Peter Messersmith
The Messersmith Law Firm, P.C.
230 E Ohio St.,
 Suite 208
Chicago, IL 60611
Tel (312) 751-9960
Fax (312) 751-9970
Fiancé Visa Attorney

Marriage Visa (K3 Visa)

The marriage visa

The Legal Immigration Family Equity Act and its amendments established a new nonimmigrant category within the immigration law that allows the spouse or child of a United States. citizen to be admitted to the United States in a nonimmigrant category. The admission allows the spouse or child to complete processing for permanent residence while in the United States. It also allows those admitted in the new category to have permission for employment while they await processing of their case to permanent resident status.

Marriage visa requirements

A person may receive a K3 visa if that person:

  • has concluded a valid marriage with a citizen of the United States;
  • seeks to enter the United States to await the approval of the petition and subsequent lawful permanent resident status; and
  • has an approved I-129F application, forwarded to the American consulate abroad where the alien wishes to apply for the visa. The consulate must be in the country in which the marriage to the United States. citizen took place if the United States has a consulate which issues immigrant visas in that country. If the marriage took place in the United States, the designated consulate is the one with jurisdiction over the current residence of the alien spouse.
  • A person may receive a K4 visa, if that person is under 21 years of age and is the unmarried child of an alien eligible to be a K3.

Marriage visa fees

A complete list of attorney and government fees can be found here.

Marriage visa processing times

The length of time it takes will vary depending on the petitioner’s state of residence and the spouse’s country of residence. There are six stages for the application.

  1. We will send you a complete document list that we need to prepare the application (usually takes 1-2 weeks to obtain everything);
  2. We will prepare the paperwork and send it to you for your signature (5 business days);
  3. On receipt of the signed paperwork we will FedEx® your paperwork to the USCIS (3 business days);
  4. The USCIS will review and approve your application (30-120 days);
  5. The National Visa Center will forward the approved application to the appropriate US Embassy (30-60 days); and
  6. The US Embassy will contact the fiancé for the visa interview (30-60 days).

These dates are very general and the actual time may vary due to circumstances beyond our control. The bottom line is that we will do everything in our power to make sure that every application is processed as quickly as possible.

Can you provide references or some evidence of your past success?

We cannot provide contact information for any of our previous or past clients as we value their privacy and we keep all client matters strictly confidential.  We can however, provide a short sample list of our recently approved K1, K3 and green card applications.

Disclaimer:  All legal services performed by Attorney Peter Messersmith, an immigration attorney, of The Messersmith Law Firm, P.C.
Materials on this web site are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice nor shall receipt of such information create an attorney-client relationship.
The Supreme Court of Illinois does not recognize certifications of specialties in the practice of law.