shilahjosh

Well, it appears that you are the system admin here and am not going to argue with you on what is obtainable in Lagos.....This is the process i went through myself and it was a compulsory requirement to get the affidavit of Bachelorhood and Spinsterhood or Divorcee certificate/Letter.

That certificate delayed my process at the registry and I had to wait for about 3 days for my wife to send a scanned copy before my file was processed at Ikoyi registry. I basically don't know who you spoke to during your time, but if you are applying to get wedded at Ikoyi registry, that's a compulsory requirement.

Speaking about Police Report, the only Police data center recognised and specified by the US Embassy Lagos is that Police certificate issued from Alagbon, Ikoyi.

If anyone wanna get married at the State registry or Local goverment registry, I wish you goodluck.

Thank you. His native language is actually English but, perhaps he could add it in Yoruba too...haha.

Hello,

Am a Nigerian (Yoruba Tribe) married to an American and I have just relocated to be with my wife here in the States recently (spent 12days in the States). There are few steps your husband will have to take which will require you both to work as a team when gathering your documents. I will try as much as i can to break things down for your both but more importantly, I will suggest that he follows trends here on visa journey, there's is no better website where you can get the informations you need than this website.

A. Marriage

To get married in Nigeria, there are just 2 marriage registry in Nigeria that are recognised by the US Embassy both in Lagos & Abuja center and that is

I. Ikoyi marriage registry, Lagos Island

II. Abuja marriage registry.

Documents Required

I. Passport Photo (2copies for the couple)

II. Both of u will need affidavit of Bachelorhood and Spinsterhood or Divorcee certificate/Letter

III. Birth certificate or age declaration for both of you

IV. You will need to pay for the marriage certificate, snapshots etc. Those guys working in the marriage registry are extortioners who want to grab anything and everything from you for financial gain, so be very tactical when dealing with them. (Tell your husband)

V. The workers at the registry will tell you to wait for 21 days to upload your pictures on the notice board, please don't mind them...they just want you to come up with good amount of money simply because they know you ain't going to stay for that much time.....

During my time, i went to the registry months before my wife arrived in Nigeria, i kick started the process and when she came, we didn't have to wait for nothing, we had our wedding 5 days after she arrived (within our own timeframe)

WARNING!!!

Please go with your own photographer or a family member who will help you cover all the scene at the registry during the ceremony and DONT depend on those photographers at the registry, they will extort you seriously if they notice that you don't have your own photographer or anyone covering your event.

B. Wedding Ceremony

On the day of the wedding, try all you can to get there very early because there will be a lot of persons there for the same reason and the registry attends to people based on "first come, first serve basis". The registry opens at 7am and the ceremonies starts at 8am, if you get there as early as 7am, you are likely to be one of the person they will attend to so you can get out of the registry early enough.....there are no comfortable seats there so you really don't want to be on a long queue.

I got there by 8am and wasn't attended to till 10:30am...my wife was really stressed out cos the sun was extremely hot that morning and she didn't find that funny.

Take a lot of pictures both with family and friends after your ceremony at the registry because you will be needing that for the interview.

B (I) Traditional Wedding

Ask your husband to tell you more about the traditional wedding rights in Nigeria according to his tribe, culture and tradition. I was asked if i had an Engagement Ceremony with my wife and the consular requested to see pictures. you might want to consider doing something like that too...its not compulsory, but i think it spoke volume during my interview. I was really nice to see an American dressed in Nigerian native attire, with friends and family all dressed up in beautiful and colorful Yoruba attire so there were little doubts that the wedding was arranged or faked to get a visa. Please note that you might need to go through the process to get good scores while your husband is been interviewed.

C. Filing A Petition

Filing a petition is where your journey starts with the USCIS and NVC after your petition has been approved. I wouldn't talk about that because there are a lot of topics here on visa journey to guide you through that process......but when it gets to the interview stage, I have posted a well detailed experience of my interview at the Lagos US Embassy, you wanna read that within your spare time....

I wish you both all the very best in your journey......Cheers

Thanks for your review, which will surely be a big help to anyone going for an interview in Lagos. Now, time for you to benefit from DWheels' excellent advice. If you want permission to work soon, go to your local Social Security office and file your application for a SS card today. Everyone checks the box to have their SS card automatically issued, but it's a select few who actually get their card that way. If you go to the SS office and apply, the worst that can happen is that they tell you your application is already in process. More likely, they will tell you that they have no record of any application and you will be able to file the application on the spot. Good luck!

Thank you so much Jlc, i acted on your advise today, I went to the district office of the department of the SSN, submitted my application and was told to wait for 2wks...Thank you

Great information! My fiance and I practice interview questions together, it's fun to see how much he knows about me .

How in the world did you remember all those questions to transcribe for us?!

Thank you so much for all the information!

You are most welcome my friend, its really great to know you both are really working on the interview questions.....I practised everyday on skype with my wife as the consular for about a 2-3wks and it really helped me cos i didn't have to think to respond to the questions in quick sucession...

This is not to discourage you but to tell the truth and also prepare your heart ahead of time. the US consulars handles interviews seriously in Nigeria because they know what Nigerian's are capable of doing for a visa so you have to be on top of your game.

A guy who was interview first before me was bounced and asked to re-apply. The consulars sounded very nice, yet systematic and tactical in dealing with Nigerians...Just do your homework, brace up and talk like someone who knows what you are talking about.....Please manage information and don't try to explain except the consular request for one......restrict your response to a Yes/No answer if possible.

Congratulations. You were really grilled but glad you came out on top.

All you need is your SS#. I hope you already went to the SS office and applied. You have a Temp Green Card stamp in your passport. That will suffice. A SS# is all you need to start work in US.

Thank you soo much Dwheels, I requested for a SSN while filling the DS260 form online and also read on the website below that i wouldn't have to apply again since i ready indicated that i want a SSN.

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/ssnvisa/Handout_11_1.html

One thing is also very important, start searching for jobs online in your desired location, make it a habit to send at least 1 application a day. I did the same while waiting to be interviewed at the US Embassy and am beginning to see some results. getting a job could be challenging, I suggest you start early. Edit your resume to carry your potential address and your spouses US phone number.

I had a phone interview just 3 days after i relocated to the States and some prospective job openning too.......of course i may have to wait to get my green card and other documents like the Social Security Number, but hey.....I can show any potential employer my visa just to reassure them that am a legal immigrant and that my documents will come within a given period. They can also confirm with the Homeland Security if need be.

Wow, that's such a useful information. thanks for sharing.

You are most welcome my friend......I just want to give back my very best to support my fellow visajourney faithful....I hope it will be of great benefit to someone on this long queue...receive more grace.