Just beginning

[O&GForever 387]

9 hours ago, elloyin said:

Yes Ghana is difficult but it doesnt mean people dont get visas.i know some one who visited  for just five days,filled k-1 n he was given the visa.dont always judge from one angle.good luck

This is a rarity. I know several couples who have known their partners for years, made many visits to Ghana, and still get denied....some of them twice! While the person you know got their visa with only 1 short trip, it's not the norm. OP needs to be prepared for what she is facing. It's is a very very difficult embassy. I would know having gone through the visa process twice. My husband and I have no red flags and visits with my family member coming along and we were still denied the first time. It takes a lot of evidence and time to get through this embassy.  

[Prystine 184]

OP, please make sure to read through the forums here regarding the Ghana embassy and other's experiences. Also, take a step back and really look at the situation at hand. You've only known this person for 6mo's met once and within 7days of meeting, he has proposed? This is a HUGH red flag for a CO and in all honesty should make you take a pause and really evaluate the situation. What about you moving there to him instead of coming to the US? If he's unwilling to even consider it, you really need to take a step back.

 

Jumping into marriage & the visa process is not for the faint of heart and while you may think that getting scammed couldn't happen to you, it can and will if you are not vigilant. I'm not saying that your relationship is a scam, but you need to really invest more face time with one another and really make sure that what you are being shown is really what is there and not just what he wants you to see.

[Gorkhali 213]

15 hours ago, Meg&Andrew said:

As @KULtoATL stated, you will need more face time. Ghana is by far one of the hardest embassies to obtain a visa from. How long were you there visiting? The proposal on the first trip on day 7 isn't going to work in your favor. That screams red flag to me, so you can imagine a CO that's already looking for a reason to deny you. This is an embassy that you really need to front load your petition. Lots of proof of relationship, time spent, phone and video calls, photos, photos of you with family, hotel and ticket stubs. Anything and everything. If I were you though, I'd seriously rethink filing the k1 just yet. Go visit some more.  

just want to clear face time here means time spent together in person .. not the apple face time

[Lissa&Pee 24]

Leave this to we the Ghanaians to discuss, K1 is good but hmm even CR1 is being denied you will need to prove them with whatever you say, be well prepared 

[Brown7508 0]

6 hours ago, O&GForever said:

@Brown7508, I have seen quite a few K1 visas approved in Ghana during recent months...more than I have seen the entire time I've been on this site. That said getting approved at this embassy is no easy task. My husband and I had to go through two visa processes to get him here...K1 denied...CR1 approved. 

 

My best advice is you need as much in person time spent together as possible. I know it's expensive. I know it's hard being separated from a loved on. But I promise you if you don't take the time to prepare in the beginning phases of this process...you'll end up waiting longer after a denial. 

 

Also, I highly recommend before you start down the visa process, you read a lot of the Consulate Reviews in the Ghana portal. It will give you an idea of what your up against. 

 

In addition to the required forms, you need to front load...send lots of quality evidence to the USCIS. This emabssy wants to see everything and the kitchen sink. Plan to submit: 

• Evidence of time together -- airline tickets, passport stamps, hotel receipts, etc. 
• Pictures of you two at different locations, with different people and different days. 
• Chats and call logs. For some embassy you can submit just a few and be fine. Not with the embassy. You want so submit proof from the beginning of your relationship until the day you interivew. I spent hours reading through conversations and narrowing it down to 1 conversation for each week we knew each other...sometimes more. The chats included us talking about our history, discussing our families and of course some lovely-dovey type stuff. 
• Gifts from each other...but not too many. You don't want to give the impression he is using you to get a green card. 
• Affidavites of support from family and friends. 
• Anything else you can think of to prove your relationship is real. 

This embassy tends to make up it's mind before the interview. That is why it is so important to submit as much quality evidence as you can upfront. And make sure you fiance knows what the CO can see. All of our questions from both interviews came directly from our evidence submitted. 

 

Best of luck! Please reach out to me if I can be of assistance. I know how difficult this process is and am happy to help anyone who needs help dealing with the Ghana embassy. 

Thank you for the information... I will definitely reach out in the future if needed... I really appreciate it

[OlayemiLoray 172]

OP I will say get more face time in...I, myself is dealing with a high fraud country (Nigeria)...I have been to Nigeria 3 times and plan on attending for the interview. When I sent off my petition, I made sure to frontload with quality evidence...Not so much about the quantity, but the quality and will do the same with the NVC which is known as side loading...Just make sure to gather all your evidence as of now and not wait last minute, but again, get in as much face time as you can and like one suggested, you can even meet in another country for a different scenery..Wishing you luck on your journey!

[bravagreen 36]

Well good advises and logics here, but that does not mean you can file the k1 and then make your next visit. The process is long and I think you can file your k1 while you prepare for your next visit. Besides is going to take your a year and above before interview by which time you would have made more trips. They have changed all the counselor officers and brought in new ones who seem more professional. This new CO's, when they deny you then they have a very good reason not like the first time they pronounce you guilty before listening to your case. The current counselor officers are so basic in their interviews and all they want is just submit the evidence. Good luck

[JFH 12,189]

*~*~*moved from "progress reports" to "process and procedures"*~*~*

[AbenaKofi 132]

On 10/11/2017 at 9:13 PM, Brown7508 said:

So after about 6 months of video chats and voice calls, I finally met the man of my dreams. Yet we spent such short time together, i feel like ive known him a lifetime. During my visit he proposed day 7

Similar to us! Well, we met in person while I was visiting, then I came back 6 months later and then we got engaged.  It is what it is :).  I will be going back there for 2 weeks in December, so I'm hoping the additional visit and more time spent with the family over the holidays will help.  That'll be 3 in-person meetings if you count the first.  All we can do is hope! 

 

On 10/12/2017 at 12:21 PM, O&GForever said:

I have seen quite a few K1 visas approved in Ghana during recent months...more than I have seen the entire time I've been on this site. That said getting approved at this embassy is no easy task. My husband and I had to go through two visa processes to get him here...K1 denied...CR1 approved. 

The approvals is a good sign! We are also prepared to go the CR-1 route if necessary.  @O&GForever, knowing what you know now, would you have gone for CR-1 initially, or do you think it wouldn't have made much difference, since it seems to be at the whim of the embassy?  

[O&GForever 387]

8 minutes ago, AbenaKofi said:

The approvals is a good sign! We are also prepared to go the CR-1 route if necessary.  @O&GForever, knowing what you know now, would you have gone for CR-1 initially, or do you think it wouldn't have made much difference, since it seems to be at the whim of the embassy?  

To me there are benefits to both visas and every couple has their reason for why they choose that path--there's truly not a right or wrong option. I know some think a CR1 visa is more of a guarantee at the Ghana embassy, but I have seen many married couples denied just like the K1s. I think no matter which route you go, it all about preparation with quality evidence, a willingness from the U.S. Citizen to travel there as much as they can, and the beneficiary being willing to put in time to practice for the interview. You can't just travel to Ghana once, get married and think everything will be okay because you're husband and wife. It's a costly process. It's an emotional process. It's a difficult process. But couples get approved in the Ghana embassy every day and those are the couples who have put in the effort to prove their case. 

 

For our case: I definitely believe it helped that we didn't get married until 18 months after meeting on my third visit to Ghana..and I had two more trips after that. To the CO it didn't appear we were rushing into marriage or my husband was anxious to get here. (I say it over and over again, in person time together is gold and the BEST evidence you can submit to this embassy.) We don't have any of the common red flags I see on here, so our case seemed fairly simple.  And our K1 denial also wasn't flagged as fraud, which meant we had much less to overcome with our CR1 visa. Sure I would have loved to have my husband here sooner, but I can say it now that the K1 denial led to many blessings for my husband and I. 

 

 

[AbenaKofi 132]

On 10/16/2017 at 10:57 AM, O&GForever said:

To me there are benefits to both visas and every couple has their reason for why they choose that path--there's truly not a right or wrong option. I know some think a CR1 visa is more of a guarantee at the Ghana embassy, but I have seen many married couples denied just like the K1s. I think no matter which route you go, it all about preparation with quality evidence, a willingness from the U.S. Citizen to travel there as much as they can, and the beneficiary being willing to put in time to practice for the interview. You can't just travel to Ghana once, get married and think everything will be okay because you're husband and wife. It's a costly process. It's an emotional process. It's a difficult process. But couples get approved in the Ghana embassy every day and those are the couples who have put in the effort to prove their case. 

Thanks for the thoughtful response! Much appreciated. 

[Mrsamoah2019 593]

U better make more visits before you file. I was going to get married on the first visit and VJ got on me good...lol but im glad I listened. Ghana is very big on face to face time

[Chiefay 14]

LaboZ,I am happy for you that you met someone you love.Please note that all C.O's are trained for the work they doing.

1.before you filefor your relatives other wife, husband, fiancee, mother, father and your children the immigration reviewed your information and evidence before they send to embassies for your interview,before you get your interview date the C.O's review all your documents and evidences and they informed you to bring the missing documents and evidences. 

2.That, the missing documents and evidences will proved you eligible or  ineligible

3.All the  C.O,s give approval through the documents and evidences but not the questions they asked.

4.All your evidences will answered the C.O's question because C.O's will asked you a question from your own documents and evidences you provides to them. 

5.Make sure any evidence you provides to C.O'S are real and it's true such as communication and calling history, tickets and receipts,pictures for both of you and sometimes group pictures with friends and family members are also good.I wish you all the best and good luck.