What Are the Benefits of Working With a K-1 Visa Attorney?
If you are interested in living with your future spouse in the United States, a K-1 visa attorney can help you file a fiancé(e) visa and guide you through the steps involved before and after you get married.
What Is the K-1 Fiancé Visa
A K-1 fiancé visa is a type of marriage visa that makes it possible for the foreign fiancé of a U.S. citizen to obtain United States permanent residency. It is a type of visa that allows the fiancé to enter the U.S. for the sole purpose of getting married to an American citizen.
According to the U.S. immigration law, a fiancé (male) or fiancée (female) is defined as someone who receives an approved Petition for Alien Fiancé / Fiancée. A U.S. citizen has to sponsor their fiancé/fiancée coming to the U.S. to marry them.
The foreign fiancé usually has to marry their U.S. citizen sponsor within ninety days of arriving in the country. If they do not get married within that time, they will be given thirty days to leave the U.S.
United States citizens are responsible for filing the petition on behalf of their fiancés/fiancées. However, before doing that and starting a fiance visa process, both individuals must have proper supporting documents such as divorce, annulment, or death certificates in case there were any previous marriages.
K-1 Fiancé Visa Attorney
If you are an American looking to legally obtain a green card for your foreign fiancé, the K-1 visa is one of the fastest options to do that.
By working with a K-1 fiancé visa attorney, you can make a visa petition with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to grant your foreign fiancé permanent residency status as long as they meet eligibility requirements.
At the law offices of Michael G. Murray, P.A., our immigration lawyer will provide legal advice on working with immigration services. We have decades of experience helping foreign nationals with K-1 visas for fiancés and fiancées.
Contact us today to establish an attorney-client relationship, and we may just be able to help your fiancé become a lawful permanent resident.
You Need the Best K-1 Visa Lawyer on Your Side
As a foreign national engaged to an American, it is possible to apply for a fiancé or fiancee visa which allows you to travel to the U.S. for marriage. However, bear in mind that a K1 visa holder can’t leave the U.S. and re-enter using the same visa. They must apply for another travel document or adjust their status to a lawful permanent resident.
This can be quite a complicated process, so failing to carefully prepare the visa petition or making any mistakes could result in denials or costly delays. To position your new spouse for approval, it is critical to work with an experienced immigration attorney who understands how to navigate the process.
The immigration lawyers at Michael G. Murray, P.A., come with decades of experience helping clients with immigration issues. We have helped our clients with the application process and subsequent green card applications to obtain permanent residence in the U.S.
Call or use the contact form on our website to contact us today, and we may just be able to help you with your K-1 fiancé visa application and immigration before marriage processes.
K-1 Visa Requirements USCIS
Before starting the application process for a K-1 visa, the citizen petitioner needs to meet the following requirements:
- Must be a United States citizen
- Should have met their fiancé within the last two years and be able to show proof of their meeting
- The American and their foreign citizen fiancé must be legally free to marry at the time of the filing of the fiance visa.
- Proof that the American fiancé has the means to provide the financial support you will need once you arrive in the United States. Note that the income requirement can be met with a co-sponsor
- Proof of a serious intention to marry within ninety days of your fiancée arriving in the U.S.
Contact Michael G. Murray, P.A., today for advice on the requirements for the application for a K-1 visa. We have helped many clients over the years apply for a visa with their fiancé(e). As trusted immigration lawyers, we are prepared to help you submit your documentation and improve your chances of getting approval.
How to Petition for a K-1 Fiancé Visa
Working with an immigration lawyer when applying for a fiancé visa is critical. Here are the steps you will need to follow in petitioning for a fiancé visa:
- The American citizen sponsoring the K-1 fiancé must submit a 1-129 F Petition for Alien Fiancé / Fiancé Visa. This should be submitted to the nearest USCIS field office, where the petitioner lives. It is critical to note that this form cannot be submitted to an American consulate, embassy, or overseas USCIS office.
- Once immigration services have approved the petition, it is typically forwarded to the National Visa Center (NVC) for processing. From the NVC, it will be sent to an American embassy or consulate, which will assign it a case number.
- Once the U.S. consulate or embassy receives the petition from the NVC, it will provide the foreign national with instructions such as where to go for a medical exam. It will also perform a background check on the K-1 fiancé. The fiancée will then have to attend an immigration interview conducted by a consular officer.
How to Obtain a K-1 Fiancé Visa
Once the U.S. consulate or embassy gets a notification informing them that the USCIS has approved the application, it will notify the foreign fiancée. It will also provide instructions on how to proceed with applying for a fiancé visa.
Most importantly, the foreign fiancée will be provided with information on scheduling a K-1 fiancé visa interview and a medical examination with an authorized physician.
While K-1 fiancée visa applicants do not have to get the vaccinations that other visa applicants have, we always encourage that you do so. This is critical as it will affect their application for family-based adjustment of status to the legal permanent resident status once they are married to a U.S. citizen.
It is also important to note that each U.S. consulate or U.S. embassy has slightly different instructions on scheduling visa interviews and applying for a K-1 fiancé E visa. However, some of the common items asked for include:
- All necessary applications include one nonimmigrant fiancé visa application, two non-immigrant visa applications, and an alien registration and immigrant visa application.
- Two passport-style photos
- A passport
- Evidence of a legitimate relationship with a U.S. citizen fiancé
- Death or divorce certificates of any previous marriages for both parties
- Proof that one can financially support themselves or an affidavit of support from a U.S. citizen
- Medical examination documents
How Much Does a K1 Fiancé Visa Cost?
There are several things to consider when considering this visa cost. First, the filing fee for Form I-129F is $535. The second cost that has to be considered represents the traveling cost to and from the U.S. Embassy or Consulate for a visa interview.
Petitioning for a K-1 visa can be a complex and stressful affair which is why you require the services of an experienced immigration lawyer. With a lawyer from Michael G. Murray, P.A., working with you on your petition, you significantly improve the odds of your petition getting the necessary approval so that you can begin your new life with your fiancé.
Does Having an Attorney Shorten K-1 Visa Processing Time?
Having an immigration attorney is vital in shortening the application process. One of the most important advantages of working with an experienced attorney for green card applications and fiancé visas is to ensure that all documents are filled in and submitted accurately, thus expediting the process.
This is critical as any mistakes in the application documentation may delay the process by weeks or even months. By working with an attorney, the approval of your petition could take as little as three months.
Michael G. Murray, P.A., has worked with many clients facing complex immigration issues and has obtained K-1 visas for foreign fiancés with a solid success rate.
We understand how stressful the process of sponsoring a foreign citizen fiancé can be and provide legal guidance to help reduce the burden of preparing and filing supporting documentation.
Give us a call or contact us by using the contact form on our website today, and we may have a visa lawyer on standby ready to answer all questions you may have about the immigration process. We pride ourselves on keeping confidential or sensitive information private, and hence you can rest assured that your matter will remain confidential.
Do I Need an Attorney to Apply for a K-1 Visa if We Never Met in Person?
Before the USCIS approves your application, one of the requirements is that you have seen your fiancée in person within the last two years. Communicating regularly or seeing them on video does not meet the requirement.
However, you can typically get your attorney to request a waiver of the requirement if meeting in person may violate long-established or strict customs of your fiancée’s social practices or culture. The waiver may also apply if you can prove that meeting the requirement would cause extreme hardship to you as a U.S. citizen.
If you are petitioning the USCIS for a fiancé or fiancee visa, you should contact the office of Michael G. Murray, P.A., today. We have handled countless applications, and our lawyers have the insight and experience you need to prove exceptional representation and service.
