Feeling lost

[Irehc 14]

Hi everyone, 

im very new to all the paperwork process and could used some help/advice. I'm going to see my boyfriend in Ghana and we are debating getting married there or just filing for a fiancé visa. I would like him to be able to come here soon, but ive heard the wait times are similar. Does anyone have suggestions on the easiest process or one that may be less likely to be denied? I haven't even begun the process, so I'm not sure what to expect once it starts. 

Edited June 11, 2017 by Irehc

[Penguin_ie 5,994]

***** Moving from K3 Progress Report to What Visa do I Need forum for more answers *****

 

The K3 spousal visa is obsolete, if you get married you will petition for the CR-1 spousal visa; your other option is the K1 fiance visa, which is significantly faster than the spousal visa, but costs more and means he cannot work or travel right away upon arrival in the USA, there will be more paperwork first.

 

May I ask, is this your first visit to see him?  If so, I strongly suggest doing neither the nK1 or CR-1 yet, just spending time together, visit, talk lots.  The Ghana US embassy is one of the most difficult to get aproved a visa in, and your best bet is to have several long visits before filing....

[Scandi 4,166]

Not knowing anything about your relationship, red flags or how much time you've spent together irl it's hard to give any recommendations. The wait time might be the same for both visas depending on a number of different scenarios, a K-1 is normally faster but seeing as the country is Ghana the risk for a lengthy AP and/or denial is a bit higher than many other countries. I will just go ahead and recommend CR-1 without knowing much about your situation at all.

[Crazy Cat 41,904]

1 minute ago, Penguin_ie said:

May I ask, is this your first visit to see him?  If so, I strongly suggest doing neither the nK1 or CR-1 yet, just spending time together, visit, talk lots.  The Ghana US embassy is one of the most difficult to get aproved a visa in, and your best bet is to have several long visits before filing....

Good advice right there.

[Crazy Cat 41,904]

9 minutes ago, Irehc said:

Does anyone have suggestions on the easiest process or one that may be less likely to be denied?

and there are a lot of factors that can be considered "red flags".  Age difference, background, cultural differences are just a few.  As it has been said, applicants from Ghana (and some other countries) seem to get a LOT of scrutiny.

[Irehc 14]

This will be my first visit there and I will be there for three weeks. We have emailed, video chatted and talked on the phone for the past year. He has not been living in Ghana for three years now, but will return this summer for when I get there. I would love to do more visits but I had to save up awhile for this amount of vacation time from work and it will be unlikely for me to get away this long again for at least another year. 

[Scandi 4,166]

That most likely won't be enough time together to get a K-1 approval, I doubt it'll be enough for a CR-1 either. But you can try.

 

How about red flags, do you have any? Age difference? Woman older than the man (I don't know if you're a same sex couple or not)? Different religions? Recently divorced? Other visas applied for?

Edited June 11, 2017 by Scandi

[Irehc 14]

We are the same age, share the same religious beliefs, neither of us have been married before. He communicates with my friends and family and I communicate with his. As far as red flags, I proceeded with caution in the beginning and did a lot of research and questioning but overtime I didn't find anything of concern to me. 

[millefleur 5,046]

I think after you've actually met face-to-face you will have a better understanding of the situation as well. What other country was he living in for three years and why?

[Irehc 14]

Moved to turkey for work

[PrincyE 87]

I know couples from Ghana who only met once but still were approved. But definitely take your time do what you feel is right. Every case is different at the end of the day if its real and you can prove you have a real genuine relationship then 1 2 3 or 4 visits later its up to and how you feel about your relationship. 

[onileowo 7]

I believe that it is number of times that u visited that matters because I read a case here in Ghana site about spouse that visited Ghana three time and that was still denied because of ''What common between them'' you should pray and get more evidence of ur relationship. Likewise inform your man to get police clearance certificate from Turkey because it is going to be requested. All the best in your journey.

[Akuaduk2 3]

16 hours ago, Irehc said:

Hi everyone, 

im very new to all the paperwork process and could used some help/advice. I'm going to see my boyfriend in Ghana and we are debating getting married there or just filing for a fiancé visa. I would like him to be able to come here soon, but ive heard the wait times are similar. Does anyone have suggestions on the easiest process or one that may be less likely to be denied? I haven't even begun the process, so I'm not sure what to expect once it starts. 

I met face to face with my now husband on only one visit, but was there for six weeks, filled k1 and was approved, he is now here with me, u have to have a lot of supportinh documents, pics, chats, call logs, affidavits of support, i even got a letter from church that stated that we will be counselled together towrds marriage when he comes, it is possible, be positive and pray, goodluck

[Ubahsi 43]

16 hours ago, Irehc said:

This will be my first visit there and I will be there for three weeks. We have emailed, video chatted and talked on the phone for the past year. He has not been living in Ghana for three years now, but will return this summer for when I get there. I would love to do more visits but I had to save up awhile for this amount of vacation time from work and it will be unlikely for me to get away this long again for at least another year. 

Patience is key, if you prematurely start the immigration process (whether K1 or CR1) after only seeing each other once there is a high chance you may be denied. Ghana is a very tough embassy, and having ample face time with your fiance/spouse is imperative in addition to all other supporting evidence. I'm not saying it's impossible to get an approval after one visit but it's highly unlikely. If you are a gambling woman, take your chances maybe you'll get lucky. However, I truly encourage you to do your research and read through as many reviews on this forum and elsewhere so you can be informed and prepared as much as possible. I know you are eager to be with your fiance but if you jump the gun too soon you may end up wasting more time and more money than you would have spent visiting your fiance and building qualitative evidence.

 

Should you decide to move forward, I recommend you try with K1 visa just in case you get denied you'll still have another option. You can get married and apply for the CR1... if you apply for the CR1 first and get denied I'm not sure what other options you will have after that. I believe you can appeal a CR1 denial but that can take years which goes back to my point of more wasted time and money than doing it the recommended way from the beginning. 

 

Wishing you the best of luck whatever you decide!

Edited June 12, 2017 by Ubahsi