VisaOfficer:


You can correct all of this at the time of your interview. (I also kind of think you should ask your attorney what you're paying him for, but hey.)

VisaOfficer:


These are questions for my non-immigrant visa colleagues at https://www.nairaland.com/1792662/u.s-non-immigrant-visas-listening .

VisaOfficer:
Good morning, everyone! It looks like our previous thread was a casualty of the recent data loss, so I'm starting a new thread here. Nairaland, I missed you and am glad you're back!

I am a U.S. Foreign Service Officer working at the U.S. Consulate in Lagos, Nigeria, primarily handling Immigrant Visas and Diversity Visas (IVs and DVs). The purpose of this thread is to provide a forum for your questions about these types of visas. My colleagues and I will make every effort to answer all questions within two business days.

Please note that we cannot answer questions about specific cases, except as based on the information provided here in this discussion thread. Any responses in this forum are not to be taken as legally binding, as they will be based only on what you tell us in your questions, not on the information in any actual case. While we will attempt to explain U.S. immigration policies, any opinions expressed are the personal views of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Government.

We may not be able to respond to every post in this thread, and we will not answer abusive posts. Also, please don't send me private messages -- I don't even read them. If you need personal attention, please send an e-mail to LagosIV@state.gov.

There is a separate thread for Non-Immigrant Visa Questions, also handled by U.S. Foreign Service Officers serving in Nigeria, at https://www.nairaland.com/1792662/u.s-non-immigrant-visas-listening . Please use this thread right here solely for questions about Immigrant Visas and Diversity Visas.

All the best,
VisaOfficer

stevewale:
Welldone Dear VO ...

My K1 petition got approved yesterday at TSC after a very long wait of 7 months ... Can't wait have my case available at your consulate. The waiting seems endless ...lolz

Hoping to have an available interview date for March ending all things being equal (do you think this is feasible ma?).

Pls do you have idea how long it takes for approved K1 petitions to get to you guys after the approval date considering the 3 months validity?

EJINNE:
Dear V.O, tnx for d gud job and ur tym out here. My interview for an f1 visa happend on 17th dec. Everythn went on fine but was stunned wen I was handed over a whyte paper tickin Administrative Processing.Funny enof no document was taken from me I was tld dey ll contact me and it was writte dat I cld contact dem afta 60 days. 17th feb made it 60 days and I am yet to be contacted, the last and only update on ceac website was 17th dec and it has not changed ever since. I nd ur candid advice on the next step to take..Email? Call? Etc.

Thnks a lot.

gbengene8012:
Thanks VO on your quick response to my last inquiry.
1. Now am booked for interview this February and like i said in my earlier post am attending the interview with my two sons. Their mother (though not legally married to me and also she has moved on in life with another person) has agreed to their leaving. Do i need to bring any document to show of her approval like her written consent, or what other document do i need bring along since we didn't separate through the court ( actually we couldn't since we aren't legally married), though someone told me it isn't necessary as she has done that at the immigration office by consenting to their passport issuance.
2. Also do i need show evidence of support apart from the one my fiance filed of herself in which, she met the minimum 125% HHS poverty guidelines for a family of four (fiancee, myself and 2 kids).
3. lastly i haven't gotten any correspondence from Lagos consulate, but my fiance said i should go ahead and book the interview based on the NVC number she got which i have done. So am asking what document is needed at interview specifically for K1 applicant with K2 dependents apart from the general sample on the interview prep packet on your site, since i considered this generalised for all category, don't want to be too much on documentation, but definitely not less.
Thank you for attending to these lengthy inquiries.

bukolacole:
Good day, my family and I will go for our interview this morning, my stepmother, my half sister who is just 3yesrs and am a 20years old boy, please what are our chances been a form on migrant petition and what could cause DNA and if DNA is required, how many months could we be called back or could others be granted and mine later the DNA have been concluded? Urgent reply please. And our Police report will expire five days after our interview, hope it does not affect it ma, and please, is the three of us going to be called upon once, or one after the other? Thanks in anticipation.

nicko92:


good day sir,I need advice on how somebody can send an invitation to me from the US and how I can make it valid

DpdNKerosene:
Are officers required to deny an applicant based on previous misrepresentation or is it up to their discretion to approve or deny a visa application?

VisaOfficer:

It depends on the nature of the misrepresentation. If there's already an ineligibility entered by a previous officer, we're not allowed to issue over it, though; the applicant will need to seek a waiver.

chukwumaebenmel:
Good morning vo. Pls my case was updated yesterday.i guess my DNA result has been received. Pls am I good, when will I be contacted.. LGS2014726042.Thank u

DpdNKerosene:


Is there a way I can private message you?

VisaOfficer:


I do not respond to private messages. If you can't ask your question here, please e-mail our general mailbox at LagosIV@state.gov.

DpdNKerosene:




I am surely thankful for any advice you can give me!


The applicant has previously applied for a non-immigrant visa under a different name/passport and misrepresented facts, they were denied for other reasons. It is not known that the facts were misrepresented. Fast forward to now, they have since gotten the passport information changed to their correct information and have been forgiven for getting the Nigerian passport with false information on their countries side of things. Now we're trying to apply for a k-1 visa. We don't want to hide anything, including the past misrepresentations- even though it's not known that the information given was false. I'm not sure if that's making sense...
When the applicant goes in for their interview, I'm sure it will be brought up as to why they applied in a different name and gave false information. My question is, with the VO being told the truth about the misrepresentation, do they automatically have to deny them or is it up to their discretion?

VisaOfficer:


In this case, it sounds like the officer will indeed find the applicant ineligible for material misrepresentation (use of a different identity). There is a waiver available, however. Waivers are more likely to be granted when the applicant is otherwise credible -- that is, when the applicant tells us what happened instead of hoping we don't notice... which we will, because we have the applicant's fingerprints and photos.

VisaOfficer:


There's no exemption from the $325 (per person!) fee. Either it's already been paid to NVC, or it must be paid on the day of the interview.

The $165 (per person) is paid after the interview, but before you enter the United States. It's paid directly to USCIS and is the fee for producing the Legal Permanent Resident card. I've attached a document with more information...



With joyful singing in my heart, am pleased to say my husband was granted visa today. Also we didnt have to pay the $325 as i thought. VO Well done for the good work you are doing here and taking time to answer the people's question. God bless you. To my other nairalanders who are in the wait, i pray you have your testimony too. Waiting is not easy as i speak from experience, but you would make it worse if you do anything illegal out of desperation only to be turned down at the peak of it. Always be truthful, there is no other way to say it. Sincerely sometimes it seems lying after swearing an oath has a way of ending in the negative (my husband told me how alot of people were being rejected, am not concluding its because they lied though). Lastly, Put God first. Wish you all good success.
VO thanks once again. ROGER OUT!!!!


We don't need to know about the address change here at post. It's a good idea to let USCIS know in case they need to contact you, though.

Hope this helps!

halaphilip:
Dear VO,

My wife is the holder of a Permanent Residence Status in the US. Last time (March 1, 2014) she traveled back to the US after spending 5 months with me here in Nigeria, she was queried on arrival at the US for spending that long outside the US. She spent 8 months there and came back here at the end of October. She’s booked her return flight to the US in the first week of April, which is about 5 months and a week after leaving the US.

Our question: the law stipulates 6 months, so why was she heckled the last time? The ONLY reason she comes to Nigeria is to see me, and she is spending this long in Nigeria on this trip because she had our baby last time and brought him to see me. I have an IV interview for next month so hopefully I’ll be successful and this will be the last time she’ll come back to Nigeria, at least in a long time. Do you think she will have another issue when she arrives back to the US next month?

tosintestimony:
With joyful singing in my heart, am pleased to say my husband was granted visa today. Also we didnt have to pay the $325 as i thought. VO Well done for the good work you are doing here and taking time to answer the people's question. God bless you. To my other nairalanders who are in the wait, i pray you have your testimony too. Waiting is not easy as i speak from experience, but you would make it worse if you do anything illegal out of desperation only to be turned down at the peak of it. Always be truthful, there is no other way to say it. Sincerely sometimes it seems lying after swearing an oath has a way of ending in the negative (my husband told me how alot of people were being rejected, am not concluding its because they lied though). Lastly, Put God first. Wish you all good success.
VO thanks once again. ROGER OUT!!!!

halaphilip:

Hehehehehehehehehehe. Sometimes your responses make me think of @Gidi_Traffic. Nice one

VisaOfficer:


We don't comment on people's "chances." As for DNA, if there's not enough evidence to issue in a case based on a biological relationship, we suggest DNA testing rather than just closing the case. If you're all on the same petition, you'll be called together, but if each of you has a separate petition, you may be called separately. If you're all on one petition, and DNA is required, usually the whole case will be kept pending until the results come in. The police reports must be valid on the day the visas are print authorized... so you may well need new police reports.