K1 visa - worth waiting for medical school graduation?

[nghsbf 22]

Hi guys,

 

Really helpful forum you've got here, i've learned a lot from the guides up top while i've been filling out the forms over the past few weeks. A quick question for those of you who are more seasoned in this kind of thing. My partner and I were planning to get engaged during my planned trip in March after 6 years of long distance but for obvious COVID reasons that didn't happen, so we're deciding to just be engaged via Zoom and start the visa process anyway.

 

Here's the kicker, she's currently a final year medical student, due to graduate and start her residency in the Spring, if we filed now we'd need a sponsor so i'm not a public charge etc etc. Her folks are happy to do so, but here's my question - given the delays that are now likely is it a more sensible move to simply wait until Spring when she's graduated and employed than apply now with the need for the extra form/evidence etc? I guess what i'm really asking is - how much extra time does the sponsor form tend to add to the process? If the answer is 'basically none' we'll just go ahead and file, if the answer is 'probably several months' then we've got a decision to make.

 

Thanks all!

[aaron2020 11,651]

Basically none.

[payxibka 10,045]

2 hours ago, Npwrth said:

Hi guys,

 

Really helpful forum you've got here, i've learned a lot from the guides up top while i've been filling out the forms over the past few weeks. A quick question for those of you who are more seasoned in this kind of thing. My partner and I were planning to get engaged during my planned trip in March after 6 years of long distance but for obvious COVID reasons that didn't happen, so we're deciding to just be engaged via Zoom and start the visa process anyway.

 

Here's the kicker, she's currently a final year medical student, due to graduate and start her residency in the Spring, if we filed now we'd need a sponsor so i'm not a public charge etc etc. Her folks are happy to do so, but here's my question - given the delays that are now likely is it a more sensible move to simply wait until Spring when she's graduated and employed than apply now with the need for the extra form/evidence etc? I guess what i'm really asking is - how much extra time does the sponsor form tend to add to the process? If the answer is 'basically none' we'll just go ahead and file, if the answer is 'probably several months' then we've got a decision to make.

 

Thanks all!

5 to 10 minutes 

[Greenbaum 12,259]

12 hours ago, Npwrth said:

Hi guys,

 

Really helpful forum you've got here, I've learned a lot from the guides up top while I've been filling out the forms over the past few weeks. A quick question for those of you who are more seasoned in this kind of thing. My partner and I were planning to get engaged during my planned trip in March after 6 years of long distance but for obvious COVID reasons that didn't happen, so we're deciding to just be engaged via Zoom and start the visa process anyway.

 

Here's the kicker, she's currently a final year medical student, due to graduate and start her residency in the Spring, if we filed now, we'd need a sponsor so I'm not a public charge etc. etc. Her folks are happy to do so, but here's my question - given the delays that are now likely is it a more sensible move to simply wait until Spring when she's graduated and employed than apply now with the need for the extra form/evidence etc.? I guess what I'm really asking is - how much extra time does the sponsor form tend to add to the process? If the answer is 'basically none' we'll just go ahead and file, if the answer is 'probably several months' then we've got a decision to make.

 

Thanks all!

If you can swing it, you may want to marry and then file the CR-1/IR-1. It's cheaper, takes about the same time as the K-1 and she will get her green card shortly after entering the US and the real kicker is that she doesn't have the 6-12-months delay in getting her work authorization that we find those who are K-1's.

 

To address your original question the sponsor doesn't add any additional time to the process. Good luck and stay engaged in the process. 

[Jeni82 10]

Not sure what she went to medical school for but I’m sure she already knows this as well but if she wants to become a doctor in the us she has to take her exams all over again it’s called the USMLE https://www.usmle.org/. I’ll be in that situation with my fiancé when he’s able to move here post covid. 

[DaveAndAnastasia 2,093]

5 hours ago, Jeni82 said:

Not sure what she went to medical school for but I’m sure she already knows this as well but if she wants to become a doctor in the us she has to take her exams all over again it’s called the USMLE https://www.usmle.org/. I’ll be in that situation with my fiancé when he’s able to move here post covid. 

FWIW, it sounds like the OP is the intending immigrant fiancé and the US Citizen is the medical student.

[nghsbf 22]

4 hours ago, DaveAndAnastasia said:

FWIW, it sounds like the OP is the intending immigrant fiancé and the US Citizen is the medical student.

You're quite right on this, sorry for the confusion/my unclear wording. It is indeed me who's the beneficiary moving to the US, she's a US citizen and med student.

 

Thanks for all the advice regardless, it's good to know that the extra sponsor stuff doesn't really add any time to the process. We're pretty much good to go on that front so we'll file shortly.