Imagine being a citizen living in the United States but the person you love and are engaged to is a foreign national. The one thing you would love to do is to be able to bring him or her into this country to live and build your life together. If you are a U.S. citizen and have a fiancé that lives outside of the United States, you can file a K-1 to bring them to the U.S. and marry.
Requirements and Qualifications
There are four basic requirements that are needed to be able to apply for the K-1 Visa:
- The petitioner is a U.S. citizen, a permanent resident is not eligible to apply
- The foreign fiancé lives outside of the United States
- Both parties are of legal age of marriage and that your fiancé shows a genuine interest of getting married
- Must get married within 90 days of your fiancé arriving in the United States
Some more in depth requirements that are needed and catch couples by surprise:
A minimum income requirement (speak with an immigration lawyer for more details)
Norma Lorenzo, Esq., is the managing partner at Hermanni & Lorenzo Law Group, an Immigration law firm established in Miami since 2008. Ms. Lorenzo has helped hundreds of immigrants with a variety of cases obtain legal status in the United States. She also teaches at Florida International University School of Law.