Floridians love to travel for business and pleasure, and when they travel, they sometimes find love. More often than not, they eventually return home to Florida, but sometimes they seek to bring their new love home with them to marry. For this, the couple needs a K-1 visa, also known as the fiance(e) visa.
90-day fiance(e)
The United States Customs and Immigration Services agency has a dizzying number of visas and other documents, all with their own strengths, weaknesses and requirements. The K-1 visa is specifically for foreign fiances or fiancees of U.S. citizens. The visa allows the foreign individual to travel to the United States for the purposes of marrying and living with the American citizen.
The American partner starts the process by filing a form I-129-F: Petition for Alien Fiance(e) with their local USCIS office. If this is approved, the application goes to the National Visa Center. The National Visa Center sends a petition to the U.S. embassy in the country where the fiance(e) lives. If all goes well, the fiance(e) receives the K-1 visa and can travel to the United States. The fiance(e) must marry the American within 90 days.
Requirements and limitations
The USCIS has a number of requirements it uses to try to ensure that the relationship is real, and not just a ploy to get someone a visa to visit the United States. For instance, the couple must show that they have met in person at some point within the past two years. The parties are also required to show a long list of documents, including birth certificates. They must also have a medical examination.
The whole process is time-consuming and complicated, but in the end, happy couples will say it was worth it. An experienced attorney can help couples through the process.