Fiance Visa K1 - Online Engagement Ceremony is Acceptable

[ShawnSpiker 4]

Fiance Visa K1 - Online Engagement Ceremony is Acceptable.

We are officially engaged but I was in America and my fiancee was in her country we did the engagement party online because the paperwork takes time and I had to go back to America.

Is that ok? or acceptable since we have already met? Thanks.

[hplusj 135]

There doesn't need to be any formal event or even a ring.  Declarations of intent are what are required for the petition, and explain what the nature of your relationship is (engaged to be married).  If you two have both decided to file the 129F, congrats, you're engaged.

[ShawnSpiker 4]

19 minutes ago, hplusj said:

There doesn't need to be any formal event or even a ring.  Declarations of intent are what are required for the petition, and explain what the nature of your relationship is (engaged to be married).  If you two have both decided to file the 129F, congrats, you're engaged.

Thank you for your kind words. We have decided but I am somehow frustrated by the timeline for her to come here.
and how we would wait all that time apart, is it always over a year and a half for her to be here?

Is the K1 visa the fastest visa for her to come?

[hplusj 135]

1 hour ago, ShawnSpiker said:

Thank you for your kind words. We have decided but I am somehow frustrated by the timeline for her to come here.
and how we would wait all that time apart, is it always over a year and a half for her to be here?

Is the K1 visa the fastest visa for her to come?

If you want to do this legally, which is the only way I would recommend, then there is no expedient method.

 

Arguably, some people say the spouse visa is less time overall, and better in terms of gaining a green card/work auth/paying less fees to the government.  However, it's hard for some people to wrap their heads around the idea of getting married then sorting the paperwork, forcing couples to live outside the US (sometimes together, sometimes with the USC back at home) for upwards of a year. 

 

The desire to avoid that and do the K1 does come at several costs: monetarily, logistically, and time-wise.  Ultimately the choice is up to you.

Edited May 14 by hplusj

[TexasRafael 134]

As stated in other comments, I think the government does not care about the engagement, outside of the letters to get married upon entering the US, if you happen to mention that you are engaged, the way or manner of the engagement is really not important.  Given a choice of K1 or Spousal visa, I would have opted for a spousal visa as the timeline outside of the country was about the same, but in the long term cheaper because many steps are not part of the process, (adjustment of status for example.)  but this is something that is very personal to the couple making the decisions.  My suggestion will always be to do your research on both options and then decide which one is best for you.  Good luck.   

[beloved_dingo 1,976]

Make sure you research/understand the Adjustment of Status process now to understand the cost and drawbacks associated with it. It is a more important consideration overall than the wait times, imo. 

[hplusj 135]

21 minutes ago, beloved_dingo said:

Make sure you research/understand the Adjustment of Status process now to understand the cost and drawbacks associated with it. It is a more important consideration overall than the wait times, imo. 

Exactly, you're going to wait no matter what.

I have said a few times on this forum, if I had done my research a year ago I would've picked the spouse visa.  I'm too far along now to really change that.  The upcoming costs are not something I look forward to, for the privilege of living with my spouse immediately after the wedding.

[ShawnSpiker 4]

1 hour ago, hplusj said:

Exactly, you're going to wait no matter what.

I have said a few times on this forum, if I had done my research a year ago I would've picked the spouse visa.  I'm too far along now to really change that.  The upcoming costs are not something I look forward to, for the privilege of living with my spouse immediately after the wedding.

Thank you very much, I will do the research this week and try to make the decision.

Do I have to live outside America for some time for the spouse visa?
Do you know the estimated time for the K1 and the spouse visa? like proximity.

[NorthByNorthwest 347]

1 hour ago, ShawnSpiker said:

Thank you very much, I will do the research this week and try to make the decision.

 

I'm not sure what your "engagement party online" looked like, but if you end up applying for K-1 do avoid including any mention or pictures of that party since USCIS may well consider you too married for K-1 and deny the application if the party had even a remote resemblance to a wedding ceremony.

[ShawnSpiker 4]

Thank you.

Is there a difference in filing for K1, online with a soft copy or a hard copy "with paper"? Any recommendation?


 

[Crazy Cat 41,814]

23 minutes ago, ShawnSpiker said:

Thank you.

Is there a difference in filing for K1, online with a soft copy or a hard copy "with paper"? Any recommendation?


 

You can't file an I-129f online. 

[Crazy Cat 41,814]

This might be helpful:

 

 

[hplusj 135]

Whatever plan is in place, when dealing with US immigration it is absolutely vital to start with reading instructions.

Some are convoluted, that's what discussions are for: not reading instructions a petitioner can look up.

[SalishSea 17,809]

On 5/15/2024 at 2:48 PM, ShawnSpiker said:

Thank you very much, I will do the research this week and try to make the decision.

Do I have to live outside America for some time for the spouse visa?
Do you know the estimated time for the K1 and the spouse visa? like proximity.

They will both take a couple of years, especially for Lebanon.

[SalishSea 17,809]

9 hours ago, ShawnSpiker said:

Thank you.

Is there a difference in filing for K1, online with a soft copy or a hard copy "with paper"? Any recommendation?


 

Sounds like you need to start by doing some very basic research of the two processes, and what they all entail.  None of it is cheap, fast or easy.