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OVERVIEW OF THE FIANCE VISA PROCESS The
overview of the process of bringing your fiance to America is as
follows: The first step is to bring your fiance to America under a
Fiance Visa. The second step of the process is to marry your fiance and
then apply to convert her temporary Fiance Visa to Permanent Status.
Bringing your fiance to America under a fiance visa has several parts to it:
· The first part consists of your application to the Immigration and
Naturalization Service. You are petitioning the INS on behalf of your
fiance. You are sponsoring her in her visa application to immigrate to
the US.
· Once the INS approves your application, the visa application package
is then forwarded to the appropriate US embassy that handles fiance
visas for the geographic region where your fiance lives.
· The US embassy has its own application requirements you must meet.
The embassy then conducts a final interview with your fiance before her
K-1 visa is approved.
Your petition to the INS must be processed within 120 days by law, from the time all required items are submitted to the INS.
If any items required for INS processing are incomplete, the
application sits on an INS processor’s desk until it is complete. The
visa application will expire after the 120 days and you must either get
an extension or reapply.
The following INS forms are required for you to submit a K-1 visa application to the INS:
· The basic form required is Form I-129F Petition for Alien Fiance. If
your fiance has unmarried children under twenty-one years of age, they
are eligible to accompany your fiance only if they are listed on this
form.
· Two completed sets of copies of Form G-325A Biographic Data Sheets.
One set for you and one set for your fiance. Each set has four pages
that must be filled out in quadruplicate (all originals, no copies).
Eight pages in total.
Other Documentation Required:
You will need to provide evidence of U.S. Citizenship: certified copies
of your birth certificate, a copy of your U.S. Passport, a copy of your
Certificate of Naturalization, or a copy of your Certificate of
Citizenship.
You will need to send a color photo of both you and your fiance taken
within thirty days of filing. The photos must be passport style
photographs submitted in the approved format with the individual facing
the camera.
Do not wear any jewelry or glasses when you are taking these pictures.
See this INS website for complete instructions regarding how the photos
are to be taken:
http://uscis.gov/graphics/publicaffairs/newsrels/04_08_02Photo_flyer.pdf
You will need certified copies, and certified copies of translations
into English if necessary, of birth certificates, divorce decrees,
death certifications, or annulment decrees if either you or your fiance
have been previously married.
Lately, the INS has stated that they do not need certified copies of
documents to process fiance visa applications. However, the INS and US
embassy personnel may question a copy of any document that is
submitted, with the resulting delay in your application.
To be safe, have certified copies of all documents and certified
translations of translated documents. If they are certified documents,
INS and embassy personnel will not be able to challenge the
authenticity of the documents.
by John Kunkle
John has been to Russia and CIS countries many times. He has been successfully married to his Belarussian wife for over five years. He will show you how to meet her, how to bring her home, and how to successfully survive marriage to a Russian woman. He will show you how too.
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