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* Prices listed are for attorney fees for typical cases and do not include special services such as appeals, immigration court representation, waivers or addressing the immigration consequences of criminal convictions.
I provide fiance visa services to clients throughout the United States by using an online client portal, email, phone calls and mail. This provides my clients with greater flexibility because they do not need to take time off from work to come into my office. Using online technology also allows me to provide more affordable legal services to my clients. Clients in the Washington DC area are welcome to schedule in person appointments at my office in Washington DC or Virginia.
To learn more about how to work with the Schaefer Law Firm to get your fiance visa and to get your free fiance visa information guide and checklists, simply click on one of the yellow Get Started Now buttons.
Not everyone will qualify for a fiance visa. Some of the initial requirements that you should consider include:
- Only United States citizens can file a petition for a fiance visa.
- Must demonstrate your relationship to your fiance and your intent to marry each other for the purpose of having a joint life together.
- Must show that you have met at least once in person in the last two years, or you must qualify for an exception to this requirement.
- Foreign fiance must not be “inadmissible” to the United States, or will need to qualify for a waiver. The grounds of inadmissibility are complicated. I will review this issue with you during our initial case evaluation.
- You must marry within 90 days of the date your fiance enters the United States.
There are two basic steps to applying for a fiance visa:
Step 1: Fiance visa petition
The fiance visa petition process begins when a United States citizen submits a Form I-129F petition on behalf of their fiance. This petition requests that your fiance be allowed to enter the United States so that you can get married. You will need to wait for your petition to be approved before you can move on to the consular processing stage.
Step 2: Consular processing
The consular processing stage begins after the fiance visa petition is approved and the petition package is forwarded to the National Visa Center. The package will stay at the National Visa Center for a short time before being forwarded on to the embassy. The embassy will then contact you with information on how to schedule your fiance visa interview. During this stage you will need to submit the fiance visa application along with the supporting documents such as a medical exam report and police certificates. Assuming that all goes well at the interview, your fiance will be issued a fiance visa and will be able to join you in the United States so that you can get married.
A final step that is not part of the actual fiance visa process involves the application to get a green card after you get married:
Step 3: Adjustment of status / green card application
After you get married, your new spouse will need to submit an application to do what is called “adjustment of status”. This is the process that allows your spouse to get permanent resident status and a green card. After your spouse submits the adjustment of status application, they will normally be scheduled for an interview. If all goes well at the interview, they’ll get their green card in the mail shortly after the interview. The green card will be a “conditional green card” which means that in two years you’ll need to file a separate application to remove the conditions on the green card.
Government Fiance Visa Fees
- $340 Form I-129F filing fee
- $350 K-1 visa fee
- $1,070 Form I-485 adjustment of status fee
Other Required Costs
- Medical exam – changes by doctor and location
- Passport photographs – changes by photographer
- Translation costs – varies by the translator and type of documents being translated into English
- Original documents/certified copies – varies by case
Legal Fees
Varies by law firm and the complexity of the case. The services that I offer and the price of each fiance visa package are listed above. If you have any questions about what is included in my services, please feel free to contact me or to request a free copy of my fiance visa guide which provides more detail about each package offered.
There is no requirement to use the services of an immigration lawyer in order to get a fiance visa. But, many people will find the services of an immigration lawyer to be extremely valuable to successfully navigating the fiance visa process. An experienced immigration lawyer can:
- Provide you with legal advice that will help minimize the time you are separated from your fiance
- Help keep your case on track to avoid unnecessary delays
- Help ensure that your application is submitted correctly and with all of the evidence necessary to help your application get approved quickly
- Communicate with USCIS and the Department of State on your behalf
- Represent you if the government requests additional information about your case
- Represent you if you need to file an appeal in the event your application is denied
- Provide legal advice and assistance if you need to apply for a waiver
The expected waiting time for approval of an I-129F petition is five months. After your petition is approved, the package will be forwarded on to the embassy or consulate near your fiance. The length of time for an interview to be scheduled will largely depend on which embassy or consulate the interview will be at. Some locations have a large backlog and it will take longer to receive an appointment at those locations.
Overall, you should expect that it will take at least six to eight months before your fiance receives a fiance visa, and it would not be unusual for it to take close to one year. The wait could be considerably longer if you receive a request for evidence or you have difficulty in obtaining the required documents.
You and your fiance must marry within 90 days. It is very important that you marry within 90 days of your fiance’s entry into the United States. If you do not, your fiance may enter into an unlawful status and there may not be any way to get your fiance back into a lawful immigration status.
After you marry, your fiance can apply for adjustment of status and become a permanent resident. After you marry, your fiance can submit an application to become a permanent resident and get a green card. Both my “Fiance Visa Plus” and “Fiance Visa Premium” packages include the preparation and filing of the adjustment of status package. After being a permanent resident for three years, your fiance can then submit a naturalization application to become a United States citizen.
It is very important to review the qualifications for citizenship before submitting a naturalization application. If you submit a naturalization application when you don’t qualify for citizenship, you risk losing your application fee and possibly being deported.
Additional questions and answers about the fiance visa process and how to get a fiance visa can be found in the fiance visa frequently asked questions and news section. You can also reach me by email or by phone at (202) 642-4529 or toll free at (877) 887-9523.
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