Everything You Need to Know to Understand the Fiancé (K-1) Visa
If you’re a U.S. citizen engaged to someone who isn’t a United States citizen or a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., the K-1 (“fiancé(e)”) visa may be an important component to starting your life together in the U.S. This article will explain the key information about how the K-1 visa works, including who might qualify for this visa and what to expect during the K-1 application process.
What Is a Fiancé Visa?
The K-1 visa allows a U.S. citizen to bring their foreign national fiancé(e) to the United States so they can get married. Once the visa is issued, the fiancé(e) has 90 days to enter the United States and marry their sponsor. This 90-day period is portrayed in the popular TV Show 90-day fiancé. Once the couple are married, the foreign national spouse is eligible to apply to be a lawful permanent resident (or to obtain their green card).
Who Is Eligible for a Fiancé Visa?
Your partner may be eligible for a fiancé visa if you meet the following criteria:
You are a United States citizen.
You and your fiancé are legally free to marry.
This means neither you nor your partner are married to someone else—even if you’re in the process of a divorce. You must be able to show that all prior marriages have been legally terminated. If you or your fiancé have a divorce decree, annulment, or death certificate from a previous spouse, you’ll need to submit it with your fiancé visa petition.You and your fiancé will get married within 90 days of your fiancé arriving to the U.S.
You and your fiancé have met in person at least one time within the last two years.
You meet the income requirements.
This generally means your income is at least 100% of the federal Poverty Guidelines for your household size.
What’s the Process for Getting a Fiancé Visa?
File Form I-129F
The process starts when the U.S.-citizen sponsor files the Form I-129F (Petition for Alien Fiancé(e)) with USCIS. This form shows your intent to marry and to apply for a Fiancé visa.
USCIS Review and Approval
If your 1-129F is approved, USCIS will send your petition to the National Visa Center, which will then forward it to the U.S. embassy or consulate in your fiancé’s home country. The fee for this form as of December 15, 2025 is $675. (We recommend always checking uscis.gov for the current fees because they are always going up).
Visa Interview
Your fiancé will need to complete both a medical exam and attend a visa interview. At the interview, the consular officer will verify that your relationship is genuine and that you and your fiancé meet all requirements. The visa interview fee is $265, and the medical exams cost anywhere between $200 and $500. There can also be other fees associated with the affidavit of support at this stage of the process. We highly recommend you hire a licensed immigration attorney to handle the process for you!
Visa Approval and Entrance into the United States
If the interview goes well the Consulate Officer will take your fiancé’s passport and the fiancé visa will be placed on one of the passport pages(this takes 1-3 weeks they ship the passport back to your fiancé with the visa inside), your fiancé can now enter the U.S. You and your fiancé must marry each other within 90 days of your fiancé’s arrival, if you do not then your fiancé will be required to return to their country of origin.
Adjustment of Status
After you and your fiancé get married, your new spouse will apply to be a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. (this is also known as getting a “green card”) by filing the Form I-485. The fee for the form I-485 is $1, 440. (We recommend always checking uscis.gov for the current fees because they are always going up).
If you and your spouse have been married to each other for less than two years when the green card is granted, your spouse will receive a conditional green card, that is valid for two years. At least 90 days before the conditional green card expires, you will need to file the Form I-751, which, is needed to obtain a permanent green card.
It typically takes between 9 and 15 months, from beginning to end, to acquire a fiancé visa. Of course, the timeline depends on many factors, including whether additional information or background checks are needed.
Tips for a Smooth Process
1. Get all your documents together to submit with your forms.
You will need the following:
Two passport photos (you can get these at most drug stores)
A copy of your birth certificate
A copy of your United States passport
Police records from all countries in which your fiancé has lived since the age of 16
Copies of divorce decrees, marriage annulments, or death certificates that show you and your fiancé are not already married
Photos of you and your fiancé together
Records of your and your fiancé’s communication with each other (like emails or call logs)
Receipts and travel itineraries that show you have travelled to see your fiancé
2. Get ready for the visa interview.
Your fiancé needs to be prepared to honestly discuss how you met each other, how long you’ve known each other, and answer questions that show your relationship is genuine.
Most importantly, don’t try to navigate this alone. The pros at Shillig Law know the ins and outs of the ever-changing landscape of immigration law. We’re here to do the heavy lifting of navigating the visa process so you and your fiancé can just focus on creating your new life together in the United States.