Interview Experience/Embassy Review

[Void 0]

I decided from the get-go that I would be traveling to be with my wife during the interview in Lagos. I have always had the belief that psychological benefits is very possible despite what anybody might think to the contrary. Her interview was on March 6, 2009.

I traveled to Lagos on the 4th and met my wife at the airport. We decided to check into a hotel closer to the embassy and beat the Lagos morning traffic and meet our 7am appointment. We chartered a taxi and scouted for a hotel/motel allover Victoria Island (VI) and also considered Lekki as a second option. I was surprised with the high price of hotel accommodation in Victoria Island Lagos. Moderate hotel here in the US (Motel 6, Motel 8, Best Western) cost between $40-60/room/night. These hotels in VI Lagos with very small space, smaller bed and not-very good restrooms cost $150-200/room/night. After several hours of wasting time and getting frustrated, we ended at one called Tropicana at Waziri Ibrahim Street, VI. Not the best by any means and not recommended to anyone.

Unpacked and settled in for the night as it was already late. We knew, we had a lot work ahead especially on thorough mock interview. The next morning, we reviewed all the documents I brought with me and the copies of the ILLUSTRATED pictures that were already sent to Lagos via NVC. Earlier before my arrival, I asked my wife to review the “interview questions” and answers I sent to her several weeks.

http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/...rview_Questions

We sorted all the pictures in the order of “before marriage”, “during marriage” and “after marriage”. It became obvious that we needed more pictures and with her digital camera, we started marathon picture taking with different clothes. We were able to print those impromptu pictures nearby. As stated earlier, I sent some illustrated pictures to NVC with DS 230. We went through those pictures and making sure my wife knows who and all about the illustration.

I bought a compartmentalized small folder box while traveling (from Wal-Mart, Target. Office Deport). We labeled each compartment for easy location. I asked my wife to review forms I-130 which include G325A for me and her, Form DS-230. After 2-3 hours of review it was my turn to drill her with probing questions. I was not impressed by her response especially on dates. We went through these forms together twice and by late in the evening, we had another mock interview and she was a lot better. I told her to be ready to answer or ask me any question even in the middle of her dinner/sleep etc. Our document box was now very organized and she was able to pick up any document asked of her with ease. At that point, we knew we were ready even to move in to the white house. So my “first lady” went to the interview with confidence and that was important to me.

We arrived at the embassy an hour early (see my post on sub-Sahara forum regarding USC visiting Lagos for spousal interview). I waited for her outside of the embassy

According my wife (whom I intend to live happily ever after with), she was called up around 10:12am to I think window 11. A young man interviewing for immigrant visa was her interviewer. The following conversation ensued between my wife and the consular officer (CO).

CO: How are you?

Wife: I’m fine, thank you

CO: Are you okay, you look nervous. I want you to appear calm

Wife: I’m okay.

CO: When did you see your husband last?

Wife: This morning

CO: How come?

Wife: He is here waiting for me outside

CO: Why did he come?

Wife: To cheer me up

CO: When is he leaving?

Wife: Tomorrow

CO: Huh, that’s quick.

Wife: He is so busy and he came because this is so important to him.

CO: Tell me about your marriage. Actually when did you get married?

Wife: We got married on 11/30/07 in the court and traditional marriage on 12/01/07

CO: Was there an introduction?

Wife: No.

CO: I know what I’m talking about, because in Nigeria, there is introduction before the traditional marriage

Wife: Well because of his residence/distance, the introduction was done simultaneously with the traditional marriage.

CO: How many people attended your wedding?

Wife: I don’t know the number, but a lot of people were there.

CO: Did all members of your family attended?

Wife: No

CO: Why?

Wife: One passed away

CO: Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that.

CO: Back to your husband, when was the last time he visited before this time

Wife: We met in 2005, he visited and we got married in 2007 and he is here now.

CO: I see.

CO: Do you have any pictures of both of you before the marriage:

Yes: Here they are

CO: What about during the wedding

Wife: Here, I also have for after the wedding

CO: Please give me everything them.

CO: That is quite a lot of pictures.

CO: What is your husband doing for a living

CO: What do you plan to do when you get to the US?

CO: Okay, go and finish your medical exam and come back with the result Monday thru Thursday between 7am to 1pm. Remember we have to verify your response to my questions.

Wife: Okay, but are you going to issue me a visa when I come back?

CO: (Smile). Go and complete your medical first and then come back okay. Here are your originals.

At the end of the interview, the CO gave my wife a pink form and checked the box for medical exam required only. My went back to Kamoras Clinic to complete her medical as scheduled on March 10 and revisited the embassy with the result on March 11. She was told to pick up her visa on March 18.

I hope this review helps someone here. If your case is genuine, confidence, matters. There are several reports, publications, and stories about marriage fraud and the Lagos embassy are using the best available tool to detect and reduce fraudsters getting through. Unfortunately, the Innocent suffer sometimes.

The major problem I have right now is how many times people have to visit Lagos to obtain a Visa. The most frustrating aspect is being allowing just one clinic in the whole of Nigeria with a population of about 250 million to conduct medical exams. The time between first and second medical exam at the moment is resulting to people travelling back to the Clinic after their interview. If you are a Nigerian, this is our copy of tea. They can do better. Either the clinic hires more hands to complete the exams in a timely manner, or establish more branches to ease peoples’ hardship. Alternatively, there are several other well equipped clinics that can conduct these exams like in the US. There are some West African countries with population just as that of Lagos and it should not be one country one clinic. Why risking lives to and fro either by road or by air when these exams can be done regionally. East, West (Lagos), North and South. I will write a letter to the Ambassador of the US to Nigeria, the office of the Secretary of State for African affairs and whoever I find out can do something. You will be invited to vet, edit and also mail a final copy. If no response or action, after six months, I will start calling/emailing them in Abuja/Lagos and Washington. This is our call to assist our people who cannot help the situation. Doing nothing is not an option (Obama, 2009). Just because you crossed the bridge, does not mean the bridge should collapse.

One more thing: Good luck to all of you through this journey and feel free to PM me if you need to ask or clarify anything aforementioned. I will always give my best opinion.

[no more patience 0]

Congrats!!!! I just two questions, Why didnt you inside the embassy with her? My husbands interview is next month in Italy and I want to go with him, as americans are we allowed inside the embassy with them?

thanks...

[Sylvia_n_Joseph 3]

Many embassies choose to not let the petitioner inside. Some use space as a reason and some say they are afraid that the petitioner will signal their partner to the correct answers by non verbal gestures.

[Void 0]

Congrats!!!! I just two questions, Why didnt you inside the embassy with her? My husbands interview is next month in Italy and I want to go with him, as americans are we allowed inside the embassy with them?

thanks...

Thanks for your question(s). The link below explains everything about US embassy in Naples, Italy and how to contact them. That I hope will help you know whether you will be allowed inside or not. In my my case for Nigeria, I got an auto response reply to my e-mail with FAQ explaining that due to limited space, I will be not be allowed inside the interview area.

However, as an American citizen, I can go in to another section of the embassy, but the purpose of visiting will be defeated, since I would not see my wife when she comes out and neither can she come in the that section to call me.

Here is the link and please scroll to the end of that page. Good luck

http://www.visajourney.com/consulates/inde...&cty=Naples

[Afrilaskan Queen 0]

Thank You very much for sharing your experience at Lagos Consulate. That is where me and my husband will go. After a denial of our I129 I am awaiting a date for interview for I130 now. The first interview/medical exam was so stressful to him, my Husband is a humble man. Now I'm without a doubt going to be there, no matter the costs, I wanted to that first time but I was honestly shocked by our denial as was everyone else involved.

Now that a potential spouse interview is coming up I'm just unsure what to expect. Like my husband speaks good English but there are nuances that are difficult to him. We prayed before we've done everything. I just feel like if we 'fail' this interview, so to speak, that he will never be with me and I have been making all possible efforts to move to him with serious stumbles on my end with medical things. I just want to be with him.

I was naive enough for the first interview to think that our love and genuness would just show through, now 5 years together and married for 2 and I wonder what to expect more that can go wrong. I say this sadly because I'm not a pessimist. I'm trying to prepare myself feeling like a duck out of water.

I'm terrified of the interview, even job interviews make me so nervous. I do not know what to do in the interview or what to expect. When I tell regular people what we have to do to be approved they seem baffled because we are married already. I often wonder if this approach has enabled the US to keep fraud out of the country - because it's put this horrible thing on legally entering immigrants and the process so expensive and stressful that people don't bother and work to enter illegally to the country.

It's so sad. But please if you can tell me how to prepare for the interview, I just feel like they would see how we're real, but now I don't trust that so much anymore and I wonder if there are more politics at play then visible to the eye. i also wonder at the costs of your wife's medical exam.

Any thoughts are really appreciated!

[Void 0]

Thank You very much for sharing your experience at Lagos Consulate. That is where me and my husband will go. After a denial of our I129 I am awaiting a date for interview for I130 now. The first interview/medical exam was so stressful to him, my Husband is a humble man. Now I'm without a doubt going to be there, no matter the costs, I wanted to that first time but I was honestly shocked by our denial as was everyone else involved.

Now that a potential spouse interview is coming up I'm just unsure what to expect. Like my husband speaks good English but there are nuances that are difficult to him. We prayed before we've done everything. I just feel like if we 'fail' this interview, so to speak, that he will never be with me and I have been making all possible efforts to move to him with serious stumbles on my end with medical things. I just want to be with him.

I was naive enough for the first interview to think that our love and genuness would just show through, now 5 years together and married for 2 and I wonder what to expect more that can go wrong. I say this sadly because I'm not a pessimist. I'm trying to prepare myself feeling like a duck out of water.

I'm terrified of the interview, even job interviews make me so nervous. I do not know what to do in the interview or what to expect. When I tell regular people what we have to do to be approved they seem baffled because we are married already. I often wonder if this approach has enabled the US to keep fraud out of the country - because it's put this horrible thing on legally entering immigrants and the process so expensive and stressful that people don't bother and work to enter illegally to the country.

It's so sad. But please if you can tell me how to prepare for the interview, I just feel like they would see how we're real, but now I don't trust that so much anymore and I wonder if there are more politics at play then visible to the eye. i also wonder at the costs of your wife's medical exam.

Any thoughts are really appreciated!

FOR DEEBIE RESPONDS to Afrilaskan Queen AS FOLLOWS:

Thanks for the opportunity to respond to your question. Quite frankly, I don't know the whole details of your plight and the circumstance(s) surrounding their refusal to grant your husband visa for the 129 f. Having said that, it is imperative to understand that they still have that information in their database and your husband should be prepared to present a "better answer" should that same issue comes up on the I-130 interview.

We all know that each case is different and the CO is trained to look for a reason to deny applications and not the other way round (They are not looking for a way to approve your visa). There are fundamental issues to know before the interview, like if you have filed for bankruptcy, you should have the financial document ready during the interview (Yes someone here was delayed in Lagos because of that). What I'm saying is that they actually run extensive background check on petitioners since that is about the reliable info they can get. Good luck with running background checks on Nigerians in Nigeria.

Now to the actual interview, the burden of proof is always on the interviewee (you and your husband). Your husband is expected to know virtually everything about you. It is not enough to show how in love you are though it helps. Have you considered going through line by line on the interview questions provided here:

http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/...rview_Questions

The answers to these questions MUST match the one already provided on the DS 230, I-130 and I-864. You are aware that theya have these information before them during the interview and want to make sure you are answering the same thing. It is not a matter of speaking good English of course. It is sincerity and may honesty, but if there were sweet lies, then they must be maintained. Be consistent and do not change your information from what they already have please.

You noticed I traveled to help finalize my wife preparation for the interview. There must be pictures before, during and after wedding and your husband should be able to explain those pictures. E-mails all compiled (the more the better) and phone log. Now we know calling Nigeria from the US from your home phone cost arm and leg and the embassy do not accept calling cards as proof of communication. Some people use skype etc. In my case, I had used text messages and used Motorola Phone Tools Software to upload all incoming and outgoing messages and able to print them (He did not ask my wife for that). Someone had mentioned how keen the CO appeared while going through phone log and had actually asked if the SO knew any of the other numbers on the log. I had also subscribed to Voipraider (10cents/minute to Nigeria) and was able to print call history for several months. (Again she was not asked) My wife had mentioned that when the CO requested for proof of communication, and she brought out a bundle, he was overwhelmed and just gave her back without actually going through them.

It is not too late, but you should actually prepare for this interview just like your husband should and by the time you do 3-4 mock interviews together and build up confidence, your nervousness will be a thing of the past. The fear of failure is the greatest obstacle to success. Yes a duck can go inside the water and come out and walk the ground...That I would expect from you. Please get ready and tell your husband "Yes we can" (Obama, 2008).

Feel free to PM or contact me through here if you need more info from me and my good wishes to you and your husband always.

Edited March 18, 2009 by For Debbie

[AdeoriAjimoh 2]

Congrats....we have our interview on the 7th of 2014.....i am definitely going to be there for her....please have us in yall prayers.