K1 Application Process

[chondalar 0]

Hi,

My partner (female) and I are hoping to migrate to the US to be closer to her family.

I am an Australian Citizen by birth.

She is an American Citizen by birth and recently became a dual citizen of both Australia and America.

We have been living together in Australia for 5 years.

From what I have been reading it seems like the K1 Visa would be the best option for us to migrate to the US.

From what I interpreted from the Visa guides, I am confused as to whether my partner can file for a K1 whilst she is residing outside of the US.

I am just seeking some advise because I wanted to make sure we are doing things that would result in the best outcome for us and our families.

Any advise/recommendations would be welcome.

Thanks!

[A'n'L 735]

She may file the K1 petition from abroad. Some considerations:

1) You will need a US mailing address and address where you intend to live in the US (e.g. parents address can be used for this purpose)

2) The petition filing fee must be paid from the US (again, parents may be helpful)

3) The USC must return to the US either before or together with the beneficiary

4) You need to demonstrate financial ability to support yourselves in the US before the visa interview, either by the USC obtaining a job in the US, by liquid assets/savings or by a joint sponsor

5) You need to marry within 90 days of entering the US and subsequently file for adjustment of status

[kurto 0]

Hi, I'm in the same position as you. I'm the USC and Australia citizen, living in Australia with my partner. You can do the entire process in Australia with no problems! The petition fee can be filed via a foreign bank cheque which you can get at Australia Post, that's what I did. It cost an extra AU$40 for the cheque and conversion fee so it was about AU$500. Follow closely online as it took us a good 2 weeks to receive the letter confirmation in the mail, when the website had said a couple weeks before that, that they had received our letter etc.

As mentioned, you do need a USA address. I have cousins over there so I've provided their address. The US need to mail certain documents once you're over there and they also want to make sure you've got somewhere to stay when you arrive.

The interview can only be performed in a few areas in Australia, we've chosen Sydney as it's the closest to us. The actual K1 visa form is completed online. The medical must be completed at an authorized medical centre (for us, ANZAC Square Medical Centre in Brisbane).

We sent the petition away in November last year, had it all approved by January and were in the process of completing the K1 Visa. They initially had our interview booked for March but it was too soon for us so we asked to reschedule to end of May which they did.

Keep in mind it's an expensive visa! $500 for the petition, another $300 or so for the K1 Visa, another $460 for the medical (NOT including vaccinations!). Plus we've spent $1000 on the interview (flights and accommodation - could've been cheaper but we're making it an exciting holiday). AOS also cost over $1000 I believe.

Let me know if you have any further questions!