Suspect email to pay k1 visa fee

[5310 0]

My fiancee and I are waiting for her interview date. I got an email asking her to go to a bank in Nigeria and pay $350 for KI Processing fee. My fiancee who is in Nigeria did not receive the email. They want her to go to http://www.ustraveldocs.com to complete the K1 application form. Is this how the US consulate operate in Nigeria or is this a fraud.

[MyJourney1 15]

My fiancee and I are waiting for her interview date. I got an email asking her to go to a bank in Nigeria and pay $350 for KI Processing fee. My fiancee who is in Nigeria did not receive the email. They want her to go to http://www.ustraveldocs.com to complete the K1 application form. Is this how the US consulate operate in Nigeria or is this a fraud.

I don't think I would trust that website. If it doesn't end with (.gov), then it's not from the Government. Why don't Y'all just call USCIS to make sure?

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

If you poke about the site a bit ( looks like a contractor not a gov site hence the .com ) You will find this which says K1's pay at the interview.

Visa Fees

Overview

Visa applicants, including children, are required to pay a non-refundable, non-transferable visa application fee, sometimes referred to as the MRV fee, before applying for a nonimmigrant visa. The visa application fee must be paid whether a visa is issued or not. The type of visa for which you apply determines the fee amount. This webpage lists visa application fees associated with each nonimmigrant visa type. In Nigeria, depending on your visa class, the majority of visa applicants will pay either $140 or $150 at GTBank. Applicants for K visas, however, will continue to pay $350 to the consular cashier at the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos at the time of your interview.

Please note that only the application fees for nonimmigrant visas are listed here. Information about other visa fees that are paid directly to the National Visa Center, to the U.S. Embassy, to the U.S. Consulate General, or to the Department of Homeland Security, can be found here.

[S_R 148]

The site is perfectly legit. That's the company that collaborates with the U.S embassy on Visa issuance. Your SO will have to also take his visa pickup slip to their office to pick up his passport.

You can also pay your visa fees online via GTbank including K1 without any issues. You get to pay the official exchange rate which is cheaper and eliminates another hurdle at the embassy stage.

This consular review of 03/30/2012 by Promy should buttress my point ; http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=116403

Things have changed since most of us on this forum went through the process ...

Edited April 4, 2012 by S_R

[5310 0]

Quick question. Is a K1 visa an IMMIGRANT visa or A NON-IMMIGRANT VISA?

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

Both in a way , it is non immigrant in the respect you have to leave IF you don't marry the petitioner but immigrant in that is allows a clear path to a green card. it is NONImmigrant under immigration rules ( because you may have to leave in 90 days )

[patient2010 93]

You are so right S_R things have changed since most of us have gone through the process that is why it is very important for us to keep abreast to what is changing if we are going to continue to give out advice. Ineed the email is legit and K visas can pay at the GT bank or at the cashier window at the embassy. If they pay at the bank they must take the receipt with them to the embassy to show they paid at the bank. Also this may just be a trend not a change but Lagos is now giving shorter time frames of notification of interviews from the time the petition reaches the embassy. So most people would advice future petitioners not to worry about medical and police certificate that one will have plenty of time to do so before the interview that has not been the case lately at most there is a 2week window between notification of interview and interview so for all the people yet to have interview pls make note and plan accordingly but again the short notification may just be a trend and can slow down again but for now that is the trend...Goodluck to everyone on the Journey!