Apply for a U.S. Visa | Immigrant Visa Information - Vietnam (English)

Fiancé(e) Visas (K1 & K2)

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Overview

The fiancé(e) beneficiary K1:

The fiancé(e) K-1 visa is for the foreign-citizen fiancé(e) of a U.S. citizen.  The K-1 visa permits the foreign-citizen fiancé(e) to travel to the United States and marry his or her U.S. citizen sponsor within 90 days of arrival.  The foreign-citizen will then apply for adjustment of status to a lawful permanent resident (LPR) with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).  Because a fiancé(e) visa permits the holder to immigrate to the United States and marry a U.S. citizen shortly after arrival in the United States, the fiancé(e) must meet some of the requirements of an immigrant visa.  

The fiancé(e) derivative K2:

If a child of the fiancé(e) wishes to accompany the fiancé(e) to the United States, he/she needs to attend the same visa interview as the fiancé(e) and apply for a K-2 visa.  He/she must follow all of the same procedures as the application for a K-1 visa, including paying a visa application processing fee, preparing for all required documents and attending a visa interview.  Please note that the derivative child may be issued a K-2 visa within one year from the date of issuance of the K-1 visa to the parent. The derivative child of the fiancé(e) is not covered under the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA). Therefore, if he/she turns 21, he/she is not eligible to immigrate to the United States and should not schedule an interview appointment.

The U.S. citizen sponsor must file Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e), with the USCIS.  Form I-129F cannot be filed at a U.S. Embassy, Consulate, or USCIS office abroad. Further information is available on the USCIS website under Fiancé(e) Visas

After USCIS approves the petition, it is sent to the National Visa Center (NVC) for further processing. Then, the NVC will send it to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate where your fiancé(e) will apply for a K-1 visa.

Note:

  • The I-129F petition is valid for four months from the date of approval from USCIS. The validity of the I-129F petition will not affect your eligibility for a K1 visa because the validity is routinely extended by consular officers to ensure that applicants have sufficient time to complete the processing of their case.
  • A child born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent may acquire U.S. citizenship at birth if certain statutory requirements are met.  For further information, please visit the website the U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Vietnam at: https://vn.usembassy.gov/request-a-consular-report-of-birth-abroad-ecrba/ 

Create USTravelDocs Account and Register Delivery Address

After receiving the notification letter from the National Visa Center (NVC) which tells you that the NVC will forward the petition to our office, please immediately follow the step-by-step instructions below to create your USTravelDocs Account and register your delivery address. The Consulate needs this information in order to deliver the Instruction Package Letter (PKT3-K) as well as other documents to you.

As part of this process, you will be asked to provide your valid DS-160 barcode number. Therefore, please make sure you visit: https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/ and follow the directions on the website to complete your Form DS-160. After having submitted the DS-160 successfully, please print out the DS-160 confirmation page, which includes the DS-160 barcode number, for future use.

Step 1 – Create an account at: http://bit.ly/visa-account. If you already have an account, move to Step 2.

Step 2 – Log in to your account at: http://bit.ly/us-login.

Step 3 – After logging in, you will be taken to a Dashboard, please look at the left of the Dashboard, click on “New Application / Schedule Appointment”, and follow the instructions below:

  1. Choose “Immigrant Visa”, then click “Continue”.
  2. Choose “K1 Visas – Appointment Scheduling/Rescheduling and Fee payment”, then click “Continue”.
  3. Select “K1 – Fiance or Fiancee of U.S. Citizen”, then click “Continue”.
  4. Fill in all the required fields, then click “Continue”.  Please make sure the First Name field includes both your first name and given name.  For example, if your full name is Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, please enter “Thi Thu Trang” in the First Name field and “Nguyen” in the Last Name field.  Please also make sure you enter your most updated Passport Number and please do not forget to provide your phone numbers.  These fields are very important.
  5. If you have unmarried children under 21 years old and wish for them to immigrate with you, you will be able to add them as dependents, then click “Continue”.
  6. Select your preferred delivery option, then click “Continue”.

YOU HAVE NOW COMPLETED REGISTERING YOUR DELIVERY ADDRESS. Please STOP HERE!  Log out of the system and do not take any further action. Your Instruction Package Letter (PKT3–K) will be delivered to you at the registered address. You can continue further steps after receiving the Instruction Package Letter (PKT3–K) from the Consulate

IMPORTANT NOTICES:

  • Please do not attempt to pay your K visa fee or schedule your K visa appointment at this stage. You should now wait until receiving the Instruction Package Letter (PKT3–K) from the U.S. Consulate.
  • While waiting for the Instruction Package Letter (PKT3–K), you may begin preparing some of the documents (except the Medical Examinattion Report) required for your interview, if circumstances allow. These required documents are listed at: https://vn.usembassy.gov/required-documents/.
  • If it has been four (4) weeks since the date you received notification from the NVC that they sent your petition to the U.S. Consulate, please submit an inquiry at: https://vn.usembassy.gov/immigrant-visa-inquiry-form/ to check the status of your case. When you submit your inquiry, please also include your most updated mailing address and phone number(s).

Receive and Follow instructions from the U.S. Consulate

In Vietnam, fiancé(e) visa applicants can only apply for a K-1 visa at the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. Once the U.S. Consulate receives the approved petition from the NVC, the Immigrant Visa Unit will send the Instruction Package Letter (PKT3 – K) with specific instructions on preparing for the processing of your K-1 application.  If you do not receive the instructions from the U.S Consulate within four (4) weeks of the NVC notification about the transfer of your case to Ho Chi Minh City, you should send an online inquiry about the status of your case directly to the Consular Section in Ho Chi Minh City at: https://vn.usembassy.gov/immigrant-visa-inquiry-form/

The Instruction Package Letter (PKT3 – K) will instruct you on how to complete Form DS-160 and schedule an appointment.  

Scheduling an appointment online

Please do NOT schedule your interview date until you have received the Instruction Package Letter (PKT3 – K) from the U.S. Consulate.  The Instruction Package Letter (PKT3 – K) will instruct you on how to complete Form DS-160(s) and schedule an appointment.

If you have received the Instruction Package Letter (PKT3 – K) from the U.S. Consulate, please follow the step-by-step instructions below to schedule an appointment: 

Step 1 – Log in to your account at: http://bit.ly/us-login.

Step 2 – After logging in, you will be taken to the Dashboard, please look at the left of the Dashboard, click on “New Application / Schedule Appointment”, and follow the instructions below:

  1. Choose “Immigrant Visa”, then click “Continue”.
  2. Choose “K1 Visas – Appointment Scheduling/Rescheduling and Fee payment”, then click “Continue”.
  3. Select “K1 – Fiance or Fiancee of U.S. Citizen”, then click “Continue”.
  4. Fill in all the required fields, then click “Continue”. Please make sure the First Name field includes both your first name and given name.  For example, if your full name is Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, please enter “Thi Thu Trang” in the First Name field and “Nguyen” in the Last Name field.  Please also make sure you enter your most updated Passport Number and please do not forget to provide your phone numbers.  These fields are very important.
  5. If you have children and wish for them to immigrate with you, you will be able to add them as dependents, then click “Continue”.
  6. Select your preferred delivery option, then click “Continue”.
  7. On the “Payment Options” window, click on “Cash Payment” and print out the “Cash Deposit Instructions”.

Step 3 – After making your payment by following the “Cash Deposit Instructions”, the cashier will give you the receipt(s).  You will need the receipt number(s) to schedule your appointment.  On the next business day, after 12 p.m., please log back to your USTravelDocs account.  You will be taken to the Dashboard, please look at the left of the Dashboard, click on “Continue” and follow the instructions below:

  1. Again, select your preferred delivery option, then click “Continue”.
  2. Select “Close” to close the pop-up “Payment Option” window. You will be able to enter the Receipt Number for each applicant in your case.  Once done, please click “Continue”.
  3. Choose your preferred date from the calendar, then click “Schedule Appointment”. If there are currently no appointments available, please go back to the scheduling system at a later time. Our office typically schedules additional appointment slots on a rolling basis depending on the demand for appointments. Therefore, we recommend you check the appointment system periodically for availability.
  4. Click on “Printable Version” and print out the Appointment Confirmation Page.

After you have successfully scheduled an appointment, please make sure you DO NOT submit any additional documents to our office by postal mail. Otherwise, your appointment may be cancelled by the system.

 Notes:

  • Even though the Fiancé(e) K-1 visa is a nonimmigrant visa, your application will be processed as an immigrant visa. Please be sure to select “Immigrant Visa” when scheduling your interview appointment online.
  • You must enter a valid DS-160 confirmation number for your visa application. Your visa application will be processed based on this DS160 confirmation number. Failure to provide a valid number may result in denial of your visa application and/or cancellation of your visa interview appointment. The information in your DS-160 application must be valid and accurate to the best of your knowledge. If you complete a new DS-160 application after scheduling an appointment online, please remember to log into your ustraveldocs account, update the new DS-160 barcode number on your appointment, and print out a new Appointment Confirmation Sheet. 
  • If you have any inquiries or need assistance regarding creating an account, paying visa application fee and scheduling appointments online, you can contact our Call Center at 19006444 if calling in Vietnam or +1-703-665-7350 if calling from the United States or by email at: support-vietnam@ustraveldocs.com.
  • For case-specific questions, please submit an inquiry at: https://vn.usembassy.gov/immigrant-visa-inquiry-form/

Prepare for the Visa Interview

After you have scheduled an appointment online and have an Appointment Confirmation Sheet, please follow the instructions on the Appointment Confirmation Sheet to undergo a medical examination and prepare the required documents for your interview. Please make sure you come to your interview with an Appointment Confirmation Sheet bearing the valid and most up-to-date DS-160 barcode number and other required documents.

Attention: You should not make any final travel arrangements until you receive your passport containing a K-1 visa.  There is no guarantee that a visa will be issued at the time of the interview.

Rescheduling or cancelling your interview appointment

If you are unable to attend your appointment, you can reschedule or cancel your appointment online. Please log in your account here. On the home page, select “Reschedule Appointment” or “Cancel Appointment” on the left of the screen.

Please note that the fiancé(e) visa application processing fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.  However, the receipt is valid for one year from the date of payment.  Applicants can use this receipt to reschedule their interview appointment while the receipt is valid, but must attend a visa interview within one year of the fee payment.  After one year, the fee payment will expire and applicants must pay the fee again.

More information

For more information about K-1 visa, please visit the websites of the Department of State or the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Vietnam. If you have any further questions, you can submit your inquiry via inquiry form on our website at: https://vn.usembassy.gov/immigrant-visa-inquiry-form/