K Visa Information

On this page:

Overview

The fiancé K-1 nonimmigrant visa is for the foreign-citizen fiancé(e) of a United States (U.S.) citizen. The K-1 visa permits the foreign-citizen fiancé(e) to travel to the United States and marry his or her U.S. citizen petitioner within 90 days of arrival. The foreign-citizen will 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). Because a fiancé(e) visa permits the holder to immigrate to the U.S. and marry a U.S. citizen shortly after arrival in the United States, the fiancé(e) must meet some of the requirements of an immigrant visa. Eligible children of K-1 visa applicants receive K-2 visas.

The U.S. citizen sponsor must file Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e), with the USCIS Dallas Lockbox. 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.

After USCIS approves the petition, it is sent to the National Visa Center (NVC) for further processing, and NVC will send it to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate where your fiancé(e) will apply for a K-1 nonimmigrant visa.

Scheduling the interview date

Once the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan receives the approved petition from NVC, the Immigrant Visa Section will send a letter with the instructions on preparing for the visa interview to the applicant.

Note: Do not schedule your interview date until you receive these instructions. If you do not receive the instructions from the US Embassy within two months after the notification from NVC about the transferring of your case to Abidjan, you have to send an inquiry about the status of your case directly to the Consular Section of the US Embassy at ABJVisa@state.gov. Please be advised that you might have submit a new petition if you do not schedule an interview within four months of petition approval.

Preparing for the visa interview

Fiancé visa interview instructions are available at the US Embassy website. Visa fee payment instructions and options are available on the website as well.

Completing the DS-160 form

Each applicant applying for a fiancée visa - including children - must have their own DS-160 visa application. The DS-160 must be completed and submitted online prior to your interview at the U.S. Embassy in Abidjan. The DS-160 form must be submitted online and the printed confirmation page must be brought to the interview. The U.S. Embassy in Abidjan will not accept handwritten or typed applications and you will not be permitted to attend your interview without a DS-160 confirmation page.

Any inquiries on completing the DS-160 can be addressed on the following ustraveldocs.com/ci. Guidelines for completing the DS-160 form are available ustraveldocs.com/ci. We are unable to answer any questions or provide guidance on this process.