K1 Fiance Visa: Full Guide

November 17, 2023

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5 min read

Many women, who are determined to get a foreign partner, often ask themselves the same thing: how to become a mail order American bride? Although the process of getting a bride visa USA is completely legal, you have to understand that it is impossible to approach a customs officer and ask them to just let your bride enter the country without permission or documents attached to their visa. The process of taking your relationship with a foreign bride to the next level is complicated and requires you to get a K1 fiance visa to be able to reunite with your love.

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What is a K-1 Fiance Visa?

A K-1 fiance visa, also known as a fiance visa, is a visa for nonimmigrants that allows foreign brides in USA to enter the country, get married, and live in the States with their spouse. The K-1 visa can also allow the foreign bride to obtain permanent residence with time. The K-1 visa is associated with the Form I-129F. This is the form that you need to complete where you have to express your desire to bring your partner to the US. The form should be filled out in detail, and the completed document is usually sent to the US Immigration Services for analysis and verdict. The current statistics confirm that there were more than 80% approvals for a fiance visa USA in recent years, with the processing time for a visa extending to 8 months in 2023.

The Process of Bringing Foreign Bride to the USA

So, how do you get a mail order bride to go to your country? Here is the detailed process on how to mail order a bride and get a K-1 visa for your fiance:

You meet your foreign bride on the dating site and start chatting to establish a meaningful connection. After you begin a long-distance relationship and make sure your feelings are genuine and you would like to build your life together, you can think about your future steps in this direction.
You meet in real life and take photos and videos of your meeting (this is important for fiance visa requirements). You also provide documents confirming that you are a US citizen and provide proof that you make enough money to deliver financial support for your fiance.
As you apply for the K-1 visa, make sure your foreign bride does not have any criminal records, never violated any of the US laws, is healthy, and is a permanent resident of another country. To get your K-1 visa successfully, start by filling out Form I-129F and prove that you are truly a couple to the US immigration services.
Provide confirmation of your meeting within the last 2 years, confirm that you are single or divorced (for both parties), and prove that you are going to get married three months after your foreign bride arrives in the States. You may also have to provide the tickets and marriage arrangements as requested by the US Immigration Services.

Legal Considerations and Rights of Foreign Brides in the USA

Brides in USA have a very clear understanding of their rights with the Congress passing an act also known as the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act (IMBRA). This is the act that is aimed at safeguarding the protection of mail order brides USA. The act defends any foreign brides who come to the country from acts of potential abuse or exploitation, meaning that the government has the power to regulate dating services and carry out background checks on any marriage agencies and sites that they come across.

If there are any faults or incorrect information found in the marriage visa sponsors documents or the marriage agency’s presentation, the US government services have the right to protect the foreign brides from being abused or mistreated. IMBRA regulates the process of admitting the brides into the country by informing them about their obligations, the laws that protect them from violence, and spousal support.

Detailed Breakdown of the Fiance Visa Process in the USA

What documents are needed for a fiance bride and how can you mail order a bride if she is a foreign citizen? We’ve created this guide to help you achieve your marriage goals and complete your fiance visa form:

Complete the form, known as the Form I-129F. The main goal of this form is to confirm that your relationship is legitimate and you have genuine feelings for one another. The form includes your passport copy, a copy of your bride’s passport, proof that you have met at least once within two years before submitting the application in the form of pictures, hotel reservations, your photos together, and other evidence that includes flight bookings and emails that you have sent to each other.
Sign the statement that contains a detailed description of your relationship and confirms that you guarantee to marry one another within 90 days after your foreign bride arrives in the US. Your fiance should also send a copy of the form I-94 to the immigration services. Attach one passport photo of yourself and your partner to the Form I-129F.
Wait for the approval of the form from the US Department of State. If you have succeeded, your bride will receive a notice from the US embassy that includes the date and location of their visa interview. The foreign bride needs to complete the DS-160 form, which is also known as the Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application. You have to print out the submission page of the form once your bride has filled it out.
Your fiance needs to prepare a list of documents for the K-1 visa application, including two passport photos, their birth certificate, a valid passport, a police clearance form from the age of 16, and a sealed medical exam form that needs to be authorized by the State Department.
After you receive a notice from the US embassy, you can schedule an interview with your fiance. The interview will occur in the home country of your foreign bride (the consulate) or the nearest US embassy. It will usually take you about 4-6 weeks to prepare for the interview after you receive your approval notice. The marriage officer will ask your bride questions and make the decision about your case on the same day or shortly after. If your K-1 visa is approved and you meet all the rules and standards, then your bride will be given 6 months of fiance visa processing time to arrive in the States and 90 days to get married in your country.

What Documents Are Needed for a Fiance Visa?

The State Department of the United States will require the following documents to help you speed up the process of submitting an application and make sure that you provide all the necessary information:

Foreign Bride Documents

Two photos made in passport style.
A passport that is valid and has not expired.
A form that confirms the absence of a criminal record (police clearance) from all the countries of your bride’s residence for more than six months starting from the age of 16.
A medical exam form with a seal (the form should also be authorized by the State Department).

US Citizen Documents

Form I-134 (Declaration of financial support).
A copy of all the citizen’s tax returns for the last 6 months.
Confirmation of a relationship (the copy of the approved I-129F package that you have originally sent to the Immigration Services).

How Much Does a Fiance Visa Cost?

If you are thinking about the average fiance visa cost at the moment, we have got you covered. Here is the breakdown of the prices that you can expect from a K-1 visa and the process of bringing a Ukraine mail order bride to the US.

Name of the form	Cost of the form	The purpose of the form
I-129F	$535	The foreign husband pays this as he completes the visa application for the relocation of his future spouse
K-1 visa	$265	This is the form that should be paid for in the US Consulate or US Embassy as the foreign bride is preparing for the interview
I-485 form	$1,225	This is what a foreign husband pays to ensure the legal status of a mail order bride and her residence in the country

The overall fiance visa cost is $2,025, which cannot be qualified as cheap, but you should not worry about the expenses if you arrange all the documents beforehand and pay for the visa gradually.

Potential Additional Expenses to Be Aware of

There are additional costs that you need to be aware of before you start the process of obtaining your K-1 visa. Here is the breakdown of these additional fees:

Vaccination fees. You may be required to perform vaccinations to make the medical record of your foreign bride complete.
Translation fees. If your foreign bride has any additional or supporting documents that are not in the English language, you may be required to provide an authorized translated version of these documents.
Documents expenses. If the passport of your international bride has expired, she will be obliged to pay the necessary amount to obtain a new one. The cost of the document will depend on her country of residence and the government fees established.
Travel cost. If your foreign bride is expected to go to another country to have an interview with the marriage officer in the US consulate or embassy, this may also be qualified as an additional expense.

Fiance Visa Processing Time

Your K-1 fiance visa may take a long time to be processed, so you should get ready for the fact that it takes up to 8-12 months for the application to be approved and for the interview process to be completed. The processing time will also depend on the home country of your foreign bride:

Form DS-160. The form completion and approval will take about 6-7 months, which also depends on the country your bride originates from.
The interview process. The interview that takes place in the US Embassy will require your future spouse to wait for at least a month until the date and location are scheduled and they can attend the consulate without delays.
K-1 approval time. Once your K-1 visa is approved, the foreign bride has to enter the country within 90 days after the approval and get married to a US citizen in the country.

How to Handle Potential Delays or Obstacles

Once you know how to apply for fiance visa, you can easily overcome obstacles on your way to obtaining the K-1 visa. Here are some tips and tricks that you can use to make sure the process goes smoothly:

Explore the immigration laws. Make sure you know the details of your foreign bride admission into the country. Do not dismiss any tiny details, however insignificant or unimportant they may seem. In this case, you may use the information that is provided by the US Immigration Services to help you know your way around the foreign bride visa and the laws that accompany it.
Approach the marriage lawyer. It would be wise to consult a lawyer and ask them about the potential complications of getting a visa or what should be taken into account during the process (if you have the means and determination to go all the way for your international bride). We recommend looking for a lawyer, specializing in international marriages.
Submit the application properly. If your application form delivery is delayed, this might be because you have omitted some important information that is expected in the K-1 application form. Take your time to fill out the documents and double-check all the documents that are required to start the application process.
Make sure your connection is genuine. There might be challenges associated with getting a K-1 fiance visa because the immigration officers are not sure whether your connection is genuine. For this purpose, we recommend building a legit relationship, so that the US Embassy officers know that your romance is not a fake, but a true, meaningful romantic union that is intended to last.

Conclusion

How to become a mail order American bride and obtain a K1 fiance visa? Anyone who is seeking answers on the topic should know that the entire process can turn out to be lengthy and complicated. The processing time for a visa and international marriages will also depend on the foreign bride’s home country and the US Immigration Services. To avoid any delays or challenges when you start completing the fiance visa form, ensure you know US government laws and regulations so you can proceed confidently.

Misael Gaylord

Misael Gaylord belongs to the most popular authors on mail-bride.org who shares his own experience and knowledge. Years of work in marriage agencies make him an experienced and self-motivated writer who creates great content for us.