Getting a visa at the embassy shouldnt be that difficult. U just gotta get the right document, dress conservatively, keep a steady eye contact and handle yourself with confidence. Try not to act cocky or overly nervous. A basic knowledge about your major and college of choice is also expected. My advice would be to do as much research as possible. its not a requirement neither is it necessary to pay your fees in advance. When u get to the states do what u gotta do to get ur status changed to an immigrant. Good luck fellas.

Great one

Need urgent visa appointment with the america, Germany, Spainish or italian embassy? call me now and get your interview date booked!! no upfront payment.

080-779-313-13 or 012120912 or email me on osedking01@yahoo.ca

when can things be free on here, abeg na Free as we Go we want

@ all

i got my I-20 last week and the resumption date is may 2008. shd i apply for the visa now or just chill till like a month before the date? or it doesnt matter? i dont want the embassy to feel that why the RUSH if i apply now. i appreciate all the vital information from you all.

feeldevoe:

Getting a visa at the embassy shouldnt be that difficult. You just gotta get the right document, dress conservatively, keep a steady eye contact and handle yourself with confidence. Try not to act cocky or overly nervous. A basic knowledge about your major and college of choice is also expected. My advice would be to do as much research as possible. its not a requirement neither is it necessary to pay your fees in advance. When u get to the states do what u gotta do to get your status changed to an immigrant. Good luck fellas.

When u get to the states do what u gotta do to get your status changed to an immigrant

Bros, abeg can you throw more light on that? if you cant post here, please email me elnuga@yahoo.com
thanks

just apply a month b4 and try give us gist when u don get the visa,changing ur status means say make u go join olopa or Mopo, or OPC, lol,

Good contribution guys!

I read every post here and no one seem to be talking about the SEVIS fee (student and excchange visitor). This fee is paid by filling an I-901 form to the US Department of Homeland Security. Hundreds of students have been denied visa since this SEVIS was introduced in September of 2004 and the embassy or officer that interviewed you will never tell you! they'll only say you didn't meet up with the whole requirement for your visa. Go to www.FMJfee.com and read more about it. The fee is $100 and must be filled/pay atleast 3days to your interview and can be filled only here in America. Online payment is the best cux you get your reciept immidiately so get a relative or a friend here to do it for you and mail you the reciept.
Also, if you have a US based sponsor, you and your sponsor need to know what the poverty level guidline is before sponsoring you. You sponsor might hand you all this big bank statement which most of we Nigerian think or believe is the main thing while originaly this same sponsor don't even pay enough tax. For examply, if he claim to be making $40,000 a year and when he file his tax, instead of paying the 8% or whatever the tax percentage is for $40,000 some people will dedute all available expensis from that money. House payments Oh, car payment Oh, Phone Oh, student loan Oh, gas to work, medical bills, and so on! at the end of the day he might be left with a balance of just $10,000! This sponsor pay his tax on only $10,000 now tell me how he can sponsor an international student whose school fee a year alone is morethan his income? does the bank statement solve your problem here?
All the same, I believe its luck too cux I know people that didn't get the visa eventhough they have the money and capable of the payment even from day one of school till graduation. Pray and good luck.

Prince,
you made a good case for refusal of US student visa but I beg to disagree with your tax aspect of it. As far as I know, gross income and taxable income for tax purposes are two different things.Most federal agencies in the US that I am aware of use the gross income for any purpose and to determine the poverty level. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong though.Thanx.

@sshwy and @Prince

Please i need your candid opinion,i have a friend who will be going in for Falls admission,pls let me know when best he can send in an email to the consular for an interview and also wants to know if there is any problem with having Your uncle stated on the I-20 as sponsor,as he said he didnt dicuss it with his dad untill he got his admission and Now his dad is willing to be part of the sponsor,also what document do you think both sponsor should provide for him and also any useful tips.I noted the SEVIS thing and he has that with the offical reciept.

Thanks

@sswhy01: You are right! most government agencies including immigration, school, and IRS use your gross income to determin if you meet or above the poverty guideline but what they don't tell you and I is that the net is what really tell them how capable or rich you are.
The present poverty guideline for 2008 (released on 03/01/08) is $17,500 for a family ( only husband and wife). If you have kids, add additional $4,500 per child to that. If you're single, the $17,500 automatically apply to you alone. (go to www.uscis.gov and click on form I-864p for more info)
Remember this is Gross income before tax but lets just assume that you're taking everything home. If you have a US based sponsor that Gross $50,000 a year single or married plus maybe 2kids, automatically the poverty level guidelines will place him at $17,500 +$4,500 +$4500= $26,500. Take that out of his Gross of $50K you have a balance of $23,500! now lets assume he live in a one bedroom with his wife and kids which is almost impossible, an average one bedroom is about $600 pending or where you live, calculate that by 12 which is a year=$7200! $23,500-$7200=$16300! Ok say bills and utilities are estimated at $200 a month, Credit card another $200 a month, transportation or gas another $200, food and cloths another $200 a month, and lets say health insurance another $200 a months for family package! thats about $1000 a month all together giving us $12,000 a year! take that out of his $16300, you'll get $4300 left! Remember he is renting and has no car payment or note (it will be about 2x the estimate if he own his house and has car note and insurance).

Ok say you want to sponsor a student, remember in most/all cases international student tuition/fee is about double or more than the native, citizen, and residents rate. If your tuition and fee, books, dorm or even if you live with your sponsor amounts to estimately $10,000 a year, do you think that the family we described above will qualify to sponsor a student? The truth is that this guys know that 90% or more nonimmigrant are intended immigrants. They don't care what you're coming here to do! they simply don't want you to be a public charge or cargo when you get here. Signing an affidavit of support or sponsorship letter automatically place your whole responsibility on your sponsor till you become a citizen, depart the US or die. They know there's no way you can be here that long without getting on your own feet so they don't want you to just land here and after a week you start jumping from one office to the other asking for this support or that support! so under an F-1 student visa, you're not qualify for student aids unless you get a schollarship, you're not qualify for medical or student loan unless you get a job which you're not elligible to under students visa! except if you work under the table (undocumented) and you know what will happen if they get you.
Anyway, bottom line is that all this is luck and God being on your side. You can go to an interview and they might just ask you two or three question and thats it! at the same time you might provide all this document and they still turn you down. As for making it here, its not going to be easy but trust me you'll be OK! very very OK!! as long as you stay out of trouble! worst come to worst you go wa iyawo fe! ko ju be lo.

Hi guy First of all dis is my wife's account on naira land.
Back to business,you guys did give lots of useful information concerning dis student visa issue.I am really impressed by you all level of truthfulness ,honesty and use of words( I mean no fowl language).getting a student visa is very easy trust me it is not dat difficult.b4 I came to d states I applied for a student visa which i did go 4 d interview only to get a green card.Now you guys should have it at d back of yur mind dat education here is good but if you don't have money you are screwed.You can get people to stand for you as sponsor but they will not pay for you tution because it is expensive as with a student visa there is really nothing you can do here in dis country except you do what other people do which I will be frank with you guys alot of Nigerians come here to be lesbians,gay or striper.But if you believe in yourself and put God first all will work well but you must also be clean don't listen to the lies people give you just come do your best and leave the rest to God but you must have it at the back of your mind dirty linen will not be exposed when the time come.The other thing some of our niaja brother and sister do is to engage in arranged marriage some of you may say it's cool but dude dat will be the last thing you want to do with an
American because d stress is not worth it but some people do it anyway.the lady who talk about joining the Navy is not giving you guys the right info .You cannot join the Armed Forces of the United States with a student visa becos I am in the army preparing to deploy the Iraq and don't get it twisted we are not winning any war in Iraq we are loosing soldiers to IED(improvised Explosive Ordinance)VBIED,Mortars and so many more .I am speaking from experience becos I am in the Infantry.So she should give out the right info.But trust me guys if you do make it here which I know alot of you guys will just be yurself and remember where you come from.May God be will you all.

From Julius

Prince,
Good points there !.I could see where you are coming from. You know ur stuffs. At least I was impressed when u mentioned "public charge" among everything else. That's not a term for a layman!. For the sake of argument, and I repeat it just for the sake of argument,Uscis only expects the sponsor to be able to add another 4500 bucks ( amount for additional person) to the household size not that they expect the sponsor to have proof that he can pay for everything the intending immigrant or non-immigrant will need as in the case of F-1 student, all the tuition,fees,room and board !. Good points though, appreciate your spirit of argument for educational purposes.Holla.

@ ernal,
I don't know anything about the appt there,I am sorry I can't help you on that.As per the sponsor,I think anybody can be a sponsor as far as I know but any interviewer will prefer your papa to be the sponsor though, that kinda make sense as ur uncle might have other commitments as well.But yankee visa is luck and God( or whatever u believe in) on ur side as they may not even ask u for any of ur docs.Just be urself.You might want to crosscheck whatever I am telling u with learned members of the forum. I am still in the learning stage.

@Biabeke,
It's always good to see somebody sharing personal experience with us.I always enjoy listening to that.God will see us through all. I refuse to generalise the "arranged marriage" aspect of it though. I try to look things different ways if possible.Marriage is marriage and stress is stress and I believe this can happen anywhere no matter where ur spouse comes from.I don't know if u agree with me or not but the success of a marriage as far as i'm concerned doesn't depend on the nationalities of the people involved.I know you didn't say it does !.Overall, I salute your courage to serve our nation,you are absolutely an Army of One.

@sswhy01: To be honest with you, I love arguments  especially if there is point in it. You seem to have visited the USCIS web site! atleast you know they require additional $4,500.00 for additional person to the family! but you didn't pay close attention to what category that addition fall under. When you file a family based petition like fiancee, parents, or children (I-130 Application for alien relative), if approved, an immigrant (not non-immigrant) visa will be available for the person you petitioned for! meaning they will move to US as permanent residence with their green card. They can start working the same day they get here if a job is available for them, they are qualified for almost everything citizens get except 1. they can't vote, 2. they can't stay outside the US for more than 365days! bottom line is that your additional $4500 on their behalf is just to support them before they get a job! so in this case you're OK with just the extra $4500 added to you whole family poverty level guideline.

For students though, its a whole diff ball game. You can't just add $4500 to the $3000 left of your yearly salary and expect yourself to qualify to sponsor a student whose school fees is estimated lets say $12,000 for Spring and Fall semester (one year). See why I say its luck and God on your side? you can even go their with $1,200 bank statement and tax papers of someone making $20K a year and just get your visa! miracles happen.

@biabeke:
Sorry to tell you this but your story of going for a students visa interview and ended up getting a green card is the biggest LIE of the past 100yrs and the next 100yrs to come. what qualified you for a green card? your I-20? your sponsor's letter/account? you too know book? abi you just dey too cute? abi your papa na native doctor? (if you ever reply let me know what group you fall under).
Green card (permanent residence) petition are not approved the same day or in a day or two like students visa. Two ways you can get a green card outside America is if a family/wife/husband/parents/child file a petition for alien relative for you! the second is Diversity visa lottery. It takes atleast 9-12months (pending on when an immigrant visa is made available) for a green card to be approved and on each green card has a category that tell which group you fall under whether its lottery or fiancee (I can tell which group you fall under if you tell me your residents category). If na marry you marry bros no be big deal! people wey come before us do am, people wey come with us do am, and people wey go come after us go still do am.
Personally I came to US with just one month B2 visa which was extended at the airport (port of entry) to 3months! before it expired I extended it to 6months, then I got a sponsor who like you said didn't pay a dime for my school fees but just for me to be able to change my status to F-1! the rest na stories! in 2weeks it will be 2yrs since I became a citizen!
incase you care how I knew this things, I did a voluntary work with this firm that assist refugees/Africans with immigration issue for about a year when I newly came here (I can speak, read, and write Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba so them think say I fit deal with all Africans not knowing those three languages are from one country) who care anyway? afterall na work no pay! anyhow make I run!

@ernal: family is categorized into two groups when it comes to immigration/visa! 1. your wife/husband, your children, and your parents (if you file a petition for any of these guys to move here, if everything goes well you're looking at 6-9months at most 12months! if everything waka fine Oh). The second category are your brothers and sisters (filling a petition for any of these folks to get here will take minimum 7yrs, maximum 10yrs) visit uscis.com and check us citizen filling for a brother or sister and see date of cases they are processing now. As for anyother person! uncle, aunt, cousin and all that, you're on your own.
So like sswhy01 rightly said, sponsorship is better if its by an immediate relative (parents, Child, brother or sister) but if uncle is who you have, go for it! its no big deal. You can even have a friend sponsor you and leave the result to God. My sponsor when I was filling for my Green card here was my Boss at work (a white lady). She know how much I make a year and know very well that I'm not coming to her for garri! all the same, best of luck.

thanks Prince,but all i am concerned abt is a student Visa,Thanks all and for making this thread worth while

@ Prince,
You make good points when u argue but I won't want us to blow it by calling somebody a liar.I tell you this,I used to do those things when I argue,it doesn't get parties involved anywhere.As weird as I think getting green card from student interview sound,I won't say otherwise until I am confronted with the facts.Sometimes,I can be wrong !.Let's see what Biabeke has to tell you.

@sswhy01: There is nothing wrong in calling someone a lier when you argue until he proves you wrong. He's lucky I only called him a lier most nairalanders will rain hell on him so he has the opportunity to prove me wrong. Kids tell their parents here to keep quiet if they say things they don't want to hear and its no big deal! who born you to do that in Africa? so my guy! I gave him alot of break and I'm also waiting to hear what he's got to say especially what category he fell under when his so called from student to green card visa was approved/issued. What I really want to know is the group he falls under seriously and any reply from him without his residence category is bullsh**t (tell us it won't hurt anything! I'm not asking for your alien number  ).

@ernal: I know you're only asking for info. on students visa but both me and sswhy01 are just breaking down this sponsorship and how a family member makes it more solid! but like I told you, anyone can be your sponsor and you just beg God to be on your side.
As for the rest of the gist both about changing status and all that here, you abi na your friend need to know am Oh. Once admitted into the US, Visa automatically becomes status and void as soon as any of its regulations are violated. Example: Lets say you have a 2yrs students visa when you arrived the US, it becomes a status meaning you can be in school for even 5yrs and it will still be valid as long as you're a in school every Spring and Fall full term (12 or more credit). If you finish one semester and skip the next one except (summer semester) you students visa/status is void even if it has one year to expire! so my guy do what you get to do when you land here (at your own risk  ).
The truth be say Student visa no go let you do anything like work except like 20hrs a week for school and sometimes sef na only for summer then go need you and your sponsor no ready to drop $12K a year for you unless if him been truly wan do am. Anyway you go learn when you get here! good luck.

Thanks Prince.I do understand.Your vital contributions has helped myself and a whole others and i think this thread has been so informative.Thanks.

@prince_onx

Based on your experiences and skills you already utilized in the USA, have you thought of becoming a travel agent making money working at home to help Nigerians on VISA/Passport procedures?

It can be your second income or hobby income while studing school, no problem!!!

Here is existing thread at below:

What Does It Take To Become A Travel Agent?
https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-128468.0.html

You don't have to be in Nigeria, you can check your state's tourism site in the USA that will give you variety of travel agent certification as well as technology software (airline/hotel package). Each state of USA are different rules/procedures obtaining the travel agent certification!

Good luck!

hello,
i am about to apply for VISA .as per GRE and TOEFL score as one of the document i need to take along for interview ,do i take the student copy sent to me  by GRE and TOEFL or i order for a new score.
Actually a guy at the emabassy told me i should not order that the score be sent to them. but that i should bring a copy when i am coming.NOw you know GRE and TOFLE will

not send the official copy to the student.So what do i do.if i order a new score it can only be to the embassy.

Thank you in advance anyone

hello,
i am about to apply for VISA .As per GRE and TOEFL score as two of the documents i need to take along for the interview ,do i take

the student copy sent to me by GRE and TOEFL or i order for a new score.

Actually a guy at the emabassy mailed me that i should not send score be sent to them. but that i should bring a copy when i am

coming.NOw you know GRE and TOFEL will not send the official copy

to the student.So what do i do.if i order a new score it can only be to the embassy.And i have already opened the student copy.

Thank you in advance anyone

Hi Prince,
I just poped up and saw yur reply to my blog.I quite understand dat you are trying to prove a point but for you to be arrogant in asking questions is not cool dude.You can take a pig out of the gutter but the gutter will always remain in the pig.If you have a question there is nothing wrong in you asking without sounding crazy about it ,this is just a forum.Anyway I will make myself clear since you have so much time on your hands to listen to story.I was applying to come to the united states to study in a community college but for one reason or the other I forgot that I entered for the DV lottry on getting to the Embassy I was approved for my Visa but the Consul Office had to go through my info at his computer only to know that I was selected for an Immigrant Visa. We all know that it took time for me to get it on my Passport but the bottomline is that I got it. Next time if you want to ask question just ask, there is no need to ask like an Agbero.It is because of people like you that make Americans think we are all ignorant people.
One more thing this is not Biabeke.I am biabeke"s Husband(Julius)learn to read before you spit out fir .

thats not true,when regisering for toefl and gre u have a choice to send to at least 3 schools and u also get an offical copy in the mail,thats original copy is all u need to take to the embassy as they will only check and hand it back to you.

SSWhy01
Thanks for the compliment and I do appreciate the civilised manner in which you made yur point known but in on the contrary talking about marriage,It is stressful no matter where your spouse comes from but does it really make sense to add more kerosene to the fire when the heat is already high.Alot of Nigerians think they can cope with Multicultural,Multiracial marriages only to learn the awful truth that this is America.You can not talk to their women any how,you cannot touch them anyhow and when you secure a divorce yur omen has just began becos they will make you pay child supprot which some Nigerian try to run away from but end up in broke or in Jail.This forum is not for marriage but for securing a student visa.My point is that whatever you do to get here just know that America has both it's good and bad side and be prepared psychologically because this place has alot to offer.

Prince who is so convinced that he knows so much about this place has only gotten his Citizenship only for two years now and only God knows how he got it but I really don't give a damn about It .what have you(Prince) given back to this country apart from the job you did has a volunteer,Remember you weren't even paid but there are alot of Nigerian like me who are serving this contry in the different branch of the Armed force so that people like you can be in this contry and brag about it. Go learn   from people such as SSWHY01 on how to talk like a human being.

@Prince_onx - while your knowledge on the US visa process is not in doubt, never be in a haste to shout liar-liar for those that make claims you might not be familiar with or think outrightly impossible. No one holds a complete repository to knowledge. You would have asked him for further clarifications before discrediting him.

@Biabeke - always make your postings unambiguous so as not to leave readers wondering what's amiss. It would have taken just another 2 or 3 lines to clarify in your initial posting about getting a green card while applying for a student visa the way you just did in your last posting. And what's the emphasis on your wife's nairaland account, it only take about 5 minutes to create  one for yourself. You sure don't want people confusing your postings with those of your wife.

Just my take on this.

Can we stick back to the original content of this thread,Please lets stop this egoist attitude,Nobody is getting out of Life alife,so please just come and share your USA student Visa stories.Thanks

No wonder I dey sneeze all this days so na here them dey call my name!

@Biabeke: You're are saying nonsense! you hear me? You can't just come here and try to misslead people. Just incase you didn't read it clearly the first time, I called you a lier and you are still lying. The embassy are not the one to notify you if you win a DV visa lottery like you claimed. National Visa Center (department of states) are the once to do that and everyother thing has to be completed with them before they forward your file to the embassy for an interview/visa. There's no way on earth that they will approve an immigrant DV visa for you and send it to the embassy to sit and wait for you! who filled out the biological information for you? (you do that before your file gets to the embassy) who did the affidavit of support in your absence? (also needed before dv approval) who do you think you're fooling? don't even fool yourself more by cooking up stories.
Just incase you don't know, there are people that came here in the 60s that are legal residents of the US but not citizens. In July of last two years or so a law was passed that you can't renew your 10yrs green card morethan once! before them, it cost only $90 or $190 to renew a green card and some people can careless about becoming citizen (thats not my case anyway). And if you dey wonder how I become citizen, stay there dey wonder till you turn to wonderer! make sure you wonder how I came over here too.

dnative: thanks the correction but you know this is a forum! some readers might visit this thread only once and never come back to this same topic again! what will that leave them with stories like "going for a students visa interview and ended up with a green card?" All the same, thanks for enlightening Biabeke too.

Hey Biabeke: Drop or send me your e-mail address! I'll not only mail you pictures of me in the Navy but I'll also scan and mail you copy of my ID and my Release letter since we both have time. Call me a coward if you want but I left after 911 while I still have my first year grace to stay or leave! so kid, continue from where we stooped since na your papa get America! Good luck!

hello,
ernal or anybody else
can i use my master debit card to pay my sevis fees from nigeria?

Is there a website where i can get the different prices of air ticket fees of different airlines to the US?

if no kindly let me know how much i'll get the ticket.my destination is Tulsa international airport.

Thank you in advance

Yes u can use ur debit card to pay and i also decide u check with Delta airline/North American Airline/Lufthansa for your destination,or better still have make reservation and pay for U from over there and u get the eticket details in ur mail.


Well the average fares shouldnt be more than 210k,economy class depend on if u book and pay early b4 u intent trip.

Bon Voyage!!!