IMMIGRANT VISA CATEGORIES

A fiancé(e) of a United States citizen who will travel to the United States to marry and take up indefinite residence after marriage. To qualify for a fiancé(e) visa, the following criteria must be meet: one party is a U.S. Citizen; both parties are legally free to marry; the marriage will take place within 90 days of the fiancé(e) entering the United States on the fiancé(e) visa.

Note: If the you will return to your permanent place of residence outside the United States after the marriage ceremony you should apply for a B-2 visa, or if eligible travel visa free under the Visa Waiver Program. If the marriage will take place outside the United States, you will require an immigrant visa to reside in the United States

Application Procedures: The first step in applying for a fiancé(e) visa is for the U.S. Citizen fiancé(e) (the petitioner) to file a petition on form I-129F with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office having jurisdiction over his/her place of residence in the U.S. Note: The petition must be filed with the USCIS in the U.S.; it cannot be filed with at the Embassy.

What happens to the approved petition? The approved petition is sent to the National Visa Center (NVC) in New Hampshire for additional processing before being forwarded to the Embassy or Consulate having jurisdiction over the fiancé(e) visa applicant's place of residence.

What is the role of the Embassy? This Embassy processes fiancé(e) visa applications for those resident in Japan other than Okinawa. If you reside outside Japan, you should contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate having jurisdiction over your place of residence for further information.

On receiving the visa applicant's file from the NVC, the Immigrant Visa Unit will notify him or her and request that they make an application for the visa. For more information please see the application portion of this website.

How long will the application take to process? The period of time it will take to process the application will vary with each individual's circumstances. When filing the petition, form I-129F, with the USCIS, your fiancé(e) should ask how long the petition will take to be processed.

Note: A petitioner may search for the status of a pending case online at the USCIS website.

Children: Children under the age of 21 are eligible to derive status from the fiancé(e) visa petition filed on behalf of their parent; their name(s) should be included in the petition. If the U.S. Citizen is the natural father of the child, the child may have claim to American citizenship and, therefore, may be eligible for a U.S. passport.

After Entering the US: You are required to marry within 90 day of your arrival. After the marriage, you are required to apply an adjustment of status from nonimmigrant to conditional resident with your local USCIS office. Conditional residence is granted for a two-year period. A petition must be filed with USCIS to have conditional status removed.

Employment: The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may grant permission for the fiancé(e) visa holder to take up employment in the U.S. before the marriage takes place. To obtain employment authorization you will need to file form I-765 with the USCIS Service Center which covers your place of residence in the U.S after your arrival there. Questions concerning employment should be directed to USCIS.