Good day/evening,
I was recommended to visit this site via a reddit post I made asking whether a K1 Visa or Spousal Visa would be best for my boyfriend and I to pursue.
I am a US Citizen and he is Nigerian. We have been in a long distance relationship now for close to a year, and we have been working on physically meeting, though faced with challenges. Firstly, due to a severe panic disorder, I have not flown anywhere before and am currently working on finding proper medical treatment for this (after long trial and error). Second, him being from Nigeria, a travel visa to come here we believe would be hard to obtain.
For background, he has no prior marriages, graduate of music, lives alone and holds a job in radio. We have an age gap of 5 years. He's spoken to my family over the course of us meeting and I've spoken with those close to him in his current region. In the beginning of the relationship I saw things like his graduates certificate and passport. No money was ever asked for, and we had a disagreement that almost ended the relationship (I know people looking for red flags often point out that fraudsters like to agree with whatever you say, butter you up, etc). I was nearly scammed several years ago by a man from India, and it taught me to look for red flags and identify suspicious behavior.
We understand that there may be scrutiny due to the spotlight of fraud in the country, but nevertheless are remaining enthusiastic about our relationship and without the money to seek legal advice, are trying to do our own research and seek advice from people who have been through this process.
With the challenge regarding my health I would need to face to fly there, we considered the K1 Visa as a safer option, however many people online have said they feel it less likely to be approved for a Nigerian man, and recommend the spousal visa after marrying as a better option.
We read about the Utah proxy marriage process, but we understand we still need to be physically together prior to applying for a spousal visa.
Has anyone been through this process personally, or know someone who has, who can speak from experience, rather than opinion. Any advice is welcomed, but it would be great to talk to someone who has gone through either process and can provide more feedback. With both options being costly, we want to put our finances into the right avenue, and also not spend time on an option that might be less likely to be fruitful.
Thank you to anyone who is willing to offer any feedback or share their journey!
