K1 or CR1?
Reuniting Couples Since 2003
Should I use K1 or CR1 Visa
Whats the fastest to get, should I use K1 or CR1 Visa?
Often times we get couples who are undecided
about which visa type they should apply for, they want to know which is the better one K1 or CR1?
Single Couples:
If you’re both single and have met in person already then you have exactly two years to file an I-129F Petition for Alien Fiancee which is a requirement of USCIS.
If you fail to file before two years have elapsed, then you’ll be required to visit in person again.
Should I use K1 or CR1 Visa
Married Couples:
If you both have tied the knot already and have the marriage certificate in hand, then you have no choice other than to file for a CR1 Spouse visa.
Marriage less than two years old will get the CR1 Conditional Resident Visa, Marriage that is two years or more will get the IR1 Visa Immediate Relative Visa.
Should I use K1 or CR1 Visa
So which one is the fastest to get:
For many couples, expediency is what they really prefer!
For as far back as the 1980’s the K1 Fiancee Visa has always been faster and a bit easier to procure than a spousal visa.
K1 Fiancee Visa processing times have fluctuated a lot throughout the years but spousal visas just always seem to be very lengthy waits.
Should I use K1 or CR1 Visa
2023 time frames:
The K1 Fiancee Visa process is still moving much faster than the CR1/IR1 Spouse Visa Process.
K1 Visa process has been taking on average between 15 and 18 months to process while CR1/IR1 Spouse visas have gone from 18 to 24 month waits.
Some couples prefer to go the route of getting married in the Philippines first for rebellious reasons but the vast majority prefer to go the K1 Fiancee Visa route as it moves much faster and tends to be a little easier in some ways.
Should I use K1 or CR1 Visa
Why does it take so long for CR1/IR1 Spouse Visas?
Quite honestly, the CR1/IR1 application is the I-130 Application for Immediate Relative. .
There are actually a hundred times more I-130 Applications being filed from all over the world compared to I-129F for K1 Fiancee Visas.
Everybody is trying to get their family members to America which keeps the United States Immigration process severely bogged down.
More so than ever before now that the administrations are pushing harder and harder for more in-depth vetting on each and every one of those people.
The reason the K1 Fiancee Visa process isn’t so bogged down is because USCIS has a separate unit known as the K1 Unit.
They impose some stricter rules to sponsors such as the IMBRA ruling which can disqualify many petitioners, but because of the K1 unit that focuses on I-129F Petitions for Alien Fiancees, the process moves faster.
There have been years where I-129F has been processed and approved within two months and average waiting times were around four months.
Then we’ve seen wait times of 6 months then 8 months and currently now at 6 to 8 months. It may get even longer for the K1 Applicants since the new heavy vetting rules are being imposed on everyone.
Should I use K1 or CR1 Visa