Fiance Visa Or Spouse Visa?

[nstuckey 0]

Hello everybody I recently proposed to my peruvian girlfriend of 4 years. I thought it'd be as simple as her saying yes, having the ceremony and riding off into the sunset. As you all know it's not that simple. Looking at all the info here seems overwhelming. The first step is which visa to file for. Obviously I know the spouse visa is for once you are married. So the choices are going to peru having a ceremony and starting the process to get her back here. Or filing the fiance visa waiting for that to go through and then having a ceremony here. We are both totally fine with wherever the ceremony is just wondering if one of these processes is easier/quicker than the other. Thank you all and good luck with your filings.

[Abbyerin 9]

The K-1 is a lot quicker than getting married in Peru.

This is because the K-1 allows your wife to be to come over and get married in 90 days. She would then adjust status to get a green card.

If you get married in Peru then you'd need to apply for a spousal visa that takes longer because your wife won't have to adjust status. This is because her permanent residency would have already been approved.

This website has a relatively informative chart of the differences: http://www.visacoach.com/fiance-vs-spouse-which-is-better.html

Take it with a pinch of salt, as filing fees are about to change. Also, stuff like the medical being $200 isn't set it stone. My medical cost £380.00 which is way more than £200.00 so keep that in mind.

Hope this helps

Edited November 4, 2016 by Abbyerin

[canadian_wife 1,829]

CR-1 is cheaper, a faster way to a green card, and allows for immediate work and travel once landing on U.S. soil.

For us, the Cr1 spousal visa was the only option as I am not the type of person so sit at home for approx. 3 months waiting for work authorization to come through. Plus I was worried about any type of emergency back home that would require my immediate travel.

Good luck

[JFH 12,191]

*~*~*moved from "K-1 fiancé visa" to "what visa do I need" as OP is still exploring the options*~*~*

[JFH 12,191]

The quickest way isn't always the best way.

Yes, the fiancé visa is the quickest way to get your girlfriend on US soil. You will then have 90 days to get married and she will not be able to work or leave the country until around 90 days after you get married. Depending on her job, a career break that long could be very damaging. In some fields, the longer you are out, the harder it is to get back in and you will almost certainly not be able to re-enter the workforce at the same level you left. How will she cope with not being able to work for so long? Not just financially but socially? Starting a new job and meeting new co-workers is a great way to help someone settle into a new country. There have been stories of depression and loneliness on here from people who felt isolated home alone all day in a foreign country whilst the spouse goes out to work each day. In some states she won't even be able to get a driver's license for some time.

I am surprised at how many people do a K-1 visa. Each to their own but don't be tempted by the faster processing and assume it's the right choice.

CR-1 takes longer (I am almost at the end of my 10-month process) but your wife would be able to work and travel the minute she passes through immigration at the airport on her arrival. She is a permanent resident from day one. For me, the advantages of the CR-1 are worth a few extra months of processing.

For the CR-1 you don't have to get married in Peru. The wedding can take place anywhere in the world - it just has to be legal in the place where it happened. So if she has a B-2 and you fancy a quick wedding in Vegas, you can. Or if a Caribbean cruise is more your thing, no problem. There are no requirements on the location or style of wedding ceremony. It just has to be legal. We married in a 8-minute ceremony with us, an officiant and 2 witnesses. Total cost $250 including license fee and burgers at Red Robin afterwards. Perfectly acceptable for the spouse visa process.

Edited November 4, 2016 by JFH

[Dashinka 24,900]

It all depends on your overall situation and how strong your relationship is. A CR1 does generally take longer which means more time apart as husband and wife while you wait for processing, but as JFH mentions it does have many advantages in the end. Also, if your spouse is from a country where visiting the US is easier or you visiting her is easy and traveling costs are not an issue, you can visit during the period of processing as long as when entering the US the visiting spouse can provide enough evidence that they do not intend to stay during the trip.

JFH provided a nice comparison so I will not repeat it other than to say you and your fiancée need to really evaluate your situation/relationship closely when deciding. My now wife and I did this and we ended up with the K1 mainly due to it being overall faster, and visiting during the process was difficult and costly because of where she was from.

Good Luck!