How Hard Is It to Get a K-1 Visa? Avoid Denial with Preparation

Reviewed and Updated On May 28, 2025, Author: Heather Young, M. Ed.

While historic fraudulent marriages between a United States citizen and a foreign national have made it increasingly difficult for future applicants to obtain a K-1 fiancé visa, it is not impossible. The objectives for each applying couple are simple:

Provide evidence they are establishing a life and marriage together
Meet all of the K-1 visa required criteria and attend the K-1 visa interviews
Adhere to the K-1 visa application time frames and observe all other related, but strict deadlines
Provide adequate records of a bonafide relationship or engagement and you truely intend to marry

Ultimately, it is up to the applicants to decide how difficult getting a K-1 visa for the foreign national will be. Even though there are many supporting documents required for obtaining a K-1 visa, if all requirements are proven and/or satisfied, the process itself will be simple. When a marriage is one of good faith, proving the union as such will not be as difficult as it may seem.

The difficulty lies where the applicants must backtrack to retrace steps, milestones and records from within their relationship – and then compile it all into a neat package to present to the interviewing officer.

To ensure your K-1 visa application gets processed properly and potentially serious mistakes are avoided, it is advised to work with an immigration lawyer. Contact an attorney here at Shoreline Immigration office today.

Are K-1 Visas Often Denied?

The K-1 visa status is a high-risk category, based primarily on fraudulent cases. The K-1 visa is considered a high-fraud-risk category; in fact, around 24% of K-1 fiancé petitions were denied by USCIS in 2023. Many others face hurdles or delays during the consular process. In other words, roughly one in four applications doesn’t make it to approval, underlining how closely each case is examined.

It is the consular officer’s due diligence to scrutinize all applications, relevant documentation, supporting evidence, and all responses given to him or her during the interviews. They are, after all, trained in great measure to recognize fraudulent applications and marriages.

If you were approved for a K-1 Visa and have already gotten married, you may ask yourself what happens to a K-1 Visa After Marriage? However, if you are still working to get your K-1 visa approved, this post will cover common reasons why K-1 visas are rejected or denied.

K-1 Visa Rejection vs Denial

Though these terms seem synonymous, according to immigration law they differ greatly. K-1 visa applications are processed in this sequence:

Stage one – The K-1 visa petition is looked over by the evaluating officer to ensure all of pertinent information present, necessary documents have been filed and the fees are correct. If the K-1 visa petition fails in this stage, it will most likely be rejected. If it passes, then it will be moved to the next step.
Stage two – After information is gathered from the petition and through the interview, the officer will determine if the foreign national is eligible for a K-1 visa. If the K-1 visa petition fails in stage, it will be denied.

Preventing a K-1 Visa Denial

The main rule here can be condensed into two words – preparedness and authenticity. One is not sufficient without the other. There are many reasons a K-1 visa application can be denied, and should be kept in mind when determining whether a K-1 visa is right for the inquiring couple.

K-1 visa application can be denied by a consular officer as a consequence of the following:

Insufficient evidence of a true, bonafide relationship
A relationship seemingly kept in secret
Not having met in person at least one time in the two years before filing for the petition
No concrete plans to get married within 90 days of the K-1 visa holder’s arrival to the U.S., such as no proof of wedding invitations, receipts, wedding venue reservations, etc.
Inability to provide evidence of a true relationship, either in the application or during the interview
Discrepancies in publicly available sites, such as social media, where recent pictures are of the fiancé or fiancé vacationing with another man or another woman
Showing a lack of commitment by either person
An otherwise suspicious relationship
Insufficient income by the sponsoring future spouse and their children – when applicable
Inability to pay K-1 visa processing fees
Only having a brief courting period before filing a K-1 petition – common situations include mail-order groom or bride, or prompt proposals after just one visit
The ineligibility of one or both parties to get married
Fraudulent applications from either or both of the applicants
Previous K-1 visa applications or receipt of a previous K-1 visa
Have certain medical conditions
Having a criminal record
Failure to provide information about previous criminal convictions
Making inconsistent statements in the application and or interview
Inability to give reliable responses to the interviewing consular officer
Missing any USCIS appointments, interviews or deadlines
Language barrier issues (If the couple cannot communicate in a common language) may raise doubt about the genuineness of the relationship
Couples who share no common language, have culture differences, or religion differences may face added scrutiny (although this is not a ground for denial by itself)

Couples who have any of the conditions listed above are not necessarily subject to an automatic K-1 visa denial. They should keep in mind it typically raises suspicions when two people are in a relationship who do not have very many commonalities. Simply put, the couple must be more diligent when detailing proof of their bonafide union.

Other patterns potentially deemed as suspicious by the consular officer include:

Having a substantial age difference:
- The male U.S. citizen is 10-15+ years older than his fiancé
- The female U.S. citizen is 3-4+ years older than her fiancé
The U.S. citizen does not travel to visit his fiancé – after the couple submits their K-1 visa application
Discontinued communication between the couple after they submit their petition
If the U.S. citizen has a criminal past or is serial petitioner of a K-1 visa, the officer may deny the application out of interest in protecting the applicant from the U.S. citizen
The amount of time the foreign national has spent in the United States
The foreigner’s former husband or wife now lives in the United States
A questionable visa background of the fiancé
If the first meeting between the two was arranged by an agency or any other third party
If the petitioner is a friend of the foreign national fiancé’s family, this can often times be viewed by interviewing officers as suspicious:
- As though the U.S. citizen has petitioned for a K-1 visa to bring someone to the United States in exchange for money from the family
- As though the U.S. citizen is petitioning as a favor for their friend
If the foreign national is perceived to be an imposter, such as a green card scammer or someone who is only marrying the U.S. citizen for money

Why the 90-Day Marriage Rule Matters for K-1 Visa Holders

One of the most important legal requirements of the K-1 fiancé visa is that the couple must marry within 90 days of the foreign national’s arrival in the United States. This rule is enforced under U.S. immigration law and is not flexible. If the marriage does not take place within this window, the foreign fiancé(e) will fall out of status and must leave the country. Failing to meet this deadline can also result in denial of a green card through Adjustment of Status, even if the couple later marries.

To avoid complications, couples should prepare documentation that clearly shows their intent to marry within 90 days. Examples include a wedding venue reservation, deposit receipts, save-the-date emails or invitations, dress or suit orders, or communication with vendors. Having this type of evidence on hand shows that your relationship is genuine and that you’re taking the legal process seriously — both of which are key factors in the K-1 visa review process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do K-1 visas get denied?

K-1 visas primarily get denied because of fraudulent applications. The United States has immigration laws established so as to protect public safety. In K-1 visa cases, this is with respect to both sides – the petitioner, as well as the foreign fiancé beneficiary.

How can I ensure my K-1 visa application will get approved?

Applicants should keep in mind that because this is a high-risk category, they should be as diligent as possible during the process. This includes, but is not limited to, filling out all K-1 visa-related applications, gathering and providing adequate evidence of a bonafide union, as well as giving truthful and sincere responses during their interviews with the consular officers.

Will I be told if my U.S. citizen partner has a criminal record?

Yes. Under the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act (IMBRA), the government must inform the foreign fiancé of certain criminal background information about the U.S. citizen petitioner, including any history of violent crimes or sexual offenses. So even if your partner hasn’t shared that history with you, you will be given a pamphlet or notification with those details during the K-1 process.

Do we really have to get married within 90 days of arriving on a K-1 visa?

Yes. U.S. immigration law requires the couple to marry within 90 days of the foreign fiancé(e)’s arrival on a K-1 visa.

Failing to marry within that 90-day window means the visa holder becomes out of status and must leave the United States. If you can’t prove a clear plan to marry within that timeframe—such as wedding venue reservations, invitations, or other documentation—your visa application may be denied.

This rule is non-negotiable. The marriage must take place within 90 days, or the foreign national will not be eligible to apply for a green card through adjustment of status.

Conclusion About How Hard Is It To Get a K-1 Visa

It can be quite daunting to cross-reference and find corresponding dates. The hard part is gathering all necessary documents by looking back through years of telephone records, emails, text messages, gift receipts, exchanged holiday cards, and photos of vacations and family gatherings, etc. In cases where the marriage is an authentic one, there should not be any reason such a strong case would be denied.

While the couple knows how real their relationship is, the officer processing their application does not, so the couple must simply provide enough evidence to substantiate their petition.

Conversely, if the relationship is either fraudulent, or if the consular officer suspects trickery from the either of the applicants, he or she will deny the K-1 visa petition – on the basis of a lack of sincerity between the petitioner and the beneficiary. Similarly, the officer could attempt to protect the petitioner from the beneficiary, if the officer finds him or her to have a criminal background, convicted of an offense against a minor, or has previously applied for multiple K-1 visa petitions.

Unfortunately, petitioners and beneficiaries alike use the K-1 visa status for bad intentions. Scamming the other party for money, citizenship, or returning a favor for a friend or family member, etc., this person has gained the other’s trust and has them fooled. While the unsuspecting person may think the scammer is sincere, a consular officer can identify such fraud within the first minutes of the interview.