K1 or CR1 visa question.

[Rasko 0]

Hello wonderful people, hope you're well! I'll try to keep this nice and simple because currently both my fiance and I are in tough spot and need some answers.

For background: 
She is a US citizen who moved out of US when she was 11 back to Bosnia. She's 27 now and we met in July 2024, got engaged on Valentines Day of 2025 and had made plans to move to the US due to better life there than in Bosnia as well as for the future of our kids. 

I'm 25 and I never visited US and I was never denied a Visa. I don't have any criminal records, I don't use drugs, I don't drink or smoke, I never had any issues with people in general. 

Now because of the  fact that she's been out of US for so long and her family's friends (who should've been sponsors) probably won't reach 100-125% poverty line, we decided that she could move back in July 2026 to Vancouver WA (where she was born and has place to stay at her family friends' place) and that she finds work so she can provide financial stability needed for us to move (because her address will already be the same as her parent's friends address as they own the house fully). 

We planned on her staying for a few months (maybe till December 2026) until she files the K1 process. 

Now the question/questions are:

Would marrying let's say 10-15 days before she moves back to the US make it much more difficult on us because she needs to redomicile and provide more proof of financial stability? (We planned doing this to make it easier for us once we move if we move that is and also because we want to make sure we got a safe and good chance).

Also how risky is K1 visa for us?

By the way for context, she plans on staying in the US as she figured that it's better that way either way because of life that gives you more options there in terms of work and general peace and stability, so we can't really risk getting married and wait 17 or however many months for CR1 just to be denied because we would both be "frozen in time" during 17 or so months because of the distance and life that we would live in the meantime (because of the fact that I need to plan my life here in Bosnia during that time and it's not easy living off of normal paycheck if you have to juggle between affording a car for easier transport locally or saving up money so you can use it once you reach US), same applies for her of course (she could do other things instead of saving up for something that has high probability of failing). 

So realistically what's our best bet? We plan on paying a lawyer (still figuring out who to talk to from US immigration) about our case. 

Again, I want to make sure we are on the same page, my fiance and I are and have fully agreed to move due to mutual benefit and benefit of our future kids because current climate in our country is not at all healthy for lasting relationship and kids. 

We only want to make sure we get the best chance we got because we don't know if K-1 or CR-1 is better for our case and safer. 

Also if she applies from US, does she need to fly back to US embassy here in Bosnia (located in Sarajevo) or am I the only one applicable for interview?

Thank you all! 
Best of wishes. 

P.S I just noticed I said our kids a few times here, we don't have kids right now but are planning on having once we marry.

 

Edited 1 hour ago by Rasko

[appleblossom 5,494]

40 minutes ago, Rasko said:

We only want to make sure we get the best chance we got because we don't know if K-1 or CR-1 is better for our case and safer

 

If you don't want to file until she's been in the US for ~6 months and you want to marry 10-15 days before she leaves, K-1 isn't an option anyway. So that's the decision made for you! 

 

You shouldn't need a lawyer unless you have complicated circumstances. VJ is a DIY site, plenty of people here will help you with any questions.

 

And only you would need to be interviewed.

 

HTH, good luck. 

Edited 21 minutes ago by appleblossom

[Rasko 0]

2 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

 

If you don't want to file until she's been in the US for ~6 months and you want to marry 10-15 days before she leaves, K-1 isn't an option anyway. So that's the decision made for you! 

 

You shouldn't need a lawyer unless you have complicated circumstances. VJ is a DIY site, plenty of people here will help you with any questions.

 

And only you would need to be interviewed.

 

HTH, good luck. 

Oh thank you, well if I understood correctly, she needs to be at least 6 months in the US before we can apply either way? 

Just to clear up on marriage plan, the reason we wouldn't marry before that is because of financial strain it would put on both of us locally due to apartment payments and because we don't live in the same city so it would mean additional travel fees for work etc. 

I figured our complicated circumstance would be the fact that she hasn't been in the US since the age of 11 really, she planned on going there but wanted to meet someone who she could see herself with so that's why we are now here in this spot.

In short, she needs to move for about 6 months or more and then we can apply without serious risk of getting denied from the get-go, correct? 

 

[appleblossom 5,494]

6 minutes ago, Rasko said:

Oh thank you, well if I understood correctly, she needs to be at least 6 months in the US before we can apply either way? 

Just to clear up on marriage plan, the reason we wouldn't marry before that is because of financial strain it would put on both of us locally due to apartment payments and because we don't live in the same city so it would mean additional travel fees for work etc. 

I figured our complicated circumstance would be the fact that she hasn't been in the US since the age of 11 really, she planned on going there but wanted to meet someone who she could see herself with so that's why we are now here in this spot.

In short, she needs to move for about 6 months or more and then we can apply without serious risk of getting denied from the get-go, correct? 

 

 

Why do you think she needs to be in the US for at least 6 months before she can apply? She could apply from anywhere, but if you can't meet the financial requirements then yes, she'll have to go ahead and try and find a job. But she doesn't need to work in that job for 6 months before you apply. 

 

And her not being in the US since she was young isn't really a complicating factor, plenty of people apply that are USC's but have never even set foot in the US. Has she been filing her taxes? That is the only possible complication. 

 

If you want to marry before she goes then K-1 isn't an option (you have to marry in the US for that). And it sounds to me as though CR-1 may be better anyway if money is an issue, as it will be cheaper and also mean you can start earning as soon as you get to the US. I'm going to tag forum member @Crazy Cat who has a fabulous comparison list which should help though.

 

Best of luck.  

Edited 9 minutes ago by appleblossom

[Rasko 0]

Just now, appleblossom said:

 

Why do you think she needs to be in the US for at least 6 months before she can apply? She could apply from anywhere, but if you can't meet the financial requirements then yes, she'll have to go ahead and try and find a job. But she doesn't need to work in that job for 6 months before you apply. 

 

And her not being in the US since she was young isn't a complicating factor, plenty of people apply that are USC's but have never even set foot in the US. 

 

If you want to marry before she goes then K-1 isn't an option (you have to marry in the US for that). And it sounds to me as though CR-1 may be better anyway if money is an issue, as it will be cheaper and also mean you can start earning as soon as you get to the US. I'm going to tag forum member @Crazy Cat who has a fabulous comparison list which should help though.

 

Best of luck.  

Ohh sorry, I misunderstood what you said, now I understand you. 

Basically we were of logic that she needs income and because she is lacking sponsors well at least she will have some time to settle there so she  can prove her finances when she applies for visa.

Also we are new to all of this and it sounds scary so that's why we thought that her not being in the US for so long would be a problem. 

Lastly, we would marry before US, IF and only if K1 is not applicable in our case, but because she needs finances (proof that she is stable financially) we were split between K1 and CR1. We are mostly afraid of our future and the impact it would have on us as a couple. CR1 as far as we checked has stricter requirements so we figured CR1 wouldn't work out because it would take her a long time to redomicile and get finances in order which again could result in getting denied as nothing is guaranteed and due to supposed stricter requirements. 

I will check comparison and that list you pointed out by @Crazy Cat and hopefully it clears up some stuff for me. 

Sorry for taking too much of your time and hopefully I was clear and concise enough

Thank you kindly for the response and help!