Vickerstaff Law Office

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Vickerstaff Law Office

Call For An Initial Consultation

Local: 502-442-2039
Toll-Free: 888-832-2944

Louisville, Kentucky, Immigration Lawyer

Louisville, Kentucky, Immigration Lawyer

Navigating the process of obtaining a K-1 visa

On Behalf of | Jun 28, 2017 | blog

Getting engaged is an exciting time, but making plans for a wedding and a life together can be quite complicated if your fiancé does not live in the country. In addition to planning for everything that comes with a wedding, you must also apply for the appropriate visas if you intend for your fiancé to travel to the United States and reside with you here in Kentucky on a permanent basis.

If you need a fiancé visa, also called a K-1 visa, you would be wise to secure the appropriate legal help needed to successfully navigate this process. Applying for a visa can be complex and fraught with legal challenges, but it is not something that you must traverse alone.

The steps you must take

If you wish to secure a visa for your fiancé, you must take the first step as the American citizen by filing a certain form called the Petition for Alien Fiancé(e). By completing and submitting this form, you are declaring the following to be true:

  • You have a genuine relationship with your fiancé.
  • You and your fiancé will marry within 90 days of him or her entering the country.
  • Both of the engaged parties are free to marry.
  • The two parties have met at least one time within two years of initially filing the petition. Exceptions to this include religious reasons or cultural customs.

If you are successful in obtaining a fiancé visa, you and your fiancé must marry within 90 days of the time the non-citizen entered the country. Failure to do so would result in the invalidation of the visa.

After the marriage, your fiancé may then proceed with the process of seeking permission to permanently reside in the United States. He or she may stay in the country while immigration authorities are processing the application.

The help you need for a complex process

Immigration is a difficult subject now, and it is not easy to effectively navigate the complex process of obtaining the right type of visa. If you are planning to marry a non-citizen, you would be wise to have legal support from the very beginning of the fiancé visa application process.

If you are unsure of where to begin or what you need to do to bring your fiancé to the United States, a complete case evaluation with an experienced attorney is a good place to start. With appropriate legal guidance, you can move forward with confidence and begin to plan the future with your soon-to-be spouse.