K1 Visa... to file or not?

[Blackbeekeeper 12]

23 hours ago, Cheburashka34 said:

Well this post makes me feel like I shouldn't have done the K1....

Lol same and I filed in march. I am thinking we won’t hear anything until next year at this rate!

[Crazy Cat 39,318]

5 minutes ago, xxlian said:

This is the primary reason that my beneficiary and I are choosing to go forward with the K-1 visa. Sure, it's great that some people are able to get married and go the spousal visa route, but this isn't the best option for some of us. Each couple should thoroughly research the whole process and do what is best for their own situation. No one owes an explanation or justification to uninvolved people about which route they choose.

I don't think anyone is expecting anyone to explain their choice here.  Here, on VJ, we can only provide information to aid in decision making.  I have seen multiple posters who changed their decision after getting more information regarding the advantage and disadvantages of specific visa types.

Edited July 27, 2020 by Lucky Cat

[HRQX 4,145]

3 hours ago, sandiegodan2020 said:

Then I was back in the US in January and finally got my current birth certificate

Not optimal right now, but I'll just note that nationals of El Salvador have a visa-free 90 day visit option to the Schengen Area. The marriage process in Iceland and Denmark is straightforward. The bureaucracy part can be started remotely and then present the original documents about a week before the wedding.

https://guidetoiceland.is/history-culture/getting-married-in-iceland

https://familieretshuset.dk/en/your-life-situation/your-life-situation/international-marriages/if-you-wish-to-get-married-in-denmark

[sandiegodan2020 65]

22 minutes ago, HRQX said:

Not optimal right now, but I'll just note that nationals of El Salvador have a visa-free 90 day visit option to the Schengen Area. The marriage process in Iceland and Denmark is straightforward. The bureaucracy part can be started remotely and then present the original documents about a week before the wedding.

https://guidetoiceland.is/history-culture/getting-married-in-iceland

https://familieretshuset.dk/en/your-life-situation/your-life-situation/international-marriages/if-you-wish-to-get-married-in-denmark

So El Salvador closed down the country completely. No flights in or out. All borders are closed. And they keep delaying reopening. 

But regardless. At this point we are 90 days into the K1 process. 

Edited July 27, 2020 by sandiegodan2020

[SHANE (USA) 12]

I tried to order a Crystal Ball to see into the Future but they are currently out of stock. Lol🤣😂🤣

 

So for now, I filed the I-129F K1 Fiancé Visa because I think it's faster. 

...especially because I just talked to my Fiancée in the Philippines and she said that most local governments and communities there are going back on another lockdown right now. 

 

The USCIS could get bailed-out like everyone else and continue to process immigration paperwork. So hopefully by the time my K1 Visa has been approved for my Fiancée, the travel restrictions will be a thing of the past!🙂🙃😉

 

[joe.b 33]

On 7/26/2020 at 4:35 PM, retheem said:

Do not do K1. I repeat, do not do K1. Spouses are mission critical. Fiances are not. And especially with everything that is going on, K1s are going to be at a disadvantage for a long long while

What would you suggest for a same-sex couple where same-sex marriage isn't allowed in the beneficiary's home country? Is there any other option than K1?

 

We are a same-sex couple, so it seems we just have to file for K1 and wait indefinitely. 😔

[Cheburashka34 228]

4 minutes ago, joe.b said:

What would you suggest for a same-sex couple where same-sex marriage isn't allowed in the beneficiary's home country? Is there any other option than K1?

 

We are a same-sex couple, so it seems we just have to file for K1 and wait indefinitely. 😔

Don't worry! I'm sure they'll start scheduling interviews again at some point. I'm thinking maybe after they start offering vaccines worldwide things will be getting back to normal. And it looks like they are in the final testing of several of them in multiple countries

[HRQX 4,145]

2 minutes ago, joe.b said:

What would you suggest for a same-sex couple where same-sex marriage isn't allowed in the beneficiary's home country?

In those cases K-1 is the obvious and most straightforward path. Alternatives do exist but depend on the beneficiary's ability to get a US or Schengen Area, etc. tourist visa in order to marry in the US or third country.

[joe.b 33]

4 minutes ago, HRQX said:

In those cases K-1 is the obvious and most straightforward path. Alternatives do exist but depend on the beneficiary's ability to get a US or Schengen Area, etc. tourist visa in order to marry in the US or third country.

I appreciate the response, though it was mostly a rhetorical question on my part (just a little annoyed at the post saying "Do not do K1" when that's really the only option for some of us).

[Cheburashka34 228]

14 minutes ago, joe.b said:

I appreciate the response, though it was mostly a rhetorical question on my part (just a little annoyed at the post saying "Do not do K1" when that's really the only option for some of us).

I agree. Don't think much of it. They will process them again soon. I'm doing K1 as well and just hoping for the best 

[SHANE (USA) 12]

37 minutes ago, joe.b said:

I appreciate the response, though it was mostly a rhetorical question on my part (just a little annoyed at the post saying "Do not do K1" when that's really the only option for some of us).

My guess is that K1 Visa applications/packets will have no delays. But they will take approximately the same amount of months that they normally take. 

No one knows how long K1's vs CR1's will really take, regardless of what they say.  ...Unless they got their Crystal Ball in the mail!?... Lol

[Trutta 103]

10 hours ago, Scandi said:

It's not about not being able to afford it, it's about another option that is both better in almost all ways AND cheaper than the K-1. Most people would love to spend less money if possible, no matter if they can afford to waste extra money on the K-1 route or not. Those who don't know much about the K-1 vs CR-1 process should know about the differences between the two, hence my post about the fee changes as that is a big difference. 

My goal was to get back to the US with my fiance as soon as possible. Money was not a consideration. That said, the amounts aren't so different either way, especially if you start considering things like travel, translations, tracking down paper work, and fees in other countries. Everyone has to make their own choices. As it turns out, it doesn't matter if you went of K1 or CR1 this year, we're all stuck together.

[Scandi 3,970]

1 hour ago, Trutta said:

My goal was to get back to the US with my fiance as soon as possible. Money was not a consideration. That said, the amounts aren't so different either way, especially if you start considering things like travel, translations, tracking down paper work, and fees in other countries. Everyone has to make their own choices. As it turns out, it doesn't matter if you went of K1 or CR1 this year, we're all stuck together.

It will matter, though. Yes all petitions are slower than normal due to the virus, meaning that once you receive your CR-1 you're out of the woods. With the K-1 route however, you're first stuck in line at the i-129f stage, and once in the US, you're stuck again at the i-485 stage. So yeah, everyone has to choose the path they want to go down, obviously. But there is a difference, they're not the same.

 

I stupidly chose the K-1 myself and despite being at the citizenship stage now, I still regret it. It's definitely not for everyone, and this thread (and many others) are just here to enlighten people who might not be aware of the big differnece between the two. This is great information, and great knowledge being shared by people who have already been down that road. Choose whatever you want, but the info still needs to be out there for those who haven't chosen yet and who are looking to research this.

[SHANE (USA) 12]

59 minutes ago, Scandi said:

It will matter, though. Yes all petitions are slower than normal due to the virus, meaning that once you receive your CR-1 you're out of the woods. With the K-1 route however, you're first stuck in line at the i-129f stage, and once in the US, you're stuck again at the i-485 stage. So yeah, everyone has to choose the path they want to go down, obviously. But there is a difference, they're not the same.

 

I stupidly chose the K-1 myself and despite being at the citizenship stage now, I still regret it. It's definitely not for everyone, and this thread (and many others) are just here to enlighten people who might not be aware of the big differnece between the two. This is great information, and great knowledge being shared by people who have already been down that road. Choose whatever you want, but the info still needs to be out there for those who haven't chosen yet and who are looking to research this.

I agree with you regarding everyone needs to do their own research because some countries are not letting foreigners in, especially Americans, and they're going back on lockdown. 

So the CR1 may take just as long as the K1 at this point in the game, for some couples. 

[Mike V 56]

On 7/27/2020 at 8:30 PM, SHANE (USA) said:

My guess is that K1 Visa applications/packets will have no delays. But they will take approximately the same amount of months that they normally take. 

No one knows how long K1's vs CR1's will really take, regardless of what they say.  ...Unless they got their Crystal Ball in the mail!?... Lol

If the embassy in the country of origin is not doing interviews due to COVID-19, there will be delays ... indefinitely.