K-1 Visa – Did You Know?
Some interesting K-1 Visa facts that may help you:
Single Admission Visa
The K-1 Visa is good for only ONE admission to the United States. That means that if you use the K-1 Visa to enter the United States and you leave before you have been approved for a green card or before you have advance parole, you will have to start the K-1 process all over again.
Travel in and out of the United States after entering using the K-1 visa
Once you enter the United States using the K-1 visa, you may not leave without abandoning the process, until you have either been approved for a green card or have received advance parole as part of your green card process.
Cannot change status or adjust status other than through marriage to K-1 petitioner
When you enter the United States using the K-1 visa your only immigration option in the United States is to apply for a green card based on marriage to the individual who petitioned for you. You cannot change status to another status or adjust status in the United States through another means.
Disclosure of petitioner’s criminal history
If the petitioner has a criminal history involving violence or sex offenses, USCIS may disclose the matter to the beneficiary.
Alternatives to the K-1 Visa
Under the right circumstances, there may be two alternatives to the K-1 Visa, both of which require marriage to the United States citizen fiancé: green card adjustment of status and immigrant visa processing. The adjustment of status process is only available to spouses of United States citizens in the United States whereas the immigrant visa process is available to spouses of United States citizens abroad.
Before considering these alternatives, it is important to understand the risks and legal consequences.
Further Reading
