By Kaukab Jhumra Smith
If you're an American citizen engaged to a foreign national who lives abroad, your
romance can have a happy ending in the U.S. You can petition U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to bring your fiancé into the country on a K-1 visa. Once immigration authorities approve your petition, your fiancé will receive an interview request from the U.S. Consulate or Embassy closest to him. You have to marry within 90 days of your fiancée's arrival in the U.S. on a K-1 visa, or she cannot stay in the country. Once you're married, you can apply for a green card for your spouse.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
Things You'll Need:
- Form I-129F, the petition for an alien fiancée
Evidence of your U.S. citizenship
Form G-325A, a biographical data sheet, for your fiancé
Form G-325A for yourself
Photograph of your fiancé taken within the last month
Photograph of yourself taken within the last month
Evidence of divorce, death or annulment if you or your fiancé were previously married
Evidence that you or your fiancé are allowed to marry if you are underage
Evidence you two have met in the last 2 years
A statement from each on your intent to marry within 90 days
Applicable fees
- Form I-129F, the petition for an alien fiancée
- Evidence of your U.S. citizenship
- Form G-325A, a biographical data sheet, for your fiancé
- Form G-325A for yourself
- Photograph of your fiancé taken within the last month
- Photograph of yourself taken within the last month
- Evidence of divorce, death or annulment if you or your fiancé were previously married
- Evidence that you or your fiancé are allowed to marry if you are underage
- Evidence you two have met in the last 2 years
- A statement from each on your intent to marry within 90 days
- Applicable fees
Step 1
Make sure you are eligible to petition for a fiancée to join you in the U.S. You must be an American citizen, you and your fiancé must be free to marry (meaning you are not married to anyone else), and you and your fiancée must have met at least once in the past 2 years.
Step 2
Go to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website (see Additional Resources) to download and print Form I-129F, the petition for a fiancé visa, and two copies of Form G-325A, a biographical data sheet, along with their accompanying instructions.
Step 3
Study the instructions carefully, and complete the forms with black ink. You only need one Form I-129F to petition for your fiancée and her children, as long as the children live with your fiancée and are under 21. Make sure to complete one copy of Form G-325A for yourself and one copy for your fiancé.
Step 4
Gather all supporting documentation. This includes evidence of your U.S. nationality (such as an American passport, birth certificate or naturalization certificate), both copies of Form G-325A, recent photographs of yourself and of your fiancé, evidence that you are free to marry if you've previously been married (such as a divorce decree or death certificate), evidence that you've permission to marry if you are underage, evidence that you have met in the last two years (such as photographs or foreign stamps on a passport), a statement from each of you about your intent to marry within the 90-day period, and all appropriate fees.
Step 5
Find the appropriate regional mailing address listed on your Form I-129F, and mail all completed forms and supporting documentation to that address.
Step 6
You may receive a request for more information, original documentation or an interview from immigration authorities to prove that your petition is based on a genuine relationship.
Step 7
Your fiancée will receive notification and a request for an interview at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate near her once your petition is approved in the U.S. If her interview is successful, she will receive a K-1 nonimmigrant visa and can join you in the U.S.
Resources
About the Author:
Kaukab Jhumra Smith is a journalist and media consultant based in the Washington, D.C., area. Her work has appeared in international and national publications since 1995 and earned several chapter awards from the Society of Professional Journalists. She graduated from Brandeis University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and received a Master of Journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park.
