Income Requirements For Fiancé Visa

[Dafatman55 0]

Me and my girlfriend from Japan plan to get engaged in February and married in November of 2016.

I heard there was a income requirements for the fiancé visa.

I currently make about $16,500 dollars a year at my part time job, go to school and receive financial aid, and also own a car.

I will be working a second job next year to increase my income so I can support her while she gains her citizenship.

I was wondering if I meet the requirements to get approved, if not is there any way to get approved withoutmeeting the requirement?

[Anh map 2,098]

$19,900 is the amount (+ or - a few dollars) You will need to provide evidence that your annualized earnings meet or exceed that at the time of the interview. If not, you will need to obtain a joint sponsor.

Citizenship is several years in the future. The green card is the first step. Do some reading in the Guides here on VJ to familiarize yourself with the process. And then the regional forum to learn what to expect at the interview.

[Jojo92122 1,925]

Me and my girlfriend from Japan plan to get engaged in February and married in November of 2016.

I heard there was a income requirements for the fiancé visa.

I currently make about $16,500 dollars a year at my part time job, go to school and receive financial aid, and also own a car. The US Embassy requires you meet the income required surpassing the 125% poverty line. They don't care about your circumstances.

I will be working a second job next year to increase my income so I can support her while she gains her citizenship. Follow the Guides. Citizenship is years away and there are many steps in between - K-1 fiancee visa, then adjustment of status, then removal of condition after 2 years, and then citizenship test in 3 years. Furthermore, Japan does not allow dual citizenship - so your fiancee under Japanese laws would automatically lose her Japanese citizenship when she naturalizes and get US citizenship.

I was wondering if I meet the requirements to get approved, if not is there any way to get approved withoutmeeting the requirement? The US Embassy may allow you to have a Joint Sponsor to meet the financial requirements. Best to ask in the Japan subform.

[Ash.1101 1,757]

You're still looking quite far ahead but..


You just need to make 19,912$ in current income, so if you get your second job and hold it when interview time comes and make more than 19,912$ then you're fine. You do not have to show any financial documentation until her K1 interview. What you make at this current moment will not be enough though.

While people are focusing on the citizenship, I will agree that she will not be a citizen yet, first you file for K1, then after you get K1 approved and married, you file for Adjustment of Status which makes her a green card holder. The word Citizenship is for those that are naturalized and take a test and have been in the country for a few years.

But I'm going to assume you mean that you will take a second job while the K-1 Fiance Visa is processing.


Again though, as long as by the time your fiance has her interview, you make enough AT THE TIME OF INTERVIEW, you will be fine. A second job should push you above 19,912$.

The 2016 poverty line comes out in May or so, so next year a new "how much you have to make" will be posted.


I'd inquire about this again once you guys have filed your I-129F and recieved NOA1 since you're not even looking to get enaged until Feb 2016. Guidelines may/will change between now and the interview, you'll def want the most up to date info and not info that is a year old.

[Pennycat 880]

I'd also be careful about your timing. We got engaged in January, applied for the visa in February, and my fiance just got here last week. It's November now. We had no complications in any step of the process and except for the week or so that my fiance wasted by being disorganized during the embassy phase, we did everything just about as fast as you can. It was all about the backlog at USCIS.

Now, while there is NO reason to think that there will be a backlog of this magnitude coming towards us, you never know what might happen, or if you will have any complications. If you can, you may want to consider applying now if that November 2016 date is important to you. You don't have to use the visa as soon as it is issued. You can choose for her to remain in Japan for several months after, for when the timing is right for you.

[Dafatman55 0]

Thanks everyone for your inputs! I have a few more questions.

So when I apply for the K1 I don't have to provide information about my income? I only provide that information when Im interviewed later in the year?

Also if I file for the K1 this month, when could I expect the interview to take place?

Lastly, do bank statements or pay stubs count as proof of income when I get my second job? Because I will not have a w2 when I attain a second job since the interview will be before the end of the year (2016)

[Pennycat 880]

Thanks everyone for your inputs! I have a few more questions.

So when I apply for the K1 I don't have to provide information about my income? I only provide that information when Im interviewed later in the year?

Also if I file for the K1 this month, when could I expect the interview to take place?

Lastly, do bank statements or pay stubs count as proof of income when I get my second job? Because I will not have a w2 when I attain a second job since the interview will be before the end of the year (2016)

Correct. When you file with USCIS, they do not ask about income. That is part of the embassy process. Yes, bank statements and pay stubs count. You may want to consider a co-sponsor just in case, either way.

It is so so difficult to predict timelines with any degree of certainty because things can and do change frequently. The way things are *right now*, your proposed timeline is great and you wouldn't need to change a thing. The problem is that things could change at any point, and so if that November date is important to you, you may want to consider doing things "early" and stretching out your timeline (or immigrating early, marrying on paper to fulfill the 90 days and going ahead with wedding as planned) rather than banking on the fact things will stay the same. It's a personal decision, and I'm just suggesting that you consider it, not recommending which way is best.

With the way things are right now, if you were to get started now and file on December 1 (you can take your time and will need to--you need some documents from her as well), you'd be approved sometime in February. This is where you can control the timeline a lot better. While it is certainly possible to get through embassy processing in about 6 weeks, it is by no means necessary. Your application is valid for 4 months after approval (meaning you can take 4 months to schedule your interview---meaning May or so), and then the visa itself is good for 6 months after the medical appointment (which is usually right around the period of time as the interview), bringing you able to wait to immigrate until November (but she can come 90 days before your planned wedding).

If you're concerned that your income won't be sufficient by this projected interview date, and don't want to go the co-sponsor route, then this is not the best plan for you. Just putting it out there as an option.

Because USCIS (the first phase of this process) has historically been very unpredictable in its timeline processing, people generally advise to get started on that a little on the early side and take your time during the much more predictable embassy stage. However, timelines have evened out quite a bit thanks to some internal changes at USCIS, but you never do know what will happen. If that November date is important to you for any reason, taking care of things early could be helpful.

[Dafatman55 0]

I want to thank you all greatly for the great information and advice!

I really appreciate it and will take it to heart.

I really am looking forward to marrying the love of my life and if everything works out I have you guys to thank.

Once again thank you for all the help

[Anh map 2,098]

You, the US citizen, are not interviewed. Your fiance(e) will be interviewed. Check with the consulate/embassy to learn if you are allowed to attend.

Paystubs and an employer letter are good evidence to support your current income claim (unless you are self-employed). The W2 shows past income, not present.

[rukus2009 5]

I have a question and did not want to start another thread, I am retired and my income source is rental property with a gross income of around 60k last year but I have my taxes structured so my net income is very little, under the 19k threshold. Will my income be good?

[KayDeeCee 4,904]

I have a question and did not want to start another thread, I am retired and my income source is rental property with a gross income of around 60k last year but I have my taxes structured so my net income is very little, under the 19k threshold. Will my income be good?

What does line 22, Total Income, of your 1040 show? If you took a lot of deductions to lower that amount, you may want to amend(or wait for 2015 filing) to take fewer in order to have your Total Income amount meet the requirement.

[rukus2009 5]

What does line 22, Total Income, of your 1040 show? If you took a lot of deductions to lower that amount, you may want to amend(or wait for 2015 filing) to take fewer in order to have your Total Income amount meet the requirement.

Ty for the response on my question, line 22 of my 2014 return reads 21000 with a gross income of 48000, how many years back do they usually want?

[KayDeeCee 4,904]

Ty for the response on my question, line 22 of my 2014 return reads 21000 with a gross income of 48000, how many years back do they usually want?

If your household size is just two, you and your fiance(e), then the $21k is enough. Most recent year is usually what is asked for, but for showing stable, ongoing income when self-employed, you can provide the last 2 or 3 years of tax transcripts.

[rukus2009 5]

If your household size is just two, you and your fiance(e), then the $21k is enough. Most recent year is usually what is asked for, but for showing stable, ongoing income when self-employed, you can provide the last 2 or 3 years of tax transcripts.

Ty again! I have several bank accounts that total over 70k, will this hold any merrit in the interview?

[karlanadriana 0]

Same here, I didn't want (or even know how to start a new thread) my question is also in regards to the employment part. Here's the deal, I fell in love and I came to live with my girlfriend in Mexico. I've been living with her for 2 years now. We just got engaged and I recently found out about this K1 Visa. I'll be moving in with parents and working hard to save up starting January. I haven't filled taxes for the past two years.

So in this case what should my timeline be like? I know I will be able to get a good job and prove I can support my fiancee and her 6 year old son. No doubt about that.

Once I have all the cash I need to start my petition should I wait until I have completed a certain amount of months/years with my employer?

Do they require the Tax forms for the past two years? or is that just an option on what to send in as prove of income?

I'll be sending in the pay stubs, bank account information and employment letter.

Would they frown upon the fact that I haven't filled any taxes for the past 2 years?

How can I explain that I didn't need to file taxes? As I am sure I don't make more than 10 grand a year. I get paid very little here in Mexico. (I read than you need to make at least 10,150 to file taxes)

Thanks in advance for your advice my friends