Getting married to a person who’s from another country is intriguing in terms of the whole process of meeting and dating and complicated when it comes to making your bond official. Many couples refuse to take their relationships to the next level due to the potential bride visa to the USA issues and money matters. In the post below, you’ll learn how to get a visa for a bride and unite with your love sooner.
What exactly is a visa for a mail order bride?
Before going on to getting a visa for a bride you’ve met online, let’s see what it is.
This is permission given to fiancees of American citizens who come to the USA to create a family and live there together on a legal basis as a married couple. Depending on mail order bride countries of origin, different requirements must be met to file for the visa.
In all of the cases, your prospective wife will have to apply for a K-1 Fiance foreign wife visa.
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How to apply for a K1 bride visa?
If you’re sure about your partner and want to move in with them in the USA, take these steps to get a foreign bride visa:
- File the petition for a K1 visa for a mail order bride. This is the Form I-129F that you’re completing to state your desire to bring your future partner to get married to the USA. It should be filled out entirely, and then you need to bring it to the office of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.
- Wait for the approval of your petition. At this stage, your application will be redirected to the National Visa Center to proceed.
- Get a case number from the NVC.
- Get the notification that your application has been sent to the US Consulate in the nearest city to the one your mail order bride lives in.
- Contact your bride and email them the list of documents that they should prepare for the foriegn bride visa. It includes the Form DS-160, a passport that allows them to come to the US and is valid for half a year longer than the expected time of stay in the country, a birth certificate, a police certificate, divorce decrees (for those who were married previously), medical certificate, financial documents (affidavit of support and proof of financial support), proof of relationship with a US citizen, and photos.
- Schedule an interview—this step is for your bride as well. They’ll be notified about the time and date when they should arrive at the US Consulate for the foreign wife visa interview.
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The requirements for a future husband and a foreign bride
First of all, to get a visa for a foreign wife whom you met on mail order bride websites and get married in the US to a citizen of another country both of you have to be legally single at the time of visa application and moving in together. There’s no way to be eligible for a K-1 visa in case you or your bride has a registered marriage that you’ve chosen not to terminate through a divorce.
Second, your future wife has to fulfill medical, financial, and documentation requirements:
- Complete medical examination and have the necessary vaccinations done;
- Prove that she has enough sources to support herself during her stay in the US or that you have enough money to support them;
- Prepare all the papers as per the list above and bring them to the US consulate;
- Complete an interview with the US Consulate officer to prove your intention and goal to enter the US.
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How much does a bride visa K1 cost?
Now, let’s see how much money you have to expect to spend to obtain a K-1 visa for bringing a foreign wife to the USA:
- The cost of filing Form I-129F is $535 in 2023. This one is paid by a future husband who completes their part of a visa application for a foreign wife relocation to the USA;
- The K-1 visa application costs $265. This fee is to be paid to the US Consulate by a mail order bride.
- The Form I-485 costs $1,225. It goes along with the adjustment of the status packet for your bride to get her permanent residence in your state.
As you can see, the overall cost to apply for a visa for mail order bride is $2,025 which isn’t cheap. However, if the money is collected beforehand, you won’t have to worry about the timely finalizing of your application and successful finishing of the process.
How long does it take to get a bride visa?
The process of getting your K-1 visa to the USA is lengthy. It takes up to 6 months without the time that passes between the approval of your bride’s application and the invitation for the interview since it depends on the country from which your bride applies.
In case you decide to apply for a B-2 visa for a bride, the process can go faster; however, you have to realize that this is a nonimmigrant visa for visitation purposes. Your bride won’t be able to get a residence permit with this visa and get married to you.
With that in mind, considering the type of visa you want to get for your bride is necessary before you apply for any. In case you want her just to come to you with a touristic goal and not a marriage yet, applying for a B-2 visa will be more beneficial.
The process of getting a bride visa to the USA becomes clear once you start seeing it as a project to get done and not an obstacle to being together. Go ahead and start living a happy life with your mail order wife soon!
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