Questions about K1 -vs- K3 Visa:

[Crazy Cat 41,888]

If you look at the charts, it appears that K-1 processing time is longer while CR-1 processing is getting shorter...at least in the VJ reporters since April 2018.....

[geowrian 22,337]

1 hour ago, Robert D said:

Thanks again, I appreciate your help- How about the marriage there in Phils; Can that all take place within about a week / 10 days or so as long as I have all my documents in order and on hand?

I'll have to admit I'm not sure about that as we did our wedding in the US. But I believe it is not as simple/quick of a process as certain paperwork has to be obtained there (i.e. an Affidavit in lieu of Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage), then the time between applying for a license and actually getting it, etc.

 

I can reach out to another member who just married there, though. They can probably best answer the timeline question:

@John & Rose

Edited August 17, 2018 by geowrian

[Robert D 0]

14 minutes ago, geowrian said:

I'll have to admit I'm not sure about that as we did our wedding in the US. But I believe it is not as simple/quick of a process as certain paperwork has to be obtained there (i.e. an Affidavit in lieu of Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage), then the time between applying for a license and actually getting it, etc.

 

I can reach out to another member who just married there, though. They can probably best answer the timeline question:

@John & Rose

Thanks Geowrian, I was reading also about the time to wait for the license and all the paperwork and I want to avoid that there; Rather go thru red tape here if I have to 

[David & Diana R 1,005]

2 hours ago, Robert D said:

I've always understood that a K-1 Fiance Visa is processed/approved much faster than marrying abroad and bringing her to the U. S. on a K-3 Spousal Visa; Is this still the case? Is it possible to marry abroad but NOT file the marriage there in her home country (The Philippines) and even though are married there so her friends and family can attend, or will that complicate/delay things?

I married my wife in the Philippines in 2012.  She got here 8 months later on a CR-1.  You can't "get married and not file the marriage".  The time now for a CR-1 is longer than it was in 2012, however there are many advantages to the CR-1. 

[David & Diana R 1,005]

2 hours ago, Robert D said:

Thanks again, I appreciate your help- How about the marriage there in Phils; Can that all take place within about a week / 10 days or so as long as I have all my documents in order and on hand?

We hired an attorney in the Philippines to speed up our marriage process.  Cost us about 100 dollars.  It was well worth it.  But my wife still had to stand in line several times to get the marriage certificate.  As I recall that took 3 or 4 weeks after our wedding.  Make sure you bring a copy of your ORIGINAL DIVORCE DECREE is you have ever been married before. The Philippines will require you to go to the US Embassy or one of the US Consular offices and swear that you have never been married before if you have not been married. The US consular will give you a document that you swore you were never married before.  This is why I would recommend getting an attorney that knows all of the ropes.  Good luck.  P.S.  Our wedding and complete reception was attended by about 100 relatives and cost us a mere 300 dollars.  You're never gonna get anywhere near that in the US.   Our attorney found a pastor for us that officiated at the wedding.  He had to do followup work to register our marriage and was very helpful.  Aloha from Hawaii, david

[Robert D 0]

2 minutes ago, David & Zoila said:

We hired an attorney in the Philippines to speed up our marriage process.  Cost us about 100 dollars.  It was well worth it.  But my wife still had to stand in line several times to get the marriage certificate.  As I recall that took 3 or 4 weeks after our wedding.  Make sure you bring a copy of your ORIGINAL DIVORCE DECREE is you have ever been married before. The Philippines will require you to go to the US Embassy or one of the US Consular offices and swear that you have never been married before if you have not been married. The US consular will give you a document that you swore you were never married before.  This is why I would recommend getting an attorney that knows all of the ropes.  Good luck.  P.S.  Our wedding and complete reception was attended by about 100 relatives and cost us a mere 300 dollars.  You're never gonna get anywhere near that in the US.   Our attorney found a pastor for us that officiated at the wedding.  He had to do followup work to register our marriage and was very helpful.  Aloha from Hawaii, david

Thanks David, I was just now talking with her again and she keeps mentioning the marriage license when I think she means certificate and of course here in the US we need the license before the marriage, so that is one reason for my confusion; Is there a license of any kind required there BEFORE the marriage takes place? I do have my divorce decree (I am pretty sure it's notarized if that is even necessary) altho do I need to provide my birth certificate and if so, does it need to be stamped / notarized or is merely a copy sufficient? She also keeps mentioning a police report for me of some kind whereas I know they need NBI clearance for the visa but would I need that also?

I am glad to hear that your attorney was so reasonable; Maybe you can refer me?    I have always been reluctant to pay any attorney there for anything just because they know the money is coming from an American who they assume has deep pockets thus always asking for more because some kind of "unforseen problem" came up, but maybe I am being too paranoid about that...

[DaveAndAnastasia 2,092]

36 minutes ago, Robert D said:

Thanks Geowrian, I was reading also about the time to wait for the license and all the paperwork and I want to avoid that there; Rather go thru red tape here if I have to 

You could also take a trip with your fiancée to somewhere two foreigners can marry quickly and with little red tape. Though avoiding Russian red tape and the complexities of setting up a wedding in a third country were basically why we ended up applying for a K-1.

 

I remember a while back (less than a year ago, though) one person with a Filipina spouse suggested that another poster get married in Hong Kong if he was going to do a CR-1, though it seems like that's clearly trading money for time in this case.

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

3 hours ago, Robert D said:

 

The K1 is fastest overall but the CR1 has more advantages I think and is only a couple months longer nowadays. 

 

But the marriage will take longer than 10 days, more like 2 weeks in fact but much longer if you want a Catholic wedding. 

[Just Paul 4,595]

7 hours ago, Robert D said:

Thanks again, I appreciate your help- How about the marriage there in Phils; Can that all take place within about a week / 10 days or so as long as I have all my documents in order and on hand?

My Filipina wife and I found it was easier and quicker and actually cheaper to marry in Hong Kong this past March.  We sent in the marriage paperwork 2 weeks before and spent about 5 days in HK for the wedding, filing the report of marriage at the consulate and amending her passport.  Just amending her passport was worth going there.   That part is much longer in the Phils.  The USEM will accept the Hong Kong Marriage certificate.  When we looked at doing in in Phils it was going to take 5 to 8 weeks give or take for the approvals.

[John & Rose 7,239]

15 hours ago, Robert D said:

Thanks again, I appreciate your help- How about the marriage there in Phils; Can that all take place within about a week / 10 days or so as long as I have all my documents in order and on hand?

In our case, I traveled there and did the marriage license requirements (CENOMAR, Affidavit in Lieu of Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage, other paperwork...).  My Embassy appointment was on Thursday.  Our Family Planning Seminar was on Wednesday.  We were able to get out of that since we both have two teenage and grown children but we still had to get the completion certificate.  We did most of the paperwork on Wednesday and since my Embassy appointment was Thursday morning, we were able to complete the marriage application Thursday afternoon.  At that point they tell you when the license will become active.  There is a 10 day wait for the marriage announcement to be posted and put in the paper in case there are objections.

 

I came back to the states and went back to Phil 2 weeks later.  If I had enough PTO I would have stayed.  I have an acquaintance who stayed and did all the paperwork.  If you have a couple weeks you can do it all in one trip.

 

Make sure you check with the local registrar to see if they accept the affidavit.  I believe most do but there are a few provinces that may not.

 

Also, if you are looking at a civil wedding, opt for the Mayor's office and not the Hall of Justice.  Judges are harder to schedule and usually cost more too.

 

PS:  Make sure you schedule the appointment with the Embassy before you go.  There were not a lot of openings for the notary and we had to book our time about two weeks out.

Edited August 17, 2018 by John & Rose

[Amadia 711]

As others have mentioned prior, the K3 is now obsolete and many embassies no longer conduct K3 interviews.

Around the time I was doing my I-130 interview in Trinidad, there was one member on here who had her spouse living with her in Ohio and he had to come back to Trinidad to conduct his K3 interview. She told me that the officer DID tell her husband that this type of visa is no longer granted interviews but since they were the ONLY ones who filed that way and paid their fees, they would grant them the interview.

[TM92 527]

16 hours ago, Robert D said:

I was reading also about the time to wait for the license and all the paperwork and I want to avoid that there

As already mentioned, Hong Kong is a great alternative. Another option: if your fiance has (or is keen to try to apply for) a US tourist visa, you can marry in the US and she returns to the Philippines. Then you can begin the CR-1 process:

Then after the marriage, you can have a renewal of vows in the Philippines if she still wants a ceremony with family.

Edited August 17, 2018 by TM92

[angelbrown 195]

Not sure if I’m reading into your original question correctly. You cannot get married abroad and not file the marriage to do a K1 to get her here faster. K1 is for fiancés, NOT married. CR1 is for spouses. 

[ajay007 43]

20 hours ago, Robert D said:

I would want to file whichever gets her to USA faster regardless of the fees (unless we're talking about a huge difference!); She will not need to work right away after her arrival nor would she be traveling yet so adjustment times, etc. would not be of too much concern.

I filed a K-1 many years ago and she was approved within about 7 months with no hassle or delays whatsoever...

if you are looking for fast visa and see ur fiancee here in usa asap.i would suggest go with k1 it takes 6 months.if you filed everthing correctly.im a k1 visa holder.

[Crazy Cat 41,888]

5 minutes ago, ajay007 said:

if you are looking for fast visa and see ur fiancee here in usa asap.i would suggest go with k1 it takes 6 months.if you filed everthing correctly.im a k1 visa holder.

Your timeline says differently......242 days from NOA1 to interview........