Are you a US citizen who recently married a foreign citizen? Well, congratulations, but now you must think of the various ways you can bring them to the US. Typically, there are two ways you can bring your significant other to the US.
You can go down the marriage green card road or go for a fiancé visa. There are different provisions for both, and you must be very careful when selecting the right option. Let’s take a deeper look at the issues you must consider:
How to Make the Decision between the Two?
Here are all the factors you must consider when choosing the right route:
The Place of Your Marriage
If you want to marry in the US, you must go for the fiancé K-1 route as it used to visit the US. Once you qualify for the K-1 visa, it is important to get married within 90 days of admission. You can have an unofficial party back home and then come to the US to cover the legalities. However, if you do not want to marry within the US, you can opt for the marriage green card visa.
Speed of Marriage
If you want to marry right away, you should not opt for the K-1 visa as it can take a long time to process the visa. This is why it is generally a better idea to wait for the K-1 visa to come through before you get married. Or, if you are ethically bound to marry as soon as possible, you can opt for a marriage green card.
US Presence
The K-1 visa is a faster way to get your spouse to the US, as it usually takes up to 5-10 months to get the visa. On the other hand, the green card visa takes a longer time, which is typically 10-16 months.
The Filing Fee
The filing fee for the fiancé visa is higher than the marriage visa, which means if you have a tight budget and cannot afford a high fee, you must go for a marriage visa.
Understanding the intricacies of both these visas and what option you should go for can be difficult, which is why you must get help from experts and allow them to direct you in the right direction. Silmi Law can help you explore all the options you have and give you all the information you need.
