K1 Venting for Citizens w/ African Beneficiaries

[Linafay 29]

Hello everyone!

I am starting this forum so that it can be a support system for those of use who have fiances/fiancees in African counties. Let's face it, people who come from these countries have a bad stigma attached to them (thanks to racism  ) and we all know how great America is at discriminating against people from this continent (and people of color in general). This forum is for you all to share your frustrations and your stories about your process. There are so many stories about people from African countries getting treated poorly at US embassies during the interview and other parts of the process. This forum is to also promote hope. I live in Atlanta and we have plenty of people here from Nigeria, Ghana, and Ethiopia. So obviously people from African countries are allowed in America, but it's not always as easy as someone who is from a European or Asian country. So spill your heart out, we are all here to support. Please make sure comments are respectful. 

 

I searched and there was not another forum like this. Anyways, my fiance is from Cameroon. We filed for the K1 and got out NOA1 on November 1st. 2017. We are playing the waiting game now.  


 

[Unlockable 7,315]

I just want to speak on something about your post.

 

First, it is not all countries from Africa. And even those countries that do have said stigma not all citizens of that country commit fraud.

 

Second, it is not about racism. It is unfortunate, but it has to do with USCIS putting extra precautions in place because previous applicants from certain areas commit fraud at a higher rate than other areas. It is just like when there are bad areas in a lot of cities in the US. In those bad areas you may see more police presence and/or security measures.

 

It is unfortunate that many countries in Africa has had people who committed fraud to where they have this stigma about them. I remember working at a company a few years ago and getting a notice warning the employees about Nigerian scammers via emails. It sucks because I know the majority of Nigerians are NOT scammers, yet, in my career I have never heard another warning like that  about any other country. That means that the was such a high volume of scammers coming from Nigeria that precautions had to be put in place. And even if it was only a small percentage of scammers that were committing the fraud in Nigeria, they caused so much damage that certain countries took notice.

 

The reason why it is easier for a person from countries like the UK, Canada, or Singapore to get a visa is because the quality of life can be compared to the US. But if you look at immigration as a whole it is tough for many people from many countries to obtain a visa unless they have a US citizen relative. There are people in this world that are so desperately poor that they will do anything for a better life. If you stay on VJ long enough you will see the stories. There are young girls marry American men (often much older men) that they do not really love solely for the purpose of obtaining a green card and eventually to bring over their immediate family.

 

You are right that America does allow people from Africa to immigrate. In fact, many countries in Africa are in the Diversity Visa program.

 

I have seen plenty of couples from African countries get their K1 visas denied or even their spousal visas. But I also see them overcome it. Some it took many years, but since their relationship was genuine they persevered.

 

Edited November 25, 2017 by NuestraUnion

[TBoneTX 45,853]

The answer above is elegant, well-expressed, and comprehensive, except that the consulates (Department of State), rather than USCIS, are the ones applying the extra scrutiny, and this on the basis of previous patterns of fraud.

 

The Africa: Sub-Saharan regional forum has threads about most of the individual countries, so petitioners from there have ample opportunity for discussion of the progress of their individual cases.  Accordingly, this thread is now closed to further comment.

 

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