| "I've found a foreign girl I want to spend the rest of my life with... NOW WHAT?!" Acquiring a K-1 Fiancée Visa For Your Foreign Girl! |
| You found HER! The one glorious person who completes who you are in this world. You met, you fell deeply in love, and you want to spend the rest of your lives in each others arms. But... she's thousands of miles away. How do you bring two distant worlds together so your dream of a loving wife and happy family become reality? If you're lucky enough to have met someone who loves you so much she'll completely redefine her life by relocating from her country to yours - you need to know what steps to take to assure the shortest possible time for her arrival. The Fiancee Visa Process can be intimidating in theory, knowing you'll need to gather documents, submit forms, wait for approvals, answer any issues with the USCIS (formerly the INS,) and help your Fiancee plan and attend an interview with the American Embassy in her country prior to approval. Communication needs to be constant, clear and patient as you work diligently together toward your future. Costs are associated with each stage but needn't break anyone's bank. Most importantly is to know what to realistically expect and to stay calm, focused and optimistic. Thousands of couples receive Fiancee Visas from the US government each year. YOU CAN DO THIS! A SUMMARY OF STEPS IN THE K-1 FIANCEE VISA APPLICATION PROCESS: Basically, in order for you to secure a Fiancee Visa for your future Foreign Bride, you and she must meet the following requirements and take the following steps: You must be a U.S. Citizen. You must have met your foreign Fiancée within the past 2 years. (Be prepared to document that meeting with photos of the two of you together, copies of hotel and plane/train tickets, and copies of the stamped page(s) in your passport.) You both must be legally free to marry at the time you submit the application. Your Fiancée does not have a criminal record. Your Fiancée has not violated any US Immigration Laws. Your Fiancée must successfully pass a medical examination at a US State Department approved clinic just prior to the K-1 Visa interview. You must meet certain financial requirements. (Basically you must demonstrate that once your girl is admitted to the US, she's not likely to end up on Public Aid and that you can, in fact, live above poverty level. |
| Timeline of Events in the Fiancee Visa Process: Q: I have submitted the I-129F application and related documents for initial approval from the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Service.) How long should it take for me to receive the initial approval? A: Approximately 30 - 120 Days The time from submission to your first approval will vary depending on several factors, such as what state you reside in and what country your foreign Fiancee is from. Once you submit your initial application and related documents you'll receive a receipt notice. Assuming all necessary documents are in place and you've done your paperwork correctly you should expect the initial approval stage to take between 1 and 3 months on average. If there are missing documents or signatures, incomplete forms or no payment - there will be obvious delays. Many Immigration attorneys will tell you the processing times are actually faster than the USCIS will predict. Q: My application has been approved and will be sent to the National Service Center then to a Foreign Consulate (US Embassy) for further processing. How long before we hear that an interview has been scheduled? A: Approximately 2 - 4 Weeks to be notified, then approximately 30 - 45 days from notice to be interviewed. This is often the hardest time period in the process for couples. You'll likely receive no further notice about the status of your application until the Foreign Consulate schedules her interview. (Applications for women from Russia, for example, are sent to the US Embassy / Foreign Consulate in Moscow.) You can search for updates on status at the appropriate Consulate web-site. One day, your case number will magically appear there with an interview date. If you check this daily, you could possibly know her interview date before she does and call her with the good news! Interview notices are sent to the girl by mail or delivery service, which take a few days to arrive, obviously. Prior to her interview, she will be asked to complete several tasks. She must get a police report from her local precinct stating she has no criminal background. She will also be scheduled for a medical examination a few days prior to her interview, the confidential results of which will be sealed in an envelope for her interview official. Petitioners (that's you) will also need to complete a financial affidavit to show you meet the requirements and provide your Fiancee with this information for her interview. Finally, she will need to visit a FedEx or DHL office and purchase a pre-paid shipping envelope from the US Consulate to her residence to take with her to the interview. Q: My Fiancee's interview with the Consulate has been scheduled. Once she receives her Fiancee Visa, how soon can she come to the US? A: Right away! She will not receive her visa at the interview, rather it will be sent to her within a week (typically) via the pre-paid shipping envelope mentioned above. Once in possession of the K-1 Fiancee Visa, she has 6 months to enter the US. Once she enters the US, she'll have 90 days to be here for the visa period. The visa period cannot be extended, so once she arrives she must marry you within that 90 day period or return home. |
| SOME ITEMS YOU MIGHT NEED FOR THE FIANCEE VISA PROCESS: YOU: COPIES OF YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE, DRIVERS LICENSE, DIVORCE DECREE (IF APPLICABLE,) AND PASSPORT. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA SUCH AS YOUR PARENTS PLACE OF BIRTH, YOUR ADDRESSES FOR THE PAST 5 YEARS, YOUR PREVIOUS EMPLOYERS, ETC. COPIES OF YOUR PREVIOUS INCOME TAX FILINGS, PAYROLL CHECK STUBS, BANK STATEMENTS, A SUMMARY OF ASSETS FOR THE AFFIDAVIT OF SUPPORT. PICTURES OF THE TWO OF YOU TOGETHER, COPIES OF LETTERS OR EMAILS EXCHANGED, AIRLINE TICKET STUBS, BOARDING PASSES, HOTEL RECEIPTS, COPIES OF YOUR STAMPED PASSPORT TO ESTABLISH YOU AND YOUR FIANCEE HAVE ACTUALLY MET IN PERSON AND FALLEN IN LOVE. HER: THE FOLLOWING MUST BE TRANSLATED IN ENGLISH AND CERTIFIED (SEALED) BY A LICENSED FOREIGN ATTORNEY OR SERVICE. THERE ARE MANY IN FOREIGN CITIES WHO CAN DO THIS AND IT USUALLY CAN BE DONE QUICKLY. A COPY OF HER BIRTH CERTIFICATE, DIVORCE DECREE, AND PASSPORT. RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN WOMEN USE A PASSPORT AS A NATIONAL FORM OF I.D. IF THERE ARE MINOR CHILDREN YOU WILL NEED TO DO THE SAME WITH ANY CHILD'S BIRTH CERTIFICATE AND PASSPORT. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA SUCH AS HER PARENTS PLACE OF BIRTH, HER ADDRESSES FOR THE PAST 5 YEARS, HER PREVIOUS EMPLOYERS, ETC. A LETTER FROM ANY CHILD'S FATHER, GRANTING PERMISSION FOR THE MINOR CHILD TO LEAVE HIS NATIVE COUNTRY AND LIVE PERMANENTLY IN THE US. YOU SHOULD PLAN ON GATHERING SOME OF THESE VERY IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS WHILE VISITING YOUR LADY, BEFORE RETURNING HOME. SHE MUST PERSONALLY SIGN AT LEAST ONE OF THESE FORMS AND INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING OF THESE DOCUMENTS CAN BE VERY COSTLY. |
| Disclaimer I am neither a trained relationship counselor nor an immigration expert. The information contained on this web site may provide general legal information but is not intended to give legal advice or counsel on any specific legal matter. It does not create an attorney-client relationship and should not be relied upon in lieu of legal counsel. |
| Get ALL your Fiancée Visa Questions answered! The following topics are also covered in the book "Foreign Bride 101: A How-To For Nice Guys! by Bud Patterson When the time is right, should I buy her a ring and formally propose? How long does the fiancee visa process take? What things can I do ahead of time to prepare for the K-1 process? My fiancee would like to try a tourist visa first. If things go well, we'll marry while she's here. Do you see any problems with that? What things should I expect to pay for during the fiancée visa process? Is it true I am financially responsible for my fiancee and her child once they enter my country? What is the Affidavit of Support? How much income do I need to make in order to sponsor my foreign girl's fiancee visa? Do I need to hire an attorney for this, or can I handle the K-1 application process myself? How will the International Marriage Brokers Regulation Act (IMBRA) impact my fiancee visa application? Can I talk directly with the US Embassy or USCIS during the application process? How can I track my K-1 application's progress? I have been told by a USCIS call-center associate that they are currently working on K-1 visa applications from a year ago and it may be another 6 - 9 months until they even begin mine! What can I do? If my girl has a child, what steps will I need to take for him or her? Will I need permission from the father in order for her child to relocate to my country? What are my options if the child's father does not grant permission? Will my fiancee be able to pay for all or part of her flight to America or should I plan to? Should I plan to accompany her as she relocates from her country to mine? How can we maintain and build upon our new relationship from a distance while waiting for her K-1 fiancee visa interview? Are there any "red-flags" or warning signs I should be watching for during the K-1 application process that would indicate she may be having second thoughts about us? Could we choose to marry in her country first, then apply for a K- 3 spousal visa? |
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| Foreign Bride 101 A "How-To" For Nice Guys By Bud Patterson |
| A must-read for anyone seriously considering the search for a foreign bride! 113 pages! Buy It Now |
| $39.95 2.27 MB Color PDF File (Allow 24 hrs delivery) |
| $59.95 B/W Coil-Bound Soft Cover (Allow 1 week delivery) |