K1- and K3 Visas – The Love Visas
Love is blind. However, when it comes to applying for a visa for your intended it is advisable to keep your eyes wide open.
The K1 Visa is a fiancé visa and the K3 Visa is a marriage visa and there are benefits and draw backs to both.
The K-1 Visa or Visa or fiancé visa. If you are a US citizen thinking of marrying a foreign national and tying the knot in the United States you would most likely apply for K-1 visa. The K-1 visa allows your fiancé to spend up to 90 days or three months with you before tying the knot. The advantage to a K-1 visa is that this is a one step process and much easier to prove your relationship. The fiancé visa is processed within the United States meaning it will be approved faster than the K-3 visa which is approved in the consulate of the country where the marriage took place. The drawback is if the wedding doesn’t occur within 90 days your finance must return to their own Country and the visa process must continue. Another drawback is the paperwork must be filled out perfectly otherwise the visa application might be delayed.
The K-3 Visa or Marriage Visa. You should apply for this visa if you are planning to marry overseas. It is easier in a sense that you will not need to prove your love as intensely to the US government and your spouse will receive immediate US residency and are free to travel in and out of the Country. The drawbacks are the American citizen applying for the K-3 marriage visa must receive permission from the United States government to marry abroad. All documents must be translated into English and the paper work is not processed in the United States but rather in the country where you are married.
It is critical to have a US immigration professional work assist you when applying for a K1- or K3 visa as any documentation error can cause a hold up in beginning your new life here.
