Visa and Immigration Information

For those that are worrying excessively about the legal ramifications your marriage is going to have, US immigration is not necessarily as complicated as you immediately assume. While there are a fair share of forms and necessary papers to file and an army of beaurocratic pen pushers to bypass, if you arrive prepared and determined, the process can be downright simple.

Under today’s laws you can even file the necessary immigration papers before you get married. You may or may not want to hire a lawyer, but if prepared, you probably won’t need one. Merely all of that lovely legal paperwork and have your evidence ready to provide. This will include photographs, letters from your family, lease and utility bills, bank statements, travel receipts, and anything else that will convince immigration officials that you and your Russian Bride are legitimately married. Let’s take a look at the process.

K-1 Fiancée Visas

For foreigners engaged to US citizens, a K-1 Fiancee Visa is the primary means of entering the country, assuming the marriage is to take place within 90 days. If all of your necessary evidence and wedding preparations are complete, a K-1 Visa if received is the easiest way to bring a Russian Bride to the United States and marry at home. A K-2 Visa can be issued for children of a foreigner as well if your potential bride has children under the age of 21.

K-3 Spouse Visa

The K-3 Visa is the same idea as the K-1, except it is applicable for a foreigner who is already married to a US citizen. In the case that you decide to marry abroad or with her family instead of your own, a K-3 Visa is the answer to bringing her home with you.

If you and your Russian Bride get married in another country however, you must file for a K-3 Visa in the country in which you were married and in which your marriage certificate was issued. If she is a Russian citizen and you marry in Romania, you must receive a visa from the Romanian Embassy.

Getting a Visa – Paperwork

For either visa mentioned above, the process is relatively the same. The American fiancée or husband must file the necessary paperwork as a US citizen. The first step is to file a petition with the local immigration service, which will then contact the embassy in your bride’s home country of the application and interview her after application approval.

For more specific information on the forms needed to file these petitions, visit the USCIS webpage or local office (United States Citizenship and Immigration Service). They will also help you to acquire and organize all of the information needed for a visa application, the next step after your petition is approved. On their website, you can keep track of the case number and how things are proceeding as well as the fee schedules for your case.

Now it’s time to start taking notes. The necessary form for you to apply for your bride’s visa is the I-129f. For an easier to remember name, ask for a Petition for Alien Fiancée.

With this form, the USCIS will request you include proof of your own citizenship (a birth certificate or passport will do), a G-325A (which includes biographical information about any alien applying for a visa), color photographs of both you and your bride, copies of any appropriate divorce, death, or annulment, paperwork, and any necessary permission papers if your fiancée is under age. If you are applying for a K-3, include a marriage certificate as well as proof of your marriage.
It’s going to take a good two months for your petition to be surveyed and accepted. The USCIS keeps up to date records of where they are in the process though. With a quick visit to their website or a call to their customer service line, you can learn how long it’s been, where they are, and if there are any problems.

Once the petition is approved, your bride will be required to go to an interview at the US Embassy in the country of origin (or where you married if applying for a K-3). She will be asked to file an application and if all things are in order, will be issued a visa that same day. Afterwards, she can enter the United States and has 90 days to get married if arriving on a K-1.

When you have everything in order and she is with you in the US and you are married, it’s time to get that Green Card paperwork filed. Contact the USCIS for more information on the paperwork and procedure for doing so.

The Last Steps

Finally in the US and married, you and your bride need to file a few more forms. The first is the I-485 or Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjustment of Status.

Included here, you’ll need all relevant K-1 or K-3 paperwork. A form I-765 or Employment Authorization might also be required if your wife plans to work in the US.

In two months, the USCIS should respond with your wife’s conditional permanent residence status. This will stay in effect until two years after your marriage when you’re eligible to file a few more forms and have the conditional status on her residence.

It might seem like a lot of work, but if done correctly and with the right patience and necessary evidence, paperwork, and steps, filing for and having your Russian bride enter the United States is relatively simple.