Expert Fiancee Visa Preparation Support

Filipino K-1 or Fiancee Visas

Filipina K1 Visa Preparation


Filipina K1 Visa With the Fiancee Visa your Filipino fiancee may enter the USA and has 90 days to marry you, or to return home..

USCIS immigration may take a few months to approve your Filipina's Fiancee Visa Petition.

My last Philippines Fiancee petition for one of my clients was approved at USCIS in only 3 weeks. 5 months is the average time USCIS says to expect.

I help prepare effective and successfull petitions. Click here for info on my Fiancee Visa Preparation Help.

After approval by USCIS, the US State Department National Visa Center (NVC) will forward the petition to Manila for processing at the US embassy there.
Your Filipino Fiancee receives Packet #3 with the following instructions.

Manila Consulate Fiancee Packet 3 Instructions in English

Manila Consulate Fiancee Packet 3 Instructions in Tagalog

You can help your fiancée schedule her interview, and get your questions answered by calling the Embassy’s Visa Information Services staff directly. You call 1-888-877-9888 (USA) or 1-909-101-7878 (international).  This is a toll service. Either $18 unlimited via the 1-888 number, or $.98 per minute via the 1-909 number, paid using your credit card.

A. Your fiancee should complete the following forms. And should
bring 2 Copies of each to the Embassy ,  DS-156, DS-157 and DS-156K
Fillable copies are available at http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/forms/forms_1342.html

B. You should send her:
 I-134 (Affidavit of Support). 
 2x Copies of your most recent Federal Tax Return (including W2’s)
 2x Copies of Letter from Your Employer (see sample attached)
 C. She should obtain Police Certificates
 
Police Certificates (One from NBI Philippines, and if she lived outside the Philippines after she reached the age of 16, she should obtain a police certificate from each Country/Region she lived in.

D. Other documents (originals, or certified copies)

3 Visa Photos (two for interview, one for medical)
Passport
Birth Certificate
Divorce/Annullment/Death Certificates (as needed)
 
E. Evidence of Genuine Relationship
 I-129F Petition Package (the package I prepared is our best proof as of 6 to 9 months ago, she should bring this and be familiar with the contents)
Updates to Relationship. She should also bring proof that the relationship with you has CONTINUED after the petition was submitted. Samples of emails, phone bills, IM messages, IM logs, receipts for monies or presents received should be brought. Also, if there has been another trip, then more photos, travel itineraries, and the visa stamps from your passport. She can also bring her favorite photos, emails etc from earlier times.
 
F. Pay Visa Fee, $131 USD
She should bring her DS-156 and DS-157 to the Banco de Oro, they will mark the forms “Paid”. She should pay in Pesos.

G. Medical Exam at St. Lukes, Manila.
She should arrange to have her medical at latest 4 days before her consulate interview. She should bring her Passport, 1x Visa Photo, and her vaccination records. The cost is $213.35 USD payable in Pesos.  It is recommended she brings her vaccinations up to date while at St. Lukes.  This is required when she applies for her Green card, so by doing it now she will save herself time later. 

H. The Consulate Interview
Fiancee should bring ALL the documents listed above, be calm and poised and sincere. Attached is a big list of possible Interview Questions that could be asked. It is a good idea to have fun practicing these with your fiancee,  so she will be prepared and relaxed during the interview.

I. The Visa.
The fiancées passport and visa will be sent to her via courier to the address she wrote on the DS-156. Delivery may be within a few days to two weeks. The K-1 visa is good for 6 months, to begin her travel to the USA.

J. Commission on Filipinos Overseas
The Philippines government REQUIRES that all emigrating Filipino Fiancees and Spouses take a 2 hour class to be counseled on their risks and rights. Successful completion of the class gives them a sticker for their passport. This MUST be shown at the airport before leaving the country. Your Fiancee should schedule and attend this class as soon as she has her K-1 visa. See  http://www.cfo.gov.ph/counseling.htm for details.

K. Green Card/ Adjustment of Status
Once your Fiancee arrives in the USA,her visa allows her only 90 days to stay. Well before the 90 days is up you should marry, and apply for her Green Card. The process is called Adjustment of Status. Just like applying for a Fiancee visa, you MUST produce documents to demonstrate you have a genuine marriage. It takes a while to get the application ready, so you are best served to marry soon after her arrival, and submit your Adjustment of Status petition well before the 90 days is up

I help prepare effective and successfull petitions. Click here for info on my Fiancee Visa Preparation Help.

Below is a short youtube video that describes how to get your Fiancee Visa

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Contact the USCIS office that received your application, and be prepared to provide specific information

If your petition for a fiancee visa is denied, the denial letter will tell you how to appeal. Generally, you may appeal within 33 days of receiving the denial by mail. Your appeal must be filed on USCIS Form I-290B. The appeal must be filed with the office that made the original decision. After your appeal form and a required fee are processed, the appeal will be referred to the Administrative Appeals Unit (AAU) in Washington, DC. (Sending the appeal and fee directly to the AAU will delay the process.) For more information, see Appealing the Denial of My Petition or Application.

Expert Tip # 12

Don't violate the terms of the Fiancee Visa. Sometimes after the Fiancee Visa is granted, couples think to marry twice, once immediately among her family and friends in her country, and then a second time later with his family and friends in the U.S. They plan to "game" the visa process by only reporting the second marriage on the Adjustment of Status. This is a bad idea. When entering the U.S. the Immigration officer will ask her "Are you single?". If the Fiancee admits she is in fact already married to the Sponsor, she will be refused entry to the U.S. and sent back. The application process would need to be started completely over this time with the Husband now petitioning for a Spousal Visa. Enjoy an informal engagement party with her family and friends, but never enter what would be considered a legal marriage before she enters the U.S. Only as a single woman may she travel to the U.S. in compliance with the terms of her Fiancee Visa.
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