking into planning something similar.

In the end, if you do decide to go forward to getting engaged, do use the K-1 visa option as it is the quickest way to get your boyfriend to you, If I remember correctly you must marry within 90 days of his arrival in the U.S.

So in short, I recommend the K-1 Visa if you both are serious about becoming engaged and marrying within the 90 day window. I believe you can have your mother or someone else as a co-sponsor if it is asked of you. At least meet in person a few times to show evidence of a relationship as this really will help the process for you and the K-1 Visa. If you two are not interested in being engaged and marrying so soon, I would recommend looking into the types of Visa's to travel and stay with each other as much as possible first or keep having little holidays to see each other!

Hope some of my experience has helped in your decision. Good luck!

[Enigma23 68]

Have you read the comparisons in the Visa Guides section here:

http://www.visajourney.com/content/guides

It compares your options.

If I had mine to do over I would do a courthouse wedding in the DR and then have a stateside wedding when you choose to rather than rush and dop t in 90 days or less and THEN have to file to adjust their status.

I'd marry and file for the Spousal Visa because it saves a decent amount of money (vs K-1) route but there is nothing to "adjust" when the Beneficiary arrives.. they get a greencard shortly after arriving and can work nearly immediately instead of adjusting from the K-1 and having to wait at least 2-4 months for Work Permit and Travel permission...

Right now we are long into the process and cannot change routes but when my Fiance comes even after all this waiting.. he cannot work to help pay for anything and he seriously dislikes not "being the man of the home"...

But I believe you are going to need a raise or a different job or a second job because of the poverty guidelines... You can't add your Mom's income you must meet 125% of the Poverty Guide lines or have a co-Sponsor who makes enough to cover all their dependents/household plus your immigrant...

http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/i-864p.pdf

That's just my two cents.

I hope this helps. DR Fiance too...

Abrazota Mijah!! Mantenga su fey...

[Pitaya 2,577]

~Moved from K1 Process to Which Visa Do I Need Forum~

~Inquiry about visas~

[Enigma23 68]

I meant THIS link directly to the compare chart.. my bad..

http://www.visajourney.com/content/compare

[J&N071213 57]

Base on money and time, the CR1 seems a better option. The is a difference in timelines but it is for now only at NVC. However, it is also based on your relationship and what feels right to you both and your plans for the future.