CR1 or K1?

[Mikayla Harrison 22]

I haven't started the process yet, just gathering information. Which is better? The CR1 or the K1? Advice? Opinions?

[Crazy Cat 41,857]

K-1

    More expensive than CR-1

    Requires Adjustment of Status after marriage (expensive and requires a lot of paperwork)

    Spouse can not leave the US until she receives approved Advance Parole (approx 3-4 months)

    Spouse can not work until she receives EAD (approx 3-4 months)

    some people have had problems with driver licenses, Social Security cards, leases, bank account during this period .

    Spouse will not receive Green Card for many months after Adjustment of Status is filed....typically about a year or more after arrival in the US.

CR-1

    Less expensive than K-1

    No AOS required.

    Spouse can immediately travel outside the US

    Spouse can immediately start work if desired

    Spouse receives Social Security Card and Green Card withing 2 or 3 weeks after entering the US

    Spouse  has legal permanent Resident status IMMEDIATELY upon entry to US. 

 

All-in-all, the CR-1 is superior to the K-1 imo. 

Edited September 3, 2018 by missileman

[Mikayla Harrison 22]

1 minute ago, missileman said:

K-1

    More expensive than CR-1

    Requires Adjustment of Status after marriage (expensive and requires a lot of paperwork)

    Spouse can not leave the US until she receives approved Advance Parole (approx 3-4 months)

    Spouse can not work until she receives EAD (approx 3-4 months)

    some people have had problems with driver licenses, Social Security cards, leases, bank account during this period .

    Spouse will not receive Green Card for many months after Adjustment of Status is filed.

CR-1

    Less expensive than K-1

    No AOS required.

    Spouse can immediately travel outside the US

    Spouse can start work if desired

    Spouse receives Social Security Card and Green Card withing 2 or 3 weeks after entering the US

    Spouse  has legal permanent Resident status IMMEDIATELY upon entry to US. 

 

All-in-all, the CR-1 is superior to the K-1 imo. 

How long does the CR1 take?

[Crazy Cat 41,857]

Just now, Mikayla Harrison said:

How long does the CR1 take?

Average 12-14 months for CR-1...........K-1 average is only a couple months less........but the advantages of a CR-1 are vastly superior imo..

[Mikayla Harrison 22]

What are the differences in income requirement? How soon can I file after marriage?

[Crazy Cat 41,857]

1 minute ago, Mikayla Harrison said:

What are the differences in income requirement? How soon can I file after marriage?

You can file immediately after marriage...Income requirements: 

 1. (K-1)  sponsor  needs to meet 100% of the poverty guidelines. (I-134)

 2, (CR-1) requires the sponsor meet 125% of the poverty guidelines. (I-864)

 3. A K1 visa applicant will need to submit the I-864  (125% of PG) with AOS.

[geowrian 22,337]

The only advantage of a K-1 is that it takes a few months less to obtain the visa and enter the US (and if there are any 18-21 would-be stepchildren involved who would be immigrating too).

The minimum income requirements are the same in the end (125% of the federal poverty level for the household size), although some embassies/consulates will look at only 100% for the K-1 visa process. But as noted above, one needs to AOS after the K-1 visa, which uses the same requirements as the CR-1 visa.

[Shiran 1,134]

I feel like there are some other "soft" facks that can be important in that decision that are worse considering. Unfortunately we do not live in ideal world where all relationships stay true and perfect. K-1 does allow for that cushion of safety, while also being a bit of test on your relationship. In the unfortunate event if the things to go awry, with K-1 there doesn't have to be divorce, and while you pay more long term, those fees are spread out, so you are not in the hole right away for entire amount. Ultimately that will be a deeply personal decision for you when it comes to those aspects. 

 

It is frustrating though that K-1 now take nearly as long as CR-1 when K-1 explicitly was suppose to be a very fast way to allow couples to be physically together while still keeping safe guards in place in cases of fraud, etc. Now logical path is to get married somewhere, and then wait for over a year, possibly apart. 

[Lucy&Jason 807]

If both of us could only travel back and forth to each other, we would SURELY choose the CR1. But because unfortunately I don’t have any(even tourist visa) and my fiancé is busy with work, we just chosen the K1 route. 

[NikLR 13,227]

~~moved to what visa do I need from K1 progess reports~~