K2 Visa for Filipino Citizens

A K2 Visa allows any unmarried children (under the age of 21) of a K1 Fiancée Visa holder to leave the Philippines and join their parent(s) in the United States.

Once in the US, K2 Visa holders are free to apply to work in any profession or study at a school or university, but they are not allowed to change to any other nonimmigrant status

If a parent and their American partner are already married when the child wants to move and live with them in the US, they should complete an application for a K4 Visa which allows their child entry from the Philippines to the United States. This has to be submitted at the same time as their K3 Visa application.

A K2 Visa holder can then apply to adjust their status if they want to become a lawful permanent resident, getting a Green Card, after their parent on the K1 Visa has formally married a US citizen. It is necessary for the marriage between the K1 Visa holders to happen before the child reaches the age of 21.

Page Contents

• What is the K2 Visa?
• What Requirements are Needed for the K2 Visa?
• How Do You Apply for a K2 Visa?
• What are the Required Documents for the K2 Visa?
• What are the Costs for the K2 Visa to the United States?
• What is the K2 Visa Processing Time?
• How Long is the K2 Visa Valid For in the US?
• What if My Application of the K2 Visa is Refused?
• Can a Refusal Decision be Appealed?
• Can the K2 Visa be extended?
• How Can Total Law Help?
• FAQs

Before applying for the K2 Visa from the Philippines, be sure that all the eligibility criteria is met. The applicant must be:

• Unmarried
• Under the age of 21-years-old
• A child whose parent is or has entered the US from the Philippines under a K1 Fiancé Visa
• Willing to undergo a medical check and get any required vaccinations
• No history of immigration violations or previous criminal convictions

It is also necessary for the parents of the applicant to marry within 90 days of their arrival in the US

It is important to meet all of these requirements for a successful K2 Visa application. If you are unsure of any of the requirements or want to ask any questions regarding the eligibility criteria, contact Total Law on +1 844 290 6312 or request a callback on our website.

A K2 Visa application for a Filipino citizen has a few steps that you will need to take before travelling to the US.

First, you will need to complete Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker and file it with the United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS). Expect to get a notice from them that they are reviewing your application once you have completed this form. The USCIS will send this on to the National Visa Center (NVC).

The NVC will tell you what documents you will need to provide in order to support your application. You must prepare the relevant documents carefully as your application will not be accepted if there are errors or information missing.

After this is completed, the US Consulate will receive your application and will require you to make a medical check with an approved physician. At the appointment it is essential to provide a vaccination history, so make sure you are completely up-to-date before you go to have a medical check.

Once these medical requirements have been met, you will need to attend a visa interview. It might be possible for the interviews for both the K1 and K2 Visa applicants to take place at the same time. Usually, a child will only be called for a K2 Visa interview if they are 14 years old or older.

You will need to prove that the eligibility criteria is met through supplying substantial evidence. If you do not do this in the way required by the USCIS or if you are missing documentation, then your application could be delayed or refused.

You need to supply all of the following documentation:

• Completed Form DS-160, Online Nonimmigrant Visa Application, for each applicant
• Birth certificate
• Passport that is valid for at least six months beyond the intended stay period in the US
• Any death or divorce certificates of previous spouses of the parent applicant (where necessary)
• Certificates from the medical examination
• Evidence, such as bank statements, that the parent applicant can financially support themselves and their dependents when living in the US.  In 2023, these earnings must be equal to at least $24,650 to support a household with two people, with an additional $6,425 required for each extra person.
• Police certificate from where you have lived in the Philippines for more than one year after turning 16 years old
• Two passport-style colour photographs
• Evidence of the relationship between the parent and the US citizen fiancée
• Proof that the visa fees have been paid

There may be other documentation required depending on your personal situation. It is necessary to provide these documents in English. If your original documents are not in English, then a certified translation will be needed.

There are many costs that need to be taken into consideration when applying for a K2 Visa for a Filipino citizen.

This includes the following:

• The initial fee for Form I-129 is $535. This form is necessary for US citizens to file to the USCIS to allow their fiancée and any of the dependent children into the United States from the Philippines.
• There is then the embassy fee of $265. This cost is an approximation and will normally vary from state to state, so it could be higher or lower. You should contact your embassy in order to find out this information.
• You are also required to pay a $85 biometrics fee.

There may be other costs that you acquire during the application process for medical examinations and vaccinations as well as the financial support criteria so you must ensure you can fully cover these costs before applying for the K2 Visa.

There is no official timeframe for the processing of the visa. The processing time usually depends on the workload and staff availability at the facility that will be processing your visa on behalf of the United States for.

Current processing times suggest it could take more than a year for the entire visa procedure, which includes the approval of Form I-129F by the USCIS and NVC. Visa applicants must be patient with the procedures and esnure they respond promptly to any requests for further information to avoid delays.

The child initially has 90 days under the K2 Visa to stay in the US once arriving from the Philippines.

It is important that the K1 Visa parent and US citizen fiancée marry within this 90-day period, as if this maximum limit is not met, both the K1 Visa and K2 Visa holders have to go back to the Philippines within 30 days.

The K2 Visa is ultimately valid for 120 days maximum. In most cases, the K2 Visa holder will submit an application for a Green Card to become a lawful permanent resident, after the marriage between the K1 Visa parent to the US citizen spouse.

A K2 Visa application may be denied if you have not provided all of the information or documentation that is required for a successful application, or if you are ineligible for the visa. You are advised by the consular office if you can apply for a waiver of your ineligibility, or if you are able to reapply for the K2 Visa.

If the K2 Visa application is denied at the USCIS level, you can apply to appeal the decision. Generally, the appeal information will be included alongside the denial notice and you have 33 days from the day of receipt of the denial notice.

You can have the K2 Visa extended in exceptional circumstances. If the marriage between your parents in the US doesn’t occur within 90 days of the applicant’s admission to the US, then you are required to write to the consulate if you do not want to leave the United States territory.

Your petition can be extended for another four months if you send a written request to the consulate stating that the K2 Visa’s parents still intend to get married within that additional four month time period.

However, you are not allowed to change to another non-immigrant visa status while you are already on a K2 Visa.