K1 or IR/CR

[Onimstone 0]

Hi everyone, I am asking this question on behalf of my friend(lives outside the USA) who is in a relationship with another friend of mine(USA citizen and they met through me). Well, they haven't met each other in person yet but they have an ongoing long distance relationship, and have been dating for 6 months now.They communicate and send money to each other. Now, the us citizen is planning a trip to NIGERIA to go visit him but she asked if it will be smart to get married while over there or just to go visit and be back to file K1. She asked me this question and I had no answer to give her. Mind you the us citizen is also a Nigerian. Answers will be highly appreciated

[lost_at_sea 995]

Have your friend look at the comparison guide for a pro/con list for both of those visa options: http://www.visajourney.com/content/compare

[Onimstone 0]

Thanks for the answers and contributions. They both have been reading, comparing and contrasting the options they have. They just want to hear from knowledgeable and experienced people as to the best route for them. At the end of the day, the result will be the same. Yes, the country where the beneficiary comes from is regarded as a country with a high rate of immigration fraud but this does not make every case fraudulent. It is just their situation and I believe they're not the first and won't be the last in a young long distance relationship. If she visits him without marriage, then they're looking at a K1 application I believe. On the other hand if they get married the ideal case wil be an IR/CR petition. But in terms of the length of their relationship and not having anything asides calls, travel visit, pictures and money sent to each other as evidence of an ongoing relationship which will be the best and shortest(time wise) petition? K1 or IR/CR ?

[Penguin_ie 5,993]

**** Moving from K1 to What Visa do I Need forum *****

They will have an uphill battle, going through one of the most difficult embassies to get a visa from. Face time (time spent together in person) is really important, so my recommendation would be to meet at least twice before filing, and then once more before interview of whichever visa they choose.

Edited December 3, 2015 by Penguin_ie

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

I used the K1 but for issues dealing with the work of the USC. One advantage of the K1 is if it is denied you can immediately refile another K1 or marry and file a CR1 ( few second petitions are denied ) With a CR1 it gets returned and you wait over a year for it to be reviewed. But because both are Nigerians it would seem odd to want to marry in the US when most of the family would probably be in the US.

[Naija234 2]

Let the two of them decide. No one can make the choice for them. Sure Nigeria is a "high fraud" country but what some of you didn't mention is that people are also approved daily in Lagos just as they are denied. There are good people and good cases in Nigeria. I know of someone who visited Nigeria only once and her Fiancé was approved on k-1 visa. Every case is different. Wish them the best!

[blessing247 0]

I am in a similar situation where I am in the process of putting together my K1 visa petition after meeting my fiance in Nigeria only once.

Do you have any insight into the case of the person you referenced (who was approved after only one visit)? Any tips or pointers to increase the likelihood of being approved? I have plenty of pictures of the one visit, IM logs, Skype video call logs, a few emails and 1 or 2 handwritten letters sent via mail.

Let the two of them decide. No one can make the choice for them. Sure Nigeria is a "high fraud" country but what some of you didn't mention is that people are also approved daily in Lagos just as they are denied. There are good people and good cases in Nigeria. I know of someone who visited Nigeria only once and her Fiancé was approved on k-1 visa. Every case is different. Wish them the best!

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

I would make sure to have at least 2 visits under your belt for either visa and then front load the petition.

Time will allow to accumulate more solid relationship evidence and as much face time as possible is valuable evidence while chats and

money transfers really aren't. It's not about what's the fastest way, it's about what yields a better and successful outcome.

[Naija234 2]

I say go for it! The person I reference is a Friend of mine who is no longer using this site. I can get the more info from my Fiancé. I also want to say that I had only visited my Fiancé once and I planned to be there for his interview and the man that interviewed him didn't even ask how many we had saw each other or if I was in the Country on the day of the interview. We didn't have any face time but lots of pictures and chats and not just pictures of the two of us but pictures with his family and friends. So I say go for it. Plan to be there for his interview if you can. With God all things are possible!

[blessing247 0]

I say go for it! The person I reference is a Friend of mine who is no longer using this site. I can get the more info from my Fiancé. I also want to say that I had only visited my Fiancé once and I planned to be there for his interview and the man that interviewed him didn't even ask how many we had saw each other or if I was in the Country on the day of the interview. We didn't have any face time but lots of pictures and chats and not just pictures of the two of us but pictures with his family and friends. So I say go for it. Plan to be there for his interview if you can. With God all things are possible!

Thanks, yes please any additional info would be helpful! What (if any) types of documents did you use to front-load your petition? And did you say you didn't have any face time?? How then were you able to get pictures of the 2 of you?!