K-1 or Fiancee Visas

Korean Fiancee Visa help

I-129F is the first steps necessary for a foreign citizen beneficiary to come to the U.S. for marriage and residence.

To qualify for a fiancé(e) / K visa, the following criteria must be met:

• one party is a U.S. citizen;
• both parties are legally free to marry;
• the marriage will take place within 90 days of the fiancé(e) entering the United States on the fiancé(e) visa.

To file a petition for fiancé(e) / K visa for an intended alien spouse, an American Citizen fiancée/fiancé must file the Petition for Alien Fiancé(e), Form I-129F with the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in the United States.  129F petition cannot be filed at an Embassy, Consulate or U.S. Immigration office abroad.

It generally takes 3 - 6 months for USCIS to adjudicate an I-129F.  The approved petition is sent to the National Visa Center (NVC) in New Hampshire for additional processing before being forwarded to the Embassy or Consulate having jurisdiction over the fiancé(e) visa applicant's place of residence.

Receipt of the approved petition overseas takes a minimum of 4 weeks.  An approved I-129F is valid for four months from the date of approval.

Fiancé(e) of U.S. Citizen

The K1 visa (also known as the Fiancé(e) Visa) can be filed by a U.S. citizen who wishes to bring his/her prospective spouse to the United States with the intention of getting married there. Minor children (unmarried and under 21 years of age) of a K1 applicant may derive immigration benefits from the same I-129F petition and be issued a K2 visa. 

Step One - Filing the Visa Petition

The fiancé petition I-129F is the first of three steps necessary for a foreign citizen beneficiary to come to the United States for marriage and residence. The I-129F must first be filed with and approved by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) in the United States.

The petitioner must be a U.S. citizen, the petitioner and beneficiary must have met in person and both parties must be legally free to marry.

Once USCIS approves the petition, they will send the petitioner a notice of approval (Form I-797). USCIS will also forward the approved petition to the National Visa Center (NVC). NVC will then forward the petition to the U.S. Embassy closest to the beneficiary's residence overseas for K-1 visa processing. An approved I-129F is valid for four months from the date of approval.

Step Two - Gather the Required Documents and Prepare for the Immigrant Visa Interview

Once the approved petition has been received at the immigrant visa unit from NVC, you will receive the "packet 3 instructions" by e-mail, with a list of the documents the intending immigrant must present at the immigrant visa interview. 

The visa fee should be paid in person at Shinhan Bank.  Here's how to pay the MRV fee.

It is up to the beneficiary to complete the application and gather the documents required to set up an appointment. You then need to submit an appointment request through www.asktheconsul.org/iv_appt.html once you have obtained all the necessary documents as listed in the "Instructions Package for Immigrant Visa Applicants." The IV unit will schedule the final visa interview and notify you of your appointment date by e-mail. The interview schedule is posted on our website. 

Step Three - The Immigrant Visa Interview

On the interview date, a consular officer will adjudicate the application based on the visa interview and documents submitted at the interview by the applicant. Whether to issue the immigrant visa is up to the discretion of the interviewing officer.

Due to the limited space in our interview waiting room, only beneficiaries may enter; the petitioner may accompany the applicant. Other accompanying parties must wait outside. Children under 18 years old may be accompanied by one parent or guardian to the interview.

Note: Beneficiaries are strongly advised not to finalize travel arrangements, dispose of their property, or give up their jobs until after they have been issued visas. Quitting a job, leaving school, selling property and/or closing bank accounts prior to visa issuance may be risky, as in certain cases visa issuance may be delayed for some time.

Step Four - After the Interview

Please see After Visa Interview on the left hand navigation bar.

A K-1 visa will be delivered back to the applicant via Embassy-approved courier within several working days if the beneficiary is found to be qualified. A K-1 visa is valid for six months (limited to the validity of the medical examination) for a single entry into the United States. The parties must marry and report their marriage to USCIS within 90 days after entering the United States. Once married, the beneficiary may apply for permanent residence and remain in the United States while USCIS processes the application.

Since processing time for each case differs depending on the circumstances of the case, we urge that firm wedding arrangements wait until after the beneficiary has the K-1 visa in hand.  

Below is a short youtube video that describes how to get your Fiancee Visa

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A fiancee is a person who is engaged or contracted to be married. The marriage must be legally possible according to laws of the state in the United States where the marriage will take place.

In general, the two people must have met in person within the past two years. The Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) grants some exceptions to this requirement. For example, it may be contrary in some traditions for a man and woman to meet before marriage.

Sometimes the USCIS considers a person a fiancee even though a marriage contract has been concluded. In such cases, the American citizen petitioner and his/her spouse have not met, and they have not consummated the marriage.

If you are an American citizen and you want your foreign fiancee to travel to the United States to marry you and live in the U.S., you must file Petition for Alien fiancee in the United States.

Expert Tip # 11

Do send in all forms. When in doubt submit it. Each consulate has their own procedures and practices. If you have a form and you are not sure that it is needed, fill it out and send it in anyway. If it is not needed they will discard it. But if it is needed the process will not be delayed.
More Expert Fiancee Visa Tips