My Husband Was given a letter today and says he is ineligible

[Boiler 44,954]

I have a hard time believing how they can think some cases are fraudulent, I mean really. Who on earth would go through this process, spending money to fly back and forth, the emotional investment, the financial investment in lawyers, etc. if they are not real.

There is something going on with Ghana, and I can't believe those who say there isn't, that many countries go through this, we just don't hear about it. So many people (myself included) did everything correctly and applicant was still denied.

The interviewer believed our relationship, my husband has a clean police record (he too is a church person, very involved in good things). He's never been married before. So it's none of those things.

Plenty of examples on VJ, usually the beneficiary has not travelled to the US or incurred most of the costs.

[lutz 41]

OK, thank you. I'm not a dude though, I'm a woman.

[HFM181818 748]

marriage fraud is alive and well throughout the world...marrying for a green card in exchange for money is not unheard of....but difficult to prove...hence, a CO who hears or sees inconsistencies should err on the side of caution, not on the side of generosity.

Spending a few hundred on applications or airfare compared to the amount that is paid for an eventual green card (roughly $10,000) is peanuts....so merely pointing to the amounts paid to bring the case to a certain stage does not impress anyone.

While there may be a list of documents one must bring to the IV interview, mere possession of those papers does not nor will not guarantee visa issuance, something I believe a lot of people don't seem to understand...the COs do not interview papers, they interview people....and people tell a story that may be far different than some random piece of paper.

Take greeting cards, for ex....I've done numerous cases, many questionable, in which the two parties cannot wait to have given me a bunch of greeting cards, for their birthday, Veteran's Day, Halloween (really??), Xmas, etc....and in the cases that were suspicious, I backtracked a lot of those cards ...cards with dates written on them, but no postmarked accompanying envelopes, except on the most recent....who dates greeting cards? Virtually no one...a little more investigation on my part (i.e., phone calls to greeting card companies) revealed that cards have an ISBN number on the back....which, when decoded properly, reflects when that batch of cards were printed and released for sale....so when I had a collection of 'greeting cards' (with lots of phony lovey-dovey baloney written on them) with dates, often the same ball point used to write on them, I checked them....and guess what? I discovered that in many of those cases, the 'dates' on which the lovey dovey schmaltz was written bore no relationship to when those cards had been released for sale....i.e., they were 'backdated. The cards had been released for sale only in the past, say, 6 months, but the dates on them were from 2-4 years previous, attempting to show that the relationship had been ongoing for some time instead of 20 minutes....guess what happened to those cases? Some sent back; others refused under 212 a 6 c (i)...misrepresentation and fraud....oops....moral of the story....do not expect a CO to be gullible, because there are many out there who are as focused as I was...

[MrsBonsu 138]

While we all know that high fraud countries are extra scrutinized and therefore some genuine applicants will fall through the cracks and get denied

when they shouldn't, the latest coming out of Ghana is ridiculous. Thread upon thread almost daily of denials when they have submitted good quality

evidence, have gone above the basic requirements, been compliant, dotted every i and crossed every t, additional requested evidence brought

to the interview is not even looked at (why request it then per 221g ?).

The OP in this case seems to not have understood what all is involved

and has not been able to submit adequate evidence; there are also plenty of those members here......however, the denials are still like someone

left the flood gates open and unreasonably high in numbers for Accra currently as opposed to several years ago when the same happened

with Nigeria, for THOSE who did submit more than enough and have no red flags. People don't just say the CO was rude but usually say why

they thought that and what exactly was said in a very disrespectful manner.

No one can convince me that every CO does a good job just as no one can convince me that all CO's that deny are rude. Life isn't that simple.

The CO's that have a chip on their shoulder need to be re trained when enough complaints to the consular post with questionable

high returns have been made. It isn't hard to recognize a different flip in pattern and Ghana has flipped (out).

I have been on immigration boards for years and one can clearly see a pattern unfold with different embassies, then often a switch is turned with the

"changing of the guards" and a different pattern comes into play.

Retrained is right, or respectfully retired the head consul for Ghana has been in the spot light twice, 1. She approved seven visa's for a DEA agent that was stationed in Nigeria and I quote (she said that he falsely told her that the applicants were traveling to US for training) why was he allowed to just tell her anything why wasn't there a back ground check like everyone else? She also denied 400 dv lottery applications when she was stationed in Liberia so really question her ability to do her job

[Amhara 460]

It really goes both ways. Spousal/fiance visas can easily be abused, so these are targets for fraud. The embassy CO's are the last line of defense and they are the only ones that have a personal interview with the party(ies) involved in the case. I think they are in the best position to catch discrepancies in the case. It's their job to be skeptical and questioning, so I appreciate them.

But it gets frustrating (like lutz said) when you see people that meet through hunka-chunka-cherry-Asian-love-blossoms.com, they get an interview within a week, and they are asked, "What's your name? What's their name?" before being told, "Your visa is printed. Come back tomorrow." Then you wonder, okay, this place, which may or may not be located on the Pacific Rim, consists of 20% of all spousal/fiance US visas issued on the entire planet, but that's cool?

Regardless, it would be irresponsible of the embassy CO's to rubber stamp all visas. I think every applicant needs to prepare their case to address any potential issues. Give them more reasons to say 'yes' than reasons to say, 'wait a minute...'.

Is Ghana denying more cases than they should be? Probably. Are they seeing more fraudulent visas than other embassies? Probably. Either way, it's our responsibility to prove to the government that we qualify for this visa - it's not a right. I wish they would look at everything (or at least the majority) of documents presented before they said no. If they are going to say yes, sure they don't need everything. But if you are going to say no, at least look at what the person brought!

[chris_trina 22]

I have been reading through all comments, Im in the same boat as everyone dumb founded. Like I said in post earlier if you front load and and have the neatest folder you get a visa, Like lady said be confident in your answer make sure husband know all of your financial business and personal business, Let him know in the binder where quickly find things because he will be nervous. The group we have on fb have help a lot with people going through Ghana embassies, Nigeria and Gambia just ask questions and concern about different problem we facing at these embassies. Guys we need moral support also, like Mrs Bonsu said contact your senators and congressman they can help with many things and give you good info. Cause it feel like your going though a circle of madness. One of the ladies in the USFAIL(US international family with African Love}. She stated her friend was on AP for 5 years. She said it is trends with the subsaharian embassies. Like Nigeria is approving a lot visas right now then they will stop. She has been watching VJ over 5 years she said it is pattern and trends. Maybe they can only so many visa a year to different countries to keep the census down. You know our country cant have overload of people. But if you guys any support go the FB page and I will approve.

[IcezMan_IcezLady 582]

Some OPs on this forum are liars!!

I am not targeting this OP but some do hide the truth to their stories.

I heard of a lady who got denied and their relationship is genuine because I personally know their relationship. Come to find out, the lady had previously filed documents under the DV lottery that some was married to someone (her own brother) unknown to her USC husband.

The embassy tossed them around many times and finally revealed to the USC husband that his "wife" has a record with them that states that she was married to another man.

Some VJ members have conflicting "Our Story" on their homepage to the review stories they stated on this site.

These are the people who are making things difficult for the rest of us.

I suggest this OP finds out more from the partner in Ghana if he has had anything to do with the embassy before. OP might have to get creative to squeeze that info out.

OP partner might have been totally honest with everything but this is not unheard of.

Good luck!

Edited October 19, 2015 by Ayisi&Phyllis

[meandmom 5]

I have a hard time believing how they can think some cases are fraudulent, I mean really. Who on earth would go through this process, spending money to fly back and forth, the emotional investment, the financial investment in lawyers, etc. if they are not real.

Many people try to fraudulently abuse and circumvent the immigration system. Getting married is the one simplest way to get a US visa. How much is a US visa worth to someone unscrupulous who really wants to come here? More than the cost of airfare and lawyers.

There're plenty of fake marriages where people marry in order to get a visa. Some outright pay for the "convenience", others find someone "help them" through friends and relatives, yet others find Americans to marry and then lie to them about "love".

It is the job of the CO to try and weed out the fake illegal ones from the real marriages. It's not just the American spouse that has to prove that her intentions are genuine, it's the foreign spouse too.

Proving that the relationship is real is not as simple as proclaiming to the CO their love for one another and providing some pictures and affidavits. The fakes one do the same, they also take plenty of pictures and try to provide as much "proof" as possible.

It's too bad that the real couples sometimes get caught in the net of suspicions, and have to go above and beyond to prove that their relationship is genuine. It's the fault of all the fake ones, not of the COs.

[HFM181818 748]

this most recent posting is spot on....we only hear/read the filtered story of many who are having difficulties....believe me, I have seen over the years complications caused by the foreign born spouse having tried some 'creative' techniques to obtain tourist or student visas, and the most common tactic was to list themselves as 'married', then claim that 'of course I have to come back, I cannot leave my husband behind'..(although why many of them were trying to visit 'friends' of the opposite sex was another (unbelievable!) story...but if they had indicated on prior refusals that they were married when they were not, and now they show up married to somebody who has never been the person they were really trying to 'visit' previously, it raised numerous red flags, a lot of half-a$$ed answers and begging, pleading and whining while trying to dig themselves out the hole they dug!

Often these cases were sent back rather than depend on some locally produced letter from some self-appointed priest or bishop claiming that this person was never married or some such nonsense...instead, the foreign born spouse would be put through lots and lots of hoops through which to jump before I was granting any IV.....and they had only themselves to blame.

Apologies fell on deaf ears, notarized 'character reference letters' were tossed in the trash (anyone can write anything on a sheet of paper; having it notarized does not make the contents of said letter true) and the case ground to halt while things got sorted out, and honestly, I did not care how long it took...why? Because in this type of case, the foreign born spouse had tried to commit low level fraud against my government, so IMHO, their credibility as well as all of their friends and relatives took a nosedive....but we never hear about all of the background in some of these cases posted here....and probably for good reason, as the opportunity to generate sympathy (and anger towards the 'system') would evaporate.

[strongmyk 51]

Some OPs on this forum are liars!!

I am not targeting this OP but some do hide the truth to their stories.

I heard of a lady who got denied and their relationship is genuine because I personally know their relationship. Come to find out, the lady had previously filed documents under the DV lottery that some was married to someone (her own brother) unknown to her USC husband.

The embassy tossed them around many times and finally revealed to the USC husband that his "wife" has a record with them that states that she was married to another man.

Some VJ members have conflicting "Our Story" on their homepage to the review stories they stated on this site.

These are the people who are making things difficult for the rest of us.

I suggest this OP finds out more from the partner in Ghana if he has had anything to do with the embassy before. OP might have to get creative to squeeze that info out.

OP partner might have been totally honest with everything but this is not unheard of.

Good luck!

GOD BLESS YOU! This is what i have been saying always. People are not really truthful with their stories and always give an impression that the COs are deliberately refusing visas. Before the COs call you to that window 80% of the time a decision has already been made based on reviewing your file. The interview just gives you an opportunity to clarify some doubts the CO may have

[lutz 41]

Well, I was truthful on VJ, and many of the members helped me a lot in seeing how the CO was viewing the relationship.

The owner of the law firm that handled our case called me personally, and he is also shocked it was denied. So I feel better about this, and he will help us fight it.

Again, it's just very frustrating, I just read today that a same sex couple was approved on their K1 visa and both the applicant and the person at the embassy had tears in their eyes of joy. I am happy for them. But what irked me is the poster noted, "don't put all the blame on the CO, but use a lawyer and have everything organized (I'm paraphrasing).

We used a lawyer and had everything organized and still were denied and sent back to USCIS.

Edited October 19, 2015 by lutz

[meandmom 5]

I don't think there's any need for a lawyer at all. The marriage visa is the simplest kind of visa. What is the point of having a lawyer, just to fill a form?

What is important is that the relationship is truly genuine, that the couple is able to gather and provide proof of their relationship, and also that there were no previous immigration issues with the foreign spouse.

If I were a CO, I'd actually find someone using a lawyer for a marriage visa more suspicious than someone without, especially if that lawyer already had a history with the embassy of assisting clients who were found to be not quite truthful in their applications. JMHO

[Amhara 460]

Okay, all. I think we all need a chill pill. The OP was asking for help on their negative situation. We should not use this thread as a sounding board against immigration fraud. (Any one of us can start a thread on that topic.)

Certainly there may be some weak cases going through Accra, but let's separate that from the OP's situation. I think we could help this person out more by asking them questions we may think could affect the CO's decision on their case. Let's not make assumptions and blanket Accra or the CO's or applicants there.

Personally, the "We did everything right" can only be determined with facts. We need to sympathize with others. In reality, any one of us could be caught by a CO with a negative hair up their tush, which could destroy our whole process. It hurts. I'm grateful that we got a CO that was reasonable (and fast considering!), but our relationships are worth fighting for. It's not the end of the world. Plan to meet again to ease the pain and learn about the next step. The real story is hardly ever black and white - from either the applicant's or the consular's view points. All we can do is offer suggestions and that is how we lend support.

[chris_trina 22]

Thanks Amhara many people are getting denied. It makes feel hopeless because it is really hard at the us embassy ghana. Sometimes its the co sometimes not being knowledge of the process. But we have to educate our spouses on the process so they know what do. Many other embassies are asking for as much to get a visa. It doesn't seem fair.

[dwheels76 5,466]

marriage fraud is alive and well throughout the world...marrying for a green card in exchange for money is not unheard of....but difficult to prove...hence, a CO who hears or sees inconsistencies should err on the side of caution, not on the side of generosity.

Spending a few hundred on applications or airfare compared to the amount that is paid for an eventual green card (roughly $10,000) is peanuts....so merely pointing to the amounts paid to bring the case to a certain stage does not impress anyone.

While there may be a list of documents one must bring to the IV interview, mere possession of those papers does not nor will not guarantee visa issuance, something I believe a lot of people don't seem to understand...the COs do not interview papers, they interview people....and people tell a story that may be far different than some random piece of paper.

Take greeting cards, for ex....I've done numerous cases, many questionable, in which the two parties cannot wait to have given me a bunch of greeting cards, for their birthday, Veteran's Day, Halloween (really??), Xmas, etc....and in the cases that were suspicious, I backtracked a lot of those cards ...cards with dates written on them, but no postmarked accompanying envelopes, except on the most recent....who dates greeting cards? Virtually no one...a little more investigation on my part (i.e., phone calls to greeting card companies) revealed that cards have an ISBN number on the back....which, when decoded properly, reflects when that batch of cards were printed and released for sale....so when I had a collection of 'greeting cards' (with lots of phony lovey-dovey baloney written on them) with dates, often the same ball point used to write on them, I checked them....and guess what? I discovered that in many of those cases, the 'dates' on which the lovey dovey schmaltz was written bore no relationship to when those cards had been released for sale....i.e., they were 'backdated. The cards had been released for sale only in the past, say, 6 months, but the dates on them were from 2-4 years previous, attempting to show that the relationship had been ongoing for some time instead of 20 minutes....guess what happened to those cases? Some sent back; others refused under 212 a 6 c (i)...misrepresentation and fraud....oops....moral of the story....do not expect a CO to be gullible, because there are many out there who are as focused as I was...

Okay don't laugh but I do date my cards. Always have. But I do get what you are saying and have known folk who have manufactured evidence. That's why Facebook, Whatsapp is just worthless yet we do submit and the CO's want more. I mean I wish ya'll could just listen to our phone conversations!! Or maybe you do.

I always found it laughable people and their affidavits getting a statement from people who never meet the other one I mean how is that a sworn statement of someone you never meet. At least if you go to their country you have people who see you both and cab witness things. Of course who is going to write a bad account of a affidavit of your bonafide relationship.

I never get how some submit almost nothing at USCIS with petition and go to interview and not asked for nothing. Is that a warm good feeling from the CO that renders an Approval. Yet others submit the kitchen sink and are refused, or AP forever and a day, contact sheet submitted. I truly don;t get.

I do appreciate you CO-person. You have given great insight to matters that people need further investigation. All I tell people is FACE TIME is #1 evidence nothing trumps that so visit and visit as long as you can at least 21 day. This 4 days and never return. No No No!