How long does a fiancee visa take?

Welp, I wouldn't have thought a year ago that this subforum would become relevant but hey, it happens.

I assume there are at least some people here who have applied for the fiancee visa. I had a few questions.

1. I'm not clear on the difference between K1 and K3. Is one advantageous over the other?

2. How long does it take to get this visa? I have heard from 8-12 months up to 18 months down to a mere six months.

3. If you did apply for a fiancee visa in the past, did you hire a fancy lawyer?

4. What would happen if I brought my girlfriend to the States on a tourist visa and then went to Las Vegas and got married? Married is married, meaning she can finally move to the States with me as my wife -- or no?

Any feedback appreciated.

Different countries use different visa codes.  What country are you getting the visa from?

For the USA, a business or tourist visa for a Chinese citizen requires filling in a very annoying online form, then paying almost 1000 kuai (which includes a special phone card just to let you call to make the appointment - exceed your minutes and then it's time to go back to the bank to get a new phone card), then an appointment a month or more out to be interrogated.

Yeah, we already did that process for the B2. She got refused. She wasn't so much interrogated, they more like spoke with her for three minutes and then turned her down. The phone card, thankfully, lasted long enough to make the appointment. Paying for a phonecard with 8- and 10-minute increments...I admit...took me a while to get over. I probably cursed for an hour or so. Anyway, the first time we called, they gave her an appointmentfive days later. We were quite happy...until we realized that in the hole that is China, finding an ACTUAL TRAIN was an impossibility. Just... no trains. No spaces. No seats. No way to take your damn body from your current location to Beijing, not unless you had one of those pods like the guy did in The Fly. So we rescheduled for a month later. I even remember having a little outburst here on this forum back then. heh

Anyway, if anyone has dealt with the fiancee visas I mention above, I'd be happy to hear your experiences.

My understanding is that the K1 visa lets you go to the US, get married there, and then immediately file for a green card. If you're not planning to move back to the US in the next year, I think that's not the right choice.

In terms of waiting times, I think you're actually able to look those up on the Embassy website. When I last looked, I read it would take ~9 months.

My understanding is that the K1 visa lets you go to the US, get married there, and then immediately file for a green card. If you're not planning to move back to the US in the next year, I think that's not the right choice.

In terms of waiting times, I think you're actually able to look those up on the Embassy website. When I last looked, I read it would take ~9 months.

Hmmmmnnn... about 9 months for a visa to come over and get married???  I wonder if the duration of that delay be conveniently aimed to keep the girl from getting knocked up, saying to her American BF "We HAVE to get married now - let's do it in the USA", and having the baby in the US.  The delay prevents automatic citizenship for baby making the mother fairly deportation-resistant even if marriage ends in divorce 2 days after the child is born.

I'm often curious about the states when it comes to immigration. I know a few yanks here that are married to the local lasses and it seems impossible to get them out of China.
One guy I know had to give up on his wife after 10 years and still no hope of getting her stateside on any kind of visa, it sucked for him as he had to leave his wife and the house that he had bought her in China and start fresh back home (not easy for someone in their 50's I'd imagine)
Ever time I meet another friend of mine I know I'll have to endure another rant about how his wife was refused her visa to the states again.
Out of the 5 yanks I know here in CQ that have Chinese wives none of them have been able to get their spouses to the states, even for a visit. Does anyone have any success stories?

Although I haven't personally gone through this process yet, a friend of mine (who is also marrying a Chinese man from Shanghai) was able to not only get a tourist visa for her fiance (although, legally they were already married) and 10-20 members of his family to go to the US for their ceremony. I was really surprised they had this rate of success, but she attributed it to many relatives owning property in Shanghai.

As for the fiance visa- from my understanding, it seems like a lot more work than just applying for a greencard. You have to jump through all the hoops to get the visa, only to jump through all the hoops again to apply for a greencard once you arrive in the US. A spouse visa/greencard seemed like a lot less work..

I got my fiancee visa in one afternoon. I was sort of an emergency case but they managed to squeak me through.

I was glad to hear FRB's good report but know that in general, for most folks getting a Tourist visa to the USA for a fiancee is nigh unto impossible. It's no better, and some argue worse, than the infinitesimal odds of any other random Chinese person getting a Tourist visa. A LOT of hopeful couples have gotten nowhere trying. Go ahead and apply if you want, but don't count on success.
Money never hurts, of course, but what they're looking for is very compelling evidence that your fiance will return to China...more than just job or family. Children, business ownership, or significant assets in China can help.

I suspect the mass visit FRB mentioned was handled like a group tour to the USA...an American travel agency holds all passports from entry to departure, members are closely monitored through the duration...and the agency agrees to bear some pretty serious responsibility for anyone who goes AWOL...

I hate to keep raining on the parade, but marrying an American absolutely DOES NOT guarantee the foreign spouse the right to enter or live in the USA.   Spouses from Asian countries, Russia, some others are viewed with considerable suspicion by US Consular staff...there have been way too many scam marriages over too many years.

Getting a Spouse Visa for the USA is a long, arduous and expensive process that culminates in an in-person visit of your fiancee or spouse to the US Consulate in Guangzhou...no other. Until this is done and approved, your spouse won't even be able to board a flight to the USA, much less enter or stay.

Your nearest US Consulate can show you the full process and help you get started. Have your fiancee start studying little details about you...color of your toothbrush, what side you sleep on, and so forth...

Good luck. You'll need it.

I was glad to hear FRB's good report but know that in general, for most folks getting a Tourist visa to the USA for a fiancee is nigh unto impossible. It's no better, and some argue worse, than the infinitesimal odds of any other random Chinese person getting a Tourist visa.

You got a K1 visa in one afternoon?

Money never hurts, of course, but what they're looking for is very compelling evidence that your fiance will return to China...more than just job or family

I think we might be getting a terminology mixed up here. A fiancee visa is a K1 visa, granted for the purpose of coming to the States with the intent to marry. In this case, why would they be looking for proof your fiancee will return? She will obviously apply for a greencard right after she's married.

The odds of getting a tourist visa are most certainly not infinitesimal. Though it is true a broad swath of first-time applicants are intentionally refused, a properly prepared second attempt can land you a tourist visa. I have a friend who did just that with his then girlfriend.

I did some research and spoke with a lawyer. The quickest a fiancee visa (K1) can be acquired is six months. Of course, that's probably wishful thinking. hehe 8-12 months is the more realistic estimate I've heard. There are some people whose paperwork is not satisfactory who have waited 1-2 years. However, I am getting the impression these are the mail-order bride weirdos. Some old geezer guy who has never set foot in China proving that he has a bonafide relationship with a golddiger woman he's never met is probably a bit difficult. As far as the questioning goes, sure, they do ask some fairly detailed, nitpicky questions. It's just a part of the process.

For those curious, a lawyer will charge anywhere from $700 to $1600, depending on the amount of support you require.

Getting a K1 or K3 visa surely isn't easy, but it's also not the pessimistic Herculean ordeal some people are making it seem like here. No doubt many relationships have crumbled under the pressures of this process, but it's not impossible. Those who think the process is too complicated and troublesome will probably never make it in the first place, but I know serious couples can make it through.

Anyway, we are interviewing for a B2 (tourist) visa again this January. If all goes well, we'll start the K1 this summer time. Needless to say, I'll let ya folks know how it goes!

The odds of getting a tourist visa are most certainly not infinitesimal. Though it is true a broad swath of first-time applicants are intentionally refused, a properly prepared second attempt can land you a tourist visa. I have a friend who did just that with his then girlfriend.

Glad for him, but not at all what I ever observed.
US Consulates process hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of visa apps from China every year...and the sad fact is that most of these by far are denied.

A friend of mine in Suzhou was the Software Development Manager for a very well-respected and extremely high-tech American company there in town. He had been with the company a number of years, drew a good salary, had a nice car, owned a nice home, lots of money in the bank, had a wife and several young children. The US company invited him to come (only himself) to the USA for several weeks, to train and meet his US counterparts.

His Visa apps were denied. Repeatedly. He never got to go.

The GOOD news in all this, I forgot to mention before, is that as long as your wife can answer questions well and look very sure in her answers, the odds of getting a Spouse Visa to the USA are fairly good.

But never let anyone convince you that getting any other US visa is easy or certain. It does happen, of course, but it's not easy or certain. Far from it....

I never meant to imply that getting a tourist visa was a given, but I did find their success encouraging. My friend is planning all the aspects of their trip and from it certainly didn't sound like there was any kind of organized tour they were apart of. That said, it seemed like most of the people had fairly substantial assets here in Shanghai. They are still planning on living in China for several more years, so for them it seemed to work out amazingly well to get married on paper here, hop to the US on a tourist visa for the ceremony, before coming back. It seems like visa discussions are the same everywhere- you can hear circumstantial evidence that something worked for someone, but it's never a guarantee (HK visa runs, anyone?)- but I guess I wouldn't let fear of rejection keep you from applying if it's something you want to try.

Sorry, this is getting a little off-topic. It seems like this isn't really the approach you're looking for anyway, Invictus - and I've never heard of anyone going the fiance visa route- so I look forward to hearing how things go!

I wouldn't let fear of rejection keep you from applying if it's something you want to try.

Neither would I. Getting a USA visa for Chinese people can be hard...but definitely not impossible. I'm NOT urging not even trying.

Reading this thread, the whole experience for Americans sound awful ... I hope anyone with a Chinese spouse gets a bit of luck on their side and anytime they try this process it goes better than they hope. Its a pretty poor show IMO.

Any Brits considering the same....I think the process is easier. My room-mate from Hainan met a Chinese girl, married and moved home to the UK all within a year. The visa application was actually much easier than he expected and although there was a lot of paperwork, it wasnt the headache he expected.

NNFW, our people give Chinese nationals a hard time...

For visas?

My friend found the process quite easy. As I said, they met, married and moved to the UK in around a year. He found the process much easier than expected and a lot easier than I expected him to find it. Her entrance was given even though he was moving back to the UK without a job, and they did/do quite well with tax credits etc to top up earnings.

From this thread it sounds nigh on impossible from Americans, or difficult at best. The experience for UK nationals would appear to be easier from my friends experience. He isnt some hot shot rich guy either....he is now working in a call centre!!!!

(Shoulda stayed in China IMO...but thats another story!)