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Pathway

U.S. Fiancé Visa

United States Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

If you are engaged to a U.S. citizen, a K-1 visa may let you enter the United States to marry them. You must marry the citizen who sponsored you within 90 days of entering, then normally apply for a green card.

Sponsor
A U.S. citizen who plans to marry their foreign fiancé(e)
Requirements
A genuine relationship, freedom to marry, required meeting evidence, and immigration eligibility
Important detail
You must marry the citizen who sponsored you within 90 days of entry

Summary

The K-1 fiancé(e) visa lets a U.S. citizen bring a foreign fiancé(e) to the United States to marry. It is not for people who are already married or who plan to marry outside the United States.

Both of you must genuinely intend to marry and be legally free to do so. K-1 is for moving forward with that marriage and immigration process, rather than making a temporary visit.

The 90-day marriage deadline starts when you enter
  1. Before entry Complete the sponsorship and visa process The U.S. citizen files Form I-129F. After approval, the fiancé(e) completes the visa application.
  2. Within 90 days of entry Marry the citizen who sponsored you Marry within the 90-day K-1 stay, which cannot be extended.
  3. After marriage Apply for permanent residence After the qualifying marriage, apply for a green card inside the U.S. and meet its separate requirements.

Petition approval does not guarantee a visa or entry. Marrying someone else generally does not support a green card through the K-1 entry. Work and travel need separate review, and early marriage-based residence is usually conditional.

Could this pathway work for you?

Eligibility

The case generally requires:

The citizen files Form I-129F. After USCIS approval, the fiancé(e) completes the visa process at a U.S. embassy or consulate, medical screening, and the K-1 interview. Qualifying unmarried children under 21 may seek K-2 visas, subject to age and timing rules.

What This Route Allows

K-1 admission is for 90 days. The couple must marry within that period. After marrying the citizen who sponsored them, the person may apply for a green card using Form I-485. If permanent residence is approved before the second wedding anniversary, it is normally conditional for two years.

A K-1 entrant may apply for employment authorization, but a card based only on K-1 admission is limited to the 90-day admission. Many applicants instead seek work and travel documents alongside their green-card application, under the current filing rules.

What This Route Is Not

K-1 status cannot be extended. Marriage to a different person generally does not allow someone to get a green card through this K-1 entry. Missing the 90-day marriage deadline can create serious problems with immigration status and the green-card application even if the couple marries later.

An approved I-129F does not guarantee a visa or admission. A person subject to the J-1 two-year home-residence requirement generally cannot receive a K visa without satisfying or waiving it. Current nationality-based visa restrictions can also block K issuance or entry.

Next Steps

  1. Confirm both parties are legally free to marry and collect termination records for all prior marriages.
  2. Document the in-person meeting and ongoing good-faith relationship.
  3. Before filing, review criminal records, protection orders, previous sponsorship applications, immigration history, and any reason entry could be refused.
  4. Plan the wedding and green-card application around the 90-day stay, which cannot be extended.
  5. Check current consular, nationality-restriction, financial-support, medical, fee, and form requirements.

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Sources