K1 Visa denied in Lagos after 8 months of AP!

[DebbyNSeyi 15]

My fiance finally was called back to the US Consulate in Lagos after almost 8 months of being in AP. His final interview was today and he was denied. Based on what, you may ask?

Last month, I took my 4th trip to Nigeria in 15 months to have an interview (at my request) with the investigator handling our case in hopes of expediting the AP. He interviewed me and my fiance separately and we believed that all went well.

One of the questions I was asked was why I had decided to file a K1 visa petition instead of the marriage visa petition? I explained, that initially, we thought it would be nice if he met my kids first and my family and friends first as my fiance and then we'd get married within the 90 day period.

The embassy denied my fiance's visa because of that reason. They claimed that my reasoning sounds like I'm not sure and that the purpose of the K1 visa is for people that are sure and committed to getting married and that the 90 day period is just a time period granted to plan the logistics of the wedding. I filed this K1 visa petition over 13 months ago and they're interpreting my initial reasoning as doubt???? At this point, we wanted to marry immediately after he got here! I'm heartbroken and angry....I feel robbed and cheated. After 3 interviews, 8 months of AP, a home visit and 4 trips to NG from me, they denied it for THAT reason????

Please....if anyone has any advice to offer on how to get this judgement overturned before the paperwork is sent back to the USCIS, PLEASE respond!!!

Thank you....and God bless....

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

Hi I have been down the denial path and it is difficult. But we are together so there is hope after stupid denials. I don't know why these people pressure you to marry in Nigeria. To me it is perfectly normal for a woman with preexisting children to want to introduce a new man first and then marry. What do the expect us to do , have him show up one night and tell the kids? "Hi this is Joe , I know you never met him but we are married, he is moving in , you can call him daddy."

OK first vent over. Contact your senator immediately if you haven't done so. Call the embassy, if you can get through and try to talk to the supervisor. Do what you can to make them understand you are making plans to integrate two families.

Your petition may end up back in the states which is a whole different battle. I used Marc Ellis to help me. If you want all the details drop me a PM

[Queeny 0]

I'm sorry for your denial. Some things you may try: Contact NVC and ask to speak to a supervisor and discuss the situation they may have some suggestions. Contact your congressman or Senator to contact the embassy for you. Contact the chief consulate at the embassy and speak directly to him/her about your case. Contact the Ombudsmen Office at USCIS and lastly get your case notes through the freedom of information act.

good luck. WE NEED IMMIGRAITON REFORM...

[DebbyNSeyi 15]

Hi I have been down the denial path and it is difficult. But we are together so there is hope after stupid denials. I don't know why these people pressure you to marry in Nigeria. To me it is perfectly normal for a woman with preexisting children to want to introduce a new man first and then marry. What do the expect us to do , have him show up one night and tell the kids? "Hi this is Joe , I know you never met him but we are married, he is moving in , you can call him daddy."

OK first vent over. Contact your senator immediately if you haven't done so. Call the embassy, if you can get through and try to talk to the supervisor. Do what you can to make them understand you are making plans to integrate two families.

Your petition may end up back in the states which is a whole different battle. I used Marc Ellis to help me. If you want all the details drop me a PM

I don't know how to contact you - your e-mail address is not on your profile. I can give you my e-mail - it's daguerrera@aol.com.

I would like to know how you got the visa denial overturned without the case returning back to the States as I see by your timeline that you eventually got your visa. Thanks....

I'm sorry for your denial. Some things you may try: Contact NVC and ask to speak to a supervisor and discuss the situation they may have some suggestions. Contact your congressman or Senator to contact the embassy for you. Contact the chief consulate at the embassy and speak directly to him/her about your case. Contact the Ombudsmen Office at USCIS and lastly get your case notes through the freedom of information act.

good luck. WE NEED IMMIGRAITON REFORM...

Thanks for the great advice....I'm trying to get in touch with my senators office now and trying to call the Embassy as well....

[Jesu gbamila 0]

sorry about this case and i know that there is still hope for you.

kindly call me anytime we can talk,i have send muy number to your email address

[Nwanyioma 11]

Debbi and Seyi,

Im so so sorry to hear about your visa denial. Honestly I know how you feel because I was once in your shoes when I received the tragic news that my fiancee visa was denied initially. But one thing that I will tell you is to not give up and fight for the one you love. I know that your discouraged and frustrated as I would be, but please call your Senator/Congressman with assistance in your case. When my fiancee was initially denied, I was very skeptical about calling them, but you wouldnt believe how much of a help they were to me. Your situation is very unfortunate. Please keep your head up and trust and believe that everything will work out for the best. Take care Debbie.

Nwanyioma

[momov31 2]

Hi

So sorry to hear about ur denial, as everyone has said fight and keep fighting dont give up on ur love. Pray, fast and allow the lord to assist u in this battle call on him. Ill be praying for u guys. Be blessed

[Pman's Wife 0]

Hi Debby,

You had a 'Stokes Interview' at your own request... Wow!

You are right to feel robbed and cheated. This is like a nightmare! Your story really touched me. They've wasted a great deal of your time and then dashed your dreams on the rocks for some bogus interpretation of the purpose of K-1 visas. It took them over 8 months and 3 interviews to come up with that? Really?

At this point it looks like you would benefit from the involvement of your state representatives: your congressperson and senators. You would also benefit from a consultation with an experienced immigration attorney. The faster you get to work on this the better. This is not a good time to sulk or go at it alone. The Lagos consulate can be outrageous! As a citizen, you have two senators and a congressperson. I think you should involve them all as each may have a different approach or level of service. I also think you should post your story on a more widely read forum like US Embassy and Consulate Discussion. Solicit references for attorneys there.

Get cracking. I look forward to your progress reports and posts seeking help. Good luck!

[totes 0]

My fiance finally was called back to the US Consulate in Lagos after almost 8 months of being in AP. His final interview was today and he was denied. Based on what, you may ask?

Last month, I took my 4th trip to Nigeria in 15 months to have an interview (at my request) with the investigator handling our case in hopes of expediting the AP. He interviewed me and my fiance separately and we believed that all went well.

One of the questions I was asked was why I had decided to file a K1 visa petition instead of the marriage visa petition? I explained, that initially, we thought it would be nice if he met my kids first and my family and friends first as my fiance and then we'd get married within the 90 day period.

The embassy denied my fiance's visa because of that reason. They claimed that my reasoning sounds like I'm not sure and that the purpose of the K1 visa is for people that are sure and committed to getting married and that the 90 day period is just a time period granted to plan the logistics of the wedding. I filed this K1 visa petition over 13 months ago and they're interpreting my initial reasoning as doubt???? At this point, we wanted to marry immediately after he got here! I'm heartbroken and angry....I feel robbed and cheated. After 3 interviews, 8 months of AP, a home visit and 4 trips to NG from me, they denied it for THAT reason????

Please....if anyone has any advice to offer on how to get this judgement overturned before the paperwork is sent back to the USCIS, PLEASE respond!!!

Thank you....and God bless....

[totes 0]

Girl!!! As we discussed tonight.... this is BS! I'm afraid you are going to have to do like I did and demand a one on one meeting with your actual Congressman. I met with mine twice in person and I believe that was our saving grace. You're dealing with liason's who just go thru a script sort of standard steps for inquiries. It wasn't until I met with my actual Congressman and basically thru a fit and reminded him that I am a taxpayer, a voter in this state, and an active person in politics that he finally stepped up... at first he was full of excuses about the state of affairs over there (i had to interupt and tell him not to give me the "song and dance"... I've seen the state of affairs in Nigeria myself time and time again. I had to stand firm and pull my strength from way within me and get tough! The bottom line for me was.... I'm a real American and have real rights and supported his campaign previously and that I deserve as a citizen of this country and this state to have representation. It was a fight, I'm not going to say it was easy or without frustration but I stayed on it, calling his office daily, even posting emails to his website in Washington. I finally got a call from Washington and that's when things seemed to change. My best advice is to be persistent even if it's not your nature.... pull from within.... you are a citizen of this country and your state and you have rights and legitimate expectations!

I love you girl and am of course praying for the two of you! Listen to Marc.... but also pull from within... you're a strong woman or you wouldn't be here in the first place. Draw from that and become very resourceful!

hugs,

Tess

[DebbyNSeyi 15]

Hi Everybody,

Just wanted to let everyone know that Seyi and I are not taking this flimsy excuse for a denial laying down.

Here's what we've done so far:

Step 1: Try to get this denial overturned at the Lagos Embassy.

A. Hired Marc Ellis to write an official letter on our behalf to convince the consul general that there was a misinterpretation of my words by the Nigerian fraud investigator. Mailed out a package to the US Embassy in Lagos containing the letter and signed and notarized affadavits from family and friends attesting to my intentions to marry my fiance.

B. Repeatedly contacting 1 congresswoman and 2 state senators to intervene on my behalf and be my advocates in getting a reversal.

Failing step 1, Step 2: Fight the denial at the USCIS level.

A. Re-filing a K1-visa with a rebuttal of the Embassy's findings on my first petition.

Failing steps 1 & 2, Step 3: Fly to Nigeria a FIFTH time and marry Seyi, come back here and file a spousal visa.

God help me and give me strength.

[Jesu gbamila 0]

PLEASE CAN YOU TELL ME HOW YOU MADE YOUR THIRD REQUEST FOR INTERVIEW WITH THE INVESTIGATOR HANDLING YOUR CASE,

MY AUNTY FIANCE WAS PUT ON AP FOR 2 MONTH , HOME VISIT AND LATER INVITED FOR INTERVIEW AND DENIED AND MY AUNTY HAS PLAN TO TRAVEL TO NIGERIA TO MEET THE PERSON HANDLING THE CASE.PLEASE I NEED IDEAL ON HOW SHE CAN REQUEST INTERVIEW WITH THE INVESTIGATOR HANDLING HERS CASE.

My fiance finally was called back to the US Consulate in Lagos after almost 8 months of being in AP. His final interview was today and he was denied. Based on what, you may ask?

Last month, I took my 4th trip to Nigeria in 15 months to have an interview (at my request) with the investigator handling our case in hopes of expediting the AP. He interviewed me and my fiance separately and we believed that all went well.

One of the questions I was asked was why I had decided to file a K1 visa petition instead of the marriage visa petition? I explained, that initially, we thought it would be nice if he met my kids first and my family and friends first as my fiance and then we'd get married within the 90 day period.

The embassy denied my fiance's visa because of that reason. They claimed that my reasoning sounds like I'm not sure and that the purpose of the K1 visa is for people that are sure and committed to getting married and that the 90 day period is just a time period granted to plan the logistics of the wedding. I filed this K1 visa petition over 13 months ago and they're interpreting my initial reasoning as doubt???? At this point, we wanted to marry immediately after he got here! I'm heartbroken and angry....I feel robbed and cheated. After 3 interviews, 8 months of AP, a home visit and 4 trips to NG from me, they denied it for THAT reason????

Please....if anyone has any advice to offer on how to get this judgement overturned before the paperwork is sent back to the USCIS, PLEASE respond!!!

Thank you....and God bless....

[DebbyNSeyi 15]

PLEASE CAN YOU TELL ME HOW YOU MADE YOUR THIRD REQUEST FOR INTERVIEW WITH THE INVESTIGATOR HANDLING YOUR CASE,

MY AUNTY FIANCE WAS PUT ON AP FOR 2 MONTH , HOME VISIT AND LATER INVITED FOR INTERVIEW AND DENIED AND MY AUNTY HAS PLAN TO TRAVEL TO NIGERIA TO MEET THE PERSON HANDLING THE CASE.PLEASE I NEED IDEAL ON HOW SHE CAN REQUEST INTERVIEW WITH THE INVESTIGATOR HANDLING HERS CASE.

I emailed the consulate and told them when I would be in Nigeria and then requested that they meet with me.

They then set up a time for me and my fiance to come in. But this was BEFORE he was denied. They may not agree to an

interview with your Aunt since, in their eyes, the case is already closed.

Beware, since they distorted my words at the interview and used it as a reason to deny my fiances visa.

[Danya1 0]

i need some advice my fiance was denied and reason stated (MARRIAGE FOR IMMIGRATION PURPOSES ONLY) seriously? ??? please anybody with anything that works hook me up because we are so devastated! i have contacted my congress man's office and they sent me a form to sign for information of release so they could contact the nairobi embassy

[LoveNigarmostyle 164]

i need some advice my fiance was denied and reason stated (MARRIAGE FOR IMMIGRATION PURPOSES ONLY) seriously? ??? please anybody with anything that works hook me up because we are so devastated! i have contacted my congress man's office and they sent me a form to sign for information of release so they could contact the nairobi embassy

Welcome to VJ. I suggest you contact Marc Ellis,he is a very well known attorney here on this site for advice. As to what you can do? First fill up the form requested by the Congressman and submit it as soon as possible and as them to submit an inquiry on your behalf. They could ask on your behalf for a supervisor to review your case, but ultimately the CO's decision is not challenged much. Sorry to tell you this. My fiance and I know this devastation too well, among many who have been denied. My heart goes out to you. Please let us know if we can be of help?

Good luck!