VirginiaYasin

If she has an existing valid F1 visa, and will enter and study full time, I don't see any reason there would be a problem with that.  If she does not currently have a valid F1 visa, she is highly unlikely to be issued one.

No.

Other than K-3 being approved, none. For the reasons I have listed, a K-3 is not a bad outcome.
 
 

Thread is locked in favor of OP's other thread in the K-3 Process forum.
Please avoid starting multiple threads on the same closely related topic.

Yes.

I do not believe it.
 
Even USCIS says 80 percent of I-129Fs are processed in 16.5 months.
 
 

your question that is personal to your case has no answer. While some one might get approved in 3 months while others wait for 3 years. 
 
There is absolutely no way to tell how much time an individual case can take. all every one is providing is an estimate .
 
What USCIS provides is an estimate of time for 80% of cases. Do you know your case in that 80% is like asking what number will hit the lottery 

You cannot guess and all those numbers about the processing centers themselves are not reliable.  I say plan on at least 2 years if all goes well before your fiancee arrives in the US.

USCIS Immigration Processing Times - VisaJourney

Response to your questions
1 - I am afraid, we may regret not getting married for cr1 visa because i heard fiance(k1) visa is taking 2 years, is this right? 
K-1 visa for us (I understand everyone goes through different lengths and time for various reasons) has been 2 years to get to the second step of process. I've known others in similar circumstances who were ahead of us because they were on the marriage visa route. We still have at least another year, so 3 years total in our k-1 journey. 
2 - I am afraid, uscis doesn't care about k1 visa and may ignore it or let it wait, is this true?
We had some complications with USCIS and NVC tossing our application back and forth - I am not sure why but cr1 visa route may have avoided this. I don't believe they actively ignored any visa, but others may be prioritised.
3 - do most people regret choosing k1, i heard mixed reviews. what would you do if you were in our sitatuion(please review our option 1 and option 2)
I can't fully say I regret anything yet until we've made it through the process. Because of other factors (work, life) we are not in any rush to get to the states, so if time was of an essence, the cr1 visa would have been more advantageous. 
4- is it ok if we have a cultural/religious ceremony(not official marriage) after we applied k1 visa? We will only be engaged but have a small ceremony.
Not sure. 
5- what would you do if you were in our situation? wait 3 months and apply for cr1 or start k1 right away(our goal is to be together in the usa, as soon as possible)
K-1 visa will take longer it seems like, so applying for cr1 "might" be the best option if you want to decrease the wait, but again haven't not gotten through our own process -  I cannot say for sure. I think everyone's situation is incredibly unique and the process far from easy. Wish you and your partner the best. 

Yes.

Very common. Proof of time spent together is the best evidence at this early stage. Married couples living in separate countries are not expected to have joint accounts, etc. 
 
Edit to add: Boarding passes, passport stamps, and photos together are prime examples of proof of time together. 

I'm also in favor of the CR-1. My partner and I had weighed the pros and cons while we were trying to decide whether to bring him to the US as a fiancé (preferred) or get married. In the end, after seeing the processing time (80% at 16 months), and the I-130 (80% about 13.5 months), DS-260 for the CR-1/IR-1, the processing times seemed to be similar (possibly CR-1/IR-1 a little bit shorter potentially) and you could work in the US right away upon arrival whereas with the K-1 you are stuck in limbo after getting married (being unable to work, waiting for adjustment of status, etc.). Overall I'd highly recommend the CR-1 route

OP, keep in mind that with the Utah marriage, you will not be eligible to file the petition for a spousal visa until you next meet in person.  It may be filed online.

She doesn't need a passport for you to file the I-130 petition after marriage.  She doesn't need an ID.  You will need a marriage certificate.  Find the I-130 and I-130A to become more familiar with the forms and process, and read the guide here on VJ.  She will need a current passport much later in the process, at the NVC stage, which will be 12-18 months after filing the I-130.

so just because people applied k1 visa, they can't have dinner with engagement rings on our finger, announce people they are engaged on social media, and invite our families and friends to our home party (or restaurant with other customers dining) and this is an easy denial? 
why are we supposed to keep it secret? 
sorry my reacting is not to you but i can't believe this is EASY denail.
we are talking about inviting friends and family to our home to have dinner and drinks OR a restaurant to have dinner and drinks and post photos to social media. 
i just repeated multiple times only because i don't want to mislead because it is hard how this is EASY denial. it is not a legal marriage, it is just celebration of engagement, only other thing i can image is, we just keep it as secret and not mention it to anybody, why would immigration want this?

We went through the K-1 route in 2018 and I also would recommend CR-1 instead. Back when we did the K-1, processing times weren't too bad, so it still made some sense to pursue a K-1 if being together faster was a priority. Now, K-1 processing times are long and take a similar amount of time as the CR-1. 
 
Considering that, if you go through the K-1 route you also have to deal with the AOS process to get the green card, which is expensive and also takes awhile. 
 
Basically, it's worth waiting 3 months to marry and apply for a CR-1, rather than apply for a K-1 now. 
 
I don't think "most people" regret going the K-1 route, but there are A LOT of people who did the K-1 that recommend the CR-1 over it now (like us). K-1s can also be trickier to get in higher fraud countries - you didn't mention where your wife is from so just making you aware of that aspect as well. 
 
Lastly, if you decide to do the K-1 anyway, DO NOT do a religious ceremony! K-1s have been denied for this because USCIS can view it as being married, regardless of it not being "official". 

CR-1 is my vote!
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.
   

 

“Note: Present and former residents of the United States do NOT need to submit any U.S. police certificates.”
 
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/step-5-collect-financial-evidence-and-other-supporting-documents/step-7-collect-civil-documents.html
 
 

I agree, no.

Generally USCIS and DoS do not ask for police reports from the U.S., because they can just ask the FBI. 
 
Sometimes they do make specific requests for U.S. police records.  If and until that rarity happens,  she should not concern herself with U.S. police reports.