Which is better to file a K1 or a K3

[nastra30 2,287]

The better question is - Which is better to file a K1 or a CR1? They all have their pros and cons depending on how you feel. K3 is obsolete (additionally, it also depends on you to have filed a I-130 already).

[E & J 2018 132]

11 hours ago, Slim2484 said:

Hello everyone,

 

me and my fiance are new to the process and we are seeking to file for him to come and stay with me here in the U.S. we are trying to figure out which visa is best for filing K1 or K3 considering trump has passed new laws we want to make sure we file for the best and quickest visa.

If I was to do this over, again,  I would opt for the CR1.

[Celie 793]

11 hours ago, Slim2484 said:

Hello everyone,

 

me and my fiance are new to the process and we are seeking to file for him to come and stay with me here in the U.S. we are trying to figure out which visa is best for filing K1 or K3 considering trump has passed new laws we want to make sure we file for the best and quickest visa.

It depends on what your main goal is, I think. For us, Lebanon makes it hard to marry by law. They have religious marriage as the legal marriage and I couldn't do that because I've been married through the church before so we chose the K1 route. Financially the CR1 is the better option, but the K1 has a few upsides also. Our whole process from filing to arrival was just under 8 months. We filed mid September and he had visa in hand by mid April. The rest (AOS etc..) he does here and albeit a bit more challenging since I'm the only one working, at least we get to do it here together and that does help emotionally to get through the curve balls. I usually like to say that if I could go back in time I'd file for CR1 and in many times I would hold by that, but to be honest there are times when I get home from a long day at work and he's home and we get to spend a nice evening together (knowing if we had gone CR1 route we might still be waiting apart) and I don't regret we did the K1. Especially now that the USCIS is trying to speed up I485 processing times and many people getting their green card in just a few months.

 

Ultimately, use all the information available and make the best choice for YOUR situation. Every relationship is different and has different goals. You do what is legally best for you.

[Ed&Midori1031 330]

2 hours ago, E & J 2018 said:

If I was to do this over, again,  I would opt for the CR1.

YES!  I agree with you!  Not saying I regret the path that my wife and I went on, but I do feel the CR-1 may have been better.  

[laylalex 7,285]

My ex and I went for a K1 over a CR1 because it was important to me to have him here as soon as possible because I missed him so much, and at the time (2010) the K1 was being processed a lot faster than the CR1. He wanted to do the CR1 because he said the process of AOS was going to take too much time, and he wanted to make sure he could keep working (he had a business back in the UK that was seeking to expand over here). Even though we went through AOS very quickly (maybe just under 5 months? it was a long time ago), he was still pretty frustrated and wished he'd put his foot down and insisted on a CR1. It caused some early friction in our marriage, but for me, a K1 made sense at the time. I might think differently now, if only to have spared him the frustration during that time. 

 

It's a personal decision for each couple, I think. If your spouse-to-be is likely to feel upset at feeling like their life is on hold, a CR1 makes more sense.

[ForeverFerrer 4]

6 hours ago, JFH said:

We did the spousal visa and it's not $2000. Well maybe if you include the cost of the air fare. No AOS fees on top of it. But in my situation, not being able to work would mean I would have 'lost' $6000 a month in salary. I started work here less than 2 weeks after my arrival. I make a lot more than my husband so being able to work was important. We all have our priorities. Some think things long-term and consider the cost of a non-working adult in the home for several months and some think short-term and compare the cost of getting married in one place vs another.

 

If the spousal visa worked for your relationship, that's great. Every relationship circumstances are different, and different countries. The spousal visa takes longer, and I need my fiance here with me as soon as possible. I was responding to the post, it regards to Cuba since that's where my fiance is from, they do things a little differently. This cost of the marriage certificate maybe less, but the K-1 visa is what we selected to go with.

[DiamondEyes490 126]

8 hours ago, ForeverFerrer said:

 

That’s just the fee for the marriage certificate in Cuba, you would still have to pay for the spousal visa process which of around 2,000. If that works for you then go for ir but we didn’t go with that option 

I paid $700 to get my documents legalized to get married in Cuba (required as they aren't party to Hague Apostille treaty and that doesn't include translation services and couriers for the embassy in DC) and then $625 for the marriage certificate (that is the actual gov't rate. Doesn't include anything extra like getting married somewhere outside of the notary's office). It really is that expensive. I had a large wedding in Cuba, and 20-25% of the cost was just the paperwork.

[Dan2023 26]

19 hours ago, bakphx1 said:

The current processing time for K1 isn’t much faster than a CR1.  

 

I’ve read so many posts here of people having relationship/financial struggles once their fiancé is here, they get married and then the new spouse must stay home alone all day while the other goes to work. Some relationships ended because of this.  

 

With a CR1 you can drive , study and work right away.

 

other visas have been abandoned because a family emergency came up back home before AOS could be completed and they couldn’t get Advance Parole in time.

 

I personally think the K1 is the cruelest visa out there.  Too many restrictions.  No matter how anxious you are to see your significant other, it’s worth the wait.

yes that is absolutely correct.

 

I had a full time job back home and when I came here on K1 it was like most dreaded time of my life.

my father in law would ask me to cut grass illegally not understanding it would impact my green card and status and most of all my life.

I kept applying for work telling them I'll get green card and they can roll me out the offer but no one would understand.

 

so yeah I wouldn't advise K1 to anyone.

[Dan2023 26]

7 hours ago, Ed&Midori1031 said:

YES!  I agree with you!  Not saying I regret the path that my wife and I went on, but I do feel the CR-1 may have been better.  

agreed 100%

[SalishSea 17,837]

On 6/18/2019 at 11:35 PM, ForeverFerrer said:

No this man is giving you false advice. He’s didn’t even marry someone that was Cuban.  If you marry a Cuban you have to file information with the Cuban Embassy in Washington.

That may be the case, but what @Paul & Mary stated, which IS correct, is that the Cuban embassy in Washington DC has NOTHING to do with any US immigrant visa, such as the CR-1.

Edited June 22, 2019 by Jorgedig

[ForeverFerrer 4]

5 hours ago, Jorgedig said:

That may be the case, but what @Paul & Mary stated, which IS correct, is that the Cuban embassy in Washington DC has NOTHING to do with any US immigrant visa, such as the CR-1.

Why would you even insert yourself in a topic you clearly  know nothing about. You have no association or knowledge with Cuba. If you did then you would know that the Embasy in DC requires couriers. If you would’ve read the thread another member actually  got married in Cuba, and for the whole process to just make it legal and the marriage certificate , which includes the Cuban Embassy in D.C over $1300. 

[geowrian 22,337]

26 minutes ago, ForeverFerrer said:

Why would you even insert yourself in a topic you clearly  know nothing about. You have no association or knowledge with Cuba. If you did then you would know that the Embasy in DC requires couriers. If you would’ve read the thread another member actually  got married in Cuba, and for the whole process to just make it legal and the marriage certificate , which includes the Cuban Embassy in D.C over $1300. 

It's a public forum and he was offering advice. The advice is correct, although also imcomplete.

 

The Cuban embassy has no role in a US immigrant visa.

The Cuban embassy has a role if one wants to legally marry a non-Cuban resident within Cuba. This may or may not be related to the point above, depending on where they choose to marry.

[SalishSea 17,837]

3 minutes ago, geowrian said:

It's a public forum and he was offering advice. The advice is correct, although also imcomplete.  She 😉

 

The Cuban embassy has no role in a US immigrant visa.  This is what I was getting at, which is strangely difficult for some posters to understand I guess.

 

[SalishSea 17,837]

32 minutes ago, ForeverFerrer said:

Why would you even insert yourself in a topic you clearly  know nothing about. You have no association or knowledge with Cuba. If you did then you would know that the Embasy in DC requires couriers. If you would’ve read the thread another member actually  got married in Cuba, and for the whole process to just make it legal and the marriage certificate , which includes the Cuban Embassy in D.C over $1300. 

I stand by what I said.  The Cuban Embassy in Washington DC has NOTHING to do with US immigrant visas.  It is not rocket science, nor does it require specialized knowledge of Cuba.  No embassies in the US are involved with US IMMIGRATION.  

[ForeverFerrer 4]

38 minutes ago, geowrian said:

It's a public forum and he was offering advice. The advice is correct, although also imcomplete.

 

The Cuban embassy has no role in a US immigrant visa.

The Cuban embassy has a role if one wants to legally marry a non-Cuban resident within Cuba. This may or may not be related to the point above, depending on where they choose to marry.

This is from the member DiamondEyes490: I paid $700 to get my documents legalized to get married in Cuba (required as they aren't party to Hague Apostille treaty and that doesn't include translation services and couriers for the embassy in DC) and then $625 for the marriage certificate (that is the actual gov't rate. Doesn't include anything extra like getting married somewhere outside of the notary's office). It really is that expensive. I had a large wedding in Cuba, and 20-25% of the cost was just the paperwork.

33 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

I stand by what I said.  The Cuban Embassy in Washington DC has NOTHING to do with US immigrant visas.  It is not rocket science, nor does it require specialized knowledge of Cuba.  No embassies in the US are involved with US IMMIGRATION.  

This is from the member DiamondEyes490: I paid $700 to get my documents legalized to get married in Cuba (required as they aren't party to Hague Apostille treaty and that doesn't include translation services and couriers for the embassy in DC) and then $625 for the marriage certificate (that is the actual gov't rate. Doesn't include anything extra like getting married somewhere outside of the notary's office). It really is that expensive. I had a large wedding in Cuba, and 20-25% of the.