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The K1 Fiance(e) Visa
We underwent the K1 visa process to be together. This page explains the K1 and charts our progress through it.
CONTENTS:
What is the K1 visa?
Why we decided to take that option.
Where can I go for help?
Our K1 timeline.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE K1 VISA
This definition and following information comes straight from the K1 FAQ: "The K1 visa enables US Citizens to bring their foreign fiance(e)s to the United States in order to get married."
If this sounds simple, think again!
"The K1 visa is not an end in itself. It is only a single step in one of two established procedures for obtaining a visa to the United States based on a relationship involving marriage with a US Citizen (the other being obtaining an immigrant visa based on *already* being married to a US Citizen). The steps involved in immigrating to the US via a K1 visa can be generally described as follows:
1. The US Citizen files the I-129F petition for the foreign fiance(e). Approval is required before the fiance(e) may apply for the K1 visa. The petition phase is very straightforward. Approval timelines vary thru the Service Centers, anywhere from one to three months.
2. After the I-129F has been approved, the fiance(e) has 4 months to obtain the K1 Visa at the US Consulate in the foreign country. This time period can be extended by a consular officer if required. The visa application process is generally similar in all countries, although each Consulate will vary a bit in their requirements. Every K1 applicant will have a unique story to tell about how they got their visa.
3. Once you have the K1 Visa it is good for one entry into the United States within 6 months.
4. Once in the United States, you have 90 days to get married.
5. Immediately after marriage, you must apply for an Adjustment of Status, Form I-485, to become a permanent resident. You will also apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), and "advance parole" in case you want to travel outside the United States and re-enter before getting your green card.
.....And then...
6. You may wait a year or more to be interviewed for "Conditional" Permanent Resident status (green card).
7. After two more years, you apply to have the "Conditional" status removed.
8. Further on down the road, you can apply to become an American citizen (naturalization). "
As you can see, it is a very long and involved process and you need to be really sure of your relationship even to consider starting it.
As the FAQ says, "Before starting out on any process like this people should research the whole process and not just the beginning..."
Update (April 2004):
This is especially true now. After September 11 and Iraq and all that it is possible everything may have changed immigration wise. After all, now visitors holidaying in America are faced with visas and fingerprinting and photographs and retina scanning and dna testing, etc, etc. just to go to Disneyland! I haven't looked into it, as I have no interest in going to America again in the foreseeable future, let alone live there again. Three years were quite enough. So, I would suggest checking up to date websites for accurate information as this website only tells the process we went through at the time.
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Adrian's new flag!
See the Cultures page to find out about the similarities and differences between our two cultures. |
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Why we decided on the K1
After we became engaged at the end of April 1999 we started to look into the options. Circumstances meant that Adrian would have to move to America; we just had to decide whether we'd get married before or after the getting the visa. Following much discussion and investigation of the options we decided to go the K1 route. We felt it would be the quickest way to be together, although we still knew it would be a long haul. The time the process takes differs for every couple, and we had to work around our situation. Adrian had a house to sell and a job to leave before he could even consider moving, and then there was planning the date of the wedding so his family could all be there. We were finally together in May 2000, just under 90 days before the wedding day at the end of July.
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Don't go through it alone
Obviously couples beginning the process will have each other, but just as importantly they will need the resources and experience offered by the many others who have gone though the process before them. We do not know how much harder the process would be if we couldn't use the internet to get all the information and advice needed to fill out the forms, etc.; we are just thankful that we could! The first ports of call should be this K1 FAQ site http://www.txdirect.net/users/mike38/k1faq.htm It is very useful for the small and large questions you will have, but if it doesn't offer the answers you need then go to the newsgroup specially set up for people who are going through this process or who have successfully completed it: alt.visa.us.marriage-based. It also offers a forum for those wishing to discuss their experiences and can be quite amusing at times. We use Remarq to access it, or you can use Deja or your own email/newsgroup program.
Other useful places to go to are the official INS site, Arnaldo and Alvena's Fiance Visa site, Jonathan and Che-Ning's Den of Immigration, and many others listed on our Links page.
Our 2000 K1 Timeline
Jan 11th : Posted off 129-F to Nebraska Service Center.
Jan 13th : N.S.C. received the packet.
Jan 19th : Received Notice Of Action
Jan 27th : Received Notice of Approval!
Feb 7th : Received forms from US Embassy London
Feb 25th : Posted off OF-230 pt 1, OF-156 (in duplicate) and OF-156K to Embassy.
March 23rd : Posted off IV/15 (Checklist and request for an interview to be scheduled).
April 3rd : Phoned Embassy and was told interview has been scheduled for April 28th!
April 28th : Had the medical and K1 interview in London. Everything went very smoothly, and I GOT THE VISA!
May 6th : Flew to the States to be with Chris. Got stamped for 90 days work authorisation at Seatac airport.
It's took a fair while to get there, but finally we are together. The actual process went very smoothly, the time it took was really due to the time limitations we had. The earliest I could emmigrate was May, as our wedding has to be at a time that my family could come over for more than a weekend! (Mum and Dad, and my Auntie and Uncle all work in schools, and my brother is at university, so the best time was the longer summer holidays.)
July 29th: The wedding!
2001
March 13th: 1 year work permit gained.
Adjustment of status to follow...
March/April: Began work in the US! Worked as on overnight store worker for a couple of slave driving organisations!.
2002
January: Began teaching a First Grade class in an elementary school in Seattle.
February: Had adjustment of status interview and gained temporary green card.
April: First daughter, Kerenza born!
Later in the year green card mailed to me.
2003
August: HUGE change in our circumstances. We moved back to England to set up home there.
To be honest it just was not fun living in America, partly due to personal circumstances, but also America is a country that is far too much in love with itself for us to live comfortably in.
Click here to read about my interview experiences
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Chris's new flag!
Chris is succumbing to the British ways! It is great how we both are taking on the different aspects of our cultures. |
2 become 1 as the Spice Girls sang!
Could we get one of these to fly outside our house? |
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