Costs of K-1, K-3, DCF or IR1/CR1

[Saigon Bill 0]

I looked in the comparison table of the different possible routes of obtaining the marriage visa, and this is one aspect that's not really mentioned.

How do the different routes (K-1, K-3, DCF or IR1/CR1) compare in terms of typical total cost?

A friend of mine who just did the K-1 in the past year told me it cost him around $3000 altogether, which is much higher than what I'd heard from others. I don't know if that is accurate, first of all, or whether all the different routes are about comparable (meaning similar) in terms of total typical costs.

Thanks!

[payxibka 10,048]

I looked in the comparison table of the different possible routes of obtaining the marriage visa, and this is one aspect that's not really mentioned.

How do the different routes (K-1, K-3, DCF or IR1/CR1) compare in terms of typical total cost?

A friend of mine who just did the K-1 in the past year told me it cost him around $3000 altogether, which is much higher than what I'd heard from others. I don't know if that is accurate, first of all, or whether all the different routes are about comparable (meaning similar) in terms of total typical costs.

Thanks!

DCF will probably be cheapest, IR1 will be close second, then K-1 followed closely by K-3

[Saigon Bill 0]

DCF will probably be cheapest, IR1 will be close second, then K-1 followed closely by K-3

But at about what approximate costs, typically?

[payxibka 10,048]

DCF will probably be cheapest, IR1 will be close second, then K-1 followed closely by K-3

But at about what approximate costs, typically?

One would simply need to lookup and add together the costs of all the petition filings and applicaiton fees. I would guess $1500 - $2000.

[Eric-Pris 1,610]

A friend of mine who just did the K-1 in the past year told me it cost him around $3000 altogether, which is much higher than what I'd heard from others. I don't know if that is accurate, first of all, or whether all the different routes are about comparable (meaning similar) in terms of total typical costs.

Did he use a lawyer?

$3000 is high. The k-1 itself is under $1000. The AOS after the fiancee comes to the US is somewhat expensive ($1010).

Here are the k-1 fees:

k-1 filing $455

document fees (some countries charge for police certificates, birth certificates, etc etc)

medical $100

visa interview $131

visa delivery fee?

Edited March 27, 2008 by kid brooklyn

[~Laura and Nick~ 5]

$3000 is high. The k-1 itself is under $1000. The AOS after the fiancee comes to the US is somewhat expensive ($1010).

Here are the k-1 fees:

k-1 filing $455

document fees (some countries charge for police certificates, birth certificates, etc etc)

medical $100

visa interview $131

visa delivery fee?

The medical is more than 100 dollars..the lowest I've seen is $180.00

There are also the other expenses in between...photocopies, mailing, passport pictures, traveling to the interview, to the medical, etc. etc. etc.

It adds up quickly and is probably a little more than $1000.00

Then add on the AOS and you are looking at $2500.00 and up.

[Saigon Bill 0]

DCF will probably be cheapest, IR1 will be close second, then K-1 followed closely by K-3

But at about what approximate costs, typically?

One would simply need to lookup and add together the costs of all the petition filings and applicaiton fees. I would guess $1500 - $2000.

Do you mean that the cheapest route is around $1500 and the most expensive about $2000? I'm not sure what you're referring to., whether it's one of the four processes I mentioned or all of them or... ? It sounds like K-1 and K-3 are close, so maybe I just need to know about how much the other 2 are compared to those 2 - for example are they a small fraction (20% or so) of what K-1/K-3 cost or are they just a couple hundred or so cheaper.

There are four different routes that I'm considering, and I'm actually not sure how to find out what all those petitions and applications are (for each route) that you're mentioning. Look them up where? Like on the http://www.uscis.gov/ site, there's a long list of immigration forms, but I haven't come across something that tells me exactly which of these are the ones that I need to get. (and of course nothing that tells me if there is something else that isn't one of these, something that's not listed there)

[payxibka 10,048]

The medical is more than 100 dollars..the lowest I've seen is $180.00

Obviously country dependant... Ukraine is currently $100 for adults and $85 for children under 14....

Do you mean that the cheapest route is around $1500 and the most expensive about $2000? I'm not sure what you're referring to., whether it's one of the four processes I mentioned or all of them or... ? It sounds like K-1 and K-3 are close, so maybe I just need to know about how much the other 2 are compared to those 2 - for example are they a small fraction (20% or so) of what K-1/K-3 cost or are they just a couple hundred or so cheaper.

There are four different routes that I'm considering, and I'm actually not sure how to find out what all those petitions and applications are (for each route) that you're mentioning. Look them up where? Like on the http://www.uscis.gov/ site, there's a long list of immigration forms, but I haven't come across something that tells me exactly which of these are the ones that I need to get. (and of course nothing that tells me if there is something else that isn't one of these, something that's not listed there)

The VJ guides will give you assistance

[Saigon Bill 0]

Sorry, I can see from these replies that it seems as if people are focusing on K-1 only -- it certainly is good to now get more detailed ideas of what K-1's costs are (broken down) -- really good. What I'm mainly interested in finding out is how the other routes compare in terms of costs. Now with this info about K-1's costs, I have a good starting point, of course. I saw it mentioned that DCF and IR1 are both less expensive, but about how much less expensive? And that K-3 is more expensive (and yes, about how much more?)

THANKS!

[~Laura and Nick~ 5]

Sorry, I can see from these replies that it seems as if people are focusing on K-1 only -- it certainly is good to now get more detailed ideas of what K-1's costs are (broken down) -- really good. What I'm mainly interested in finding out is how the other routes compare in terms of costs. Now with this info about K-1's costs, I have a good starting point, of course. I saw it mentioned that DCF and IR1 are both less expensive, but about how much less expensive? And that K-3 is more expensive (and yes, about how much more?)

THANKS!

This is after all the K1 forum...possibly posting the question in each of the other forums..asking how much the process has cost people going through the K3, DCF, etc etc. will give you a better insight.

Unless you are lucky and get someone who knows off hand the costs of all the different visas.

Good luck!

[Saigon Bill 0]

The VJ guides will give you assistance

I'm now looking at the Guide page for K-3. I don't see any information about costs on the entire page. If I click into the various links for the I-130 package, I haven't found anything yet that mentions the cost or fee for that, or if there is no fee needed for it. I'm not sure what you mean by 'simply look it up' -- so far it it's not seeming very simple.

[payxibka 10,048]

The VJ guides will give you assistance

I'm now looking at the Guide page for K-3. I don't see any information about costs on the entire page. If I click into the various links for the I-130 package, I haven't found anything yet that mentions the cost or fee for that, or if there is no fee needed for it. I'm not sure what you mean by 'simply look it up' -- so far it it's not seeming very simple.

The VJ guides will give you help to the process including the different petitions and applications that will be required to be filed. Then you can go to the USCIS &/or your embassy website to see what the current fee structure is for various filings.

Currently for a K-3 there is no additional filing fee for the I-129F (but you do need an initial I-130).

Edited March 27, 2008 by fwaguy

[Saigon Bill 0]

This is after all the K1 forum...possibly posting the question in each of the other forums..asking how much the process has cost people going through the K3, DCF, etc etc. will give you a better insight.

Unless you are lucky and get someone who knows off hand the costs of all the different visas.

Good point and good idea. I'll do that. Thanks again.

So the AOS... that one must be gotten once inside the US, correct? The fee is due when applying for it? (meaning, the money must be included with the application?) And the flow-chart is a little vague about this -- how long after being in the US would you apply for it? (it says 'as soon as possible' but what does that mean in terms of months/years)

[Dr. Obvious 49]

DCF is cheap in terms of fees alone if you are eligible for an IR-1. Then you don't have to worry about AOS or ROC. However, you would have to factor in the cost of more plane tickets and the set up costs of living in another country for however long it takes to get their residency or the embassy's definition of residency. And also can't forget that you already have to be married 2 years to get an IR-1 in the first place so...

Edited March 27, 2008 by Wacken

[Saigon Bill 0]

The VJ guides will give you help to the process including the different petitions and applications that will be required to be filed. Then you can go to the USCIS &/or your embassy website to see what the current fee structure is for various filings.

Currently for a K-3 there is no additional filing fee for the I-129F (but you do need an initial I-130).

OK excellent. That gives me a much better idea how to do it myself.

I need to sleep now, but will work on this more tomorrow.

Thanks again.