Nicole Nafziger and Azan Tefou’s relationship has endured reality television, plenty of family drama, legal obstacles, and the test of time.
Some longtime fans are rooting for them to make this the year that they turn their long-distance relationship into a marriage.
Meanwhile, the naysayers out there are waiting – and wanting – to see whether the 25-year-old Nicole cut ties and move on.
Either way, these next dozen months could see a huge milestone in this (now former) 90 Day Fiance couple’s story.
Could 2020 be their year? Let’s find out.
Update: After several weeks of celebrity gossip and speculation, Nicole has made an exciting announcement on this very topic.
Nicole and Azan
These two have been in a relationship for years, but have spent most of that time divided by national borders — and by an entire ocean. Azan remains in Morocco and has yet to set foot in the US.
First, a quick reminder
Nicole has revealed that she and Azan are no longer appearing in the 90 Day Fiance franchise. Fans are disappointed, but Nicole explained that she’s tired of the backlash and second-guessing that accompanies appearing on the show.
Besides …
90 Day Fiance appeals to a lot of people, but the franchise is infamous for heavy-handed editing.
So what has Nicole been up to?
First and foremost, she’s a dedicated mother. Her daughter, May, is too cute for words, and being a mom to May is always Nicole’s first priority.
May is in school, now!
Though there had been murmerings that Nicole might try to move out to Morocco — temporarily — with May before May started school so that she could get a marital visa with Azan (we’ll explain in a moment) without disrupting her daughter’s education, she enrolled May in school. This precious girl is growing up so quickly!
Then there’s work
Nicole is working at Starbucks. Here she is with coworkers, offering an inclusive message of “Happy Holidays!” to fans and followers. Reality TV can be great, but 90 Day Fiance doesn’t make anybody rich, and Nicole has a daughter to take care of.
On a more personal level …
Nicole has been displaying her stunning weight loss. She has always been strikingly beautiful, but fans are floored by her flaunting her weight loss — and around the holidays, no less!
So, what’s that about a visa?
Most 90 Day Fiance stars have a plan to come to the US via a K-1 visa. It can be an expensive process, but it’s a fiance visa and it’s how the show gets its name. You have 90 days — per US law — to either get married or decided against it and leave.
That was their plan, too
Unfortunately, Azan’s bid for a K-1 visa was turned down. This is believed to be the result of current, nightmarish immigration policies that are designed specifically to exclude brown-skinned Muslim men. Azan’s real first name is Hassan, which sadly doesn’t help. It’s bigotry, folks.
So what’s their new plan?:
When a K-1 visa doesn’t pan out, that doesn’t mean that couples have to give up. They have two options. The first is to wait until the US government is no longer focused upon curbing immigration.
And the second …
… is to try for a marital visa, which are said to carry a little more weight and be less likely to be denied. So the plan was for Nicole to marry Azan in Morocco and then use that to leverage the approval of his spousal visa so that he could move to the US.
Finally, their family could be together
After all, at this point, May has known Azan for the bulk of her life. And Azan has been so good with her. It’s really sweet.
So that’s the plan?
When last we checked — that is, when Nicole last spoke on the subject — she made it clear that they aim to bring over Azan via spousal visa.
So … what’s holding them back?
90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After? stars Nicole Nafziger and Azan Tefou are no strangers to fans, who have watched their love story play out over many, many years.
First, the obvious
You probably caught the part where we noted that Nicole is a working mom? Starbucks can have good benefits for employees, but it doesn’t make you rich.
And Nicole’s family has concerns
Nicole has stated that her family is warming up to Azan, but for years, they have been concerned that Nicole is being led on by a man who will never make the same effort that she will.
She’s also had her own worries
Her dad, Tyler Nafziger, has had two somewhat recent arrests. We hope that the whole family is doing well and figuring out the best way to resolve his current issues.
And fans aren’t likely to fund her marital voyage
Intercontinental flights, prolonged stays overseas, and visa processes are grueling and expensive. While some 90 Day Fiance stars have enjoyed success with GoFundMe accounts, the preponderence of GoFundMe accounts has made the fandom both leery and critical of any crowdfunding attempts.
And then there are some unfortunate throwbacks
During one infamous and indelible scene from 90 Day Fiance, Azan said that he was only “55% attracted” to Nicole. To be fair, this may have been a phrase that does not translate well to English, but it’s something that fans bring up with Nicole ad nauseum.
And then there was what appeared to be an ultimatum
At one point, years ago, it appeared that Azan was informing Nicole on-camera that she had to lose weight or he wouldn’t move to America. Which … again, we hope that something was lost in translation, because that would be appalling.
We get it, Azan is a fitness expert
It’s not that 90 Day Fiance fans don’t appreciate his outrageous hotness. Because, well, obviously they do. They just have concerns about how that influences how he views his relationship with Nicole in terms of expectations.
Don’t get us wrong …
We’re thoroughly impressed by Nicole’s personal fitness journey. But life isn’t The Little Mermaid. Anyone for whom you have to change your body to be loved just doesn’t deserve your love. But that said, that’s not what Nicole and Azan are all about.
They’ve made this work for years
Whatever issues played out in some unfortunate moments on 90 Day Fiance in the past, they didn’t keep in touch in this long-distance relationship for all of this time for the fun of it.
Nicole is unbothered
She knows that some fans think that she’s a fool for waiting this long and that she should find an equally hot who doesn’t need to jump through expensive hoops to be by her side. But she’s not letting that discourage her.
She’s living her life
She’s a mom, she’s a hard worker, and she’s in love with Azan. That’s the reality.
And her body transformation journey continues
Let’s be real — some of her weight loss photos are just to plug products because that’s how public figures make money on Instagram, and we’re happy that she has the opportunity.
So, what does 2020 hold for Nicole?
Our guess is that this won’t be the big marriage year for Nicole. The politics aren’t right to even TRY for a visa application in 2020.
And yet …
Maybe in 2021, if things look a little more optimistic, she and Azan could try again. Under the right circumstances, they might even try for another K-1 visa, though Nicole has not announced this as her plan.
She’s excited to see Azan again
They’ve poured years into this relationship. Sunk cost fallacy (as some fans seem to think) or true love, it’s hard to imagine this story ending any time soon.
A little patience is key
We’re not talking about Nicole’s patience — we’re talking about fans. Fans want to see them get together or STFU, and that’s just not how the world works.
UPDATE!!!
On February 20, 2020, Nicole took to Instagram to tease fans with this: “Do you have any trips/vacation coming? Where are you going? I have a trip coming up and I’m so excited.”
Is this a vacay for two?
Naturally, many fans immediately concluded that she is gearing up to meet up with Azan.
Maybe in Morocco
Could Nicole and Azan be not only reuniting, but getting married in 2020?
Maybe she just wants her spark back
Nicole and Azan could be trying to make up for lost time and for the aborted Grenada trip with another vacation at a convenient vacation spot. LDRs are hard, folks.
That said …
It could always be a family trip, possibly of just Nicole and May. A lot of fans are guessing that Nicole would tell them if she and Azan had set a date, and that she’s just taking May to Disney World. But hey, that’s exciting too … if mostly for May and Nicole.