NanaX2

Thanks everyone for your advice... We will get married and proceed with the CR 1.... Does anyone know how soon I can start with the CR 1 process? Do I need to wait for a couple of months before proceeding?

What we did was the original knocking, I was wearing a regular knee length dress and flat sandals with even no make up on, with just 3 people from my fiances family and same as me... I didn't even have to wear the whole kente thing and have a party and friends were not invited. Apart from the original drinks his family brought we didn't do the whole engagement list and I wasn't even given an engagement ring. If I was going to leave my country to go marry someone, I'm sure our families were supposed to have this ceremony. Maybe what we should have done was lie, that's what they want.

I recently made a post on that topic...

What we know as "Knocking" has totally changed. Our people have condensed or combined "Knocking" and "Etire nsa" altogether. So the engagement is now the "etire nsa" which is the traditional marriage.

So for immigration purposes, you either have to not do it or do the "original knocking".

The original knocking involves just the elders, parents and sometimes, the girl is not even part at all. it's between a couple of elders from the both sides.

The moment the girl dresses up and everyone make elaborate preparation and dowry is paid. You are married.

To your question,

"You are too married for K-1 but not married enough for CR-1".

So go through the proper process to register your marriage and file I-130

Good luck!

Unfortunately, I thought i had read every thing about the K1 visa on here and never came across the knocking topic, if I did, I would never have made that mistake. It's very ridiculous how they don't even want to use the fact that our families have met each other as a good thing, if anything it should be a good thing to show that it's not a fraudulent relationship... Thank you guys for every advice.

Hi Koffers, unfortunately, I never saw this thread and I got refused at my interview just yesterday for the same reason, because we had performed the knocking rites... Can you please give me an update on what happened, if you ever heard from the embassy, so my fiancé and I know what steps to take too. Thank you

it's been over a week and I still haven't gotten a reply from the embassy and the senator's office haven't gotten reply too. My girl went to her district assembly marriage registrar and they gave her of official letter stating and explaining that knocking rite is not considered marriage and that both my girl and I are not in the marriage registrar. my lawyer has forwarded that letter to the embassy but we haven't heard anything back

Still praying and hoping, I'm not giving up.

Georgia16, thanks for your advice... But that's where I'm confused, why am I expected to get married and file for a CR1 when they claim I'm already married. This just doesn't make sense to me.

After my fiancé proposed, his family went to see my family to seek permission to court me, this is essential in my tradition, a must do, before engagement and wedding plans can proceed, I went to my visa interview yesterday and the CO denied my visa because she saw a picture of us at the traditional engagement occasion called "knocking on the door", (my fiancé wasn't present on this occasion, he was still in the US) and she said I was married and so ineligible for a K1 visa, I explained that that wasn't a marriage and that it was a traditional engagement occasion where my fiances family goes to seek permission from my family with drinks... What do you suggest for my next steps? Do I have a good case for an appeal or do I let it go and start all over?