How Is a Fiancé Visa Different from a Marriage Green Card?

Best wishes on your engagement! If you’ve arrived at this website, your spouse isn’t a US citizen and yet you want to start a family in the United States. Which option is ideal for you and your fiancé(e)?

If looking for a professional non-immigrant visa attorney, get in touch with us.

What is a fiancé visa?

A fiancé visa, also known as a K-1 visa, is awarded by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a division of United States Department of Homeland Security. (We’ll use the term “fiancé” to refer to either a male or female engaged partner for this article.) A couple must have visited each other in person during the past two years before submitting for a fiancé visa. Within 90 days of entering or leaving the United States, the foreign partner applying for a fiancé visa must marry their U.S. citizen partner.

Note: The fiancé visa isn’t accessible if you’re already married, or your future spouse currently lives in the United States. For additional details on the spousal visa process, see our explanation.

How is a fiancé visa different from a marriage green card?

To immigrate to the United States, fiancés of U.S. citizens have two main options:

1. The future spouse could enter the country on a fiancé visa (also known as a “K-1 visa”), allowing them to marry in the United States.

2. Alternatively, you might marry outside of the United States and then have the U.S. citizen spouse sponsor the foreign spouse for a green card (the “I-130 petition,” also known as the “IR1 / CR1 process”).

Each of these two alternatives has pros and cons for engaged couples. The best option for your soon-to-be family will be determined by criteria such as where you want to conduct your wedding, how quickly your overseas fiancé plans to arrive in the United States, and how budget-conscious you are. Continue reading for a detailed comparison of the two procedures.
We help you put together all required forms and documents and help you submit them to the government. Start your application today!

You can contact a professional U.S. Immigration attorney to resolve your queries even if you are encountering delays with your application. Applying for U.S citizenship or a green card can be a daunting process. However, you can make your procedure efficient and effortless by hiring an expert immigration lawyer for your application.

By Mary Carstarphen | Published November 12, 2021 | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on How Is a Fiancé Visa Different from a Marriage Green Card?