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My girlfriend lives in Kuwait but is not a national of Kuwait. She is a national of Australia and holds an Australian passport.

Does she need a B2 visa or can she use the ESTA program?

Hello!

My girlfriend and I were going to apply for the K1 visa but with the new ban list we have some concerns.

Right now she lives in Kuwait with her mother and is finishing college but she is a citizen of Australia where her dad lives.

When they say they are not processing visas from those banned countries, do we know if that means only nationals from those countries or those who are applying from those countries as well? Does it help she is from Australia? I wasn't sure if me trying to sponsor her while she actively lived in Kuwait but not a national of Kuwait mattered or not.

How should we approach this?

Hello everyone,

The I-130 petition that my wife filed in January 2025 was approved on January 23, 2026! It took one year and there were no additional requirements.

We live outside the US, so NVC will send us instructions to file the DS-160 application before February 20, 2026.

Is there anything to keep in mind regarding the documentation to be submitted with the application?

For example, my wife's U.S. criminal background check is more than 6 months old. Is that a problem? Anything else?

Thank you.

Hi! My wife and I applied for AOS and sent our full package to USCIS in December last year. Last week we received an RFE for I693, however

- my wife completed her medical before entering the US in June, 2025 (still within a 1 year condition). She arrived in November and we got married within a couple of weeks after her arrival

- we included a copy of our DS-3025 with her vaccination record. It does have the vaccination documentation section checkmarked with "K Visa application voluntarily completed vaccination requirements"

Since K visa holders are eligible for completion of vaccination record portion only, we are now trying to find a CS to complete a partial medical examination/just translate the DS-3025 to I693, but none of those we called in our area seem to be aware about the K1 partial exemption (or probably pretend to not be aware). That said, we wanted to verify with local folks a couple of things:

- could the potential reason for the RFE be a lack of some of the required vaccinations? She got additional vaccines during her medical overseas and she has the following done: DTP, Td, Polio (OPV, IPV), MMR, Measles, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and Varicella waived with D (not available in country). Does the D waiver mean she is obliged to get it after entering the US?

- do we have to re-do the whole medical again? Their fees are hefty and it feels frustrating having to pay for both overseas AND local medical for essentially the same purpose

- does anyone have or know a proven CS in NYC (preferably Brooklyn, but at this point anywhere in NYC) who can do the vaccines portion only, or at least who doesn't charge $300-400+ for the full examination?

The one CS we had an appointment with charges $450 for their medical and firmly insisted that it has to be done in full. She claimed to "know the process by heart at this point", but her and her office were not even aware of the new checkbox on the first page or the partial evaluation for vaccination only. Hearing her being that confident in her stance sew some doubts in the "vaccinations only" part.

Would be grateful for any advice or help. Thanks!

Hello everyone,

I am hoping to hear from people who have gone through the K-1 fianc visa process at the U.S. Embassy in London in recent years.

USCIS has just approved our I-129F, and the case is being sent to the NVC. I am the UK beneficiary. I am trying to understand, based on real experiences, whether the London embassy sends any physical letters or packets by post to the beneficiary s UK address before the interview, or whether everything is handled electronically.

I have seen that older guides and the K1 visa flowchart on here mention receiving a packet, but I am aware that procedures change over time. I am particularly interested in current or recent London cases.

One reason I am asking is that I would prefer to ensure I personally receive and manage any instructions, rather than have family members at my address see them first.

Specifically, I would appreciate hearing:

• Did you receive any physical mail from the U.S. Embassy in London before your interview?

• Or were all instructions and next steps handled by email, CEAC, or ustraveldocs?

• Was the only physical delivery the return of your passport after the interview?

I know after my interview, I'll get my passport posted back. I simply want to know what happens before the interview.

I am not looking for legal advice; I am looking for firsthand experiences from people who completed a London K-1 case.

Thank you very much in advance for any insight.