K-3 Visa Law and Legal Definition
The K-3 is a nonimmigrant visa for the foreign citizen spouse of an American citizen. Such visas are intended to shorten the physical separation between the foreign citizen and U.S. citizen spouses by having the option to obtain a nonimmigrant K-3 visa overseas and enter the U.S. They can wait for the approval of the immigrant visa petition by staying in the U.S.
According to the U.S. immigration law, a foreign citizen who marries a U.S. citizen outside the U.S. must apply for the K-3 visa in the country where the marriage took place. Eligible children of K-3 visa applicants receive K-4 visas. Both K-3 and the K-4 visas allow the visa holders to remain in the U.S. while immigrant visa petitions are pending approval by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
