Fiancee Visa Process

The fiancee visa process begins with meeting your fiancee in her native country. In general, you must have met in person within the past two years. If your fiancee is not a citizen of the United States and you plan to get married in the United States, then you must file a petition, Form I-129F, with USCIS on behalf of your fiancee. After the petition is approved, your fiancee must obtain a visa issued at a U.S. Embassy or consulate abroad.

Your fiancee will have to have a medical examination, police clearance certificate, translated documents (birth certificate, divorce decree) and a security check. The American citizen must prove that he is financial able to support his foreign fiancee. The marriage must take place within 90 days of the fiancee entering the United States. If the marriage does not take place within 90 days or your fiancee marries someone other than you (the U.S. citizen filing USCIS Form I-129F - Petition for Alien Fiancee), your fiancee will be required to leave the United States. Until the marriage takes place, your fiancee is considered a nonimmigrant. A nonimmigrant is a foreign national seeking to temporarily enter the United States for a specific purpose.

A fiancee may not obtain an extension of the 90-day original nonimmigrant admission. Please note: Your fiancee may enter the United States only one time with a fiancee visa. If your fiancee leaves the country before you are married, your fiancee may not be allowed back into the United States without a new visa. After marriage, your spouse must file Form I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status with the USCIS office that serves the area where you live in the United States.

USCIS for your spouse's application to become a lawful permanent resident (LPR). You will receive an interview appointment at which you must prove to the USCIS that your marriage is valid in order to receive conditional permanent status. Your wife will initially receive conditional permanent residence status for two years. Conditional permanent residency is granted when the marriage creating the relationship is less than two years old at the time of adjustment to permanent residence status. If you received a conditional Green Card before you have been married for two years you will have to file form I-751 within the 90-day period before your second anniversary as a conditional resident to obtain the permanent green card.

You are required to send documents with the I-751 application to prove the validity of your marriage but the USCIS may schedule another interview. Once the permanent Green Card is issued, your wife may apply for US Citizenship.