How did you decide on a K1?

[Going Green 5]

We choose the K1 for many of the same reasons as others listed... but also we wanted to have the wedding with both of our families and friends there, not a quickie to fill the obligation of getting married (but that is us we are old souls)... being apart SUCKS but when we get married we know we don't ever have to be again!!

[BirdyGirl85 23]

Well we chose K1 because K1 is faster to get your visa. Also we would have to prove a lot more things with CR1 that we just wouldn't have right now. With CR1, I know you get your green card right away, but it's not a problem for us that my fiance would have to wait a few months to get that, since he has visited me in the U.S. in the past for months at a time, and of course he couldn't work then. That's not a problem. I also wouldn't really like the idea of being apart from my husband. It already seems weird enough for me to tell people I am engaged to someone who lives in a different country, imagine what they would think if I told them my husband doesn't live with me. (Although I know I shouldn't care what they think) Plus I just liked the idea of getting married in the U.S. For a couple reasons, mainly because my family couldn't afford to go to Finland for a wedding, but my fiance's family does make enough money to come to the U.S. for our wedding.

[usmcwife 3]

We chose the K1 because we thought it would be faster. We also wanted some time together in person before to plan the wedding and to be reunited after our wait.

I can't say that it was faster but I think it was. We didn't end up having any time prior though but we were happy to be married right away. To be honest, We've been married almost 2 months and I really wouldn't want to be anywhere other than with my husband right now.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Yes,exasctly,It's just my opinion,and for me,It's still a no brainer. I would never ever have done a K-1 if I would of known about the CR-1..But if the K-1 worked for you,all the best

Soooo..... you're basically saying you didn't do any research, and just went with the first visa you heard about?

[xinchao 0]

So honestly, in the end, the costs all balance out.

Good points, but total cost considerations are only one angle. We picked CR1 because our K1 was denied :-( The US Consular staffer who did the interview locally claimed that we hadn't known one another long enough. It was a total shock. It set us back by a year.

Our CR1 request is in process now but in hindsight, we should have gotten married overseas first anyway. We decided to try a K1 instead because it was supposedly faster. It is a big regret now.

The delay may be a few months longer but applying for a CR1 with marriage papers in hand is the more sure way to go. We just learned this the hard way.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

We discussed the options. The CR-1 offers an immediate green card and ability to work. That was not a factor for us, Alla had no need or intent to work soon after arriving. The CR-1 allows for immediate foreign travel. She is from Ukraine, not Canada. We didn't plan on making a trip there immediately after she arrived, I had checked on the ability of getting an emergency AP if needed. Not a factor for us.

The K1 offers the K2 (in our case TWO k2s on the same petition) so it was cheaper PLUS the age retriction of being married before the child is 18 years old does not apply to the K2 and that was possibly a factor for us (though it turned out not to be)

We were pleased with our choice as it worked best for us, the timing of coming to the USA as regards the boys school needs, etc.

Consider all the options, all the benefits and restrictions and make the choice based on what is best for you in the long run. I caution against making a decision just because the "K-1 is faster" This is a lifetime decision and the extra few weeks of processing a CR-1 will hardly be noticed in a year or two or 20.

[FrankC 0]

I tend to agree with joevegas.

The K-1 is alright cause it generally processes faster but coming ot the states and basically being stuck in the house for three months isn't that great. When I went and reviewed the guide I wished I'd done a direct consular filing, sounds like you might be able to do that. That looks like the best of both worlds to me.

Having found this site, you aare halfway there whatever you choose, the info on here is spot on.

Good Luck!

[Andrea&Mal 1]

Thank you all so much for your replies. Reading through them all has helped both of us to think about what we want to do. There were definitely things I hadn't thought about, like being sure he can get into the country and the higher burden of proof for a CR1 as opposed to a K1.

We had a long talk last night and have decided to go for the K1. I think the biggest factor was that when we were discussing the K1 option I was just excited about being engaged and planning a wedding, but as soon as we switched over to the CR1 I started getting so stressed. Trying to plan a wedding on very short notice and then all the subsequent visa requirements, it sort of sucked all the excitement out of it for us. I think we'd both been trying to make a decision not based on any emotion, when really it IS an emotional thing and we had to go by our gut instinct. SO! We're gathering all our information for our K1 and are tentatively planning a wedding for September 2011.

Thank you all again, this site has been such a huge help to us. I'm sure I'll be around asking lots of questions for quite awhile!

Andrea

[Katwood 0]

My fiancé and I live together in Mexico and I am pregnant. We had decided to apply for the K1 for several reasons:

1) It is most likely faster and I would like to return to the US by mid-summer 2011 for employment reasons. The K1 seems like a more likely choice to get met there in time. And, the money spent on the K1 will quickly be made when I am earning dollars and not pesos.

2) Planning a wedding and applying for a visa and having a baby all in September seems like too much. So, we thought that we would put off planning the wedding until we are back in the US.

3) My fiancé made a great point - we are having a baby in his country with his family, so we should have the wedding in my country with my family.

But, since we already live together "as if we were husband and wife", I worry that we are applying for the wrong visa. I am also concerned about proving financial stability in the US even though we do have a co-sponsor. I have a couple of friends who did the K1 successfully while they were living with their then boyfriends in Mexico, so I know that I shouldn't worry. But, I am worried!

[marlea 84]

Thank you all so much for your replies. Reading through them all has helped both of us to think about what we want to do. There were definitely things I hadn't thought about, like being sure he can get into the country and the higher burden of proof for a CR1 as opposed to a K1.

We had a long talk last night and have decided to go for the K1. I think the biggest factor was that when we were discussing the K1 option I was just excited about being engaged and planning a wedding, but as soon as we switched over to the CR1 I started getting so stressed. Trying to plan a wedding on very short notice and then all the subsequent visa requirements, it sort of sucked all the excitement out of it for us. I think we'd both been trying to make a decision not based on any emotion, when really it IS an emotional thing and we had to go by our gut instinct. SO! We're gathering all our information for our K1 and are tentatively planning a wedding for September 2011.

Thank you all again, this site has been such a huge help to us. I'm sure I'll be around asking lots of questions for quite awhile!

Andrea

That's pretty much exactly what my fiance and I went through. The idea of planning a wedding while we were apart, getting married, then having to be apart for longer while trying to establish that we were co-mingling finances and lives, even though we were in two different countries, was too stressful. And that would have added stress to our marriage. Even though the K1 does have "added costs" and downsides re: working when he arrives, those are minor issues that are not insurmountable. And as someone else said, in the long run, years down the line, does 3 months not working really matter? Not to me. But a year or more apart after the wedding... that might have a negative impact.

In our case, the K1 process is going much faster than we expected. We got engaged in April and our wedding is planned for April 2011. When we first started the process, we thought that he would get his visa by Feb or March, at the latest, which would still give him time to be here prior to the wedding. That meant that I was going to have to do the majority of the wedding planning while he was only able to give his input from afar. What has actually happened is that the process is moving much faster than we thought, and it looks like he will be able to come over here around the holidays. We will do a civil ceremony almost immediately so that we can get the paperwork started, but then he will be here with me for the last 4 months of wedding planning. So, with the K1, it's like we are getting the best of both. We will actually be able to enjoy planning the wedding together, we will be able to stay together after we get married, and depending on how fast the AOS paperwork goes, we may even be able to go back to the UK for a honeymoon and to see his family immediately after the wedding. Yes, technically we will have been married legally for a few months at that point, but I'm looking at it as a two step process. We do the legal stuff, and then the wedding with all the family and friends is just the final touch.

Yes, the CR1 is very practical, but sometimes practicality is overrated. Go with your gut!

[Barbara J 115]

Thank you all so much for your replies. Reading through them all has helped both of us to think about what we want to do. There were definitely things I hadn't thought about, like being sure he can get into the country and the higher burden of proof for a CR1 as opposed to a K1.

We had a long talk last night and have decided to go for the K1. I think the biggest factor was that when we were discussing the K1 option I was just excited about being engaged and planning a wedding, but as soon as we switched over to the CR1 I started getting so stressed. Trying to plan a wedding on very short notice and then all the subsequent visa requirements, it sort of sucked all the excitement out of it for us. I think we'd both been trying to make a decision not based on any emotion, when really it IS an emotional thing and we had to go by our gut instinct. SO! We're gathering all our information for our K1 and are tentatively planning a wedding for September 2011.

Thank you all again, this site has been such a huge help to us. I'm sure I'll be around asking lots of questions for quite awhile!

Andrea

Good luck Andrea and I think you are making the right decision. it will go quickly trust me even though it seems like it drags some days, but once you get yur k1 visa you can be together forever and no more being apart. best wishes sweetie.

[joevegas 67]

Soooo..... you're basically saying you didn't do any research, and just went with the first visa you heard about?

No, I did a lot of research,and all i heard about was the k-1 and K-3 everywhere i checked..Nothing about the CR-1,somehow I missed that one.I mean it is what it is and it got me here to be with my wife and that's all thats important...But all in all.."and once again,my opinion only"...K-1 sucks,CR-1 in the long run,way less hasle much much better option

[PurpleSky 19]

I know you've made your decision already Andrea, but I just wanted to pipe in for others who may be reading this for assistance.

We decided on K1 for a few reasons:

1) I didn't want to get married without my family with me. (Plus he feels that our life together will be in America so we should start our life together in America)

2) The thought of marrying each other then being apart was just too much for us to bear. Add to that my thought that "what if I get pregnant right after our marriage ceremony? Then I would be going through just about the whole (if not the whole) pregnancy without him and there isn't even a guarantee that he WOULD be allowed to come over". Neither one of us wanted to do that at all.

3) Although one of our concerns was him not being able to work when he got here, we decided that we would just save what we could and put it aside. He also sends me a little money every month that I put in a savings account for him so he can have his own money when he finally gets here.

4) Like someone else mentioned, I didn't want to get hitched to someone that I had no idea what their real habits were like. Who knows...he could just be on his best behavior when I go visit him and could be a different person to live with.