The rise in popularity of online matchmaking has dramatically increased the demand for visas for fiancees of U.S. citizens to enter the United States and get married. The process of obtaining a fiancee visa, also known as K1 visas, is not quite as complicated as you might imagine.
The first thing a U.S. citizen must do is file the I-129F petition for their foreign fiancee. Along with the petition the U.S. citizen must submit proof that they have met their fiancee in person within two years prior to the I-129F fiancee visa petition being submitted. The state you live in determines where you file your petition with the USCIS (formerly INS). Normally, the processing time will be somewhere between one to eight months.
After you have received notification that the I-129F has been approved, you fiancee will have 4 months to acquire the K1 visa at the US consulate office in the country in which they reside. This time period may be extended if needed by the consular office.
The K1 fiancee visa allows the fiancee to travel to the United States and entry must occur within six months of the issue date. If your fiancee has children then you must also submit a K2...