Due to the perceived high number of cases involving claims of marriage fraud by the USCIS, particularly involving men from Nigeria, it has become increasingly difficult for Nigerians to obtain visas to the US.
An American lawyer, when asked about the reasons behind this, explained: “When someone from Nigeria, or any country, goes to the embassy and gets a visa to the United States, often they only receive a visitor visa if they are married.
The consular official needs to know that the beneficiary of the non-immigrant application is going to return to their home country. Leaving a spouse behind is evidence that the person intends to come back.
Between 2017 and 2022, many non-immigrant visas were granted to Nigerians because they were married. Now, these marriages are under intense scrutiny. In some cases, the marriages were never valid, there wasn’t a real person involved, they never formally got married, or they never formally divorced.
Sometimes people fake a marriage just to get the visa, and once they arrive in the US, they file for divorce and then marry an American to obtain a green card.”
As a result of the high incidence of fake marriages and marriage fraud, the State Department is now investigating these cases, as many marriage decrees from Nigeria have been found to be fake.
The American lawyer concluded his talk with tips and advice for Nigerians on how to get their visas approved.
