K1 or CR1 Visa Choice -- Met Fiance 5 Months Ago

[JD2 175]

Quick marriages are the norm in South Asia so it may not be as bad as it seems. I would do CR-1.  What if you do K-1 then Pakistan is added to the ban list?  Then only CR-1 would work and the time waiting on the I-129F would be wasted.  CR-1 takes longer but is a better visa as described above.  But CR-1 will take 2 to 3 years.  K-1 would be 1 to 2 years.  But that’s assuming things stay as they are now.

[Boiler 47,881]

I sort of assumed she isn’t from the sub continent but if she is that would help.

[J O R D Y 0 0]

4 hours ago, JD2 said:

Quick marriages are the norm in South Asia so it may not be as bad as it seems. I would do CR-1.  What if you do K-1 then Pakistan is added to the ban list?  Then only CR-1 would work and the time waiting on the I-129F would be wasted.  CR-1 takes longer but is a better visa as described above.  But CR-1 will take 2 to 3 years.  K-1 would be 1 to 2 years.  But that’s assuming things stay as they are now.

Yes from what I gather doing cr1 ales te most sense 

[Ara Burton 50]

19 hours ago, J O R D Y 0 said:

Okay I have not filed anything yet. I came here for some constructive advice

 

 I met a Pakistani guy online in march and fell in love a few months later. We are now dating long distance of course but we are planning to meet in January I was already going to Egypt and invited him to tag along. 
 

Some background information 

we are both Christians 

 

we only have a 3 year age gap

 

I’ve been married twice and have 2 children I’m in the middle of a divorce and it will be finalized before meeting in January.

 

both of our families approve 

 

now that we are actively planning a future together which visa route will be best for us if we decide to go that route k1 or cr1?

 

advice please 

CR1. 

[appleblossom 4,861]

38 minutes ago, J O R D Y 0 said:

Yes from what I gather doing cr1 ales te most sense 

I think so. The point about Pakistan being added to the banned list is a good one, it would be awful for that to happen if you’d done a K-1.
 

But I wouldn’t marry after just one visit, plan a couple at least and then try and get more time together whilst the I-130 is being processed so that you have plenty of evidence for the interview. 
 

Good luck. 

[JeanneAdil 7,234]

are u a US citizen by birth or came here on visa for spouse or fiancee?

[J O R D Y 0 0]

2 minutes ago, JeanneAdil said:

are u a US citizen by birth or came here on visa for spouse or fiancee?

Birth citizen

[JeanneAdil 7,234]

32 minutes ago, J O R D Y 0 said:

Birth citizen

that;s a plus

 

good luck 

I add my vote after u meet and are completely sure you want to commit  is for the CR1 

[James2025 3]

In my opinion you’re better to do a CR1 visa. A K-1 is a crapshoot these days, per the time lines on USCIS the CR1 is taking a little longer not by much. 
the current processing time for the CR1 start to finish is just under 2 years. 
My wife and I just finished the entire process, she is now in the USA with me. 
Once you do get married and you have your marriage certificate in hand you want to file with USCIS right away. 
USCIS processes files in order to the posting date. During the waiting time you can keep uploading more marriage evidence to help your case.

In our case I kept uploading huge amounts of evidence every four months. Mainly financial documents,

plane tickets, places we stayed.

Here is something else, if you do go with a CR1 if your spouse enters the USA prior to your 2 year anniversary of marriage he will get a 2 year provisional green card, just before the 2 year anniversary of the green card you will need to apply for a 10 year one. If he enters one day after your 2 year anniversary he will get a 10 year green card. Food for thought. 

[poh 137]

You just met so K-1 to get to know better while in the States.  

[Lil bear 4,623]

2 minutes ago, poh said:

You just met so K-1 to get to know better while in the States.  

K1 visa is issued for the purpose of marrying within 90 days of entry .. Not for “getting to know “ each other. That’s what the  time before taking up the visa is for. 

[SalishSea 18,521]

4 minutes ago, poh said:

You just met so K-1 to get to know better while in the States.  

They have not "met."

[Bill and Tanya 19]

Does he already have a tourist visa in the US?

If not, you should consider doing this first as it gets him into "the system".  Either way, K1 or CR1 you are going to have to lay out your life together on paper and demonstrate this is a bona fide marriage which will need a track history - meaning lots of travel. 

 

Without trying to get too personal, do you and/or he have the financial means to pull this off?  I mean multiple visits either to his country, or vice versa assuming he can get a B1 or equiv. 

 

Anyone here can attest, this is an expensive process you are undertaking, and I don't just mean the fees.  If you are trying to do it on the cheap, consider something more realistic.

[Mello3 49]

On 9/1/2025 at 2:25 AM, Crazy Cat said:

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 (up to 9 months) 
  Spouse can not work until she/he receives EAD (up to 9 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.
  If US spouse declines to participate in Adjustment of Status, the foreign spouse will have a very difficult avenue to legally remain in the US.
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.
   

 

I have a question about this statement

 

The clock for citizenship filing starts immediately upon entry to the US.
 

Does this mean upon entry they can immediately file for citizenship?

[Crazy Cat 45,242]

10 minutes ago, Mello3 said:

I have a question about this statement

 

The clock for citizenship filing starts immediately upon entry to the US.
 

Does this mean upon entry they can immediately file for citizenship?

It means the 3 year clock for filing for citizenship begins when a person becomes a legal resident.  In the case of a person who enters with a CR-1, the 3 year clock for filing starts the minute they arrive in the US.  For a K-1 entrant, the 3 year clock starts when their Adjustment of Status is approved......which could be a year or more after they arrive in the US.

 

To file for citizenship, a spouse of a US citizen must have been married to a US citizen for 3 years, AND the immigrant must have been a legal resident (Green Card holder) for 3 years.

Edited Monday at 10:36 PM by Crazy Cat