Hello Vo

I and my husband is bit confused on the filing of immigration petition.He said that in one of the forms that my signature is needed,am in Nigeria and He is in US.Pls I need you to list the names of forms he will fill aside from I-130 and how soon I will have to fill in my k-3 visa application
I will need a step to step advice on filing the petition and how I go about applying the K-3 visa.
My husband is US citizen. We got married Sept 4 here in Nigeria

Goodmorning @VO. Happy New year. Pls a question on behalf of a family friend.

The father became a US citizen 5years ago. While filling the form (he was an employee of US embassy in Lagos) he added all his children's name but was able to travel with 4 who were still minor and later after a year, their last born joined him except the older ones. Now, the father wants the older ones to join him too. Question is, since their names are already on the list as dependants,do they need to go through the 160 form and wait for the 7 years? Secondly, Someone told their father that he should simply get an immigration lawyer to do a petition or something like that to the embassy for them since their names are there already, they don't need to wait the 160form period. How true is that? Thanks as I await your response.

@VO, sorry, I think I meant form 1-130 for immigrants not 160 as quoted in my last post. t

I notice that the VO has been missing since the holidays. Now it is over, I look forward to seeing her contributions to this topic.
Dear VO, we need you here please. I hope you are doing well? I understand you might be having a hangover from the christmas and new year break. I can relate to that too lol I wish we can wind back the clock so we can do it all over again. Hahaha I'm just kidding.

nalacandi:
Dear VO,

Please forgive I have a question . I've been informed that the embassy will be shutting down for a few weeks and I was not aware of this. Can u confirm this?

Not true! At least, not unless you know something I don't.

Also, is it not possible for us to request another interview to provide the documents that our attorney did not frontload which I feel has played a part in the decision made to place us in AP. My husbnd was just very nervous that day and we don't seem to be making any progress here.

I noticed you were able to do this for others. I really feel we have been placed on AP in error, if you want my honest opinion.

Again, I can't discuss the reasons ANY case was placed on administrative processing, but I'm aware of your case and feel confident that we don't need more documents at this time. If we do, we'll let you know.

hayjayfeez:
Hello VO, compliment of the season ma. My sister's husband petition for her and she had her interview on Tuesday (12/23/2014) but before her interview, she gave birth to a bouncing baby boy in october. Pls ma, I would like to know why she was told that her case was pending. They also told her at embassy to apply for her son passport which she did yesterday.

Without knowing more about the case, I have no way to hazard a guess based on what you've written. There are many, many, many reasons why a case might be pending.

mcaylife:
hello VO.. Compliments of the season to u and everyone. I have been a follower of this thread for a long time.. I got married to US citizen earlier this month in nigeria and she has traveled back to the US.. And in ur previous replies to questions u said it takes up to 6 to 8months before the spousal visa is approved for an interview.. Me and my wife cant wait that long to be with each other.. I want to ask how long will it take to get a k3 visa and what are the important things to do to fast track it.. All we wnt is ur advice. Thanks and av a good day.

To apply for the K3, you first must have an approved I-130 petition. Only then can you file the I-129F for the K3. That shaves a couple of months off the wait time, at most.

princessedo:
Visa officer, compliments of the season to you. I am currently going through the k1 visa process with my fiancé .i am preparing for my interview and trying to gather my documents together .
Please i want to make enquiries on the issues listed below:

Firstly, I my birth certificate issued when i was born in late 1980's but i heard that this old birth certificate is not recognized by the US embassy.
I have been to NPC in Surulere to make enquiries byr they said they can only issue out " Attestation of Birth" since i was born before NPC started doing BC's.

First question : Please i want to know if this "ATTESTATION OF BIRTH" from NPC is accepted by the embassy.

Yes, we accept that document.

Secondly, i have filled my DS160 online already and gotten my confirmation page, but now im worried cause someone told me i was supposed to compulsorily upload my Passport photograph and I didn't do so. So my confirmation page does not have my passport photograph on it.

Second question: is it okay that I didn't upload a passport photograph? If it isn't then pls how do I go about rectifying this mistake

You *should* be all right (I think) (I know more about immigration law than about computers). Please make sure you bring a photo with you to your interview.

Thirdly, when I booked my interview, I was only able to input my first and last name, meanwhile on my DS160 I was asked for Surname and "Given names" so I wrote my surname, first name and middle name (just as it is on my intl passport) . So now my DS 160 and intl passport and all the supporting petition documents have my first name, middle name and surname on them, but my interview confirmation page has only my first name and surname.

Third question: is it okay or would it be a problem that my middle name is not on my interview confirmation (putting into consideration that my DS160 and intl passport have my surname, first and middle name on them)

That's okay.

Lastly, I heard of a new rule that the DS160 barcode number must be input during the process of booking your interview so that on your interview confirmation page the DS160 barcode would be there.

Last question: please does this new rule apply to immigrant visas ( specifically K1 category).

No, although it's helpful to us. Our volume of K applicants is much lower than the volume of B1/B2 applicants, so we have some flexibility with Ks.

See you soon!

dazetrin:


Mr/Mrs VO,
The above quote caught my attention. Is there a preference as to who the officers see? I was in lagos and standing outside the embassy while my son was interviewed and he told the officer same yet he was told that he didn't have enough evidence to show he was my only son. Why didn't the officer ask to see me? Whats the difference between my case and the above case you answered to. Could you care to elaborate.
thanks

We usually don't need to see the petitioners. Sometimes, though, it can be helpful. My guess is that your son was asked for DNA? In that case, the officer found that his / her doubts in the case could be most definitively resolved through a DNA test, whether or not he / she spoke to you in person.

dotcomnamename:
Here is my Question:

I am a Nigerian

I have European residence

Does the DV lottery exclusion of Nigeria apply to me if i apply in the European country where i live with my family?

Visa Officer and Justwise, what do you think?

The short answer is, Probably not, unless your spouse is chargeable to an eligible country.

Can I still apply if I was not born in a qualifying country?

There are two circumstances in which you still might be eligible to apply. First, if your derivative spouse was born in an eligible country, you may claim chargeability to that country. As your eligibility is based on your spouse, you will only be issued a DV-1 immigrant visa if your spouse is also eligible for and issued a DV-2 visa. Both of you must enter the United States together using your DVs. Similarly, your minor dependent child can be “charged” to a parent’s country of birth.

Second, you can be “charged” to the country of birth of either of your parents as long as neither of your parents was born in or a resident of your country of birth at the time of your birth. People are not generally considered residents of a country in which they were not born or legally naturalized, if they were only visiting, studying in the country temporarily, or stationed temporarily for business or professional reasons on behalf of a company or government from a different country other than the one in which you were born.

If you claim alternate chargeability through either of the above, you must provide an explanation on the E-DV Entry Form, in question #6.

Listing an incorrect country of eligibility or chargeability (i.e., one to which you cannot establish a valid claim) may disqualify your entry.

Ndeedee:
Chai!!! I am so jealous of you guys in Nigeria. Look at the way questions for the Visa officer are coming from all nooks and crannies and getting answered straight to the point.

And then this Visa Officer disappeared for a whole week... (sorry o)

I have been trying to get the US embassy in Warsaw through their contact email to clear up something for me which is written on their website so that I can know how it applies to us in my wife's DV Visa lottery case but all I have been getting from them are answers which are not helpful to me in my bid to make a decision on whether to continue with the application or to stop

See better service here. I am really jealous of you guys in Nigeria O.

But my question to the Visa officer is this.

If we decide not to follow through with our DV Visa lottery case(after we have filled the DS 260 few months back and submitted it). We have not heard from KCC yet. Can a decision to not pursue my wife's case further be used against us in future if we were to want to visit the USA say in year 2016 after the DV2015 must have ended?

No, there's no adverse consequence at all. You're free to stop your Diversity Visa application at any time, with no repercussions.

I have asked about my situation here before where I received a reasonable advise that the situation surrounding our case is not something that should warrant us being deemed as ineligible or disqualified from getting the DV Visa(asides from the other criteria looked at when adjudicating a DV case).
I tried to see what the US embassy in Warsaw had to say about it but they keep saying the information we filled was incorrect .[based on the situation i.e filled in the DV as married while we were engaged and about to get married and first moved the marriage from September end because of grandfather's(father figure) death and cancelled and moved the marriage a second time (about the time we filled the lottery) based on doctors advise surrounding my wife's becoming pregnant in this period again (Bear in mind that she had done two surgeries about 5 months before this concerning something that was preventing previous pregnancies from developing further which resulted in about 3 miscarriages. Which by the way we can prove if given the chance).We postponed it till the next available date that was open to us in June when we finally got married. ] .
On their website they put a notice saying that if the information you filled in your marital status was incorrect you will be ineligible to receive a Visa. Their email responses to me have always borne the phrase, "What you filled was incorrect" but that a consular officer will decide when he hears the case, even though I have pointed out the fact that the main DV instructions do not say anything about my case and only says if one doesn't fill in the name of a spouse or children that they would be disqualified. And that the Foreign Affairs Manual also doesn't say anything about this. They keep saying that a consular officer will decide. I once got a response from them that we should have filled the right option(to them) -single to which I responded that if there was a better option that captured an "engaged" couple, it would be married not single since there was nothing in between and that it was subject to ones own interpretation to which they went on to still say a consular officer will decide.

I am afraid that their answers give hints that the consular who might handle it there will not be willing to even look deeply at the totality of factors that have an effect on this case. Like how even my own tribal values and traditions as an Igbo Nigerian affect the view of us being a legit couple since our families have been introduced and we have the blessing of our parents even like a year before we applied for the DV(like in a hybrid traditional marriage done on skype).

We are not that desperate even though if we were able to get the DV it will be an option 1 for us and our son in 2015 to move to the US after I finish my masters degree in June. If we were that desperate then I would have stayed back in the US like many of my friends did in any of my five previous consecutive J1 visits to the US while completing 2 BSc degrees. So we are thinking of not pursuing this case any further and investing the energy on maybe going to Norway or Scotland/England after I finish school but we want to know how this will affect us in future if we discontinued/withdrew from the process and didn't show.

I think that if you choose to continue, the officer will be most interested in making sure that you really are married to each other NOW and that you did not omit any spouse and/or children who existed at the time of your original entry. But it's up to you. Whatever you choose, it won't affect any future visa applications.

Good luck to you!

queenma35:
Happy Holidays VO

Thank you for all you do here! I read your post and really appreciate your kindness. I am a USA citizen I got married in Nigeria November 2013 and filed the I-130 and a I-129F for my husband and stepson in April 2014 which is still in the Initial Review. . As the New year approaches I have some concerns about my name change. When filing these forms I used my husband last name and then went to change my name . However when I went change my drivers license and social security card I was told I need the original marriage license to do so. My husband has the original in Nigeria awaiting for the approval and the interview. Would this cause a problem with my petitions? I called the service center but they only give me status to my case. If I had knew it would be a lengthy wait time I could of had the original and sent back to my husband many times . Not to mention I am afraid that it may get lost in the mail .I don't know how I can change name without this document do you any suggestions? It is also need for Work, medical and life insurance.

Thank You

MRS....

The name issue won't make a difference to the visa application. We see this situation all the time and are used to it.

tinymusty:
Dear CO,
i had an F1 visa interview today at Lagos Consulate and everything went well and my visa was granted for few minutes only for the interviewing Visa Officer to called me back on my way out and subsequently revoke the visa pick up letter earlier given to me and return my international passport.
The VO claimed that on the second look at my i20 that he suspected fraud document, that there is discrepancies in the school fee amount of $25000 and my personal fund of $106,834(my Dad's fund) as indicated on item number 7 and 8 respectively on my i20. This came as a surprise to me as i personally picked up the i20 and admission letter from Postoffice myself and in fact i was carrying the USPS mail jacket with me(which i showed to VO), also i have the School Director complimentary card that was attached to the i20 when it was sent to me. all my pleading for the VO to called up the School Director and verify the authenticity of the i20 form were not listened to.
on a second note: 1. the Director will not likely respond due to time difference
2. putting me on Administrative processing would have
allowed proper verification of the i20.
Well the deed has been done but i need to state here that the VO's later decision is in ERROR as i did not engaged in any form of illegality in the pursuit of my dream of schooling in your God's Own Country.
[b]Please use your good office to look into the matter in order to avoid denying merit prospective future visa applicants in error and to also clear me of any wrong doing as this may affect. GOD BLESS AMERICA

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

amicables11:
Hello vo,
please I will like to know for how long I should wait after DNA was requested and provided for i-130 for sibling(uscis)

Once we receive the DNA results, the families should hear from us in a matter of days! (There's a huge stack of DNA results on my desk right this moment, so there should be some happy people this week.)

pristine02:
Hello VO

You have been Quite Insightful.....Anyway I wanted to ask what exactly happens once an 1-130 has been approved and within what time frame can the petitioners family Be united with the petitioner in the USA

It depends what the visa category is. Immediate relatives (IRs) usually get an appointment a couple months after their petitions are approved; others will have wait times from three to 12 years or so.

onyiblanche:
good evening ma. please as you instructed we sent an email to LagosIV@state.gov but the reply we got was that we should contact NVC for case numbers for the kids and I. but the last time we called NVC we were told that since our names were added in lagos, the lagos embassy is responsible for adding our names. we are really being tossed about, its not pleasant at all. please help us out. should we come to lagos?

Do you feel comfortable sharing your case number here? If so I can look it up and figure out what's going on.

shinaola4u:
Hello VO......season's greeting....And thank you for the selfless service your render to many Nigerians in this forum.....May your endeavors be blessed....

My question goes thus:

My petition was forwarded from NVC to the embassy without the payment of the AOS fee and the VISA fee, when I came for the immigrant VISA interview in Lagos, I was only giving an invoice to pay the VISA fee but I needed to pay the AOS fee as well. I sent an email to LagosIV@state.gov to inquire on how to make the payment but no response yet. When I contacted NVC, I was advised that my case as been forwarded to US embassy and as such ALL fees should be paid at the US embassy or Consulate during my interview but that did not happened because I only paid the VISA fee.

I am requesting help with a payment I need to make. Receipt of the payments of AOS made to the National Visa Center need to be made totaling $88. Please advise me on how I need to make this payment so that I can do so as soon as possible to move this process forward...

Kind regards

I think I remember this e-mail. You already got an answer to this, right?

onuzulikenma:
Good day vo, how are u. Pls I have a question when will be the best time for my medical? My interview is January 22,and hope to see u there. Thanks ma

You should contact the panel physician, let her know your interview date, and ask for an appointment early enough to receive your results before your visa interview.

Marsh104:
Good evening VO,
the USCIS alerted me that they've recieved the evidence they requested from me and that they will mail me their decision before 27th of february. Pls what does that mean?

I'm afraid there's not enough information in this post to answer your question. Could you tell us more about your situation?

vickkyplus:
hellooooo ma,Am asking to help a friend in need.He was selected in the last dv program, but never went for interview cos of family and finance. The issue is that on his status online,READY is shown.Pls ma,what does that mean.Ready without interview?

If he was in the 2014 program, "READY" must be a glitch. The 2014 season is closed and no further interviews can be granted.

omotfavy:
Finally,am off d embassy with our packets,i so much appreciate u maam for ur support,love and patience,may God bless u and make this year filled with testimony for u .I dint get to c u.

You saw me. Glad it's all resolved now!

omoondo:
Good day VO,
Please, i have 2 questions,How long does it take for the F3 category to become current?Is it possible to have more than 1 immigrant petition through different family members like my mum and sister?

Right now the F3 category is running around 11 years. Yes, it's okay to have more than one immigrant petition outstanding at a time.

DoraTosh:
Hello vo
Am Mrs Adaora McIntosh.I applied twice for. B1/B2 visa to visit my then fiance but was denied,all in US embassy Abuja.I applied again for B1/B2 after my wedding for my honeymoon,my interview was 22nd Oct 2014,I was placed on administrative processing for 2mths.I was called back and I went to the embassy 30th Dec 2014.To my amazement,I was denied AGAIN.The consular advised me to apply for a K-3 visa which I wasn't aware of. 2 months of waiting was just wasted.
I was told that the K-3 class of visa is attended to in US embassy Lagos.Now,I will need your support on every step of this to avoid the previous mistake I made that has cost me time and money.
I and my husband is bit confused on the filing of petition.He said that in one of the forms that my signature is needed.Am in Nigeria and He is in US.How do we manage the situation.
I will need a step to step advice on filing the petition and how I go about applying the K-3 visa.
HaPpy new year

Here is all the information you will need about the K3 visa: http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/immigrate/types/family/spouse-citizen.html

trevor443:
I am truly glad I bumped into this thread and will sincerely appreciate getting a response to my inquiry. I have been a US permanent resident for about 5 years and recently passed my naturalization interview - I am waiting to receive a notice for the oath ceremony's date and venue. Meanwhile, I visited Nigeria about a year ago to get married to my sweetheart of more than a few years. About 4 months after my return to the States I submitted an I-130 form with the attendant documents and it got approved pretty quickly (this is very sincerely appreciated). On account of the required quota restrictions on visa availability for spouses of permanent residents, no visa is available for my wife at the moment. I know I might be sounding impatient but I have been separated from her for far too long - I'd please like to know what the time frame is for my wife to be issued an immigrant visa from the date of taking my citizenship oath (rest assured that there will be no delays on my part in submitting required documents). If this is going to take a while, can I in the least apply for her to visit me?

Good news! Once you naturalize, your wife's visa category will change from F2A to CR1. And there's no wait time for the CR1! So as soon as you have your naturalization certificate, you should let NVC know. Their contact information is available at http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/immigrate/nvc/nvc-contact-information.html - please note the special link for submitting documents.

amen1967:
Hello VO,
I just completed my Msc Degree from one of the prestigious university from Europe and will be going for my Phd in the U.S around January 2015; my question is will it be possible for me to go with my wife and two kids since the course is going to be a minimum of 4 years? also
will going with my family not make the VO think i might not return since i do not have any tie to my home country and i am not fully employed?

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

veecee29:
Hi VO,
We did our traditional(customary) marriage on the 29th of March 2014 and we have a traditional marriage certificate to prove it.
We also did our registry marriage on the 29th of November 2014 which we also have a marriage certificate.
We intend petitioning for spousal visa come April.If we petition using the traditional marriage date,we will qualify for an IR1 visa by the time the visa will be ready. On the other hand,if we petition with the registry date,we will qualify for a CR1 visa.And we don't want a conditional visa after all these wait and given the financial implication of removal of condition.
My question is: Can we use our traditional marriage date and certificate to petition for I-130?Will the USCIS recognize the certificate?
Thanks in anticipation of ur response.

Given that you haven't filed a peition yet at all, it's best to use the registry marriage certificate. We rarely see traditional marriage certificates and USCIS might not recognize it as genuine. At any rate, you are likely to receive a visa before March 29, 2016 (if your filing is unproblematic), so it would be a CR1 visa in any case.

elawdafinest:
Good day VO Happy new year. I am Mr olawale I applied for the tourist nd business b1/b2 visa and given an appointment for 15th of January2015 in abuja, please I would like you to help me with the likely questions I would come across at the CG's office ? Thanks

This is a question for my non-immigrant visa colleagues at https://www.nairaland.com/1792662/u.s-non-immigrant-visas-listening . Also, we're not going to "help people with the likely questions." We want to hear your honest, candid answers, not rehearsed answers.

oluwafunkenny:
Good Day,

Please I submitted my B1/B2 application through drop box on 19th December 2014 at VI but as at date I have got no response. I tried tracking my application online and got this message 'there is no status update available for the passport number submitted'.

Kindly advise on what to do.

Thanks

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

salim28:
i have a f1 visa but did not finish school because i got suspended and i also have a b1/b2 visa which i am planning to use to enter usa after 1 year of getting suspended. will i be given entry?? and btw my f1 stamp is till 2017 got it in 2012 and b1 stamp is till 2018 got it in 2008....thanks for your reply...i left usa in end of january 2014 a few days after i got suspended...

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

zesweedie:
Hello VisaOfficer,
Ok so I have plans to study in the US. And before I go any further, one thing to note in my case is that my husband is a permanent resident of the US. I also want to note that hes' attained this status for only about Six months. We got married at the registry when he visited Nigeria last month and plan to do both traditional and church weddings by his next visit in three months.
I'm(we) just wondering, If I succeed through the admission process of the institution I intend going to... and note in my visa application that my husband is resident in the states, with the conditions I have mentioned above I have a feeling that this would either be good for my application or just kill it.
Please advice me on how to make this work. Your input would be invaluable and of immense help.

Thanks in advance.

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

noberu10:


Also, will you be willing to look at all of the evidence I have now? I mean is this something that I can either bring or email to the consulate? What is the best way for me to get the evidence to you?

Please e-mail us your evidence at LagosIV@state.gov and mention that VisaOfficer from Nairaland asked you to.

DoraTosh:
Hello Vo

I and my husband is bit confused on the filing of immigration petition.He said that in one of the forms that my signature is needed,am in Nigeria and He is in US.Pls I need you to list the names of forms he will fill aside from I-130 and how soon I will have to fill in my k-3 visa application
I will need a step to step advice on filing the petition and how I go about applying the K-3 visa.
My husband is US citizen. We got married Sept 4 here in Nigeria

Please see http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/immigrate/types/family/spouse-citizen.html for this information.