DebbyNSeyi

Ok...here goes...I am 13 years older than my fiance. I am a white, Jewish New Yorker divorced with 3 kids. He is a black, Nigerian Christian, never married, no kids. On the surface, it would appear than we have absolutely NOTHING in common.
But....he is my soul mate. That basically sums it up. We are so different, yet so alike in the way we think, our values, not to mention that our personalities TOTALLY complement each other. He is the most amazing man I've ever, ever ever met in my whole life and we love each other very much. It's more than love though. We respect and really enjoy one another!
Of course, everyone has their opinion of us and usually it's critical. But they just don't know what we have. And I'm tired of explaining. If people read my posts, they'll see that we've hit a snag in trying to get him here. My friends and family keep asking me, "how long Debby? How long are you going to keep trying to get him here?" And my answer is always the same - until he's here - with me. Where he belongs.
The bottom line is this - until you know love, you can't understand that love is ageless and color-blind.

Part 8 is for the conditional green card holder to sign.  You will have to print the document to write in his name and to sign and date the whole document.  The purpose of this section is just to have you acknowledge that, as part of the removal of conditions process, the conditional green card holder must go for a bio-metrics appointment at a USCIS branch office when notified.  At that time, fingerprints and photos will be taken.

I just wanted to bump up this thread and try and keep it going. Seyi and I will celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary on June1st. Our little boy, Gabriel, just turned 4 on March 25th. With each of us working full-time and raising a healthy little boy who is as active and smart as can be - our lives are quite busy! Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the details of day to day living and forget the big picture, but we made a vow to each other from the very beginning that whenever either one of us is feeling overwhelmed by our busy lives, we would take a step back and remind ourselves how lucky we are that we have each other. Marrying my husband and our subsequent life together has brought me so much joy that any piddly annoyances in our day to day lives don't really affect our happiness. I have learned to always be grateful for our blessings.

I need your help. My husband is being held by the police in Nigeria after a traffic check and will not release him because they know he has an American wife and are demanding an ungodly about of money. Does anyone know if there is something I can do other than pay almost a thousand dollars ?????

You seem to be confused not shocked. Most of us who have been on VJ or around the block more years have ALMOST heard it ALL. We have seen patterns used over the years which raises, or should I say, it should raise a flag for the US partner in the relationship that she/he should pay more attention to certain requests from anyone from abroad.
You posted and we are advising you out of concern and not hating on anyone. Should this be one incident, then don't take it to the heart. It has resolved itself. Our intentions are noble. We stand to gain nothing by trying to help you. Good luck and wishing you all the best.

Why the shock ? It was a very negative situation and you asked what you can do besides sending the money. People assumed that is what you
would end up doing and warned you not to and that it will resolve itself. That is a lot of money over nothing !
This forum understands the pitfalls well for the most part and gave you their opinions. It is nothing personal but it was not
something that could be responded to with rainbows and butterflies.
Remember people can only respond in a manner that the topic itself is presented in.
Glad it worked out for you and just as I said he will be let go.
You can shake your head but the people here care and want the best for you so please lose the chip on your shoulder, the amount
was just too much over the top than what reality reflects. All we are saying is be careful....because we care.

If someone come to this board with a report of something that Nigerians know wouldn't happen you should expect to be warned about the questionable behavior. With about 50% of the marriages here not making 2 years post arrival in the US there are as many scams as there are not. I know of several cases of the USC being wiped out before the big wake up comes. You weren't being warned by outsiders being snarky but by Nigerians who fully know what this kind of stuff means. Someone in the mess see you as a money bag so keep your guard up.

I am the first to fight tooth and nail when people yell scam in this forum and beat down on Nigeria and Nigerians for stupid stuff that does not
remotely resemble a scam. I do not stereotype and generalize and everyone that knows me knows that.
Women come here with threads like : All Nigerians are scammers blah blah and I hate that with a passion and make my comments accordingly.
I don't know you or your husband and you may be totally right that it is as you believe it to be. I can only go by what I read in a short post.
I do not mean to insult your intelligence, again I do not know you but when I read the post it seemed clear to me that it was a
questionable occurrence.
1. The amount is too high
2. US currency
3. You ending up in the middle of it (through a phone conversation).
Instead of your husband possibly insisting you pay he would normally laugh at the police for the outrageous demand and be on his way
with family coming to his aid with a few Naira to settle the situation. He would never agree to you as his wife taking responsibility for a
hungry police officer in his own country. A man handles himself and does not drag his wife into it. He knows they will let him go very soon
with very little bribe, that I am sure of.
I believe you have been to 9ja twice and visited for a short while going by your previous posts. Many others have too and still were duped.
I am not here to convince you of that though. That is your decision and responsibility and nobody else can push you to doubt your husband.
I said what I said to give you a heads up and to be careful in case you are someone who really does not understand the basic scams.
It is precisely that people know what's up in this sub-saharan forum that makes them comment on what may be potentially the case.
Many have been here for years and seen and heard it all and try to truly be helpful. Nobody ever wants to hear that it can happen to them.
It happens to others but not to us is the mantra....until it does and then we are shocked and ask how could I have ignored the red flag.
Again, I hope all works out for you and my apologies if I stepped on your toes. I did not mean to insult you but to help you.

It's extremely odd that the police would ask for $1,000. Especially in USD. That's over 160,000 NGN. What was he stopped for? Why such a big sum. Paying a dash for traffic violations isn't out of the norm, I've had a stop or two by the Nigeria police, but $1,000 is absolutely insane.I agree with Ebunoluwa red flags!!!!!Find out what station he's located and call the national police head quartershttp://www.npf.gov.ng/contactus ask thm for the contact for the staion he's at and ask to speak with the DPO. You can also ask the national police who the DPO is at that particular station. Do not I repeat do not get the contact information from your husband or send any money. Let him handle it. Unless he committed a serious crime he should be out soon, especially once they figure out that he doesn't have any money.

Look, being held for a few Naira happens and people pay a small bribe to go on their merry way. What does not happen is being held
for $1000 and dragging the American wife into it. Let him deal with it and keep both of your eyes wide open and never ever send money for anything, be it for a hospital, sickness or any police matter.
If his story is true they will let him go eventually. No worries and sleep well. Seriously, nothing to worry about. Tell him: dear I have confidence in you
that you will find a solution to this because I can't help you. End of story.

Then be very careful with the relationship. It is common in many third world countries to extort money from vulnerable women and make
up stories.
I am very sorry if my comment offends you but I have been around the block a few times and know what I am talking about.
Best wishes.

Wohooooo thats great specially after thinking it was going to take much longer I am waiting for my letter also to update my timeline hope it arrives soon through the damn snail mail

Also, don't forget that these dates are provided on a considerable lag. For instance, the last updates to processing times at local field offices were provided as of the thirty-first of January, over two months ago. Something to bear in mind when forecasting delays in your own cases.

Congrats!!! Our timeline is similar! I hope that my hubby is scheduled soon - although I heard that the New York City field office is very backed up. Anyway, I'm sure it won't be long now...very exciting! Please remember to update the chart with the dates. Good luck!

Thanks DebbyNSeyi, i will update as soon as i get the actual letter in the mail. Your hubby will be scheduled soon. I was scheduled the exact day of my 3 year anniversary. Just waiting for the mail.I also have a very busy office ( Miami), but i guess is moving.

You will move to inline 30 days before the anniversary. Any interview set always has 30 days of lead time that way you interview will always be after your anniversary. So on Jan 28th it will move to inline and then it depends on your local office when you will get the interview letter

Don't worry...I've heard of these delays before in Lagos. There are so many times that the visas are not ready when they are supposed to be. My husband is scheduled to pick up his visa from VFS Global in Lekki tomorrow morning (his visa was approved the same day as yours!) It will be nice if it's ready but I won't be that surprised if it's not. That's why we're waiting until he physically has the visa in his hand before we book his airfare. My congrats to you and your husband...don't stress...just be patient for a bit longer!

I think CSC received about 500,000 DACA applications, it appears they have a higher priority and the President is behind it.

I used one big binder clip and no staples or punched holes--check on top of cover letter. I sent it via USPS Express mail and waived the signature requirement. I also put " FORM I-751" on the outside of the envelope. Check cleared 2 days after arriveal and NOA1 arrived within a week.
Good luck,
Dave

Well according to your timeline you were married in June 2011. Youre saying your wife is the USC.
Do you know why she is all of a sudden hell bent on getting a new marriage certificate?
There really is no need for one.
If she wants to start using your last name, she can just start using it.
All she has to do is take the marriage certificate down to SS and get a new card with your last name printed on it. It doesnt matter that its now 2013 and the certificate was from 2011. There is no time frame of when you must change your name after a marriage. (I actually waited 5 years before changing my name in a previous marriage and it was a non issue) However once you change it- you cant go back with out a court order or divorce.
Once you have a new SS card, you can go down to the DMV with the SS card and marriage certificate and get a new DL. Now you have 2 forms of ID and should be able to change banking info, insurance info, membership info, passports etc.

Be honest with them. More couples than will ever admit here don't remain faithfull for the entire length of this terrible immigration process and many can't survive the aftermath when the truth comes out.

why not just purchase priority online? you get free delivery confirmation and tracking when you purchase online.

Can you get a letter from accountant to acknowledge that mistake, and attach that letter with the application? There's always this "what if" - what if USCIS doesn't pay that close attention to , what if they do, then you have explanation letter.

I believe you. I believe that you received the green card from USCIS, and I also believe/know that they sent it to you by mistake. The USCIS does make mistakes. In your case, they clearly made a mistake.
Telling the US Embassy in Jordan, and telling the USCIS are two very different things. The USCIS is an agency under the Department of Homeland Security. The US Embassy is a part of the Department of State. You're dealing with two different agencies in two different departments. The US government is made up of hundreds of different agencies under numerous different departments. Do not assume that they talk to each other.
If you tell the US Embassy something, it does in no way mean that the USCIS knows. When you filed for an ROC divorce waiver, you told the USCIS this:
1. You married a US citizen.
2. You received a 2 year green card.
3. You divorced, but your marriage was genuine.
4. You want a 10 year green card.
5. You're residing in the US.
If all of the above is true, you're eligible for the 10 year green card. You don't need to tell them these things in person for it to be official. You tell them this simply by filling out the I-751 form and mailing it - In fact, that's the entire purpose of that form. The USCIS received your form, and approved it based on the facts you provided in the form. What you then told the US Embassy in Jordan is irrelevant - The US Embassy in Jordan has nothing to do with removal of conditions. Unless you actually went to the embassy in Jordan and told them specifically that you want to abandon your green card, the USCIS was probably never informed of your move. Again - No one at the embassy picked up the phone, dialed USCIS and said "Hey, this guy came in here and said he has moved to Jordan today. Put it in your system."
The USCIS most likely never found out about your move, and approved your 10 year green card.
Also remember, when you called the USCIS, you did not speak to an immigration officer. The person you spoke to was a contracted call-center phone operator. He/she is in no way a qualified decision maker in complex immigration matters.
Here is what will happen when you get on a plane and fly to the US. You will enter the immigration line, show the CBP officer your passport and your green card. The CBP officer will wonder how long you've been outside the US for. When he finds out you've been outside the US for 4 years, your green card will be revoked. Why? Because a green card is for people who live in the US. When you move from the US for a longer period of time, the US considers your green card abandoned, whether you've voluntarily abandoned it or not.
Don't ever assume that the USCIS knows what you've told the embassy. And don't ever assume that the embassy knows what the USCIS will say or do. Only assume two things..
1. The USCIS does make mistakes, and
2. They don't make exceptions for people who've received documents they weren't entitled to.

Congress cannot speed anything up. USCIS are not answerable to elected officials. It takes as long as it takes. There is no "Official Congress Channel' to get you through the process any sooner. At the moment it is taking about 10 months. Same as any other part of the process, all you can do it wait.

You don't need to stay in a abusive relationship. Complete another I-751 petition form, checking off the Waiver option at the bottom that requests filing on your own rather than filing jointly with your husband, due to divorce or impending divorce. You will, of course, also need to file for divorce. You will need to contact USCIS either by an Infopass appointment, or by mail (include a copy of your NOA1) and ask them to pull the originally submitted I-751 form and substitute the newly completed form, explaining that you have filed for divorce. Eventually, you will receive a request for the divorce decree. If you have received the divorce decree by that time, send it back with the RFE. If you have not received the divorce decree, respond to the RFE and explain you are still waiting to receive the requested document. Ask them to put your petition 'on hold' until it arrives, at which time you will send it in.
The absolute worst case scenario is that you would receive a letter advising you that you are scheduled for a deportation hearing with a judge. GO to that hearing. Explain to the judge that you are waiting for the divorce decree and request he put a hold on all deportation proceedings until it is received. As you are allowed to file with a waiver and a divorce decree, the judge WILL put a hold on any proceedings and you will have the time to wait for the divorce document to arrive.
Marriages do break down even when there is no abuse involved. As long as you are able to provide evidence that you entered the marriage in good faith and not for an immigration benefit, you should have no trouble receiving approval for the I-7551. It will just depend on how long it takes for you to receive the divorce decree so you might wish to start looking into what is involved now. Some lawyers offer free consultations, and in some states it is quite easy to apply for a 'do it yourself' divorce that can be completed in 30 days. It depends on your state and your personal circumstances.
You are allowed to file on your own and as long as you can prove you entered the marriage in good faith and can provide proof that the marriage has ended, you can be approved for a 10 year green card.
Good luck.