How did you decide on a K1?

[Andrea&Mal 1]

My fiance and I are currently exploring our options for visas so that he can come and settle in the United States. We just got engaged and are weighing up the positives and negatives for either the K1 visa or the CR1. We don't want to be apart, but know that we're facing up to a year apart regardless of which option we go for. It's very frustrating, but we're trying to pick the best option.

We're considering getting married quickly (in the next few months) so that we can apply for a CR1 instead of a fiance visa. We know this will mean being apart during our first year of marriage, but it also means a considerable savings in cost and that my fiance can work as soon as he arrives into the country on his visa. Trying not be too sentimental about things, it does seem to be the best option.

However...we're talking about our marriage and it's hard not to be sentimental! It's very difficult to pick an option that means being apart as soon as we marry. But the benefits in the long run do seem to make up for it. We're having a very difficult time and keep going back and forth about what we should do.

For those of you who chose the K1, how did you choose? I know everyone is different, but it would be helpful to hear some of the thought processes behind your decisions. We're feeling very alone in this as nobody we know has had to go through this process before. It's all pretty overwhelming!

Thanks

Andrea

[HappyRs 8]

We chose k1 because my fiance was married before and even if the divorce was final in January, he wasn't allowed to remarry until July. we opted for k1 because we wanted to start our journey asap. I think that otherwise we would have chosen CR1 as well, for all the reasons you have already mentioned. Adjudicating CR1 doesn't take that long either... cases seem to get approved much faster these days and now it's only a couple of months difference from K1 (of course, each case is different), so with a bit of luck, you two could be together in just 7-8 months.

Good luck!

[Neonred 3,573]

We went with K-1 so we could try living together for a few months to see if we liked each other!

[jrmejia 31]

We went with K-1 so we could try living together for a few months to see if we liked each other!

Very important for long distance relationship.

[Kukolka 8]

We chose K-1 because to us, having to be apart during engagement seemed the lesser evil than having to be apart after getting married. And at the time we decided, we thought the K-1 would get us together more quickly, we didn't know Montréal took so long. Even knowing, though, we would have chosen the same.

Edited August 30, 2010 by Kukolka

[thelastpetitioner 218]

we chose k-1 cause we wanted a quick alternative to k-3,BUT keep in mind,not always k-1 gets done as quickly as you hope.ive been searching timelines on here none stop,i have seen only a couple of cases where the beneficiary is from a close country to the states ( like canada ) and it got done within the four or five months timeline.

and also keep in mind,k-1 requires further action after marriage,as in filling for your green card and what not,because k-1 is a request for non immigrant fiance VISA,but in k-3 after the interview you will receive your green card right away,also in k-3 you are going to need more evidence than k-1,because you have to prove that your marriage is real

[SuperDuper! 230]

We went with K-1 so we could try living together for a few months to see if we liked each other!

Smart move, having yet another checkpoint in this process just to confirm things between you.

[patient2010 93]

We picked K1 because we would rather be separated and engaged rather than separated and married. In my opinion it really doesnt matter which one you pick you will have to be separated and there is no gurantees that one is faster than the other...GOOD LUCK

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

We picked a K1 because my security clearance doesn't like me being married to a spouse living in a foreign country let alone one that I have never lived with.

[marlea 84]

We chose a K1 for many of the reasons mentioned above. We have been in a long-distance relationship for the entire time we've known each other, and the idea of getting married and STILL being long distance was too much for us to take. I'm willing to do a long distance engagement, but I'm not willing to do a long distance engagement AND a long distance first year of marriage. While it's true that there are financial difficulties that come with the K1, such as him not being able to work and the AOS costing a lot of money, we are willing to deal with it. It's not like it's tens of thousands of dollars, it's $1000 difference. That's doable. I'm willing to not eat out as often, to cut back on my spending, to dip into savings so that we can be really and truly together after we get married.

Also, with scheduling, going the CR1 route would have added time. Not because of how long it would take to get the visa, but because we were able to start the K1 process immediately after we got engaged in April, but to do the CR1, we would have to have waited a few months or more before one of us could travel to see the other and get married, and then it would take another 6+ months to get the visa. Between cost of flights (an added $1000 right there) and our work schedules, it would have been October at the earliest before we would have been able to travel to get married. We wouldn't have been able to start the CR1 process until November or so, then it would have been another 6+ months before he would have gotten his visa. With the K1, my fiance has his interview scheduled for the end of September, and he will be here for good before the end of the year. So, he will be here much faster, we get to spend our lives from day one of our marriage together, and I think that is worth the extra cost of going the K1 route. And, considering the cost of the flights if we were to fly to get married before filing the petition, that would have added an extra $1000 or so. So honestly, in the end, the costs all balance out.

[baron555 934]

We chose K-1 because that was quickest and we couldn't fly back and forth to be with each other a lot.

Skype is a wonderful invention; almost as good as being there.

[Amyyduck 20]

We chose k1 for the same reason a lot of people are mentioning: We could handle being apart for another year or so during the engagement if it meant that once we got married, we could actually be together, permanently. Neither of us could stomach the idea of getting married, spending an amazing honeymoon together and then having to go back to separate countries and lives. It made me feel sick just thinking about it.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

We chose the K1 because my wife wanted to bring two of her kids with her. One had already turned 18, the other would likely have turned 18 before we could get married and get a CR1 visa approved. A child is eligible for a K2 as long as they are under 21 and not married. The kids wouldn't have been eligible for a K4 (which was still possible at the time) or IR2 unless I married their mother before they turned 18.

For those who choose the K1 so that they'll have an opportunity to live together in the US for a month or two before deciding to get married - do NOT share this bit of information with the consular officer at the interview. The law requires that you intend to marry at the time the petition is sent, and that you continue to have this intention at the time the visa is issued. You even have to include a statement to that effect with the petition. If you admit you're using the visa as an opportunity to "try before you buy" then they can deny the visa on that basis.

[Nik+Heather 121]

We picked the K-1 because we were going to have a number of months for our engagement anyway so we could plan a wedding, so we just did the visa paperwork while we were waiting anyway.

As with many others, we didn't want to be married and separated. Sometimes I wished we'd gone the CR-1 route, but in the end, I think we made the right choice with the K-1. It's difficult enough admitting to people that we met and dated online without having to explain that I'm *MARRIED* to a person who doesn't live with me! We didn't use the K-1 for a "trial" period (Though he did use up a whole VWP entry a year prior to becoming engaged). Nik arrived only a little over a week before the wedding.

I'm usually a bit of a tight fist, especially about high dollar items (like visas), but I really felt like the K-1 was worth the extra cost. But if you don't feel financially comfortable with the job situation or the extra fees, don't put yourself through that stress and go for the CR-1 instead.

[ryna 132]

Bottom line for us was that we wanted to be together after saying "I do." Fortunately for us, I've been able to visit her a lot during our wait but we didn't want to have to do this once we got married.