For K1 Visas, how long is the process in 2021?
The thing about guessing visa time frames is that we are always predicting. We can only say what’s happening currently for different clients and look at the known variables looking forward from here and make our estimates based on that.
As far as what we’re currently seeing for I129-F petitions, a lot of people are waiting for 8-12 months to get through the petition phase which is insanely mind-blowing compared to the time when it could take someone two and a half months from the very first step ’til they step foot in the United States to complete the process.
The process itself is not that bad. It’s the government wait time at each step that is adding up. Right now, we’re seeing extra long petition times. We’re seeing delays from the National Visa Center not wanting to pass the cases on because the consulates aren’t interviewing at the same rate they were or they got backlogs due to COVID. There’s a whole lot of uncertainty.
Psychologically, you need to prepare yourself for a wait of at least a year and a half. If you’re starting now, that’s the trajectory that we’re on. In some countries with large volumes of visa applications, it’s likely going to be longer than that likely.
The good thing is that the Biden administration is researching and has a task force currently trying to figure out what are all the main problems with the legal immigration system. These huge and unreasonable wait times are one of the biggest problems. We are hopeful that they will find a way to tackle that.
That being said, we always want you to be going into your K1 Visa or any visa process prepared for it to take a long time. Psychologically fortifying yourself, doing whatever you have to do to take of yourselves and your relationship. Plan out some trips to visit each other or at least have good communication. Do things to keep your relationship going and strong while facing that type of obstacle.
Hopefully, it’s not as bad as we think it’s going to be. We would rather you be super prepared for it to be a long haul than to promise a few months.