K-1 FIANCÉ(E) VISA
If you are a U.S. citizen and would like your foreign fiancé(e) to travel to the United States to marry you and live in the U.S., you must file an Alien Fiancé(e) petition packet in the United States with the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”). In general, the two people must have met in person within the past two years. 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.
A K-1 fiancé(e) visa is a three-step process. Your attorney will be filing the petition packet at the USCIS office that serves the area where you live. After USCIS approves the petition, it will forward it to the National Visa Center for processing, prior to sending it to the embassy or consulate where your fiancé(e) will apply for a K-1 nonimmigrant visa. There are additional financial documentation and petition forms that must be submitted to the embassy or consulate to establish your ability to financially sponsor a foreign national.
Because a fiancé(e) visa permits the holder to immigrate to the U.S. and marry an American citizen shortly after arrival in the United States, the fiancé(e) must meet some of the requirements of an immigrant visa. The consular section at the embassy or consulate where your fiancé(e) will apply for a visa, will provide be providing your attorney with any additional specific requirements that your fiancé(e) needs to fulfill to complete her visa application.
