Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	Sending good karma vibes to everyone in AP!	Thanks! I could use the encouragement today.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2012-04-10 12:41:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	Anyone had this happen?	Thanks for the helpful info.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2012-05-09 15:33:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	Anyone had this happen?	I don't think I can get any of the signed documents there by Monday. Should he just go with a copy of the forms since most don't expire until May 31? The embassy should already have them in his file.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2012-05-08 11:58:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	Anyone had this happen?	This morning my fiance received a call from the consulate in South Africa telling hime to come to the consulate between 1-4 on Monday. We've been on AP since November. They didn't request that he bring any documents but said that a decision will be made then. I just received a call from my senator's office and the contact person there said that on Monday he would have an interview. Anyone have any ideas? Should he take in more proof of relationship or any other documents?	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2012-05-08 09:01:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	HELP! Fiance Denied	This is what the document says: On the basis of documents submitted to us, together with answers to our questions during and after your original interview, this office has determined that the I-129F petition filed on your behalf by your fiance, is not clearly approvable. This has confused me even more.Isn't that approved by USCIS? The second paragraph basically says its being returned to the NVC.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2012-05-14 13:37:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	HELP! Fiance Denied	My fiance was interviewed in South Africa in November 2011. We were placed in AP for more documents. We turned the documents in on December 12. The documents (long form birth certificate and death certificate for the children's mother)came from the National Population Commission in Nigeria where he's from originally. The past 2 months they kept telling us our documents were waiting to be verified. Then we were told that the verification was suspended because they received an email from the consulate in Nigeria verifying the information. My fiance was told to come into the consulate in South Africa today. He was given a form that basically said based on documents and answers to questions (he answered all correctly) my I-129F was not approvable and said file was returned to the NVC. What do I do now? He'll scan the document to me soon but at this point is there anything I can do?	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2012-05-14 10:05:00
Africa: Sub-Saharan	Frontloading	Research red flags, If you have anything that might be one cover it well. Are you older than him, are you white, have either of you been married before, have you only had one visit. The basic principle is that the embassy can only deny you for some fact they uncover during their interview that wasn't in the approved petition. Your petition should weigh in at well over 2 pounds when you send it. Make sure to include pictures with his family. Out of curiosity, if there were any red flags (or what the CO perceives to be red flags)would that be grounds for an automatic denial? Or does that just subject you to more scrutiny?	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2010-05-02 15:28:00
Africa: Sub-Saharan	Frontloading	Research red flags, If you have anything that might be one cover it well. Are you older than him, are you white, have either of you been married before, have you only had one visit. The basic principle is that the embassy can only deny you for some fact they uncover during their interview that wasn't in the approved petition. Your petition should weigh in at well over 2 pounds when you send it. Make sure to include pictures with his family. Thank you for advice it's TRULY APPRECIATED. I'm 2 years younger than him and I'm black. Neither one of us has been married before.Right now I just have one visit but will be visiting again by the time of his interview or during the time of the interview. I've printed out things as I go so I have copies of all our IM's, emails, phone records and envelopes from things he's sent me. Lots of pics with family!	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2010-04-30 09:47:00
Africa: Sub-Saharan	Frontloading	Thanks for your response! I wasn't sure how much would be TOO much!	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2010-04-30 08:20:00
Africa: Sub-Saharan	Frontloading	Hello, I've learned from VJ that frontloading (and lots of praying would be wise to do if your loved one is in Nigeria. Could you please tell me how much info you recommend sending when filing for the K-1? I'm in the process of getting things ready now. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Tam	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2010-04-29 17:05:00
Africa: Sub-Saharan	Calling card question	Hello all, Can anyone recommend a good calling card and/or service provider for calling the US from South Africa? One that we could actually obtain phone records from later. Thanks in advance.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2011-01-27 10:32:00
Africa: Sub-Saharan	Did we receive all of packet 3?	Well, things are happening very quickly for us. We received an email from the South African Consulate this morning with Packet 3. The email contained attachments with the following forms: Supplement to DS-156 DS-156 DS-156 K DS-230 DSL-1083 On the SA page it says Packet 3 should contain OF-169 and info on medical and police clearance instructions. None of this was received in the email. Are we missing info or will it be in the physical copy received in the mail?	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2011-10-24 08:27:00
Africa: Sub-Saharan	AP in South Africa	AP stands for administrative processing. We are doing the K-1, not DCF. I sent you a private message to give you some more info fftpholdings.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2011-12-28 08:50:00
Africa: Sub-Saharan	AP in South Africa	Does anyone know, on average, how long AP takes in South Africa? My fiancee had his interview on Nov. 22 and was given a 221G request for more documents. He turned the documents in on Dec. 12. We both know that he's getting more scrutiny because he's originally from Nigeria (now a South African citizen). I also know with the holiday season things may be a bit slower. I couldn't find anything in regards to a time frame for AP in South Africa and was wondering if anyone has any ideas.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2011-12-27 10:01:00
Africa: Sub-Saharan	Validity Period of Medicals in South Africa	Is the validity period for medical tests in South Africa 6 months or 1 year? My fiance has been in AP since November 2011 and we're concerned his medicals may expire soon.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2012-04-24 08:06:00
Africa: Sub-Saharan	Entry into Nigeria	Yes, you need to get a visa and a letter of invitation.The company I've used before is Travel Document Systems. Also, if you've never had a yellow fever shot you'll need to get one of those. It's also advisable to get anti-malaria medication. You need to start taking it a certain number of days before you go over so plan accordingly!	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2012-07-03 12:29:00
Africa: Sub-Saharan	DIAGNOSE ME...Coming home with ailments	Not sure exactly the type of doctor you're wanting. You may want to try Dr. Oludayo Dawodu, he's in the Birmingham area (possibly Fairfield). He's from Nigeria so maybe he could give you more insight on your problems.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2012-07-25 18:38:00
Africa: Sub-Saharan	Invitation To Our VJ Family	Gowon and Chikings, I know how you both feel. If things had gone the way my fiance and I had planned we would have gotten married on this past Sunday which was our 2 year anniversary. Talk about someone salty, mad, sad, crying and irritated on Sunday! LOL. Now, we'll be getting married and going for the CR-1. Traditional engagement to be done in Nigeria (maybe I'll be there in January), legal ceremony done in South Africa. Maybe we need to start a group for disgruntled K-1 filers now going for Cr-1's!	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2012-11-13 12:54:00
Africa: Sub-Saharan	Honeymoon Destinations	My fiance and I were discussing our honeymoon today. Anyone have any suggestions for a honeymoon spot near Johannesburg? We're not looking for anything too extravagant. Just some place relaxing and romantic. Thanks!	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2013-03-04 22:15:00
Africa: Sub-Saharan	K-1 to CR-1, Lawyer or Not?	Thanks for all your input Ebunoluwa. I think we'll try to get something from the hospital to send.   I haven't received anything at all from USCIS, NVC or DOS. I'll try and track it down, soon.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2013-10-19 13:28:00
Africa: Sub-Saharan	K-1 to CR-1, Lawyer or Not?	The first sheet was a 221G requesting the document. The second sheet after 7 months of being in AP  (and them holding his passport the entire time ) states this: On the basis of documents submitted to us, together with answers to our questions during and after your original interview, this office has determined that the I-129F petition filed on behalf of you fiance is not clearly approvable .   It's the standard sheet but an actual letter. The interview was in November 2011 and the death certificate was requested in December 2011. But we were also told by the embassy that they didn't do any document verification on our case. My husband lives in South Africa but is from Nigeria. Basically, the embassy in Nigeria told the SA embassy they had their own backlog and weren't going to do it. By the time they gave us the second sheet our case was 2 or 3 days from expiring. The letter also states that the case would be returned to NVC. I haven't called in a while but last time I called it had NOT been sent back to NVC.    I know the embassy thinks he's hiding a wife but he's not. I can take them to the place she's buried and they can exhume the body if they'd like. They just better not charge me for it!! Until we turned in the death certificate everything seemed to point to approval.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2013-10-18 21:13:00
Africa: Sub-Saharan	K-1 to CR-1, Lawyer or Not?	Thank you for your replies. The CO didn't believe that the mother of my husband's children was deceased due to the date the death certificate from the NPC was requested and issued. I think I'll do a one hour consult, ask my questions then decide whether to use an attorney or not.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2013-10-18 14:22:00
Africa: Sub-Saharan	K-1 to CR-1, Lawyer or Not?	For those that weren't successful with the K-1 and went the CR-1 route: 1. Did you use an attorney for the CR-1? If you did use an attorney, did you find the attorney beneficial or not? 2. How did you prepare differently when filing again?	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2013-10-17 20:44:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	South African Interview Experiences?	Hi Marc & Ner, I'm not that far along, yet. I've just gathered all my documents. I was actually supposed to be in SA right now but my sweetheart had to travel to Mozambique for business. Therefore, we pushed my trip back to next month. Sorry, I couldn't be of more help. Still hoping someone will come along with a more recent interview experience and offer some more insight though they seem few & far between at the SA consulate.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2011-03-25 11:05:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	South African Interview Experiences?	I was wondering the same thing. All the reviews seem to be from 2010. I'm just getting my paperwork together now and will file soon (prepared for the long wait ) but it would be nice to see more recent experiences.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2011-03-14 16:24:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	K1 SURVIVAL GUIDE	I'm passing my time by making things for the wedding. Don't have a date set but I know what I want so I figured I'd work on a few DIY projects. Praying also helps!! Good luck on everyone's journey. It's nice to know there are others that can relate to the wait.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2011-07-09 08:07:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	So shocked, but happy!!	Thanks everyone for the well wishes!	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2011-10-06 13:31:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	So shocked, but happy!!	I was bored at work while waiting for carpet to be installed in my office and decided to check my case status. I almost fell out my chair when it said post decision activity. I really wasn't expecting anything until November. Then I went home for lunch and the hard copy was in the mailbox. Approved with no RFE's! Thank you to those that helped with information. You may not have known you helped me but you did!	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2011-10-05 14:15:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NOA2 APPROVED	Congratulations!!! I received mine without text or email notification,also.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2011-10-06 16:22:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	No document given to pick up passport	Thank you. That gives us both hope. I ended up calling DOS and they said our case is "under review". He was treated so badly at the consulate he wanted no parts of calling or emailing them.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2011-12-15 13:25:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	No document given to pick up passport	My fiance had his interview on Nov. 22, 2011. On that day he was given a 221G requesting more documents. He turned those documents in today along with his passport. They never told him if he was approved or denied just said they would call him. However, they didn't give him any paperwork for when he's supposed to return and pick his passport up. How is he supposed to get into the embassy to collect the passport? Should we be worried? At this point we're tired of waiting and nerves are frazzled so our minds may be working overtime. Thanks in advance for any advice.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2011-12-12 10:11:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	K-1 Denial to Cr-1	To those that received a K-1 denial and went the CR-1 route: Did you use an attorney for the Cr-1 if you didn't use one for the K-1? Why or why not?	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2012-06-18 08:43:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Things You Wish You'd Done	Thanks for the ideas. Yes, we know why we were denied and have already consulted with an attorney. We already have almost 2 years worth of chats and phone records. He lives in South Africa his family lives in Nigeria. Hopefully, I'll get to Nigeria before I get to South Africa to take pictures with the family.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2012-08-16 13:11:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Things You Wish You'd Done	My fiance and I will be getting married at the end of this year. Once I get needed documents we'll start his visa process. Aside from getting the certified marriage certficate and taking pictures, what are some things you wish you'd done with your spouse while you were in their country to add to proof of bonafide marriage?	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2012-08-16 09:42:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Moving Questions	Right after we mailed the petition, my fiance (the beneficiary) moved. This move is most likely to be temporary until August. In August, he may be moving to South Korea from South Africa and would be there for at least 5-6 months. 1. Should I change his address now or just wait until the move to South Korea? 2. Also, which form would I use to change his address? 3. If we receive NOA2 while he's in South Korea could he interview there or would he have to do it in South Africa where he is a citizen? Thank you in advance for advice/answers.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2011-07-20 08:49:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Change of Address	Thank you for your input. Should I write to USCIS or directly to the Vermont Service Center?	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2011-09-19 10:04:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Change of Address	After I filed for my fiance, he moved. We are still waiting on our NOA2. I called USCIS to try and change his address. They said they do NOT change addresses for those outside the US. Is that correct? I have email/text notification so all info will come to me anyway but want to make sure I don't need to change his address now. Thanks in advance for any input.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2011-09-19 09:18:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	I-134 question 9	Thank you! I thought that "none" may have been correct but wasn't 100% sure.	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2011-10-06 09:02:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	I-134 question 9	A couple years ago (before I found out about VJ) I filled out an I-134 for a friend for a visitor's visa. He was denied and when I asked him about the I-134 he said he wasn't given the chance to give it to the CO. So for question 9, I'm a little unsure of what to answer I was going to write what is typed below as an addendum? Is this ok? I am unsure how to answer this question. I filled out an I-134 in January 2010 (I don’t remember the exact date) for *********** for use with a B-2 visa. I am unsure if the form was ever turned in or not. Any other suggestions would be welcome. I want to do this correctly!	Ochili	Female	South Africa	2011-10-06 08:26:00
USCIS Service Centers	Vermont processing time??	I got a fright when I saw that too... I just went on the website again and it is back down to 5 months processing time.	anzno1	Female	United Kingdom	2012-04-30 13:39:00