Bureau of Consular Affairs
Visa Services
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Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs Visa Services |
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Overview
Immigrant Visa for a Spouse (IR1 or CR1)
Nonimmigrant Visa for a Spouse (K-3)
Nonimmigrant Visa for a Fiance(e) (K-1)
Spouse - If you are an American citizen you have two ways to bring your foreign spouse (husband or wife) to the United States to live. They are:
It is important to note that application for the nonimmigrant visa for spouse (K-3) who married a U.S. citizen must be made and the visa issued in the country where the marriage took place. After visa processing, and the visa is issued, the spouse can travel to the United States to wait for the processing of the immigrant visa case.
Fiance(e) - If you are an American citizen, you may bring your fiance(e) to the United States to marry and live here.
How Does My Spouse (Husband/Wife) Get an Immigrant Visa?
What Is a “Spouse”?
Minimum Age Requirement for the Petitioner
U.S. Domicile Is Required
What Does the National Visa Center Do?
How Do I Pay for National Visa Center (NVC) Services?
Upgrading a Petition
Applying for a Visa
Fees - How Much Does It Cost?
Vaccination Requirements
Does a Child Have Derivative Status?
Termination of All Previous Marriages
What Is a Conditional Visa?
How Long Does It Take?
What Can Be Done If the Petition Gets Lost?
What If My Husband/Wife Is Ineligible for a Visa?
How Do I Find the Regulations on Immigrant Visas?
How to Apply for a Social Security Number Card
What Is a Nonimmigrant Visa for a Spouse (K-3) Visa?
What Is a "Spouse"?
Two Petitions are Required
National Visa Center Sends Petition to Post
A K-3 Is Also an Immigrant
Applying for a Visa
Fees - How Much Does It Cost?
Extending the Petition
Children Have Derivative Status
If the Child is Not Named on the I-129F Petition
Can a K-3 Visa Holder Work in the United States?
How Long Does It Take?
What If the Applicant Is Ineligible for a Visa?
How do I qualify for a child of a spouse (K-4) nonimmigrant visa?
How does a K-4 child adjust status in the United States?
Can those with K-3 and K-4 visas change to another non-immigrant visa category in the United States?
Can I travel and re-enter the U.S. on my K-3 or K-4 visa?
How Do I Find the Regulations on the K-3 Visa?
How to Apply for a Social Security Number Card
What Is a “Fiancé”?
How Does a Fiancé Visa Work?
Filing the Petition
Extending the Petition
A Fiancé Is Also an Immigrant
Applying for a Visa
Fees - How Much Does It Cost?
Vaccination Requirements
What Must Happen After Getting the Fiancé(e) Visa?
What Does the Fiancé(e) Do When He/she Gets to the United States?
Can a K-1 Visa Holder Leave the United States?
Can a K-1 Visa Holder Work in the United States?
Children Have Derivative Status
How Long Does It Take?
What If the Applicant Is Ineligible for a Visa?
How Do I Find the Regulations on the K-1 Visa?
How to Apply for a Social Security Number Card
How Does My Spouse (Husband/Wife) Get an Immigrant
Visa?
The first step is to file a Petition for Alien Relative, Form I-130 for your spouse (husband or wife) to immigrate to the United States. You file the petition with the Department of Homeland Security's, Bureau of Immigration and Citizen Services (BCIS) immigration Field Office in the United States that serves the area where you live. For instructions on how to file a petition see Petitioning Procedures: Bringing a Spouse (Husband of Wife) to Live in the United States.
Sometimes a U.S. citizen living abroad can file an immigrant visa petition at an U.S. embassy or consulate (post). To find out whether you can file a petition at a specific post abroad, you must ask that post. For information on how to contact the post, please select U.S. embassy or consulate abroad (http://travel.state.gov/links.html)
A spouse is a legally wedded husband or wife. Merely living together does not qualify a marriage for immigration. Common-law spouses may qualify as spouses for immigration, but only if the laws of the country where the common-law marriage occurs recognizes common-law marriages and grants them all the same rights and obligations as a traditional marriage. In cases of polygamy, only the first spouse may qualify as a spouse for immigration.
Minimum
Age Requirement for the Petitioner
There is no minimum age to file a petition for a spouse for immigration. However,
you must be 18 years of age and have a domicile in the U.S. before you can sign
the Affidavit of Support, Form I-864, and this form is required for an immigrant
visa for spouses and other relatives of U.S. sponsors.
You must have a domicile (residence) in the United States before we can issue an immigrant visa to your spouse. This is because a U.S. domicile is required to file an Affidavit of Support, Form I-864, and this form is required for all Spouse of a U.S. Citizen (IR-1) immigration cases.
What Does the National Visa Center Do?
After an Department of Homeland Security's Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) office in the United States approves the petition, it sends the petition to the National Visa Center (NVC). NVC does the following:
Note: It is important to follow instructions from the NVC carefully. Send the NVC only those things that it asks for.
How Do I Pay the Fees for the National Visa Center (NVC) Services?
The NVC sends bills for certain fees at the appropriate time in the immigrant visa process. It sends bills for these services to the following people:
The NVC sends a correctly addressed, return envelope with the bills.
Remember these important things:
For further information see National Visa Center.
Upgrading a Petition - If You Were an LPR and Now are an American Citizen
Suppose you filed a petition for your spouse when you were a lawful permanent resident (LPR). Now you are an U.S. citizen. You must upgrade the petition from family second preference (F2) to immediate relative (IR). You can do this by sending proof of your citizenship to the National Visa Center (NVC). To prove that you are a U.S. citizen, you can send:
An appointment package is sent to the agent or the applicant. (See note below.) The appointment package gives the applicant an interview date and tells you the specific requirements of the visa. It includes instructions on where to go to have the required medical examination. In general, the following is required:
An applicant may bring marriage photographs and other proof that the marriage is genuine. Documents in foreign languages should be translated. The consular officer may ask for more information.
Take clear, legible photocopies of civil documents, such as birth and marriage certificates, to the immigrant visa interview. Original documents can then be returned to you.
Note: The National Visa Center sends appointment packages to the agent for applicants in certain countries when the petitions are filed in the United States. The embassy or consulate sends appointment packages to applicants in all other countries. It also sends appointment packages to all applicants whose petitions are already at the embassy or consulate.
Fees are charged for the following services:
For current fees for Department of State government services select Fees.
In general, applicants for immigrant visas are required to have all of the following vaccinations:
Bring your vaccination records to the immigrant visa medical examination, if you have them. The panel physician decides which vaccinations you will need, appropriate to your age, medical condition and medical history.
Does a Child Have Derivative Status?
No. A child does not have derivative status in an immediate relative (IR) petition. This is different from the family second preference (F2) petition. A child is included in his/her parent’s F2 petition. A child is not included in his/her parent's IR petition.
If you are a U.S. citizen, you must file separate immigrant visa petitions for each of your children. If you upgrade a family second preference (F2) petition for your spouse and you did not file separate petitions for your children when you were a lawful permanent resident (LPR), you must do so now.
Remember that children born abroad after you became a U.S. citizen may qualify for U.S. citizenship. They should apply for U.S. passports. The consular officer will decide whether your child is a U.S. citizen and can have an passport. If the consular officer decides your child is not U.S. citizen, the child must apply for an immigrant visa if he/she wants to live in the U.S.
Termination of All Previous Marriages
U.S. law does not allow polygamy. If you were married before, you and your spouse must both show that you ended (terminated) all previous marriages before your current marriage. The death and divorce documents that show termination of marriages must be legal and verifiable in the country that issued them. Divorces must be final. In cases of legal marriage to two or more spouses at the same time, or marriages overlapping for a period of time, you can file only for your first spouse.
What Is Conditional Residence?
If you have been married for less than two years when your spouse enters the United States on an immigrant visa, the permanent resident status is considered “conditional.” The immigrant visa is a CR (conditional resident) visa, not an IR (immediate relative) visa.
You and your spouse must apply together to the Department of Homeland Security's Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) to remove the “condition” within the ninety days before the two year anniversary of your spouse’s entry into the United States on an immigrant visa. The two-year anniversary date of entry is the date of expiration on the alien registration card (green card). See How Do I Remove the Conditions on Permanent Residence Based on Marriage?
The length of time varies from case to case according to its circumstances, and cannot be predicted for individual cases with any accuracy. Some cases are delayed because the applicants do not follow instructions carefully. Sometimes the petitioner cannot meet Affidavit of Support requirements. In addition, the consular section may need to get a security clearance for the applicant. Security clearances take time.
What Can Be Done If the Petition Gets Lost?
We don’t want this to happen, but occasionally it does. Files can get misfiled; shipments of visa files have been lost. Usually a misfiled petition can be located, but in an emergency an embassy or consulate can issue a visa from the computer record and an original Notice of Action approval (Form I-797) from the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS).
Give the consular section time to locate the file, and it probably will. But all is not lost if the petition is really gone. Be sure to keep all correspondence you receive from the BCIS.
What If the Applicant Is Ineligible for a Visa?
Certain conditions and activities may make you, the applicant, ineligible for a visa. Examples of these ineligibilities are:
The consular officer will inform you if you are ineligible for a visa, whether there is a waiver of the ineligibility and what the waiver procedure is. See Classes of Aliens Ineligible to Receive Visas for more information.
How Do I Find the Regulations about Immigrant Visas?
To read the relevant Department of State regulations on immigrant visas in 9 FAM 40.1 Note 1 and 9 FAM 42, select Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM).
How to Apply for a Social Security Number Card
Before your spouse arrives in the United States, you can help them learn how to apply for a social security number card. To learn more about this process, visit the website for the Social Security Administration.
Further Visa Inquiries
February 2004
Return to Consular Services Page
Spouses of U.S. citizens, and the spouse's children, can come to the United States on nonimmigrant visas (K-3 and K-4) and wait in the United States to complete the immigration process. Before a K-4 visa can be issued to a child, the parent must have a K-3 visa or be in K-3 status.
A spouse is a legally wedded husband or wife. Cohabiting partners do not qualify as spouses for immigration purposes. Common-law spouses may qualify as spouses for immigration purposes depending on the laws of the country where the common-law marriage occurs. In cases of polygamy only the first spouse qualifies as a spouse for immigration.
U.S. law does not allow polygamy. If you were married before, you and your spouse must show that you ended (terminated) all previous marriages before your current marriage. The death and divorce documents that show termination of marriages must be legal and verifiable in the country that issued them. Divorces must be final. In cases of legal marriage to two or more spouses at the same time, or marriages overlapping for a period of time, you may file only for the first spouse.
Filing - Two Petitions are Required
You must first file an immigrant Petition for Alien Relative, form I-130 for your spouse with the BCIS Office that serves the area where you live. The BCIS will send you a Notice of Action (Form I-797) receipt notice. This notice tells you that the BCIS has received the petition.
You next file Petition for Alien Fiancé(e), form I-129F for your spouse and children. Send the I-129F petition, supporting documents and a copy of the Form I-797 receipt notice to this Department of Homeland Security BCIS Address on their web site.
National Visa Center (NVC) Sends Petition To Post
After the BCIS approves the I-129F, it sends it to the National Visa Center (NVC). The NVC sends the petition electronically to the embassy or consulate in the country where the marriage took place. If your marriage took place in the United States, the NVC sends the petition to the embassy or consulate that issues visas in the country of your spouse's nationality.
If your marriage took place in a country that does not have an American embassy, or the embassy does not issue visas, the NVC sends the petition to the embassy or consulate that normally processes visas for citizens of that country. For example, if the marriage took place in Iran where the United States does not have an embassy, the petition would be sent to Turkey.
A Spouse of a U.S. Citizen (K-3) Is Also an Immigrant
The spouse of an U.S. citizen applying for a nonimmigrant visa (K-3 applicant) must have an immigrant visa petition on his/her behalf by the U.S. citizen spouse. Therefore, the spouse of the U.S. citizen (the K-3 applicant) must meet some of the requirements of an immigrant visa.
The embassy or consulate where you, the spouse of an American citizen, will apply for a K-3 visa must be in the country where your marriage took place. Here are the procedures to apply. The embassy or consulate will let you know any additional things to do, such as where you need to go for the required medical examination. The following is required:
The consular officer may ask for additional information. It is a good idea to bring marriage photographs and other proof that the marriage is genuine.
Documents in foreign languages should be translated. Take clear, legible photocopies of civil documents, such as birth and marriage certificates, to the visa interview. Original documents can then be returned to you.
Fees are charged for the following services:
For current fees for Department of State, government services see Fees.
The I-129F petition is valid for four months from the date of approval. A consular officer can extend the validity of the petition (revalidate the petition) if it expires before you finish processing the visa.
Children Have Derivative Status
Children do not need separate Petition for Alien Relative, I-130 petitions, but you, the petitioner, must take care to name all your children on the Petition for Alien Fiance, I-129F petition. If you do not name the children on the petition, they may find it difficult to prove their identity as children of a K-3 applicant or person in K-3 status.
You must file separate I-130 immigrant visa petitions for your children before they qualify for permanent residence. When they adjust status in the United States, they must file Form I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status with the BCIS Office that serves the area where you live. Remember that in immigration law children must be unmarried and under 21 years of age. See child.
If the child is not named on the I-129F petition, will that be a problem?
The K-4 visa will not be
denied because the child's name is not listed on the I-129F petition as long
as it can be established that he/she is the minor, unmarried child of the applicant
issued a
K-3 visa.
Can a K-3 Visa Holder Work in the United States?
As a K-3 visa holder, you can file form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization with the BCIS that serves the area where you live for an employment authorization document (work permit). You can get more information by clicking on How Do I Get a Work Permit (Employment Authorization Document?
The length of time varies from case to case according to its circumstances. The time it takes each BCIS office and each consular office to process the case varies. Some cases are delayed because the applicants do not follow instructions carefully or supply incomplete information. (It is important to give us correct postal addresses and telephone numbers.) In addition, the embassy or consulate may need to get security clearances for the applicant. Security clearances take time.
What If the Applicant Is Ineligible for a Visa?
Certain conditions and activities may make an applicant ineligible for a visa. Examples of these ineligibilities are:
The consular officer will inform you, the visa applicant, if you are ineligible for a visa, whether there is a waiver of the ineligibility and what the waiver process is. You can see the complete list of ineligibilities by clicking on Classes of Aliens Ineligible to Receive Visas.
How do I qualify for a child of a spouse (K-4) nonimmigrant visa status?
To qualify for K-4 issuance, an applicant must be the minor, unmarried child under 21 years of age of a qualified K-3 visa applicant. The U.S. citizen who files an I-129F petition for an alien spouse does not have to file a separate I-129F petition for a child of his/her spouse. These children should be listed on the I-129F petition for the spouse. While the U.S. citizen must also file an I-130 petition for the alien spouse, there is no requirement to file a Form I-130 immigrant visa petition on behalf of the alien's children seeking K-4 nonimmigrant status, since K-4 is a derivative nonimmigrant classification.
How does a K-4 child adjust status in the United States?
The K-4 child will not be able to file for adjustment of status in the United States until the U.S. citizen parent/step-parent files a I-130 on behalf of the child. If the U.S. citizen parent/step-parent never files the I-130 petition, the immigrating parent may do so once he/she has obtained legal permanent resident (LPR) status, but the child would have to wait for an available visa number. Finally, the immigrant parent, upon adjusting status will no longer be in K-3 status, therefore, the child will no longer be in lawful K-4 status, since this is merely a derivative classification, and that child would begin to accrue unlawful presence.
Can those with K-3 and K-4 visas change to another non-immigrant visa category in the United States?
K-3/K-4 visa holders cannot change status in the United States to another non-immigrant visa category.
Can I travel and re-enter the U.S. on my K-3 or K-4 visa?
Aliens present in the United States in a K-3 or K-4 nonimmigrant visa status can travel outside of the United States and return using their K-3/K-4 visa. If they have filed for adjustment of status in the U.S. prior to departure from the U.S., BCIS will not presume that the departure constitutes abandonment of an adjustment application.
How Do I Find the Regulations on the K-3 Visa?
For Department of State regulations on the K-3 visa select Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM).
How to Apply for a Social Security Number Card
Before your spouse arrives in the United States, you can help her or him apply for a social security number card. To learn more about this process, visit the website for the Social Security Administration.
Further Visa Inquiries
February 2004
Return to Consular Services Page
A fiancé(e) is a person who is engaged or contracted to be married. The marriage must be legally possible according to laws of the state in the United States where the marriage will take place.
In general, the two people must have met in person within the past two years. The Department of Homeland Security's Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) grants some exceptions to this requirement. For example, it may be contrary in some traditions for a man and woman to meet before marriage.
Sometimes the BCIS considers a person a "fiancé(e)" even though a marriage contract has been concluded. In such cases, the American citizen petitioner and his/her spouse have not met, and they have not consummated the marriage.
How Does a Fiancé(e) Visa Work?
Suppose you are an American citizen and you want your foreign fiancé(e) to travel to the United States to marry you and live in the U.S. You must file, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e) in the United States.
You must file the Petition for Alien Fiancé(e), Form I-129F with the Department of Homeland Security's Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) office that serves the area where you live. See the Department of Homeland Security's BCIS Field Offices for information on where you can file the petition. Note: You cannot file this petition at an embassy, consulate or U.S. immigration office abroad.
After the BCIS approves the petition, it sends the petition to National Visa Center for processing, prior to being sent the embassy or consulate where your fiancé(e) will apply for a K-1 nonimmigrant visa for a fiancé(e).
The I-129F petition is valid for four months from the date of approval from BCIS. Consular officers can extend the validity of the petition (revalidate the petition) if it expires before the processing of the visa application is completed.
A Fiancé(e) Is Also an Immigrant
Because a fiancé(e) visa permits the holder to immigrate to the U.S. and marry an American citizen shortly after arrival in the United States, the fiancé(e) must meet some of the requirements of an immigrant visa.
The consular section at the embassy or consulate where you, the fiancé(e) of an American citizen, will apply for a visa tells you of any additional specific requirements, such as where you need to go for the required medical examination. The following is required:
The consular officer may ask for additional information according to the circumstances of the case. Documents in foreign languages should be translated.
Take clear, legible photocopies of civil documents, such as birth and marriage certificates, to the interview. Original documents can then be returned to you.
Fees are charged for the following services:
For current fees for Department of State, government services select Fees.
All applicants for immigrant visas are required to have the following vaccinations if appropriate for age, medical condition or medical history:
As a fiancé(e), you are not required to fulfill this requirement at the time of your medical examination for a fiancé(e) visa. However, you may want to do so. These vaccinations are required when you adjust status following your marriage.
What Must Happen After Getting the Fiancé(e) Visa?
After getting the fiancé(e) visa, your fiancé(e) enters the U.S. through a U.S immigration port-of-entry. The U.S. immigration official gives your fiancé(e) instructions on what to do when he/she enters the United States. You must get married within 90 days of your fiancé(e)’s entry into the United States.
After marriage, your spouse must file Form I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status with the BCIS office that serves the area where you live in the United States. You must fill out the Affidavit of Support, Form I-864, with the BCIS for your spouse's application to become a lawful permanent resident (LPR). See Permanent Resident http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/faqsgen.htm#greencard to go to the Department of Homeland Security's, BCIS internet site.
Can a K-1 Visa Holder Leave the United States?
The K-1 visa allows a fiancé(e) to enter the United States one time only. If you leave the United States after entering on a K-1 visa, you may not re-enter on the same visa. If you want to leave and re-enter the United States, you should apply with Form I-131 Application for Travel Document to the BCIS office that serves the area where you live for advance parole to return to the United States. See Emergency Travel for information on how to get a travel document that allows you to return to the United States.
Can a K-1 Visa Holder Work in the United States?
As a K-1 visa holder you may file Form I-765 Application for Employment Authorization with the BCIS office that serves the area where you live for a work permit (employment authorization document). For more information see How Do I Get a Work Permit (Employment Authorization Document)?
Children Have Derivative Status
The child of a fiancé(e) may receive a derivative K-2 visa from his/her parent’s fiancé(e) petition. You, the American citizen petitioner, must make sure that you name the child in the I-129F petition. After the marriage of the child’s parent and the American citizen, the child will need a separate form I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status. The child may travel with (accompany) the K-1 parent/fiancé(e) or travel later (follow-to-join) within one year from the date of issuance of the K-1 visa to his/her parent. A separate petition is not required if the children accompany or follow the alien fiancé(e) within one year from the date of issuance of the K-1 visa. If it is long than one year from the date of visa issuance, a separate immigrant visa petition is required.
Remember that in immigration law a child must be unmarried. The stepparent/stepchild relationship must be created before the child reaches the age of 18.
The length of time varies from case to case according to its circumstances. The time it takes each BCIS office and each consular office to process the case varies. Some cases are delayed because the applicant does not follow instructions carefully or supplies incomplete information. (It is important to give correct addresses and telephone numbers.) In addition the embassy or consulate may need to get security clearances for the applicant. Security clearances take time.
What If the Applicant Is Ineligible for a Visa?
Certain conditions and activities may make an applicant ineligible for a visa. Examples of these ineligibilities are:
The consular officer will tell you, the applicant, if you are ineligible for a visa, whether there is a waiver of the ineligibility and what the waiver procedure is. For a complete list of ineligibilities see Classes of Aliens Ineligible to Receive Visas.
How Do I Find the Regulations on the K-1 Visa?
To read relevant information regarding Department of State regulations on the K-1 fiancé(e) visas select Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM).
How to Apply for a Social Security Number Card
Before your fiance arrives
in the United States, you can help her or him apply for a social security number
card. To learn more about this process, visit the website for the Social
Security Administration.
Further Visa Inquiries
February 2004