K1 versus CR1 visa

[jg121783 3,909]

Me and my girlfriend were planning on obtaining a K1 visa and getting married in the US. Now after discussing it more we want to get married in the Philippines and apply for a CR1 visa so her family can be there for our wedding. I spoke to an immigration attorney who said a CR1 visa takes twice as long as a K1 visa (he said it could be over a year). Is this correct? As I understand it the CR1 visa has the advantage of getting a green card right away though and it's cheaper than the K1 and AOS. Is this also correct? If we apply for a CR1 visa do I have to live in the US while we wait or can I live in the Philippines at least part of the time? Also are the income requirements the same? One ore thing I was wondering. Are there going to be any complications with the way the Philippines marriage laws are? Neither one of us have ever been married so that's not an issue.

[Moustafa/Crystal 65]

A CR1 will take between 8-14 months. A green card is issued within 3 months of arriving and a SSN is issued sometime between 1-5 weeks after arrival. Yes, it is cheaper. Yes, you can stay in the Philippines. You need to have an income of approximately $20,000 for a family of two people. Here is the kicker...if you do not have an income that is going to continue after you leave the Philippines, you will need a joint sponsor or $60,000 is liquid assets.

[Brassballs 47]

Our CR1 took about 11 mos, but 2-3 of those were due to RFE's. K1's are usually shorter but more expensive in the overall bottom line.

There is good starter info at the USEM Manila website and more than enough information and helpful guidance here. My personal recommendation is not to get a lawyer involved. They will only charge you to fill out papers that you can do by yourself without their assistance. Others my disagree.

Be advised if you are planning a Catholic wedding, there are Church hoops that you will also have to jump through. Nothing though is insurmountable.

Ask questions here and you will get more than enough helpful guidance. Make sure that indicate if your question will relate to CR1 or K1 visa, since the paths are somewhat if not entirely different. Also there is a lot of correspondence for either that needs to go to US addresses so that may temper your decision on where to reside during the journey.

[Darnell 8,478]

we have a 'compare' thingie in the Guides section - check it out sometime when yer visiting VJ on a PC.

[Brassballs 47]

"Thingies" are nice to have when embarking on a journey, haha.

[jg121783 3,909]

Our CR1 took about 11 mos, but 2-3 of those were due to RFE's. K1's are usually shorter but more expensive in the overall bottom line.

There is good starter info at the USEM Manila website and more than enough information and helpful guidance here. My personal recommendation is not to get a lawyer involved. They will only charge you to fill out papers that you can do by yourself without their assistance. Others my disagree.

Be advised if you are planning a Catholic wedding, there are Church hoops that you will also have to jump through. Nothing though is insurmountable.

Ask questions here and you will get more than enough helpful guidance. Make sure that indicate if your question will relate to CR1 or K1 visa, since the paths are somewhat if not entirely different. Also there is a lot of correspondence for either that needs to go to US addresses so that may temper your decision on where to reside during the journey.

It turns out the attorney I spoke with married a woman from the Philippines himself and he said most of his cases are from the Philippines. He does K1 and CR1 visas only. He strongly advised me to go with the K1 visa and go back to the Philippines at a later date and have a ceremony like he and his wife did. He said most of his clients from the Philippines go with a K1 visa and most of his clients who choose the CR1 visa are in Canada or Meico because they can visit each other more frequently. However now that me and my girlfriend discussed getting married in the Philippines I think her mind is made up that that is what she wants to do and I can't tell her no.

I am wondering if we had a wedding in the Philippines first that wasn't legally binding would we have any problems with the K1 visa process? That way my girlfiend and her family will be happy and we can be together sooner. As far as a church wedding goes we wanted to do that at first but we decided to go with a civil wedding after seeing all the hoops we would have to jump through.

I would like for us to just go with the CR1 visa and move to the Philippines for a large amount of the time we would be waiting but that doesn't seem practical considering I will need a US mailing address and enough income to bring both her and her son over here. My girlfriend is so excited I can tell and is already planning our wedding with her family. I hate to let her down but I also hate to have to wait more than a year to be with her. I hope we can find a compromise somehow.

[VOL 425]

What about move there for like 6 months and do DCF

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

It only takes a few weeks to get processed. I think you do a walk in at US embassy for the interview.

Something to put on the plate, and they have to accept a co sponsor if you are doing a married visa

[Isabela 20]

It turns out the attorney I spoke with married a woman from the Philippines himself and he said most of his cases are from the Philippines. He does K1 and CR1 visas only. He strongly advised me to go with the K1 visa and go back to the Philippines at a later date and have a ceremony like he and his wife did. He said most of his clients from the Philippines go with a K1 visa and most of his clients who choose the CR1 visa are in Canada or Meico because they can visit each other more frequently. However now that me and my girlfriend discussed getting married in the Philippines I think her mind is made up that that is what she wants to do and I can't tell her no.

I am wondering if we had a wedding in the Philippines first that wasn't legally binding would we have any problems with the K1 visa process? That way my girlfiend and her family will be happy and we can be together sooner. As far as a church wedding goes we wanted to do that at first but we decided to go with a civil wedding after seeing all the hoops we would have to jump through.

I would like for us to just go with the CR1 visa and move to the Philippines for a large amount of the time we would be waiting but that doesn't seem practical considering I will need a US mailing address and enough income to bring both her and her son over here. My girlfriend is so excited I can tell and is already planning our wedding with her family. I hate to let her down but I also hate to have to wait more than a year to be with her. I hope we can find a compromise somehow.

Most do K-1's as they are faster. I did a CR-1 and I don't regret it. It's a special experience to do a wedding in the Philippines. As you can see is is very important to the bride in many cases to celebrate with her family. It is also very affordable compared to the USA wedding. It will also save you over a 1000 dollars as she will receive her green card soon after arriving. Since my wife is from the Philippines they expedited her at USCIS and she doesn't even live in the Typhoon areas. As the previous poster mention you could also move there and petition there. If you do a CR-1 just make sure she is the one. Good Luck!

Edited July 12, 2015 by Isabela

[Darnell 8,478]

"Thingies" are nice to have when embarking on a journey, haha.

especially when said thingies are viewable on a pc. it's cool, i swear !

and yes, you see more thingies when using a pc. 'tis a GodSend, and not any boondoggle.

Get More Thingies!

Edited July 12, 2015 by Darnell

[j&ana 363]

Most visa k-1 and cr-1 visa are process fast from the Philippines my wife visa took 8 months from the time I filed her visa to the time she was approved and arrived in USA

Edited July 12, 2015 by j&ana

[teddy k 35]

Hi everybody good day to all, I just wanted to share my thoughts on this process. I married my wife in the philippines then went the CR1 visa route which took 1yr to do,could of been faster but hit a couple of bumps along the way due to uscis losing my wife's documents

[NikLR 13,227]

Just to clarify, the CR1 visa holder gets a green card IMMEDIATELY upon entry. The endorsed visa becomes a temporary green card valid for 1 year. If the immigrant fee is paid, then the hard copy green card will be sent after arrival or payment, whichever is later.

One thing to think about when debating a CR1 vs K1 for the Philippines is that Manila rarely allows K1 co-sponsors but must allow CR1 joint sponsors. This is because the I-864 is legally binding but the I-134 is not.

[jg121783 3,909]

I just talked to my girlfriend a little bit ago and we discussed the possibility of us having a wedding in the Philippines but it not being legally binding so we can apply for a K1 visa. She is okay with that but she said she doesn't want her parents to know it is not legally binding. I don't know how I feel about that yet but I understand why. Anyways does anyone see any problems with this plan? Will we be able to find someone to do the ceremony without it being legally binding? Will this cause any issues with the K1 visa process? The plan is for me to go there in October and for us plan the wedding while I'm there regardless if it will be legally binding or not then get married in January.

[NikLR 13,227]

Yes, there are issues with this. If the embassy feels this is a real marriage they can deny the visa. If the CBP think that you're married she can be denied entry. There is such a thing as too married for a K1 and not married enough for a CR1.

You will find the general recommendation here on VJ to not have anything that can be misconstrued as a wedding before entering the USA.

[jg121783 3,909]

Just to clarify, the CR1 visa holder gets a green card IMMEDIATELY upon entry. The endorsed visa becomes a temporary green card valid for 1 year. If the immigrant fee is paid, then the hard copy green card will be sent after arrival or payment, whichever is later.

One thing to think about when debating a CR1 vs K1 for the Philippines is that Manila rarely allows K1 co-sponsors but must allow CR1 joint sponsors. This is because the I-864 is legally binding but the I-134 is not.

For CR1 joint sponsors does it have to be a family member or can it be a close friend who is the joinjt sponsor? Being able to use a joint sponsor might make me reconsider how I am thinking about this. Also I saw a couple people on this thread say the CR1 visa only took them 8 months to a year. Is this a typical wait time assuming there are no complications? I am a little worried about it as my girlfriend has a friend who married an American last January (2014) and they are still waiting for their CR1 visa. I am not sure if their case has any complications though.