Not sure where to start?

[Lolitainkwell 2]

Hi I am new here.

 

My US fiance and I wish to get married and we are unsure where to begin with the visa process - I am from the UK.

 

I've seen the form online and we are completing that next year when he visits.

 

I have several questions:

 

1. Which K1 visa do we apply for? (He is a US born citizen and I am a UK born one).

2. How long does it take to process?

3. After it is approved, what happens? 

4. Is the next part of the application expedited if you are married?

5. Can I have dual nationality and keep my UK passport as will need to come back periodically.

 

Sorry for all the questions, this is all new to both of us and I have read so much information I am unsure which route to take.

 

Many thanks,

 

Loli

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ThomasNC1988 762]

1. There is only one K-1 visa. A cr-1 is a marriage visa and has advantages over the K-1 if you wanted to consider that but you have to be married first

2. Little less than a year most likely

3. After k-1 is approved you travel to the US get married within 90 days and apply for adjustment of status which can take between 3 months and 2 years depending on where you live(advantage of cr-1 is you do not have to do this.)

4. Not sure what you mean

5. Of course.

Edited October 31, 2018 by ThomasNC1988

[canadian_wife 1,822]

21 minutes ago, Lolitainkwell said:

I have several questions:

 

1. Which K1 visa do we apply for? (He is a US born citizen and I am a UK born one).

                   There is only one K1 visa.  A K1 is for unmarried persons looking to marry in the United States. 

2. How long does it take to process?

                    About a year

3. After it is approved, what happens? 

                    After the K1 is issued, the beneficiary enters the united states and has 90 days to marry the petitioner,                        then a whole new process of adjustment of status begins

4. Is the next part of the application expedited if you are married?

                    No the marriage part is expect.  No expedites there

5. Can I have dual nationality and keep my UK passport as will need to come back periodically.

                    I believe this is a country by country basis.  I have 2 passports and travel on both of them freely. 

 

 

 

Good luck, welcome to the journey 

Edited October 31, 2018 by canadian_wife

[p-ana 933]

Start reading the guides and forms, to understand the process better and decide which way is best for you as a couple.

 

[SJ_Ulloa 46]

47 minutes ago, Lolitainkwell said:

Hi I am new here.

 

My US fiance and I wish to get married and we are unsure where to begin with the visa process - I am from the UK.

 

I've seen the form online and we are completing that next year when he visits.

 

I have several questions:

 

1. Which K1 visa do we apply for? (He is a US born citizen and I am a UK born one).

2. How long does it take to process?

3. After it is approved, what happens? 

4. Is the next part of the application expedited if you are married?

5. Can I have dual nationality and keep my UK passport as will need to come back periodically.

 

Sorry for all the questions, this is all new to both of us and I have read so much information I am unsure which route to take.

 

Many thanks,

 

Loli

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Loli-

 

1.For the K1 Visa there is only the I-129F Form to be completed. This is for the Fiance Visa. IF you decide to get married then there is another visa mentioned above- the CR-1 visa (spouse Visa). 

2. The length of time depends on what location your documents are processed in. Some places take longer than others. Generally it takes anywhere from 6-7.5 months to be processed and approved by USCIS (take into account any holidays around the time you file, which can sometimes delay a little) 

3. Once approved the USCIS sends your paperwork to the NVC (National Visa Center). Here they process your paperwork (scan into a system) issue you a case and invoice number and send your documents to the Embassy in the Country of your fiance/spouse. Once the Embassy has obtained it you will be notified and will need to complete a DS-160 Form and pay $265 (this is the application for his Visa) - Make sure you save the confirmation pages via email, print or take a screen shot and print out. You will schedule a bio metrics appointment for you spouse (Physical) where they check him over and issue any vaccines he needs to enter the United States. Once that is complete they state you will need to complete a I-134 form (Affidavit of Support Form) and begin gathering all your important documents together: AOS Form, Tax transcript from previous year, pay stubs, confirmation page for DS-160 and Receipt Page for paying for the DS-160, Interview confirmation email stating you have an appointment scheduled with the Embassy. Your fiance or you will get notified where to send this or if he will bring to his interview. Allow 10 days between his bio metrics and his interview for the results to get sent to the embassy. After his interview if approved he will give them his passport and it can take from what I have read 10-12 business days to get his visa returned. Do not book his flight until he physically has his visa in his hand. If you need help finding any information everyone on here is wonderful with helping answer any questions. (this is the process for the K1-Visa) 

4. If you do the K1 Visa you have 90 days to get married once he arrives in the US. You then have another process to go through to get his status changed, obtain a work permit, be allowed to travel in and out of the country without issues, and obtain a social security number. This process is about 3-5 months from what I have been seeing but could be longer. If you do the CR-1 visa all of this will be bypassed as you are already married.

5. HE should be able to maintain his passport and have dual citizenship here and in the UK. 

 

Best of luck to you - this can be a stressful experience but worth it  

[Lolitainkwell 2]

3 minutes ago, SJ_Ulloa said:

Hi Loli-

 

1.For the K1 Visa there is only the I-129F Form to be completed. This is for the Fiance Visa. IF you decide to get married then there is another visa mentioned above- the CR-1 visa (spouse Visa). 

2. The length of time depends on what location your documents are processed in. Some places take longer than others. Generally it takes anywhere from 6-7.5 months to be processed and approved by USCIS (take into account any holidays around the time you file, which can sometimes delay a little) 

3. Once approved the USCIS sends your paperwork to the NVC (National Visa Center). Here they process your paperwork (scan into a system) issue you a case and invoice number and send your documents to the Embassy in the Country of your fiance/spouse. Once the Embassy has obtained it you will be notified and will need to complete a DS-160 Form and pay $265 (this is the application for his Visa) - Make sure you save the confirmation pages via email, print or take a screen shot and print out. You will schedule a bio metrics appointment for you spouse (Physical) where they check him over and issue any vaccines he needs to enter the United States. Once that is complete they state you will need to complete a I-134 form (Affidavit of Support Form) and begin gathering all your important documents together: AOS Form, Tax transcript from previous year, pay stubs, confirmation page for DS-160 and Receipt Page for paying for the DS-160, Interview confirmation email stating you have an appointment scheduled with the Embassy. Your fiance or you will get notified where to send this or if he will bring to his interview. Allow 10 days between his bio metrics and his interview for the results to get sent to the embassy. After his interview if approved he will give them his passport and it can take from what I have read 10-12 business days to get his visa returned. Do not book his flight until he physically has his visa in his hand. If you need help finding any information everyone on here is wonderful with helping answer any questions. (this is the process for the K1-Visa) 

4. If you do the K1 Visa you have 90 days to get married once he arrives in the US. You then have another process to go through to get his status changed, obtain a work permit, be allowed to travel in and out of the country without issues, and obtain a social security number. This process is about 3-5 months from what I have been seeing but could be longer. If you do the CR-1 visa all of this will be bypassed as you are already married.

5. HE should be able to maintain his passport and have dual citizenship here and in the UK. 

 

Best of luck to you - this can be a stressful experience but worth it  

Thank you so much for your help.

So do you apply for a K1 and then a a CR-1 after you are married?

 

44 minutes ago, p-ana said:

Start reading the guides and forms, to understand the process better and decide which way is best for you as a couple.

 

Thank you.

[Lolitainkwell 2]

1 hour ago, canadian_wife said:

 

Good luck, welcome to the journey 

Thank you for your help.

1 hour ago, ThomasNC1988 said:

1. There is only one K-1 visa. A cr-1 is a marriage visa and has advantages over the K-1 if you wanted to consider that but you have to be married first

2. Little less than a year most likely

3. After k-1 is approved you travel to the US get married within 90 days and apply for adjustment of status which can take between 3 months and 2 years depending on where you live(advantage of cr-1 is you do not have to do this.)

4. Not sure what you mean

5. Of course.

Thank you for helping.

[SJ_Ulloa 46]

4 minutes ago, Lolitainkwell said:

Thank you so much for your help.

So do you apply for a K1 and then a a CR-1 after you are married?

 

Thank you.

No- You either do the K1 or the CR 1. I did the K1 Visa and we are at the ending stage. He goes for his Physical next week and his interview is not until Dec. Once you get married you submit your marriage license, another affidavit of support - this one is different than the 1st one (I-864) and I believe a few other things. This is for his green card I believe, and there is a fee for this process as well. I am more than happy to try to help answer any questions regarding the K1 if you choose to go that route as this process is confusing and you will have many come up along the way. I do not know what I would have doe without help from people on here.   

[Lolitainkwell 2]

32 minutes ago, SJ_Ulloa said:

No- You either do the K1 or the CR 1. I did the K1 Visa and we are at the ending stage. He goes for his Physical next week and his interview is not until Dec. Once you get married you submit your marriage license, another affidavit of support - this one is different than the 1st one (I-864) and I believe a few other things. This is for his green card I believe, and there is a fee for this process as well. I am more than happy to try to help answer any questions regarding the K1 if you choose to go that route as this process is confusing and you will have many come up along the way. I do not know what I would have doe without help from people on here.   

Awww thank you!

He is coming over to the UK from the US next year, and we are going to start the K1 process. 

Did you get a lawyer to fill the visa form or do it your yourselves? I'm inclined to do it myelf due to the cost implications lol. 

I would be so grateful of any help or advice as this is all new to me.

Thank you so much again.☺️

 

[SJ_Ulloa 46]

16 minutes ago, Lolitainkwell said:

Awww thank you!

He is coming over to the UK from the US next year, and we are going to start the K1 process. 

Did you get a lawyer to fill the visa form or do it your yourselves? I'm inclined to do it myelf due to the cost implications lol. 

I would be so grateful of any help or advice as this is all new to me.

Thank you so much again.☺️

 

I did not go through an attorney, I did everything on my own with the help of people who have gone through this process and if unsure of something I would post on here and would get clarity or answers. An attorney really cannot do anything for you, it does not expedite your process, and does not guarantee... You are going to spend a good amount but not as much as going through a lawyer. There are plenty of people, myself included who will help answer any questions we can. 

 

[Lolitainkwell 2]

15 minutes ago, SJ_Ulloa said:

I did not go through an attorney, I did everything on my own with the help of people who have gone through this process and if unsure of something I would post on here and would get clarity or answers. An attorney really cannot do anything for you, it does not expedite your process, and does not guarantee... You are going to spend a good amount but not as much as going through a lawyer. There are plenty of people, myself included who will help answer any questions we can. 

 

Thank you so much : )

[TBoneTX 45,329]

Thread is moved from the "Moving to the US" forum to the "What Visa Do I Need" forum.

[Roel 7,192]

You seem pretty confused and apparently dont want to read and understand the Guides. 

 

Maybe you should get a lawyer. 

[Lolitainkwell 2]

1 hour ago, Roel said:

You seem pretty confused and apparently dont want to read and understand the Guides. 

 

Maybe you should get a lawyer. 

Um I only posted this yesterday and am reading them. 

[implife 318]

1 hour ago, Lolitainkwell said:

Um I only posted this yesterday and am reading them. 

Honestly, USCIS website is very good and is the best source for answering these basic questions. I very much recommend it. I understand there may be a language barrier, but all of us have to learn English at some point.

Good luck and best wishes!