My wife and I married on January 18, 2025. I filed the CR-1 petition — the spousal visa for immediate relatives — as soon as I could. We received approval. We waited.
The CR-1 process, under any administration, takes time. Typically 12-24 months from petition to visa issuance. Under the current administration, processing times extended further. Communication became less predictable. The National Visa Center moved slower.
We received the visa on April 12, 2026. Just under fifteen months from our wedding. Just over twelve months from when I went to Kenya to be with her.
What the process costs beyond money: a pregnancy in Nairobi instead of in America. Medical appointments managed between two healthcare systems. Plans made and remade around uncertainty. The psychological cost of a bureaucratic process that holds your life in a queue.
If you are preparing for this process, go in with realistic timelines and a specific plan for the waiting period. Know which country you will wait in and why. Know what you will do if the timeline extends. The system will not care about your pregnancy, your parents' health, or your job offer. Plan accordingly.
Gabriel Mahia writes from the intersection of U.S. federal infrastructure and East African operational reality. This essay is part of a series written after twelve months in Kenya, April 2025 – April 2026.