Types of US Visas for Kids
Types of US Visas for kids who will follow together with their parent, or later come to the USA from the Philippines. Visa Tips K2, K3, CR2, IR2, F2B.
USCIS offers 5-Types of US visas for kids?
Quick Search: 5 types of US visas for kids.
🔻 K2 Child
🔻 K4 Child
For immigration purposes, a child is defined as being unmarried and under 21, whereas if a person is married and/or over 21, that person is defined as a son or daughter.
You may contact us, if you need help in understanding which types of US Visas are offered for kids, sons, or daughters? U.S. Citizen spouse who are the stepparent, may be the primary petitioner if the alien spouse parent is not employed or does not meet the poverty guidelines on their own?
Types of visas for kids
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K2 Child
Types of US Visas for Kids:
What is a K2 Visa?
The K2, is one of the most common types of US visas for children below age 21. The K2 Visa, is a derivative to the K1 Fiance Visa. This means that a child of the K1 parent will be able to follow their parent to the United States without having to file a separate visa petition.
It is optional for the parents to bring the K2 Child to the U.S. to follow at a later date not to exceed 1-year from the validity date on the K2 Visa? This option was made to allow children to complete school if so needed?
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What requirements must be met for a K2 child?
- The U.S. sponsor, must prove they meet the poverty guidelines, to include a K2 child?
- The K2 child must still be, under the age of 21 at the time of using the K2 Visa.
- Must be unmarried, and have no children of their own.
- Must be a legal child to the K1 fiance applicant.
- Must have an unexpired passport prior to their US arrival.
- Must have certified approval to travel abroad from the other parent.
- Must have their original birth certificate.
- Must complete the non-immigrant visa application DS160
- Must be able to pass a medical examination.
- Must attend the US Embassy interview with their K1 parent.
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K2 Child government fees
- All K2 children regardless of age must pay the non immigrant visa application fee of $265.
. - All K2 children must pay for the medical exam, age 14 and below pay $185. age 15 above pay $335.
. - Adjustment of status children age 13 and below pay $750. age 14 and above pay $1,225.
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K2 Child is now in the U.S.
After the K1 parent and the K2 child have settled down in the U.S. together with the sponsor and the K1 parent is now married to the sponsor, each one will need to start the process of adjusting their status, so that they both can receive a social security number, employment authorization and 2-year conditional resident card.
Both, K1 and K2 must file separate I-485 / I-765 with separate fees, however, both the K1/K2 paperwork should be sent in to USCIS together at the same time.
- K1/K2 paperwork, to adjust their status, will be sent in together, to USCIS.
. - Both have their own filing fee, and can be combined together on one check, money order, or credit card.
. - The K2 child will keep their name and is not needing adoption, however that can be done later on while applying for a 10- year green card, if desired?
K4 Child
Types of US Visas for Kids:
What is a K4 Visa?
The K4 Visa is made for children under the age of 21 who are unmarried and without children. It is similar to the K2 visa because it is a derivative to the K3. If you are a married couples of less than two years, and the sponsor is a U.S. Citizen, who has the financial capability to include a child, then you qualify to file for the K3/K4 visa.
Minor children of the foreign spouse may be admitted to the United States under the K-4 non-immigrant visa classification if the marriage between the biological parent and step-parent occurred before the minor reached their 18th birthday.
The K-4 visa classification expires once the visa holder turns 21 years of age. If the K-4 visa holder turns 21 years of age, they may continue to be eligible for adjustment of status under the Child Status Protection Act only if the US Citizen petitioner filed an I-130 petition on their behalf before turning 21 years of age.
The K4 child visa was intended to allow K3/K4 families to be together in the U.S. while waiting for their 2-year conditional resident documents to be done? The process has lost it’s popularity since USCIS and the National Visa Center have been spread thinly in man power and backlogs continue to increase.
Often times the processing has been so overwhelmed that couples who only been married less that two years and wanted either the CR1 or K3 visa, end up getting the much desired IR1 visa, because it has been taking 15 to 18 months on average, and that’s only if you filed everything correctly?
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What requirements must be met for a K4 child?
- The U.S. sponsor, must prove they meet the poverty guidelines, to include a K4 child?
- The K4 child must still be, under the age of 21 at the time of using the K4 Visa.
- Must be unmarried, and have no children of their own.
- Must be a legal child to the K1 fiance applicant.
- Must have an unexpired passport prior to their US arrival.
- Must have certified approval to travel abroad from the other parent.
- Must have their original birth certificate.
- Must complete the non-immigrant visa application DS160
- Must be able to pass a medical examination.
- Must attend the US Embassy interview with their K3 parent.
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K4 Child government fees
- I-130 filing fee $535.
- $265. DS160 Non-immigrant visa application fee
- Medical fee age 14 and below $185. age 15 above $335.
- Adjustment of status age 14 or below pay $750 age 15 above pay $1,225.
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K4 Child now on U.S. soil
After the K4 child has arrived on US soil, their K3 status will be valid for 2-years or will be valid until their 21st. birthday which ever comes first? Their K3 stepparent will have to file I-130 for alien relative before they can file I-485 and I-765 to adjust status to be come a conditional resident?
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K4 visa conclusion
Many who had done a K3/K4 visa have concluded that just filing the I-130 for a spouse and another I-130 separate for the child to get a CR1 and CR2 would have been cheaper and pretty much taken the same amount of time, but with less paperwork and less stress? This is one reason many Immigration and Law Firms discourage you from going this route.
CR2 Child
Types of US Visas for Kids:
What is a CR2 Visa
Stepchild of a U.S. citizen. Conditional.
The CR2 Visa is designed for the U.S. Citizen husband or wife, to petition the child of the alien spouse. In other words, if your Filipina wife had a child before you married her, then you can also include that child in getting them to the U.S. by filing a separate I-130 application. The visa granted would be a CR2.
Filing an I-130 for CR2, together with the alien parents I-130 for a CR1 visa is common, however you may wait until your CR1 parent, is already living in the U.S. before filing for a CR2, which is also common. Sometimes this is necessary for the child to complete their schooling or sometimes for the parents meeting the poverty guidelines?
What are the CR2 Requirements
If you are a U.S. Citizen, you may petition on behalf of your:
- Children (unmarried and under 21)
- Unmarried sons and daughters (21 or over)
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If you are a Legal Permanent Resident, you may petition on behalf of your:
- Children (unmarried and under 21)
- Unmarried sons and daughters (21 or over)
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- The U.S. sponsor, must prove they meet the poverty guidelines, to include a CR2 child?
- The CR2 child must still be, under the age of 21 at the time of their U.S. entry.
- The CR2 child must be unmarried, and have no children of their own.
- The parent of the CR2 child must prove that they are the legal parent?
- Must have an unexpired passport prior to their US arrival.
- Must have certified approval to travel abroad from the other parent.
- Must have their original birth certificate.
- CR2 children age 16 and above must provide a police certificate from their countries Bureau.
- Must complete the non-immigrant visa application DS260
- Must be able to pass a medical examination.
- Must attend the US Embassy interview.
Their maybe more requirements, depending on the country they are in?
Unsure contact us.. K2, K4, CR2, IR2, F2B, F24.
Over-all cost of a CR2 visa
- Filing fee of the I-130 application. It is your first fee of $535.
- Many months later, is the National Visa Center fee of $445.
- Medical fee age 14 and below $185. age 15 above $335.
- After your alien child has received their CR2 visa, there is the green card fee of $220.
- Total fees paid to the government are $1,535.
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After the CR2 has arrived on U.S. soil
Once your son or daughter is on U.S. soil, they will wait for their 2-year conditional resident card to arrive in the mail. This part can take 4 to 6 weeks. The U.S. Social security branch office will also issue them a temporary social security card, so that they can be claimed on health insurance and taxes.
IR2 Child
Types of US Visas for Kids:
What is the IR2?
Very similar in every way with the CR2 visa, as the requirements are the same from fees to poverty guidelines to who can use this?
The only differences are, the biological parent can file for the IR2 of their children if the parent is a U.S. Citizen? The stepparent U.S. Citizen cannot file for IR2 Immediate relative.
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The U.S. sponsor, must prove they meet the poverty guidelines, to include a IR2 child?- The IR2 child must still be, under the age of 21 at the time of their U.S. entry.
- The IR2 child must be unmarried, and have no children of their own.
- The parent of the IR2 child must prove that they area U.S. Citizen through a U.S. Passport, Naturalization Certificate?
- IR2 child must have an unexpired passport prior to their US arrival.
- Must have certified approval to travel abroad from the other parent.
- Must have their original birth certificate.
- IR2 children age 16 and above must provide a police certificate from their countries Bureau.
- Must complete the non-immigrant visa application DS260
- Must be able to pass a medical examination.
- Must attend the US Embassy interview.
Their maybe more requirements, depending on the country the are in?
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Over-all cost of a IR2 visa
- Filing fee of the I-130 application. It is your first fee of $535.
- Many months later, is the National Visa Center fee of $445.
- Medical fee age 14 and below $185. age 15 above $335.
- After your alien child has received their CR2 visa, there is the green card fee of $220.
- Total fees paid to the government are $1,535.
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After the IR2 has arrived on U.S. soil
Once your son or daughter is on U.S. soil, they will wait for their 10-year permanent resident card to arrive in the mail. This part can take 4 to 6 weeks. The U.S. Social security branch office will also issue them a temporary social security card, so that they can be claimed on health insurance and taxes.
F2B Adult Child
Types of US Visas for Kids:
What is the F2B/F24?
Can the US Citizen stepparent, file for the alien children?
Yes your American husband of wife can also file, for your children, that are unmarried and under the age of 21.
Or sons and daughters 21 and above. It doesn’t go any faster for the US Citizen stepparent and in many cases its better that the immediate relative parent be the sponsor once they become a US Citizen.
Sons or daughter ages 21 and above would get the F2B or F24 Family Preference Visa which can take anywhere from 6-months to several years to get?
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Requirements for the F2B / F24 visa?
- You must be the child, son or daughter of a U.S Legal Permanent Resident and prove it through birth certificates or adoption documents.
. - You must be 21 years of age or older.
. - You must be unmarried.
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As for the LPR, you must fulfill these criteria:
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- You must be the parent of the person you will petition for and prove it through birth certificates or adoption documents
. - You must be a U.S green-card holder, LPR.
. - You must be domicile in the U.S and have a verified address for proof, such as drivers license, voter ID, and unexpired government ID can be helpful.
. - Filing for the F2B / F24 is the same as filing for CR2/IR2 you will submit the I-130 Application with all of the same supporting documents as the CR2 or IR2 the only thing that determines that it will be an F2B /F24 is the adult child’s date of birth?
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- The filing fee is $535.
- Later the National Visa Center fee of $445.
- Then the medical fee $335.
- Later after the interview will be the green card fee $220.
- Total fees paid to the government are $1,535.
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While filing for a son or daughter age 21 and above, expect a very long waiting period as we have known some to wait several years, as this is a quota visa that is very backlogged.