How to sponsor a fiancé(e) for a K-1 visa
The K-1 is the engagement path: a U.S. citizen petitions for a foreign fiancé(e), the fiancé(e) enters on a K-1 visa, and the couple marries in the United States within 90 days. This page describes the full route — petition, embassy, marriage, green card — with every factual claim cited to a primary source. It describes the process in general terms only; it is not advice about any individual case.
Who the K-1 is for
Only a U.S. citizen may petition for a fiancé(e) — lawful permanent residents may not. In general, both parties must be legally free to marry, and the couple must have met in person within the 2 years before filing; USCIS may waive the meeting requirement in the limited circumstances its instructions describe (extreme hardship to the petitioner, or strict and long-established customs).
The sequence: petition → embassy → 90 days
The petition is Form I-129F with USCIS. Once approved, the case moves through the Department of State to the embassy or consulate where the fiancé(e) applies for the K-1 visa — the online visa application and a consular interview. After admission to the United States, the marriage must take place within 90 days. After the marriage, the new spouse applies for the green card with Form I-485.
What the two stages cost
Under the current G-1055 schedule, the I-129F is $675, filed on paper — it cannot be filed online. The green-card stage after the marriage — Form I-485 — is $1,440, also on paper: K-1 and family adjustment cases cannot file the I-485 online. The Department of State's K visa fee at the embassy stage is published on travel.state.gov. So the K-1 route's USCIS fees span both stages, and pricing the route means pricing both. USCIS fees change periodically — before filing, verify current amounts on the official USCIS fee schedule (Form G-1055) at uscis.gov/g-1055.
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K-1 or marry first? Two sequences, not a ranking
The alternative structure is to marry first — abroad or in the U.S. — and file the I-130 spouse petition instead. Both are established family paths with different forms, fees, and steps; which sequence fits depends on facts this page cannot know. What can be said generally: the K-1 leads to marriage inside the U.S. followed by adjustment of status, while marry-first leads through the spouse-petition process described in the related guides.
After the wedding: conditions on the card
Because a K-1 marriage is new by definition, a green card approved while the marriage is under two years old is conditional — Form I-751, the petition to remove conditions, follows in the 90 days before the two-year card expires. Foreign-language documents throughout the case need certified English translations, receipts arrive as Form I-797C, and USCIS publishes processing-time estimates; this page claims no timeframe.
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Who can file a K-1 petition?
Only a U.S. citizen. Lawful permanent residents cannot petition for a fiancé(e) — for an LPR, the path is marriage first, then the F-2A spouse petition.
How much does the K-1 route cost in USCIS fees?
$675 for the I-129F (paper only — it cannot be filed online), then $1,440 for the I-485 after the marriage (also paper for K-1 adjustment). The State Department's visa fee at the embassy stage is published on travel.state.gov. Fees change — verify at uscis.gov/g-1055.
Does the couple have to have met in person?
Generally yes, within the 2 years before filing — with narrow waivers for extreme hardship or strict, long-established customs, as the instructions describe.
What happens if the wedding is within 90 days?
After the marriage, the new spouse applies for permanent residence with Form I-485; a card approved while the marriage is under two years old is conditional, with the I-751 later.
Is the K-1 better than marrying first and filing the I-130?
They are different sequences, not a ranking — different forms, fees, and steps. Complex situations are attorney territory; the related guides describe both paths.