imperiouxx:


Street Urchin I guess you mean.



It's good to see this posts here. I knew this canker worm was a crook when he started saying "opportuned" instead of opportune to me.

Search online/google, it's only Nigerian Scammers that are so foolish enough to think that a word opportuned exists. In fact, "opportuned" is their trademark.

I kicked him well until he started talking in loop and Justwise acted.

I love it when folks use that word correctly.

ferdimako:

I love it when folks use that word correctly.

It's all over the internet. It's commonly used to differentiate Nigerian scam emails from those from other parts of the world.

sirRiddy:
Oga justwise, I see you hid my comment to that scammer. I was just kidding. Sorry if I broke any law.

Not at all, just had to remove the post you quoted.

imperiouxx:


Hey Gboyega, what's good? Sorry we haven't talk lately. It's been busy here.

I will find time to call you this Sunday.

I'm in Nigeria for now so you can reach me on my MTN.

profojah:

OjaP...I sent u a Pm boss

I replied.

imperiouxx:


It's all over the internet. It's commonly used to differentiate Nigerian scam emails from those from other parts of the world.

What about your share is secured instead of secure? as instead of has? LOL.

GboyegaD:


I'm in Nigeria for now so you can reach me on my MTN.

we would relate later about the canny transfer. I would also love to transfer preferrably PhD programme after 1st year masters. So you can put me through.

I need to know more about PhD funding in canny.

ferdimako:

What about your share is secured instead of secure? as instead of has? LOL.

don't mind those Mungo parks.

How are you ferdi?

imperiouxx:


It's all over the internet. It's commonly used to differentiate Nigerian scam emails from those from other parts of the world.

***died laughing***

slimmy05:
we would relate later about the canny transfer. I would also love to transfer preferrably PhD programme after 1st year masters. So you can put me through.

I need to know more about PhD funding in canny.

No problems. I'm always available.

slimmy05:
don't mind those Mungo parks.

How are you ferdi?

I'm great...u sef dey reason Maple Leaf?

zeezahbee:
I don't understand, are you currently a student in USA and you in nig on holiday? you have a valid visa, you don't need to submit your visa through drop box, as long as you are still on status and you still have classes to take at your current school, the school will issue you an extension.

I am currently in the United States but I want to travel back to Nigeria during the summer for urgent reasons so I asked my cousin to submit my F-1 Student Visa Renewal application together with my International passport and Endorsed, valid I-20 to the U. S. Consulate General Lagos, Nigeria since my current visa expired less than one year ago.

OjaP:


F-1 Visa Application: Non-Immigrant Intent.

Form I-130: Immigrant Intent.

I honestly don't know how you can claim to have both intents at the same time under the law. This may amount to immigration fraud in the face of the law. I remember you from here and I remember your case. I know you are a genuine candidate and have good intentions. However, the USCIS is somehow vague on filing a pending I-130, applying for a visa, and travelling outside of the USA. One thing I know for sure is that you can't file a I-485 and travel outside of the country without an advanced parole. That would mean that you have abandoned your case.

I know several people whose relatives have petitioned for them in the past and were able to obtain a visa and beat the POE officials. Their case is so different from yours because they didn't declare any where in their application that they have relatives or have a pending I-130 application. Some were lucky to get away with it while some didn't. I guess it boils down to the luck factor here.

Honestly, I wish I could give you a solid and concrete answer but my hands are tied. I like to say what I know for sure and won't like to mislead you. But make use of everything that I have said here and please make sure to consult an experienced immigration lawyer. It looks to me like it is much more than what we think it is. Only a good lawyer maybe able to find any loop hole(s) and use that against the USCIS especially when certain sections of the law are ambiguous.

All the best bro.

I was planning to file for an advance parole document but however a friend of mine explained the likely scenarios to me so I was kinda confused

Scenario 1
If I file and receive an advance parole document prior to departure from the United States. During reentry I will be paroled into the United States as an applicant for adjustment of status. As a result my F-1 student status will be automatically terminated. If that happens that means I will not be able to continue attending school until my Form I-130 is approved by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). But the problem here is that I still want to continue attending school since I will be graduating this year.

Scenario 2
If I Depart the United States without an advance parole to attend my nonimmigrant visa interview if my F-1 student visa is approved during reentry I may be denied entry into the United States by the POE officials on the basis of a pending I-130 immigrant petition filed on my behalf. He stated that since an F-1 visa was not a “dual intent” visa as a result under the dual intent status, the USCIS Officer at the border might deny me entry into the United States based on my pending Form 1-130 (intent to immigrate)

Please can you shed more light on the above scenarios and verify if the information outlined above is accurate.

MsNas:

Where are you right now? How did you try using the dropbox renewal?

I am currently in the United States but I want to travel back to Nigeria during the summer for urgent reasons so I asked my cousin to submit my F-1 Student Visa Renewal application together with my International passport and Endorsed, valid I-20 to the U. S. Consulate General Lagos, Nigeria since my current visa expired less than one year ago.

ferdimako:

I'm great...u sef dey reason Maple Leaf?

I dey reason am o. But, you know say man need to search well for funding.

GboyegaD:


I'm in Nigeria for now so you can reach me on my MTN.

Wait..you kept your old MTN line?? Mine got transferred to someone else

slimmy05:
I dey reason am o. But, you know say man need to search well for funding.

Yeah...funds and other factors are dragging us from US to OZ to Canada. I'm happy I know where my tent is going to be pitched now.

imperiouxx:
@ LUCAS99,

Many have responded and like Ojap says, it will be best for you to consult an immigration lawyer (if you're in the U.S).

Based on your family record, you're an intended immigrant. Since you can complete your studies without visa and you still maintain your pended I-130 application (if in the U.S.), why don't you forget leaving the country for a non-immigrant visa. And if you're already in Nigeria, you got no choice than defending your case in Nigeria.

Also, it seems you don't qualify for an interview waiver for your F1 visa.

Yes I am still in the United States and I meet all the requirements for an interview waiver that was the reason I applied for an F-1 Student Visa Renewal application through the DropBox Visa Renewal Program.The reason I applied for a renewal is because I have an urgent humanitarian situation that require my presence back in Nigeria.

biikeys:


Wait..you kept your old MTN line?? Mine got transferred to someone else

if you leave a line up to six months without recharge, the line will be disconnected and recycled. You would have dropped it with a bro or sis who will always recharge the line for you every 3-4months, or you can activate extended sim validity, it would allow your line to be inactive for a year till you recharge.

ferdimako:

Yeah...funds and other factors are dragging us from US to OZ to Canada. I'm happy I know where my tent is going to be pitched now.

funding will be the motivating factor as well as PR and off campus work authorization.

I am sure to read the success story soon.

LUCAS99:
Yes I am still in the United States and I meet all the requirements for an interview waiver that was the reason I applied for an F-1 Student Visa Renewal application through the DropBox Visa Renewal Program.The reason I applied for a renewal is because I have an urgent humanitarian situation that require my presence back in Nigeria.

The chances have been outlined, your passport is presently with the embassy. The chances are slim for your return or visa renewal. The best bet is to look for a way to take care of the humanitarian visit without your presence.

I think its up to you to decide.

LUCAS99:
I was planning to file for an advance parole document but however a friend of mine explained the likely scenarios to me so I was kinda confused

Scenario 1
If I file and receive an advance parole document prior to departure from the United States. During reentry I will be paroled into the United States as an applicant for adjustment of status. As a result my F-1 student status will be automatically terminated. If that happens that means I will not be able to continue attending school until my Form I-130 is approved by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). But the problem here is that I still want to continue attending school since I will be graduating this year.

Scenario 2
If I Depart the United States without an advance parole to attend my nonimmigrant visa interview if my F-1 student visa is approved during reentry I may be denied entry into the United States by the POE officials on the basis of a pending I-130 immigrant petition filed on my behalf. He stated that since an F-1 visa was not a “dual intent” visa as a result under the dual intent status, the USCIS Officer at the border might deny me entry into the United States based on my pending Form 1-130 (intent to immigrate)

Please can you shed more light on the above scenarios and verify if the information outlined above is accurate.

Scenario 1 - You can not file an advanced parole with your present status. You can only file advanced parole if you have a pending I-485. I guess I don't need to go further on this since you don't even qualify to.

Scenario 2 - A more likely scenario.

slimmy05:
if you leave a line up to six months without recharge, the line will be disconnected and recycled. You would have dropped it with a bro or sis who will always recharge the line for you every 3-4months, or you can activate extended sim validity, it would allow your line to be inactive for a year till you recharge.

That's even a long process. I use my MTN line here in the US and recharge my line as if I were still home. I have a separate phone I put my MTN sim card into, I receive service here. MTN partners with AT&T/T-Mobile to offer international roaming services, so either AT&T shows up on my phone or T-mobile does. I check my balance using the usual *556#, receive texts (free), send texts (N50 per text) only when necessary because international texting with my US line is free, and sparingly make calls with my line (N300 to make a call, N100 to receive, all per minute). I simply recharge my line using the GTB online banking platform free of charge.

slimmy05:
K In addition, if you are to take along antibiotics, do well to get a signed and stamped doctors prescription so they cn allow you take it along.

No, you don't need to except if carrying unusually large amounts/bottles of drugs, then you'll need a prescription for them.

bigfrancis21:


No, you don't need to except if carrying unusually large amounts/bottles of drugs, then you'll need a prescription for it.

a friend wasn't allowed to take his antibiotics over. They asked for the prescription.

bigfrancis21:


That's even a long process. I use my MTN line here in the US and recharge my line as if I were still home. I have a separate phone I put my MTN sim card into, I receive service here. MTN partners with AT&T/T-Mobile to offer international roaming services, so either AT&T shows up on my phone or T-mobile does. I check my balance using the usual *556#, receive texts (free), send texts (N50 per text) only when necessary because international texting with my US line is free, and sparingly make calls with my line (N300 to make a call, N100 to receive, all per minute). I simply recharge my line using the GTB online banking platform free of charge.

yeah. Nice one

Horayce:

ok i'll be the first to admit that individual needs differ and the situation in houston is peculiar but my main issues were:
1. Some campuses are a 2-5 minute walk from where we would be taking lectures, that's a huge premium for someone who is a first timer in this country and doesn't have a car for now. Houston has a traffic problem as I discovered, and where i got a place, i would be riding a bus to and fro which is still fine with me till i get a car.
2. Your on campus housing monthly payment includes rent, furniture, utilities, cable television, and high speed internet. I took some advice I found on nairaland and tried to find off campus housing with a similar deal and could not. So I really hope to god that my bills (I don't need cable TV)would be reasonable, otherwise what extra savings I may think I'm pooling from staying off campus may be lost from transportation costs/bills.
3. In some dorms like calhoun lofts and Bayou oaks, u can rent out private/semi private apartments and are allowed to cook ur own meals.
4. The privacy concern is a matter of taste and personal needs, maybe if i were a younger/undergrad student i wouldn't have minded the opportunity to make friends that could last a lifetime, but i've already done that in my university days in Naija.

Yep I noticed too, most Nigerians here are really doing well or at least better than african americans. Very encouraging i must admit. And we dey go school sha, almost every non african american I see on campus is a nigerian.

1) I guess our campus situations and conditions are different. Dorms (+meal plan) in my campus are expensive, and there are lots of cheaper housing options off campus, thus saving you about $3,000 to $5,000. Room in a house is usually the cheapest. Several on-campus dorms cost between $7,000 to $9,000 per annum whereas with an off-campus house of $400 only you pay $4,800 per year, and with average utilities per person running at about $60 - $80 per month, you wouldn't expect to pay more than $800 per year, the amount of which depends on the usage of utilities. The less energy, water, light, gas you use the lesser the utilities you pay. Some rents come with utilities included in them, hence you don't need to pay extra in utilities. For less costlier states in the south, rooms in a house go for as cheap as $300, with utils included, i.e only $3,600 per year. In much costlier states, expect $400 - $600 per month.

2) Loads of off-campus houses are very close to campus, within walking distances and along the school bus routes/stops. In this sense, it doesn't feel any different from on-campus living.

Personally, I and many people I know would prefer off-campus housing any day anytime to on-campus dorms. Dorms might make more sense, which actually does, for freshmen and undergraduates because college time is the best time to make long-lasting friends and network with people. The importance of networking in this country can never be underestimated. Many jobs in the US are advertised by word of mouth. Research shows that about 70% of jobs are filled by referrals (i.e. word of mouth, i.e. a position becomes vacant in a's company who refers b, his friend who needs a job, and b gets the job) before they make it to the advertorial section of the newspaper.

slimmy05:
a friend wasn't allowed to take his antibiotics over. They asked for the prescription.

I got in here with my antibiotics.

How large was the quantity/dosage he was carrying?

bigfrancis21:


I got in here with my antibiotics.

How large was the quantity/dosage he was carrying?

You're right on point. The dude bought for friends as well. Bought 2packs of Ampiclox and amoxil, ampicillin and flagyl, that's much truly.

I wil get a little.

LUCAS99:
Dear forumites I applied for a renewal of my F-1 Student Visa through the Drop Box Visa Renewal Program at the U.S. Consulate General Lagos, Nigeria on December 2014 but on Wednesday January 7th 2015 I received an e-mail from the Correspondence Unit (TMI) US CONSULATE GENERAL LAGOS, NIGERIA stating that the they needed to see me in person inorder to proceed with my case. But the problem I am having right now is that my school resumes on Monday January 12th, 2015 for the spring semester. It is advisable to depart the United States while school is so close to resumption. It is worthy of note to point out that when I was filling the DS-160 nonimmigrant Visa Petition I also mentioned the following information listed below
(1) That I have a pending immigrant petition filed on my behalf by my sibling
(2) That I have a valid work authorization card issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
(3) That I have four siblings currently residing in the United States three of whom are United States citizens and one a permanent resident

Ojap, Imperiouxx, Msna/s, bigfrancis21, Walspring, Zeezahbee and other forumites your inputs are highly appreciated.

I'd say your case is quite unprecedented to me. If I were you, at this point, I'd call the embassy from here, speaking to them directly, telling them I'm still in US, telling them of my non-immigrant + pending immigrant visa status, that I can't currently come in to the embassy in Nigeria since they are having my international passport, except they are willing to release my passport back to me, asking about the possibility of exploring other options other than coming in physically (i.e. what else can be done to get the issue resolved), and if they insist I come in physically, the likely visa decision outcome(s). This is something you really need to discuss with them on phone and at length. They'll figure out something out for you.

Remember, your pending immigrant case is never a reason to deny your non-immigrant visa. People have been granted non-immigrant visas to the US even with a pending immigrant visa petition.

imperiouxx:


I pay $93/mo Tmobile. Family of two plan.

You don't need to tell me who those 2 are...

LUCAS99:
Dear forumites I applied for a renewal of my F-1 Student Visa through the Drop Box Visa Renewal Program at the U.S. Consulate General Lagos, Nigeria on December 2014 but on Wednesday January 7th 2015 I received an e-mail from the Correspondence Unit (TMI) US CONSULATE GENERAL LAGOS, NIGERIA stating that the they needed to see me in person inorder to proceed with my case. But the problem I am having right now is that my school resumes on Monday January 12th, 2015 for the spring semester. It is advisable to depart the United States while school is so close to resumption. It is worthy of note to point out that when I was filling the DS-160 nonimmigrant Visa Petition I also mentioned the following information listed below
(1) That I have a pending immigrant petition filed on my behalf by my sibling
(2) That I have a valid work authorization card issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
(3) That I have four siblings currently residing in the United States three of whom are United States citizens and one a permanent resident

Ojap, Imperiouxx, Msnas, bigfrancis21, Walspring, Zeezahbee and other forumites your inputs are highly appreciated.

LUCAS99:
Dear abujaniv I'm a Nigerian living abroad please do I have to be physically present in Nigeria inorder to renew my F-1 Student visa through the Dropbox Renewal Service program or can I ask my sibling or friend to drop off the application confirmation sheet, passport photos, visa fee receipt, and appropriate forms to one of the DHL facilities in Abuja or Lagos.And when the visa is ready my sibling or sister can collect the passport with the visa attached on my behalf and mail it back to me in the United States.

abujaniv:


Dropbox is meant as a service for Nigerians living in Nigeria. If you are living abroad, there is a likely another US Embassy or Consulate closer to you that can handle your renewal.

You were advised against it but you still went ahead.