Once the consulate receives the approval notice of Fiance Visa Petition from the NVC, they will send a "Instruction package for K visa applicants" (formerly called Packet 3).

Approval of Fiance Visa Petition is valid for only 4 months. However, the consulate can give you one 4-month extension.

Sample request letter

Immediately return the following documents for each applicant:

• Completed DS 230 Part I Biographic data form
  
  
• Clear photocopies of the biographic data page of your passport and the last page of your passport which contains your parents/spouse's names, and any other page(s) which may indicate any change in name/date & place of birth/marital status
  
  

When including the form please include all names used by each applicant, including any names used in the past. In particular, women must include their full name as used during a prior marriage, before/after that marriage, and any other aliases. Please use the exact spelling and name order specified in the applicant's passport.

Consulate cannot complete their clearance procedure until above documents are completed and returned to them.

It is fine for the parents to fill and sign the form on behalf of young children. Just sign your name, and then write Parent of [child name].

If your children are about to turn 21 years, they no longer will be eligible for K2/K4 visa. Although not guaranteed, write "PLEASE EXPEDITE, AGE-OUT MM/DD/YYYY" (the exact date your child will turn 21) in red ink on the top of any cover letters and primary applications to hopefully expedite the case.

Obtain the following documents which pertain to you. Do not send the documents to the consulate now. You will need to submit them at your visa interview.

• 2 photographs
  
  
• Passport
  
  
• Birth certificate
  
  
• Police certificates
  
  
• Deportation
  Applicants who have previously been deported or removed at the government expense from the United States must use Form I-212, Permission to Reapply after Deportation and follow the instructions included on that form.
  
  
• Court and prison records
  
  
• Military records
  
  
• K1 and K3 visa: Proof of legal termination of prior marriages
  
  
• Proof of relationship
  K1 visa: Evidence that you have met your fiance(e), and proof of a valid engagement. Some examples of evidence are family and other photographs (old and recent) showing the parties together, letters, cards, correspondence, and telephone records.
  
  K2 visa: Proof of relationship with K1 visa applicant
  
  K3 visa: Marriage certificate. Optionally bring marriage photographs and other proof that the marriage is genuine.
  
  K4 visa: Proof of relationship with K3 visa applicant
  
  
• Form I-134, affidavit of support
  
  Consulate requires evidence that you won't need to go on welfare or receive other government assistance.
  If children are immigrating with you, separate I-134 forms are not required. Listing them in Question 3 in Form I-134 is sufficient.
  
  More details. That web page describes details specifically for sponsoring visitors. However, the documents required are same for any visa.
  
  

As soon as you have collected all the above documents, read the document called "Applicant's Statement" (enclosed in Packet 3), sign and date it, and return the checklist to the consulate together with a photocopy of all applicants' passports. You will not be schedule for a visa interview until you complete, sign, and return this checklist to the consulate.

After they receive the checklist, they will schedule your visa interview at the earliest possible date. It is not possible to predict when the interview will be scheduled. Generally, the visa interviews are scheduled within 2 to 4 months of the consulate receiving the checklist from the visa applicant. When your visa interview is scheduled, the consulate will send you an appointment letter (Packet 4) which contains instructions regarding the interview. Normally, You will not receive further correspondence from the consulate until the visa interview is scheduled. You may check the consulate web site to see whether your appointment has been scheduled.

Additional Information: Please inform the consulate immediately of any changes that may affect your visa application, such as your change of address, your change of marital status, the death of the petitioner, birth or adoption of any children by you. Failure to keep the consulate informed of your current address at all times may result in the delay of the issuance of a visa to you.

When the consulate schedules your interview, they will send you "Appointment package for V visa applicants" (Packet 4). All members of your family applying for visas with you, irrespective of age, must appear in person with you for the interview. Each person, irrespective of age, requires a separate visa. If you cannot keep your visa appointment, you should notify the consulate immediately. Please note your case number in any communications with the consulate.

The following documents should be presented at the visa interview for each applicant:

• Appointment letter
  
  
• 2 DS-156, nonimmigrant visa application forms
  
  
• Medical examination report
  
  
• All the documents mentioned above in Step 2
  
  
• Visa Fees
  You need to pay only the application fee. There are no visa reciprocity fees for these visas and aside from the fees required for the processing of waivers of ineligibility or any required fingerprinting or in certain cases, for special delivery arrangements or special telephone-arranged interview appointments, no other fees are required.
  
  
• Completed DS 230 Part II Sworn statement.
  Do not sign until consular officer asks you to do so at the time of interview
  
  
• Any other forms or items requested specifically by your consulate
  
  
• DS-1858, Sponsor's Financial Responsibility Under the Social Security Act
  Some consulates require that this form be signed by the sponsor, while others don't. Some consulate even require the sponsor to notarize it.
  
  
• Original I-797, Notice of Action, approval notice for K visa petition (Approval of I-129F)
  
  Approval is valid for 4 months. For any reason, if you need more time and if your approval is going to expire before you can get K visa, you can request another extension of 4 months to the consulate.
  
  Sample request letter
  
  
• Category specific
  • K1 Visa
    
    • 1 DS-156K Supplemental form for nonimmigrant fiance(e) visa applications
      
      It is a statement concerning your intent to enter into a valid marriage with your fiance within 90 days of your admission into the US.
      
      Do not sign the DS-156K form until instructed to do so by a consular officer.
      
      
    • A complete copy of your Fiance Visa Petition
      
      
    • Additional documents proving your relationship, to cover the time period since submitting the fiance visa petition. e.g.,
      • correspondence between you
        
        
      • telephone bills showing calls made to each other
        
        
      • photographs taken together while one fiance visited the other
        
        
  • K3 Visa
    
    • 1 DS-156K Supplemental form for nonimmigrant fiance(e) visa applications
      
      
    • Original I-797C, Notice of Action, receipt notice for K-3 visa petition
      
      
    • A complete copy of your Visa Petition
      
      

K1 visa is a nonimmigrant visa for the fiance of a US citizen. K2 visa is a nonimmigrant visa for the unmarried child, under 21 years of a K1 applicant.

K3 visa is a nonimmigrant visa for the spouse of a US citizen. K4 visa is a nonimmigrant visa for the unmarried child, under 21 years of a K3 applicant. If your I-130 petition is approved before your K3 visa interview, you will no longer be eligible for a K3 visa and will have to complete the process for an immigrant visa. This rarely happens. But if it does happen, consulate can help switch to immigrant visa process.

Your sponsoring fiance/spouse is not required to attend the interview, but it may be a good idea to do so.

You may have to wait beyond your scheduled appointment time as many applicants are scheduled at the same time.

Review all your paperwork before the interview. Review the questions and answers on all the forms and documents that you and your sponsor have submitted so far. Review the dates of your visits to different places, the financial figures, and your immigration history. If there have been any changes or if you have noticed any errors since filing out the forms previously, be prepared to explain the changes and provide documents confirming the new information, as appropriate.

After reviewing the paperwork, discuss with your fiance/spouse the facts and circumstances surrounding your relationship, such as where you met, how your relationship developed, how you have corresponded or visited and when, and why you decided to get married.

If you are applying for fiance visa, you should be ready to explain your plans for wedding, subsequent life together.

Dress neatly, professionally, and even conservatively. Don't wear T-shirts or jewelry with slogans or symbols that might make the officer wonder about your lifestyle or moral. However, don't overdo like wearing a tie covered with American flags or keep making comments about how great USA is, how you would be a member of great society.

All applicants are interviewed on the day of the interview. The consular officer fingerprints the applicant, takes the applicant's oath, reviews the documents and advises the applicant of the decision reached. Applicants who are refused visas are given a letter of refusal which explains the reason for the refusal and the action that needs to be taken in order for the visa to be issued. For those applicants who are issued visas, the visas are affixed inside each passport.

Don't talk unnecessarily or make any jokes such as "mail order bribe" or paying money for a bride or anything like that.

Consulate makes every effort to complete the visa interview as soon as possible. However, it is possible that applicants may have to spend several hours at the consulate on the day of the interview.

You may be asked questions such as how you and your spouse/fiance met, when you decided to get married, and other facts regarding your visits or correspondence. If you are already married, you may be asked how many people attended the ceremony and how you have visited or corresponded with each other in recent years. If you don't know the answer or don't remember something, say so rather than guess the answer.

No assurance can be given in advance that a visa will be issued. A consular officer can make that decision only after the visa application and documents are reviewed, and applicant has been personally interviewed. Applicants are, therefore, advised not to make any travel arrangements, not to dispose of property, not to give his/her job until the visa has been issued.

Applications are rarely denied on the spot. If there are problems that can be corrected or if you are inadmissible but are eligible to apply for a waiver, you will be asked to provide additional materials. Politely ask that the officer to put any requests for more materials in writing, stating exactly what is needed and why. If there are any questions about the validity of your marriage, the consular officer may send the file back to the US for investigation.

There will be no visa stamp in the passport. Instead, the visa will be stuck to the sealed envelope containing most of the forms and documents that you have submitted during the process. DO NOT open the envelope.

Pregnant:
If you are pregnant at the time of your fiance visa interview, the consular officer will arrange to give the baby a separate visa if it is born before you depart for the US. However, before either of you are given visa, the consulate will need to receive a written acknowledgement from your US citizen fiance that he is still willing to marry you. This is because it may be possible that US citizen fiance may not be the father of the baby and may therefore change his mind about the engagement.

Children:
Unmarried children under 21 can either accompany the parent or follow to join later, as long as they remain unmarried and are still under the age of 21. They need to contact the consulate if they decide to follow you. The consulate will verify your initial visa approval, and children have to go through the same procedure as described above and grant them a visa.

Children will need to be under 21 not only while getting K2/K4 visa, they will need to be under 21 while entering the US with visa.

The children will need to submit their Adjustment of Status application in the US before their visa expires. After entering the US, based on Child Status Protection Act, it is possible to file Adjustment of Status after turning 21, as long as Form I-130 was filed before the child's 21^st birthday.

In case of fiance (K1) visa, if your children would like to just attend the wedding, they may be able to get a tourist visa.

Validity of the fiance visa (K1/K2):
Fiance visas are valid for 6 months from the date the visa is issued. Applicants must travel and apply for admission to the US within that 6 month period. The visa may not be transferred from one person to another, or used by any person other than the person to whom issued.

Validity of the K3/K4 visa:
K3 visa is generally valid for a maximum period of 10 years from the date of issuance; K4 visa until the applicant's 21^st birthday. You must travel and apply for admission to the US within that period. The visa may not be transferred from one person to another, or used by any person other than the person to whom issued.

Procedures at the Port of Entry:
A visa does not guarantee entry into the United States. The visa specifies the period during which the bearer may apply at a port of entry to enter the US. USCIS, not the consular officer, authorizes the traveler admission to the US. Applicants whose medical reports classify them as Class A or Class B tuberculer need to present their X-rays to the officials at the port of entry and should therefore HAND CARRY the X-ray films to the US.

Hand over the envelope to the port of entry immigration officer. Stay calm and carefully answer all questions. Do not make any silly jokes that may deny your entry into the US.

If the sealed envelope given to you by the consulate is open, you may be sent back to the consulate for applying again or you may be accused of visa fraud and the port of entry officer may use summary exclusion powers to prohibit you from entering the US for the next 5 years.

Your passport will be stamped with K-1 fiance status (or K-2 or K-3 or K-4 as appropriate) and I-94 card will have the appropriate duration for the visa. If you plan to work in the US, ask the officer whether he/she can stamp your passport for work authorization. Even though less likely he/she will, it is worth a try. Otherwise, you will have to apply for Employment Authorization Document (EAD) which takes a long time to process.