- While the K-3 visa technically still exists, in practice it is rarely granted (i.e. on the order of 1 or 2 every year globally) [0]. You can apply for it in addition to the CR-1 visa but in practice, once they approve your I-130 petition the K-3 visa application will be cancelled automatically (and you will move forward with the CR-1 visa application)

- The first step to get a CR-1 visa is to file the I-130 petition, which as per [1] is taking about 12 months on average. Your luck may vary.

There is no magic pathway unfortunately but on the positive side, your spouse will be a permanent resident as soon as they enter the country.

[0] https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/v...

[1] https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/historic-pt