Fiancé Visas:
K-1 Visas |
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| Privileges: |
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You may come to the U.S. to marry a U.S. citizen |
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You may apply for permission to work immediately upon arriving to the U.S. |
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If your U.S. – citizen fiancé is unable to travel to your home country to marry you, the K-1 visa may be the only solution |
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Your unmarried children under age 21 may come with you as accompanying relatives |
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You can use the K-1 visa to enter the U.S. more than once |
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| Limitations: |
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You must marry your U.S. – citizen petitioner within 90 days after you enter the U.S. |
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You must still apply for a green card after you get married if you want to stay in the U.S. |
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A K-1 visa only last 90 days. It cannot be extended beyond that period under any circumstances |
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If you fail to get married within the 90 day period, you may be forced to leave the U.S. |
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Business and Tourist Visas:
B-1 and B-2 Visas |
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| Privileges: |
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You can come to the U.S. on a B-2 visa as a tourist visitor or on a B-1 visa as a business visitor. Often, B-1 and B-2 visas are issued together to allow flexibility on your U.S. visits. |
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B-1 and B-2 visas can be issued quickly in most countries |
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B-2 visitor’s visas are sometimes issued for an indefinite period without an expiration date, meaning that one visitor’s visa may last a lifetime |
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Your unmarried children under age 21 may come with you as accompanying relatives |
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You can use the K-1 visa to enter the U.S. more than once |
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| Limitations: |
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You may note be employed or operate your own business in the U.S. on a B-1 or B-2 visitor’s visa |
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Although you may make any number of trips into the U.S. on a visitor’s visa, the length of each visit is normally limited to between 30 days and six months. After that, you must either leave or apply for an extension of your stay. |
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You may not legally use your visitor’s visa to live permanently in the U.S. |
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| Getting a Green Card Through Relatives |
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| Privileges: |
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You may live anywhere in the U.S. and stay as long as you want |
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You may work at any job, for any company, anywhere in the U.S., or not work at all |
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You may travel in and out of the U.S. whenever you wish |
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You may apply to become a U.S. citizen after you have held your green card for a certain length of time |
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In some types of cases, your spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21 may also be eligible for green cards as accompanying relatives |
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| Limitations: |
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Your place of actual residence must be in the U.S. You cannot use a green card just for work and travel purposes, unless you are a “commuter” |
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You must pay taxes on your worldwide income |
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You cannot remain outside the U.S. for more than one year at a time without special permission or you risk losing your green card. |
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If you violate certain immigration or criminal laws, your green card can be taken away and you can be deported |
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