How many times do we have to pay???

[JoannaV 173]

The plane ticket in order to marry can negate the cost-savings of the CR-1 vs K1. It will also delay you if you have to wait to marry (ie can't fly out tomorrow). So really every situation is different.

The visa fee is $350, the initial fee that you pay with the petition ($340 or whatever) is not a visa fee but, err, the fee for filing the petition. They don't make this easy to understand!

My advice would be to start the process asap. File the I-129F and pay the $340. Once you have done that you can figure out the next stage of the process. You will have several months before you need to pay the next fee, which you should be able to manage but there is also always the possibility of delaying the process a few more months if you need longer to get the money together. But you should be fine if you two scrimp and save for a little while :-)

As far as the requirements go, your fiance just needs to earn over $18,387. If he can prove that then you do not need to worry about his student loan or your savings. Those are things that you guys will need to think about when considering your actual financial condition, but as far as the US immigration authorities are concerned, all that matters is that your fiance earns over $18,387. So you are all set!

You did not explain how you or your fiance met. So I just want to check that you know that there is a requirement of having met in person within the last 2 years in order to get the K1 visa. So if this is not the case then one of you will need to fly to meet the other one before you can do anything. (In which case definitely get married on that trip and file for the CR1!)

[Mandy_Amro 3]

Thanks Mandy_Amro.

hmm. I am a little confused about what you said here. Are you suggesting that we get married in the U.S.?

I don't think I can go to America with tourist visa and get married.

I was talking to my boyfriend and we thought getting married in Japan first and then apply for a spousal visa might be the way to go.

In many websites I see they say that there are only two ways for an international marriage which are 1. get a fiance visa and get married in the U.S. or 2. get married in Japan and apply for a spousal visa.

So you are suggesting the 2nd option here?

Yes, the second option. Get married in Japan. But the only problem is plane tickets are expensive

If that isnt an option, then get the K1 ball rolling!

Good luck!

[cookiehigh 0]

So...I am still confused but I tried to organize what people have suggested here.

[K1-visa]

I-129: $340

Visa: $350

AOS: $1100

Medical: $200 to $300?

Police: $30 to 50?

[CR-1 visa]

Documentation fee (such as Single Affidavit For marriage): $50

I-130: $420

Medical: $200 to $300?

Police: $30 to 50?

So the biggest difference is that, with K1, you have to pay $1100 for AOS and with CR-1 you don't, correct?

I also came across something that said while CR-1 is processed you can't travel to the U.S. Is it right?

CR-1 sounds much more simple than fiance visa...

[cookiehigh 0]

The plane ticket in order to marry can negate the cost-savings of the CR-1 vs K1. It will also delay you if you have to wait to marry (ie can't fly out tomorrow). So really every situation is different.

The visa fee is $350, the initial fee that you pay with the petition ($340 or whatever) is not a visa fee but, err, the fee for filing the petition. They don't make this easy to understand!

My advice would be to start the process asap. File the I-129F and pay the $340. Once you have done that you can figure out the next stage of the process. You will have several months before you need to pay the next fee, which you should be able to manage but there is also always the possibility of delaying the process a few more months if you need longer to get the money together. But you should be fine if you two scrimp and save for a little while :-)

As far as the requirements go, your fiance just needs to earn over $18,387. If he can prove that then you do not need to worry about his student loan or your savings. Those are things that you guys will need to think about when considering your actual financial condition, but as far as the US immigration authorities are concerned, all that matters is that your fiance earns over $18,387. So you are all set!

You did not explain how you or your fiance met. So I just want to check that you know that there is a requirement of having met in person within the last 2 years in order to get the K1 visa. So if this is not the case then one of you will need to fly to meet the other one before you can do anything. (In which case definitely get married on that trip and file for the CR1!)

Thanks JoannaV!!

You broke it down for me and made it easy to understand!

Right. I agree with you. I strongly feel that we should at least start the process by filing I-129 since it takes a long time.

However it does concern me how I will not be able to work right away with K1-visa. And that it costs $1100 for AOS which sounds ridiculous!

I prefer waiting for my green card while I work and make money in Japan rather than staying at home with no car in the U.S.

For the paper work to get married in Japan, my boyfriend does not need to be here. I can take care of everything. And even if he did decide to come we can still find some fun out of it.. compare to paying $700 for mere paper work. So the traveling cost should not bother me.

However, In my research I came across something that suggested I would not be able to see my boyfriend while waiting for CR-1. Do you know if it is correct?

[Robert&Karen 264]

When my fiance was at her medical she found another person who was already married, she needed ALL her shots before coming to America, she could not get them once here. Very $$$.

[Onyx & Inari 0]

Why some people can't always give the simple answer... lol

Petition - $350

Interview - $350

Police Certificate - $50-130

Copy of Birth Certificate - $30-100

Though both certificates depend on how fast you need them.

You will almost have around $70-100 is miscellaneous costs.

In my instance it has almost cost me so far around $300 in travel costs to London and back for medical and interview.

You only need a total of 5 photographs - 1 for police certificate - 1 of you to go off with the petition - 1 for the medical - 2 for the interview

Estimated packages you need to send - allowing for admin errors (Yes they happen): around 4!

Once your in the united states you need to change your status once you have gotten married.

It is around $1000 for your adjustment of Status - and about $450 for you permit to work.

Not to mention your own cost for your wedding, you will still need to pay the registrar and get the wedding license.

[john_and_marlene 162]

Why some people can't always give the simple answer... lol

It is around $1000 for your adjustment of Status - and about $450 for you permit to work.

Sometimes the simple answer is incorrect. There will be no fee for the work permit for a K1 adjusting status. The AOS fee covers the adjustment and interim benefits of advance parole and employment authorization.

[Onyx & Inari 0]

Sometimes the simple answer is incorrect. There will be no fee for the work permit for a K1 adjusting status. The AOS fee covers the adjustment and interim benefits of advance parole and employment authorization.

Reading the OP the simple answer and breakdown was fine - listing all the costs that need factoring. ^^

[JoannaV 173]

You're right that it would be preferable to spend $1100 on a trip to see each other rather than giving $1100 to the US immigration authorities The only difference is you will have to spend that money now rather than next year, but if you can afford to do it then definitely worth it, plus overall it will work out more cost-effective as you will be able to get a job upon arriving in the US. (Even working a part-time minimum wage job it would be worth it.)

If you decide to do the spousal visa then obviously you can't file the I-130 till after you get married, which will slow you down a little bit...but once you get to the US you will immediately be able to find a job and do everything a proper resident can do. Personally I definitely prefer the CR-1 route, but it's an individual choice.

Whether you file for the K1 or CR1 visas you are perfectly able to travel to the US and visit him whilst waiting for approval. At the US border you may need to provide proof that you're not intending to immigrate on that trip: so proof of your job for example. Also, proof that you've filed for a visa is pretty good evidence that you don't intend on immigrating on that trip! Japan being a Visa Waiver Program country you don't need to consider anything else.

Regarding aorobert's comment on vaccinations: for the CR1 you need to have the vaccinations prior to getting the visa. For the K1 you can choose to have them once in the US, prior to filing for AOS. In general, it is cheaper/easier to have them in your home country. However, there are exceptions, for example the list of required vaccines for children is very long and if they haven't had any before then it may be costly to obtain them in the home country, depending on the country. But you may already have had all the required vaccines anyway.

So if you decide the spousal visa is a better option then you won't be filing the I-129F. You will marry and then file the I-130. :-)

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Thanks for the fast reply!!

Ugh. It costs a lot of money for sure...

So the $1100 you mentioned goes toward getting work permit and stuff like that? They require application fee as well????

Also, during the process I noticed there is a part where you have to state that you are able to support your fiance or the other way around, is it correct?

Does that mean that if we don't have massive amount of savings we are not going to be able to get married???

We are just out of college and still trying to get our lives sorted out.

But we figured money can be earned anywhere...For me, I need a visa to get any jobs in the U.S.

How much would you say should people have before starting filing anything? How much do we need to prove we have in the form of financial statement?

Thanks!!!

The fees will be the cheapest and easiest part of all this.

You pay for the petition, the visa, the AOS (green card), and in two years you pay again to renew the green card and in another year you pay again to get citizenship. Until the citizenship is obtained you will be keeping documents of your relationship, paying fees, going to interviews and waiting for approvals. The fees are the easy and cheap part of bringing a fiancee here, marrying her and living with her.

Plan on the process and life in general consuming ALL the money you make for the next few years and you will not be dissapointed.

We have three people we did this for, so mutilply all the fees x 3 and it is STILL the cheap part.