k3/k4

Step 1
A U.S. citizen must first file with the relevant U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office an immigrant visa petition for his or her spouse, using form I-130. The petitioner should subsequently file an I-129F petition with USCIS.  Note: I-129F petitions CANNOT be filed overseas.

Step 2
The approved I-129F will be forwarded to the National Visa Center (NVC) and then to U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou.  Note that visa petitions typically take 3-4 months to arrive at the Consulate after being sent by NVC; this is largely due to unavoidable delays in Chinese customs resulting from a bilateral treaty with China limiting the movement of official documents into the country.

Step 3
When the Consulate receives the approved petition, it will send your spouse/child beneficiary an instruction packet (known as Packet 3). Since it can often take a long time to adjust from K3 to IR1/CR1 status in the United States, beneficiaries will usually opt to pursue their IR1/CR1 petition instead of their K3 petition when the former has arrived at the Consulate by the time of the interview.

Note: If there is any change in your spouse’s address, please inform NVC (or the Consulate, if NVC has already sent the case on) immediately to ensure that you do not miss out on receiving important information.

Step 4
Upon receiving the completed Packet 3 forms, the Consulate will schedule an interview for the beneficiary. Interviews are typically scheduled for a date within 2 to 4 months of receipt of the forms.