Good morning,

I'm interested to see if anyone has been or is currently on AP in Lagos for reasons other than security checks, more specifically for Consulate conerns of bonafide relationship? If so, how long have/were you been stuck there, what did you do to resolve it and what was the outcome?

Thanks,
tess

Our interview was in Senegal(12-13-07). We are in AP pending a document verification by Lagos. I email them every month to see where they are in the verification process and I get the same answer every time. We have a backlog and we are short staffed, once the verification process is complete we will forward the results to Senegal.

Have you involved your congressman? What ae you doing besides emailing monthly? I email weekly, call the DOS every single day. Between two interviews we have given them like 9 pounds of documentation and I've met with them personally. Unreal this Embassy!

We have been in AP in Lagos since May 17 2007 for verification of our marriage. They have been trying to ignore us but they have 2 Senators and our attorney on them. The embassy did actually answer my question re the lapsed I130 and said it is beneficial to submit it to post. We had to send an expedite request to the NVC to push it thru to Lagos. He has an interview scheduled on it for October 3rd and they state if processing completes before that they will call him in sooner. What all have u tried so far?

Jayne

I have the District Director in my Congressman's office all over them, she's been wonderful, the problem is they are just a vague to her as they are to us. She is going to contact her liason at the Department of State on Monday to get him to start pushing also. We do not have an attorney yet. We had a consult with Marc Ellis who made some suggestions, all of which we have done. He said we don't need to retain an attorney until and if we are denied. I email weekly, call the DOS everyday or at least every other day. I went to visit my SO in Lagos in May, my Congressman's office helped me obtain an appointment to meet with the investigator, which we did. She said she was satisfied that we have a bondafide relationship and that she was going to help us get the visa. Said she would right her report and for my SO to come back to the Embassy the following Monday (unfortunately, I had left on Friday), he went back and was told there was nothing in our file about us meeting with anyone, only that we were suppose to. It took my Congressman's office pushing to even get our file updated that we had met with the investigator but since then nothing has happened, there is n report (as she said she would write), nothing. We're just told it is still processing and that the staff are working as quickly as possible to get the reports completed. This is such a f___ed up Embassy, it amazes me that they can get away with this kind of crap!

I had a struggle with this US embassy in Nigeria. The US citizens working there are taking the visas that are allotted for our SO's and selling them to Nigerian citizens there who are rich. Anyway...enough about my personal view as to what is going on there.

You will have to go there and demand for your SO & not leave until you get what you want. That sums it up.
Involving your congress persons will help as much as another piece of paper in your file or the documents your SO went to his interview. Getting an attorney will only cost you more money. Your attorney will ask you to fly back and forth to Nigeria and charge you for his legal advise. The way to handle this embassy is to keep showing up on their door step so they get tired of seeing your face.

Although getting your congress person, sending emails, calling and attorney helps what is most beneficial is that you show up and demand for you SO. Hope this helps.

I really do believe you are right on all counts. I'm saving my leave time so that I can go with enough time to make an impression on the Embassy. I've also written letter's to everyone I can think of, of course no responses. My Congressman's office said that when they first contacted the DOS, the liason said that this was the worst Embassy they have and the complaints are unbelievable... of course my question was and still is... then why don't they do something?????

I received a call from my SO yesterday morning (my time), the Embassy did a home visit to where he use to live (he moved two weeks ago and changed his address at the Embassy). They questioned a lady that owns a salon in the same building he lived in. They appeared to be most concerned with if he has a wife and/or children. I'm not sure if they will now have to do a home visit to his new address or what..... We're praying this was a good sign though!

That sounds promising Tess. At least you know they are working on your case

It's good that they are moving forward with this case. We had a home investigation and shortly after we were approved for the visa. Hopefully, you will hear some good news soon.