Do you want to know your eligibility for a Visitor Visa to the US?
Call us toll-free or take less than a minute to fill our Online Assessment for Your Visa Options.
Do you want to know your eligibility for a Visitor Visa to the US?
Call us toll-free or take less than a minute to fill our Online Assessment for Your Visa Options.
Do you want to visit the United States to connect with family and friends, do business or even just for tourism? There are a couple of options for visitors coming to the US for different purposes.
The number of visitors traveling to the United States for business or pleasure reasons has increased exponentially in the last few years.
The United States offers the B-1 and B-2 visas for non-immigrants, entailing a stay for a temporary basis. These visas allow visitors to stay in the country for a maximum period of 6 months.
However, if you are traveling for immigration purposes, such as getting married, you can apply for the K-1 visa.
The K-1 visa, or the fiancé(e) visa, is for the non-immigrant fiance of the US citizen or lawful permanent resident. This visa allows you to travel to the United States to marry a US citizen within 90 days of arrival.
You can also apply for permanent residency to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) after getting married.
Fiance or fiancee are the general terms used for a man and woman who are engaged partners.
Generally, you have to have met the US citizen in person in the last 2 years to be eligible. However, an exception may be granted by the USCIS if you couldn't meet in person due to reasons such as restrictions in the culture of your home country.
However, the USCIS will verify the validity of your relationship to confirm that the marriage is not for the sole purpose of obtaining permanent residency in the United States.
To apply for the K-1 Visa, your first step is for your fiance, a US citizen, to submit the 1-129F form to a USCIS located near their residence.
If this petition is approved by the USCIS, it will then be forwarded to the National Visa Center (NVC). The NVC will inform you of your case number and the petition will be sent to the US Embassy or consulate near your residence in your home country.
The next step is the application for the visa. If your children will accompany you, you must apply for a K-2 visa. The NVC will mail you a letter when the petition is sent to the US Embassy or consulate to inform you to attend an interview with the following prepared documents:
The US Embassy or consulate may ask for additional documents for your K visa interview.
To prove financial support, you may have to submit an Affidavit of Support (Form 1-134) to affirm that you will not require federal assistance.
You must also provide a medical examination report signed by an authorized panel physician.
It is advised that you undertake the vaccinations required by the US immigration law for immigrant visa applicants. This is not necessary for the K visas, however, it will be useful when applying for legal permanent resident status after your marriage.
You qualify for the K-1 Fiance Visa (which is a temporary non-immigrant visa) if you are an individual or family member who wishes to enter the US with the intent of marrying a US citizen.
To be eligible for the K-1 visa, applicants should intend on being married within 90 days of the applicant’s arrival into the United States. In addition, the US citizen must have been legally free to marry prior to applying and must continue to remain so thereafter.
The US Citizen must have met in person with the person they wish to sponsor within the past two years. An exemption can be granted based on extreme hardship for the US citizen sponsor to personally have met the foreign-citizen fiance(e).
An exemption may also be available if it is against the applicant or US citizen’s culture for the two individuals to meet before the marriage takes place.
You qualify for the B-1 or B-1 Visa if you are an applicant who plans to remain in the US for a limited and specified period of time, have sufficient funds to support their stay, and demonstrates sufficient ties to their home country.
B-1 visa holders must also ensure that they will not be paid by a US company during their visit.
The B-1 Visa is for individuals to engage in one of the following allowed activities:
The B2 visa is for individuals who wish to travel in the US or for personal reasons, such as tourism, pleasure, or to receive medical treatment. It is primarily for tourists from a foreign country who wish to enter the US temporarily.
Both the duration of the B-1 and the B-2 visas allows for stays of up to a maximum of 180 days (six months) per entry.
Processing times for US visas vary depending on several factors:
While there are many reasons why your B-1 or B-2 visa application could be refused, we have listed the ten most common here:
Up to six months initially and possibly longer if the visa holder obtains an extension.
There are no defined limits; however, the duration of stay and time spent outside of the US between visits can play a factor.
Visitors should not be seen as living in the US while on a B-1 or B-2 visa.
Visitors may be required to demonstrate sufficient ties to their home countries.
B-1 and B-2 visa holders cannot work in the USA.
Yes, you can travel for pleasure with a B-1 Visa under certain circumstances. A combination of a B-1 and B-2 visa can facilitate travel to the US for business and pleasure.
ESTA means Electronic System for Travel Authorization and is an automated system to determine eligibility to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
The Visa Waiver Program is for citizens of participating countries only and it permits travelers to enter the United States without obtaining a B-1 or a B-2 visa.
Yes, you can get married to a US citizen while on a B-2 Visa provided you apply for an adjustment of status once you are married in the US.
Yes, you can purchase a home as a B-1 or a B-2 visa holder.
Congratulations on taking your first step towards obtaining your United States Visa!
My Visa Source's immigration lawyers dedicate themselves to your immigration case, providing legal representation tailored to your personal situation.
Our expertise focuses on immigration and visa programs for Canada and the United States, including global immigration.
Partnering with an award-winning immigration team greatly increases the likelihood of achieving your specific immigration or visa goals.
Immigration is a complex process that requires strong legal strategy, precise paperwork, and perfect attention to detail and experience dealing with immigration officials and government departments, reducing the risk of wasted time, money, or permanent rejection.
Securing personalized legal help is quick and simple. Begin with our one-minute online assessment or call us toll-free at 1-888-509-1987.
We have a dedicated team of licensed professionals standing by, ready to answer your immigration and visa questions. We’ve been helping people from over 120 countries for over a decade and can help you too.
Book a personal consultation to speak with an award-winning immigration lawyer either in-person, over the telephone, or through a video conference.
We're open 6am-9pm PST & EST, 7 days a week, and are ready for in-person, phone, and video consultations.
My Visa Source made the process of my partner’s PR a breeze. We did run into an issue in the beginning as my partner initially started his PR progress with the intent of going through his work to get his PR. There were some difficulties that ended up leading us into doing his PR through common-law sponsorship, which ended up being a blessing in disguise as we were appointed a new Lawyer & team.
Harley Jensen was very much on top of everything from quick replies to our emails and if we ran into any difficulties she would always set up a phone call to ease us through the process. There was another lovely lawyer by the name Natasha who was also helping us through some difficulties.
Overall My Visa Source made us feel confident and at ease during this very stressful process. We would like to thank the team for all their hard work. I would definitely recommend them.
5 out of 5 » Rating by: Emily N.
Sharing my experience with MVS. This firm has truly reliable and dependable professionals, no wonder it has won so many awards and accolades. After my initial spouse work permit rejection, I approached MVS and I was assured they’d handle my case sensitively. Bara was very calm and informative, he initiated my process. My wife’s permit case was assigned to Sharon and Marc. ‘Sharon’ is very knowledgeable and precise, she was always reachable and was prompt on her responses during the process. Her follow ups on every step was phenomenal. Such a gem! I blindly recommend her.
Marc on the other hand was the heart of the process, shout out to him as well..
All my stress was washed out as every actions performed by them was promising. I was optimistic and finally received the permits, now I can reunite with my family in coming days.
Couldn’t praise enough. Wish you best to unite and bring happiness to more families like ours.
I wish to personally meet you all one day to thank for what you’ve done. You’ve changed my life.
5 out of 5 » Rating by: Vinayak B.
I've had a very bad experience with an immigration lawyer at another firm in the past, and I was very scare to experience that again. I found My Visa Source online and decided to give them a try because of their great reviews, and I don't regret it for a second!. Amazing experience, they really treated me like a human being and were very upfront and organized with all information.
Angel Pavlou is really an angel, very sweet and helpful, she help us a lot on our first stage of the process with the firm. She is an amazing human being!
Because we were applying through common-in-law sponsorship, my team was Harley and Natasha, an amazing team! We worked for about 4-5 month on the file to make sure everything needed was there. And even though they usually respond within 2-3 business days, by the last portion before submission, our emails were responded by the minute, which we really appreciate as it helped to speed up the process significantly.
Even though our contract with the firm ended with the submission of our application, they left the door open for further questions we may have about what's coming next with our application, which is a big support for us, and we really appreciate (as now we have a long road ahead before a final answer from IRCC comes).
Thanks Team! :)
5 out of 5 » Rating by: Kate T.
At first I was a bit wary because we had some challenges with our spousal sponsorship case and all correspondence was done over the phone or email, but now that my husband has been approved, I can say with confidence I would hire My Visa Source again for any immigration needs. My husband was not even asked for an interview in the end. This firm works many different nationalities and passport holders and there experience is vast.
5 out of 5 » Rating by: Julia C.
After previously going to another immigration service it became glaringly obvious how great this service was. Angel was able to answer all my questions and share with me some options that I had not been told of by the other lawyer. I highly recommend this service.
5 out of 5 » Rating by: David Andrews B.
I absolutely love this firm. Very detailed and best help you can get. They do free consultation too which is great. Angel is amazing. Trevor is great.
Best team at My Visa Source. I was happy with how my application was handled.
5 out of 5 » Rating by: Josh A.
This was a free consult call. I received the call exactly at the time arranged. Irfhan was very helpful, honest and informative. Unfortunately there weren’t many options for my case and he made no false promises. His integrity was impeccable and even though there wasn’t much that could be done he did offer some great suggestions and advice.
5 out of 5 » Rating by: Robin S.
My Visa Source Law MDP is an excellent immigration law firm. They were very supportive and
professional. They answered our many questions with timely and useful feedback.
5 out of 5 » Rating by: W M.
Mr. Shubhrash has been consultant for my immigration procedure and he has been outstanding. made us feel welcome and answered all our questions. He is very knowledgeable and friendly.
5 out of 5 » Rating by: Dishani G.
I am pleased with the service provided by My Visa Source, and recommend My Visa Source for people who are confused about their immigration process and are looking for a helping hand.
5 out of 5 » Rating by: Zina B.
Disclaimer: MyVisaSource was developed to provide visitors from all over the world with information about Canadian and US immigration topics. Your access to this website is subject to our Terms of Use. Communications between you and MyVisaSource are protected by our Privacy Policy but not by the attorney-client privilege or as work product. MyVisaSource is affiliated with the law firm of MVS Law PC and My Visa Source Law MDP, which provides legal services on immigration matters. Only licensed immigration professionals can provide advice, explanation, opinion, or recommendation about possible legal rights, remedies, defenses, options, selection of forms or strategies.
© 2022 My Visa Source – Canadian & US Immigration Lawyers. All rights reserved.
