Complete petition and documentation
For K-1/K-2 visas, the U.S. citizen sponsor must file Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e), with the USCIS office that serves the area where you live. See Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e) for information on where to file the petition. Further information is available on the USCIS website under Fiancé(e) Visas. Note: Form I-129F cannot be filed at a U.S. Embassy, Consulate, or USCIS office abroad.
For K-3/K-4 visas, the U.S. citizen sponsor must first file Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, with the USCIS office that serves the area where you live, before filing Form I-129F.
After USCIS approves the petition(s), it is sent to the National Visa Center (NVC) for processing, and NVC will send it to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate where your fiancé(e) will apply for the visa.
Assemble documents
The following forms and documents should be obtained prior to your appointment and brought to the visa interview:
1. Completed Form DS-160, Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application. You (and any eligible children applying for K-2 visas) must: (1) complete Form DS-160 and (2) print the DS-160 confirmation page to bring to your interview.
4. A passport valid for travel to the United States and with a validity date at least six months beyond your intended period of stay in the U.S.
5. Divorce or death certificate(s) of any previous spouse(s) for both you and the U.S. citizen sponsor
6. Police certificates from your present country of residence and all countries where you have lived for 6 months or more since age 16 (Police certificates are also required for accompanying children age 16 or older)
7. Evidence of financial support (Form I-134, Affidavit of Support, may be requested)
8. Two recent color passport-sized photographs.
9. Evidence of relationship with your U.S. citizen fiancé(e) or spouse such as photographs and other proof that the relationship is genuine.
Documents in foreign languages, other than the language of the country in which the application takes place, should be translated. Applicants should take to the visa interview clear, legible photocopies of civil documents and translations, such as birth and divorce certificates. Original documents and translations will be returned.
The Medical Examination
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) requires that all immigrant visa applicants and certain non-immigrant visa applicants (including K visa applicants), regardless of age, undergo a medical examination before receiving a visa. All applicants who are required to submit to a medical exam must receive the exam from one of the approved panel physicians prior to the visa interview.
We suggest you make arrangements for your medical examination at least one or two days prior to your visa interview date. Applicants aged two (2) years to fourteen (14) years of age must undergo the medical examination at least four (4) work days prior to their visa interview date. It is recommended that children within this age range be immunized at least four (4) weeks prior to their medical examination.
Occasionally, your medical exam may not be ready in time for your visa interview. If your medical exam is not ready, the consular officer will put your case on hold until your medical exam is received. In some cases, the physician will send the medical results to the Embassy for inclusion in your application. If you are given your medical exam to carry to the Embassy DO NOT open the sealed envelope. If you open the medical exam, you will be required to schedule and pay for a new medical exam.
During the medical exam, it is important to give complete and honest answers to all of the questions asked by the physician. If, during the course of your visa interview, the Embassy discovers you left out or misrepresented medical information, you may be permanently ineligible for a visa. Please visit the Department’s website for additional information on medical exams.
The only medical offices authorized to perform medical examinations on behalf of this Embassy are:
Freeport
Dr. Renee Lockhart
Seahorse Shopping Plaza
P.O. Box F-42256
Freeport, Grand Bahama
Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Telephone: 242-373-9174
Fax: 242-373-7356
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO APPLICANTS CONCERNING VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS
K visa applicants are encouraged to get the vaccinations required under U.S. immigration law for immigrant visa applicants. Although such vaccinations are not required for K visa issuance, they will be required when adjusting status to that of legal permanent resident. Applicants are therefore encouraged to fulfill these vaccination requirements at the time of the medical examination. See Vaccination Requirements for IV Applicants for the list of required vaccinations and additional information.
The Day of the Interview
On the day of your interview, please bring originals of all your documents. The following people may accompany the visa applicant during his or her visit to the Embassy:
- Petitioner – Every effort should be made so that the petitioner can accompany the applicant(s) to the interview. In certain cases, the petitioner will be required to attend an interview.
- Special Needs Visitors – Applicants may bring one person to assist if they are elderly, disabled, or if the applicant is a minor child applying for a visa.
Drivers, friends, extra relatives and others not specifically named above will not be permitted to enter. Attorneys will NOT be permitted to accompany anyone into the waiting room or to the interview.
To enter the Embassy, all persons must go through an airport-security type of screening. Click here to see the list of items that are prohibited in the Embassy. The Embassy does not provide lockers or storage bins for personal items. Any person refusing to comply with all security screening procedures will be denied entry into the compound.
Once you are allowed into the Embassy, you should notify security that you are at the Embassy for an immigrant visa appointment. You will then be seated in the waiting area. At each window and during the interview, it is important that you answer each question honestly and provide as much information as you can. If you do not provide honest answers, your visa may be denied. DO NOT attempt to conceal or give inaccurate information.
The Visa Adjudication
If you are issued a K-1 or a K-3 visa, the following business day the Consular Officer will give you your passport containing the visa and a sealed packet containing the civil documents you provided, plus other documents prepared by the U.S. Embassy. It is important that you do not open the sealed packet. Only the DHS immigration official should open this packet when you enter the United States. As the K-1 or K-3 visa holder, you must enter the U.S. either before or at the same time as any qualifying children holding K-2 or K-4 visas.
With a K-1 visa, you can apply for a single admission at a U.S. port of entry within the validity of the visa, which will be a maximum of 6 months from the date of issuance. If you are a K-1 visa holder, you must marry your U.S. citizen fiancé(e) within 90 days of your entry into the United States, and can then apply for adjustment of status to a permanent resident (LPR) with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
If you are found to be ineligible for a visa, you will be given a refusal letter with the specific reason(s) why you were ineligible. If there is a waiver available for the ineligibility, you will be given instructions on how to apply for a waiver. Not all visa ineligibilities have a waiver.
Sometimes, additional administrative processing of your visa application is needed. This additional processing can delay the final adjudication of the application. In these cases, the consular officer will explain the situation and you will be given a letter with instructions on how to proceed. Please visit the Department’s website for additional information on administrative processing.
Many additional factors, such as the need for additional administrative processing and/or incomplete applications, may influence the processing of individual visa cases. Note that the listed processing time is an average and that the timing will vary based on the individual circumstances of each case.