I am not the type that would paint a false picture for you about US. As we have our problems, they have theirs too.

It's a land of opportunity but it's at a cost. Also please consider other countries that have similar opportunities. Canada , Australia etc. If you want your progress to be rapid, legal immigration is the best bet. I know lots of people that came here as students, found love and got married, I know people that got converted from student visa to H1B and to Green Card. As I said earlier, do not focus on US alone, try other countries. Travel with a mindset that one day you will return home. These countries are not paradise, we must build our own country too. Travelers are great men but they always come back home.

Racism is a global scourge and there is a level of development you will get to here that your color and accent would be a hurdle for you to go further. Do not think when I am in America you have met the end, America is just a means to an end, its not the end. Abraham Maslow hierarchy of needs puts Self Actualization as the highest level of need satisfaction, in Africa we are mostly still chasing the Basic Needs. I remember when I got to America - it took me a while to adjust to the fact that having uninteruppted electricity is not a sign of wealth. All roads are tarred - even the worst areas are better than some area we refer to as highbrow in Lagos.
One mistake most young people make is - the side of America they see are what Jay-Z and the Kardashian have painted in reality shows. The visa officers know this is fake, so if you go to the embassy with this dream in your head they will know from the smartly crafted psychological questions they ask you. You need to prove to them that no matter where you are you can be successful. Start in your country and achieve something then go to the embassy to prove to them that you are one of the best in your country and you need to conquer the rest of the world.
Where there is a Will there is a Way, your young age is a gift so be wise. The internet has made it a global village so explore and be the best you can. Then you can march to any embassy in the world and they would be glad to let you in.

Goldenboy007:



Thanks for mentioning the word "legal". I have seen people come on visiting ...they talk to schools and get admission on the spot. The school then handles the paperwork , lawyers also help. However these days, please do your research well because so many immigration laws are changing under this government.

Please can you explain what you meant by that? What paper work will the school handle when converting from B1/B2 to F1?

justwise:


Please can you explain what you meant by that? What paper work will the school handle when converting from B1/B2 to F1?

That I do not know. However what I know is that immigration laws are subject to interpretation and flexible hence immigration lawyers are in existence.

Let me add this for all others...I don't recommend neither do I consult on immigration matters or issues so nobody should inbox me on this matter. Whatever you want to do, research it yourself and make sure it's legal. America is a country of records, if you forge or falsify ..it's a matter of time - they will catch up with you.

It's been a while

There is a topic I contributed to which talked about immigrants coming to steal Americans job. Ok let me put it as "white American" jobs because I am also an American - Naturalized citizen.
This is my opinion on that - they have a right to their country - it doesn't matter if their great great grandfathers were immigrants - Americans are more tolerant of immigrants than some black countries - for example South African xenophobia against fellow blacks. History has it that we Nigerians also did "Ghana-must-go campaign when we thought Ghanaians were taking Nigerian jobs. We cannot go to other people's apartment to lay claim to their sitting room or claim to have a right to change their TV channels.
We need to build our country, we need to build our own home. We can go to America to get economically empowered, to get educated, to get jobs, to learn new technology but let's not forget where we are from. This is their home, we have our homes too - where we can dictate to visitors how to behave.
We complain so much about leadership but we citizens are equally as guilty as our leaders. I remember my experience some years ago trying to process my immigration papers in Nigeria. I saw a first class horror movie how the Nigerian system works. If you were born earlier than 1990, I doubt if your birth certificate records existed anywhere. It must have been used to wrap groundnut and boli sometimes ago. What of bribery? It's like being surrounded in the Walking Dead series ,every zombie wants a piece of you. People will frustrate simple government service just to create chaos; an enabling condition to exploit their fellow citizens. It is this same people that will go on social media to complain of a corrupt government.
My years in America, I discovered that it is not their leaders that were awesome but the citizen themselves that are making America great. The people are the system that kept America working at it's best.
If you come here thinking your problem is over, think twice because America has its own challenges just like any other countries.
As for me, before I spends $50,000.00 in US, I have invested $100,000.00 in Nigeria, that's my own 401k. When I have worked hard in America and contributed my own portion as a citizen, I want to come back to Nigeria to rest - thats why I am building my own side of Nigeria. I have seen Nigerians that have lived 30 years in US, their house is still under mortgage, their cars are financed, numerous household debts but they can't come home because they build nothing to come to.
I spoke to an African American and he told me - 3 things that have kept them from achieving as much as their white counterparts - 1 - The absence of "men" from the family. 2- Disconnection from their heritage and cultural values, 3- Existence of a mindset which believes that there are physical barriers to them achieving their goals.

If we Nigerians get disconnected from our heritage and values, our race will die off. I am proud to be an African, I grew with great values, we have heritage, we have culture, I have a native name which actually meant something, I have an identification, thats why my car plate tag bears "TOYE" - to pass a message across - I am a Nigerian immigrant and I am successful, I do not need BLACK PANTHER to help me identify with my roots.
Finally my mother would always say in our native language (pardon my translation) - "Never forget the child of whom you are". If you have this mindset, you will be a successful immigrant.

Goldenboy007:

As for me, before I spends $50,000.00 in US, I have invested $100,000.00 in Nigeria, that's my own 401k.

Good write up. This statement will only mean something if investment means building a business that can contribute to the growth of the economy rather than building mansions for yourself.
The problem with Nigeria is the "me" factor, we don't really care as long as we and our own are comfortable, every other person can go to hell. We can never be great with such mentality.

"Ranti omo eni ti onshe"
Boss you have forgotten the interior pictures of your machine that I requested for.

zed7:

Good write up. This statement will only mean something if investment means building a business that can contribute to the growth of the economy rather than building mansions for yourself.
The problem with Nigeria is the "me" factor, we don't really care as long as we and our own are comfortable, every other person can go to hell. We can never be great with such mentality.

You are so right bro. In my effort to create a retirement for myself I invest in business with future income. Business creates employment and adds to economy development.

Neyoalao:
"Ranti omo eni ti onshe"
Boss you have forgotten the interior pictures of your machine that I requested for.

I forgot o..Will take pictures when I remember.

@ Goldenboy,

There is no cut and paste way of living in America. Yes, we should not copy their way of life and endeavor to save money which I agree with.
But unfortunately, I dont agree with investing all your life savings back home in Nigeria. Do you mean, I should commit all my savings into something I dont have control over? Ask them to help run businesses that I live over 6000 miles away from? Ask them to build a modern house which I dont have plans to live in the next 25 years? Never, my brother. That sounds to be an idea for illegal immigrant. It all depends on where you are coming from. By Gods grace, I live in Owings Mills, Maryland where things are very expensive. I used to rent a house when I had a small house. Now I have two young adults and I wouldn't wnat them to grow up in a crazy neighborhood. That said, I have look for a serene environment where my kids will have access to good schools and mix with kids of good background. Where I live now, the majority of the folks in my neighborhood are Indians. I don't want to be penny wise and pound foolish. I also read one of your posts where you said people should spend cash and you made reference to when you bought your baby (nice car though). Guy, without a good credit, you can not and I mean you cannot buy anything substantial in the USA. You have plans to buy a house, you need a good credit which is only obtainable via taking credit cards and paying your bills as soon as its possible. The only objection I have is that when you buy things that are unnecessary with you credit cards is going to be a big problem. When you live above your income is also going to be a problem. Guy, I have over 100k dollars in credit cards that I dont access but will definitely use it when necessary. In addition to this, I got a lot of those cards when I had like 18 months interest-free period. That said, there is no cut and paste way of living in America. What worked for you might not work for me but we should learn to be very prudent and live within our income.
Cheers.

Goldenboy007:
The hybrid Immigrant

Hi everyone - it's been a busy January for me, all the new year resolution and plans, well I always try to update this topic whenever I discover something new.

The hybrid Immigrant - One of the mistakes immigrants make is trying to become an American in lifestyle. The beginning of our problem is when we forget where we are coming from. You are not an American, you are a Nigerian living in US. You cannot compare yourself to someone that was born in America and have been working since the age of 16, you came in late and have to start all over again. Americans have their lives planned - they start early with their retirement plans, they plan when to get married, number of kids to have, when to buy a car, when to buy a house, when to go on vacation and when to retire. You started your life in Nigeria - your time was wasted by a system they have not worked till today - you move into US with nothing and within 4 years - you want to buy a house, buy a car, have a robust 401k(retirement plan), create college funds for your kids and go on vacation. All you will succeed in doing is running into debt.
The truth is - Its fairly easy to save money in Nigeria but country like US controls your disposable income. You can become a billionaire overnight in Nigeria but in America you need to painstakingly work to build wealth over the years. You are paid an amount that is just enough for your daily living, taxes make sure of that.
Let's consider this scenerio - if you work in a good company in Nigeria and you earn N800k per month after tax, your rent probably like N1.5m per year. 2 months salary will cover your rent for the year, all other expenses per month is like N200k. After taking care of the rent in 2 months - rest of the year you have N600k to play around with. In US you earn like $5k per month - your rent is like $1600 for a 2 bed in a good neighborhood, you pay insurance , you pay utilities - gas, water, heat, electricity, cable, phone bill, you pay car loan, you pay student loan, you pay credit card debts - God help you have kids - groceries, clothing, health bills - copay, at the end of the month - you hardly have $500 left. What of retirement ? You need to have worked for average 35 years for your 401k to be enough to cater for your retirement in US - that's why you see people work till their grey years before they can retire. So imagine you got into US at age 30 - at 65 you are still working.
People may argue that a good job in US will change the story - I am surrounded by people with great IT jobs, with managers in company with 6 figures ...the story is the same - the more you earn the more your expenses.

What I advise people is to take advantage of both worlds, don't spend America's money in America , invest it back home where little dollars make more Naira. Build your retirement back home. If you buy a house in America - the house is never your own - even if you fully pay off the mortgage , you will pay tax for the rest of your life - mortgage tax can be like rent for life, you never truly own that house. The day you default in your taxes - over time your house would be taken, in Nigeria when you build your house - you own the land , the house and the sky above it.
Live like an hybrid Immigrant - work in US but take advantage of your connection to Nigeria - bring business in - see what they don't have in US, bring over - see what they don't have in Nigeria and bring in - trade. Make every dollar counts. We cannot run away forever - racism will never stop till the world ends - let build our country so that we can come home to retire rather than die in old people's home in a foreign country.

That's my little advice today - you can contribute, criticize and commend but do not insult people on this thread. We are all learning.

Guy, you are taking a big risk. Come to think of it. Investing all your hard earned money in an unstable environment is not wise. I will quickly give a small example. Way back in 2007 when I came back from UK, I invested all my life savings into stock and bonds then. I mean I invested millions of naira into it then. It was only God that saved me from sudden death and, depression and suicide. I lost almost everything I invested due to bad policies, fraud, board members deceit and anything you can think of. I am grateful to God for another opportunity and will not advise a young man to invest all his savings into an environment that is unstable like we have in Nigeria.

Goldenboy007:


You are so right bro. In my effort to create a retirement for myself I invest in business with future income. Business creates employment and adds to economy development.

Gbabe2:
@ Goldenboy,

There is no cut and paste way of living in America. Yes, we should not copy their way of life and endeavor to save money which I agree with.
But unfortunately, I dont agree with investing all your life savings back home in Nigeria. Do you mean, I should commit all my savings into something I dont have control over? ...(truncated )

Gbabe2. I understand where you are coming and I agree there is no cut and paste American life. I only teach what had worked for me and few others. However they are advice and.not laws. We should take them as tips, when we are making decisions.
Investing anywhere is taking risk but you need to take calculated risk, e.g. rather than do stocks in an unstable economy , why don't you do Treasury Bills? Also I didn't say commit all your eggs in one basket. I said "before spending $50k in US, I invest $100k in Nigeria.
For example ...I know Dangote is building refinery in Lekki or something ...I envisage an economy would start in that region so I am locking down real estate in that area already. Also I am thinking of businesses to offer intended refinery workers. I am also thinking of the Eko Atlantic Mega development - talking to friends in US who we can combine resources. I am planning how to bring modern auto garage and automotive training schools to Nigeria. Chain of automated car wash and barbing salons.We need more technical skills in Nigeria than useless paper certificate we carry around. Nigeria is building more colleges rather than companies - creating more employees rather than employers.

Now tell me if I miss out something - In America you buy a house , you are locked in mortgage for 30 years, then you will pay home taxes for the rest of your life. Add 30 years plus your age now - which means you should still be working 30 years from now. Also about taxes - some taxes are as high as monthly apartment rent e.g. $14000 per annum depending on the value of your house and the State you live, so makes you different from a tenant? Also consider excess income you make is taxed. By the time you are 65 and you dont have a good 401k, you would be stranded - except you have a business in US or your have an established professional career. If not, you will end up in an hospice home.
I don't want to paint you a gloomy picture but we need to plan ahead, we have the advantage of two worlds , why don't we make use of it? The Americans only know one world - America ! So their system is designed for that ...work - save - retire - die ...and government takes care of everything else. For those of us that came in our mid years - you want to run same race with someone born there, who started work at 16, bought his first Condo at 23 while we were still writing Jamb in Nigeria?
Wisdom is profitable bro ! No perfect world anywhere - what I say are just advice, we can all learn from each other - tell me a better plan and I will see how to combine it with mine to win this race.

Neyoalao:
"Ranti omo eni ti onshe"
Boss you have forgotten the interior pictures of your machine that I requested for.

So I tried taking pictures of the car interior ..but I was running late for work .ok I did a bad job.

Goldenboy007:


So I tried taking pictures of the car interior ..but I was running late for work .ok I did a bad job.

Hmm nice ride boss. Emi alo o

@goldenboy
I have a boother born in the u.s in his final year of secondary school.
How can we obtain financial aid for him to do uni in the u.s seeing that he has lived in Nigeria all his life..

uj

Nice thrend... *following*

chyk91:
@goldenboy
I have a boother born in the u.s in his final year of secondary school.
How can we obtain financial aid for him to do uni in the u.s seeing that he has lived in Nigeria all his life..

He should moved to US if he is a citizen. Get admission in a college and file for Federal Aid...student loan ..FAFSA.

In recent period with the change in Government, lots have changed. If you are coming to US now you better know what you are coming to do - or else deportation is very swift these days.
If you are a new immigrant - I can give you useful advice that will make your life easy. And if you are a long term immigrant and struggling with life- we can review your approach to getting things done in US.

Welcome back sir

GOLDENNBOY!!! COME AND FINISH UP NA

It's been a while here. Started this story some while back. The dynamics of immigration process has changed now so some advice here may not be relevant in the light of new information.
Now let me add new information for immigrants - Recently my FICO score hit above the 800 mark - I remember the advice people gave me when I got to the US. They said you cannot get a good credit score if you do not take a car loan or get a big debt. Now from experience I can categorically say that is a big lie !! Most of us may want to go back to school - that in itself is a good enough loan, you can get credit cards from Bank of America or Amazon chase. All I did was make sure I use the card every time and pay off the whole balance before due date. Infact I get a lot of cash back from those cards.

If you want me to talk about building fantastic credit score - I can do that in more details. The last day of 2018 .. time 4.00 am. Central time. I wish you all a prosperous 2019 ahead.

Goldenboy007:
It's been a while here. Started this story some while back. The dynamics of immigration process has changed now so some advice here may not be relevant in the light of new information.
Now let me add new information for immigrants - Recently my FICO score hit above the 800 mark - I remember the advice people gave me when I got to the US. They said you cannot get a good credit score if you do not take a car loan or get a big debt. Now from experience I can categorically say that is a big lie !! Most of us may want to go back to school - that in itself is a good enough loan, you can get credit cards from Bank of America or Amazon chase. All I did was make sure I use the card every time and pay off the whole balance before due date. Infact I get a lot of cash back from those cards.

If you want me to talk about building fantastic credit score - I can do that in more details. The last day of 2018 .. time 4.00 am. Central time. I wish you all a prosperous 2019 ahead.

Are international students able to get SSN in the USA?

Yes. At least back in the days. I believe it's still the same now.

EMMAACHILE:

Are international students able to get SSN in the USA?

EMMAACHILE:

Are international students able to get SSN in the USA?

Yes but you need a reason thou mostly a job

Teedawg:

Yes but you need a reason thou mostly a job

Bossman:
Yes. At least back in the days. I believe it's still the same now.

Thanks for the replies.

Some of us if we ever move would not want to work but will prefer to get SSN to build a credit history.

Family migration on f2 visa seems very difficult at the moment.

God please make me experience the american dream...but sure thing will never forget home...

Following.... planning on coming over

Hello @LagosIV,
Good day everyone in the group.
I wish you all a happy New Year.
My question is: I wish to travel to the US on holidays wiht my family: my husband and 2 kids.
My husband has about 1Million naira in his account while I have about 3 million.
We both work, though I earn more. i work in a well known establishment while my husband works for a small time business and earns like 100K per month.
Will it be ok for us to start the visa application process?
Thanks for your kind advice.

EMMAACHILE:

Are international students able to get SSN in the USA?

Yes, but it will have some restrictions written on it.

jesuisroya:
Hello @LagosIV,
Good day everyone in the group.
I wish you all a happy New Year.
My question is: I wish to travel to the US on holidays wiht my family: my husband and 2 kids.
My husband has about 1Million naira in his account while I have about 3 million.
We both work, though I earn more. i work in a well known establishment while my husband works for a small time business and earns like 100K per month.
Will it be ok for us to start the visa application process?
Thanks for your kind advice.

Hello madam,

Please send this question to the right thread. Can anybody refer her to the right link.

Thanks

EMMAACHILE:

Are international students able to get SSN in the USA?

Seems your question has been answered.

Goldenboy007:


Seems your question has been answered.

Yes. Thank you