U.S. citizens can bring their foreign national fiancé(e)s to the U.S. and get married here. To do so, they need to sponsor the fiancé(e) for a K-1 fiancé(e) visa. This visa will allow the fiancé(e) to remain the U.S. for a 90 day period, during which he or she needs to get married to the sponsoring U.S. citizen. If they fail to get married within 90 days, the foreign fiancé(e) will not be able to remain in the U.S.
Here is the story of Danny Frieshmuth and Amy Africa who are trying to make their relationship work. Danny brought Amy to the U.S. by getting her a fiancé(e) visa. They now have 90 days to get married. If they do not get married within the 90 day period, Amy will have to return to South Africa, her home country.
Amy and Danny met in Sydney, Australia while they were studying there at a bible college. Danny proposed to Amy when they completed their course. They maintained their long distance relationship though Danny’s father was against their interracial dating. Danny’s father is someone who doesn’t agree with interracial couples. However, Amy wants to be accepted by Danny’s father and the two of them are sure about getting married. Amy left South Africa and moved to a suburb near Philadelphia and is now living with her boyfriend, Danny.
Danny and Amy are one of the six couples featured on the reality show “90 Day Fiancé” on TLC. The six couples featured on the show are made up of Americans who brought their fiancé(e)s on K-1 visas to the U.S. TLC pays the U.S. partners appearing on this show an appearance fee.
Another couple, Cassia Tavares and Jason Hitch featured on this program, met on Facebook. Initially they relied on social media to communicate with each other and never met in person. It took six months for Tavares to convince Hitch. It was only after that that Hitch traveled to Brazil to meet Tavares for the first time. Later on Hitch agreed to apply for a K-1 visa for Tavares. Tavares, who is from Brazil, is now living with her fiancé Hitch in Florida.
Hitch has all the documents ready to establish that there is a genuine relationship between him and Tavares. Similarly, Amy and Danny have pictures and Facebook messages they sent each other to prove to the immigration officials that their relationship is bonafide.
Getting a K-1 visa for a foreign fiancé(e) is not easy; it involves submitting paperwork, appearing for interviews and paying fees. Danny has spent around $3000 to get Amy a fiancé(e) visa. He stated that he did not have money to hire an immigration attorney and so he managed to collect the required documents and filed the application himself.
These couples can live together in the U.S. after they get married. However, even after they get married they will need to prove that their marriage is bonafide and that they were not married for immigration purposes. The reality show “90 Day Fiancé” also features four other couples. This show is all about how U.S. citizens in love with foreign nationals bring them to the U.S., get married and make their relationships work.
Here are few resources on K-1 fiancé(e) visas for our readers who are looking to bring their foreign national fiancé(e)s to the U.S.
Things to Know About a K-1 Fiancé Visa
K 1 Fiancee Visas: What to Expect when Marrying a US Citizen
Understanding the fiancée visa