CR1 VS K1, please advise!!

[Princeani 4]

1 minute ago, Jaquelly said:

In hindsight, we would have fared easier with the CR1. We are still trying to get Andy's GC and it doesn't seem like his interview is coming any time soon.

 

Heed our warning: MEET FIRST. Plan later!!!!

Thanks for the advice and hope everything getting shiner for you very soon! 

[Jaquelly 1,647]

Just now, Princeani said:

Thanks for the advice and hope everything getting shiner for you very soon! 

Thanks, we'll get there! It is all about patience. If being with her *soon* is important, consider that this is such a long process. You will go through so much during your time apart. There will be many times you question if this is the right path. Only you know that, or will, ultimately. Just keep your wits about you.

[Princeani 4]

2 minutes ago, Jaquelly said:

Thanks, we'll get there! It is all about patience. If being with her *soon* is important, consider that this is such a long process. You will go through so much during your time apart. There will be many times you question if this is the right path. Only you know that, or will, ultimately. Just keep your wits about you.

yeah, I know it  is not easy. You know I wish if I can move to where she is. 

[gabluc 171]

CR1, and your trips are proof of a bonafide marriage. 

 

It worked for us, plus tons of pics, and hotel rooms we booked while on vacation together. We had no joint ownership or anything of such.

[carmel34 3,529]

Take your time and don't let love get in the way of solid rational thinking.  When you are ready to move forward, after multiple trips to be together, and both the love and logic align, for both of you, CR-1 is definitely superior.  You don't need to own joint property to submit a lot of evidence of a bona fide marriage relationship.

 

If you decide to eventually go the CR-1 route, here's what we sent with the I-130 petition:

 

a few photos of each visit together, multiple visits over time (4 before filing petition)

four or five photos from the wedding, some with family and friends

passport stamps, boarding passes, hotel receipts, restaurant receipts as evidence of these visits

joint credit card account statements

documents showing my Brazilian husband as my beneficiary on life insurance, retirement accounts, investment accounts

evidence of my husband's health insurance, dental insurance based on my employer's plan

evidence of my husband as my emergency contact at work, statement that he is my husband on employer's HR website

will and living will

Christmas cards addressed to both of us at my US address

copies of cards and letters we have exchanged

wedding ring receipts

email logs, phone call logs, video call logs to show continuous daily communication

representative chat records from WhatsApp, Messenger

Facebook pages showing our relationship with a few photos, comments from friends and family, words of congratulations on wedding day

affidavits from family members attesting to the nature of our relationship

 

required civil documents, marriage certificate, proof of US citizenship for petitioner, passport photos, payment of fee, everything stated on I-130 instructions, plus I-130A application

 

All of the above well-organized on plain paper, binder clips, with a cover letter/table of contents listing everything by page number, all pages clearly numbered for easy reference for the officers.

 

We uploaded more evidence at NVC stage of 3 additional visits since filing the petition.  We're now two weeks from his interview, and I will go with him and take evidence of our 11 day trip to Paris and London last month.  So a total of nine trips and evidence of lots of time face to face.  This is key.

 

Good luck!

[John & Rose 7,237]

K-1 vs CR-1 Full Analysis

 

K-1

More expensive than CR-1    

Requires Adjustment of Status after marriage (expensive and requires a lot of paperwork)    

Spouse can not leave the US until she/he receives approved Advance Parole (about 5-6 months)    

Spouse can not work until she/he receives EAD (about 5-6 months)    

Some people have had problems with driver licenses, Social Security cards, leases, bank account during this period    

Spouse will not receive Green Card for 10 to 12 months after Adjustment of Status is filed.

Estimated timeline is approximately 8 to 10 months (NOA1 to Interview)  This is officially quoted as 6 to 12 months.

 

K-1 Fees

$535 - USCIS Filing Fee

$265 per person - DS-160 (Visa Application)

$200 to $400 - Medical Fee

$1,225 per person - AOS Fee (Includes EAD/AP if filed together)

$750 per child under 14

$680 per person - ROC Fee

$640 per person Naturalization Fee (waived if child arrives with parent or gets GC within 90 days of parent

$85 per person Biometric Fee for Naturalization if over 14 years old

 

$3,430 plus medical (K-1)

$2,895 plus medical (K-2 over 14 years old)

$1,400 plus medical (K-2 14 years old and younger)

 

 

 

CR-1    

Less expensive than K-1    

No Adjustment of Status  (I-485, I-131, I-765) required.    

Spouse can immediately travel outside the US    

Spouse is authorized to work immediately upon arrival.    

Spouse receives Social Security Card and Green Card within 2 or 3 weeks after entering the US    

Opening a bank account, getting a driver's license, etc. are very easily accomplished with GC, SS card, and passport.

Spouse has Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) status IMMEDIATELY upon entry to the United States

Estimated timeline is 10 to 12 months (NOA1 to Interview) This is officially quoted at 12 to 14 months.

 

CR-1 Fees

$535 - USCIS Filing Fee

$120 - Affidavit of Support Fee

$325 - DS-260 (Visa Application)

$200 to $400 - Medical Fee

$220 - USCIS Immigrant Fee

$680 - ROC (if married less than 2 years at POE)

$640 per person Naturalization Fee

$85 per person Biometric Fee for Naturalization

 

$2,605 plus medical (per person if married less than 2 years at POE)

$1,925 plus medical (per person if married more than 2 years when filing)

 

 

A K-1 is more likely to be ultimately denied than a CR-1.

A refused K-1 with the petition being sent back will sit and die.

A refused CR-1/IR-1 with the petition being sent back can be reaffirmed and not refused again for the same reason if based upon the same evidence.

If concerned about the CO's evaluation of the relationship, then a spousal visa would be an optimal path.

 

Also, certain crimes can be an issue with an I-129F, but only very few crimes are an issue for an I-130 (e.g. AWA).

 

[Cryssiekins 976]

It’s actually nice to see someone

looking into things before starting the process.  It’s what everyone SHOULD do but a lot don’t.  

 

That being said, don’t rush into anything.  Meeting someone in person is different than talking online.  Spending vacation time with someone is different than living together.  Marriage is serious and hard, and when you factor immigration into it, it’s a whole different ball game.  My husband and I knew pretty soon into things that we wanted to marry, but it was still a long time before we got engaged and then filed for a K1 AND we were fortunate enough to be able to visit 2-3 times a month (each living on the other side of the peace bridge between NY and ON) so we had a lot of face time, but moving in together was a shock - to both of us, and we’re still figuring it all out even though I’ve been here almost 3 years.  

 

Be open to love and the possibility of sharing your life, but also be cautious - not everyone has the same good intentions as you

[VeVe 76]

5 hours ago, missileman said:

Every couple has their own priorities, and each couple must decide which visa is better for their situation.

K-1
    Slightly faster arrival in the US (currently about 5 months sooner)    
    More expensive than CR-1    
    Requires Adjustment of Status after marriage (expensive and requires a lot of paperwork)    
    Spouse can not leave the US until she/he receives approved Advance Parole (approx 5-6 months)    
    Spouse can not work until she/he receives EAD (approx 5-6 months)    
    Some people have had problems with driver licenses, Social Security cards, leases, bank account during this period    
    Spouse will not receive Green Card for many months after Adjustment of Status is filed.

  

CR-1
    Slightly slower arrival in the US (currently about 5 months later)

    Less expensive than K-1    
    No Adjustment of Status(I-485, I-131, I-765) required.    
    Spouse can immediately travel outside the US    
    Spouse is authorized to work immediately upon arrival.    
    Spouse receives Social Security Card and Green Card within 2 or 3 weeks after entering the US    
    Opening a bank account, getting a driver's license, etc. are very easily accomplished with GC, SS card, and passport.

    Spouse has legal permanent Resident status IMMEDIATELY upon entry to US.
  �

 

This is the best post I have seen in a while. When we were starting the process, I went to an attorney for a consultation and she told me the same thing with price amounts attached at each step not including her fee for filing for us. Needless to say, We love VJ!!! (could be a bumper sticker...Lol)

[Calicolom 265]

4 hours ago, Roel said:

Not really.

And if time is an important factor for you, then I'm not sure why you're even bothering with immigration 😛 Immigration takes a LOT OF TIME.

And Money. 

[Ryan H 3,790]

Moved from IR-1/CR-1 Process & Procedures to What Visa Do I Need - Family Based Immigration forum.

[Jeanne Adil 1,651]

Marrying on the 1st trip is sometimes a red flag as Lebanon is on the high fraud list

Go and meet / find out what is required of you to marry in Lebanon

if marriage is right for you ,  marry on a later visit 

It takes 12 to 14 months to complete the spouse visa process

so,  marriage this year will not interview till late 2020 and by then you will have added her with a W7 (ITIN) to  tax returns showing "intent to commingle finances

CR1 is the best way to go

many who apply K1 are denied and end up going thru CR1 later 

and the K1 is not that fast anymore

 

i know Lebonan is a multi religious country but if she is a practicing muslim and you are not,  she can not marry you 

so, know all before you meet and get all things straigth

Believe me,  you need to discuss all issues

Edited May 31, 2019 by adil-rafa

[DaveAndAnastasia 2,078]

Kind of a hash of random notes but

 

- It's good that you realize going into this that you will need a marriage-based visa of some sort to bring your foreign partner to the US, and there are no 'girlfriend/boyfriend' visas.

- IMO, the first thing to look at on a K-1 vs CR-1 decision isn't costs or processing times of either visa type, it's knowing if there's anything about your relationship that would make one or the other very difficult/impossible. And the second thing is determining if either your or your partner would be very uncomfortable living apart a long time while married. You shouldn't be looking for the fastest path or the least expensive path, you should be looking for the path that gives you and your partner the best chance for a happy start to your marriage.

[Celie 793]

On 5/30/2019 at 1:33 PM, Princeani said:

Hi all, I have met my beautiful half online. I’m gonna see her in person soon for the first time. We both don’t doubt that everything is gonna go well. So, we are little confused about what visa we should apply for. We wanna get married and apply for CR1, but my concern is that we would not be able to provide enough Evidence of a Bonifide Marriage since we don’t have any joint ownership or property yet. I’m planning to visit her every now and then till she gets her visa whenever I’m able to get vacation maybe every 3 to 4 months. I’m just wondering if that will be enough to have our case approved or should we go for K1 visa since it makes more sense in this situation?

In agreement with everyone, you should meet her first then decide.

 

However, when you do decide I believe you need to look at your particular situation. Every couple is different. Will she be okay not working for months until she gets her employment document or green card? If she wouldn't, then I suggest CR-1. Is money not an issue and you would like to just be together as soon as possible, even if it's only a couple of months sooner? Then you're probably looking to get the K1. Lebanon is good at issuing both AS LONG AS there are no major red flags and you have ALL your documents in check. I put that in all caps not because I am cyber screaming, I am cyber begging you to pay attention to those parts. lol