Just as a friendly reminder - this forum is not for questions related to non-immigrant visa (NIV) applications. There is a separate forum for that topic. Future posts concerning NIV-related questions will be deleted. Thank you.

Best,
VO

Hello V.O
We sent an email to lagosIV to request an update of my husband case last Wednesday, uptil now we have not heard anything yet. Please how many days does it take for an email to be responded to?
Thanks.

Confused me too, and I was going to ask him but remembered this is a VO-moderated forum

VisaOfficer:


Good morning,

I am a little confused by your question. If your wife was born in the U.S., she is a U.S. citizen and she should not need a green card. Additionally, if she has a U.S. passport (i.e. she has naturalized as U.S. citizen), she should not have a green card. Green cards are for long-term permanent residents (LPRs). If she has a U.S. passport that has expired, she should visit the American Citizen Services section of the consulate website for more information on the renewal process.

Dear VO officer,

I would like to seek for your advice over my case: I got married to an US citizen, and my husband is currently filing out form I-130 for my daughter (she is unmarried and only 2 years old) from my previous marriage. However, back in Sep 2015 when I filed an application form DS160 to come to the States under J1 visa, I declared my single status as I thought I was lawfully single. Though me and my ex-husband had a wedding ceremony before, yet we did not come to register with authority for a marriage certificate as we had not felt comfortable doing so at that time. Only after the interview, we then came to register for our marriage certificate. As such, there was no listing of the name for my little baby who was born in March 15 in the DS160 form. When my I-130 is approved in the future, is this becoming a problem in the future when I come back home to attend the interview with the baby and pick her up to come to the States?
The second question is: An incident happened when the consular officer called to a hotel to do some background checks on me. Since hospitality has its highest turnover rate, some of the new HR people answering the phone somehow said that I was not working in the hotel at that time, which had the VO immediately questioned if I forged documents of 5 year experience to participate in hospitality industry in the States. And I heard they recorded my file. Should I present all the new necessary documents on the interview together with my daughter to prove that I did work in hospitality before? Do you think that will be brought up as a question to my daughter's interview?

Thank you so much VO officer. I look forward to hearing from you!

Good afternoon to you dear VO. Thank you for your help in this forum.

I'm really hoping to receive attention with my concerns this time as my question had been ignored when I posted it here about two years ago.

I am 28 years old now.
I am seeking to migrate to the USA (Alabama) to live and work.
I have a family that are US citizens, living in same place that have invited me to come over and live with them.

At present, I am working in a local electricity firm here in Nigeria. Also I am almost through with my supplementary degree course in Communication Technology (Finishing by Sept/Nov)

Please what are the documents and the requirements to make this work.

Thank you as I anticipate your help.

Goodday honourable VO:
I am married to a USC in april and she is on the verge of filling an i-130 petition for me to migrate.
Do we neccessarily need an immigration attorney because the least lawyer we contacted was charging nearly $5000.
Can i also apply for a non immigrate visa to visit my wife in december while the i130 petition is being processed?
Thank you.

Good day VO,
I was previously denied a B1/B2 visa about two years ago, due to my health status at that time; it was a traveling agent that helped me filled my DS160 and he wrongly declared my status as married. Now am getting married to a US citizen by next month and she would return to file K-3 for me.

My question: I am aware that the US embassy has my record in their data base, what effect would it have on my application as I never had any previous marriage not to talk of submitting a divorce certificate?

Thank you as I look forward to reading from you.

susanharris11:
Dear VO officer,

I would like to seek for your advice over my case: I got married to an US citizen, and my husband is currently filing out form I-130 for my daughter (she is unmarried and only 2 years old) from my previous marriage. However, back in Sep 2015 when I filed an application form DS160 to come to the States under J1 visa, I declared my single status as I thought I was lawfully single. Though me and my ex-husband had a wedding ceremony before, yet we did not come to register with authority for a marriage certificate as we had not felt comfortable doing so at that time. Only after the interview, we then came to register for our marriage certificate. As such, there was no listing of the name for my little baby who was born in March 15 in the DS160 form. When my I-130 is approved in the future, is this becoming a problem in the future when I come back home to attend the interview with the baby and pick her up to come to the States?
The second question is: An incident happened when the consular officer called to a hotel to do some background checks on me. Since hospitality has its highest turnover rate, some of the new HR people answering the phone somehow said that I was not working in the hotel at that time, which had the VO immediately questioned if I forged documents of 5 year experience to participate in hospitality industry in the States. And I heard they recorded my file. Should I present all the new necessary documents on the interview together with my daughter to prove that I did work in hospitality before? Do you think that will be brought up as a question to my daughter's interview?

Thank you so much VO officer. I look forward to hearing from you!

Good afternoon,

I cannot provide targeted advice on any specific case. If your husband is filing petitions for both you and your daughter, you should be prepared at the time of the interview to provide credible evidence of your relationship with both the petitioner and your child. Additionally, it sounds like the petition is still with USCIS - they make the initial determination on the credibility of the relationship underlying the petition.

I am not entirely clear on the second part of your question. It sounds like this occurred during an NIV interview. The IV interview process is generally more concerned with the relationship between the beneficiaries and the petitioner than with your prior work experience.

Regards,
VO

Hello V.O,
Below is the reply to the mail my husband sent to lagos IV.
Please I need your advice can he still file a waiver to re move the ineligibility?please I need you to advice me please.

RE: Case status



Thank you for your inquiry.

 

You were notified during your IV interview in 2014 and again in your 2017 IV interview that you were ineligible for an immigrant visa based on you having materially misrepresented yourself. You properly applied for a waiver through USCIS and in 2015, were notified that your waiver was denied. As such, you remain ineligible for an immigrant visa and your file will be destroyed and no longer remain at post.

 

Sincerely,

 

Correspondence Unit (TOO)

US CONSULATE GENERAL

LAGOS, NIGERIA

AgricSalt:
Good afternoon to you dear VO. Thank you for your help in this forum.

I'm really hoping to receive attention with my concerns this time as my question had been ignored when I posted it here about two years ago.

I am 28 years old now.
I am seeking to migrate to the USA (Alabama) to live and work.
I have a family that are US citizens, living in same place that have invited me to come over and live with them.

At present, I am working in a local electricity firm here in Nigeria. Also I am almost through with my supplementary degree course in Communication Technology (Finishing by Sept/Nov)

Please what are the documents and the requirements to make this work.

Thank you as I anticipate your help.

Good morning,

If your family has petitioned for you to immigrate to the United States and the petition has been approved, the National Visa Center will be in touch with you to let you know what documentation is required.

Best,
VO

xxseekerxx:
Good day VO,
I was previously denied a B1/B2 visa about two years ago, due to my health status at that time; it was a traveling agent that helped me filled my DS160 and he wrongly declared my status as married. Now am getting married to a US citizen by next month and she would return to file K-3 for me.

My question: I am aware that the US embassy has my record in their data base, what effect would it have on my application as I never had any previous marriage not to talk of submitting a divorce certificate?

Thank you as I look forward to reading from you.

Good morning,

If you listed yourself as married on a prior application and claim to have never been married now, that will certainly come up in the interview. I can't say how that will affect the outcome, but it generally does not look good to have initially claimed to be married and then deny the marriage later on.

As a general rule for all applicants, please remember that when you fill out forms for visa applications and sign them, you are swearing that the knowledge on the form is correct. You should always check the information to make sure it is true and accurate to the best of your knowledge before signing.

Best,
VO

AREOLA:
Hello V.O,
Below is the reply to the mail my husband sent to lagos IV.
Please I need your advice can he still file a waiver to re move the ineligibility?please I need you to advice me please.

RE: Case status



Thank you for your inquiry.

 

You were notified during your IV interview in 2014 and again in your 2017 IV interview that you were ineligible for an immigrant visa based on you having materially misrepresented yourself. You properly applied for a waiver through USCIS and in 2015, were notified that your waiver was denied. As such, you remain ineligible for an immigrant visa and your file will be destroyed and no longer remain at post.

 

Sincerely,

 

Correspondence Unit (TOO)

US CONSULATE GENERAL

LAGOS, NIGERIA

Good morning,

USCIS handles the waiver process and you should direct questions relating to the approvals and denials, as well as the possibility of reapplying, to their offices.

Best,
VO

Hello VO,
I would like to know how it will take for a Nigerian to become an American citizen if a sibling who is a USC files for her.

Electroweb:
Hello VO,
I would like to know how it will take for a Nigerian to become an American citizen if a sibling who is a USC files for her.

Good morning,

I encourage you to visit the website below (The Visa Bulletin) to get a general sense of the time frames involved for family preference petitions. The dates listed in the tables are the priority dates for petitions (the priority date of the petition is the date on which the completed, signed petition is properly filed with USCIS). Sibling-based petitions, or F4s, have priority dates in 2004, which should give some indication of the timeline. For your awareness, a new visa bulletin is released every month on travel.state.gov.


https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/law-and-policy/bulletin/2017/visa-bulletin-for-august-2017.html

.

VisaOfficer:


Good morning,

If your family has petitioned for you to immigrate to the United States and the petition has been approved, the National Visa Center will be in touch with you to let you know what documentation is required.

Best,
VO

Thank you

Goodday honourable VO:

I am married to a USC in april and she is on the verge of filling an i-130 petition for me to migrate.
Do we neccessarily need an immigration attorney because the least lawyer we contacted was charging nearly $5000.

Can i also apply for a non immigrate visa to visit my wife in december while the i130 petition is being processed?

Thank you.

nonso123:
Goodday honourable VO:

I am married to a USC in april and she is on the verge of filling an i-130 petition for me to migrate.
Do we neccessarily need an immigration attorney because the least lawyer we contacted was charging nearly $5000.

Can i also apply for a non immigrate visa to visit my wife in december while the i130 petition is being processed?

Thank you.

Good afternoon,

The decision on whether or not to hire an immigration attorney is entirely up to the petitioner and the beneficiary. The consulate cannot advise you on this matter.

You may apply for a nonimmigrant visa if you wish. Bear in mind that the adjudicating officer will take into account all aspects of your application during your interview when making a decision on whether or not you are eligible for the visa category for which you are applying and whether or not you overcome the presumption of being an intending immigrant. This may also include the fact that you have a pending immigrant visa petition.

Best,
VO

Thank you VO.
In this case, I think I might just have to claim to be a divorcee because it actually sounds like it is going to boomerang at the end.

VisaOfficer:


Good morning,

If you listed yourself as married on a prior application and claim to have never been married now, that will certainly come up in the interview. I can't say how that will affect the outcome, but it generally does not look good to have initially claimed to be married and then deny the marriage later on.

As a general rule for all applicants, please remember that when you fill out forms for visa applications and sign them, you are swearing that the knowledge on the form is correct. You should always check the information to make sure it is true and accurate to the best of your knowledge before signing.

Best,
VO

Good day VO,
We can not but appreciate you for those eye-opening informations; please a couple needed here;

1. Does US consulate in Lagos accept Direct Consular Filing for Spouse Visa? If yes, what are the chances of getting approved and is it better to just go for CR1 as I learnt that a rejected DCF would result in more time wastage.

2. How long does it take to get a CR1 done, I learnt that DCF takes a maximum of 3 months

3. Does a traditional marriage that has no registry documentation of whatsoever require a divorce certificate as there is no legal documents in the first place?

Thank you.

VisaOfficer:


Good afternoon,

The decision on whether or not to hire an immigration attorney is entirely up to the petitioner and the beneficiary. The consulate cannot advise you on this matter.

You may apply for a nonimmigrant visa if you wish. Bear in mind that the adjudicating officer will take into account all aspects of your application during your interview when making a decision on whether or not you are eligible for the visa category for which you are applying and whether or not you overcome the presumption of being an intending immigrant. This may also include the fact that you have a pending immigrant visa petition.

Best,
VO

Thank you for your response.
I know the decision to take an attorney is entirely up to my wife and i but i was asking if its necessary, like is there any special benefit whatsoever if our application is handled by an attorney? I am sorry if my question sounds absurd but i am trying to cut cost.

As regards the non immigrant visa i intend applying for in december, it is going to be difficult to prove to any VO at a non immigrant visa interview especially when i have an on going immigrant petition because honestly i intend migrating to the US but not at the moment calculating the time frame (6months) for a cr1 visa, i want to migrate legally and wait my turn so i dont break any rule.
My wife and i will be on vacation in december and we miss each other badly (body no be fire wood) which is why i will apply for a visit visa and come back in january to continue my immigration petition.

I guess its my problem to convince the VO on that day.

Greeting to you VO!

please when is the best time of the year to file an i30 form, are embassy in Nigeria open for interviews every month of the year?

hello Vo

I would like some clarity on my brothers case,he entered the usa 2 years ago via f1 visa and got married there and got his resident permit,however before he left he was married with 2 kids but had to divorce his wife.He and his American wife have now filed for his children and are due for interview soon,My question is who is eligible to take the children for the interview since he his not in the country and the childrens mother will not be available because of work to take kids to embassy(she is ready to release letter of consent to whoever will accompany the children

my question are...what documents does she need to give to whoever will take kids for interview/

2.who can take the kids to the embassy amongst the following,.the husbands brother or the divorced wife brother(kids stay with there mum)

thanks

Good day VO,

We can not but appreciate you for those eye-opening informations; please a couple more needed here;

1. Does US consulate in Lagos accept Direct Consular Filing (DCF) for Spouse Visa? If yes, what are the chances of getting approved and is it better to just go for CR-1/IR-1 as I learnt that a rejected DCF would be sent back to USCIS for investigation which would result in more time wastage.

2. How long does it take to get IR-1 done, I learnt that Direct Consular Filing takes a maximum of 3 months

3. Does a traditional marriage that has no registry documentation of whatsoever require a divorce certificate as there is no legal documents in the first place?

Thank you.