US citizens living in America can bring their fiancé(e)s who are citizens of foreign countries to the United States and get married to them here. To do so, they need to petition for K-1 fiancé(e) visas by filing Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e), with the USCIS. This form must be filed by US citizens along with two G-325 forms, for their fiancé(s) and for themselves.
Applications for a fiancé(e) visas must also accompany Form I-134, Affidavit of Support. This is to establish that the fiancé(e)s who enter into the United States, will not become public charges and that the sponsoring US citizens will support the beneficiaries financially. Copies of passports of the sponsors and the beneficiaries also must be submitted.
USCIS generally takes around two months to process fiancé(e) visa applications. Soon after the petition is filed a receipt notice will be sent to the applicant. Followed by that, USCIS will send an approval notice after the approval of Form I-129F.
Fiancé(e)s who are abroad must wait for three months to get K-1 visas, after the approval of the petitions filed by their sponsors. Fiancé(e)s of US citizens will be issued visas in the US Embassies or Consulates in their home countries. USCIS processing times vary and the USCIS at times takes more than 5 months to process these applications.
The consular officers in overseas consulates and embassies will notify the beneficiaries when their petitions are approved and instruct them to apply for K-1 visas. K-1 visa applicants will have to meet all the requirements that immigrant visa applicants meet. At the time of applying for visas, they need to submit their valid passports, birth certificates, divorce certificates, evidence of relationship with the US citizen petitioners and the required photographs.
Fiancé(e)s who are living abroad must undergo K-1 medical examinations and background security checks. They must then attend the K-1 visa interviews. USCIS will grant the fiancé(e)s entry into the United States only after conducting background checks. These K-1 visas are valid only for a 90 day period. K-1 visa holders must get married to their US citizen sponsors within 90 days.
