To begin the process of obtaining a K-1
visa for your fiancé(e) you first have to submit a "I-129F"
[Petition for Alien Fiancé(e)] package. Essentially the
I-129F is an application (Step 1) to get another application (Step 2).
Step 2 is the gathering of more documents, a medical exam, then the interview of the alien fiance in their home
country. The actual K-1 Visa is not issued until after the fiance has been interviewed. Don't
make the mistake of thinking the initial I-129f approval is the end of the process. Often
you are told at interview time if the visa has been granted and you return later that day to pick it up,
but some have reported waiting 1-3 weeks at certain consulates.
See the 'US State Department's: Fiancé(e)
Visa' page for more details on who may file or ineligibility. You can order the forms you'll need from the 'INS Forms' page. You can preview the questions - Note: These are the
NOT the official INS forms, but are on a
commercial site from "American Immigration Center". [They will also
type up and mail the official forms for you ~ for a fee. Remember you have to supply them with all the data
anyway though.]
Full instructions are included in the package when you receive it...remember to follow them!
While this site is current when I wrote it there may be changes made by the INS that haven't yet
been posted here. Check and follow the INS guidelines.
When submitting an I-129F petition you will need:
[Items with * must be in duplicate.]
form I-129F [Petition for Alien Fiancé(e)]
form G-325A [Biographic Information] about yourself and signed by you.
form G-325A about your fiancé(e), signed by them.
* proof of US citizenship.
"ADIT" photos of each of you ~ that's a 3/4 view, showing the right ear. Full and explicit instructions will come in the package. (Bring the instruction sheet with you when you go for your photo so the photographer can take the picture exactly as the INS wants it.)
proof of your relationship ~ ie: a letter explaining how, where and when you met/photos of you together/phone bills/letters you've written each other/etc.
you also must show that you've met in person in the previous two years ~ ie: airline ticket receipts/hotel bills/etc.
* proof of termination of any previous marriage.
a cheque payable to the INS for $75.00US (there's been an increase of that fee, check the INS site for the current fee.)
Order the "Affidavit of Support" the same time you order your other forms. You will need it for the interview and can get a head start by seeing what's required for it.
After the Regional INS office receives your petition, they will first send you a "Notice of Action", confirming receipt
of your petition and assigning
a case number. It will be followed later by a "Notice of Approval". The time it takes to process
a I-129f from receipt to approval varies with each regional service center. Check Carl Shusterman's "INS Regional
Service Centers: Jurisdictions and Processing Times" to find out how long the INS says it takes in your area. Then look at a site of
*actual* processing times that other couples have experienced.
Note that the processing times are often longer then what the INS says they will be.
Once the I-129f has been processed and approved at the regional service center they will then forward it
to the US consulate where the alien fiance will later be interviewed.
The consulate will mail your fiancé(e) a 'K-1 Visa Package'. The package will include instructions and
a list detailing what the fiance needs to collect before the interview.