U.S. Immigration law allows two methods for U.S. citizens to bring future spouses to the United States: the K-1 Fiance Visa and the Alien-Spouse Immigrant Visa. The K-1 Visa generally takes less time to process than the Alien-Spouse Visa. The Alien-Spouse Visa, however, is a proven path toward lawful permanent residency for your spouse.

Steps

If the marriage takes place abroad, an I-130 petition should be filed after the marriage. This petition should be filed either with INS in the United States, or at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad.

Documents

Please contact INS or the appropriate foreign service post for details about what specific documents you will need to file an immigrant petition for a new spouse. For more information, read our section on Family-Based Immigration.