As once George Washington, the first president of the USA, said, "The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respected Stranger but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations and Religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges…". The USA, now being a superpower in the world, was established with newcomers who were not native to the continent. For centuries it welcomed immigrants as immigrants are what made the country so powerful. Although there was always some resistance to immigrants, the politicians and authorities do not forget the USA's values. Therefore, every year millions of people around the world receive visas for USA. Many visa types, complex procedures remain to be frustrating for the applicants, though. Luckily, for this article, we will cover the details of one of the complex visa types, fiance visa, so that there will be no questions left in the air. We will elaborate on fiance visa USA, fiance visa requirements, fiance visa cost, and try to answer questions like how to apply for a fiance visa? How long does it take to get a fiance visa? How to get a fiance visa? Etc. Before that, let's learn about the USA visa policy.
USA visa policy
USA visa policy may vary depending on the relations it has with different countries. For example, some countries are banned from visiting the USA (Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen). Generally, we can divide the countries regarding visa status into two groups. They are visa-free countries and visa-required countries. To learn whether your country is visa-free or visa-required, you can check that on pickvisa.com by clicking the visa policy section, choosing the USA. The visa-free countries are the Bahamas, Canada, Marshal Islands, Micronesia, and Palau. As for visa types, they can be primarily categorized as Immigrant and Non-immigrant visas. The main difference between these two types of visas is that non-immigrant visas are for short stays, while immigrant visas were designed for long stays. Examples for non-immigrant visas are Business visa (B-1), Tourism visa (B-2), Transit visa( C ), Student visa ( F-1 or M-1), Exchange visitor visa ( J-1), Media visa ( I ), Temporary work visa (H-1B, H-1B1, H-2A, H-2B, H-3, L, O, P-1, P-2, P-3, Q1), etc. Requirements, fees, visa processing times vary based on visa types. Usually, when it comes to identifying required documents, one should search for a specific visa type that he is interested in. As we mentioned, our main focus will be on fiance visa USA.
US fiance visa
Although a fiance visa is considered to fit in short-term visas or non-immigrant visas, acquiring such a visa is the first step to a long stay in the USA. What we mentioned might confuse you a little bit, but it will be a lot clear when we go deep into the details of fiance visa requirements, fiance visa process, fiance visa processing time, etc. What exactly is fiance visa? US Citizenship and immigration services define it as "the visa for those who want to bring their foreign fiance(e) to the United States to get married." Applying for fiance visa successfully, one should also file a Form I-129F, Petition For Alien fiance(e). Another term for fiance visa USA is K-1 non-immigrant visa. After filing the file, applicants can get marry and then apply for permanent residency. First, you need to be eligible for the visa. After meeting the following requirements, you can start the application for fiance visa:
You should be a citizen of the US.
You and your fiance should get marry each other within 90 days after admission for fiance visa.
You both should be entitled to get married, which means that there should be no legal barrier to hinder the marriage. If any of you were married before, that marriage should be terminated by divorce.
You and your fiance should have met each other minimum of once 2 years prior to applying for fiance visa.
Once you are eligible and applied for the petition, you can move on next stage. Be aware, additional documents or information can be requested for the petition. For example, you might be asking how to apply for a fiance visa? Or how to get a fiance visa? Here are the required documents for application for fiance visa:
DS 260 form Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application.
Confirmation for an appointment.
A passport with at least one free page. It is advised to have a validity of a minimum of 6 months before you visit the USA.
A declaration or affidavit of support including I-864, I-864A, I-864 EZ, or I-864W provided by the sponsor in USA.
A colored photo recently or not taken older than 6 months. The size of the photo should be 5 x 5 cm.
Proof indicating your status in your own country.
A panel physician completes medical examination forms after upon successful completion of medical vaccinations alongside examination.
Prior certificates of marriages in the case that you were married before. Certified copies of certificates are applicable too.
Documents for marriage terminations indicating that you were once married but then divorced legally. They must be original or certified copies. These documents can be the last legal divorce decree, a certificate proving death, or documents for annulment.
Whether it is only you moving to the USA or you and your family member, you and that person should present the originals of your birth certificates or certified copies.
Police records of prison record and court. In this case, you have a criminal record. You need to present the original or certified copies.
In the case you have served in the military of a country. You should present copies of your military record.
Financial proof of meanings showing that you will be able to sustain yourself during your trip to USA. These meanings can be a bank statement covering the last 6 months' activity, bank extracts, slips, etc.
Copies of proofs for accommodations and travel such as hotel reservations, flight bookings, etc.
For the final stage of the fiance visa process, you are obliged to make an appointment for an interview. If you are aged between 14 and 79 you are asked to be in person for the process. It is requested to bring confirmation for the appointment with you. It is advised to get the interview 10-20 minutes before the decided time. Bear in mind that arriving too late will cause the cancellation of the interview. Note that the process may take 2-3 hours, therefor spare your time for that. However, the interview itself will not exceed few minutes. Review your documents before the process begin so that you can be fully prepared. The main question will be about the nature of the travel, dates, purposes, etc. Note that questions can vary as there are no standardization on the questions. You might learn your answers to visa questions at the end of the interview.
After successfully acquiring the visa, you will need to go through some procedures in order to bring your spouse to live in the United States of America. If you do not know how to complete it, do not worry. We are here to help. If you are a US citizen and your spouse is in the USA, you need to fill out Form I-130, which is Alien Relative Petition, and Form I-485, an application to Register Permanent Residence. If you are a green card holder and your spouse is in USA through lawful admission or parole, you will need to file Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. After a visa number becomes available, apply to adjust status to permanent residency using Form I-485. NOTE: Unless the spouse had an immigrant visa petition or labor certification pending before April 30, 2001, your spouse must have continuously maintained lawful status in the United States to adjust status.
Fees and processing time
One might ask how long does it take to get a fiance visa? Well, it depends. It depends on the country you applied from. However, there is an average fiance visa processing time which is around 10-60 days. In extraordinary cases, it can take more than we noted. The consular section will inform you whether your visa application is accepted or refused. What about fees? How much does fiance visa cost? The fee is standard regardless of your citizenship. You will be charged for 160 USD to apply for fiance visa. The payment will be carried out when the appointment for the interview is made.
