Now totally confused

[Rexnar 1]

Ok here goes. My fiancé and myself have begun to seek help to acquire a K1 visa. A mutual friend of ours contacted a lawyer in California. Ok this guy is claiming that the wait time for a K is now 1 Year to 18 Months?? He suggested that I fly to Australia and we marry there. Then I return to the US and send for her with a K3? Please any advice or help would be appreciated. We have known eachother on line 12 years and have talked many times on the phone. She has made one trip to the US this last May and spent 2 weeks with me. I popped the question and she accepted

Edited July 25, 2012 by Rexnar

[Laura&Ciprian 5]

hI. as far as i know K3 visa doen t exist anymore. People in here says Fiance visa K1 Is better then CR1 i think is called.

[cathy2904 97]

The previous poster is correct in that the K3 is now obsolete but you will find people are divided between whether the K1 or CR1/IR1 visa is preferable. It is very much a personal decision. You can compare the two routes here: http://www.visajourney.com/content/compare

Both visas should take considerably less than a year for normal processing although the time will vary by country. My CR1 visa took under 8 months.

[Andie 147]

Ok here goes. My fiancé and myself have begun to seek help to acquire a K1 visa. A mutual friend of ours contacted a lawyer in California. Ok this guy is claiming that the wait time for a K is now 1 Year to 18 Months?? He suggested that I fly to Australia and we marry there. Then I return to the US and send for her with a K3? Please any advice or help would be appreciated. We have known eachother on line 12 years and have talked many times on the phone. She has made one trip to the US this last May and spent 2 weeks with me. I popped the question and she accepted

First, Congratulations on your engagement !

Now .. The K1 visa, if you are living in California will go through the California Service Center - at present they are moving quite fast but it does vary from time to time. Average time once they have your petition, up until approval is around 5mths. After that, depending on the country your fiancee is from, the timing varies - but you should allow at least 8/9 mths in total from start to finish. For Australia, things seem to move pretty quickly so it could be sooner.

Most people on VJ would recommend you have a go at proceeding with this on your own - if you follow the guides here, it is pretty straight forward and people are helpful if you have any queries. If you have any complicated issues, then you may want to hire a lawyer. I'm sure others will add to my comments, but I hope this helps.

Incidentally, as far as I know, the K3 no longer exists.

Best of luck.

(refer to Guides - top of this page - for K1 procedure. It gets easier the more you read and are familiar with it, but the instructions are excellent! )

[dwheels76 5,484]

The way petitions are going now you might gain 1 month or two because you go right through NVC. K3 yes is an obsolete petition. The big difference you have to look at is K1 gets you in the USA to get married within 90 days then theres more money ($1045) to file your I-130 adjust status all that. However during this journey once in US the beneficiary can not work drive or leave country (not without along wait of advance parole). With the IR1/CR1 soon as foot hits USA soil you are a green card holder free to roam the world and work and pay taxes and drive with the rest of us. So for many that like that and not all the extra paperwork.

Right now K1 is about a 6 to 8 month journey baring any logjams like currently happening. Good luck with your decision and search.

[Mateo&Raquel 28]

Contact Mr. Lawrence R. Holmes ... www.Kvisas.com...He is our immigration attorney and is AMAZING!! The paralegals who handle the cases never fail to relpy to any question we have. Even when our questions may seem crazy. If you hire him, he also gives a discount to you if you re-hire him for the Adjustment od Status process. He is based in California as well..I believe you can call for a free consultation..I know I did. Many people do not use lawyers, but then again, it is also very helpful when you have some, LEGIT, representing your case. Just visit the website and look over his services. GOD Bless and welcome to the journey!!

[LeftCoastLady 441]

The adjustment of status is the I-485. The current cost of filing is $1070.

The other item to think about is if you want the time spent apart upfront or after marriage. As Cathy mentioned upthread, it's a personal decision, so do take time to look at the pros/cons and talk about them with your fiancé to ensure you're both on the same page.

Also, the fact that the lawyer recommended the K-3...don't go to that person should you decide to hire an attorney.

[Rexnar 1]

Ok thanks everyone for the info. And scratches that lawyers name off Hmmm didn’t know k3 was obsolete even . I don’t live in Cal the lawyer is from there I live in Missouri And we will look over the links closer

[carton025 38]

Ok here goes. My fiancé and myself have begun to seek help to acquire a K1 visa. A mutual friend of ours contacted a lawyer in California. Ok this guy is claiming that the wait time for a K is now 1 Year to 18 Months?? He suggested that I fly to Australia and we marry there. Then I return to the US and send for her with a K3? Please any advice or help would be appreciated. We have known each other on line 12 years and have talked many times on the phone. She has made one trip to the US this last May and spent 2 weeks with me. I popped the question and she accepted

Sorry to hear you hired an attorney. The attorney may add an additional layer, and cost, to help your application be complete, but the attorney also offers the additional layer to make mistakes that can cause you problems and delays. Even with an attorney, you and your gal will still do all the work. All the attorney does is check your completed paperwork, assemble it, sign your name to it and mail it. And, by the time it is done you will wonder why you didn't do the process yourself without an attorney. The current processing time for K1 and I130 visas are running around 6 - 8 months from approval to interview. Reference, yahoo group, MAG-ANAK.

I considered hiring an attorney for the K1 process for my gal and my gal told me not to and I saved the $1800 fee he wanted and probably saved 2 or 3 months processing time between the attorney, USCIS, and me.

Sid

[Rexnar 1]

Well we didnt hire him. Was just a free consult. Now after finding out he didnt know the K3 was no longer valid he just saved me money.

[Andie 147]

Well we didnt hire him. Was just a free consult. Now after finding out he didnt know the K3 was no longer valid he just saved me money.

Lol... then you're doing well already. Btw, Missouri petitions go to California too.

You initially send it to the Texas Lockbox...and they forward it to the appropriate service center - but all that info is with the guides.

- sounds like its time to start collecting all your documents

[bigdog 377]

You can do this your self, don't waste the money on an attorney unless you have a major problem. You will be OK, just decide if you want the K1 or get married and apply as such. If you can wit an extra month or so, get married then apply, saves a second application etc..

[Loida and Ed 11]

I agree... IMHO, an attorney doesnt have you at the top of their list in accomplishing the steps you need accomplished and they have other clients to consider ( and its usually based on what $$ comes into the firm).Sure, some have greater experience than you in completing the forms, but attention to detail and the urge to complete as soon as possible will place you months ahead (with regards to attorney priority verses your priority). VJ, its forums, portals, and people are a much better and more up to date resource.

You can do this your self, don't waste the money on an attorney unless you have a major problem. You will be OK, just decide if you want the K1 or get married and apply as such. If you can wit an extra month or so, get married then apply, saves a second application etc..

Edited July 26, 2012 by Loida and Ed

[rayandmel 39]

I agree with everyone. AND, you do not need an attorney. You can do this with help from sites like this. Just read, read, read. I made a silly mistake and got an RFE but it was a quick fix and hope to have our K1 petition approved any day now. Just remember, if you do go with a fiance visa, you have to have met at least once in the past 2 years (you said you have) BUT you have to have proof of it ei plane tickets, passport stamp etc. Make sure you read the info on the site and use the examples they give you. Good luck!

[KayDeeCee 4,900]

Contact Mr. Lawrence R. Holmes ... www.Kvisas.com...He is our immigration attorney and is AMAZING!! The paralegals who handle the cases never fail to relpy to any question we have. Even when our questions may seem crazy. If you hire him, he also gives a discount to you if you re-hire him for the Adjustment od Status process. He is based in California as well..I believe you can call for a free consultation..I know I did. Many people do not use lawyers, but then again, it is also very helpful when you have some, LEGIT, representing your case. Just visit the website and look over his services. GOD Bless and welcome to the journey!!

Out of curiosity, how has paying for a lawyer and having someone 'legit' very much helped you file, and your case and process in general?