Current 2025 Fiancé vs. spousal in Manilla

[KennM 1]

Good Day, what are the current processing times for Fiancé vs spousal visas out of Manila? I know there is this resource but I find it confusing and not specific to PH. https://www.visajourney.com/times/  Including the part that is done in the U.S. What is the fastest route now? Any good advise on how to speed things up? Thanks!

Edited June 23 by KennM

[RufusDawes 34]

Don't have exact numbers but the fiance visa is much shorter than spousal... rn fiance visas is running 8-12 months to approval while the spousal is double that time.... K1 is faster to arrive in US, but spousal has the advantage of simultaneous green card approval.

I am in month 10 rn for my K1 and we are almost done, should be completed and on the plane flight in 3-4 weeks.

[Crazy Cat 44,424]

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 3-6 months) 
  Spouse can not work until she/he receives EAD (approx 3-6 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.
  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
  K-1 entrant cannot file for citizenship until after having Green Card for 3 years.
  Once an I-129F has been approved, delaying the case is difficult to impossible if the need arises.
Current Presidential executive order (travel bans) don't allow K-1 visa holders from some countries to enter the US.

CR-1/IR-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 clock for citizenship filing starts immediately upon entry to the US.
  A CR-1/IR-1 case can be delayed indefinitely at NVC if the need arises. 
Current Presidential executive order (travel bans) exempt immediate relatives of US citizens.
   

 

The only way to speed things up is to avoid delays becoming an "A student" of the process and forms.  There are other factors you might want to consider, too.

[KennM 1]

4 hours ago, RufusDawes said:

Don't have exact numbers but the fiance visa is much shorter than spousal... rn fiance visas is running 8-12 months to approval while the spousal is double that time.... K1 is faster to arrive in US, but spousal has the advantage of simultaneous green card approval.

I am in month 10 rn for my K1 and we are almost done, should be completed and on the plane flight in 3-4 weeks.

Thanks for your response. How do you track this? I had read at some point that things might speed up on the CR1. Maybe that was wrong information. 

Edited June 24 by KennM

[RufusDawes 34]

18 hours ago, KennM said:

Thanks for your response. How do you track this? I had read at some point that things might speed up on the CR1. Maybe that was wrong information. 

 

You can track the USCIS application side with this service, its about $15 monthly but it is pretty accurate to let you know when to expect application approval.

 

On the NVC side they give pretty good estimates on turnaround times to send to USEM:  

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/nvc-timeframes.html

 

As far as USEM goes they seem random, best advice is to find an "interview" group chat on Messenger, several hundred Pinay's checking 24hrs and they send out notice when slots open... that is how I got my interview appt in 13 days.

 

[RufusDawes 34]

forgot the link for the track the visa application service:

https://***removed due to spam***/

Edited June 24 by RufusDawes