K-1 Visa Process and Guide
K-1 Visa Process and Guide
K-1 Visa Process and Guide
Table of Contents
Interview Details……………………………………………………………………………………………………….……4
Interview Outcomes……………………………………………………………………………………………………...6
Red Flags………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..8
Congratulations on your engagement! This guide will go over the K-1 process from start to finish, with a focus on
what the U.S Consulate in Casablanca specifically looks for. The K-1 fiancé visa allows a US Citizen to bring their
foreign fiancé to the USA to get married and become a permanent resident. To be eligible to file for the K-1
fiancé visa you must:
The current (May 2019) timeframe for the K-1 petition from filing to interview is around 8-10 months.
The beneficiary will attend the interview at the U.S Consulate in Casablanca. The consulate is located at:
Boulevard Moulay Youssef, Casablanca 20250, Morocco.
Only the beneficiary is allowed to enter the consulate, and they must present the appointment letter
they received in the email from the consulate.
Signed (beneficiary) visa appointment instructions page (received through email from
Casablanca consulate along with interview appointment date)
Signed (petitioner) I-134 Affidavit of Support
o Additional I-134 signed by co-sponsor if applicable
Financial Support documents: 6 months of pay subs, 2018, 2017, 2016 tax transcripts (download
your transcripts free online here), letter from employer
Beneficiary passport (needs to have at least 6 month validity)
Original birth certificate of beneficiary, as well as certified English translation
Original police certificate of beneficiary, as well as certified English translation
Original court record of beneficiary, as well as certified English translation
Original certificate of singlehood/celibacy as well as certified English translation
Two 5cmx5cm color passport photos of beneficiary
Medical Examination packet
Proof of ongoing relationship – Additional photos and chats that occurred after the initial filing
of the I-129F petition
DS-5535 Supplemental Questions for Visa Applicants (optional, and they may not take it even if
they end up requesting it)
DS-160 Confirmation Page
$265 visa fee (can also be paid in MAD equivalent)
5
The beneficiary should bring any new evidence that you have gathered since the initial filing of the I-
129F. This includes photos, chat logs and proof of any additional visits. However, the Consular Officer
(CO) is not required to look at any of the evidence brought to the interview.
6
Approved:
The CO will verbally tell the beneficiary their visa has been approved. They will be given a document that
goes over how to sign up for Aramex, which is the courier service where they will pick up their passport
and visa. The visa is usually printed and issued within 1-4 weeks after the interview.
Denied/Refused:
The CO will hand the beneficiary a white 221g and inform them that the case is being returned to USCIS.
If the CO asks to keep the beneficiary’s passport, it could be sign that they will be sent the DS-5535, or
that the case still needs to undergo other administrative processing. There have been instances where a
beneficiary will be approved for the visa even when given the white 221g, however this outcome is rare.
If the CO returns the passport to the beneficiary, it is generally a sign of an immediate refusal and the
case will be returned to USCIS where it will expire. In this outcome, it is recommended to reach out to
your congressman for help, but if there is no progress, you will need to re-file the K-1 visa or marry and
file a CR-1 spousal visa.
After the interview, you can check the status of the case on the CEAC tracker. It is very common for approved
cases to be listed as being under ‘Administrative Processing’ for several days after the interview. Generally
the status will change to “ISSUED” within 1-3 weeks.
The beneficiary will need to sign up with Aramex to track and receive the K-1 packet and passport. Generally
Aramex will text or call the beneficiary when the passport is ready to be picked up from the selected Aramex
location. As soon as you have the passport with the approved visa in hand, you are ready to travel to the
USA!
Note about transit visas: Moroccans do NOT need a transit visa if they are making 1 connecting flight within
a Schengen country. Popular countries for Moroccans to travel through without needing a transit visa are
France, Germany, Spain and Portugal. However, you should still check with the airline to be sure that you do
not need a transit visa. Another popular route is through Canada, where Moroccans DO need to apply transit
visa if they wish to have a connection there.
The POE is the point in which the beneficiary first officially enters the U.S. It is not necessarily your final
destination in the U.S.
Upon arriving at immigration and customs, the beneficiary may need to ask which line they need to enter as a
K-1 visa holder. Once they approach the desk of the immigration officer, they will need to hand them the
sealed K-1 packet that was given to the beneficiary by Aramex. The immigration officer then may ask
questions about the purpose of their trip to the U.S. Some officers ask basic questions, like what is the
petitioner’s name, where do they live, are you here to marry them. Others have reported being heavily
interrogated by the immigration officer. They can and sometimes do ask very personal questions, or may ask
to see the beneficiary’s phone and social media. A K-1 visa holder CAN be turned away at the port of entry,
however this is extremely rare and generally only occurs if they are found to have violated the terms
of the K-1 visa (for example, the immigration officer finds proof that they are already married).
Generally, the POE process is nothing to stress over, as you will soon be reunited with your partner as you
prepare for your marriage and the adjustment of status process!
8
Morocco is considered a ‘high fraud’ country due to a high number of people abusing visa privileges the past and
present. Because of this, it makes it harder for Moroccans to be approved for both non-immigrant and immigrant
visas. Having red flags in your case does not always mean the petition will be denied, but you will want to make sure
that your case has strong evidence to prove to the consular officer that your relationship is real and not just for visa
purposes. We all feel that our love is real, but in order to prove that to the consular officer, whose job is to
determine if the applicant qualifies for a visa or not, there must be strong evidence. Some common red flags include:
A large (10+) year age difference between the petitioner and the beneficiary, especially when the
petitioner is an older woman and the beneficiary is a younger man.
o This is no quick or actual solution to this issue. Consular officers realize the cultural importance
of having a child in Morocco, so if the older woman is still of childbearing age, this may be a
slight benefit. It is commonly thought that the consulate cannot deny a visa petition based on
age difference alone, however the consulate will rarely say a denial was due to age difference
alone, rather it was due to ‘lack of a genuine relationship’.
Only having met once, or having very brief visits to get to know one another
o While the minimum requirement for the K-1 visa is to have met at least once within the past 2
years, the more visits you have, the more relationship evidence you will have to present to the
Casablanca consulate.
Pros:
1. Slightly quicker than the CR-1 visa process. Current processing times are around 8-10 months vs. 12-
14 months for CR1.
2. Allow for the marriage to take place in the U.S. This can be important to individuals who want their
U.S. based family to witness and attend the wedding.
Cons:
1. Requires Adjustment of Status (AOS) after marriage (expensive and requires a lot of paperwork)
2. Beneficiary cannot leave the US until she/he receives approved Advance Parole (approximately 5-6
months) or green card (anywhere from 4 months to 12+ months)
3. Beneficiary cannot work until she/he receives EAD (approximately 5-6 months) or green card
(anywhere from 4 months to 12+ months)
4. Generally in Morocco, less K1s issued each month (can vary from 0-1 to around 15-20 per month)
5. No option to re-affirm the petition if refused at consular level
6. Higher overall cost compared to CR-1
Total Cost of the K-1 Visa process (not including airfare, medical, translations):
$535 (I-129F filing fee) + $265 (fee paid on day of interview at the consulate) + $1225 (AOS) =$2025
Pros:
Cons:
1. Longer processing time (12-14 months compared to 8-10 months for K-1)
2. Marriage process in Morocco can be tedious, though you could also marry in another country if you
want to.
Total cost of the CR-1 visa process (not including airfare, medical, translations):
$535 (I-130 filing fee) + $445 (NVC) +$220 (Immigrant fee) =$1200
10
Question:
Can we have an Islamic marriage (Nikkah) in Morocco and still apply for a K-1 Visa?
Answer:
While a religious marriage is not considered a legal marriage, there have been instances where visas have
been denied because the CO saw photos of a religious marriage ceremony and deemed the couple ‘married’
and therefore ineligible for the K-1 visa. This usually happens when photos submitted as evidence show a
religious ‘marriage’ ceremony, or the beneficiary refers to the petitioner as their husband/wife during the
interview. While there have been many who have gotten away with hiding or just not mentioning the
religious ceremony, it’s not recommended to engage in and especially submit photographs of any kind of
marriage ceremony, even if the ceremony taking place is not legally binding. Occasionally K-1 petitions are
denied due to the CO finding evidence of a religious marriage, and in those instances, the couple must then
get legally married in Morocco and file the CR-1 spousal visa.
Question:
Can we submit photographs of our engagement party/ceremony? Or will the CO see it as being ‘too
married’ like mentioned in the question above?
Answer:
The consular officers are trained in recognizing Moroccan culture and traditions. Because engagement parties
are common in Morocco, it is also common to include photos of your engagement party as evidence in your
K-1 petition. Just make sure the photos don’t look too much like a marriage ceremony. Photos of you both
wearing traditional clothing and sharing milk, dates and sweets are acceptable.
Question:
Do we need to use an attorney or specialized visa service to file our petition?
Answer:
In most cases, you can assemble and file the K-1 petition completely on your own. Using visa guides and
reading and learning from the experiences of those in this Facebook group (Moroccan Visa Journey) that
have successfully completed the K-1 journey, you don’t need to pay someone to file the paperwork on your
behalf. A lawyer does not always guarantee that the visa will be approved, and if you do choose to use a
lawyer or visa service, make sure that they have experience handling cases going through the Casablanca
consulate. In most cases, your money is better spent making an additional trip to Morocco so you can
strengthen the relationship evidence in your petition. Having attorney or visa service file your petition will
NOT give your case any preferential or expedited processing.
The petitioner or beneficiary has an extensive criminal history (especially if the crime falls under the
Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act)
The beneficiary has a ban on entering the U.S, or has a history of overstaying previous visas
11
(Beneficiary/Petitioner NAME)
(Street Address)
Rabat,
Morocco
Date xx-xx-2019
I, (beneficiary first and last name), do hereby state that I am legally able and willing to marry (petitioner first and last
name), and intend to do so within 90 days of my arrival into the US using the K-1 visa.
Yours truly,
Below is sample of the email sent to the Casablanca Consulate requesting an interview date (You do not
need to do the medical exam prior to asking for an interview date. Some of the panel physicans will
require you to give them the date of the interview before they will schedule the exam. Additionally, Dr.
Maach is no longer an approved panel physician).