Immigration Fee

[ucijeepguy 3]

Can someone explain to me the immigration fee for K1 visa of $165? They told my fiancé it needs to be paid, but information I'm seeing here its not required. Some insight would be appreciated.

Fiance is coming from Russia, if that matters.

http://www.uscis.gov/uscis-elis

[Kat&Jon 86]

This fee is paid in order to (for lack of a better word) create the Visa/Greencard itself that will eventually be in your Fiance's passport/mailed to your home.

The easiest thing I can compare it to is the fee that is paid when you first apply for your passport. Part of the fee is for processing the passport and the other part of the fee is creating the actual passport itself that gets sent to you.

If that didn't clarify it for you let me know and I will try to explain it a different way!

BTW Sounds like you are almost there so congrats!!!

Edited October 21, 2015 by Kat&Jon

[Elf 146]

My understanding is that K-1 visa holders are exempt from the $165 immigrant fee, because K-1 doesn't automatically qualify you for a GC - you have to AOS after marrying the person named on the K-1.

As Kat&Jon said, the $165 fee is intended to cover the cost of producing and mailing out the actual, physical green card that is mailed to new immigrants after they enter the US for the first time on a valid immigrant visa. K-1 is technically a nonimmigrant visa, it doesn't provide the holder with the right to stay in the US beyond 90 days unless they marry and adjust status. It's the adjustment of status process that makes them an immigrant and triggers the production of the GC, not the K-1 visa. The cost of your fiance's actual, physical GC will be covered by the fees for the AOS process.

From the USCIS page about the immigrant fee:

Exemptions

The following groups do not have to pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee:

• Children who enter the United States under the orphan or Hague adoption programs;
• Iraqi and Afghan special immigrants;
• Returning lawful permanent residents (SB-1s); and
• K nonimmigrants.

Edited October 21, 2015 by Elf

[Kat&Jon 86]

Thanks Elf for the backup clarification! Your explanation is much more clear

[ucijeepguy 3]

Thanks for the help!

Yes our journey is concluding very quickly, she will be here this Friday, after 9 long month wait!

[Elf 146]

@Kat&Jon your answer was perfectly clear on what the $165 fee is intended for! I just wanted to clarify for the OP that K-1 visa holders aren't required to pay it before entering on the K-1.

[Hank_ 9,174]

Can someone explain to me the immigration fee for K1 visa of $165? They told my fiancé it needs to be paid, but information I'm seeing here its not required. Some insight would be appreciated.

Fiance is coming from Russia, if that matters.

http://www.uscis.gov/uscis-elis

No such payment with the K-1 visa. That fee is a immigrant visa fee only.