First time K-1 Visa applicant

[brookeandeoghan 0]

Hi all,

 

My boyfriend and I have been together for almost a year. He is from the U.K. We have begun to do some research on the K-1 visa. I understand what we need to do as far as the I-129F form, etc. He is a student and an accountant, and won't be finished college until August 2017. He also would like to use the next 10-12 months to save money to sustain living in America while he applies for his work visa. After doing research on the K-1 Visa process and how much time it typically takes to be approved, my question is, if I start the process now, and get approved within the next 6 months, would we be able to wait until he is done college/financially stable before we get married?

 

If anyone can help, I'd be greatly appreciative since we are very new at this and honestly overwhelmed!

 

Thank you,

Brooke and Eoghan

[LionessDeon 2,060]

The guides will give you an approximate 

http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1flow

 

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

 

 

You can also review timelines of other UK applicants

http://www.visajourney.com/portals/index.php?country=United Kingdom

 

Edited March 3, 2017 by LionessDeon

[Ben&Zian 4,398]

Sounds like you have a good time line going honestly.

 

The visa itself is good for 6 months from the date of the medical exam he would do prior to the interview stage. So that, if given the interview was say June-July time frame, should allow you 3-4 extra months to use the visa still.

 

Definately follow the guides and view the timelines here for people who went through the process already to get a better idea.

[Scandi 4,192]

Even when your case is ready for interview, say 5 months from now, you can call the embassy and tell them about your situation in case you need more time. They will extend the validity of your i-129f approval (NOA2) so you can have your interview later. The NOA2 will be valid for a year all-in-all, but it needs to be extended every 4 months.

[yuna628 9,758]

32 minutes ago, brookeandeoghan said:

Hi all,

 

My boyfriend and I have been together for almost a year. He is from the U.K. We have begun to do some research on the K-1 visa. I understand what we need to do as far as the I-129F form, etc. He is a student and an accountant, and won't be finished college until August 2017. He also would like to use the next 10-12 months to save money to sustain living in America while he applies for his work visa. After doing research on the K-1 Visa process and how much time it typically takes to be approved, my question is, if I start the process now, and get approved within the next 6 months, would we be able to wait until he is done college/financially stable before we get married?

 

If anyone can help, I'd be greatly appreciative since we are very new at this and honestly overwhelmed!

 

Thank you,

Brooke and Eoghan

Hi there you two,

 

By rough estimate figures from start to finish the K1 process takes up to 6-10months, depending on how speedy the first part goes. Once he has his visa in hand though, he has up to six months to enter the US from the date of his medical. My fiance continued with his employment up until a week after her had obtained his visa, and then took a few additional weeks to get all his household belongings and person matters settled before moving. Now, if you're saying he's not finished with college and would like to take up to a year to work and save money for his new life (and that's a very good thing indeed!) you will need to plan that out accordingly. Also keep in mind that if he has any student loans involving his college education he will need to fill out some paperwork regarding that after leaving, and that he will be still required to pay those loans back while in the US when he starts being employed there.

After you marry you're going to have to file more paperwork to adjust status. You can also file for temporary work and travel permits at the same time as that process - but your fiancé-then-husband must NOT leave the US or work in the US until those documents have been obtained. It can take a while to receive those temporary documents (90 days+ or longer) after filing the paperwork and the green card arrival can take up to a year. So whatever money that he's saving you must plan for accordingly - and in addition simply having those documents does not mean finding employment will be fast or easy. It took my husband quite a long time. Like your fiancé he also used his savings to help support that period of time, and things got pretty dicey because of the poor job market. It sounds like you've got a good plan going - but you need to work out when the most appropriate time for filing will be - giving him enough time to finish his education and save up.

[SparklePony 238]

When my husband first filed for me as his fiancee, our paperwork got approved before certain issues back home were handled (they took MUCH longer than I though they would). Once the paperwork reached the embassy, I wrote them every 4 months requesting that the petition be extended - added signed and dated letters from him stating his continued desire to marry me as evidence, and was approved every time. The last time (when the petition would be 1 year old), I received a reply saying they would need strong evidence in case we needed a new extension - that was when I asked for the interview to be scheduled. There were absolutely no issues at the interview (he went with me), or getting my visa approved, and I haven't had any issues with my green card getting approved after that, either.

 

Just to let you know that extensions can be used with no problems. Good luck!