which is faster spouse or fiance visa?

[Artisan 138]

me and my fiance are planning to get married here on philippines this december.

Be sure you plan enough time for the wedding. You will need at least 11 days to acquire the marriage license, if you can manage to get his Affidavit of Freedom to Marry from the Embassy on the first day he's in Manila.

Yes, the CR-1 route is better if you want to save money and are in need of a co-sponsor (the US Embassy in Manila generally denies co-sponsors on K-1 visa applications).

If you have any lingering doubts about your ability to live with one another and you believe you may not adjust well to living in the US perhaps the K-1 visa would do you good as it gives you 90 days to marry and time to change your mind.

Good luck!

[rjm_cmyk 75]

But what's it like getting into the US once you have a wife (USC) living in the US. I had got the impression that it was rather more difficult getting in for routine visits during the visa process than for a K1.

[mjkj 14]

me and my fiance are planning to get married here on philippines this december. but then in that case, we have to file for the CR-1 visa when he gets back in the US. i'm still thinking of having the k-1 visa which i heard is faster than the CR-1. help please on what to choose i just don't want to be away from him for a long time. thanks a lot for your opinions! i would greatly appreciate it =)

Apply the k-1 right away after he visit you, in that way, you dont wont be away from each other longer, if you apply for CR-1 after you get married there you need to wait for a year or couple years not sure.

but getting married in USA is more expensive than getting married in philippines, its your choice. Goodluck!

God bless!

[scotinmass 588]

But what's it like getting into the US once you have a wife (USC) living in the US. I had got the impression that it was rather more difficult getting in for routine visits during the visa process than for a K1.

I entered the US 4 or 5 times on the VWP to visit my wife after we were married in Scotland. I never had a problem. I brought stacks of evidence to prove I had ties to home but I was never asked for any of it. I never stayed more than 1 week at a time which helps. I would think if you are planning on staying for the full 90 days there might be a problem getting in.

We took the CR1 route. It only took a total of 7 months. From the day you enter on a CR1 you can work and travel and get a drivers license etc. The K1 has a lot more steps and a lot more paperwork and costs a lot more in the long run. It is hard being apart from your spouse as soon as you are married though.

[Cathi 5,609]

Apply the k-1 right away after he visit you, in that way, you dont wont be away from each other longer, if you apply for CR-1 after you get married there you need to wait for a year or couple years not sure.

but getting married in USA is more expensive than getting married in philippines, its your choice. Goodluck!

God bless!

it is not a couple year wait for the cr1...it is an extra 2 or 3 months at the most

[lalla 0]

If you want to be together fast then k1 is the choice.

Edited October 27, 2012 by lalla

[AB&MJ 1]

me and my fiance are planning to get married here on philippines this december. but then in that case, we have to file for the CR-1 visa when he gets back in the US. i'm still thinking of having the k-1 visa which i heard is faster than the CR-1. help please on what to choose i just don't want to be away from him for a long time. thanks a lot for your opinions! i would greatly appreciate it =)

If this helps at all, we went the CR1 route because we wanted to have the opportunity to celebrate our marriage and the union of our two families at the wedding, and it was way easier to get everybody to my hometown than to the States (you have to think of tickets, logding, visas, etc. etc.). Another big reason was a financial factor - my spouse is going for his Masters in the US and I have a very good job in my hometown, and the fact that with the K1 you have to wait until AOS until and all that to be able to work felt like would be a significant financial burden on us.

If time away from your love is a huge factor, you might want to take a look at where your case would be processed.. and think about how long this process will actually take for you if you did the CR1. The reference and comparison charts are one thing, but you must know that the California Service Center is moving way faster than Vermont, for example. Just to give you an idea, people who filed their I-130 at the CSC the SAME WEEK that we filed ours at the VSC (we filed at the Chicago Lockbox and it got redirected to Vermont) already got their NOA2 in late July, while we just got our NOA2 in late September. Whatever route you take, considering the pros and cons, you should make sure you have realistic expectations.. Also know that you can still travel to the US to visit while your case is pending (even if you don't have a tourist visa, you can even apply for one - although showing your ties to your country and prove your case as a non-immigrant might be harder)... so 2-3 months might not be as big of a difference.

Good luck deciding.. i know how nerve-wracking this decision can be, but as long as you make that decision together everything will be just fine!

[chinna 5]

well, from what I was told by the USCIS the spouse visa is faster...My husband and I was going to do the fiance visa but the women at the USCIS I spoke with told me that the spouse visa is faster because the NVC is very hard on the fiance visa because of all the fraud people are committed with them. So I married my husband in Nigeria applied for the spouse visa and it only took 9 months and 2 weeks to get approved and now hes coming home. Hope this helps!

me and my fiance are planning to get married here on philippines this december. but then in that case, we have to file for the CR-1 visa when he gets back in the US. i'm still thinking of having the k-1 visa which i heard is faster than the CR-1. help please on what to choose i just don't want to be away from him for a long time. thanks a lot for your opinions! i would greatly appreciate it =)

[hnubno 9]

even tho we had no large bumps on our K1 path i think i would have rather done CR1. With K1, a little more paperwork and waiting after coming to US. Can't work or travel until EAD/AP, have to wait for greencard (and it's been almost 8 months now), and still may have to do another interview for greencard (not everyone has to interview tho). i think if i had to do it over i would have done the CR1 and wouldn't mind the wait.

the time of being separated really depends on how difficult your case is, how many rfe you receive, and when you apply (sometimes the service centers slows down with the load that they get).

Edited October 27, 2012 by hnubno

[kwara4u 14]

i was about to take fiance route and change my mind and took CR-1. If you get all paper required ready then CR-1 is almost same time and ofcourse much much safer

[Vicomi 31]

guys thank you very much for your posts =) you really took time to help me out. thanks thanks thanks!

to those who are still waiting for their visa, the best of luck..

and to those who are already with their loved ones, i wish you happiness..

God bless us all

It seems you've have a good idea which way to go. But to get in my last 2cents, just wanted to say we now wish we followed the Spousal route instead. Thanks for the best wishes and same to you in whatever you choose to do (F)

[bestofboston 36]

Its much more difficult for the embassy in manila to deny a IR1/CR1 visa after it has been approved back at the NVC. They have to showl fraud was commiteed.

It is far more likely that a K1 visa gets denited but still not that likely.

My wife and I went the CR1 route because she wanted to get married in her home town in front of her family and friends.

You can work much sooner, months when coming on a CR1 visa. You get your Green card and social security card within several weeks of arriving and you can work right away.

You decide if its worth the chance of being denied on a K1 visa.

Also the manila embassy will not allow co-sponsor for K1 visa. That was not an issue for us because my income was well beyond what is required.

It took 10 months from the time I sent in the I-130 form to her arrival in the USA. 5 months at USCIS and approximately 3 months at NVC and 1 month to get interview scheduled and two weeks after interview to get her here in the USA

Edited October 28, 2012 by bestofboston

[tEe328cEe 12]

we've finally decided guys... we're getting married on december and take the CR-1 route thanks a lot for your inputs it helped me big time

the best of luck to all of us