Can a visa be denied, if.... relationship is only 13 months,met once in this time

[JC&BB 33]

My fiancé and I have known each other since May of last year just talked as friends... September he expressed his feelings for me to my church sister (family friend), she told me about it but I ignored them both about it..... I thought one couldn't truly like or love someone that they've never met..... Long story short by December I came around to the idea that maybe it could be possible..... I was advised that I needed to go to Ethiopia, but again I didn't listen so finally I went in March for a week... I came back and did the paperwork in April (took long because I wanted to make sure everything was done correctly)... My question is can the visa be denied at his interview for us only knowing each other for little over a year and having only met once and it was just for a week? Can they say our relationship isn't bona fide? We have pictures together while in Addis, emails, calls, and other messages to show an ongoing relationship, I seen someone was denied because the two knew each other for 3yrs but only visited each other once in that time ( I feel so bad for them that they made it that far and got denied without them even looking at their proof of the relationship)

[APmgr 1]

We just got visa...for 6 months relationship but did formal engagement ceremony with family presenance and I went to see my fiancé one more time after engagement

[Deagle 508]

My wife and I got married after 1 month and half of knowing each other, and we got married on the first time we met each other. She visited me for 1 week and we got married. We didn't face any problems at all in our visa process. My visa was approved during the interview and issued the next day. I believe you are fine.

[JC&BB 33]

My wife and I got married after 1 month and half of knowing each other, and we got married on the first time we met each other. She visited me for 1 week and we got married. We didn't face any problems at all in our visa process. My visa was approved during the interview and issued the next day. I believe you are fine.

Him and I are getting married here, so didn't get married there in Addis

[Dashinka 24,492]

You meet the basic requirements, but it will be up to the consulate officer. I am not sure about Ethiopia, but if it is considered a high fraud country, any application will get extra scrutiny, so anything you can add from a relationship standpoint will help. If possible, I would consider meeting again, or trying to be there if and when the interview occurs.

Good Luck!

[JFH 12,190]

There are many reasons a visa can be denied. Even if you meet several times it could be denied if the consular officer suspects something is not right. You wouldn't be denied purely because you've only met once. But if it is felt that despite that meeting the relationship is not genuine, you will be denied.

The rules say you have to have met once in the two years prior to filing. You have satisfied that requirement. But that is not the only requirement.

[JC&BB 33]

We just got visa...for 6 months relationship but did formal engagement ceremony with family presenance and I went to see my fiancé one more time after engagement

So you two met twice in that timeframe? We only met once in the 13 months... I am a nerves wreck right now, I am so scared, I know things will be okay it's just I am seeing other cases that people aren't getting approved for crazy reasons.

[JC&BB 33]

You meet the basic requirements, but it will be up to the consulate officer. I am not sure about Ethiopia, but if it is considered a high fraud country, any application will get extra scrutiny, so anything you can add from a relationship standpoint will help. If possible, I would consider meeting again, or trying to be there if and when the interview occurs.

Good Luck!

No Ethiopia doesn't have issues like that, meeting again isn't possible all money is wrapped up right now. I don't plan on going for his interview either, I have seen all interviews on here with Ethiopia and ALL have been approved.

[APmgr 1]

Let me be clear ...first meeting is when I was in India and talked to her and dated for 2-3 weeks and got engaged

Second meeting I went back after for months for 10 days

Requirements is just one physical meeting...make sure u have chat records, phone logs, etc to prove u talk quite often ....I included 300 pages of what's app chat for everyday

[JC&BB 33]

There are many reasons a visa can be denied. Even if you meet several times it could be denied if the consular officer suspects something is not right. You wouldn't be denied purely because you've only met once. But if it is felt that despite that meeting the relationship is not genuine, you will be denied.

The rules say you have to have met once in the two years prior to filing. You have satisfied that requirement. But that is not the only requirement.

Thank you. I should just relax and stop worrying

[JC&BB 33]

Let me be clear ...first meeting is when I was in India and talked to her and dated for 2-3 weeks and got engaged

Second meeting I went back after for months for 10 days

Requirements is just one physical meeting...make sure u have chat records, phone logs, etc to prove u talk quite often ....I included 300 pages of what's app chat for everyday

I will send all of that too when we get the second NOA, we talk every single day on what's up app

[Anitafeliz 1,133]

No Ethiopia doesn't have issues like that, meeting again isn't possible all money is wrapped up right now. I don't plan on going for his interview either, I have seen all interviews on here with Ethiopia and ALL have been approved.

Ethiopia is a MENA country so research that....

Edited June 25, 2016 by Anitafeliz

[TBoneTX 45,273]

Some answers here are very good, and others are naive.

"Face time" (time spent together in person) is looked at by consular officers.

Furthermore, it only makes sense that you can't possibly know someone without it.

The "meeting once in person within 2 years of filing the petition" satisfies USCIS.

The matter of whether the relationship appears to be bona fide is another matter altogether.

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[Moderator hat on]

Thread is moved from the K-1 Process forum to the Embassy/Consulate forum -- topic involves qualifying for visas.

[JC&BB 33]

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/MenaRegion/Pages/MenaRegionIndex.aspx

Ethiopia is a MENA country so research that....

[Mrs. Wild 87]

Ethiopia is a MENA country so research that....

I don't think Ethiopia is typically considered a MENA country, so OP should hopefully not have to worry about the extra scrutiny that these countries get.

OP I think you satisfied the requirements for USCIS, so your petition should be fine. It's the embassy that seems to vary on how they scrutinize K1 visas (or in general). Did you front load your petition?