K-3 Marriage Visa

The K-3 nonimmigrant visa is meant for foreign-citizen spouses of a United States citizens. This visa category is intended to shorten the physical separation between the foreign national spouses and United States citizen spouses. It affords applicants the option of obtaining a nonimmigrant K-3 visa at a US Consulate overseas so that the applicant can enter the United States and await approval of the immigrant visa petition while physically present in the United States. The K-3 visa recipients are subsequently required to apply for adjustment of status to permanent residency with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) upon approval of the immigrant visa petition. Because the spouse of a United States citizen applying for a nonimmigrant K-3 visa must have an immigrant visa petition filed and pending approval, a K-3 applicant must meet some of the requirements of an immigrant visa. 

Eligible children of K-3 visa applicants receive K-4 visas. Both K-3 and the K-4 visas allow their recipients to stay in the United States while immigrant visa petitions are pending approval by USCIS.