K-1 Visa - Fiance Visa

U.S. Citizens who are engaged to be married to a foreign national may petition the USCIS on behalf of their fiance by way of the K-1 visa.

To be eligible for this visa:

You must be legally able to marry;
The marriage must be a bona fide marriage with good intent;
You must be willing to marry within 90 days of the fiance entering the United States; and
You must have met within two years of filing for the visa.

Children of the foreign fiance that are under the age of 21 and unmarried may be able to accompany them to the United States and apply for green cards. The fiance should remain overseas until all appropriate visa arrangements for the children have been made. We recommend that an applicant not plan on leaving the U.S. until after marriage, especially if the applicant is seeking to make the U.S. their permanent home. Your K-1 visa is valid for only one entry into the United States. Therefore, reentering with it is not possible. You also cannot renew your K-1 fiance visa.

Process

The U.S. citizen should first file a Petition for Alien Fiance with the USCIS. Once the petition is approved, the USCIS will forward the approved petition to the appropriate American consulate to interview the beneficiary. Once the beneficiary attends the consular interview and is approved for the visa, s/he may travel to the United States to marry her/his U.S. citizen fiance. A petition for K-1 status is valid for four months from the date of USCIS action, and may only be revalidated by the consular officer.