I am a black American woman in love with a Nigerian. We fell in love almost immediately. I was visiting in London and we met. He went back to Nigeria and I came back home. We have remained in contact and grew even more in love over the last 6 months. He wants to come here. I had no idea that it was so difficult to travel from Nigeria to the U.S. He went to the embassy and was denied. I sent an email asking why and after about a week the response was that he did not prove socio-economic ties to Nigeria to return back after his visit. Since then he has obtained a letter from his family regarding his employment in the family business and thru email they have said that these documents are acceptable to prove soci-economic ties to Nigeria . Actually we are planning to marry here for my family and return to Nigeria and marry there as well for his family. He was very upset and disappointed. I sent another email to the embassy they finally referred me to a website that gave me the information that he can present to correct this. My question is has anyone experienced this before? or are we the only two people in the world? We are both really reluctant and trying to find the right information to get this taken care of for him to obtain his Visa. He lived in London for 3 years and it was no problem but to come to the U.S has been very difficult in getting a visa.
I am open to any and all suggestions....Please help
We have choosen to get a tourist visa first so that he can come and meet my family and we can fly together to Nigeria to meet his family. We also plan to travel around the states. We plan to marry but that is after he has arrived and after we have made plans from that point.

Have you thought about a K1 fiance visa? I heard those are taking about 5 to 6 months these days.

Your boyfriend should "X" the whole idea of trying to come to America on a tourist visa. That will be almost impossible. American Embassy in Lagos, Nigeria is a "very tough" and "corrupt" place. The best possible way for you two to be together would be to file a petition for a K1 visa(fiancee) or you could go to Nigeria, marry him and come back to the U.S. and file the K3 or CR-1(whatever it's called.) All of us here on VJ has either filed one or the other. And many of us on this forum(Africa: Sub-Saharan) are either married to Nigerians or engaged to one. You can find a great deal of help on filing the petitions on this website. And many fellow VJ'ers would be more than willing to answer any questions you may incur. Good luck with whatever decision you 2 decide. I hope all goes well with your relationship.
Sweetee

Boy are you in the right place. Start reading, girl. Begin by comparing the implications of the K-1 fiance visa (once he arrives, you have 90 days in the U.S. before you have to marry or he has to go back home), and the K-3 visa, which is marriage there, and then come home and wait for him to arrive (from Nigeria, this can take up to 18 months).

My husband is from Ghana, and we chose the K-1. It worked out perfectly for us. The biggest advantage of the K-3 is that your husband receives his green card and work authorization within weeks as opposed to 4-6 months.

Lots of people on here can answer your questions. You're in good company.

Welcome!

Dana

The CR1 would offer that benefit (takes a lot longer to obtain, though). The K3 most certainly does not give anyone a work authorization and green card within weeks. The EAD and Adjustment process for a K3 is not all that different from a K1.

This is all new to me. I feel so lost. I just know that right now we need to spend time together which is the reason that he is coming over as a tourist. EAD, AOS, K1, B1, K3......it is another language and another world. Basically, he has a letter from his Mother stating that he works in the family business and via the many corresponding emails with the embassy that I have sent to them this should prove soci-economic status for them.....I had suggested to him that he does an immigrant visa....I read about that on the embassy website and it cost about $365.......how does this work? Is this better? Also per the qualifications for a K1 fiance visa we do not qualify....we haven't known one another for 2 years.....that is the way we understand. Is there someone that I can talk to in Oklahoma who is able and willing to explain this process to me? Like an attorney or someone? I am in love wth someone that I feel is finally right for me and but he is a whole world apart from me!
Right now he has an appointment set at the end of this month.....I scheduled it off like that so that I can obtain more information. I am getting desperate and I feel like I don't have the knowledge that I need to win this race. ...I am trying to catch up and get the knowledge that is necessary so we can be together.

To obtain a tourist visa, a letter from his mother is not going to cut it at the US Consulate in Nigeria.

For information on fiance(e) and spouse visa, click here.

Good Luck!

ewao,

We've all been there. That feeling of confusion is familiar to all of us. You learn a little bit as you go. Marrying a foreigner is nothing at all like marrying an American. And marrying a Nigerian is even more difficult because there's a perception of high fraud from that country. Trust me, we've all been where you are at some point or another and of all the people you could ask, we understand the most.

There's an extremely small chance of your fiance getting a tourist visa. If you want to go for it, great, but don't be disappointed if he's denied again. My husband (then boyfriend) tried literally for years to get a tourist visa, only to be denied repeatedly before I finally learned about this process. If you want to spend time with your loved one, YOU will have to visit HIM. Practically everyone on the Sub-Saharan forum who plans to get married has been to our loved one's country at some point in time.

You cannot enter into an international relationship using the ideals you've grown up with (such as spending tons of time together, going on dates for months, etc.). I think my husband and I spent altogether only 2.5 weeks together before he came over on a K-1 (fiance visa). It was a lot like an arranged marriage, but we also knew each other for 13 years beforehand, so we had no doubt all would work out. But it was NOT EASY. International couples must endure a lot more trials and difficulties than average couples... and we spent thousands throughout the process in calling cards, travel fees, visa fees, work authorization and green card fees, etc.

Listen, ignore all the acronyms for now, and just pay attention to the requirements for K-1 and K-3. Look around on this site, read what you can, and learn more about how this works. Ask specific questions about what you need to know. I'm a black american woman too, and chose to go into this process with my eyes open (after many failures made out of my own ignorance about immigration). For love, it was more than worth it for me. Love is a many splendored thing.

I hope that helps!

Dana



Are you sure, ET? A friend of ours named Caesar arrived in the U.S. on the exact same day as Peter, and he had his green card within weeks - even before Peter and I got married.

I thought the benefit to the marriage beforehand is that the person enters the U.S. as a permanent resident, and doesn't have to endure AOS. Correct me if I'm wrong.

My only input, ewa is that regarding the k1 visa, YOU HAVE TO HAVE MET WITHIN THE PREVIOUS 2 YRS NOT KNOW HIM FOR 2 YRS. There is a difference, so reiterate, you do qualify for the k1 fiance visa,YOU HAVE MET HIM WITHIN 2 YRS.

Make sure, you have your flight information, the one you used to travel to Nigeria.Start gathering evidence like pics you took together if any, copy of passport stamps to show you went to Nigeria within 2 yrs of you filing a petition for k1 visa, copies of letters or e-mails if you have been sending e-mails, greeting cards if you gusy exchanged some , i mean ample evidence that you do have a relationship.

Sorry, mistake on the Going to Nigeria or having met in Nigeria. I meant meeting in London

This is all new to me. I feel so lost. I just know that right now we need to spend time together which is the reason that he is coming over as a tourist. EAD, AOS, K1, B1, K3......it is another language and another world. Basically, he has a letter from his Mother stating that he works in the family business and via the many corresponding emails with the embassy that I have sent to them this should prove soci-economic status for them.....I had suggested to him that he does an immigrant visa....I read about that on the embassy website and it cost about $365.......how does this work? Is this better? Also per the qualifications for a K1 fiance visa we do not qualify....we haven't known one another for 2 years.....that is the way we understand. Is there someone that I can talk to in Oklahoma who is able and willing to explain this process to me? Like an attorney or someone? I am in love wth someone that I feel is finally right for me and but he is a whole world apart from me!
Right now he has an appointment set at the end of this month.....I scheduled it off like that so that I can obtain more information. I am getting desperate and I feel like I don't have the knowledge that I need to win this race. ...I am trying to catch up and get the knowledge that is necessary so we can be together.
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Your boyfriends's chance of coming to USA is even slimmer than you think now. First of all a letter from his mother doesn't mean "squat" to the embassy. What's even worst is you have already corresponded with the embassy in regards to his visitor's visa. Right there sends up a "red flag" to them. They will feel that he is coming to the US to try and marry you. Baby he is not getting that visa in his hand. You can best believe that his folder is already sitting on some CO's desk just waiting for the day he walks in just to have denied written across it. All the advice u have already received here at this forum is GOOD, SOUND, ADVICE. We have all gone thru this whole process and some of us still are. You can't escape it. If u 2 love each other as u say u do and want to spend the rest of ur life together...it's time now u make plans and visit Nigeria, meet the family, take plenty of pics, come back to US and file petition for k1 visa. Or u can also get married there and just file for k3 or CR1.
Sweetee




Dana: i think ur friend Caesar may have come here on the lottery visa. I agree with ET. Just go back and look at some timelines. The CR1 takes quiet a while to obtain. And still, the k1 is the easiest route.

Sweetie made a good suggestion.Go with either k1 or go to Nigeria, marry the guy ONLY if you know him well enough, marry him, come back to the U.S(Know that is hard) and file for CRI or K3.

Go to nigeria, take lots of pics , come back and start gathering evidence of your relationship and file K1 while he remains there, file 1-129F petition(process usually takes 6-8mths) and voila,he would be here by God;s grace.For the k1 though, you have 90days to decide to get married if you still want him and if it doesn't work out or you change your mind( God forbid), call it quits and he goes back to Nigeria.

Maybe other people on this forum would have more info.This is a great site and we are all here to support you one way or the other

I guess this is the case with many CR1, but in our case it was approved much faster than the K3. We did eventually get approved for K3 interview, but it was after the Cr1. I always wonder why when I see others getting K3 faster.

EwaO,

The immigration process is very overwhelming and it is a long one. Don't worry right now about AOS, EAD, etc. The decision that is immediately in front of you and your man is: Do we get married in Nigeria or America? If you decide to go to Nigeria and get married there, then you file for K-3. If you decide to wait for the visa and get married in America, then you file for K-1. Once that decision is made, just focus on the K-1 or K-3 visa for now. The rest of the process will come in its own time. There are lots of us here who have fought with the Nigerian embassy and have made it out of those walls with a visa in hand--it is possible but not easy. However, I don't know a single person on this site or elsewhere that has been given a visitor visa from the Nigerian embassy. I agree with the others--don't count on him getting one. It will be a waste of another 100 U.S. dollars. Having sat outside the embassy while my husband was inside, I have seen the HUNDREDS of people that line up every day and pay 100 dollars each to try to get a visitor visa and I have seen those same people come out of the embassy rejected. It is the embassy's main source of revenue and they will lead you to believe that it is possible and likely for him to get a visitor visa only to deny him at the interview.
There are several people here on VJ that were successful in getting K-1 visas from the embassy there. However, just a word of warning to you---make sure that you meet the income requirements alone to sponsor your fiance here. It is 125% of the federal poverty level. If you dont' have any children, then the amount is (roughly--not sure of the exact amount off the top of my head) 16, 500 dollars per year in income. I have seen several people be denied a K-1 visa in Lagos because the U.S. citizen did not meet the income requirement and they were told at the interview that they do not allow for joint sponsors on a K-1 visa. Some other people got approved for a K-1 with a joint sponsor so it is not unheard of. But it depends on what officer your fiance gets for his interview. That is just something to think about as you make your decision of which visa to apply for.

I understand that the process is overwhelming and sometimes seems hopeless...we have all been through it. Being apart from the man that you love is heart-wrenching, to say the least. If your love is strong and the two of you are determined to make the relationship work, then you will make it through the separation and your love will be so much stronger BECAUSE of it. My husband is from Nigeria and was able to finally get his visa and come to the U.S. in December. We were apart for the first nine months of our marriage. It was difficult and I would not want to do it again. But we both look back on it and know that it made our relationship so much stronger as we learned to communicate with each other better and truly got to know each other's hearts and minds during our countless hours of chatting online and on the phone. Look for creative ways to build your relationship and you and your fiance will make it through the visa process just fine. Good luck. Feel free to post here frequently with your questions and concerns---we've all been through it and can help you in your journey.

Molly

It is so hard in the beginning. Best advise I can give is to get yourself ready for the long Journey. There is a pretty slim chance of him actually getting the tourist visa from Nigeria. They are very strict, and once they see that he wants to visit a "female friend" red flags will go up. Unless he has some great business / educational ties to Nigeria it will be hard to get a tourist visa. Unless you plan to go there and mary him, K1 is going to be your best option. Yes you do qualify as long as you have met within the previous 2 years. Other than that the only visa he will be eligible for is if he wins the visa lottery. The one for this year ended in November I think. He can apply for that in Oct. or Nov. but it is likely he will not be chosen, as they only choose a limited amount of winners. Also it takes like 8 months to one year for them to announce the winners. If you decide to go for the K1 you can get great information in the K1 forum on what you need to do.
Best Wishes

My two cents worth would be to take what "sweetee" "dana" "joej" and "ET" said and follow absorb it all. They all are giving you priceless advice both on how to get your boyfriend here and what it takes to be in a relationship with a person from another country.
panamachic

I just wanted to add that when I was in Nigeria a lot of people were saying my husband could get a quicky visa and just come back with me. haha. We were so naive then. Anyway it is not true.

Yes, I am sure. Nani came on a K3 visa and I remember well that we had to file for both her authorization to work and for her green card after her arrival. The K3 visa only gets the foreign spouse into the US and allows for travel to and from the US while it is valid - it is, other than the K1, a multiple entry visa and it is valid for 2 years following the first entry. Other than that, the K3 is a nonimmigrant visa and is not all that different from a K1.

To enter the US as a permanent resident, one would have to obtain an immigrant visa (CR1/IR1) overseas. That is possible but takes more time than the K3 in most cases. In fact, the K3 was introduced precisely because it took so long for USC spouses to obtain an immigrant visa - the wait has been 24-36 months in years past. Immigrant visa processing has improved quite a bit - it was even faster than K3's for awhile. These days, however, it's a pretty sure bet that a K3 is quicker to obtain than a CR1/IR1.

Your friend Ceasar either entered as a CR1/IR1 or on a Diversity Visa via the DV lottery. He most certainly did not enter as a K3 and automatically received his green card a few weeks later.

ewa0,

Hi again! I just wanted to echo that it is very very hard to get a tourist/visitor's visa from most countries in Africa. And, I know that everyone is telling you about fiance and family-based (spouse) visas. But, you may want to consider what someone else mentioned about international relationships in terms of where you are in your particular relationship. Are you ready to get married? Are you sure you want to get married to this man? If not, then you may want to meet again in a third place like London and strengthen what you have because the visa process takes a long and will definitely test your strength and patience. If you are ready to get married then this site is invaluable and we will be here in this forum to help and support you with all the information and knowledge that we have. Good luck!!

K.

Wow Molly...
Thanks for this post...I am a newbie just starting out with the whole process and yourr advice is fantastic.
Neya

Hello to you Newbies. It's good to have you here. This site is great for advice and support through those hard times. I came crying here a number of times while waiting for my man to come. I will pretty much agree with what people have said so far. For those of you who are new, the best advice I can give is to read. I know it is difficult to read so much when you don't even know what you are looking for, but read, read, read. It will really help. I was extreamly overwhelmed when I first came. People were telling me all kinds of things. Also, I didn't understand why things weren't working. People at immigration were telling me how things were supposed to work. But, it doesn't work that way in Nigeria. There is practically no way for a visitor's visa to get approved. So, If you are going to be together, expect it to take time. It to my husband and I a year from the time I left Nigeria (1 day less than a year) to be together again. Also, know that you will have to learn a whole new language (no, not that of your significant other, but that of immigration). Expect it to take time to become fluent . I know the idea of reading all this is overwhelming. My husband wouldn't come near this sight because he was so overwhelmed with it. Just take it one small post at a time and eventually, you will start understanding parts of it. Ask lots of questions as you go along if you don't understand what you are reading. Good luck and good reading.

I recently started the process and would suggest that you visit Nigeria and marry there. Take lots of pictures and when you return file the I-130. This is what i have done.

DeNitra

I know you probablly don't need one more persons opion but I will throw mine out here anyway. Because of how hard it is for an African to get a visitors visa I highly recommend that if you are not sure about marrying him that you visit him.

this is good for 2 reasons, one it gives you some time to spend time togeather and 2 it gives you insite into his culture.

As someone else has already said marrying an African (I am engaged to a Ugandan and I LOVE him) is very diffrent then marrying an american. They treat relationships diffrent, there is not a lot of dating, and at least in Uganda (not sure about other African countries) any dating relationshipis just kind of expected to end in marriage.

Spending time in his culture will help you understand some things about him that are part of him because of the culture.

He will have a diffrent sense of humor, understanding of gender roles, idea of how time and money should be spent.

I don't think any of these diffrent views are bad, they are just diffrent and the more you know ahead of time the better off you will be when you start you life togeather.


Also, Africa is really not as sacry as it may sound to visit..come and enjoy the beauty that is Africa (I have lived here for about 9 months total now)


good luck!!!

Megan

(ps, sorry for some reason I can never get spell check to come up on my computer here in Uganda)

yea i do agree wt what some experince VJ siad concerning ur fiancee to come as a visitor, I could tell u not even in nigerian embassy alone, around the world specially being black is more harder.
Am a nigerian and my fiancee is nigerian too but he's schooling in malaysia for the past 3yrs and I've been tryin to obtain both visitor and student visa but all in vain, they only reason was i dint have my citizenship yet, so when i got it, I travel to malaysia for the first timein life to meet him though we met in naija b4 he decided to go over there. To be in a relationship is all abt sacrifice or a big risk u have to take it, if it work u see if not such is life. So i took the risk of goin there and then gather all necessary information for him to come here, being in another country wasnt easy they requires more from us than any residence over there, am tellin u most black are very suspicious, and had it been We were both from diff country i dont how it would be, when i came back from malaysia i have to call immigration and asked them abt my issue if he could come from there, they told me yea since its K1 visa that they consider it as non immigrant, so intead for him goin back to nigeria just for that I decided to file thru malaysia embassy for him.

So ma dear dont waste money for tourist visa cos i've been on that process and it didnt work for me, go to niaja nd do what u supposed to do suchis life and see what would happen from ther, i do beleive some balck american do go thru that process and it work out for them, dont panic not every guys in nigja would play u there some million of nice ones over therre looking for someone to be love.
Good luck! am planning going to niaja soon so u can join me if u dont mind.
wish u the best of luck!

vickky

I hate to say it, but I'm with the others that a tourist visa is near impossible to get. I couldn't speak directly for Nigeria, but from what I've heard, it is just like the Ghanaian embassy that my fiance has dealt with in the past. We are in a very similar situation in that he basically just wants to come visit my family and friends and see where I come from- but not to stay. We are planning on moving back to Africa after his three months. And it is very frustrating to have to run the courses for an immigrant (in effect) visa when all we really need is a tourist visa. But the sad truth is that it's just not realistic for him to be granted a visitor's visa because he's young and from a poor country.. Not fair at all, but the way it is:( You will need a lot of patience and persistance for this process. It seems to hardly ever go as fast or smoothly as people expect it to, and it's a lot of hard work, and especially hard on your heart to be apart for so long. Be strong and you will do just fine, and you have a great group of people here to support and help you the whole way.

Hey ,

Getting Tourist Visa from Lagos US Consulate is not a sure thing i will advice u two to take ur time and prepare for ur Visa journey...I am have been thru the same process and i was denied and ask to get married first then file for a K3 ......................Goodluck


Jamil