Ellie__

We decided to wait if and when the situation will improve a little, he cannot go anywhere because of the military and I don't feel okay spending 14 days out of Schengen, my option was Croatia as I am super close since I am from Italy but now it's a mess.
Let's just hope some good news will come soon. 🤗

The Department of State released a memo that contained a list of "re-opening" requirements that a country must have for their Embassy to start processing visas again. Some have meet these requirements and are processing visas. Some have not and are still waiting. Unfortunately all you can do at this point is be patient and wait for things to improve, but I would say that if predictions are correct and we get a vaccine by the end of this year/early next year, things across the board will return to somewhat normal. Hang in there!

If a couple's #1 priority is to physically be together as soon as possible in America🇺🇸, and they do not care about the other pros and cons, then the fastest way to achieve this is via the K1 Fiancé Visa.
     Disclaimer:  Due to the world's reaction of the COVID-19 virus, there are rumors that some U.S. Embassies in certain countries are only currently processing CR1 Spousal Visas at this time and are not processing K1 Fiancé Visas.
     However, if you or your fiancé has not even submitted a I-129F (K1) or a I-130 (CR1) packet to the USCIS yet, then the delays that some U.S. Embassies are currently experiencing may never affect you in the future because the USCIS takes SEVERAL MONTHS to approve those forms and advance them to the next step in the Visa process. 
     That is why I chose the K1 and submitted my I-129F to the USCIS a couple months ago. 
Furthermore, I can not currently marry my fiancée in the Philippines even if I wanted to because some islands/provinces keep going back on another lockdown and a lot of government agencies are closed. So even if I was trapped there, I still would not be able to get married. 
 
     Hope this helps🙏🏻
...And you're very welcome! 🙂

If being together faster is your main reason, then you can go with the K1. But be very aware of the limitations such as your fiance will not be able to work, travel back home, or sometimes can't even get a driver's license for several months after they get here on a K1. This is a huge burden for a lot of people. Many immigrants feel trapped being stuck in the house for so long.
 
No only that, the immigrant has to file Adjustment of Status (AOS) after marriage which is more money and more documents to file. And the price for AOS is going to be over $2000 after Oct. 
 
And finally, the pandemic has shown that K1 visas are not processed at the same importance as spousal visas. So during a shut down, the K1 visa interviews may get put on hold while spousal visas continue to be processed.  
 
So basically, you have to weigh the pros and cons. Getting here faster only to be stuck here with no job and no ability to travel may be a deal breaker for a lot of people. With a spousal visa, an immigrant can work immediately. and there is no AOS so there is not extra costs or paperwork. 

Yeah I was not reading good things about it 😅  seemed too good to be true 

As far as the K1 goes, either way you will have to wait. If you wait until the situation “improves”, you could be waiting forever! 

You're making a mountain out of an anthill....just take the simple definition. Have you guys had sex after marriage? That's all USCIS may need. Don't make it difficult for yourself by asking what it means legally, religiously, economically etc....😄😄😄

It will matter, though. Yes all petitions are slower than normal due to the virus, meaning that once you receive your CR-1 you're out of the woods. With the K-1 route however, you're first stuck in line at the i-129f stage, and once in the US, you're stuck again at the i-485 stage. So yeah, everyone has to choose the path they want to go down, obviously. But there is a difference, they're not the same.
 
I stupidly chose the K-1 myself and despite being at the citizenship stage now, I still regret it. It's definitely not for everyone, and this thread (and many others) are just here to enlighten people who might not be aware of the big differnece between the two. This is great information, and great knowledge being shared by people who have already been down that road. Choose whatever you want, but the info still needs to be out there for those who haven't chosen yet and who are looking to research this.

My goal was to get back to the US with my fiance as soon as possible. Money was not a consideration. That said, the amounts aren't so different either way, especially if you start considering things like travel, translations, tracking down paper work, and fees in other countries. Everyone has to make their own choices. As it turns out, it doesn't matter if you went of K1 or CR1 this year, we're all stuck together.

In italy same, they told me it takes about a month to get married and that's something impossible for him. What a terrible situation, months ago I thought it would get over by summer  

I was in the US with him in March, then Europe started closing borders and I had to rush back home, at least we got to meet  
 

If it is any consolation, many of us are in the same boat. I'm sure (like me) you did plenty of research into the various pros/cons of each route and made the best decision you could at the time. Nobody could have foreseen the circumstances we are now faced with, so there really is little value in living with regrets.
 
If filing now, I would probably make a different decision (CR1), but even that would be riddled with uncertainty and a long wait. Our view is that given the time/effort invested in preparing our K1 application and waiting for our NOA2, it would not be wise to start again. All we can do is patiently wait for the NVC and embassies to re-start processing. 
 
I'm not sure if this is helpful - I've not posted before - but I just felt compelled to reply as you are not alone in struggling with this situation. 
 
Keep focusing on the end goal, it will be worth it in the end.

In italy same, they told me it takes about a month to get married and that's something impossible for him. What a terrible situation, months ago I thought it would get over by summer  

Hi there,
 
There is also another point that I would like to bring up regarding going the K-1 Visa route versus the IR1/CR1 choice. I’m not sure how this holds true nowadays but before and based on experience from many previous filers, there was somewhat less scrutiny from both the US Department of State as well as from USCIS in regards to proving a bona fide marriage when doing the K-1 Visa and then after filing for the AOS as opposed to filing the I-130 and then applying for the IR1/CR1. I guess the logic behind this was that there weren’t any more roadblocks once the IR1/CR1 was approved thus providing a straight road towards permanent residency with no more detours after going through that last hurdle. This is why the adjudicators at the US Embassies tend to be more strict with that process vs the K-1. With the fiancé/fiancée Visa the US Embassy personnel might not become as strict since they figure that USCIS will be the ones to perform the more extensive investigation once you file for AOS.
 
I hope that this is helpful and provides you with another insight towards making the choice that works best for your particular scenario/journey. 
 
Good luck and stay safe and healthy out there 😊

I think your best bet is to wait for the actual EO and see what it states,based upon the rough draft of the EO (the version referenced here)- https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-21/trump-says-he-ll-suspend-immigration-to-u-s-over-virus-concerns , removal of conditions should not be affected. I would also not take anything trump says at face value since he justs one random thing after another.

Good luck...

Yes you can say you are visiting your girlfriend, you don't need to tell them you are getting married, because you are going home!
The only problem is when people visit on a tourist visa and want to stay.
This is not your problem!
Congratulations for the wedding!