Overview
Fiancé (K) visas are issued to non-U.S. citizens for the purpose of traveling to the U.S. to marry a U.S. citizen. A K visa will allow a Canadian citizen (or citizens of other countries with status in Canada) to remain in the U.S. and apply for permanent resident status following the marriage. General information on fiancé visas and starting the process can be found on travel.state.gov.
K visas are issued in Canada at the U.S. Consulate General in Montreal. K-3 visas are no longer being processed in Canada. Please select one of the following list to find more specific information on the processing of fiancé visas in Canada and visit our information center:
Follow the list below for a step-by-step guide to the fiancé visa process in Canada.
- Step 1: File a petition (I-129F) with USCIS.
- Step 2: Once the petition has been received from USCIS at the National Visa Center, you will be notified. Once the National Visa Center sends the case to U.S. Consulate General Montreal, the Visa Unit will send you scheduling and appointment preparation instructions via email (Packet 3).
- Step 3: Prepare for and schedule the Medical Examination.
- Step 4: Schedule an appointment.
- Step 5: Prepare for and attend the interview.
- Step 6: Understand the Visa Approval / Refusal process.
- Step 7: Receive your Visa.
During the entire visa application and interview process, you must tell the truth and give complete and accurate information. If you do not, your visa will be delayed or you may be found ineligible for a visa.
Scheduling an Appointment
Most immigrant Visa applicants are scheduled for their interview by the National Visa Center (NVC). Please attend the NVC-scheduled appointment in order to avoid delays in processing your case.
If you have previously been scheduled by NVC and could not attend your interview, please click here to reschedule your interview.
Appointment Checklist
Appointment Date: ______________
Appointment Time: ______________
Please prepare all the necessary forms and documents before coming to the interview.
Make sure you have the original and a copy of the supporting documents you want to submit during your interview.
To prevent unnecessary delays during your interview, please arrange your documents in the following order:
- Valid passport and photocopy of the biographic page
- Ticket with your number (will be given at the Consulate)
- Medical Examination in a sealed envelope (X-ray is not required, unless there is TB)
- 2 color passport-size pictures
- Confirmation page of the electronic form DS-160
- Statement of intent to marry from the U.S. petitioner (signed within last 30 days)
- Birth Certificate, English translation and a photocopy
- Marriage Certificate, English translation and a photocopy
- Divorce Certificate, English translation and a photocopy
- Custody documents, English translation and photocopy
- Police Certificates from Canada and other countries of previous residence
- Court / Criminal records and photocopy
- Military records and photocopy
- Evidence of Support (I-864, I-864A, I-864EZ, I-864W) and photocopy of IRS transcript or photocopy of the most recent Federal income tax return
- Copy of the U.S. petitioner status in the USA
- Copies of documents proving petitioner’s U.S. domicile
We take fraud seriously. If it is discovered that you have provided false information or documents, you may be found ineligible for a visa.
General Information
The fiancé(e) visa is valid for 180 days and allows you only one (1) entry into the United States. In very exceptional cases only, we will be able to issue another visa if you do not enter the United States before the expiration date. Please contact us through our public inquiry form to know how to proceed. Upon entry, you have ninety (90) days to get married. After your marriage you and your spouse must contact the closest USCIS office to adjust your status from fiancé(e) to spouse of an American citizen. Please visit the USCIS website for contacts and additional information.
Immigration law delegates the responsibility for issuance or refusal of visas to consular officers overseas. They have the final say on all visa cases. By regulation the U.S. Department of State has authority to review consular decisions, but this authority is limited to the interpretation of law, as opposed to the determination of facts. An applicant can influence the post to change a prior visa denial only through the presentation of new convincing evidence leading to a different determination of facts.
If your visa is approved, it will be placed in your passport and mailed to you together with a sealed IV packet envelope (do not open this envelope yourself). There is no pick-up at the Consulate and no same day service. All passport delivery is conducted through the DHL/Loomis courier service. Please consult the U.S. Visa Service website and follow instructions for an “IV Applicant Needing to Register for Courier”.
Ensure that you have provided a valid email address when registering. DHL/Loomis will notify you via email when they have picked up your passport and visa packet from the Consulate, and you can track the delivery progress on-line. The Consulate is not responsible for losses or damages that may occur to the correspondence, and cannot track packages once they are submitted to DHL/Loomis.
All applicants must register separately to receive their own passports with the visa and the IV packet. Each applicant’s documents are sent separately; each family member, for example, will receive his/her own passport and IV packet in a separate envelope. Passports and additional documents will be returned to applicants in sealed envelopes via the courier service approximately 5-10 working days after the Consular Officer approves the immigrant visa application. Along with the passport, you will receive a manila envelope which contains all the documents that you submitted in your visa interview.
Please do not make firm travel plans, such as buying a ticket or scheduling events, until you have your visa and IV packet in hand.The Consulate General will make every effort to process your visa promptly. However, we cannot guarantee issuance or delivery by a specific date, and cannot be responsible for any costs you may incur.
After You Receive Your Visa
You will receive your visa and a sealed packet by DHL/Loomis courier service. Your visa will be affixed inside your passport. You must carefully read the information contained both on the visa itself and in the cover letter stapled to the sealed envelope and ensure the information is correct. If it is not, contact the U.S. Consulate General in Montreal immediately.
DO NOT OPEN THE SEALED PACKET. YOU MUST CARRY IT UNOPENED TO AN IMMIGRATION OFFICER AT A PORT OF ENTRY.
Please note the expiration date on your immigrant visa. You must enter the United States within the timeframe specified on the visa to obtain a legal permanent resident (LPR) or “green” card (Form I-151 or I-551) that will allow you to live and work in the United States.
At the port of entry, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official will stamp your passport and make a notation that you are registered for an LPR card. You will have an opportunity at the port of entry to confirm the mailing address where you would like to receive your LPR card.
It may take several months for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to process and send the LPR card to you. In the interim, the passport stamp, valid for one year, permits employment and travel as you await your LPR card. You may depart and return to the U.S. before you receive your LPR card, as long as the stamp in your passport has not expired. Should the stamp expire before you have received your LPR card, you should contact USCIS in the U.S. prior to departure to obtain permission to return to the United States.
Validity Period
In general, the immigrant visa is valid for the same validity as your medical exam. You must enter the United States before the expiration date indicated on the visa. Only in exceptional cases will we be able to issue another visa if you do not enter the United States before the expiration date.
Note: If for any reason you are unable to use your visa, you are requested to return it to this office. Should you desire to reapply for an immigrant visa, every possible consideration will be given to granting you the benefit of your original priority date on the waiting list.
Entering the U.S. With Your Immigrant Visa
You may open the plastic DHL/Loomis envelope, but do not open the sealed IV packet in the manila envelope. You must hand-carry this unopened packet when you travel to the United States. The only person who has the authority to open the envelope is the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at your first port of entry into the United States. Upon opening your documents, the CBP officer will conduct an independent review before admitting you into the United States. This normally requires you to be directed to a separate area. This process can take some time to complete, depending on the volume of traffic at the port of entry that day. Please plan accordingly when booking or choose less time-sensitive means of transportation to your final destination (e.g., ground transportation).
The dependents of a “Preference” Immigrant Visa or a K visa may accompany the principal beneficiary, or enter the U.S. after the principal beneficiary has already entered, but never before the principal beneficiary. You are a “dependent” if you did not have a separate IV case number file (the “MTL number”), and are together on the same petition.
At your first port of entry in the United States, the CBP officer will retain your visa package and will place an ADIT (admission) stamp into your passport. The CBP officer can answer questions about when and how you will receive your green card. Until you receive your green card, your ADIT stamp is your proof of legal residency in the United States, allowing you to immediately live, work and study in the country. USCIS office will mail your physical green card to the address that you provided in the Sworn Statement (form DS 230-I, box 11).
Please visit the USCIS website for complete information on responsibilities, requirements and resources for entry to and after you have been admitted to the United States with an immigrant visa.
Please click here for detailed information on orphan adoption visas.
Further Inquiries
For questions about the return of your visa packet, please contact the Visa Information Service.
For questions or issues arising after you have received your visa packet, but before you travel to the United States, e.g., there is a mistake on the visa, or you will not be able to travel as planned, please contact the U.S. Consulate General Montreal.
For questions after you enter the U.S. with your immigrant visa, please visit the USCIS website.
Visa Refusal
Immigration law delegates the responsibility for issuance or refusal of visas to consular officers overseas. They have the final say on all visa cases. By regulation the U.S. Department of State has authority to review consular decisions, but this authority is limited to the interpretation of law, as opposed to the determination of facts. An applicant can influence the post to change a prior visa denial only through the presentation of new convincing evidence leading to a different determination of facts.
When a visa application is refused, the Consular Officer will provide the applicant a refusal letter that indicates the section of U.S. immigration law under which the refusal is made, and options available to the applicant. Information on visa ineligibilities and waivers of ineligibility is available at the State Department website.
Pending Documentation
If you receive notice that you have been refused under Section 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, it does not mean that the visa has been refused permanently; it means that more information is required before a final decision can be made regarding a case. Applications may be refused under Section 221(g) if required documentation is missing or has expired, or if the applicant has not provided sufficient proof of a qualifying relationship, for example.
In the refusal letter, the consular officer will indicate additional information required to complete the visa application. You have one year from the date of the refusal to submit the information, and no further action can be taken on your application until you provide this information. You may send requested information to the U.S. Consulate General in Montreal using courier services that are offered at no extra cost for the applicant. Please visit the U.S. Visa Service website and follow instructions to “Register Your Appointment” and for “Visa Document Courier Services“.
Administrative Processing
Some visa applications require further administrative processing after the visa applicant’s interview by a Consular Officer. Applicants are advised of this requirement when they apply. When administrative processing is required, the timing will vary based on individual circumstances of each case. Visa applicants are reminded to apply early for their visa, well in advance of the anticipated travel date.
Important Notice: Before inquiring about status of administrative processing, applicants or their representatives must wait at least 180 days from the date of interview or submission of supplemental documents, whichever is later.
Throughout the entire visa application and interview process you must tell the truth and give complete and accurate information. If you do not, your visa processing will be delayed or you may be found ineligible to enter the United States.
