Getting engaged is often a cause for celebration. People who love one another or want to start a family together make the choice to formally commit. Marriage has religious, social and financial implications. An engagement may also have immigration implications.
Not all relationships develop while people live close to one another. Some engagements involve people who live in different countries. Those living abroad and hoping to enter the United States may have questions about immigration policies. The same is true of those who recently got engaged to someone who resides in another country.
There is a special immigration program for engaged couples in the United States. K-1 visas allow certain engaged people to legally enter the United States.
Who can potentially obtain a K-1 visa?
K-1 visas are available to those engaged to citizens. There are marriage-based immigration opportunities available at many different stages of the immigration process. Professionals who secure work visas or student visas can request visas for their spouses. People with green cards can also help their spouses legally enter the United States.
Unfortunately, neither visa holders nor permanent residents can bring their fiancés to the United States. Only citizens have that option. A verifiable relationship is necessary. Typically, engaged couples need to have evidence of a pre-existing relationship. Travel records, communication logs and even social media help validate claims that they have a legitimate, pre-existing relationship.
There are also rules in place to facilitate international engagements among those who belong to cultures that practice arranged marriages. Typically, supporting evidence from outside parties, including family members who helped arrange the engagement, is necessary in such cases.
Anyone seeking a K-1 visa must be able to meet the basic medical and criminal background check standards for United States immigration. They also have to be ready to marry quickly after entering the country. K-1 visas are typically only valid for 90 days. Couples may need to have much of the planning for a wedding completed before the foreign national fiancé enters the United States with their K-1 visa.
Learning about K-1 visas and other forms of family-based immigration can help people reconnect with their loved ones. An engagement is one of several qualifying circumstances that can help people legally enter the country.