U.S. Embassy in Pristina to accept K1 fiancé(e) visa applications for residents of Kosovo, 28 August 2017
The U.S. Embassy in Pristina is pleased to announce that beginning in August 2017, it will accept K1 fiancé(e) visa applications for residents of Kosovo. Previously, visa applicants intending to marry an U.S. citizen fiancé(e) and immigrate to the United States applied for K1 visas at the U.S. Embassy in Skopje, Macedonia. Because the U.S. Embassy in Pristina seeks to provide high levels of customer service to Kosovar visa applicants and recognizes the difficulty of traveling to Skopje, it has decided to expand the visa services offered in Pristina.
The fiancé(e) K-1 nonimmigrant 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 permanent resident (LPR) with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Because a fiancé(e) visa permits the holder to immigrate to the U.S. 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. Eligible children of K-1 visa applicants receive K-2 visas.
U.S. citizen fiancé(e)s begin the process by filing a I-129F petition with USCIS. Once the petition is approved, the case is sent to the U.S. Embassy in Pristina for processing. The Consular Section will contact those individuals with approved I-129F petitions via e-mail and provide them with an appointment date and further application instructions.
All applicants will be interviewed by a consular official and have the opportunity to demonstrate their qualifications for the visa at that time. In most cases, approved visas may be picked up at the Embassy two working days after the interview.
The U.S. Embassy in Pristina looks forward to offering additional visa services in the coming year. Please follow the Embassy on Facebook for news and updates. Questions may be sent to PristinaVisas@state.gov.
Important Points
- Applicants should arrive no more than 15 minutes before the time of their interview. Large bags, laptops or weapons are prohibited at the Embassy. To facilitate security screening, applicants should consider leaving electronic devices at home.
- U.S. citizen petitioners may accompany their K1 visa applicant fiancé(e)s to the interview if they wish, although their presence is not required.
- More information on the K1 visa process may be found on the Embassy website here: https://xk.usembassy.gov/visas/fiancee-visa/
