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| Nigeria |  Review on November 29, 2010: |
GreatGuy
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Our Experience:
A. Don’t expect to be treated with much dignity.
My fiancée went for her interview on November 9th (with 2 Emails from the Embassy that confirmed her appointment date to be 9th November. At the gate, however, she was told that her name was not on the list of people to be interviewed that day. She showed the gate-guys the 2 confirmation emails from the consulate, but they insisted that her name was not on the list. My fiancée also insisted that she did not compose the email by herself. Thank God that one of them eventually appended her name to the list at the gate, allowed her entry, and asked her to go ahead and make the payment. He then took the confirmation emails inside (probably to check with a more senior person). He came back and told my fiancée that her name was on the schedule for the following day (Wednesday 10th). What could have happened? They changed the date of interview at their discretion (after replying my 2 emails confirming her appointment date) and they did not think it is necessary to inform me or my fiancée of the change. She called me and told me what happened, and I don’t have words to describe how I felt. Afterall, there is no chance of possibly being able to speak with someone at the embassy that day, and it does no good to email them at that very moment. We consoled ourselves that ‘come back tomorrow’ is much better than ‘where were you last week Thursday when you were on the schedule?’ or ‘come back for your interview on December 15, 2010’. I thought a little sense of dignity would have caused the Consulate to notify us of the change in interview date, but I guess that word does not really exist much at the Lagos Consulate.
As if that was not enough, she was given a slip to collect her visa from a location in Lagos on Wednesday November 17th. She got there, only to be told to ‘come back tomorrow’. The reason is that the Wednesday was a public holiday! It is still a puzzle why the Consulate will give you a public holiday on your visa collection slip. Anyway, thank God she collected it the next day. But she got there on Thursday and was told "your visa is not yet ready" come back tomorrow Friday 19th but call this phone number before you come. (I wonder why the Embassy did not hand out that number with instruction to people to call then to confirm readiness of visa before going there to for visa pick-up). She did called them and was told she can come before 4pm to pick up the visa which she did.
B. The ‘Asian Lady’
If you have ready enough reviews here on VJ, you will know the famous female Consular Officer (the ‘Asian Lady’). She was known for mostly adjudicating with denials/admin-reviews. The day I read that she refused someone just because they have done a traditional Engagement Ceremony in Nigeria before applying for K1 visa; I was terrified all-day because we have done our traditional Engagement while I visited Nigeria to meet her. She just tells such people to go back and file for K3 instead of K1 (without any feeling that these people paid $455 for filing fee, $350 for visa app-fee, 18K naira for Medical, variable costs for Police certificate, etc., all of which have to be paid again!!!. She herself knows that Wedding Certificates are not issued during traditional engagements, even if dowry was exchanged, but she just seems to enjoy such wickedness. And who will not file for K3 visa if they have legal marriage certificate, since it takes same time-frame, and is MUCH CHEAPER?
After reading of such refusal here on VJ, I prayed to God specifically to remove the Asian Lady from CO role before our interview date, either by causing her to be promoted to a more senior role, or at least to be on a relief duty for a senior officer on vacation. But God chooses to answer this prayer in the negative (maybe to teach me that there is nothing impossible with Him). My fiancée said she refused another lady that day just for the same reason. She said when her number was called and asked to go to the ‘Asian Lady’s window, she was filled with great fear, to the point that her hands were shaking when she was asked to sign the DS-156K form. She however regained her confidence after she asked about 5 questions, all of which we have gone through during our preparations. The interview then went as follows:
C. Interviews are getting tougher for K/IR visas
She was asked the following questions:
- Who is the petitioner
How did you meet? (introduced us to each other by Mr-X)
How is Mr-X related to you?
Why would she introduce you to someone who is out of the country?
When you talk, what do you talk about?
What did he tell you about America?
What else did he tell you about America?
What did he do last Saturday?
When did you first meet in person?
How long did he spend when he visited (2 weeeks)
Why would you marry someone you have spent only 2 weeks with?
Has he been married before?
When did he get separated from his ex-wife? When their divorced was finalized?
Why did it take so long between their separation and the finalization of the divorce? (about 4 yrs)?
When do you plan to travel?
Where are you going to have the wedding? And what type of wedding?
What’s the name of the Church?
What’s the name of the Pastor that will conduct the wedding?
Is he schooling in America? What is the name of his school?
When you get to America, do you intend to go to school? Which course do you intend to study?
Have you done a traditional marriage?
Has your fiancée paid the dowry to your family?
Did you do an introduction? (Apparently she knows of the Introduction-Engagement-Wedding tradition. She just likes to refuse people once she hears ‘yes’ to the Dowry question)
Does he have any kids? How old? Whats the name?
Do you have any pictures? (she looked at the ones provided)
She then said, ‘You are okay. I will approve your visa, BUT not until you bring me a photocopy of your birth certificate (my fiancée went with only the original. Their instructions said to bring original). You can either bring it next week Wednesday or if you can go and do a photocopy outside and bring it back today after 1pm. My fiancée gladly accepted the 1pm offer. She was there again for another 3.5 hours, making her experience span 6am – 4:30pm.
I am sooooo thankful to God that we are done with this stage.
Lessons:
a. Prepare for the possibility of being mis-treated. Don’t take it personal.
b. Prayerful preparations can help boost confidence during fierce interviews
c. Call-logs help a lot. Subpoena your calling card company to provide you some. I find rebtel.com printable call logs very handy
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #6927