Review and processing by USCIS is the first hurdle for a K1 Fiance Visa application to overcome. As of June 2024 here is how long the various USCIS service centers are taking to approve an I-129f K1 Fiance Visa application before forwarding it to the US State Department for the next and last hurdle.
To apply for your Fiance Visa, you first submit it to USCIS. USCIS processes the application and when they are done, USCIS forwards your case to the State Department for further processing and final interview at a US embassy or consulate in your partners home country.
The initial and currently slowest stage your case needs to pass through is processing and review by USCIS. USCIS stands for United States Citizenship and Immigration Service.
To submit your application you mail it to USCIS’s Dallas lockbox.
ALL cases are mailed to the same place, regardless of where you live, or which Service Center you would like to work on your case..
In Dallas mailroom clerks, sort all applications and decides where each should go. They are assigned to one of 5 possible processing centers scattered around the USA. The theory behind this is that the sorting clerks can “balance the load” between centers.
Sorry, you can’t choose your preferred destination. It is completely up to the clerks at Dallas.
Here are the expected timing for these five processing centers.
For each center I provide you with two time estimates The first is how long it takes for that center to complete processing on 80 percent of the cases it is assigned, and the second is the earliest date USCIS allows you to contact them to chase the progress of your case If it is still pending months after the majority have been completed.
As of June 2024:
At the California Service Center, I-129f, 80% of k1 fiance cases are taking 12.5 months Earliest time allowed to chase is 16 months after submission
At the Nebraska Service Center 80% are at 8 months earliest complaint at 13 months
At the Potomac Service Center 24 months and 29 months
At the Texas Service Center 16 months and 17 months
At the Vermont Service Center 14 months and 20 months
