By: Jennifer Fabian-Verzosa, Esq.

AS AN IMMIGRATION LAWYER, I SPEND A LOT OF TIME ASSISTING ENGAGED COUPLES PURSUING FIANCE(E) VISAS FOR THEIR LOVED ONES SITUATED ALL OVER THE WORLD.  This is one of my favorite areas of work as an immigration attorney, as it really is wonderful getting to know couples and helping them achieve their dream of a life together in the U.S.!

In this post, I will reflect on K-1 visa trends and my observations from the past year (2024).

Varying I-129F Petition Processing Times

USCIS processed I-129F Petitions at radically different timelines this past year -- anywhere between 2 months to a little over a year.

Fairness in Reviewing Relationship Evidence

Ideally, I like to heavily document my fiancé(e) cases with proof of the couple’s dating and relationship. However, sometimes there was just not as much evidence available, so we had to provide what we could. I felt USCIS was still fair in adjudicating the fiance(e) petition, and able to see through to the couple’s genuine relationship as I truly did.

Inconsistent Interview Scheduling

Consulates were inconsistent with regards to who schedules the consular interview—the applicant, or the National Visa Center and U.S. embassy/consulate. It used to be that the applicant could usually pick and choose the interview date based on available dates online. However, some embassies that used to do this suddenly start sending emails to the applicant with a specified interview date (similar to the spouse immigration process). Other embassies would send an interview date if you just emailed them inquiring about it. As expected, however, whenever these types of changes occurred, they usually were not publicly posted.

Significant Changes to the Online Appointment System

The online appointment systems of some U.S. embassies underwent significant transformations in 2024, and they have the potential to be subject to further updates in the future. These updates greatly slowed down the functionality of the websites for some time, making it difficult for many K-1 visa applicants to schedule their appointments. One such website transformation I observed was with the US Travel Docs website of the US Embassy Manila (Philippines) back in August/September.

Embassies Continued to be Unique in their Processing of K-1 visa Cases

This was not any different from prior years, to be honest. As with any case subject to consular processing, there was continued variation in the way each U.S. embassy processed K-1 visa paperwork.:

• Some embassies preferred documents emailed to them beforehand, while some just wanted documents brought to the interview.
• Some embassies required additional documents that other embassies simply did not care for.
• Some embassies had ever-changing medical exam policies and procedures.
• Some embassies could not process K-1 visas at all, and so those cases had to be transferred to another available embassy (and the transfer was not always automatic unfortunately, but required some proactive advocacy!).

In this ever-changing K-1 fiance(e) visa climate, and with more changes expected in the coming years, it may be wise to have an immigration attorney on your side to guide you through the developments, and advise you on any new or updated procedures and trends at the specific U.S. embassy where your fiancé(e) will be interviewing. It may help make the immigration process for you and your fiancé(e) more manageable and less stressful. Immigration attorneys are constantly keeping track of new and updated procedures and changes at embassies worldwide. It is their job!

Our EXPERIENCED IMMIGRATION LAW OFFICE would love to assist you and your fiance(e) at this thrilling moment in your lives. Contact us today (email | +1(619) 431-2407) to learn more about our comprehensive Fiance(e) Immigration Legal Services! We provide dedicated in-person and remote legal services.

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** Jennifer Fabian-Verzosa, Esq . is the founding attorney of the Law Office of Jennifer Fabian-Verzosa , an immigration law practice that provides local and remote immigration assistance to clients throughout the U.S. and worldwide.**

DISCLAIMER : This blog provides general information and is not intended to be legal advice. Use of the information does not establish an attorney-client relationship. Any information mentioned does not guarantee or predict outcomes in future cases. Some of this information may be outdated. Please consult an attorney before acting on any material. Please do not submit any time-sensitive or confidential information in the comments below. Any information you send may be publicly-visible and is not protected from disclosure. Jennifer Fabian-Verzosa is the attorney responsible for the content and material on this blog. She is licensed in D.C. and HI, and exclusively practices immigration law in federal jurisdictions.

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