U.S. Embassy & Consulates
in Mexico

K-1 visas are issued for a single-entry and will have a maximum validity of up to six months or the expiration date of your medical exam.  Possession of a valid visa is no guarantee of admission to the United States.  An immigration officer at a U.S. port of entry determines your final admissibility to the United States.

Once admitted to the United States as a fiancé(e), you have 90 days to marry your fiancé(e) and report this marriage to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Upon USCIS approval, you will be given conditional resident status (CF-1: conditional green card) as an immigrant in the United StatesU.S.  IF YOU DEPART THE UNITED STATES WITHOUT HAVING GAINED USCIS APPROVAL AS AN IMMIGRANT, YOU MUST QUALIFY FOR AN IMMIGRANT VISA OVERSEAS BEFORE YOU MAY RETURN TO THE UNITED STATES.  This means you may have to apply for another immigrant visa at an Embassy or Consulate in a process similar to the K visa application process.  If you need to travel outside of the United States  before completing the processing, you must apply for Advance Parole at USCIS to reenter the United States and continue processing.

Important Notice: Unmarried children under the age of 21 (K-2) are eligible to apply either with their K-1 parent or later and follow-to-join the K-1 parent.  If following-to-join, a K-2 applicant must apply for and be issued a K-2 visa within one year from the K1 visa issuance.  After one year, and provided that the applicant qualifies, the filing of an immediate relative or second preference petition would be required.

More Information

For more information about visas for a spouse or fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen, please click here.

Please also read “Information on the Legal Rights Available to Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence in the United States and Facts about Immigrating on a Marriage-Based Visa Fact Sheet“.