In need of Guidance on my Journey, K3 or IR1/CR-1, all advice appreciated!

[undependable 1]

Hey everybody, a quick run down of my situation. I have collected all the paperwork necessary and will be married to my fiance in 3 days in Japan (she is a Japanese citizen). I will return to the US on June 19th this month and send in my I-130 before the month ends. 

 

My intent is to bring my spouse to the US as soon as possible but also ensure she would be able to work (since a single income household is nearly impossible in California these days.)

 

From my initial investigation, all Japanese/american marriage forums recommended getting married in japan to make the process smoother/faster. Many people also mentioned a timeline from filing the I-130 to spouse setting foot in the country/green card could be 3-6 months.

 

Having looked at the timeline and statistics from this website even 6 months at a minimum seems wildly unrealistic. Is there any pathway (K3?) that might speed this up and have any chance of getting the love of my life in the US with me by Christmas? For both of us, we just wanted the ability to live and work in US and felt that marriage was the fastest route to achieving this. A work visa isn't feasible since she would be simply be looking for a job on arrival (she does however speak excellent english)

[Seth And Quynh 77]

Message me and i can help

[Keith & Arileidi 437]

K3s are obsolete and they are being administratively phased out, so if you somehow file one.. it will just be reverted back to an IR1/CR1.
I think your best bet would be to get married , and wait out the I130 for your IR1/CR1.
According to the current timelines:
3-5 months for USCIS

11 weeks NVC
2-3 month for interview for Japan.
http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/k1list.php?cfl=0&op1=&op2=&op3=5&op4=1&op5=5,6,8,10,11,13,14,15,16,17,18,20,21,22,25,26,27,28,108,110,111,208,210,211&op6=All&op66=All&op7=Japan&dfile=No&adv=0

it seems like its going to take 10-12 months to be able to get your finance/wife to the US, but she will be able to work as soon as she get here.
 

[A'n'L 735]

The process will take about a year or more. The K3 process is not faster, and most often the petition is cancelled without adjudication (because the CR1 visa is considered superior).

 

If you did not marry, you could file for a fiance visa, which is somewhat faster to get (6-9 months), but she would not be able to work upon entry (add another 3-4 months for that).

[Roel 7,192]

There is nothing you can do to speed things up. Immigration is a long process. Cr1 visa will take about a year. K3 is no longer a thing. Work visa will not work ( you need an employer first willing to sponsor your wife + it's a temporary visa and not intended for immigration ) 

Edited June 10, 2017 by Roel

[millefleur 5,043]

3-6 months from I-130 to a GC for a spouse visa? Definitely no way it will be that fast.

 

If she speaks excellent English and she's Japanese, a work visa might not actually be impossible. It's very hard to find Japanese speakers who also have excellent English. She could try applying for jobs and see if anything happens. California has a lot of jobs for Japanese speakers. The only problem with that is that it will also take time and it's clearly a big gamble because you don't even know if she'll find something.

 

If you go the spouse visa route, just be prepared to wait up to a year minimum. She can visit you on the VWP during that time as long as she leaves before the 90 days are up.