Remember:

1. All fiancée/spouse visas are processed in Kigali;
2. If you file the petition with USCIS, but have not received a response, please check the status of your case on USCIS by using your receipt number.
3. Once USCIS has approved the petition, they will forward it to the U.S. Embassy in Kigali through the National Visa Center.  This process typically takes 6-8 weeks.  Embassy Kigali is generally unable to provide any assistance until the case file arrives in Kigali.
4. Upon receipt of the case file, Embassy Kigali will send the beneficiary a packet of instructions that provides further information, including how to book an appointment, pay the application fee, and what documents the beneficiary will need to present at the interview.

Please note that you MUST complete the DS-160 and schedule your appointment using our appointment system prior to your interview date. This will allow you to make or reschedule your appointment (depending on the type of case), and to drop off additional documents required by the Consular section

Please read the important information regarding Rights and Protections for Foreign-Citizen Fiancé(e)s and Spouses of U.S. Citizens and Spouses of Lawful Permanent Residents.

If you marry here in Rwanda and decide to move to the U.S. after the wedding, you would need to apply for an immigrant visa (IR1 or CR1) by filing for a petition for an Alien relative with form I-130.  For instructions on how to file a petition, including where you should send the petition, see the USCIS website.

If you want your spouse to come to the U.S. while the immigrant visa petition is pending, your spouse is eligible to apply for a K-3 nonimmigrant visa after you have filed form I-130.(PDF-1.08MB) To petition for this benefit, you must file form I-129F.  Please note that if you intend to proceed with the K-3 non-immigrant visa you are required to file both forms I-130 and I-129F.  Your spouse may wait abroad for immigrant visa processing, however, seeking a K-3 visa can be an additional method for him or her to come to the United States.  For more information, click here.

If you decide to marry in the U.S. and remain there after the wedding, you would need to petition USCIS for a K-1 immigrant “fiancé visa”.  The K-1 visa permits the foreign-citizen fiancé(e) to travel to the United States and marry his or her U.S. citizen sponsor within 90 days of arrival.  The foreign citizen will then apply for adjustment of status to a lawful permanent resident (LPR) with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).  To learn more about K-1 visas click here.  Please note that if you do not intend to get married within 90 days upon arrival, you cannot apply for this type of visa.

If you want to travel to the U.S. for the wedding, but plan to live outside the U.S. afterwards and do not plan to pursue permanent residency for your fiancé at this time, your fiancé can apply for a B-2 tourist visa.  You can apply for this visa directly at U.S. Embassy Kigali.  Please note that if you are applying for a B-2 visa, you will be required to furnish evidence of your residence outside the United States to which you intend to return at the end of your temporary stay.  Although a pending immigrant or fiancé(e) visa application is not necessarily conclusive evidence of intent to abandon your Rwandan residence, it is a factor considered by consular officers reviewing a visa application.  If you are unable to convince the consular officer reviewing the application that you intend to return to your residence outside the United States, you will not be issued a visa.