212 g from Lagos---Your story

[NaijaPrincess Need NaijaPrince 0]

I am trying to rally those of us who have had trouble dealing with the embassy in Lagos. I would like to hear your trial and tribulation that you are going through presently. It is my hope to expose this embassy and its fraudulent behavior. I want to gather others stories and take it to be broadcast as one of those human interest type stories. I think with the elections coming up and the immigration situation with undocumented Mexicans and others sneaking across the boarder it will shed light on the issue. Any questions, please do not hesitate to email me.

[William33 110]

NaijaPrincess Need NaijaPrince,

We have been over this topic so many times. Nigeria is the highest fraud country that the US State Department operates in. Why do you feel compelled to continually blame the Consular staff for your difficulties?

How much time have you actually spent in Nigeria? Personally, I have spent over 6 months in Nigeria, over a period of 4 years. I can personally attest to the problems that the Consular Section deals with on a daily basis. Your allegations are completely unfounded.

I suggest you spend less time complaining and more time seeking an Attorney to fix your case.

I am trying to rally those of us who have had trouble dealing with the embassy in Lagos. I would like to hear your trial and tribulation that you are going through presently. It is my hope to expose this embassy and its fraudulent behavior. I want to gather others stories and take it to be broadcast as one of those human interest type stories. I think with the elections coming up and the immigration situation with undocumented Mexicans and others sneaking across the boarder it will shed light on the issue. Any questions, please do not hesitate to email me.

[sarah and hicham 3]

[Yodrak 7]

NaijaPrincess Need NaijaPrince,

It is not the consular section in Lagos that is "fraudulent" - it is a large proportion of Nigerian visa applicants who are fraudulent.

The first step to resolving your problem is to recognize that fact.

Yodrak

I am trying to rally those of us who have had trouble dealing with the embassy in Lagos. I would like to hear your trial and tribulation that you are going through presently. It is my hope to expose this embassy and its fraudulent behavior. .....

[ursy 0]

I am trying to rally those of us who have had trouble dealing with the embassy in Lagos. I would like to hear your trial and tribulation that you are going through presently. It is my hope to expose this embassy and its fraudulent behavior. I want to gather others stories and take it to be broadcast as one of those human interest type stories. I think with the elections coming up and the immigration situation with undocumented Mexicans and others sneaking across the boarder it will shed light on the issue. Any questions, please do not hesitate to email me.

William, I visited Nigeria twice for a period of about 2 months totally and I understand your comment. The world knows how Nigeria is known for its "excellency" in cons and bribes. The best of the best #1 in fact. Nevertheless, I think you are being a bit harsh though. A person in love will consider desperate measures and I see nothing wrong with her attempt---though I agree that it should be done while seeking an attorney regarding her particular case.

[William33 110]

ursy,

Agreed, emotions tend to cloud reality at times, I have been there. With that said, the inference that the Foreign Service Officers Lagos are involved in fraud is completely irresponsible.

Having worked in Embassies and Consulates worldwide, my former colleagues in the Foreign service are of the highest caliber and integrity. Like any human, they make occasional mistakes, far from fraud.

In this particular case, it appears that the evidence was inadequate to close the deal. An attorney is the only realistic option at this stage. As others have stated, particularly Yodrak, an attorney with experience in Nigeria should have been engaged from day 1.

William, I visited Nigeria twice for a period of about 2 months totally and I understand your comment. The world knows how Nigeria is known for its "excellency" in cons and bribes. The best of the best #1 in fact. Nevertheless, I think you are being a bit harsh though. A person in love will consider desperate measures and I see nothing wrong with her attempt---though I agree that it should be done while seeking an attorney regarding her particular case.

Edited November 3, 2006 by William33

[onuche 0]

First and formost it makes me lol when someone who has been in Nigeria for FOUR MONTHS!!!! become an expert in NIGERIAN AFFAIRS.

I am a Nigerian, living in the UK and its a shame when people come on and make categorical statements ( and i mean this from both sides), williams is Nigeria more corrupt than indonesia or wherever u come from? and to suggest that MAJORITY of Nigerian are corrupt really shows how little you know about Nigerians.

Agreed the person that started the thread probably has emotions running high (tell who hasnt at one point in time during this process) and honestly YODRAK, i have always read ur threads and have always agreed with u 100% but as a Nigerian i beg to disagree here.

If she can prove that therwe is some level of corruption then by all means let her go ahead,i mean i would like ANYONE HERE TO TELL ME AND PROVE TO ME ONE COUNTRY WHERE THERE AINT NO CORRUPTION.

PLEASE i want to state here i donot condone corruption in any way shape or form and it does paint the VAST MAJORITY of Nigerians in very bad light,but such general statements are uncalled for and misplaced.

Onuche

[vicki/bala 0]

ursy,

Agreed, emotions tend to cloud reality at times, I have been there. With that said, the inference that the Foreign Service Officers Lagos are involved in fraud is completely irresponsible.

Having worked in Embassies and Consulates worldwide, my former colleagues in the Foreign service are of the highest caliber and integrity. Like any human, they make occasional mistakes, far from fraud.

In this particular case, it appears that the evidence was inadequate to close the deal. An attorney is the only realistic option at this stage. As others have stated, particularly Yodrak, an attorney with experience in Nigeria should have been engaged from day 1.

William, I visited Nigeria twice for a period of about 2 months totally and I understand your comment. The world knows how Nigeria is known for its "excellency" in cons and bribes. The best of the best #1 in fact. Nevertheless, I think you are being a bit harsh though. A person in love will consider desperate measures and I see nothing wrong with her attempt---though I agree that it should be done while seeking an attorney regarding her particular case.

William, please dont see me as someone who didnt get what she wanted and is now screaming foul, but you saying that "my former colleagues in the Foreign service are of the highest caliber and integrity" is the same as others saying "all nigerians are frauds".... and its completely wrong. I assure you not all foreign service workers are as upstanding and honest as you say. Trust me I know. The CO's at Chennai used every dirty tatic in the book from outright lying to my fiance by saying they had proof "I was living with a man here in the U S" to blackmailing him by saying they would take pictures to his family and neighbors and "make it very ugly for him" if he didnt admit fraud.

Nothing about immigrations is fair. I know that fruad is a huge problem, but there must be some way of weeding out the good from the bad other than making innocent people pay and suffer for all of those that are bad. Ive been here on VJ for over a year now and in that time I've seen numerous couples get approved, marry, and divorce due to fraud. So how are they getting thru while the honest ones sit and wait??? And are treated like the worst of criminals?? Im not putting blame on everyone , Im sure there are very good and honest consular workers who are trying their best to do a good job. I for one would not want to EVER have to make decisions they do. I would just like to see a better system.

My fiance and I have been together four years, we were well prepared to show an ongoing relationship, we can prove in that four years not one day has gone by that we havent commincated either by phone, email, or chat. The first thing out of the CO's mouth when he sat down in front of her was "if you think you are getting a free ride to America then you can just forget it" This was without asking one question or looking at one peice of evidence ... And we have been fighting ever since (16 months).... now today i saw someone post that they had approved visa after going to interview and only one question was asked "how many times has your fiance been to visit you".... now im thrilled for the poster... but it was like a slap in the face. Why do some breeze thru and others are treated like criminals?? Is it how they look when they sit before them??

Even though I understand what the original OP is feeling, I would never say that the Chennai consulate is corrupt or fraudulent, but I can say that the CO"s we dealt with were not upstanding and honest. And not everyone who is working in our embassys should be.

Vicki/Bala

[William33 110]

onuche,

I never claimed to be an expert in Nigerian affairs, I simply stated a very well known fact. "Nigeria tops the US State department list for Visa fraud". This is a fact, not my opinion. However, I viewed this first hand, as an accredited US Diplomat.

Second, I did not make a blanket statement that the "Majority" of Nigerians are corrupt. Read my post again if you need clarification.

I do not come from Indonesia, my wife does. Is there corruption in Indonesia? Of course there is. Many countries struggle with corruption within the Government, some more than others.

First and formost it makes me lol when someone who has been in Nigeria for FOUR MONTHS!!!! become an expert in NIGERIAN AFFAIRS.

I am a Nigerian, living in the UK and its a shame when people come on and make categorical statements ( and i mean this from both sides), williams is Nigeria more corrupt than indonesia or wherever u come from? and to suggest that MAJORITY of Nigerian are corrupt really shows how little you know about Nigerians.

Agreed the person that started the thread probably has emotions running high (tell who hasnt at one point in time during this process) and honestly YODRAK, i have always read ur threads and have always agreed with u 100% but as a Nigerian i beg to disagree here.

If she can prove that therwe is some level of corruption then by all means let her go ahead,i mean i would like ANYONE HERE TO TELL ME AND PROVE TO ME ONE COUNTRY WHERE THERE AINT NO CORRUPTION.

PLEASE i want to state here i donot condone corruption in any way shape or form and it does paint the VAST MAJORITY of Nigerians in very bad light,but such general statements are uncalled for and misplaced.

Onuche

[forchika 4]

I was waiting for what I thought was the right time to make my comments. I think it's time for me to add my comments now. I have been watching the original post from NaijaPrincess need NaijaPrince and reading the responses. I hope I am right in my assessment. The first thing I noticed was you were new to Visajourney and you had already filed application before finding this website, which is excellent in giving information of what you should include when filing application. I actually found the website after my trip to Nigeria but before I filed application so, It was a good thing that I had not filed application yet. The second thing that I thought was that I wish your question was posted in the Afrcan SubSaharan Forum and you still may want to look there as many have filed applications in Nigeria. I agree with Ursy and Vicki/bala's that the comments were harsh and I am so sorry to hear that your husband was not approved. I was even more horrified and saddened to read Vicki/bala's post about her finacee's experience at interview. I am keeping you both in my thoughts and prayers that you will be able to resolve the issues that keep you from being reunited with your SO's at this time. I will not speak about the fraud in Nigeria as it is a known fact. I do agree that not all people in Nigeria or that all Nigerians participate in fraudulent activites.

[Yodrak 7]

onuche,

Neither I not William suggested that the majority of Nigerians are corrupt. We did both say that many Nigerian applicants for visas to the USA are applying fraudulently. There is a very significant difference between a subset of visa applicants and the majority of the population. Do not attribute to us things that we did not write.

Agreed that Nigeria is not the only country where visa fraud is a problem that US consular officers have to deal with. At any such post, visa applicants and their USC partner need to recognize the reality of the situation and prepare themselves to deal with it. Their case preparation is not going to be as simple and easy as at other consulates where the problem does not exist to the same extent.

Yodrak

.... to suggest that MAJORITY of Nigerian are corrupt really shows how little you know about Nigerians.

.....

[Yodrak 7]

vicki/bala,

..... I assure you not all foreign service workers are as upstanding and honest as you say. Trust me I know. The CO's at Chennai used every dirty tatic in the book from outright lying to my fiance by saying they had proof "I was living with a man here in the U S" to blackmailing him by saying they would take pictures to his family and neighbors and "make it very ugly for him" if he didnt admit fraud.

Such tactics, as distasteful as they may be to the average USC and as unpleasant as they may be for the visa applicant and the applicant's USC partner are not "dirty" nor are they an indication of a dishonest consular officer. Rather, such tactics are accepted practice and a consular officer using them at a high-fraud post is doing their job as they have been instructed and trained to do it. The tactics might not be acceptable in a US court of law, which most people seem to use as the measure of what is fair and proper, but a visa applicant in a consular interview is not a US citizen or resident in a US court of law. The comparison, whether explicit or implicit, is not an appropriate comparison.

Nothing about immigrations is fair. I know that fruad is a huge problem, but there must be some way of weeding out the good from the bad other than making innocent people pay and suffer for all of those that are bad. Ive been here on VJ for over a year now and in that time I've seen numerous couples get approved, marry, and divorce due to fraud. So how are they getting thru while the honest ones sit and wait??? And are treated like the worst of criminals?? Im not putting blame on everyone , Im sure there are very good and honest consular workers who are trying their best to do a good job. I for one would not want to EVER have to make decisions they do. I would just like to see a better system.

.....

Vicki/Bala

I agree with these feelings.

Yodrak

Edited November 3, 2006 by Yodrak

[NaijaPrincess Need NaijaPrince 0]

I feel that it is unfair for the fate of my future with my husband be determined by 1 person...the CO. No matter how much evidence that one brings to the interview, the CO can have it made up in his or her mind that I don't like this person based on looks. When one presents the evidence such as email, letters, pictures the CO doesn't even collect it. Rather they just look at it and give it back. There should be a committee to determine that. That is the reason why I wanted to get others stories. This is crazy that one ####### could determine if we are in love.

ursy,

Agreed, emotions tend to cloud reality at times, I have been there. With that said, the inference that the Foreign Service Officers Lagos are involved in fraud is completely irresponsible.

Having worked in Embassies and Consulates worldwide, my former colleagues in the Foreign service are of the highest caliber and integrity. Like any human, they make occasional mistakes, far from fraud.

In this particular case, it appears that the evidence was inadequate to close the deal. An attorney is the only realistic option at this stage. As others have stated, particularly Yodrak, an attorney with experience in Nigeria should have been engaged from day 1.

William, I visited Nigeria twice for a period of about 2 months totally and I understand your comment. The world knows how Nigeria is known for its "excellency" in cons and bribes. The best of the best #1 in fact. Nevertheless, I think you are being a bit harsh though. A person in love will consider desperate measures and I see nothing wrong with her attempt---though I agree that it should be done while seeking an attorney regarding her particular case.

William, please dont see me as someone who didnt get what she wanted and is now screaming foul, but you saying that "my former colleagues in the Foreign service are of the highest caliber and integrity" is the same as others saying "all nigerians are frauds".... and its completely wrong. I assure you not all foreign service workers are as upstanding and honest as you say. Trust me I know. The CO's at Chennai used every dirty tatic in the book from outright lying to my fiance by saying they had proof "I was living with a man here in the U S" to blackmailing him by saying they would take pictures to his family and neighbors and "make it very ugly for him" if he didnt admit fraud.

Nothing about immigrations is fair. I know that fruad is a huge problem, but there must be some way of weeding out the good from the bad other than making innocent people pay and suffer for all of those that are bad. Ive been here on VJ for over a year now and in that time I've seen numerous couples get approved, marry, and divorce due to fraud. So how are they getting thru while the honest ones sit and wait??? And are treated like the worst of criminals?? Im not putting blame on everyone , Im sure there are very good and honest consular workers who are trying their best to do a good job. I for one would not want to EVER have to make decisions they do. I would just like to see a better system.

My fiance and I have been together four years, we were well prepared to show an ongoing relationship, we can prove in that four years not one day has gone by that we havent commincated either by phone, email, or chat. The first thing out of the CO's mouth when he sat down in front of her was "if you think you are getting a free ride to America then you can just forget it" This was without asking one question or looking at one peice of evidence ... And we have been fighting ever since (16 months).... now today i saw someone post that they had approved visa after going to interview and only one question was asked "how many times has your fiance been to visit you".... now im thrilled for the poster... but it was like a slap in the face. Why do some breeze thru and others are treated like criminals?? Is it how they look when they sit before them??

Even though I understand what the original OP is feeling, I would never say that the Chennai consulate is corrupt or fraudulent, but I can say that the CO"s we dealt with were not upstanding and honest. And not everyone who is working in our embassys should be.

Vicki/Bala

[ursy 0]

First and formost it makes me lol when someone who has been in Nigeria for FOUR MONTHS!!!! become an expert in NIGERIAN AFFAIRS.

I am a Nigerian, living in the UK and its a shame when people come on and make categorical statements ( and i mean this from both sides), williams is Nigeria more corrupt than indonesia or wherever u come from? and to suggest that MAJORITY of Nigerian are corrupt really shows how little you know about Nigerians.

Agreed the person that started the thread probably has emotions running high (tell who hasnt at one point in time during this process) and honestly YODRAK, i have always read ur threads and have always agreed with u 100% but as a Nigerian i beg to disagree here.

If she can prove that therwe is some level of corruption then by all means let her go ahead,i mean i would like ANYONE HERE TO TELL ME AND PROVE TO ME ONE COUNTRY WHERE THERE AINT NO CORRUPTION.

PLEASE i want to state here i donot condone corruption in any way shape or form and it does paint the VAST MAJORITY of Nigerians in very bad light,but such general statements are uncalled for and misplaced.

Onuche

No Business , Especially Government, Any Where in the World is totally free from Corruptions.

The question is how great is it ??????????????Is great enough where the would should be concerned. Yes the problem is the high fraud rate use of the people as a whole, but some of those "people" may work at the Embassy

[Yodrak 7]

NaijaPrincess Need NaijaPrince,

Your future is not determined by one person - a decision to refuse the visa application must be reviewed by the case officer's superiors. (And from what you've posted thus far no decision has yet been made in your husband's case.)

The crazy ####### does not care if the two of you are in love or not. Being in love is not a requirement for the visa.

You seem to continue to suffer from misunderstandings about essential issues. Before one can address the issues successfully one must understand them. Seek professional help first, sympathy later.

Yodrak

I feel that it is unfair for the fate of my future with my husband be determined by 1 person...the CO. No matter how much evidence that one brings to the interview, the CO can have it made up in his or her mind that I don't like this person based on looks. When one presents the evidence such as email, letters, pictures the CO doesn't even collect it. Rather they just look at it and give it back. There should be a committee to determine that. That is the reason why I wanted to get others stories. This is crazy that one ####### could determine if we are in love.