Jump to content
SnowColdIce

Do you need to propose to your girlfriend before you can file for a K1 Visa?

 Share

34 posts in this topic

Recommended Posts

2 minutes ago, SnowColdIce said:

I understand the letter of intent. However what about other people's experience? @powerpuff and @SalishSea seem to have indicated an engagement ring and wedding plans are not required as much.

Correct.  In fact, "wedding plans" generally required things like firm dates, which is not possible with the K-1 process.  We've seen people get burned on nonrefundable deposits for things like wedding venues.  Not recommended.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Country: Russia
Timeline
2 minutes ago, Mr. Ross said:

Why did I even bother to provide you with this excellent information ?  Do as you wish - Good luck to you. 

I am just curious for your perspective and experience on this, no need to react this way. Just questioning your statement the same way as I question theirs out of curiosity. I am genuinely just curious about your experience.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Morocco
Timeline

OP

it would be impossible to send wedding plans with the petition when u have no idea of the visa approval and when the immigrant could be in the USA so its not part of what u need

engagement party ?  in some embassies this has been mistaken for a wedding ceremony and visa denied as "to married for a K1"  so no, its not needed 

plus some countries do not have engagement parties

in Moroc it would be the man and his family visiting the woman's family to ask for marriage , show his assets and this would be impossible for many men to have a tourist visa to do this / that is  a formal engagement in Moroc 

the "intent to married statements"  and photos of the 2 of u with petition is what u need

 

only when there are red flag issues with a relationship will an embassy look for commingling of finances for a CR1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Canada
Timeline
2 hours ago, Mr. Ross said:

A K1 visa is a request to the US government to allow you to bring your fiancée to the USA so you can get married. This starts with an engagement and an engagement ring and then wedding plans which are all included in your K1 visa package. 
 

A visa package without significant wedding plans, photos of an engagement event etc will probably result in an RFE asking for this evidence. 
 

Don’t forget you need 2 letters of intent to get married too signed and dated & properly filled out. 

To offer another persons experience to OP in reference to this, I hadnt received my engagement ring yet at the time of filing. I submitted 0 proof of engagement ring, no wedding invitations, really nothing like that. We got engaged over a video call, so as you can likely imagine we had no proof of that. 

I'm now in the USA pending Adjustment of status adjudication. It was absolutely no issue for USCIS. 

  A fiance/fiancee is not determined by their ring, wedding plans, any of that : ) Good luck OP! It's going to be okay❤️

Id heavily suggest NOT making any wedding plans. Seen a couple people here and in a few k1 groups who planned a wedding extensively and lost thousands of dollars because of how unpredictable USCIS is. They wont speed up so you can have your wedding so it leaves a lot of people screwed. They dont expect you to risk hundreds of dollars!

Edit: I'd also heavily suggest I-130 as others have mentioned!!!!!! I wish it had been viable for me to do that path.

 

Edited by MissLadyRea
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Philippines
Timeline

We added a photo of the engagement ring in our pictures when we submitted our application, we weren't told to do so, we just did it and I don't think it made a difference. At no point during the entire process did USCIS or the embassy in Manila ask about wedding plans.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Germany
Timeline

I think you already got all the answers you needed but I want to share my own experience with this because I've never really come across this before!

 

Since me and my fiance are pretty young (20 & 21) and had been dating 3 years upon applying I was asking myself this question too. Of course we had discussed marriage and the ins and outs, fully aware we needed to marry when I come to the states. But it was still odd because meanwhile being engaged isn't a legal status, suddenly it seemed like we were engaged once we submitted the application but not because I had been proposed to. Due to the distance and the both of us not having super traditional values, it just never actually came up. I'm sure if we didn't have to do K1, we would eventually have gotten married anyway, maybe one or two years later. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Myanmar
Timeline
10 hours ago, SnowColdIce said:

However one thing stood up to me, do I need to be engaged to her before starting the process?

Yes. In fact, formal engagements can result in K-1 being denied

 

9 hours ago, Mr. Ross said:

Why did I even bother to provide you with this excellent information ? 

Do you have a reference to this? Specifically that supports this:

 

9 hours ago, Mr. Ross said:

A visa package without significant wedding plans, photos of an engagement event etc will probably result in an RFE asking for this evidence. 

I dare say the average visa journey experience is the opposite. I personally consider any ISO, CO, or CBP officer who demands wedding plans to be mentally defective.

 

As for: “photos of an engagement event”, including these can, not surprisingly, result in denial of the K-1 visa.

 

Engagement events should be as informal as possible, and can happen later or not at all. A quiet dinner between the couple is fine. A 1000 guest “engagement” event, is a denial. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, SalishSea said:

Wet signature is not required.

 

Yes, we have done our entire process ourselves.  I recommend reading as much as you can about the process.  Mistakes can add time and money to a process already fraught with roadblocks.

 

If we were to do it again, we would definitely avoid the K-1 and do a CR-1.  The adjustment of status part of a K-1 is a huge drawback.  With current wait times, your fiance may not be able to work or travel for up to one year.  The green card can take two years, and removal of conditions is up to four years.  In many states, people without green cards cannot drive.

I totally agree with you on this one.  If you can have the choice, then just go for the CR-!. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Taiwan
Timeline
12 hours ago, SnowColdIce said:

I am starting to think about it more now when you said this. I will read more on VJ now.

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 6-8 months)    
    Spouse can not work until she/he receives EAD (approx 6-8 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.
    A K-1 might be a better choice when 18-21 year old children are immigrating also
    In some situations, marriage can affect certain Home country benefits, making a K-1 a better choice   
    A denied K-1 is sent back to USCIS to expire
    

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.
   


 

"The US immigration process requires a great deal of knowledge, planning, time, patience, and a significant amount of money.  It is quite a journey!"

- Some old child of the 50's & 60's on his laptop 

 

Senior Master Sergeant, US Air Force- Retired (after 20+ years)- Missile Systems Maintenance & Titan 2 ICBM Launch Crew Duty (200+ Alert tours)

Registered Nurse- Retired- I practiced in the areas of Labor & Delivery, Home Health, Adolescent Psych, & Adult Psych.

IT Professional- Retired- Web Site Design, Hardware Maintenance, Compound Pharmacy Software Trainer, On-site go live support, Database Manager, App Designer.

______________________________________

In summary, it took 13 months for approval of the CR-1.  It took 44 months for approval of the I-751.  It took 4 months for approval of the N-400.   It took 172 days from N-400 application to Oath Ceremony.   It took 6 weeks for Passport, then 7 additional weeks for return of wife's Naturalization Certificate.. 
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Australia
Timeline
13 hours ago, Mr. Ross said:

A K1 visa is a request to the US government to allow you to bring your fiancée to the USA so you can get married. This starts with an engagement and an engagement ring and then wedding plans which are all included in your K1 visa package. 
 

A visa package without significant wedding plans, photos of an engagement event etc will probably result in an RFE asking for this evidence. 
 

Don’t forget you need 2 letters of intent to get married too signed and dated & properly filled out. 

Nope. Not at all true. We had exactly zero wedding plans when the K-1 was filed, nor did we have photos of an "engagement event". And people here are cautioned against sending photos of very formal looking engagement parties because certain consulates question whether it represents an engagement party or a wedding event. 

 

The only thing we ever provided pertaining to engagement other than our letters of intent to marry was the receipt for my engagement ring, and that wasn't even sent with the original K-1 petition. My husband provided it at his interview at the consulate as a piece of additional evidence. 

 

Anyway, as others have said, CR-1 is a much better bet now anyway. It was more of a toss-up back in 2018 when we filed, but that is no longer the case especially with fees potentially going up for AOS and the similar processing times between both visas. 

K1 to AOS                                                                                   AOS/EAD/AP                                                                      N-400

03/01/2018 - I-129F Mailed                                              06/19/2019 - NOA1 Date                                              01/27/2023 - N-400 Filed Online

03/08/2018 - NOA1 Date                                                    07/11/2019 - Biometrics Appt                                   02/23/2023 - Biometrics Appt
09/14/2018 - NOA2 Date                                                    12/13/2019 - EAD/AP Approved                               04/03/2023 - Interview Scheduled

10/16/2018 - NVC Received                                              12/17/2019 - Interview Scheduled                          05/10/2023 - Interview - APPROVED!

10/21/2018 - Packet 3 Received                                      01/29/2020 - Interview - APPROVED!                  OFFICIALLY A U.S. CITIZEN! 

12/30/2018 - Packet 3 Sent                                               02/04/2020 - Green Card Received! 

01/06/2019 - Packet 4 Received                                     ROC - I-751

01/29/2019 - Interview - APPROVED!                           11/02/2021 - Mailed ROC Packet

02/05/2019 - Visa Received                                             11/04/2021 - NOA1 Date

05/17/2019 - U.S. Arrival                                                     01/19/2022 - Biometrics Waived

05/24/2019 - Married ❤️                                                    02/04/2023 - Transferred to New Office

06/14/2019 - Mailed AOS Packet                                    05/10/2023 - APPROVED!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Taiwan
Timeline
13 hours ago, Mr. Ross said:

This starts with an engagement and an engagement ring and then wedding plans which are all included in your K1 visa package. 

This just isn't true.  Proof of meeting within the last 2 years and a signed letter of intent are the 2 main requirements of an I-129f package.   Do you have a reference that those items are required?

Edited by Crazy Cat

"The US immigration process requires a great deal of knowledge, planning, time, patience, and a significant amount of money.  It is quite a journey!"

- Some old child of the 50's & 60's on his laptop 

 

Senior Master Sergeant, US Air Force- Retired (after 20+ years)- Missile Systems Maintenance & Titan 2 ICBM Launch Crew Duty (200+ Alert tours)

Registered Nurse- Retired- I practiced in the areas of Labor & Delivery, Home Health, Adolescent Psych, & Adult Psych.

IT Professional- Retired- Web Site Design, Hardware Maintenance, Compound Pharmacy Software Trainer, On-site go live support, Database Manager, App Designer.

______________________________________

In summary, it took 13 months for approval of the CR-1.  It took 44 months for approval of the I-751.  It took 4 months for approval of the N-400.   It took 172 days from N-400 application to Oath Ceremony.   It took 6 weeks for Passport, then 7 additional weeks for return of wife's Naturalization Certificate.. 
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 
Didn't find the answer you were looking for? Ask our VJ Immigration Lawyers.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
- Back to Top -

Important Disclaimer: Please read carefully the Visajourney.com Terms of Service. If you do not agree to the Terms of Service you should not access or view any page (including this page) on VisaJourney.com. Answers and comments provided on Visajourney.com Forums are general information, and are not intended to substitute for informed professional medical, psychiatric, psychological, tax, legal, investment, accounting, or other professional advice. Visajourney.com does not endorse, and expressly disclaims liability for any product, manufacturer, distributor, service or service provider mentioned or any opinion expressed in answers or comments. VisaJourney.com does not condone immigration fraud in any way, shape or manner. VisaJourney.com recommends that if any member or user knows directly of someone involved in fraudulent or illegal activity, that they report such activity directly to the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. You can contact ICE via email at Immigration.Reply@dhs.gov or you can telephone ICE at 1-866-347-2423. All reported threads/posts containing reference to immigration fraud or illegal activities will be removed from this board. If you feel that you have found inappropriate content, please let us know by contacting us here with a url link to that content. Thank you.
×
×
  • Create New...