“Adjustment of status after K1 visa” is the very next step in the immigration process, after you and your fiancé are married. Although it is a relatively straightforward process, it does not happen automatically. Accordingly, you must file form I-485 Application to Adjust Status, with the relevant evidence and government filing fees.

Most people can find this form online, fill it in and mail it to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”). However, if the case were that easy, there would be no need for immigration attorneys. Cases are won or lost based on evidence. You must prove that your marriage to your U.S. citizen spouse is bona fide, to overcome USCIS’ concerns about marriage fraud. An experienced immigration attorney knows how to properly prepare and present your case for the best chance of success.

The adjustment of status form is currently 24 pages long. In short, it seeks answers to questions about you, the foreign-born spouse. The first few pages of this form asks for basic information about you, such as your full name, height and weight, date of birth. Additionally. you must provide information about your entries to the United States, address history, your children and your employment history. Certainly, this is information that most people already know or can find out quickly without much assistance. However, the middle and latter parts of the form are more complicated, depending on your background and life history.

Even though you received a K1 visa, this does not mean that you will get a green card. You still need to prove that you are admissible. Generally, some examples of issues that may prevent you from adjusting your status are health issues, illegal U.S. entries, criminal history or your intentions to engage in unlawful activity. Additionally, if you rely on the U.S. government for public assistance such as food stamps and welfare benefits, your adjustment of status application may be denied. Also, if you plan to practice polygamy, then you will not be able to get approval for adjustment of status after K1.

U.S. immigration law requires a medical examination as part of your adjustment of status application. Further, you may have taken this examination in your home country. You do not need to repeat it, if you file your I-485 application, within one year of your arrival to the U.S.

As part of the medical examination, a qualified immigration doctor will check if your immunizations are up to date. Bring your immunization record from your home country to the appointment to help reduce vaccination fees by avoiding unnecessary repeat injections.

The doctor will test for conditions like tuberculosis, syphilis, gonorrhea, leprosy, and physical or mental disorders. The doctor will also document any issues with drug or alcohol abuse, and the immigration officer will consider this information when reviewing your case for approval or denial.

In essence, if you have any of the diseases or other inadmissibility issues mentioned before, in some cases, all is not lost. All things considered, you may qualify for an I-601 waiver to forgive you for problems with your application.

This is probably the number one question that adjustment of status applicants ask as they go through the U.S. immigration process. Fortunately, you are eligible for a work permit and travel document when you file an adjustment of status application. You may apply for your work permit with the adjustment of status application or you can do it later. It will take about six to nine months for the government to fully process your work permit application.

In particular, carefully document that you and your spouse were married in good faith and the marriage was not entered into for immigration purposes. Firstly, you and your spouse must have intended to establish a life together when you got married. Secondly, you must provide sufficient evidence to show that your marriage is real. You may prove this by having a joint lease, if you are renting an apartment, or a copy of the deed if you are a homeowner.

Additionally, joint bank accounts and utility bills are strong evidence of a bona fide marriage. Similarly, pictures of the two of you together at family events are also good evidence of a real marriage. Sometimes, it is hard to get your spouse added to the electric, water or cable bill because he/she does not have a social security number. Regardless, add your spouse to whatever bills you can. Simultaneously, life insurance and health insurance are also forms of evidence that can be used to strengthen your case.

Immigration law seems deceptively simple because the forms are available online with instructions. Thus, many people believe that they can read the instructions, fill in the forms and voilà, the case is approved. I have been practicing immigration law since 2015, and I’ve been through hundreds of cases and it is never that simple.

When you apply for adjustment of status after K1, this is a legal undertaking. Moreover, the immigration officer will be reviewing your application to determine whether to approve or deny your case. Evidently, the government is not going to teach you how to properly file your application. Consequently, if you made mistakes, they will not correct it. They will simply deny your case and move on to the next one.

My name is Cheryl Fletcher and I am an experienced immigration attorney. I practice regularly before USCIS and I have won hundreds of green cards for K1 adjustment of status clients. I am not the cheapest lawyer in town. My fees are reasonable and are based on my years of practice and the results that I can get for my clients. If you would like a personal evaluation of your case, please feel free to book a consultation with me. I will take the time, to explain your rights, and help you understand the best strategy to help you achieve your green card.

K1 visa cost is an important factor to consider, as your relationship blossoms into an engagement. Knowing the fees and their due dates can help you plan more effectively. The fiancé visa immigration process consists of several stages, with immigration fees being paid at each specific stage of the case.

Petition for Alien Fiancé

The first step is to file an I-129F Petition for Alien Fiancé with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”). The point of the I-129F petition is to let USCIS know of your intentions to marry your foreign-born fiancé.

Before you file the I-129F form, check your eligibility. You and your fiancé should meet in person, no more than 2 years before you file the petition. If it would be extremely difficult for you to meet your fiancé you may qualify for a waiver. Similarly, if the meeting is offensive to your fiancés cultural practices, you should request a waiver. You will usually incur costs for airfare, hotel or Air BnB accommodations, meals and entertainment, and other travel-related expenses, for the in-person meeting. Although these expenses are incidental to your marriage plans, it is a part of the K1 visa cost that you cannot ignore.

The I-129f petition filing fee is $675. This is what the U.S. government charges you to consider your case and to make a decision.

You are not required to hire an attorney to help you with the case, however, a qualified immigration attorney can improve your chances of success. The road to getting a K1 visa is filled with challenges and uncertainity. Even though there are instructions online to help guide you through the process, there is no “question and answer session” with USCIS to help you figure out what exactly you need to do. If you make a mistake, USCIS can keep your filing fee and you would have wasted many months waiting for a denial on a deficient application. Things can get even worse because your fiancé may get upset with you and call off the engagement, due to your mistake.

The right attorney can make the process as seamless as possible. You can feel confident that your application is properly filed when you utilize the services of an experienced immigration attorney. Attorney’s fees for this first stage range from $1,500 to $3,000. Once you pay your attorney and the government, it will be months before you have any further K-1 visa costs. You should expect to wait 6-8 months for a decision on the I-129f petition. You will have plenty of time to save for stage two of the K-1 visa process.

If the I-129f petition is approved, it will be valid for four months. Also, the U.S. embassy or consulate may revalidate an expired approved petition. USCIS will then send the file to the National Visa Center (NVC), in New Hampshire. It takes about four to six weeks after USCIS approves the I-129 petition for the case to move to the NVC. The NVC will assign a case number to your fiancés file and route it to the appropriate U.S. embassy or consulate. It will take a few weeks for the file to get to the right U.S. embassy or consulate.

DS-160 Visa Application Form

The next step is for your fiancé to apply for the actual K1 visa. This process starts with an online DS-160 Nonimmigrant Visa Application form. The form requests information about his or her biography, travel, family, education and training, U.S. visa application history, social media accounts, health history, criminal history, finances, and contact details. There is no filing fee for form DS-160 but there is a K1 visa fee of $265, which must be paid before your fiancé can schedule a visa interview appointment. There are many options to pay the fee. This will depend on the designated U.S. embassy or consulate’s procedures. Options may include cash payment at a pre-approved bank in the foreign country or online processing.

If you are using the services of an immigration attorney to assist you with this part of the process, you should expect to pay between $1,500 and $3,000.

K1 visa cost is not limited to government fees and attorney’s fees. Your fiancé will be required to undergo a medical examination. In addition he or she must obtain and submit police certificates from all countries where he or she has lived, for at least six months, from the age of 16. Furthermore, he or she must also submit police certificates from any country where he or she has been arrested, for any reason, regardless of how long he or she has lived there. There are costs associated with obtaining these documents.

Once the embassy or consulate receives the file from the NVC, about 2 weeks later, your fiancé will receive a letter with instructions on scheduling the medical examination and interview. After your fiancé has completed the medical examination and has all the required documents, he or she should schedule an interview. Your fiancé may be able to chose the date that he or she would like to attend. It is not necessary for you to go. The K1 visa cost will increase if you decide to make international travel plans. After the interview, if your fiancé is successful, he or she should receive the K1 visa within a few weeks.

The K-1 visa is valid for a maximum of 6 months. You and your fiancé will need to make travel plans for his or her arrival to the U.S.

After reading this article, you should have a better understanding of K1 visa cost and the immigration process. My name is Cheryl Fletcher and I have been an immigration attorney, since 2015. I regularly help U.S. citizens bring foreign brides and grooms to the U.S.

It can be confusing when you try to decide which attorney is best for you. You may look at a few websites or read something on the internet. You may even see several billboards on your way to work. All of that is marketing and none of it helps you answer the important question, “can I trust this attorney to help me with my immigration case?” My clients tell me that they picked me from many choices because of my experience, track record, Google reviews, recommendations from friends and family and transparent pricing. These are all good reasons. However, each time a client chooses me to spearhead their immigration journey, what I cherish the most is that I have answered that big question loudly.

I am passionate about immigration law and care deeply about my clients. I would like the opportunity to work with you. If you would like to get in touch with me, please click the orange button above, call us at: 561-507-5772 or fill in the contact form on the website: http://www. lawyerfletcher.com and we will call you right away.