A Guide to Fiancée Visa Processing

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv processes fiancé(e) visas for Ukraine. The fiancé(e) or K visa allows the prospective spouse of a U.S. citizen to travel to the United States for the purpose of marriage. The minor children (under 21) of your prospective spouse may also travel to the United States with a K visa. We hope that this guide will answer most of your questions about K visas.

Terminology used in this guide:

Fiancée	The term fiancée will be used to include both male and female prospective spouses
USCIS	The Department of Homeland Security's Citizenship and Immigration Services
Petitioner	The U.S. citizen who files a petition with a USCIS office in the United States on behalf of a fiancée asking that he or she be admitted to the United States for the purpose of marriage
Petition	USCIS form I-129(F) "Petition to Classify Status of Alien Fiancé or Fiancée for Issuance of Nonimmigrant Visa"
Beneficiary	The fiancée named in the petition
K-1 Visa	The visa category for the fiancée of a U.S. citizen
K-2 Visa	The visa category for the minor children of a K-1 visa holder
Information Packet (Packet 3)	Information that the Embassy sends to your fiancée, which specifies the documents that must be obtained and presented at the visa interview, and explaining how to obtain the required medical examination
Appointment Packet (Packet 4)	Information that the Embassy sends to your fiancé(e) setting an appointment date for the visa interview

Step 1 - Filing the Petition

To begin the K-1 process, a petition must be filed at the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office having jurisdiction over your current or intended residence in the U.S. There is a filing fee of $455.00 for the petition. As with all fees connected with visas, this fee may change without prior warning. The children of your fiancé(e) must be listed in the petition even if they will not be traveling at this time. USCIS sets the requirements for petition approval. Petitions for K-1 visas cannot be filed or approved outside the United States.

If you have additional questions about filing a petition and the conditions of its approval, please direct your inquiries to the local USCIS office or review the official USCIS website at www.uscis.gov

Please remember that petition approval is only the first phase of this process. Petition approval is not visa approval. The petition only supplies the basis on which your fiancé(e) can apply for a K visa at the Embassy. Your fiancée must still establish eligibility to receive a K visa.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PETITIONERS: When completing the petition, be sure to list all the last names your fiancé(e) has used in the past including maiden or prior married names. Failure to do so will result in a delay of the visa issuance, as additional administrative procedures will have to be applied to your fiancé(e) case.

Step 2 - When Your Petition is Approved

When your petition is approved, USCIS will notify you and will send the approved petition to the Department of State's National Visa Center (NVC) in Portsmouth, NH, for further processing. NVC will send a courtesy notification letter to the petitioner advising him or her that the petition has been received and that it will be sent to Embassy Kyiv.

It takes approximately four to six weeks for the actual approved petition and its supporting documentation to reach the Embassy. We can only start processing your case, (that is, send out the information packet and schedule a visa appointment), once we receive the hard copy of the approved petition.

Your petition is valid for four months, but may be extended by the Embassy if a visa cannot be issued during that period and the intention to marry still exists. (See Frequently Asked Questions)

To check the status of your petition go directly to the official USCIS website www.uscis.gov using your case number beginning with WAC, EAC, LIN or SRC.

When contacting the Embassy, use your fiancé(e)'s full name or the case number that starts with KEV.

Step 3 - Processing the Provisional Case

As of March 03, 2003, the Department of Homeland Security"s Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) implemented changes in the fiancé(e) visa processing. Due to those changes, the need and the ability of the Embassy to continue setting up provisional cases service has been obviated.

All approved I-129F petitions are being sent by USCIS to the National Visa Center (NVC) in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, rather then being sent directly to the overseas issuing post. The NVC performs all initial procedures, after which the completed petition is sent to the appropriate office overseas. You may be sure that once we have received an approved petition, we will contact your fiancé(e) regarding preparations for the formal visa interview.

Step 4 - Scheduling an Interview

When we receive an approved I-129F petition, we send information to the beneficiary. The Information packet (the former Packet 3 and 4) tells the applicant what documents he or she must collect prior to the visa interview and how to schedule the formal visa interview. The Information packet for applicants from Ukraine is in Ukrainian. We also have forms in English. The complete list of the required documents is posted on this page under the Information packet link.

Before notifying the call center that the applicant has obtained all the documents listed in the Information packet, every Ukrainian national must have an international passport valid for at least 6 months at the time of entering the U.S.

During an interview each applicant is required to present the completed and signed form KEV-1 and the original documents together with their photocopies. We do not require the original financial support documents. Petitioners can fax or e-mail them to the beneficiaries. Any document in a foreign language should be accompanied by a notarized/certified English translation. After the interview all originals except the police certificates are returned to the applicant.

When your fiancé(e) has collected all the documents specified in the Information packet, he or she should contact the call center over the phone (044-207-70-71) and schedule the appointment for the formal visa interview. The completed and signed form KEV-1 from the Information packet should be presented at the interview certifying that all required documents have been obtained.

If calling from the United States on behalf of relatives in Ukraine, the telephone number is 1-888-889-3780.

The Embassy will ONLY send out the Information packet to the beneficiary containing the application forms. After the interview has been scheduled by the call center NO written notification about scheduling an appointment for a visa interview will be sent either to the petitioner or the beneficiary. The date of the appointment also will not be confirmed by the Immigrant Visa Unit of the Consular Section over the telephone. Those applicants who wish to confirm their date of the appointments as well as reschedule them should contact the call center.

It is necessary for us to have the actual petition on hand in order to conduct an adequate visa interview for K visas.

The Information packet contains information on the documentation you must provide at the time of the interview. The medical exams must be performed only by the physician identified in the packet. K1 and K2 visa applicants are not required to submit proof of vaccinations or to undergo any vaccinations until they adjust status with the USCIS. Therefore applicants may wish to consider carrying their vaccination records with them to the United States to facilitate this process.

We also send out the Information packet (the former Packets 3 and 4) to the attorneys of record. The basic information contained in the packet is on the Embassy web page at http://kyiv.usembassy.gov .

VERY IMPORTANT: We send the Information packet (the former Packets 3 and 4) to ALL of the beneficiaries without exceptions via regular mail. However, since the Ukrainian mail is slow and unreliable, it is often the case that the packet may not be delivered to the applicants on time To facilitate the process of obtaining information outlining the steps to apply for a fiancé(e) visa the Information Packet is posted on our website. You may download it at any time and use it to prepare for the visa interview. If you do not receive the Information packet from us, we strongly recommend that you extract it from the website. The downloaded packet has exactly the same information and validity as the one that we mail to our applicants.

It is necessary that the applicant print out, complete and present the application forms from the Information package during the interview. Two copies of the nonimmigrant visa application form DS-156 for each applicant including children must be submitted with proper photographs. The nonimmigrant fiancé(e) visa application form DS-156K must also be submitted only for the fiancé(e) . Application forms can be photocopied. Additionally the completed and signed form KEV-1 should be presented by the applicant. Admission to the Consular Section is by international passport. The guards have the list of applicants scheduled for the day and let people in regardless of whether they have an invitation letter or not.

If you change the interview date after it has already been scheduled by the call center, no written confirmation will be sent either to the petitioner or the beneficiary.

Step 5 - The Visa Interview

Visa interviews are held by appointment only. Beneficiaries should not travel to Kyiv until they have contacted the call center and scheduled the appointment for the formal visa interview. Applicants who have scheduled the appointment and have not paid for the call by either purchasing the PIN number from the Pro-Credit Bank or using the credit option are not interviewed. If you have the information that your case is on file at the Consular Section but failed to receive your Information packet either via regular mail or e-mail, you can download it from our website. On the date of the appointment your fiancé(e) should come to the Immigrant Visa section of the Embassy in kyiv. Minor children under 14 do not need to attend the interview. Your fiancé(e) and each dependent child will pay a $131.00 non-refundable machine-readable-visa fee on the day of the interview. Beginning January 01, 2008 the fee for K and V visa can be paid only at the bank, in Ukrainian hryvnyas: ProCredit Bank currently offers this service at the following branches:

Pavlivska Street 26/41 (closest to the Consular Section)
Monday-Friday: 7:00 am to 6:00 pm and Saturday: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

• Kyiv, Pavlivska Street 26/41 (closest to the Consular Section)
  Monday-Friday: 7:00 am to 6:00 pm and Saturday: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Kyiv, Chervonoarmiyska Street 24
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm and Saturday: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Kyiv, Bozhenka Street 86
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.
• Kyiv, Baseyna Street 17
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm and Saturday: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Kyiv, Mykhaylivska Street 19
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm and Saturday: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Lviv, Mitskevycha Street 5
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm and Saturday: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
• Ivano-Frankivsk, Sichovykh Striltsiv Street 11
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
• Odesa, Bunina Street 33
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm

Interviews begin at 8:30 a.m.

Your fiancé(e) will fill out a Nonimmigrant Visa Application DS-156 in duplicate, as well as one copy of DS-156K form. Each dependent child also needs Nonimmigrant Visa Applications DS-156 in duplicate. Original documents plus one copy together with a notarized/certified English translation thereof, should be brought to the interview. Originals of primary documents, such as birth, marriage, and death records, will be returned to the applicant after the interview.

Your fiancé(e) will be asked to present:

• Valid passports or travel documents for the beneficiary and any dependent children
• A notarized statement from an absent parent giving permission to a child to immigrate to the US along with a photocopy of the photo and signature pages of his/her passport OR court decree of sole legal custody OR death certificate
• Birth certificates for the beneficiary and any dependent children
• Proof of termination of any prior marriages of both petitioner and beneficiary
• Change of name certificates or marriage certificates
• Police certificate(s) for the beneficiary and any dependent children over 16 years of age
• Medical exam results for the beneficiary and any dependent children
• Proof of adequate financial support once in the United States to ensure that your fiancé(e) and dependent children will not become public charges
• Supporting documentation verifying the relationship between the petitioner and beneficiary

All the original documents must be accompanied by a copy and certified English translation.

Documentation regarding financial support from the petitioner must be presented. It can be in any form so long as it contains enough detail and information for the consular officer to conclude that the beneficiary will not become a public charge, i.e. tax returns, bank statements, wage statements, etc. Petitioners may submit a notarized Affidavit of Support form I-134 if they wish.

For more detailed information about document requirements, please go to the Instructions for Fiancé(e) Visa Applicants in the Information packet.

After a consular officer has reviewed the case, your fiancé(e) will be interviewed. The consular officer will ask your fiancé(e) questions about your relationship, such as how you met and when you decided to marry. The consular officer is required by law to verify that your relationship with your fiancé(e) is real, that you met at least once within the last two years, and that you do intend to marry within 90 days of your fiancé(e)"s arrival in the United States. The consular officer will thoroughly review the case to make sure that your fiancé(e) is eligible to receive a U.S. visa.

The Consular Section uses a delivery services to return passports to visa recipients. Following the interview, visa recipients should proceed to the FedEx representative to arrange for the return of their passports with issued visas. The cost for this service (delivery fee and insurance) is approximately $8.00 paid in hryvnas. The visa issuance and passport delivery can take up to ten days. (The company does not operate on weekends or Ukrainian and U.S. holidays). Please note that no exception to the process will be made. The Consulate strongly encourages you not to make any travel arrangements prior to obtaining a visa.

If your fiancé(e) is not issued a visa, he or she will be given notification in writing giving the reasons for the temporary refusal. The letter will explain either how to drop off the missing documents or how to schedule a second appointment. Your fiancé(e) will not be required to pay again.

Supporting documentation, including the K petition, birth certificate, Nonimmigrant Visa Application, and medical exam will be placed in a sealed envelope and given to the applicant for presentation to USCIS at the port of entry. We do not keep copies of this documentation at the Embassy after the case is adjudicated.

Contact Policy

Because we receive so many inquiries about fiancé(e) visas, we ask for your cooperation in helping us respond to them. Please read the following instructions carefully and follow them as closely as possible. This will save you time, the expense involved in contacting us, and the frustration we know you feel when we cannot immediately respond to your inquiry.

Most general questions can be answered by a close reading of this guide. We can only answer inquiries about cases that have already been transferred to the Embassy. (These are cases that have been entered into our computer system and have a case number starting with the letters KEV). After USCIS approves the petition, it normally takes from two to four weeks for a case to reach us. PLEASE DO NOT ASK US ABOUT ANY CASE THAT WAS APPROVED LESS THAN ONE MONTH AGO. We will not/not have any information on those cases.

We assure you that we make every effort to process each case as expeditiously as possible.

Please send your inquiry through one channel only. That is, if you yourself contact us, do not also have your attorney and/or member of Congress also contact us with the same inquiry. It takes a great deal of time and effort to respond to these inquiries and processing your case is slowed down if we have to provide the same information more than once. It is your choice as to how you wish to contact us, and if you choose to have your attorney or Congressperson do so, you may, but we simply do not have the staff to answer identical, multiple inquiries as quickly as we would like.

Appointments are scheduled in the order the call center receives the phone calls. It would be helpful if you would consolidate your questions and send them to us no more frequently than once a week. We simply do not have resources to respond to daily inquiries from same petitioners.

If possible, please use e-mail to communicate with the Embassy. It is the most efficient way to reach the Embassy and the quickest way to get answers to your questions. We have a dedicated e-mail address for K visa cases: kyiviv@state.gov.

Reaching the Embassy by telephone is difficult. Due to the volume of inquiries our lines are often busy. We suggest that you use e-mail or fax rather than call the Embassy.

Thank you for your cooperation. By following the above guidelines, you will help us better serve you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the process for extending a petition beyond the original four-month validity?
Q. Do dependent children need to receive K-2 visa at the same time as the K-1 beneficiary?
Q. Do dependent children need to travel to the USA at the same time as the beneficiary?
Q. Should I include all of my fiancé(e)'s children in the K visa petition?
Q. What if my fiancée is pregnant and this is not disclosed on the approved petition?
Q. If I decide not to marry my fiancé(e), can I cancel the petition?
Q. If my fiancé(e) entered the U.S. on a K visa, but had to leave before we were married, can my fiancé(e) receive a new K visa?
Q. The Embassy mailed the Information Packet to my fiancé(e) but s/he didn't receive it. What can I do?
Q. Will the Embassy fax me or my fiancé(e) a copy of the Information Packet or the Appointment Packet?
Q. Can I pay for my fiancé(e)'s visa with a credit card?
Q. Will writing to my Representative in Congress or my Senator speed up the process?
Q. Do I have to be present at the interview with my fiancé(e)?
Q. Will my fiancé(e) be able to communicate with the staff at the Embassy?
Q. What should I do about making travel arrangements for my fiancé(e)?
Q. What proof should I present to show that I can support my fiancé(e) financially?
Q. If my fiancé(e) lives outside Kyiv, can s/he present the result of the medical examination from his/her local hospital?

Q. What is the process for extending a petition beyond the original four-month validity?
A. The process is very simple. A consular officer can revalidate a K visa petition any number of times for additional periods of 4 months provided the officer concludes that the petitioner and beneficiary remain legally free to marry and continue to intend to marry each other within 90 days after the beneficiary's admission into the United States. To have the petition revalidated send a written request to the Embassy that includes a statement of your intention to go forward with the marriage. You can fax your request to 044-490-4570 or e-mail it to the following address kyivivREMOVE@REMOVEstate.gov.

Q. Do dependent children need to receive K-2 visa at the same time as the K-1 beneficiary?
A. No, eligible dependent children can receive a K-2 visa within a year of the issuance of the K-1 visa to the principal beneficiary. This is true even if the K-1 beneficiary has subsequently married the petitioner, provided the dependent child is still unmarried and under 21 years of age at the time of the K-2 issuance. If a dependent child of your fiancé(e) seeks to enter the United States more than one year after your fiancé(e) has received a K-1 visa, it will be necessary to file an immigrant visa petition for the child.

For a child to obtain a K-2 visa, a K-1 visa must have been issued previously to the child's parent. The child must have a separate travel document, if the child plans to travel independently, or the child's information must be placed in a parent's passport, if a beneficiary and child are going to travel together. A child or child's guardian should contact the Consulate by fax, phone or e-mail and schedule an appointment giving the beneficiary's full name. Documents listed in the Information and Appointment Packets that apply to a child's case must be presented during a child's interview.

Q. Do dependent children need to travel to the USA at the same time as the beneficiary?
A. No, dependent children can go to the USA independently provided they have a separate travel document valid for at least 6 month after the visa issuance and a valid K-2 visa.

Q. Should I include all of my fiancé(e)'s children in the K visa petition?
A. USCIS holds that all children of a K-1 beneficiary must be listed on the visa petition. If a child has been omitted on the petition you filed, the Embassy requires an original notarized statement from you that you know about the child and are aware the child is or may be seeking a K-2 visa.

Q. What if my fiancée is pregnant and this is not disclosed on the approved petition?
A. Visa processing can continue in this case if the petitioner sends the Embassy an original notarized statement indicating awareness of the pregnancy and the desire to proceed with the marriage.

Q. If I decide not to marry my fiancé(e), can I cancel the petition?
A. You should send us a written request by fax or e-mail to stop processing the case.

Q. If my fiancé(e) entered the U.S. on a K visa, but had to leave before we were married, can my fiancé(e) receive a new K visa?
A. K visas are issued valid for a single entry within a 6-month period. If a beneficiary has returned abroad prior to the marriage, the consular officer may issue a new K visa provided that the period of validity of the new visa does not exceed the 90th day after the date of initial admission to the US and provided also that the petitioner and beneficiary still intend and are free to marry as evidenced by a written request from a petitioner. After the 90th day, unless other arrangements have been made with USCIS prior to your fiancé(e)"s departure, you will need to start the K visa process again.

Q. The Embassy mailed the Information Packet to my fiancé(e) but s/he didn't receive it. What can I do?
A. Mail delivery in Ukraine is slow. You should allow one to two weeks for a letter from the Embassy to reach most locations in Ukraine. If your fiancé(e) has not received the Information packet in two weeks, s/he can download it from our web site. The Informaiton packet is posted on the Embassy website in fiancée visa section at http://kyiv.usembassy.gov/visa_K1K2_eng.html. Either you or your fiancé(e) can access the information directly from the website and can download the KEV-1 form and the rest of the instructional materials.

Q. Will the Embassy fax me or my fiancé(e) a copy of the Information Packet or the Appointment Packet?
A. Due to cost factors we cannot fax duplicate Information packet. All the information contained in the packet can be found on the Embassy website at http://kyiv.usembassy.gov . If the Embassy has already sent out the Information packet, the applicant can use the information on the website as guidance for preparations for the formal visa interview. The Embassy does not send the Appointment packet after the call center schedules the interview date.

Q. Can I pay for my fiancé(e)'s visa with a credit card?
A. No, payment must be in cash in Ukrainian Hryvnyas at the one of the following branches of ProCredit bank:

• Kyiv, Pavlivska Street 26/41 (closest to the Consular Section)
  Monday-Friday: 7:00 am to 6:00 pm and Saturday: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Kyiv, Chervonoarmiyska Street 24
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm and Saturday: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Kyiv, Bozhenka Street 86
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.
• Kyiv, Baseyna Street 17
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm and Saturday: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Kyiv, Mykhaylivska Street 19
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm and Saturday: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Lviv, Mitskevycha Street 5
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm and Saturday: 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
• Ivano-Frankivsk, Sichovykh Striltsiv Street 11
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
• Odesa, Bunina Street 33
  Monday-Friday: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm

Q. Will writing to my Representative in Congress or my Senator speed up the process?
A. Every American citizen may write to Congress about any matter of concern. We reply to all Congressional inquiries. Inquiring through Congress will not, however, speed up the process. Inquiries that you send yourself will receive the same answers we would send to Congress. As a matter of policy we ask all petitioners to limit their inquiries to one channel of communication. If you choose to inquire through Congress, please do not send duplicate inquiries directly to the Embassy.

Q. Do I have to be present at the interview with my fiancé(e)?
A. Although your presence is not required, you may accompany your fiancé(e) to the interview.

Q. Will my fiancé(e) be able to communicate with the staff at the Embassy?
A. Yes, we have staff who speak Russian, Ukrainian and English.

Q. What should I do about making travel arrangements for my fiancé(e)?
A. Travel arrangements are your responsibility. We advise all applicants that final travel arrangements should never be made until a visa is actually issued. We also advise applicants not to take/quit jobs, sell property, or terminate leases until a visa is actually issued. Not every visa interview results in issuance of a visa. If you choose to make travel arrangements for your fiancé(e) before a visa is issued, you do so at your own risk.

Q. What proof should I present to show that I can support my fiancé(e) financially?
A. You must supply proof that your fiancee will not become a public charge. This proof can be supplied in different forms. Many applicants present a notarized I-134 affidavit of support. This form is available from www.uscis.gov . Other acceptable forms of proof are a letter from your employer that indicates your current earnings and job history; your most recent federal income tax returns and bank statements or documentation of other assets. Do not submit the I-864 Affidavit of Support form. This form is used only in immigrant visa cases.

Q. If my fiancé(e) lives outside Kyiv, can s/he present the result of the medical examination from his/her local hospital?
A. No, the Embassy only accepts the medical reports prepared by the panel physicians the clinic in Kyiv that has working contracts with the Embassy. If you have questions about medical examination, please direct them to the clinic.