nefertitiram:


Bros, do you have travel history?

No sir

Let's call a spade a spade. There r 5 things you need to overcome to 'qualify' for US visa.

Purpose of trip: why are you going to US? It needs to be a solid reason. If you are going for vacation, you should have visited a couple of other countries on holiday before. For business or conference it should be related to your profession. For medical, there's a checklist.
Where in US you are going to: Believe it or not, where you are going to matters. Going to Alabama as a tourist is strange. Going to Alaska in winter is also strange. Going to disneyland as an adult with no kids is strange. Going to Las Vegas with kids is strange. So yhis needs to be also tight.

Financial status: can you afford the trip? This is where your job or sponsors strength comes in. As an adult over 21yrs or a graduate going on holiday you shouldn't use a sponsor. It's expected you should be financially stable as an adult.

Travel History: US VOs have limited time to question you. They will be glad to rely on UK Europe Canada Australia etcs decisions to come to theirs. Let's put it that those places have done the work for them. Also, if you frequent other not so strong countries that have sticker visas (not just stamps) they will also help as a tourist.

Social status: marriage, kids, makes them more comfortable because you are most likely not going to abandon them and marry akatarian for papers, and even if you do, it's a long painful journey.

These will only help you judge yourself before paying the 53k and not a yardstick for visa issuance. That is strictly left for the VO.

If you have no travel history and you apply for tourism, you are doing try your luck. Weddings are also seen as tourist visits. When I had no travel history, nothing took me to US embassy cos I felt I didn't qualify. I jejeje faced Dubai, Qatar, Kenya, Ethiopia, then graduated to UK before approaching US. I also waited till I was married, even though I had a good job where I earned over 200k since when I was 20yrs old. I got the visa on the 1st try.

This one that visa is now 53k. Please judge unaself first before paying.

The enitre write up is my opinion and is open to criticism.

OmoBendel24:


...In there lies all the pitfalls of our various applications. I for one, I'm of the view that their error margin is pretty low when dealing with our applications whether we accept this or not, let us ask ourselves questions in our inner minds/conscience no matter the English we speak here or however "tight" we deem our applications to be.

Note also that that you told the whole truth doesn't translate to qualification for the visa class one applies for. How good one fares with all their adjudicating indices put together is the in thing. Una doh oh!

For the bold, it goes to everyone intending to apply for any type of Visa class to enter the US, it also speaks to anyone that ha ever been granted Visas before, whether your documents were checked as a way of scrutinising your legitimacy or not. I'm glad to understand that we all are given privileges to enter their country as we do not know the yardstick codes used in judging our different cases.

There was a lady that posted her transcript some weeks ago, many must have thought she won't be granted going by the way her interview transcript portrayed her experience but in the end she was given. Let everyone post their t.scripts and void the [b]Issued/Given[/b]part and let us all analyse. No man pass God.

Lastly, let us all encourage one another brotherly love still exists. My 15 cents too. Long Live Nigeria.

amalab30:



Egbon Nefertitiram, what has travel history go to do with this?


I respect the process and I feel it should be a bit transparent.

I have explained above

nefertitiram:


I have explained above

Seen! Very exciting and deep but you aren't an employee of the US consular and You're not a VO, that's my criticism.

amalab30:

Seen! You're not a VO, that's my criticism.

Who are YOU Johny come lately To critisize ANYONE here?
Never mind someone with thousands of posts!

Travel history plays a role. Make no mistake about this.

It is note the sole determining factor, but it is a factor - and sometimes a very important one. But it is better to have no travel history than to have a fraudulent travel history.

amalab30:



Seen! Very exciting and deep but you aren't an employee of the US consular and You're not a VO, that's my criticism.

I'm an Ajala traveller and I have scouted the entire internet to come up with those assumptions.

And yes, I'm no VO, Dats why someone will have all 5, see himself as qualified and VO will still deny them visa.

I forgot to add, prior misinterpretation, criminal background, village witches, etc

worry359:


Who are YOU Johny come lately To critisize ANYONE here?
Never mind someone with thousands of posts!

Has all the strength of your arguments been based on the length of your stay on Nairaland? Stop 'worry'ing. Continue to mind people with millions o Posts.

nefertitiram:


I'm an Ajala traveller and I have scouted the entire internet to come up with those assumptions.

And yes, I'm no VO, Dats why someone will have all 5, see himself as qualified and VO will still deny them visa.

I forgot to add, prior misinterpretation, criminal background, village witches, etc

Because you're denied Visa doesn't mean you aren't qualified, I for one believe issuing of Visas is at the discretion of the VOs regardless of your status. Many people have been granted Visas with no travel history.

LagosNIV:
Travel history plays a role. Make no mistake about this.

It is not the sole determining factor, but it is a factor - and sometimes a very important one. But it is better to have no travel history than to have a fraudulent travel history.

Thanks for the clarification LagosNIV, some people on this thread 'assumed' otherwise thus making intending applicants rush for fake stamps.

No matter how we preach #DO NOT PATRONISE TOUTS AND AGENTS, many have resorted to using them because they need a lift to their status and ties as some of 'thread VOs' would always assume.

It's better to keep it simple and accurate than the fake stamps and be banned.

A lady posted on t.scripts here and she earns 80k ($210) per month and not married but engaged yet no travel history and was granted.

We all was like, she was lucky. So?

I haven't travelled because I do not need have the time and other options options there to prove my ties.

amalab30:



Because you're denied Visa doesn't mean you aren't qualified, I for one believe issuing of Visas is at the discretion of the VOs regardless of your status. Many people have been granted Visas with no travel history.

Yes, at their discretion, but never on some blind discretion. There are indices /factors /statistics on which your entire application will be gauged! How well we fare with these counts much.

OmoBendel24:

Yes, at their discretion, but never on some blind discretion. There are indices /factors /statistics on which your entire application will be gauged! How well we fare with these counts much.

Your civility will always be appreciated.

So someone must not have an opinion because he is just posting on Nairaland. Be deceiving yourselves. Waiting for the day America will employ you all mothers and fathers of visas.

quote author=worry359 post=48758742]

Who are YOU Johny come lately To critisize ANYONE here?
Never mind someone with thousands of posts![/quote]

amalab30:



Seen! Very exciting and deep but you aren't an employee of the US consular and You're not a VO, that's my criticism.

Actually what she says has been stated by the VOs. The video link is on the ist page of this thread

LadyGuinivere:

Actually what she says has been stated by the VOs. The video link is on the ist page of this thread

I have heard you. Thank you ma.

iyaaliyah:
So someone must not have an opinion because he is just posting on Nairaland. Be deceiving yourselves. Waiting for the day America will employ you all mothers and fathers of visas.

quote author=worry359 post=48758742]

Who are YOU Johny come lately To critisize ANYONE here?
Never mind someone with thousands of posts!

Help tell them o.

depiero:
Hello gurus in the house, you guys are really doing a great job here. God bless you all.

I have a question to ask.
I am about booking a flight to the US, my POE is Orlando Florida, but found out that it's way cheaper going through New York. The exchange rate is not helping matters at all. I plan to take a train to Florida from New York. Please is this decision going to be a problem?.

Train to florida from new york? Omo that is a very long journey. I bet you, the officer at POE is gonna question that. Do you know how many miles that trip is? You might end more spending more on train tickets.

amalab30:


Thanks. I've moved over it bro. Transferred aggression was also noted in our case. Thank you and May God bless us all.

Amen and Amen

austinosita:


Yes, I don't have a fairly acceptable travel history!
Tho, I'm no more interested.

Thanks for ur time

Yes you are. That's partly why you're posting here. I bet if you were offered another opportunity to go there, possibly to perform professionally at a show (perhaps one where you'd meet someone like Jay Z) you would jump at it.

Which is why this your angry, unfettered rant at VO was very ill-advised. I hope for your sake you did not register on NL with the same details you used in your application.

A big part of being a man is to heed the words of Rudyard Kipling: "If you can meet with triumph and disaster, and treat those two impostors just the same; yours is the earth and everything that's in it".

You will meet failures in your life and in your career (and one visa denial is inconsequential in the larger scheme of things). You will also meet success (possibly blow to the point where it's the embassy that will call you to mentor young others).

The key, as Kipling writes so beautifully, is to stay level-headed and use each experience to make yourself a better person.

Davido told a story of how he was dissed on the road by a police officer during a stop when he told him he was a singer. He said that made him determined to be a star, and his first big hit was born out of that experience.

On a final note, my advice to you is put a leash on the anger inside of you, join with the resident experts here (including Lady G, who I think you should man up and apologize to) and analyze the possible reasons for your denial.

Trust me, you will be better for it.

My 2 kobo (not worth much, I know)

@9jaStar

My details every where on internet has been the same........same on NL, same on the application!

If hopefully I get to hit it big in 9ja musically, and I'm being invited over there for a performance, they wouldn't deny me cos they must have been seeing me on their TV's, listening and enjoying my songs. So they'll have no choice than to give me!

I replied your "mama G" the arsh way she responded to my post, but anyways, because it's her thread and being a lady, I'm sorry mama G! I'm a gentle man

Last Note: trust me, I'm so happy now and I've moved on, and I've no interest again!! I never had any interest before if not for my bro. He was very instrumental at mine!

Thanks to you for ur advice and time

austinosita:
@9jaStar

My details every where on internet has been the same........same on NL, same on the application!

If hopefully I get to hit it big in 9ja musically, and I'm being invited over there for a performance, they wouldn't deny me cos they must have been seeing me on their TV's, listening and enjoying my songs. So they'll have no choice than to give me!

I replied your "mama G" the arsh way she responded to my post, but anyways, because it's her thread and being a lady, I'm sorry mama G! I'm a gentle man

Last Note: trust me, I'm so happy now and I've moved on, and I've no interest again!! I never had any interest before if not for my bro. He was very instrumental at mine!

Thanks to you for ur advice and time

Its not my thread. Its NL thread. Sorry if my intentions were misconstrued. I just wanted to point out that in my opnion the posts wouldn't do much in the way of helping you. 9jastars quote is apt. No matter how upset you are, never bang a door shut because you never know when you may need to pass through that door again.
So if you don't ever want to reapply, its ok. Its your choice. My only prayer is that Naija gets to the point that the people are respected and accorded the worth we ought to be

Lovely, Amen.

LadyGuinivere:

Its not my thread. Its NL thread. Sorry if my intentions were misconstrued. I just wanted to point out that in my opnion the posts wouldn't do much in the way of helping you. 9jastars quote is apt. No matter how upset you are, never bang a door shut because you never know when you may need to pass through that door again.
So if you don't ever want to reapply, its ok. Its your choice. My only prayer is that Naija gets to the point that the people are respected and accorded the worth we ought to be

LadyGuinivere:

Its not my thread. Its NL thread. Sorry if my intentions were misconstrued. I just wanted to point out that in my opnion the posts wouldn't do much in the way of helping you. 9jastars quote is apt. No matter how upset you are, never bang a door shut because you never know when you may need to pass through that door again.
So if you don't ever want to reapply, its ok. Its your choice. My only prayer is that Naija gets to the point that the people are respected and accorded the worth we ought to be

Thanks

It is your thread on Nairaland! You are the OP!

I understand some people's grievances making payment for a service and not getting returns as the case may be.

But make no mistake about this before we go all out at each other's throat so to say, getting your application approved for a U.S. visa is one of the easiest and overly straight forward application you can ever imagine.

All you require is a holistic assessment of your current economic situation in your home country. You need to truthfully make an assessment and not be biased.

NOTE: Once you're skeptical about your chance at an interview, then you should know that this is an indication you might be refused.

Having an income of six or seven digits monthly, never transcends to qualifying for a visa approval as some applicants think. Your reason for travel and overall assessment of your economic, social and family ties counts in final outcome either leading to an Administrative Processing (for few lucky ones), or an Outright Issuance (for the privileged/favoured few).

Previous travel history can help sway an application in one's favour only in certain circumstances and not applicable to all applicants as some people think.

Above all, we must remember that there has always been a clause (visa fee payment is non refundable even after a refusal) and no one has ever been forced to cough out visa application fee as the case may be (if you can afford a trip, why bother about a visa fee (fraction of the overall cost of a trip).

Once your application is refused, it means you're not qualified at the time irrespective of your assumed economic status then. This means you have not been able to convince a CO of your non immigrant intent or otherwise in the few minutes allotted to you.

Mind you, the CO do not have any knowledge about your person before this interview, he/she only base his/her judgement on your profile, which you entered yourself while filling the DS-160.

So if in 2 minutes or less you cannot explain or introduce yourself, how can you blame a CO for denying your application.

It is better to state your current case as it is, than padding your status and subsequently be busted through further investigations by the Embassy /Consulate.

Not everyone is lucky, be warned!

Hello house, apologies in advance if this seem like a question with an 'obvious answer'. Please, do I need a passport photo to fill out my DS 160 form or is it required for only the interview?