Love has no borders. No one knows where they will find true love. It can be several streets or hundreds of kilometers away from you. The important thing is to hold it tightly when you find it because not everyone is lucky enough to find true love. Sometimes love can make us travel to another country and start a new life there. It can be any country worldwide, but today, I want to talk about getting a Fiance Visa for the US. Considering that this topic is interesting for plenty of people, we decided to cover all details and answer questions about the United States Fiance Visa.
Firstly, let's get some general information about the available type of visas in the United States. The government offers various kinds of visas (Electronic System for Travel Authorization, Non-Immigrant Visas, Business Visa (B-1), Tourism & Visitor Visa (B-2), Transit Visa (C), Student Visa (F-1 or M-1), Exchange Visitor Visa (J-1), and so on), and all of them have different terms. Some of those terms are unique just for a single type of visa. So, candidates need to search all details before making any application. Only the applicants who answer all requirements will be able to finish the application procedure successfully.
Some nationalities don't need to apply for a visa for a short-term visit. They are visa-waiver nationalities, such as the Bahamas, Canada, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau. Unfortunately, citizens of the following countries can't apply for a visa because they are on a ban list: Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen.
Now, let's begin to talk about the main topic. What is a Fiance Visa? It is a type of visa that gives a chance to a foreign resident fiance to travel to the United States of America and marry a US citizen. Foreigner and US resident must be married within 90 days of arrival. After that, he (she) will apply for a permanent residency. Candidates can realize it in the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Application to a fiance visa for the US consists of several steps. The procedure begins with obtaining and filing Form I-129F. You will get it from the USCIS office that serves the location where you reside. If you don't know how to fill the form, you can find detailed information on the official website. There can be changes depending on the application. So, read the instructions carefully to avoid all possible problems.
Furthermore, the process has some differences for some age groups. People between 14 – 79 should apply in person via a pre-arranged interview. On the other hand, candidates under 14 and over 80 can apply by courier. Followingly, all applicants (regardless of age) must finish the online DS-160 form and obtain a printed version of the confirmation page. During the application, you will need to pay the visa fee and arrange a date for an interview.
Documentation is one of the most crucial steps of the visa application. As it has a significant impact on the result, you should be careful. Mainly problems occur because of missing or fake documents. That is why do not try to cheat in the documentation process. Some people simply forget to obtain several papers. We offer you to prepare a checklist for yourself and mark each document after getting it. What are the requirements for a fiance visa in US? You will need the following documents for getting a fiance visa for the US:
As we mentioned above, some applicants (between the ages of 14-79) must arrange a visa interview. If your age is in that range, you should make an appointment. Your interview will be with a consular officer.
The interview is the last step before processing. So, you should be attentive, try to show all your skills, and convince the consular officer that you are eligible for the visa. There are some points that you should pay attention to about the interview. First, be in the interview location at least an hour earlier. If you are late, your appointment will be canceled. Plus, do not forget to bring your Appointment Confirmation letter with you. How long does the interview last? Generally, we can say that you will be in the embassy for 2-3 hours.
What kind of questions will they ask during the interview? You will be asked general questions, such as the purpose of the visit, why you decided to visit the USA, and so on. Also, they may ask you about your plans, your life, and so on. There is no need to feel nervous about questions. You should try to be confident and relaxed.
One of the frequently asked questions is the cost of applying for a US fiance visa. Although there can be updates in the following years, now, the cost of applying for a US fiance visa is 160 USD for all nationalities. You will pay the visa fee online while arranging an interview. So, get a valid credit card to realize the payment. You can pay the visa fee by Master, Visa, or another international card.
After finishing all the steps, you will wait for an answer from the embassy or consular where you made your application. This part seems the most challenging part for plenty of people because the process of waiting makes people more stressed, creating various thoughts. How long does the processing time last? Generally, it lasts for 10-60 calendar days. Of course, the duration may change related to some issues, such as workload, application country, etc. Also, embassy representatives may want to get in touch with you earlier. It may happen because of needed changes or something else that can affect the visa procedure. So, keep your phone open and check your email gradually.
A Fiance visa is one of the visa types with high rejection rates. In 2017, 35% of the applications were rejected. What are the reasons for these high rates? It happens because of several reasons. One of them is fraud attempts. We can find plenty of examples while searching on the internet. The most common causes of being rejected are:
- A printed version of the invitation.
- Bills as evidence of payments for some weeding items.
- Other things to make your statement strong.
Of course, if you can't marry for some critical issues, you should inform the embassy about it. It can be health issues or other reasons.