Why a K1 visa instead of a K3 visa?

Why did we decide to apply for a K1(fiance) visa instead of a K3 (spouse) visa? It was essentially decided by the fact that my fiance is adamantly opposed to living apart for any length of time after the marriage. In the long run it may not take any less time for her to become a legal permanent resident of the U.S., but if we marry in Japan she will have to wait in Japan while her K3 visa is processed.

It's true she has to wait in Japan for the K1 to be processed but there are some important differences. First is the psychological difference, but there also seems to be a very real difference in processing time. Because I live in Colorado most forms are processed by the UCSIS Nebraska Service Center, including the I-129F, but for some reason I-130's (for K3 visa's) are processed by the much busier California Service Center. Using the processing times given at http://www.visalaw.com/ it would seem that there is a difference of approximately 5 months in processing time.

The uncertainty of the whole process already has me uneasy. The I-129F is just the first of a multitude of forms that need to be filed and who knows what the penalty for the slightest mistake may be.

Ready for Mailing

Tonight I filled out the I-129F and printed out my supporting documentation. I'm sending a copy of my birth certificate, the e-mail itinerary from my last trip to Japan, e-mails from both of us discussing the marriage, e-mails between my mother and my fiance that discuss the marriage, and e-mails that mention me meeting her family and friends. I'm also including prints of several photo's that show us together. Last but not least is the check for $170.00 to the Department of Homeland Security.
Will all this be enough to satisfy the Government? I hope so. Otherwise I'm out $170.00 and get to do it again with time lost.
Regardless, it will all be mailed tomorrow. Nothing to do after that but wait for the result. If all goes well she can apply for her K1 visa in a couple of months.

We Begin

My fiance and I set the date for our wedding today. That simple act essentially starts the clock ticking. There is a lot to accomplish in the next ten months. Not only do we have to plan a wedding but we must fullfill a host of U.S. immigration requirements. My fiance is a foreign national; Japanese to be precise.

The first requirement is that I file a form I-129f, petition for foreign fiance. I intended to fill it out today and ran into my first stumbling block. The form wants her address in English and her native language. I didn't know her address in Japanese, so I asked her to send it to me. It turned out I didn't know her legal address anyway, as her mailing address and her legal address are different. So I got lucky, I almost sent the I-129f off with the wrong address on it.