cardinal125

My British fiancee and I have done everything required to get her approved for a K-1 Fiancee visa to come to the U.S. and get married. We were approved for the visa last April, and we thought we had plenty of time to get the visa before our August wedding. However, it has been three months since she was approved, and the US embassy seems to be doing everything they can to delay the process. We are very worried she will not receive an interview date at the embassy to get the visa before the wedding date. Is there anything we can do to speed up the process? All the forms needed have been acquired, we're just waiting for the embassy to shedule the interview....

English Muffin

I'm waiting on a K1 visa too and I know that there is nothing you can do to speed up the process (unless you are military, there are a few circumstances then). Is your wedding all booked? It's always best not to make any firm plans until you get the visa in hand and that usually takes anything up to 9 months from filing. I know that this doesn't help you at all but there is nothing that you can do right now - perhaps try to re-schedule the wedding?

Gillian

cardinal125

English Muffin-
Thanks for your sympathy anyway! Yeah we knew that planning things without the visa was risky, but really had no choice as we were accomodating all the family's schedules. We thought 8 months might be enough time. The problem with waiting until you get the visa is that once you do you only have a few months where its good and only 3 months once you get here, so its not much time to plan a whole wedding.

We're thinking now about her coming over and we can have the ceremony but not making it official. Then she will go home and come back when she gets the visa and we can get married in the court house as soon as she's here. Anyway, I hope you're visa process goes smoothly. Ours was going smoothly until now. Good luck, I hope everything works out for you!

Noorah101

Your post is a little confusing. You say you were approved for the visa last April, yet you haven't yet had the K-1 interview. That's not possible. The only way you can be approved for the visa, is after having attended the interview. I think what got approved last April is the I-129F petition which the USC submitted. That's only the petition, it's not the visa. The visa won't be approved until after the interview at the embassy happens.

So, you've turned in the checklist to the embassy, and are now just waiting for an interview? London typically slows down processing in the summer months, so I'm not suprised...but how long ago did you return the checklist?

You can always email the embassy and have them give you an estimate of when you can expect your interview. You can mention that you would like the visa by August xx, whatever date...don't tell them it's for the wedding, and don't demand it, just ask politely if they can accommodate that date.

Best Wishes,
Rene

Noorah101

You have 6 months to use the visa, and then 3 months to get married....9 months total. Does a wedding really take that long to put together? We had a courthouse wedding, so I don't know, just asking. 9 months seems like a long enough time to me...

Rene

scrubbedexpat099

My K1 took 11 months, 8 is quite possible as they have speeded up since then.

If you marry you will go back to the start, a K1 is for a fiancee, so no longer applicable.

As has ben said by Rene you essentially have a 9 month minimum window to arrange a wedding, and a bit of flexibility as to the interview date.

Bluegrass Lass

I think he is saying that they will have the ceremony, but will not legally be married (they won't get a marriage license). That would still make her eligible for the K1. However, OP needs to ensure his fiance makes it clear at her visa interview that they are not legally married, that it was just the ceremony - she wants to make sure the immigration officer understands she is still eligible for the visa.

Noorah101

Personally I would not risk having ANY kind of ceremony before the actual wedding. I might have an informal party, but that's it. Nothing fancy, no huge number of guests, just at home in the privacy of my own house, no wedding attire, no photos, just to be safe. But that's just me.

Just out of curiosity, what kind of ceremony can they have without a marriage license?

Rene

meauxna

Why don't you email the Consulate and advise them of your schedule AND your readiness?

While you might be pushing someone else aside for a longer separation from *their* loved one, if your need is great, you might get some joy. Others have.

Bill_S

This is a very bad idea.

No matter how "unofficial" you think it is, if USCIS finds out about this ceremony you are in for a rough ride. You are playing with fire if you try this. You might get away with it, you might have big problems. Your guests might be inconvenienced, but they don't have years of dealing with USCIS ahead of them. I strongly advise postponing all ceremonies until you have the visa.

English Muffin

Ignore me - misread his post.

Noorah101

I agree with Bill_S regarding cancelling the big ceremony. If USCIS finds out about anything that looks, smells, or tastes like a "wedding", you are in for a longer separation than you have now. Have a small party if you want, but not the full-blown ceremony you had planned on. Especially if it involves the bride and groom wearing a gown and tux, a wedding cake, and all that.

Having the I-129F petition approved does not equal fast service on the embassy side. It simply means she gets in line behind all the others waiting for an interview date, and it is well known that processing time does slow down in London over the summer months, with people on vacation and such. Three months isn't exceedingly ridiculous, in my opinion. Yes, they have to put her name down on the calendar....behind all the people that are already waiting.

Plus, what would happen if your fiancee comes to the USA for that ceremony, and then London sends her an interview appointment on short notice, before the ceremony happens? She would have to return to London for the interview, and still cancel the ceremony thing anyway.

Rene

meauxna

If you telephoned, you did not get through to the Embassy, but to the Visa Help(?)Line in Scotland.

My suggestion is to EMAIL the Immigrant Visa Unit in the actual Consulate.
(and don't presume to know what the Embassy has or has not to do to get her an interview. There are steps I'm guessing you are unaware of. There are also other people in line ahead of you.)

cardinal125

I guess we have no choice but to postpone the wedding. Family issues mean that if we postpone the wedding, much of our immediate families will not be able to attend. Plus all the money we have now lost on reservations and deposits and her families plane tickets.

We planned on the time frame for everything else but we didnt know that it would take so long on the English side, which is why we thought 8 months would be ok.

We never expect any special treatment like being bumped up in line, we're just trying to understand what is going on. There aren't exactly any great resources for help on this experience.

Thanks anyway to those of you who were sympathetic.

meauxna

Why not? You won't get anything if you do not ask for it.

I honestly don't understand how posts get so misunderstood.

Would you rather have us (me) boo hoo with you and plan for doom, or try to get what you actually want (to keep your wedding date plans)?

And, what is wrong with this resource? (rhetorical question--no answer required). There are accounts posted frequently about people in just your situation getting their interview jump started.
I can not email the Consulate on your behalf, though.