K1 visa, allows a US Citizen to bring their fiancé to the United States so that the couple can get married. In order to qualify for a fiancé visa, the couple must show that (1) they are legally free to marry one another; (2) they have met each other at least once within the last two years; and (3) they intend to marry within 90 days of the foreign national’s entry into the United States. There are several steps to be followed for K1 visa in USA as well as in the foreign country.
The 1st step, is to file a visa petition by the US Citizen, using the Form I-129F. With this petition, the couple needs to provide evidence that they meet the three requirements listed above and that the petitioner is a US Citizen.
Once the petition is approved, then USCIS will forward the petition to the embassy or consulate in the foreign national’s country of residence, through National Visa Center.
Once the embassy receives the approval package, the foreign fiancé completes a visa application (Form DS-160), submits it online (or according to the local consulate’s instructions), and pays the visa fee.
The foreign fiancé goes to an interview at the U.S. embassy or consulate, and presents any requested documents during the interview.
The foreign fiancé gets a visa stamp in his or her passport and uses it to enter the United States within six months.
In the next step, the couple gets married within 90 days and files a green card application (Form I-485, technically called an “Adjustment of Status” application), including the filing fee and the biometrics fee.
If the foreign partner intends to seek employment or travel outside of the United States while the green card application is being processed, he or she must file for a work permit (“employment authorization document”) and a travel permit (“advance parole”).
