Supporting documents

[Illiria 980]

Shauneg it's ok the very first one in the list pertains to this issue.

OP I suggest you read the first example http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/err/D6%20-%20Fiancees%20and%20Fiances%20of%20U.S.%20Citizen%20(K-1)/Decisions_Issued_in_2015/JAN132015_01D6101.pdfit is in appeal that person sent evidence of having met after sending in the petition, it was denied, they then appealed with more information showing more evidence of them meeting and the appeal was denied.

Actually the above couple in the report made it worse by having what looked like a wedding at their first meeting and now the uscis are questioning if they are considered married in beneficiary country or culture.

I know the situation you have found yourself in sucks and sometimes people's advice on message boards comes across as nagging or berating but text is a really poor way of communicating emotional intent and the intent behind all the messages is to help you learn how to deal with the chaos that is U.S. immigration and help you prepare emotionally for the denial. We would not want you to get responses telling that all will be well and then you get denied without thinking a denial could be a possibility.

Edited July 26, 2015 by Illiria

[Anh map 2,098]

You may get an RFE about proving that you have met. Depending on the reply by date you could have an opportunity to send in your evidence then. Whether it will be accepted or not no one can say with certainty as the petition was filed prior to meeting in person.

The worst that can happen is denial and then you reapply and pay the fee again.

[cdneh 3,112]

I was going to link those appeals when I got home today to show many have tried to meet after filing but before being reviewed...evidence was sent in but petition denied, appeal denied. Have to have met before getting what we call NOA1. So regardless if the evidence catches up it won't matter. Can you link those here so that all can see? I'm on my phone and at work...not optimal for me right now.

Edited... here are all the appeals decided so far this year. Not all pertain to this but they are sprinkled in there. I can't pick through them on from my phone.

http://www.uscis.gov/laws/admin-decisions?topic_id=1&newdir=D6+-+Fiancees+and+Fiances+of+U.S.+Citizen+%28K-1%29%2FDecisions_Issued_in_2015/

The last month they have Administrative Decisions for is July. Of the 8 listed, half of them are for having not met before filing. The wording is such as the following:

The RFE issued by the director specifically requested the petitioner to provide statement that they have met in person and

containing details of the date and circumstances of their meeting. The photograph submitted by the

petitioner in response to our RFE shows that they met in December 2014, after the petition was filed.

However, as the petitioner is required to establish that he and the beneficiary met in the two years

preceding the filing of the petition, this evidence in insufficient to establish eligibility for the benefit

sought. Consequently, as the record is presently constituted, the petitioner has not satisfied section

214( d)( 1) of the Act, which requires him to demonstrate that he and the beneficiary have previously

met in person within 2 years before the date of filing the petition.

Conclusion

As the petitioner has failed to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that he and the beneficiary

have met in person during the requisite period, the appeal will be dismissed. In fiance( e) visa petition

proceedings, it is the petitioner's burden to establish eligibility for the immigration benefit sought.

Section 214(d) of the Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1184(d); Here, that burden has not been met. As stated at

8 C.F.R. § 214.2(k)(2), the denial of this petition is without prejudice to the filing of a new petition.

ORDER: The appeal is dismissed. The petition remains denied.

Even couples who have met before filing have a hard time, and are often denied on K1's a in Nigeria.

[Ash.1101 1,756]

I think a reason that people come across a little harsh is because the process imo, is fairly simple unless complications are added by the couple. We also all have experience in this process. The site lays out how to do this perfectly, most people never have to seek any other help than the guides on this site and most people do not petition until they know they have EVERYTHING covered.


We understand you don't have the money, a lot of us don't either, hell I'm a single mother with a disabled child, but that's also why we make sure to cover our bases before sending out any kind of money to anything.



Your case is going to be hard, everyone here knows this. Nigeria is a high fraud country, and like the Cdneh said, people who even have met before generally get denied. There are people who have to petition two or three times before approval for countries like this. If anything, prepare to fork out a lot more money than the initial 340$ that you just lost.

Your BEST chance at approval is most likely seeing him more than once or spending a significant period of time with him. Meeting once just to fulfill the requirements may not be good enough for what ever officer you get looking at your stuff, they might want -more-. Even if that means just you seeing him once a year then filing on the third year. They're going to scrutinize everything about your relationship a lot more than we ever could.


There are people who have been doing this process for over six years and longer. Do what ever it takes if you truly want to marry him and be a family, if that means that ya'll put this off and you keep working until you can see him more often or vice versa then that just may have to happen. The process, ESPECIALLY for Nigeria, by no means is as simple as sending a check and filing some paperwork.


Also, you say you're tight on money, will you be able to sponsor him when it comes time to do all of that paperwork before his interview, have you already looked into a cosponsor? That'll be a whole other ball of rocks you'll need to deal with.


Again though, I'm sure we all wish you the best of luck. We're all going through this process too which is why most of us take this fairly personally and are in awe when people miss things we all consider cut and dry. If you have any questions or concerns make sure you ask before filling out or sending papers, follow the guide and read EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING is important, if it's a rule, it's a rule plain and simple. Do everything you're told and don't ever assume you're exempt from anything or that you can just back up and do something later.

Sorry if it sounds harsh, but again, you're going to have to refile, and the truth of it all is you could still get denied and refile -again-.



From all the posts you've posted, it just looks like you're trying to get him here asap even though you haven't met him. Your topics have been the times between K1 and K3 and how you think you should just go to his country and marry him (even though you've never met him). How to change your service center because TSC is slow. Most people will respond to this with a "PLEASE MEET HIM FIRST! PLEASE!". We see so many people here bring others over or come over themselves to a person that ends up being terrible because they only spent a whole week with them before getting hitched. Do not make that mistake.

Edited July 26, 2015 by Ash.1101

[guitarman7 2]

I guess a lot of us don't understand why you did not follow the USCIS instructions for filing a K1 visa petition. Instructions can often be a little confusing, yes, but this is pretty obvious:

The petition requires a meeting BEFORE starting the visa process

The petition requires photos and other evidence of meeting BEFORE starting the process.

Deciding to marry someone you have never met is...impractical.

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

I think a reason that people come across a little harsh is because the process imo, is fairly simple unless complications are added by the couple. We also all have experience in this process. The site lays out how to do this perfectly, most people never have to seek any other help than the guides on this site and most people do not petition until they know they have EVERYTHING covered.

We understand you don't have the money, a lot of us don't either, hell I'm a single mother with a disabled child, but that's also why we make sure to cover our bases before sending out any kind of money to anything.

Your case is going to be hard, everyone here knows this. Nigeria is a high fraud country, and like the Cdneh said, people who even have met before generally get denied. There are people who have to petition two or three times before approval for countries like this. If anything, prepare to fork out a lot more money than the initial 340$ that you just lost.

Your BEST chance at approval is most likely seeing him more than once or spending a significant period of time with him. Meeting once just to fulfill the requirements may not be good enough for what ever officer you get looking at your stuff, they might want -more-. Even if that means just you seeing him once a year then filing on the third year. They're going to scrutinize everything about your relationship a lot more than we ever could.

There are people who have been doing this process for over six years and longer. Do what ever it takes if you truly want to marry him and be a family, if that means that ya'll put this off and you keep working until you can see him more often or vice versa then that just may have to happen. The process, ESPECIALLY for Nigeria, by no means is as simple as sending a check and filing some paperwork.

Also, you say you're tight on money, will you be able to sponsor him when it comes time to do all of that paperwork before his interview, have you already looked into a cosponsor? That'll be a whole other ball of rocks you'll need to deal with.

Again though, I'm sure we all wish you the best of luck. We're all going through this process too which is why most of us take this fairly personally and are in awe when people miss things we all consider cut and dry. If you have any questions or concerns make sure you ask before filling out or sending papers, follow the guide and read EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING is important, if it's a rule, it's a rule plain and simple. Do everything you're told and don't ever assume you're exempt from anything or that you can just back up and do something later.

Sorry if it sounds harsh, but again, you're going to have to refile, and the truth of it all is you could still get denied and refile -again-.

From all the posts you've posted, it just looks like you're trying to get him here asap even though you haven't met him. Your topics have been the times between K1 and K3 and how you think you should just go to his country and marry him (even though you've never met him). How to change your service center because TSC is slow. Most people will respond to this with a "PLEASE MEET HIM FIRST! PLEASE!". We see so many people here bring others over or come over themselves to a person that ends up being terrible because they only spent a whole week with them before getting hitched. Do not make that mistake.

Well said

I think the OP is frustrated that she can't circumvent the requirements and thinks that somehow there must be a way, which just

reflects inexperience with immigration. When realizing that there is no way around OP projects her anger and disappointment on to the posters who

mean well and want her to succeed but she perceives them to be rude.

OP, it took us 5 years to get through the mess of immigration, my husband is Nigerian. I am here to help you down the road but I really

am getting tired of hearing how rude you think everyone is to you in every single thread. You are indeed misunderstanding factual advice

as rudeness because you don't want to hear the answers. When you realize the advice is right then you tell everyone that you get it and to not

say this or that. That is not how forums are run. Please stop perceiving advice as insults, it is simply not. I don't know how else we can express

ourselves here that we try very hard to guide everyone through a successful visa journey and that includes you !

[Socialwork4god 11]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the feedback.

[Lemonslice 4,968]

You said you were a graduate student - just approach this immigration project like another research project. Read, analyze, question yourself, question your sources...

[DEAbara 9]

People here are just trying to help you. Try to understand that all of us are in this very stressful situation. My husband and I have been on this journey for some time now. We tried the K1 and got denied. Many of them are. I would suggest, especially if money is tight, that you get married when you get to Nigeria. Then don't get in a big hurry to get him here, just take the time to prove your relationship is real. When we filed for the K3 it has been so much less stress for us.

Time consuming... but a relationship of our nature is built on trust and time right? It isn't easy by any means, but we all grow and learn so much about each other in the process. Take your time and all will be worth it in the end.

[DEAbara 9]

And, actually, they are right... don't marry him when you get to Nigeria. Get to know him in person. Spend some time... maybe go back again before you do anything else with the visa. You are young and have time. God will guide you through this. My husband and I have been together 6 years, married only 3 years. I went to Lagos 3 times before we married. We talked about everything nearly every day for that 6 years. It has been really really hard. Family didn't understand how I could marry someone they had never met. I love him, I love Lagos, and I really wouldn't change anything. But 7000 miles is a very long distance. You must be prepared for all of it.