Aburoy:


Thanks i appreciate. 2007 is a very long backlog of people . Before i can reunite with my family permanently, i can as well go for my masters degree and PHD elsewhere outside the US cos from what i have read so far i might not get into the US as long as an I-130 petition has be filed .

Actually, if you qualify for a student visa, you'll get a student visa regardless of whether you have a pending I-130. Many applicants have pending immigrant petitions. As long as the officer believes that you intend to use your non-immigrant / student visa for its proper purpose, a pending I-130 is no obstacle to issuance.

(This is somewhat less true for people who want to visit the U.S. as tourists; but even then, it's not impossible to get a non-immigrant visa while waiting for an immigrant interview.)

Hello VO. Please is it possible for someone going to new york for holiday book a hotel in new jersey because it's cheaper than the ones in new york? The hotel provides transportation to new york daily; Can this affect chances of getting a visa?

zill:
Hello VO. Please is it possible for someone going to new york for holiday book a hotel in new jersey because it's cheaper than the ones in new york? The hotel provides transportation to new york daily; Can this affect chances of getting a visa?

This is a question for my non-immigrant visa colleagues at https://www.nairaland.com/1792662/u.s-non-immigrant-visas-listening . (But it sounds like you're being completely sensible.)

VisaOfficer:



This is a question for my non-immigrant visa colleagues at https://www.nairaland.com/1792662/u.s-non-immigrant-visas-listening . (But it sounds like you're being completely sensible.)

Thanks ma. I submitted the application and I felt I should have chosen new york instead but that will be a lie on my part because the hotels there are too expensive but still affordable in new jersey. I hope I'll be lucky.

VisaOfficer:


Once we receive your petition from NVC, we'll contact you and give you instructions for scheduling an interview date. I think there are interviews available a month out -- and people do cancel their appointments, so often you can get an earlier date than it first appears.

The "everything you need to know" handout for fiancé(e) visas is available at http://photos.state.gov/libraries/nigeria/487468/pdfs/Interview_Prep_Packet_K1-K3_SEP14.pdf .

thanks so much for this prompt reply,appreciates it a lot. but pls,i need some clarification on what i read so far, firstly is '' Medical Examination: Arrange for a medical examination by one of the panel
physicians listed in the separately enclosed leaflet. Please note that there is a charge for
the examination. '' please help in explaining this,because i thought this has to do with any registered government hospital's?, secondly,'' Evidence of Support: Obtain evidence to show that you (and your children, if
any, who will accompany you) are not likely to become a public charge while in
the United States.'' does this have to do with my fiancee evidence of support?, thirdly,'' Tax returns for the past 3-4 years'' mine or her own? thanks for such great reply.. hope i didn't ask too much questions?!!! thanks as always in anticipation of your reply

I've got a question. My mum got a 2yr visa last year. She was to attend a conference amongst other things and return this year for the same conference. However, halfway through her visit in the US, her brother was diagnosed of a terminal disease in Europe. She had to cut short her stay in the US to go stay with her brother. Eventually, she brought him back to Nigeria. It's been long and hard but we eventually lost him a few weeks ago.

Now she has a number of trips to 2 countries in Europe, 2 in Africa and a meeting in Dubai planned for this year. We have missed out on this year's conference in the US and she's worried her US visa will expire without her using it a second time.

If this does happen, will it affect her ability to renew her US Visa? She keeps asking me to book a trip to the US for her but we have way too much to do right now that we can't afford the time and expense for her to go to the US for no reason than an entry stamp on her passport.
Kindly advice.

Olatoki:



thanks so much for this prompt reply,appreciates it a lot. but pls,i need some clarification on what i read so far, firstly is '' Medical Examination: Arrange for a medical examination by one of the panel
physicians listed in the separately enclosed leaflet. Please note that there is a charge for
the examination. '' please help in explaining this,because i thought this has to do with any registered government hospital's?, secondly,'' Evidence of Support: Obtain evidence to show that you (and your children, if
any, who will accompany you) are not likely to become a public charge while in
the United States.'' does this have to do with my fiancee evidence of support?, thirdly,'' Tax returns for the past 3-4 years'' mine or her own? thanks for such great reply.. hope i didn't ask too much questions?!!! thanks as always in anticipation of your reply

All intending immigrants must present a medical report from one of our panel physicians (not from any registered government hospital). The medical report is only valid for at most six months, so you shouldn't have your medical examination until close to your interview date. (Your visa's validity reflects the validity of your medical report.)

The evidence of support is your fiancée's Affidavit of Support (the I-134). The tax returns will also be your fiancée's.

Hope this helps!

LewsTherin:
I've got a question. My mum got a 2yr visa last year. She was to attend a conference amongst other things and return this year for the same conference. However, halfway through her visit in the US, her brother was diagnosed of a terminal disease in Europe. She had to cut short her stay in the US to go stay with her brother. Eventually, she brought him back to Nigeria. It's been long and hard but we eventually lost him a few weeks ago.

Now she has a number of trips to 2 countries in Europe, 2 in Africa and a meeting in Dubai planned for this year. We have missed out on this year's conference in the US and she's worried her US visa will expire without her using it a second time.

If this does happen, will it affect her ability to renew her US Visa? She keeps asking me to book a trip to the US for her but we have way too much to do right now that we can't afford the time and expense for her to go to the US for no reason than an entry stamp on her passport.
Kindly advice.

I'm sorry to hear about your uncle. Your questions are best addressed to my non-immigrant visa colleagues at https://www.nairaland.com/1792662/u.s-non-immigrant-visas-listening .

VisaOfficer:


I'm sorry to hear about your uncle. Your questions are best addressed to my non-immigrant visa colleagues at https://www.nairaland.com/1792662/u.s-non-immigrant-visas-listening .

Thanks. I've posted on that thread. But can you still assist as the response rate is way slower on that thread than this. Your colleagues haven't made any response there since April 11

Happy Golden Jubilee to your parents so happy for them, and pray my parents too will enjoy such and myself whenever I get married. Please my question is, is there and difference from a normal DNA testing and that of USIC DNA testing or so that someone asked you? I was at the Embassy on the 15th for my d DNA and I was told it will be out in two weeks, which is next Wednesday, please hope mine won't take months too? Moreover, my police certificate will expire by 20th of May, please will my Visa be ready by then should the DNA is OK? Will I still need the police certificate at Port of entery in U.S? Or police certificate is only needed on the day my Visa will be printed? Thanks for the love and concern that made you to always attend to us all time, so grateful ma.

Hello VO, my husband (who was my fiance then) applied for his visa and was issued a green card sometime in August 2013. We got married January this year and he filed for me as at February when he went back to America. He later informed me that it appears there's a whole lot of backlog for immigrant visa applications and could take up to 2 years of waiting. Please I would like to find out how long it takes to be called up for interview and if there is anything we could do to help speed things up (like getting an immigrant lawyer), as this has caused us both, so much emotional trauma. We really cant wait to be together so we can start a family. Will be waiting for your response. Thanks and God bless.

LewsTherin:


Thanks. I've posted on that thread. But can you still assist as the response rate is way slower on that thread than this. Your colleagues haven't made any response there since April 11

I'm sorry, I don't answer non-immigrant visa questions because that's not my area of expertise.

bukolacole:
Happy Golden Jubilee to your parents so happy for them, and pray my parents too will enjoy such and myself whenever I get married. Please my question is, is there and difference from a normal DNA testing and that of USIC DNA testing or so that someone asked you? I was at the Embassy on the 15th for my d DNA and I was told it will be out in two weeks, which is next Wednesday, please hope mine won't take months too? Moreover, my police certificate will expire by 20th of May, please will my Visa be ready by then should the DNA is OK? Will I still need the police certificate at Port of entery in U.S? Or police certificate is only needed on the day my Visa will be printed? Thanks for the love and concern that made you to always attend to us all time, so grateful ma.

Ah, looks like I wasn't clear. The waiting list for DNA sample collection is extremely long for USCIS cases, but once the samples have been collected, the results are processed fairly quickly whether it's a USCIS case or one of our own cases. You should be fine. Also, your police certificate must be valid on the day of printing, but you can enter the country after it expires.

sholizle:
Hello VO, my husband (who was my fiance then) applied for his visa and was issued a green card sometime in August 2013. We got married January this year and he filed for me as at February when he went back to America. He later informed me that it appears there's a whole lot of backlog for immigrant visa applications and could take up to 2 years of waiting. Please I would like to find out how long it takes to be called up for interview and if there is anything we could do to help speed things up (like getting an immigrant lawyer), as this has caused us both, so much emotional trauma. We really cant wait to be together so we can start a family. Will be waiting for your response. Thanks and God bless.

Right now F2A cases that were filed before August 1, 2013, are eligible to be scheduled for interviews.

It's not a backlog, technically (although I know it feels like one to people who are waiting). There are limits on how many immigrant visas can be issued worldwide each year, and some categories have preference over other categories. For instance, as the spouse of a Legal Permanent Resident, you have a shorter wait than the adult children of Legal Permanent Residents and citizens, but not as short as the spouses of U.S. citizens. That's one of the many advantages of being a citizen. Here's the official explanation:

Section 201 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) sets an annual minimum family-sponsored preference limit of 226,000. The worldwide level for annual employment-based preference immigrants is at least 140,000. Section 202 prescribes that the per-country limit for preference immigrants is set at 7% of the total annual family-sponsored and employment-based preference limits, i.e., 25,620. The dependent area limit is set at 2%, or 7,320.

So, in Nigeria, as everywhere, we may only issue visas to 25,620 principal applicants and 7,320 dependents each year, and they are divided up among the various family-sponsored and employment-based visa categories. These are different than immediate relative (IR and CR) cases, which have no numerical limits and no priority-date-based waiting time. But your visa category, F2A, spouses and minor children of Legal Permanent Residents, has the shortest wait time of all family-sponsored visa categories.

(In Nigeria we don't actually see 25,620 cases a year, but only because there aren't that many Nigerian cases that are eligible to be scheduled for interviews. The number of petitions filed every year is growing, though, so who knows, we may get to that point some day! We take every case the National Visa Center has ready for us; if they sent us 25,620 cases, we would process them. I'm very proud that we don't have a backlog in my office.)

Hiring an immigration attorney will not help your case move faster. The wait time is normal, and an attorney can't make it shorter.

Hello VO, i have a little problem and need your candid advice. My interview is for Tuesday for a F1 visa. I just realised yesterday that there is a mistake on my DS-160 form, i picked B1/B2 visa, instead of F1 visa, although i already filled and printed my appointment letter which states F1 visa.
So i filled a new DS-160 form, and corrected my mistake by filling the appropriate area with F1 visa. Now the barcode in the new DS-160 is different to the first one. I can't get a new date for an interview even if i wanted to cancel this one because my school resumes first week of May.

Do i come with the 2 DS-160 forms and explain to the VO?

VisaOfficer:

Right now F2A cases that were filed before August 1, 2013, are eligible to be scheduled for interviews.
It's not a backlog, technically (although I know it feels like one to people who are waiting). There are limits on how many immigrant visas can be issued worldwide each year, and some categories have preference over other categories. For instance, as the spouse of a Legal Permanent Resident, you have a shorter wait than the adult children of Legal Permanent Residents and citizens, but not as short as the spouses of U.S. citizens. That's one of the many advantages of being a citizen. Here's the official explanation:
Section 201 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) sets an annual minimum family-sponsored preference limit of 226,000. The worldwide level for annual employment-based preference immigrants is at least 140,000. Section 202 prescribes that the per-country limit for preference immigrants is set at 7% of the total annual family-sponsored and employment-based preference limits, i.e., 25,620. The dependent area limit is set at 2%, or 7,320.
So, in Nigeria, as everywhere, we may only issue visas to 25,620 principal applicants and 7,320 dependents each year, and they are divided up among the various family-sponsored and employment-based visa categories. These are different than immediate relative (IR and CR) cases, which have no numerical limits and no priority-date-based waiting time. But your visa category, F2A, spouses and minor children of Legal Permanent Residents, has the shortest wait time of all family-sponsored visa categories.
(In Nigeria we don't actually see 25,620 cases a year, but only because there aren't that many Nigerian cases that are eligible to be scheduled for interviews. The number of petitions filed every year is growing, though, so who knows, we may get to that point some day! We take every case the National Visa Center has ready for us; if they sent us 25,620 cases, we would process them. I'm very proud that we don't have a backlog in my office.)
Hiring an immigration attorney will not help your case move faster. The wait time is normal, and an attorney can't make it shorter.

Thanks for the response. My husband is considering spending more time in Nigeria  pending the time the Visa is granted.

Are there any implications making this move as regards his eligibility as a permanent resident?

Hi, pls any information and procedure on how to get a girlfriend into usa for only short time?.. Thanks

VisaOfficer:


Ah, looks like I wasn't clear. The waiting list for DNA sample collection is extremely long for USCIS cases, but once the samples have been collected, the results are processed fairly quickly whether it's a USCIS case or one of our own cases. You should be fine. Also, your police certificate must be valid on the day of printing, but you can enter the country after it expires.

. Thanks ma, my DNA was requested by the consulate here in Lagos ma, hope my Visa will be ready on or 20th of May when my police certificate will expire? To make it clearer, my DNA result will be out this week Wednesday ma, before it will be sent to you here in Lagos and to solve it out from others, please can I be assured my visa will be ready by 20th ma? Am so grateful for this your selfless service to my family and to mankind in general.

Ginger80:
Hello VO, i have a little problem and need your candid advice. My interview is for Tuesday for a F1 visa. I just realised yesterday that there is a mistake on my DS-160 form, i picked B1/B2 visa, instead of F1 visa, although i already filled and printed my appointment letter which states F1 visa.
So i filled a new DS-160 form, and corrected my mistake by filling the appropriate area with F1 visa. Now the barcode in the new DS-160 is different to the first one. I can't get a new date for an interview even if i wanted to cancel this one because my school resumes first week of May.

Do i come with the 2 DS-160 forms and explain to the VO?

This is a question for my non-immigrant visa colleagues at https://www.nairaland.com/1792662/u.s-non-immigrant-visas-listening -- or for LagosNIV@state.gov.

sholizle:


Thanks for the response. My husband is considering spending more time in Nigeria  pending the time the Visa is granted.

Are there any implications making this move as regards his eligibility as a permanent resident?

If he stays outside the U.S. for more than 12 months, he will lose his Legal Permanent Resident status. Other than that, though, no, no implications.

07039274857:
Hi, pls any information and procedure on how to get a girlfriend into usa for only short time?.. Thanks

This is a question for my non-immigrant visa colleagues at https://www.nairaland.com/1792662/u.s-non-immigrant-visas-listening .

bukolacole:
. Thanks ma, my DNA was requested by the consulate here in Lagos ma, hope my Visa will be ready on or 20th of May when my police certificate will expire? To make it clearer, my DNA result will be out this week Wednesday ma, before it will be sent to you here in Lagos and to solve it out from others, please can I be assured my visa will be ready by 20th ma? Am so grateful for this your selfless service to my family and to mankind in general.

Assuming that the DNA results are the last thing pending, we should be able to get the visa printed long before May 20.

oloriakinyemi:

Thanks.

Happy Sunday vo,my husband has sent the affidavit of support and other necessary documents.
Someone told me that I won't be able to travel with my child cos I av my maiden name on my passport and my child has my husband's name on hers,dat I won't be allowed at the port of entry and that I should go to abuja for change of name on My passport but my passport is still valid.wanna know if this is true ma,cos am confused not at this stage that am almost out of this visa wahala,i can't even wait to do my interview and get over dis to start a new life cos all I think of now is how to join my husband I have nothing else in my head

VisaOfficer:


Assuming that the DNA results are the last thing pending, we should be able to get the visa printed long before May 20.

. OK, thanks so much, for now, it seems to be the only issue, because we have had our interview since Feb.19.

Good morning! Just another quick question! I visited my fiance in October for 16 days, at which time we were engaged. We have evidence of a face-to-face meeting, as well as plenty of evidence of an on-going relationship. Is it suggested that I visit again before the interview date? It's a bit difficult for me as I have to work and it's expensive, but I can travel again if needed. Do you feel it's necessary or will better our chances, or does it hold no bearing? Thank you again for everything you do for us!

Hi VO,

I had my medical exam on March 17 after which I was informed that I would need to do 2 follow-up check-ups: April 17 (one month after) and September 17 (six months after) either here in Nigeria or in US (if I've traveled by these dates). It seems that is the norm.

However, I completely forgot about the April 17 date. What are the implications of this?

Hello VO,

Sorry to ask this question in this thread. How long does it take for visa processing at the consulate? DHL says 5-10 working days but I am also aware the US consulate is quite efficient and timely in their processes. So if I am on the 9th day is it a course for concern that maybe my passport has been lost in transit?

And thanks for your support VO I make bold to say you are the most responsive of all the VOs.

God bless you

oloriakinyemi:

Happy Sunday vo,my husband has sent the affidavit of support and other necessary documents.
Someone told me that I won't be able to travel with my child cos I av my maiden name on my passport and my child has my husband's name on hers,dat I won't be allowed at the port of entry and that I should go to abuja for change of name on My passport but my passport is still valid.wanna know if this is true ma,cos am confused not at this stage that am almost out of this visa wahala,i can't even wait to do my interview and get over dis to start a new life cos all I think of now is how to join my husband I have nothing else in my head

This sounds like a question for the Nigerian immigration officials, not for us. Maybe someone else here can give you an answer?

DpdNKerosene:
Good morning! Just another quick question! I visited my fiance in October for 16 days, at which time we were engaged. We have evidence of a face-to-face meeting, as well as plenty of evidence of an on-going relationship. Is it suggested that I visit again before the interview date? It's a bit difficult for me as I have to work and it's expensive, but I can travel again if needed. Do you feel it's necessary or will better our chances, or does it hold no bearing? Thank you again for everything you do for us!

Well... I know that I personally am more skeptical of couples who have only met in person once in their lives. However, there are several factors involved in every visa decision. If everything else looks fine, I'd likely go ahead and issue.

halaphilip:
Hi VO,

I had my medical exam on March 17 after which I was informed that I would need to do 2 follow-up check-ups: April 17 (one month after) and September 17 (six months after) either here in Nigeria or in US (if I've traveled by these dates). It seems that is the norm.

However, I completely forgot about the April 17 date. What are the implications of this?

Good morning,

Sounds like you'd better ask the panel physician what to do next! From a visa issuance point of view, though, as long as we have a valid medical report in your file stating that you're medically cleared to travel, that's good enough for us.

InsightfulTP:
Hello VO,

Sorry to ask this question in this thread. How long does it take for visa processing at the consulate? DHL says 5-10 working days but I am also aware the US consulate is quite efficient and timely in their processes. So if I am on the 9th day is it a course for concern that maybe my passport has been lost in transit?

And thanks for your support VO I make bold to say you are the most responsive of all the VOs.

God bless you

Thank you for the kind words! We very very rarely lose passports, never fear. I wouldn't worry just yet. Or you could e-mail us and ask us for an update as to where your passport is. LagosIV@state.gov for immigrant visas, LagosNIV@state.gov for non-immigrant visas.

HI VO,
Thanks for all your timely comment and help rendered to all Nairaland.

I applied for IR1 visa for my wife and the case was completed and approved by NVC 3 weeks but interview is yet to be scheduled (phone reps at NVC state that there is no interview slot available for Nigeria yet and the reason why interview is yet to be schedule). But, i have couple of questions.

1 My wife spend 5month in USA last year with me. Will this have a negative impact on her IR1 interview?
2. I send 3 copies of all supporting document to NVC (1 AOS package, 1 package for IV, and 1 copies of IV package) . Will NVC send the IV package to Lagos embassy? If that is true, do we need to bring another set of supporting evidence to the interview (i send evidence of relationship, tax transcript, pictures, evidence of telephone and skype communication etc to NVC in the interview package )
3 Is it still possible to get an interview date in May?
Thanks