So you met yourself a girl (or guy) online and have been carrying on an online relationship for a while now. You are now engaged. The main problem for you is that she (or he) is in a foreign country and long distance won't work forever. If you haven't discovered it yet, you'll need to meet your fiance in person if you want to qualify for the K-1 visa. You won't qualify if you haven't met face to face, and can prove it (with things like photos together, plane tickets, receipts, etc.). There is a minute chance you could get a waiver to avoid meeting them in person, but you're better off buying a lotto ticket, and RapidVisa doesn't handle those cases. If your fiance is from a country that's not a visa waiver country, the chances are very low that they'd qualify for a tourist visa. So the most likely action you'll have to take is to travel to her country to meet her.
Does this animation resonate with you?
Go prepared.
First, get familiar with your fiance's country. There are tons of online resources and communities filled with people who have been through exactly what you're going through. It's irresponsible to not do your due diligence with all the information out there in 2015.
What to Bring With You on Your Trip
We don't need to go into travel items like hotels, travel tips and flights. But in relation to preparing for your fiance visa, there aren't a ton of things you need to bring.
Pictures of your family Gifts for your foreign fiance and their family
Keep in mind, if you are going over to marry your fiance and apply for a spousal visa, the list would be different. This post assumes you are going over to meet, then coming back to the US during the duration of your fiance's visa application process, until they get the visa and travel to the US.
During your trip, keep these in mind:
Once you're in the country, being a little intentional about some of these items can make both of your lives easier during the visa application process.
Get photos of you with your fiance, and annotate the dates.
Get photos of you with your fiance's family and annotate the dates.
Keep receipts during your trip, such as hotels, restaurants and anything else that can act as evidence of meeting the 2 year in-person meeting requirement.
Get to know your fiance and their family well.
Save your plane tickets/boarding passes and bring them back with you.
The most important thing to focus on is your relationship. Don't let the minutia of the impending visa application process add too much stress to your situation, as planning a wedding is enough stress already.
Bon Voyage!
If you have any questions about the process, give us a call at 1 (800) 872-1458.
