The K Visa What does the "new" K mean: The purpose of new K visa is to reunite families that have been or could be subject to a long period of separation during the process of immigrating to the United States. Holders of the new K visas will be able to wait in the US for this process to be completed. The new parts of the K category are intended for use by both a spouse of a United States citizen and by the spouse's children. The nonimmigrant visa for the spouse will be called a K3 visa and the visa for the spouse's children will be called a K-4. The original K (fiance/e) nonimmigrant visa category for the fiance/e of a US citizen will continue, though it will now be called the K-1 for visa purposes. The visa for a child who will be immigrating with a K-1 alien will still be a K-2 nonimmigrant visa. How do I qualify for a K visa? To qualify for the new K nonimmigrant visa (known as the K3 NIV),the applicant for the visa must prove: His/her marriage to a U.S. citizen is valid, and He/she is the beneficiary of a petition (I-130) already filed with the US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) as the spouse of a U.S. citizen, but which petition has not yet been approved by INS, AND He/she is also the beneficiary of a special petition filed with and approved by INS in the United States, AND He/she wishes to enter the United States to await the approval of the I-130 petition by INS or the availability of an immigrant visa. All four qualifications must be met before overseas processing of the request for the K visa can begin. If an I-130 petition for the spouse is already at the overseas post, then an immigrant visa will be processed instead of the nonimmigrant K visa. If an immigrant visa based upon the I-130 petition for the spouse has already been denied, then neither the spouse nor the spouse's children may qualify for a K3 or K4 visa.