Fiance K1 Visas Red Flags of Denial

Stop and think for a minute: if an average person was to review your fiance(e) K1 visa case and relationship, would he/she suspect you of fraud? What sticks out as odd?

In your Fiance(e) K1 Visa case, you may have/develop circumstances that shed doubt over your honesty. In other words, the legitimacy of your relationship (and reason for a k1 visa petition) can be questioned by the USCIS or DOS because of some “Red Flags”.

These Red Flags (common reasons for suspicion of visa fraud) require you to play devil’s advocate and realize how your K1 visa case is perceived. Based on your evidence, does your case look fraudulent? or genuine? All these things factored in can cause a denial.

Common Fiance(e) K1 visa Red Flags

The following list of Red Flags are typical reasons for Fiance(e) k1 visa denials (or at least heavy review).

• • 1. No Commonality. This is arguably the most obvious factor that raises questions in the consular’s mind. Do you two not share any ethnic, language, religious, cultural, social, financial, educational or recreational backgrounds? Big age difference? Does it seem believable that you two, from vastly different backgrounds, can come together due to love? Although it’s possible this is exactly what happened, it’s a big hurdle to overcome to prove your relationship. This is especially true for interracial couples. Read about no commonality as a Red Flag>>
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• • 2. Immigration history. If the non-U.S. Fiance(e) has previously been to the US or has applied for a visa under other categories, then this will unquestionably caution US immigration authorities. Is this another attempt at a visa? Besides seeming like visa fraud, did you violate US immigration laws in the past? Unlike other common Red Flags, violating immigration laws are much more difficult to disprove because of the documented evidence against you. Read about immigration history as Red Flags>>
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• • 3. Marriage history. Has the U.S. Fiance(e) filed for K1 visas in the past? were they approved? what were the outcomes? Why were there divorces? This leads the consular officer to believe there might be a sham marriage business. The same applies to the non-US fiance(e). Was he/she involved with other marriages overseas or scams? Were previous visas granted or denied? What about the timeline in which marriage/engagement or divorce happened? Did relationships exist while still married? Was there cheating involved?
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• • 4. Timeline and length of relationship. You should be aware of the timeline of your relationship in context with the Fiance K1 visa petition. Being in a short or quick engagement is usually not a good indication of a genuine relationship (although it’s true for many cases). This is particularly true if you file right your I-129F petition right after meeting. In addition, it’s also suspicious if you are recently divorced and gotten engaged. This leads to the question, did you relationship overlap while you were still married? Lot’s of Red flags here especially since there might be a deal involved in the marriage/engagement. Read how a quick K-1 relationship is filled with Red Flags>>
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• • 5. Lack of evidence of Relationship. While it’s easy to prepare a petition and have paperwork completed, did you adequately document that you’re a genuine couple? Your communications, your meetings, your future plans? Even legitimate K1 fiance visa partners are sometimes put to the stand to defend themselves if there’s a reason of suspicion. You should deliberately make sure your bona fide evidence is persuasive enough to overcome anything of concern. This means having enough evidence to backup your claims.
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• • 6. Contradictions. Does your story make sense and is coherent? do you make contradictory statements during the interview while your applications say something totally different? Being nervous is one thing, but being dishonest about the relationship is a major cause for denial (or refusal of visa). Contradictions in your story (or paperwork) leave big holes from which Consulars can analyze whether or not your case is real.

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• 7. Secretive Relationship. If it seems apparent that you two have no family, friends, or co-workers involvement, then there is a major question lingering over your intentions. Why haven’t you shared a major point of your life with your loved ones? Couples who are running a scam relationship won’t want others to know about it. So, to avoid giving this impression, make sure you document the involvement/excitement of your family, friends and co-workers. In fact, you can get affidavits from witnesses.

Red Flags can lead to K1 Visa denial

From the previous list, it’s understandable why you’ll be up against doubtful consulars with one or more Red Flags. If this is the case, it’s in your best interest (and obligation) to prove your trustworthiness.

In fact, denials of Fiance(e) K1 visa petitions don’t happen often. In another post, Fiance K1 visa statistics are presented about the pass/fail rate of denials for Fiance(e) k1 visa applications/interviews.  Passing for both I-129F and K1 visa interviews are upwards of 80% globally.

While it’s true some countries, seen as high-fraud rate, will be more critical of you evidence and petition. For the best chance of an approval, please check out the step-by-step tutorial on the K-1 visa — even if you have red flags.