For fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens: enter the United States, marry within 90 days, then apply for a green card through adjustment of status. Often searched as the k1 immigrant visa, the K-1 is technically a nonimmigrant visa that leads to a green card. Here’s the whole k1 fiance visa guide, in plain English.
The petition that starts it all, filed by the U.S. citizen with relationship evidence.
Days to marry after entry. This deadline is strict.
The couple must have met in person within the past two, waivable only in narrow cases.
Five things make or break a K-1 case. The evidence is the heart of it, and these k 1 visa requirements decide it.
Only U.S. citizens can file a K-1. Green card holders cannot.
Both parties are legally free to marry.
You met in person within the past two years, waivable only for extreme hardship or strict cultural practice.
A genuine intention to marry within 90 days of entry.
Photos, travel, communication history: the couple can show a real relationship on paper.
The k 1 fiance visa process runs the same five steps for every couple.
The U.S. citizen files Form I-129F, the Petition for Alien Fiancé(e), with relationship evidence. .
After USCIS approval, the case moves through the NVC to the embassy, where the fiancé(e) applies with Form DS-160.
Medical exam and consular interview. Children can accompany on K-2 visas.
Enter the U.S. and marry within 90 days. This deadline is strict.
File Form I-485 to adjust status. The card is conditional if the marriage is under two years old, with conditions removed later via Form I-751.
Petition for Alien Fiancé(e), filed with relationship evidence.
The visa application for the embassy stage.
The visa for children accompanying a K-1 fiancé(e).
The green card application, filed inside the U.S. with the underlying petition.
Removes conditions on a marriage-based green card after 2 years.
Marry within 90 days of entry: the deadline is strict. And if the marriage is under two years old at approval, the green card is conditional, with Form I-751 to remove conditions later.
Government numbers change monthly. These official tools are always current:
USCIS Case Processing Times ( I-129F)
USCIS Fee Schedule
Embassy Wait times
A K-1 collects its costs in two waves: USCIS charges for the petition now and for the green card after the wedding, and the State Department charges at the embassy in between. Because the K-1 is a nonimmigrant visa, the $250 visa integrity fee created by the 2025 budget law applies at issuance. It took legal effect on October 1, 2025 and is phasing in unevenly, so confirm the current total with your embassy. One quiet saving: K-1 entrants skip the $235 immigrant fee that consular green card cases pay.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fiancé(e) petition (Form I-129F) | $675 | Filed by the U.S. citizen with USCIS |
| K visa application (DS-160) | $265 per applicant | Paid for the embassy stage; each K-2 child pays it too |
| Visa integrity fee | $250 per visa issued | Nonimmigrant visas only; phasing in since Oct 2025; adjusts with inflation |
| Medical exam (panel physician) | About $200 to $650 | Set locally; every applicant, including children, is examined |
| Green card after the wedding (Form I-485) | $1,440 per applicant | Children under 14 filing with a parent pay $950 |
| Work permit (Form I-765) | $260 | Optional; the reduced rate when filed with a pending I-485 |
Sometimes. A spouse case arrives with the green card already granted and costs less in government fees overall, but the wait abroad is often longer, and some couples cannot legally marry where they live. A K 1 visa lawyer runs both timelines side by side before a couple commits to either route.
The filing has no fixed deadline once you married the petitioner within the 90 days, but the gap is expensive: no work permission, no travel, and the K-1 admission itself lapses 90 days after entry. The situation is recoverable; file promptly rather than perfectly.
Possible, but delicate. A visitor visa requires honest answers, and the engagement will come up, so the trip must genuinely be a visit, with a ticket home and ties abroad. Refusals at this stage are common, and a visitor refusal does not, by itself, damage the K-1.
Yes. Federal law requires the I-129F to disclose certain convictions, and the government shares them with the fiancé(e) before the interview. Prior I-129F filings are tracked too, and repeat filers can need a waiver. Surprises here damage credibility, so a K 1 fiancé visa lawyer wants everything disclosed first.
Not on the K-1: it is used up on the first entry. File Form I-131 for advance parole with the green card package and wait for the approval before booking anything. Leaving without it abandons the pending application.
Each K-2 child files a green card application of their own after the wedding, with its own fee. Children must stay unmarried, and timing gets tight as a child approaches 21, so file the whole family together rather than saving fees for later.
Every case is different. Tell us your story. The evaluation is free, and our k1 fiance visa team tells you exactly which path fits.
