Time Exceptions for K1

[alexz17 0]

Hello guys,

Do you know of any  cases with a faster processing time? As far as i know a K-1 visa is about 6 months but given the circumstances with the covid 19 and the fact that my fiancee is working in healthcare (she is a pediatrician)  and i read somewhere that people who are working in the HealthCare have priority. Do you have any idea about this? thank you!

[DaveAndAnastasia 2,078]

No actual knowledge, but given what it takes for a K-1 fiancé(e) to be able to work legally and what it takes for foreign doctors to do to be licensed to practice in the US, I'd think it unlikely.

[xxlian 100]

It looks like those expedited cases are focused on work-based visas (don't confuse I-129F with I-129 here, as I-129 is Petition for Non-Immigrant Worker).

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/update-on-h-and-j-visas-for-medical-professionals.html

[SalishSea 16,721]

22 hours ago, alexz17 said:

Hello guys,

Do you know of any  cases with a faster processing time? As far as i know a K-1 visa is about 6 months but given the circumstances with the covid 19 and the fact that my fiancee is working in healthcare (she is a pediatrician)  and i read somewhere that people who are working in the HealthCare have priority. Do you have any idea about this? thank you!

Not for K-1s.  If she wants to try to get a job over here and be petitioned by an employer, that may be faster.

 

Total time for K-1, from petition mailing to POE is closer to a year, 1.5 years to be able to work.

[MarieJames 48]

I've been waiting 6 months already and still have not even gotten my NOA2. The K1 visa takes much longer than six months total, especially right now.

[DaveAndAnastasia 2,078]

15 hours ago, MarieJames said:

I've been waiting 6 months already and still have not even gotten my NOA2. The K1 visa takes much longer than six months total, especially right now.

Processing times for K1s seem to go up and down a lot even in normal times. They went up a lot in the first half of 2017 (from a starting point of under 4 months to NOA2 on average), stayed about the same (6.5-7.5 months to NOA2 on average) though mid-2018, started going down again, got as low as a little over 3 months to NOA2 on average, and were slowly increasing again before covid-19 hit. And that wasn't the first time they'd gone up and down a lot in a three-year span.