K3 or K1? Engaged to Bulgarian and both currently living in Europe (merged)

[NikLR 13,227]

Have you the US citizen maintatined a residence in the US such as apartment or home and filing taxes?

K3 is now called CR 1 BTW

AOS (adjustment of status ) application after coming to US costs $1050 / need that for the green card

No it's not called a CR1 now. They are two different visas.

There is still a K3 visa. It's just normally the PATH to the K3 visa is closed at the NVC because when the NVC receives the approved I-130 at the same time or before the approved I-129F, they will close the I-129F. When this happens the beneficiary continues on the IR1/CR1 visa path.

Also the AOS is $1070 and is only needed for the K3 or the K1 visa, not the CR1.

The K3 is considered obsolete because the IR1/CR1 is a superior visa in both time, energy, and money. Also its refereed to as obsolete because the K3 is rarely granted (somewhere around 0.05% of the time.)

I was going to ask the same thing. Doesn't the USC have to have an established residence to file for a K1? Also, technically, the K3 is not obsolete, but almost no one uses that route due to the fact that the spouse doesn't enter with a GC and you would have the added expense of an AOS after arrival. Very similar to filing for an EAD on a K1 before adjusting, generally an unnecessary expense/step.

Good Luck!