With the few years I have lived in the USA, I will say the sky is so big in the states that everyone can become successful not withstanding the stringent laws imposed on immigrants. I have also lived in the UK too before my parents moved to Nigeria, I love my British people but truth be told there's plentiful opportunities in US than UK.

One thing about US is you need to have something spectacular to yourself which can wow people. I am not in anyway saying everyone should move out of Nigeria. Nigeria is a beautiful country but we are somewhat greedy.

I am new on here and just thought of bringing up some conversation. I will be back to put more stuffs, going back to work.

migrating to america actually seems very easy, going by appearances.

everybody gets a visa these days.

davidgunther: With the few years I have lived in the USA, I will say the sky is so big in the states that everyone can become successful not withstanding the stringent laws imposed on immigrants. I have also lived in the UK too before my parents moved to Nigeria, I love my British people but truth be told there's plentiful opportunities in US than UK.

One thing about US is you need to have something spectacular to yourself which can wow people. I am not in anyway saying everyone should move out of Nigeria. Nigeria is a beautiful country but we are somewhat greedy.

I am new on here and just thought of bringing up some conversation. I will be back to put more stuffs, going back to work.

You are 100% right. Yours truly and so many others have found unbelievable success here in USA but be careful, America haters are going to jump all over you due to jealousy and ignorance. Just be ready for the E onslaught.

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I beg to differ... Australia is another country with a high Success rate upon migration

My sisters won the visa lottery and have been there for about 2 months now, one of them with her hubby and things are moving smoothly i tell you. Testimonies abound from there. Someone that was earning around 50k a month in Naija now earns $450 in a week and it's not even a white collar job!!! That's quadruple his earnings whilst in Naija and the bills aren't as most people think. The guy never still believe e eyes yet. It's not as difficult as imagined if you have a path to follow.

#Word

optimusprime2: I beg to differ... Australia is another country with a high Success rate upon migration

Hello sir, you might be right. However, I have never been to Australia so I cannot say anything about it. Wonder why I mentioned the UK in my post? That's because I have been and lived there so I can say something about it. And I never said America is the only country with high rate of success upon migration. One can be successful wherever they are including Nigeria. Thanks for your contribution, its duly welcomed.

tpia1: migrating to america actually seems very easy, going by appearances.

everybody gets a visa these days.

very easy? I think you are wrong. Go and ask people who have tried the visa lottery for many years but ain't lucky.

Hey y'all I know I was supposed to complete my post yesterday (Friday) but I was busy after getting back home.

Back to the matter. First of all, in order to have a smooth sail when you get to the US make sure you are coming the right way and you prepared for anything that comes your way. It won't be easy when you first get here. Things from people saying you have a funny accent to other stuffs like your long name (my name is Osayuwamen i had to shorten to Uwa but I still put my full name in any application I fill). I am not copying from any source so this is all from me, my thoughts and I might be wrong in some places. Corrections and constructive criticism is allowed.

There are different route which you can migrate. The common one is US Diversity Visa Lottery. Nevertheless, you can move here via student visa or something like that (although those route are never guaranteed to make you a permanent resident/green card holder). The benefits you get are:

1) Well Paid Jobs: If you have a good certificate in a good course, trust me there is nothing like going out to look for jobs. They will be even looking for you to come work for them. Most job recruitment do not require you to first go in to turn your application in, just go on their website, apply, attach your resume and if qualified then get an interview date. After that, you fill out paper works, sign agreement, and start working. No need to be begging your aunty or uncle to let you work or find a work in their friend's office like we do in ...... *cough*

By the way, there is no discrimination in jobs applicant. If one believes they were denied a job based on their country of origin, race, beliefs & religion, sexual preference, or political party then one can contact U.S Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division to complain.

2) Education: The education is of standard level. One cannot deny that almost the best and highly ranked universities are in the US. One can opt for Ivy league or a public school. They are all of good quality, they pay a lot of attention to research so if you are a research lover then US college is the one for you.
Another good thing is education is free from pre-k to high school where you earn your high school diploma or GED. Although university is not free, one can go to school for free. There is federal financial aid in form of loan which you have to pay back but you get grants also which you don't have to pay back. The BEST thing is if you have a good GPA from high school and scored high on their standardized test like SAT or ACT then you can get a full ride till your college finish without paying a dime for tuition & fees. One more thing, the US know some students are not academically sound so there's literally scholarship for anything. If you can play sport like basketball, athletics, american football, volleyball or you play music or you have something creative you will get scholarship from your school.

For graduate school, if you have a good top tier GRE score, high GPA, good recommendation, and letter of purpose then be rest assured you will get funding in form of research assistantship or teaching assistantship from your university.

There's nothing like buying hand outs or so, you can either rent or buy the book. When you rent you have to mail the book at the speculated time mostly after the semester if not your credit/debit card will be charged for extra money. The education advise is mostly for people who might going with a visa lottery. With a visa lottery, you get green card when you get here which makes you a permanent resident. Aids are given only to citizens, green card holders or US nationals.

3) Standard living: One can be rest assured of a good standard of living because most things but not all though are so affordable unless you convert them to naira. If you have a well paid job then getting a roof under your head should not be a problem. Most people take mortgages to buy a house but for an apartments then one have to pay monthly rents. The location also plays a major role, the cost of houses depends on the environment. One thing is that one have to pay somewhat a lot of bills, where in the world won't you pay bills? You gotta pay electricity bill, water bill, phone bill, and everything like that. You also have to have insurance ranging from health insurance, to property insurance, and auto-insurance.
You also have to file tax yearly based on your previous year household income and living expenses. If qualified, you get a tax return check of money. The roads are good as well so your car gets to last longer and you don't have to visit the mechanic every now and then. There is also bicycle access on most road which means you get a lane where you can ride your bicycle but there are not on high ways. Public transportation is good; just get a card for example I live in New Jersey and also Maryland so I just get NJ Transit bus card or a Maryland Transit card which I can use whenever. These are for people without a car.

4) Easy access to your Government: One can easily get in touch with either the local government head/city councils, mayor of ones city, or the state governor, the senator, sometimes the president in some cases by calling their office or in writing to them via postal mail/email. They always like to know what they are doing right or wrong so the level of getting a response back from them is high. There are town or city council meetings where you get to sit with people and discuss how you can move the town forward. You can also voice out your complaints and concerns.

5) This is pertaining to Nigerians. Hardly will you see an American that haven't heard of Nigeria. Our country is very popular. These can either be an advantage or a disadvantage. An advantage because they know we can work and we are very intelligent so most people wants us but a disadvantage because we have some people who have decided to soil Nigeria and Nigerians image including our government with fraudulent activities. And also bear in mind that some part here is dangerous so watch out where you go and always know you can dial 911 at anytime.

What else am I missing please? Kindly let me know and if you are or were in the states then you can also add to it. Thanks for taking your time to read y'all... God bless Nigeria !

optimusprime2: I beg to differ... Australia is another country with a high Success rate upon migration

Its not true. Illegal immigrant still find things easier and can manoveur there way in US unlike Australia .

calebo101: My sisters won the visa lottery and have been there for about 2 months now, one of them with her hubby and things are moving smoothly i tell you. Testimonies abound from there. Someone that was earning around 50k a month in Naija now earns $450 in a week and it's not even a white collar job!!! That's quadruple his earnings whilst in Naija and the bills aren't as most people think. The guy never still believe e eyes yet. It's not as difficult as imagined if you have a path to follow.

How is he surviving on $450 a week?

He's not paying rent and doesn't have a car?

School is obviously out of the question.

Someone survived on 50k Naira a month in Naija can also survive comfortably with $1800 (297000) a month in USA. Don't you think so

shegsky:
Its not true. Illegal immigrant still find things easier and can manoveur there way in US unlike Australia .

Do you live in Australia-I know what I am talking about...
by the way, whoever said anything about illegal migration?? ?? ??

calebo101: Someone survived on 50k Naira a month in Naija can also survive comfortably with $1800 (297000) a month in USA. Don't you think so

no, i dont think so.

he can only survive on that if he has no bills and does not pay rent or have his own apartment (maybe sharing with others).

check the cost of an average apartment in the USA.

typically, your rent is supposed to take half of your salary, most times it could be more.

do you think all the complaints about minimum wage are over nothing?


school is obviously not on the agenda, even textbooks alone can cost upwards of $200 unless you get used ones (maybe $50 to $100 or so, or less if you order from non-approved websites).





check the rough estimate in the following link, (note, the food prices are wrong- they are higher than what's stated there, and african food is not listed):


http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=United+States

I am not rich as i want and i am not poor as you think. Meaning the little meagre i am earning in centre of excellence still makes me happy.
Jah Bless Nigeria

tpia1:

no, i dont think so.

he can only survive on that if he has no bills and does not pay rent or have his own apartment (maybe sharing with others).

check the cost of an average apartment in the USA.

typically, your rent is supposed to take half of your salary, most times it could be more.

do you think all the complaints about minimum wage are over nothing?

school is obviously not on the agenda, even textbooks alone can cost upwards of $200 unless you get used ones (maybe $50 to $100 or so, or less if you order from non-approved websites).
check the rough estimate in the following link, (note, the food prices are wrong- they are higher than what's stated there, and african food is not listed):

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=United+States

He is a graduate and rent does not take half of your salary. I never mentioned that he was a student, did i And whoever told you rent is supposed to take half of your salary

He is already there living his life and enjoying it and you are checking websites to rate rough estimates and expenses.

How you succeed generally in life depends on your mindset. I for one do not listen to advice at all cos wen u open your ears you would discover even the bricklayer and the painter that has never been to Abuja all have opinion about how "difficult" life is abroad and how all the money is used in paying taxes. Stories for the gods.

WHile people are suffering here, those who know their way that work diligently are living their lives and sliding down the street of success.

bro, I'm simply letting you know the $1800 per month you are dreaming about, does not let you survive comfortably in the US as you were insisting.

quote me anywhere- unless you are not paying rent or any bills, there is no way that amount is sufficient for your expenses.


rent will take at least half of your income when you are on minimum wage- the price of a less expensive apartment will amount to that if you are working one job, entry level/minimum wage and have no plans for or are not interested in further studies to advance or switch your career.

If you share rent expenses with someone else, then you might have some change left over after the rest of your bills are paid.

this is not a question of mindset, its looking at the facts on ground (ie reality).

maybe you have connections that will enable you to rent a three bedroom apartment in a good area of town for $100 or $400, in that case you are correct in your optimism, and i am wrong.

And the example i gave to you is my Sister's hubby and not a stranger so don't think i got my facts twisted.

your sister's hubby is surviving comfortably in the US on $1800 a month?

tpia1:

your sister's hubby is surviving comfortably in the US on $1800 a month?

Sorry but where are you based?

Where are YOU based?

London

By God's Grace, I will join the OP in writing my American story soon

calebo101: London.

Hmm, well like I said, PLEASE quote me ANYWHERE.

tpia1:

Hmm, well like I said, PLEASE quote me ANYWHERE.

There is no need, you obviously don't know what you are saying. I have friends and family over in the states in various spheres of life and i am well abreast of happenings there. Real life experiences, not some textbooks or web pages. Cheers all the same.