# K1-Fiance Visa Help



## chelseazendog (Nov 2, 2014)

*Please confirm for me, as I cannot find the information online* (or maybe I misinterpreted it...)

_"The I-129F petition is valid for four months from the date of approval by USCIS"_ 
What that means to me: Once you've paid for it, you have 4 months time to complete & return the I-129F petition. If this is correct, please tell me so. If not, please explain what it means.

*Question below*

_"Once USCIS approves your petition you should have received a letter from the National Visa Center (NVC). They will send your case number to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate where your foreign fiancé lives. Once you receive this letter, you must inform your foreign fiancé to take the listed actions to apply for a K-1 visa and prepare for their interview"_ 
Question: From this point onwards, is there a deadline this must be completed in, or can couples take their time?

I really appreciate any feedback!

EDIT: Didn't read properly, hopefully it's better


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

USCIS (and the Department of State) are the official sources for K-1 visa information. USCIS's information is located here. I have no idea where you obtained those quotes since you didn't say.


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## chelseazendog (Nov 2, 2014)

Yes thank you, but I have already looked through that government website well before I posted on this forum.

I was hoping someone would clarify my thoughts interpreted from that very website, and to answer my question because that website doesn't provide me an answer.

Looking for Clarification "I-129F Petition is valid for 4 months from date of approval of USCIS": Petition must be completed and submitted to USCIS within 4 months after distribution, or AFTER USCIS approves the completed (and approved) petition, the couple has 4 months to finish their K1-visa application.


REPHRASED QUESTION:
After the NVC sends their letter to the US Sponsor saying their K1-petition has been approved, how long does the sponsor and the foreign fiancé have to complete their application? Is there even deadline or can couples take their time?

Edit: Typo


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

I was asking you to provide a more specific reference to USCIS's (or the Department of State's) information so that nobody has to spend several minutes (at least) trying to figure out what paragraph or section on what page of what document you're not quoting accurately. Friendly advice: Provide a specific citation when you're asking for advice on what something means.

....Well then, here's the citation that I _think_ you meant: 8 CFR 214.2(k)(5). I'll quote that paragraph in its entirety:

_(5) Validity. The approval of a petition under this paragraph shall be valid for a period of four months. A petition which has expired due to the passage of time may be revalidated by a director or a consular officer for a period of four months from the date of revalidation upon a finding that the petitioner and K-1 beneficiary are free to marry and intend to marry each other within 90 days of the beneficiary's entry into the United States. The approval of any petition is automatically terminated when the petitioner dies or files a written withdrawal of the petition before the beneficiary arrives in the United States._

That paragraph's meaning looks straightforward to me. As I interpret it, once USCIS approves a K-1 petition you and your fiancé(e) have four months from USCIS's date of approval to act on the approved petition (i.e. obtain a K-1 visa). The K-1 visa then has its own validity terms after that. A consular officer (meaning, Department of State, at the U.S. embassy or consulate) has the discretion but not obligation to extend that deadline, and presumably the consular officer would be more willing to do that if the delay is caused by circumstances beyond your reasonable control.

Given this time limit you would be well advised to include a completed Form G-1145 with the petition. If you include this form with the petition USCIS will send an e-mail (and also a text message if you have a U.S. mobile number) with your receipt number. You can use the receipt number to check the status of your petition online periodically. As I recall USCIS sends an e-mail when they've made a decision, and the National Visa Center will also pick up the same e-mail address to send its initial correspondence. USCIS and the NVC still use postal mail, but the e-mail is a nice backup and sometimes faster. It's also a good idea for the prospective immigrant to check his/her vaccinations per the U.S. CDC's guidance and get those records collected and any missing vaccinations done.

If you "time out," and the consular officer doesn't grant an extension, you can either follow the same path (K-1) again (and be more careful about deadlines) or get married and follow the CR-1/IR-1 path (which doesn't have this particular deadline). Either way you have to pay the fee again and re-petition.


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