With a K-1 fiance visa, US citizens have the opportunity to bring their foreign national fiance to the United States for the purpose of getting married. The fiance visa journey is long and complex, so we have prepared a series of guides for you to help you through the sometimes daunting process of obtaining a fiance visa and calculating the fiance visa cost, including all relevant fiance visa fees. For an overview of the entire fiance visa process, please refer to our detailed guide on the overall fiance visa process application procedure.
This article provides an answer to perhaps the most asked question when it comes to the K-1 fiance visa USA – how much is a fiance visa. We have broken down the fiance visa cost for you, and have explained all the fiance visa fees and the additional expenses that add up to the total fiance visa USA cost.
Please note that being engaged to a US citizen is sometimes not sufficient for being granted a K-1 fiance visa, and you might not qualify for one. We recommend using the services of an experienced family-based immigration attorney in order to maximize the chances of your fiance visa being approved. Keep in mind that if your fiance visa is denied, you will have to pay additional fiance visa fees for reapplying. If you do not submit enough evidence, you will have to file a Request for Evidence response, further adding to your fiance visa USA cost.
While technically fiance refers to the male partner and fiancée refers to the female partner, in this article we have used fiance interchangeably for simplicity.
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How much is a fiance visa in the USA?
Our estimate of the total fiance visa cost is $2,025. Below you can find a detailed breakdown of the various fiance visa fees and additional expenses that add up to the final fiance visa USA cost.
Unfortunately, if you are in the United States, you are ineligible to apply for a fiance visa. It is a nonimmigrant visa which allows you to travel to and enter the United States. If you are already in the country in legal status, you can get married and apply for a marriage-based green card.
What are the fiance visa fee expenses?
When you are applying for a fiance visa, you will have to submit several forms, each of which comes with a fiance visa fee. For additional information regarding the purpose and contents of these forms, as well as the documents you have to submit for a fiance visa, please refer to our fiance visa process guide and our fiance visa documents guide. Below we have provided a breakdown list of the total fiance visa cost:
· Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiance – a filing fee of $535
· Form DS-160, Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application – a filing fee of $265
· Form I-485, Application for Permanent Residence or Adjustment of Status – a filing fee of $1,140
The fiance visa cost of the two forms associated with Form I-485, Form I-131 Application for Travel Document and Form I-765 Application for Employment Document, which respectively allow you to travel outside of the United States and work in the United States while your green card application is pending, is included in the fiance visa fee for applying for a green card.
· Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination – varies by the service provider
There is no filing fee for Form I-693, but you will have to pay for the medical exam that will be carried out by a medical professional approved by the US Consulate or Embassy. The cost of this examination varies depending on the country, and may significantly increase the cost of a fiance visa. This exam will also determine whether you are missing any vaccinations. If you are, you will have to get vaccinated and pay out of pocket for the vaccination fees, which will drive up your fiance visa application cost.
· Biometrics fee – $85
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will have to take your fingerprints, as well as several photos of you, and some biographic information about you. This is known as your biometrics appointment and is done so that USCIS can confirm your identity and run the required background and security checks. You will be charged a fee of $85 for it. Remember that if your children are applying for a K-2 visa with you, you will have to add a biometrics fee for each child as part of the cost of a fiance visa. The fiance visa application cost of the biometrics fee varies depending on the child’s age, so make sure that you submit the right amount or your application may be rejected.
What are the additional fiance visa costs?
Most of the fiance visa application cost comes from the fiance visa fees that you will have to pay at various stages of your application. There are, however, some additional fiance visa applications costs that we have broken down for you below.
Document fees
If you do not have a passport, or if you need your birth certificate to be reissued, you will have to budget this in. Depending on the country, this may end up being quite costly, but it is a fiance visa application cost which you cannot afford to cut down.
Depending on your country of origin, you may be charged for obtaining a police clearance record. Please note that you will have to provide a police clearance record from every country you have lived in for longer than 6 months since you were 16.
Travel expenses
The foreign national fiance will have to travel to the nearest US Consulate or Embassy for the fiance visa interview. Depending on where the embassy is located, this trip might incur additional accommodation expenses to your total fiance visa USA cost.
Once the foreign national fiance has obtained a K-1 fiance visa, he or she can travel to the United States for the wedding. The price of a plane ticket to the United States will vary by location, as well as by the airline you choose.
If you have not satisfied the rule that states that you and your fiance need to have met in person at least once in two years prior to filing your fiance visa application, you will have to travel to meet each other. Such a trip, including travel expenses, accommodations, food, as well as other expenses, may significantly increase the total amount of your fiance visa USA cost.
Vaccination costs
If you are missing some of the required vaccines, you will have to be vaccinated, and pay out of pocket for the vaccinations. The cost varies depending on the number and type of vaccinations. This is not a fiance visa application cost that you can skip on. If you do not have all the required vaccines, you will most likely be rendered inadmissible to the United States. Your visa may be denied, or you may be denied entry.
Shipping costs
While Form DS-160 is submitted online, Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiance and its supporting documents, as well as Form I-485, Application for Permanent Residence or Adjustment of Status and its supporting documents will have to be shipped via snail mail or courier. Be sure to budget this fiance visa application cost in as well, however nominal.
Document translation fees
Any documents that are not in English, such as birth certificates, divorce certificates, police clearance reports, etc. will have to be accompanied by a certified English translation. This fiance visa USA cost varies depending on the home country of the alien fiancé, the length and number of documents that need to be translated, and the language that the translation has to be made from.
Photography costs
As part of your DS-160, Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application, you will have to submit passport-style photographs. While typically the cost of passport-style photos is insignificant, it has to be taken into account. The amount you will end up spending on these photos varies by country.
K-2 visa cost
If any of your children are applying for the derivative K-2 visa, this will incur some additional fiance visa costs.
How much is a fiance visa derivative K-2 visa?
Each child will have to file Form DS-160, Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application, along with the filing fee of $265, and will have to undergo a medical exam. The I-485 fee for children is reduced to $750. Still, these fiance visa fees can add up, dramatically increasing your fiance visa cost, especially if more than one of your children is applying with you.
The cost of a fiance visa vs. the cost of a marriage-based immigrant visa
The total fiance visa cost comes up to around $2,000, compared to the cost of a marriage-based fiance visa, which is roughly around $1,400. One of the main differences between the cost of a fiance visa and that of a marriage-based immigrant visa is the cost of the fiance visa fee paid when applying for adjustment of status.
When applying for either visa, you will have to file an Affidavit of Support. When applying for a marriage-based immigrant visa, you will have to pay a filing fee of $120 for Form I-864, Affidavit of Support. The fiance visa cost does not include a filing fee for Form I-134, Affidavit of Support, which is also not legally binding the way Form I-864 is.
Both the estimated cost of a fiance visa and the estimated cost of a marriage-based immigrant visa do not account for the cost of traveling to the United States.
Our Fiance Visa Services
Are you a US citizen who would like to sponsor your foreign national fiance for a US visa? Are you a foreign national engaged to a US citizen who needs help applying for a K-1 visa?
Our immigration attorneys can devise a fiance visa and marriage-based green card strategy tailor-made to accommodate the particular needs of your case and prepare your fiance visa petition and subsequent marriage-based green card application in accordance with all the pertinent immigration rules.
To schedule a consultation with one of our immigration attorneys, please click here and click on “Schedule a Consultation.” You can also email us at [email protected], or call us at (212) 220-6652.
During your consultation, our family-based immigration lawyers will provide an honest assessment of your case, and a recommendation about your next steps.
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Schedule a consultationDisclaimer: This blog article is provided by Pandev Law, LLC for general educational and informational purposes only. Although this article discusses general legal issues, it does not constitute legal advice nor does it establish an attorney-client relationship. No reader should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any information presented in this article, or elsewhere on this website, without seeking the advice of appropriate legal counsel, or other professional counsel, licensed in the relevant jurisdiction. Pandev Law, LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability with respect to any actions taken, or not taken, based on any content of this article or website. This blog article may constitute attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
