Hi...i have just received my K3 visa and was reading somewhere that you can re-use the visa to come and go once you enter the US,while paperwork is being filled...is this correct or do i need parole like with the K1?

K-3 is a 2-year multiple entry visa. You don't need AP while the K-3 visa is still valid in your passport.

Rene

Thanks Rene...

And to unconfuse others reading your posting, on a K-1 there is no such animal as a parole. It is a one time entry visa and once used it is void.

You cannot leave the US and return to it until after you have filed for adjustment of status and received your advance parole. Any only then should it be used if you are eligible.

Am i correct in saying to get a K3 Visa u need to file I-129F which can take 6to 9 months to get ? and it would be my husband (USC) that would petition for it?

Just curious
Michelle

I'm not sure about the 6 to 9 months, but yes. The K-3 is obtained by the USC spouse filing an I-129F, after receiving the receipt for the I-130.

Many people no longer use the K-3 route because the K-3 route takes just as long as the I-130 Immigrant Visa route. The K-3 visa was made back when I-130's were taking YEARS to process, and the K-3 visa could be obtained in less than a year, so it was a faster way to bring the foreign spouse to the USA, while waiting for the I-130 to process. Nowadays, the I-130's are taking less than a year to process, so using the K-3 method saves no time, plus they added some restrictions to the K-3 where you MUST AOS in the USA if you enter on a K-3 (costing far more, and taking more time to get the green card in hand than the I-130 method). And if you choose to cancel the I-129F midway, and stick with the I-130, now there is a fee to be paid for canceling the I-129F. The K-3 is not a popular route to go anymore.

Rene

Don't go there Michelle. The I-129F, whether for a Fiancee Visa K-1 or the Spousal K-3, is a two part process. The USC files the I-129F at the service center after they receive the NOA for the filing of the I-130. It then more or less goes the same way as the I-130 and often takes far longer to adjudicate both here in the states and then at the US Consulate in London. It then leaves you open to coming to the US and having to file for adjustment of status to permanent residency. The K-3 is more or less redundant and a useless visa these days as the initial processing for the I-130 seems to go quicker.

Thanks for the advice and i am NOT gonna get my husband to file for K3 because 1 process is enough to handle and well petitioning for K3 is gonna be more money upfront and in the long run so I am sticking to going through the I-130

Thanks Again

Michelle

OOOOO!!!!! I hate it when I read comments like this (no offence Rete but I had this argument on VJ many many times)....I came to the USA just over 2 years ago on a K3, and the I129 worked its way through the system far faster than the I130 did.
Had I waited it would have been another 6 months or so before I would have been reunited with my wife and step kids.
A lot of people are put off the K3 because of the need to file for the Adjustment of Status ... which in reality is a few hundred dollars and a few more forms to sign...
My advice would be to file both the I129 and I130 ...Also beware all the nonsense talked about having to file for the AOS ...It took me 4 months from start to finish ..in fact the Green Card arrived 2 weeks ago

Good luck though with whatever you choose to do

And you will have an argument here as well. The K-3 is dead in the water for first world countries, i.e. Canada, UK, France. The I-130 is being processed faster than the K-3.

Lots have changed in 2 years. However, there is no reason why one cannot file the I-129F for the start of the K-3. It is, after all, only money. 2 years ago we all suggested filing for both. Not in today's USCIS world due to the increased speed of adjudicating the I-130 stateside.

Are you a regular visitor and participating member of BE, Circus, or is this just a friendly visit from your usual haunts? Anyway, welcome aboard if you stick around. Always nice to have new members with experience.

Are you aware that if you file the I-129 you are now obligated to follow through with it... or it'll cost you? No more waiting to see which one processes faster. If the I-130 comes through faster, you must pay a hefty fee to withdraw the I-129.

Ian

Well, aren't you lucky!!

2 years ago was a bit different than today's processing times.

Again that was 2 years ago. The cost for AOS from a K-3 is now up to $1,010, not just a few hundred dollars.

Plus it's being reported that once inside the USA on the K3, you can no longer choose to return home for immigrant visa processing...so things have changed since you went through the process.

Best Wishes,
Rene

Well if I had known you were all going to take pot shots at me,I'd have worn my best suit
I'm well aware of the changes that have occurred in the immigration process (and thank you Elvira .....I have been lucky ....ever since the day I was born in fact) ..
the cost is indeed greater, but then again I always wondered how serious people who complained of the cost really were about being with their loved ones ......it seems the USCIS agrees

I came from a third world country ...its called England ....

The comments I have just read concerning the K3 are virtually the same as those I read a few years ago the same horror stories we were told when the wife and I got into all of this.All we heard was ....the k3 is dead ...its outdated...its slow etc.etc

But it can still work......Surely if your serious about immigration and serious about your relationship then you'd leave no stone unturned in the quest to be together.

I just think its wrong for people to advise others not to seek out the K3...if it works go for it