K1 Visa Interview Question...IMPORTANT!!!

[discoverdan 0]

Hey guys!

 

My fiancee and I completed our K1 Visa application package and were thinking to send it out tomorrow but I just thought of something: We would like to get married in July/August of next year (2020). Would it be too early to apply tomorrow? I am asking because I know you have 4 months from the moment of acceptance to enter the USA and get married. Say I get accepted in like 6/7 months and get the interview for January or February. If I would get accepted around January/February, I would still be in school till July and would not be able to come till then. Essentially, I would need more than four months to enter the States. 

 

That being said, my questions are -- Is it too early to apply tomorrow? If I get accepted early, can I schedule my interview for a later date? Is it possible to get an extension once you get accepted so that you have more than four months to enter?

 

I will be in Romania and will have my interview at the US Consulate in Bucharest, Romania.

 

Thank you for taking the time to answer

 

Cheers,

Dan

[Letspaintcookies 2,207]

Actually your visa is valid for six months but you need a valid medical. Since the medical is only valid for six months to enter, your visa will expire on the date your medical does. Depending on when you do your medical your visa can be valid from one day to almost the whole six months.

 

The approved petition is valid for four months but can be extended from the embassy to up to a year in four month steps. That will give you more time to do the interview. 

Check the embassy page to find out what you need to do since that differs. 

Edited July 28, 2019 by Letspaintcookies

[Allaboutwaiting 2,500]

It is difficult to know how long it will take for your case to be approved. Average is 6 months; some cases are approved after 3 months, some around 8.

Depending on your country, the visa interview could happen within 1 to 4 months after approval of the petition (check timelines for Romania). Then comes the administrative process after the interview, that could take 1 day to a year or more -again, depending on your country and specific case-.

Once getting the visa, you have 6 months from when the medical examination was performed to enter the US and once entering, you have 90 days to get married. 

 

IMO, you're a little late if you want to have a proper wedding in July-August 2020.

Edited July 28, 2019 by Allaboutwaiting

[Crazy Cat 39,227]

1 hour ago, discoverdan said:

Hey guys!

 

My fiancee and I completed our K1 Visa application package and were thinking to send it out tomorrow but I just thought of something: We would like to get married in July/August of next year (2020). Would it be too early to apply tomorrow? I am asking because I know you have 4 months from the moment of acceptance to enter the USA and get married. Say I get accepted in like 6/7 months and get the interview for January or February. If I would get accepted around January/February, I would still be in school till July and would not be able to come till then. Essentially, I would need more than four months to enter the States. 

 

That being said, my questions are -- Is it too early to apply tomorrow? If I get accepted early, can I schedule my interview for a later date? Is it possible to get an extension once you get accepted so that you have more than four months to enter?

 

I will be in Romania and will have my interview at the US Consulate in Bucharest, Romania.

 

Thank you for taking the time to answer

 

Cheers,

Dan

Have you considered marrying outside the US now, and submitting the paperwork to start the CR-1 process?  It takes about a year to complete.

 

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

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 (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
   

    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.
  �

 

Edited July 28, 2019 by missileman

[Ryan H 3,790]

Moved from Progress Reports to Process & Procedures.

[carmel34 3,531]

In addition to the counsel already given, keep in mind that a US visa like a K-1 or CR-1 are never guaranteed. Do not make any plans that require deposits or other financial commitments that cannot be changed.  It's nice to set a target date, but don't quit a job, sell property, buy plane tickets, or book wedding venues until you have the visa in hand.  Things can take longer than "average" and depending on the specifics of your case, can even be denied.  So have contingency plans, backup plans, be flexible and hope that all goes well.  Good luck!

Edited July 29, 2019 by carmel34

[payxibka 10,044]

21 hours ago, discoverdan said:

Hey guys!

 

My fiancee and I completed our K1 Visa application package and were thinking to send it out tomorrow but I just thought of something: We would like to get married in July/August of next year (2020). Would it be too early to apply tomorrow? I am asking because I know you have 4 months from the moment of acceptance to enter the USA and get married. Say I get accepted in like 6/7 months and get the interview for January or February. If I would get accepted around January/February, I would still be in school till July and would not be able to come till then. Essentially, I would need more than four months to enter the States. 

 

That being said, my questions are -- Is it too early to apply tomorrow? If I get accepted early, can I schedule my interview for a later date? Is it possible to get an extension once you get accepted so that you have more than four months to enter?

 

I will be in Romania and will have my interview at the US Consulate in Bucharest, Romania.

 

Thank you for taking the time to answer

 

Cheers,

Dan

Once the petition is approved you have some ability to manage when the interview and medical take place.   Its difficult to speed it up but you can slow it down 

[agrabs 237]

  You should be fine to go a head and send it.  There is no way to know for sure how long it will take to get the initial approval. Like others have stated it's good for 6 months after the medical.  My husband went through the consulate at Bucharest and If you look at my time line ( I know it's been 7 years ago) you will see that we applied in November and while we got the approval in April, it took another month to get the petition from NVC to the consulate, and then another month to get the medical and interview scheduled. It was almost 3 months from the approval of the petition until the interview/visa was issued.    As Payxibka said, you can slow the process down, but you can't speed it up.

[Pitaya 2,576]

Welcome to the forum.

 

Trying to accurately predict when a visa will be adjudicated and available is a fool's game and should be avoided. There are far too many variables to be able to accurately predict when and If the visa will be available. 

 

The general rule of thumb is to not make any non-refundable, non-transferrable, non-changeable wedding or travel plans until you have your passport in your hand and the visa is in the passport.

 

Good luck on your immigration journey.

[discoverdan 0]

Thank you to everyone that replied! We appreciate every one of you