k-1 help

[momov31 2]

why does this thread remind me of someone asking for my bank account number to help them "save" money?

it amazes me how people can joke about other people lives and not look at their own. you may be in a bad relationship and not know it til its to late. i only wanted to know if i could apply. i have heard all the fraud jokes and warnings. so please keep your unproductive answers to yourself.

having a bad day? geez .... lets think about this

if you're not making ends meet today without gov't support where will the money come from to complete the k-1 visa process which includes proof of relationship and having met? how will you survive if/when he makes the journey to the US? his "lot of money"? (hope you've factored in the exchange rate). it will be more than a few weeks after he arrives until he will be able to work, will the money last, or will he be eating off your food stamps too?

you might be better off to find a better paying job and a least get above the poverty line before beginning this process.

ymmv

no im having a blessed day. thank you. negative people cant nor will they have any affect on my life or my attitude. we have thought and discussed all this at length and i just got my second job which if i need to get a third i will do, so he can be here with us. because i do believe he is a blessing and i should fight for my blessing. my thing is why couldnt you say something productive in the first place instead of trying to make a lame joke. i would hope if you had a question you wanted answered you didnt get jokes and got some constructive answers. im not worried about the money for the process i have that, i was asking if i could apply if my job income is below the poverty line. not once did i say we couldnt afford the process. thank you for your concern.

You are asking legitimate questions and with an exception or two, you are getting the needed answers. Now, IMO, it's time to learn from the answers you are given so you can prepare as well as possible for success. I'm going to just assume the relationship is a genuine one with the best intentions of all concerned being foremost. However, that's my assumption. It will probably not be quite a different initial assuption a Consular officer in Lagos has. It's your job to overcome the challenges, if you want success.

First, learn the process. First thing is you file a petition. You, the US Citizen never "apply" for anything. If you are a US citizen, free to marry, you can file a petition. If you've been together in person during the past two years (Have you met in person already? If not, that's required.) with the beneficiary and he can show evidence he's free to marry along with you both sending the appropriate documentation including letters of intent, (See the K1 guide) then, you can actually get a petition approved. That's the easy part. After petition approval comes the hard part.

The initial financial requirements can be met with a co-sponsor but this is dealt with after petition approval, so yes, the poor can petition.

Now come the red flags and challenges to deal with. Here's a partial list. They work against you in combination with only "Lagos" being of critical significance on its own.

1. You have a low income.

2. You met though his brother who already immigrated.

3. He's paying the expenses of immigration and I assume any trip(s) to visit him.

4. You'll be going through Lagos Consulate, with a unique history of high fraud.

5. If his brother instead of your family or close friend is the co-sponsor that's another mark against you.

This whole set of circumstances fits a common fraud scenario. It fits regardlesss of how genuine your relationship is. As such, you'll need enough (and nobody can tell you what "enough" is) evidence of a bona fide ongoing relationship to overcome the initial conclusion the relationship is one HE entered into for no other purpose than to gain an immigration benefit.

The very best evidence of a bona fide relationship is the time you spend together before the interview. With a passle of kids, that's not going to be easy but you'll need to arrange at least two and better three visits with the third being at interview time. In addition, see the guides and other threads for examples of gathering evidence of ongoing regular communication. You may even want to include a few selected pieces of evidence that address the red flags along with your petition even though they are not required. We call this "front-loading the petition" and it can be critical in situations like yours.

Why not start now but telling us what you already have for evidence including your evidence of meeting and how long you spent together, so we can help you gauge whether you're ready to file.

First let me say thank you. my mom or my sister will be the co-sponser, they both make good money. we have been dating since july of last year and i went to nigeria last week to visit him. we do have a lot of letters and emails. we took over a hundred pictures and i do have phone records and cards. i have the hotel receipt. please tell me if i need more.

For filing, you've got plenty to get the petition approved but need more details for front-loading. How long were you there? Tell us about the pictures. Who else is in the pictures. Is it clear pictures were taken in multiple locations, some with family and friends. If we saw the pictures would be be impressed the relationship is genuine?

FYI, your mom or your sister may co-sponsor, not both.

i was only there a week couldnt stay longer i wanted to but i had to get back to my babies. i have pics with his brothers and his friends. i didnt get any pics with his mom because her lights were out and we got to her very late. yes we have pics at several different locations. yes i know only one of them can be it but they both said they would help. thank you again.

Can you think of anything else that could evidence the bona fides? If not, a carefully drafted letter describing the evolution of the relationship could help front-load the petition. Don't underestimate the factors working against you. Can you visit once or twice more in the next few months? Can you arrange to be there at interview time?

can you give me an example please. of what might be bona fide. il let him know i need to visit him again. we have to schedule it when my kids have break from school. im taking all this very seriously, and im very scared that because of me he wont be able to come.

Edited February 25, 2009 by momov31

[pushbrk 13,166]

why does this thread remind me of someone asking for my bank account number to help them "save" money?

it amazes me how people can joke about other people lives and not look at their own. you may be in a bad relationship and not know it til its to late. i only wanted to know if i could apply. i have heard all the fraud jokes and warnings. so please keep your unproductive answers to yourself.

having a bad day? geez .... lets think about this

if you're not making ends meet today without gov't support where will the money come from to complete the k-1 visa process which includes proof of relationship and having met? how will you survive if/when he makes the journey to the US? his "lot of money"? (hope you've factored in the exchange rate). it will be more than a few weeks after he arrives until he will be able to work, will the money last, or will he be eating off your food stamps too?

you might be better off to find a better paying job and a least get above the poverty line before beginning this process.

ymmv

no im having a blessed day. thank you. negative people cant nor will they have any affect on my life or my attitude. we have thought and discussed all this at length and i just got my second job which if i need to get a third i will do, so he can be here with us. because i do believe he is a blessing and i should fight for my blessing. my thing is why couldnt you say something productive in the first place instead of trying to make a lame joke. i would hope if you had a question you wanted answered you didnt get jokes and got some constructive answers. im not worried about the money for the process i have that, i was asking if i could apply if my job income is below the poverty line. not once did i say we couldnt afford the process. thank you for your concern.

You are asking legitimate questions and with an exception or two, you are getting the needed answers. Now, IMO, it's time to learn from the answers you are given so you can prepare as well as possible for success. I'm going to just assume the relationship is a genuine one with the best intentions of all concerned being foremost. However, that's my assumption. It will probably not be quite a different initial assuption a Consular officer in Lagos has. It's your job to overcome the challenges, if you want success.

First, learn the process. First thing is you file a petition. You, the US Citizen never "apply" for anything. If you are a US citizen, free to marry, you can file a petition. If you've been together in person during the past two years (Have you met in person already? If not, that's required.) with the beneficiary and he can show evidence he's free to marry along with you both sending the appropriate documentation including letters of intent, (See the K1 guide) then, you can actually get a petition approved. That's the easy part. After petition approval comes the hard part.

The initial financial requirements can be met with a co-sponsor but this is dealt with after petition approval, so yes, the poor can petition.

Now come the red flags and challenges to deal with. Here's a partial list. They work against you in combination with only "Lagos" being of critical significance on its own.

1. You have a low income.

2. You met though his brother who already immigrated.

3. He's paying the expenses of immigration and I assume any trip(s) to visit him.

4. You'll be going through Lagos Consulate, with a unique history of high fraud.

5. If his brother instead of your family or close friend is the co-sponsor that's another mark against you.

This whole set of circumstances fits a common fraud scenario. It fits regardlesss of how genuine your relationship is. As such, you'll need enough (and nobody can tell you what "enough" is) evidence of a bona fide ongoing relationship to overcome the initial conclusion the relationship is one HE entered into for no other purpose than to gain an immigration benefit.

The very best evidence of a bona fide relationship is the time you spend together before the interview. With a passle of kids, that's not going to be easy but you'll need to arrange at least two and better three visits with the third being at interview time. In addition, see the guides and other threads for examples of gathering evidence of ongoing regular communication. You may even want to include a few selected pieces of evidence that address the red flags along with your petition even though they are not required. We call this "front-loading the petition" and it can be critical in situations like yours.

Why not start now but telling us what you already have for evidence including your evidence of meeting and how long you spent together, so we can help you gauge whether you're ready to file.

First let me say thank you. my mom or my sister will be the co-sponser, they both make good money. we have been dating since july of last year and i went to nigeria last week to visit him. we do have a lot of letters and emails. we took over a hundred pictures and i do have phone records and cards. i have the hotel receipt. please tell me if i need more.

For filing, you've got plenty to get the petition approved but need more details for front-loading. How long were you there? Tell us about the pictures. Who else is in the pictures. Is it clear pictures were taken in multiple locations, some with family and friends. If we saw the pictures would be be impressed the relationship is genuine?

FYI, your mom or your sister may co-sponsor, not both.

i was only there a week couldnt stay longer i wanted to but i had to get back to my babies. i have pics with his brothers and his friends. i didnt get any pics with his mom because her lights were out and we got to her very late. yes we have pics at several different locations. yes i know only one of them can be it but they both said they would help. thank you again.

Can you think of anything else that could evidence the bona fides? If not, a carefully drafted letter describing the evolution of the relationship could help front-load the petition. Don't underestimate the factors working against you. Can you visit once or twice more in the next few months? Can you arrange to be there at interview time?

can you give me an example please. of what might be bona fide. il let him know i need to visit him again. we have to schedule it when my kids have break from school. im taking all this very seriously, and im very scared that because of me he wont be able to come.

First off, this is NOT because of you. Any difficulties I've mentioned stem from the extraordinarily high level of immigration fraud coming through Lagos. The circumstances are not something either of you can change. You can only recognize and deal with them. An example of an evolution of a relationship would include how you met, how you began communicating, the reasons you decided to meet in person, what transpired during your visit that led to you both deciding to marry. You might include things like how your families have interacted throughout the relationship. In short, you tell your story, like you would to a friend or family member hearing it for the first time. Put yourself in a friend's shoes and tell a truthful story that helps them believe you are in a genuine relationship. Your fiance could do the same. Include statements that you intend to marry that will fulfill the letter of intent requirments you read about in the guides and the evolution letter then serves both purposes. You should be able to do this in less than two typed pages.

[Minya's wife 25]

First, learn the process. First thing is you file a petition. You, the US Citizen never "apply" for anything. If you are a US citizen, free to marry, you can file a petition. If you've been together in person during the past two years (Have you met in person already? If not, that's required.) with the beneficiary and he can show evidence he's free to marry along with you both sending the appropriate documentation including letters of intent, (See the K1 guide) then, you can actually get a petition approved. That's the easy part. After petition approval comes the hard part.

This phrasing implies that you mean the couple has to have been physically together for two years prior to filing, which is not a requirement. The eligibility requirement to file the I-129F petition states, in part, that the petitioner and the foreign beneficiary must "have met in person within two years before your filing of this petition."

That is strictly for the petition filing eligibility requirements. Given that the OP's fiancee is from Lagos, with all that implies, there should definitely be more than 1 short visit involved, preferably before the petition is filed, but definitely before the visa interview is conducted.

-P

[pushbrk 13,166]

First, learn the process. First thing is you file a petition. You, the US Citizen never "apply" for anything. If you are a US citizen, free to marry, you can file a petition. If you've been together in person during the past two years (Have you met in person already? If not, that's required.) with the beneficiary and he can show evidence he's free to marry along with you both sending the appropriate documentation including letters of intent, (See the K1 guide) then, you can actually get a petition approved. That's the easy part. After petition approval comes the hard part.

This phrasing implies that you mean the couple has to have been physically together for two years prior to filing, which is not a requirement. The eligibility requirement to file the I-129F petition states, in part, that the petitioner and the foreign beneficiary must "have met in person within two years before your filing of this petition."

That is strictly for the petition filing eligibility requirements. Given that the OP's fiancee is from Lagos, with all that implies, there should definitely be more than 1 short visit involved, preferably before the petition is filed, but definitely before the visa interview is conducted.

-P

Yeah, I probably should have said "sometime during". It could have been misunderstood but at least the OP got it.

[forchika 4]

Good Luck momov31... some people can be so ignorant and insensitive I think you should read in the Sub-Saharan Forum also as many of your questions have probably been asked already here's a link to the forum : http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...amp;s=&f=89, .

[momov31 2]

Good Luck momov31... some people can be so ignorant and insensitive I think you should read in the Sub-Saharan Forum also as many of your questions have probably been asked already here's a link to the forum : http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...amp;s=&f=89, .

thank you so much.