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K1 Visa – Fiance Visa Processing Times

I am sure one of the biggest questions that you have at this time is, “How long is this going to take?”. This was something that Josue and I were wondering along the fiance visa process and we were able to monitor the approximate times through a link that we found online that shows processing times on the USCIS website.

You will need to go to this link which will take you to the USCIS website:

https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processTimesDisplayInit.do

This is the area where you will be able to see more about the fiance visa, or k1 visa processing times.

You have to go to the bottom of the page and select the field office or service center and then you will be taken to a page which displays the processing times for the different visas. You will probably need to look for form I-129F, or whichever other form that you have applied for. Look to the right and you will see the approximate processing times.

In our case, the processing times were either the time shown on the chart or sometimes surprisingly sooner. It really depends on the center that is handling your case and how many applications are going through their office.

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Fiancé(e) Visa: Examples of Evidence that you Should Save to Show to USCIS

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services WILL ask you for evidence to prove that you have a true bonafide relationship.

If you are beginning to even think about getting married to a foreigner, start collecting any evidence of your relationship.

When Josue and I had to show our evidence, which was several times in the process, we had an abundant amount of proof to show that we were, indeed, truly a couple. Be sure to never throw away any piece of evidence that you have compiled since USCIS will ask you for these several times throughout the process.

Also, when you are asked to submit these evidences via mail, be sure to send copies (unless otherwise specifically stated in the instructions). If you send in the originals they will be kept in your file and will not be returned.

Save any little thing that you can. Some examples of evidence that you should save are:

  • phone cards
  • emails to each other
  • phone bills that show that you have called one another
  • letters that you have sent to one another
  • airplane tickets/airline baggage claims that show that you have traveled to see your fiancé in person
  • receipts with dates from when you were together (especially if your names both appear on them)
  • letters from friends talking about your relationship
  • wedding announcements
  • newspapers with the dates that you were visiting your fiancé in his/her country
  • birthday cards or pictures of gifts that you have sent to each other
  • brochures of places that you have gone together
  • photos – take TONS of photos of both of you together, with family and friends, in the house, out in the city, on vacation together, etc.

Also, try to keep evidence in both countries since you may be asked to show them in both places.

We were asked, on several occasions, to submit our evidences. I had to send in the proofs along with my petition for Josue – Form I-129F. Josue also needed the evidence with him when he went in for his interview at the United States embassy in his country. We also needed to show the proof at our appointments at USCIS here in the states for Josue’s change of status to conditional permanent resident, permanent resident, etc.

Save EVERYTHING you can! Accumulate all you can, even too much may not be enough!

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Fiance Visa: Social Security Card and Number

Once your fiance arrives to the United States, they will be given a small card which will be stamped at the airport called form I-94.

With this card, and your fiance’s passport, you will be able to go to the Social Security Administration office to request a social security card. This number, of course, will be very important to have here in the U.S., be sure to apply for a social security number quickly after your fiance’s arrival to the United States.

When we went to the Social Security Administration office, we did not have an appointment so we had to wait in line. The wait time was really not bad, probably no more than an hour.

Josue just needed to show his passport with his visa as well as his I-94 at the window where we were being served. They handed us a receipt as proof of our application. They said it would take a few days longer than normal because it has to go through a verification process for his immigration.

They processed Josue’s application and the card arrived to our house in about 3 weeks. It actually arrived much quicker than we had originally expected.

The only setback with the social security card is that it will say “Valid for work only with DHS Authorization”. When an employer asks for your social security card, you will also need to show them proof of permanent residency like a green card or a work permit card.

When you do receive your conditional permanent resident card, be sure to go back to the social security office to get this stipulation removed.