First of all, the fiance visa is what is otherwise known as the K-1 visa. The entire process begins when a citizen of another country gets engaged to an American who is either a legal permanent resident or a citizen. The immigration process begins with a couple of things:
- Submitting the Petitions for an Alien Fiance (I-129)
- Paying the $535 filing fee
- And submitting the proof of your relationship (such as the social media posts of date nights, tickets from traveling to see each other, etc.)
After about 1-2 weeks, you (and/or your attorney) will receive a letter confirming that USCIS has received your application. Your case gets sent to the National Visa Center, where it gets a case number and is transferred to the consulate of your home country. You will have to fill out an online form for your consulate, which is called the DS-160. Afterward, your consulate will send you (and/or your attorney) a checklist of things you will need for your interview.
Once your interview is scheduled, your attorney will begin to prepare you and your fiance on what to expect. You’ll have a medical exam done in your country and pay the consulate processing fees. Finally, you have your interview! If you are approved, you have the option of having it mailed to you or pick it up at your consulate location. Your visa will be valid for 5 months, however, you only have 90 days to get married. At the time of this post, the process takes roughly around five to seven months.
