How Can I Marry My Fiancée
in the United States?

Outline

If your Filipino Fiancée is not a citizen of the United States and you plan to get married in the United States, then you must file a k1 visa petition with USCIS for the benefit of your Fiancé. Once her fiancee visa petition is approved, your Fiancé must obtain a K1 visa issued at a U.S. Embassy or consulate in her home country. The marriage is required to take place within 90 days of your Fiance entering the United States. If the marriage does not take place within 90 days or your Fiancé marries someone other than you (the U.S. citizen filing USCIS Form I-129F - Petition for Alien Fiancé), your Fiance will be required to exit the United States. Until the marriage takes place, your Fiancé is considered a nonimmigrant. A nonimmigrant is a non-United States born person requesting to temporarily come into the United States for a specific reason. A Fiancée may not obtain an extension of the 90-day original nonimmigrant admission.

If your Fiancée intends to live and work permanently in the United States, your Fiance should apply to become a permanent resident after your marriage. (If your Fiancee does not intend to become a permanent resident after your marriage, your Fiance/new wife must exit the country within the 90-day original period of time granted.) Please note, your Fiancée will initially receive conditional permanent residence status for two years. Conditional permanent residency is granted when the marriage creating the relationship is less than two years old at the time of adjustment to permanent residence status.

Please note: Your Fiancee may enter the United States only one time with a Fiance visa. If your Fiancee leaves the country before you are married, your Fiancee may not be allowed back into the United States without a new visa.

Who is Eligible

U.S. citizens wishing to get married to a foreign national in the United States may petition for a Fiancée classification (K-1 Visa) for their Fiancee. You and your Fiancé must be free to marry. This means that both of you are unmarried, or that any previous marriages have ended through divorce, annulment or death. In addition, you must also have met with your Fiance in person within the past two years prior to filing for the Fiancé visa. You and your Fiance must marry within 90 days of your Fiancée entering the United States.

You may also apply to bring your Fiancée's unmarried children, who are under age 21, to the United States at the same time.

How Do I Apply?

To find out how you can apply to bring your Filipino Fiancee to the United States, please go to the Filipina Fiancee Visa Service homepage.

How Long Will it Take to Get My K1 Visa Approved?

Approval of this K-1 fiancee visa petition in the United States may take 6-7 months after which it will then be forwarded to the National Visa Center. The National Visa Center they will forward it to the U.S. Embassy in Manila. In each step of the K-1 visa processing, the petitioner will receive a Notice of Action (NOA) to advise him of the status of his visa petition.

Will My Fiancee Get a Work Permit?

After arriving in the United States, your Fiancée will be eligible to apply for a work permit. (You should note that USCIS might not be able to process the work permit within the 90-day time limit for your marriage to take place.) Your Fiance should use Form I-765 to apply for a work permit. Please see How Do I Get a Work Permit? for more information. If your Fiancé applies for adjustment to permanent resident status, your Fiancee must re-apply for a new work permit after the marriage.

How Can I Appeal if she is Denied?

If your petition for a Fiance visa is denied, the denial letter will tell you how to appeal. Generally, you must appeal within 33 days after receiving your letter of denial by mail. Your appeal of your denial must be filed on Form I-290B. Your appeal must be filed with the office that made the original denial. After your appeal form and a required fee have been received and processed, your appeal will be sent to the Administrative Appeals Unit (AAU) in Washington, DC.

If you and your fiancee meet all requirements for the K1 fiancee visa, we guarantee that our preparation will result in your fiancee getting her Philippines fiancee visa. That’s our solid promise to you. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Get Your Bride at Your Side!