Why get a K-1?

[Gabriel137 0]

What is the benifit of a K-1? If it dosen't extend any visa and they have to return to their country why get it and not just the spouse visa?

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Some people want to move, get married, and not have to leave. A spousal visa means you get married, but the beneficiary has to go home to their country and wait for an interview.

It all depends on how people want to get married and when they want to be separated.

[Inky 1,110]

What is the benifit of a K-1? If it dosen't extend any visa and they have to return to their country why get it and not just the spouse visa?

It would probably be a good idea for you to read the comparison chart in the guide section.

K-1 entrants do not leave the country after. They file for adjustment of status and get to stay in the USA with their new spouse instead of being separated from their spouse for almost a year and in some cases over a year before they get to be together.

[Ryan H 3,790]

A spousal visa means you get married, but the beneficiary has to go home to their country and wait for an interview.

Or the petitioner needs to return to the US due to obligations (e.g. work).

[Moomin 292]

For various reasons. Personally, I visited my then fiance(in the US), then visited a second time, then got engaged, then visited again a couple of months later. I was far by ready to get married to "a stranger". Even though we had met plenty of times, spend 24/7 skyping and knew deep down that we were going to be together, it would probably have been a disaster to rush things. Cheaper indeed but sometimes money can't make up for what time can do. We probably wouldn't have gotten married this soon if we could've just lived together for a few years before making the decision.

I reckon it's a personal choice. The benefit IS the personal choice of how to go about things.

Edited May 11, 2012 by moomin

[Pitaya 2,576]

What is the benifit of a K-1? If it dosen't extend any visa and they have to return to their country why get it and not just the spouse visa?

Welcome to the forum.

A lot depends on the specific circumstances of the couple.

Good luck on your immigration journey.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

What is the benifit of a K-1? If it dosen't extend any visa and they have to return to their country why get it and not just the spouse visa?

Why would you think they have to return to their country?

The K1 was created primarily because the process for foreigners getting married in some countries is difficult and time consuming. In some cases, it's nearly impossible to marry in the beneficiary's home country if the couple aren't the same religion. The K1 makes it possible for the beneficiary to come to the US, marry the US citizen petitioner, and then apply for a green card.

Another advantage of the K1 is that it allows for derivative K2 visas for the beneficiary's children up until they are 21 years old. A spousal visa doesn't allow for any derivative visas - each child would need a separate petition, and they're only eligible if the US citizen step-parent married the children's parent before they were 18.

[KayDeeCee 4,891]

What is the benifit of a K-1? If it dosen't extend any visa and they have to return to their country why get it and not just the spouse visa?

I do not know what you mean by 'extend any visa'. The K-1 is used so the beneficiary can enter the US and marry their USC fiance(e) within 90 days after arrival. They do not leave. In fact, they cannot leave before filing AOS and getting AP or a green card or they will abandon the whole process. They stay with their loved one, file to adjust status and get a green card.

My husband and I chose to go the K-1 route because I did not want to go through the fuss of getting married in Mexico, and then have to separate from him right after we married to wait for a spousal visa approval. Once we were married, I wanted to be together, living as a married couple and not have to be split apart by the distance any longer. Other couples do it all the time, but it just wasn't the way for us to start our marriage together.