I have been reading this forum for a few days on the K-3 and K-1 choices... I am going to Argentina in April to see my best friend and future life partner for the first time in person. I have been reading every thread I can find about K-1 and K-3 visa. My fiancee and I have been trying to decide which way to go... The choice is to file K-1 visa and go thru that process without getting married in Argentina for now...
BUT we really want to marry because of the family there and it may be a long time before we are able to return to Argentina again.. I guess I am asking if we marry in Argentina we are required to fill a K-3 visa, will it take longer than a K-1 visa???? Pre-thanks again, John

If you marry, then you file I-130 first, wait for the notice of action, then file I-129F (K-3).

K-1s usually are faster than immigrant visas (CR/IR) but K-3s run around the same time. It's your choice.

Better to go thru K1....little wait but positive results....Best Wishes...

I did a K3, 7 months later my wife had her visa! That was the manila consulate.

It's nearly mox nix (even) for you timewise because you have not yet met in person. If you had, you could file I-129f for a K-1 tomorrow.

There are a lot of other important parts to immigrating, beyond speed of getting 'here'. You know that it could be a long time before you're both able to return to visit family (a K-1 is a single entry visa & there is a delay in getting a travel document), for some people, having their wedding with their family is extremely important (a K-1 is required to marry in the US) and some time apart is going to happen either way--do you prefer to be separated as fiances, or spouses?

The K-3 will probably take a little longer than a K-1, but other factors may tip your decision.

OK.. One thing I forgot to mention is... I may be going to work in Brazil.. I wonder what will happen to the process then.. I will have a choice to work there or here though... This and her family being in Argentina is another reason I wanted to marry at this point also.

If you're going to live in Brazil, you won't be able to get your furture wife to the US if you're not there. DCF (for the time being AFAWK) is not an option, so if you decide to go to Brazil, you might as well take yoru wife with you, and then from there figure out what to do about US immigration.

No clue on Brazillian immigration whether you can just take her there or not, you'd have to look that up I guess on their immigration website.

If you two have never met face to face however, K1 at the moment is not an option until *after* you go to Argentina. In order to file the I-129F for fiance visa, you have to have actually met face to face. I believe now also for the K3, you have to have proof of relationship with the petitions, so you may have to deal with that as well. I dunno...I'm just glad my hubby and I don't have to do through all this crap these days. What a circus!

Well, a few things happening... I got all the documentation I needed for the marriage to take place... but! I was told by the Immigration department in Anchorage that I only needed notary seals from a bank.. so I went all the way back to Fairbanks and done just that... With divorce/marriage certs and all the other documents ($150.00+) I send to Argentina FedX for $77..... Now it is comming back to me with need of apostille on ever document. Thanks to Anchorage (and me for being trusting) the wedding with it's deposits of $2000 are going to be lost.. No wedding on the 28 April now....

Sad I am to have this happen but happy cause I am still gonna to see my love! Come hell or high paperwork!!!

Hang in there, true love is worth every second we wait....

jlscott201,

No, you are not required to fill a K3 visa. K3 is an option available to your wife. She could apply for an immigrant visa if you and she prefer.

Unless you get married on this visit, both the K3 visa and the immigrant visa would take longer than a K1 visa.

Yodrak