Apply for the k1 or get married? Overseas. Please help.

[PaigeMWhiteaker 0]

Me and my fiancé (in the USAF stationed in England) have just printed off the k1 forms. We are very confused as to what address to put as his as he is here in the UK but will be going back in November and also doesn't know where to or his address for where he is going. We want to file now so I won't have to wait long before joining him.

Can anyone help? Have phones the embassy, national visa centre, been to everyone on base with no help.

Please and thank you beginning to pull my hair out

[Pennycat 880]

Are you both in England now? If so, and IF his work with the military counts "lawfully resident" (I'm almost positive it does but you'd need to check or someone else would chime in), then your quickest and cheapest way to be able to live together in the US is Direct Counselor Filing. Basically, you get married in the UK, and file directly with the embassy for a spousal visa (or, really, file with the USCIS field office at the embassy...).

This is much quicker than the normal spousal visa route because it bypasses USCIS offices in the US and the National Visa Center, which together can make the process take 12 months or longer.

It should also be quicker than a K1 visa (which right now take about 4 months total, give or take), but K1 is a more expensive route. Because with a K1, you have to pay for the visa, and then pay to adjust status to that of a permanent resident once in the US (spouse visa, you land with permanent residency). The difference in cost is about $700.

I'd check his eligibility, look at other people who have done DCF through London to get a sense of the timeline and if that all seems agreeable, go that route. Otherwise, you'd need to weigh the pros and cons of K1 vs CR1.

[PaigeMWhiteaker 0]

We are both in England now thank you! That's a lot of help hopefully a few more will chime in like you said and we can get the process going quickly

[Pennycat 880]

We are both in England now thank you! That's a lot of help hopefully a few more will chime in like you said and we can get the process going quickly

No problem-- there's a part of this forum that deals with DCF. This is something that is not available at most embassies (only those that have a USCIS field office) and only available to those where the American is legally residing abroad. So really, it's not overly common here.

Check out this and see if you can get an idea of how long it takes. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/82-direct-consular-filing-dcf-general-discussion/

The official site (http://london.usembassy.gov/dhs/uscis/i130filing.html) seems to claim that they are processing petitions filed a month ago. How long it takes to process, and how long the subsequent steps are, I don't know. But that is a really quick turnaround, either way.

The K1 very well could be a faster option for you (but you can only do K1 if you're not yet married). But if we're talking about a matter of only a month or two faster---and has some drawbacks (the overall expense and the fact that you won't be able to work for the first several months in the US), it could be worth it. Also note that the "average" times that this things take can and do change quite a bit so while you'll certainly factor those averages into decision making--just know that there's no guarantee. You should be happy with your visa choice for reasons other than anticipated timeline.