VisaOfficer:

If you've canceled the appointment for the 4th, you should keep the appointment you have on the 19th. You wouldn't be allowed in on the 4th because if you've cancelled it, your name is no longer on the list for that day.

The most recent note in our computer is "Rescheduled by applicant from 11/04 to 11/19 per ATLAS."

Amefrica: Dear VO,

How you doing today ?
Someone asked me to direct this question to you, she's not a nairalander..

"How can someone know, if he/she has been banned from entering United States ? Would the VO tell him/her at the embassy?"

Thanks.. Lemme know the answer and forward it to her.

nkkystel: Good day VO, thank you very much for the good work you are doing here. My fiance and I will be wedding soon, he's a GC holder. My question is I intend to bear his middle name as my lastname on my international passport.
Hope this will not be a problem anytime he files for me and when I will be going for my interview.

odewenwa:

Good day sir many thanks for the swift response please I would like to know the address I would send the e-mail to sir thanks a bunch.

Neldre: Pls, a friend of mine needs help. He applied 4 a lottery with an agent and filled d form with 1990 as date of birth but wen the agent was to submit, he changed it to 1987 without telling him. Nw he has won d lottery. D agent helped him forge a birth certificate of 1987 without changing all d year of graduation on his school certificates. He has nw been granted d visa bt has nt got the money to pay d agent d 500k he demanded or even fly out and the agent has seized his sealed envelope and also threatening him that he would spoil his visa even though the visa is still with my friend. Can the visa be spoiled for real because of d error in date of birth and also what can he do to avert the situation?

kevwe_flex:

Wow! You are just too awesome.

peggykorol: Good day visa officer.my company is about buying some heavy duty machines from America which would amount to about 2 persons going to the us to inspect the machines.how do we go about applying for such visa.really out of ideas.thanks

Amefrica: Dear VO,

How you doing today ?
Someone asked me to direct this question to you, she's not a nairalander..

"How can someone know, if he/she has been banned from entering United States ? Would the VO tell him/her at the embassy?"

Thanks.. Lemme know the answer and forward it to her.

VisaOfficer:

My guess is that in the overwhelming majority of cases, if the person was actually banned, the VO would tell him/her. For instance, when I have applicants who are banned for 10 years, I tell them so, and I tell them the date that the ban will expire. Or if someone committed a criminal act that renders him permanently ineligible to ever enter the U.S. again, I'll tell him (in a privacy booth, of course). I can't imagine that someone would be banned and have absolutely no idea why; it takes effort to get yourself permanently banned.

On the other hand, there are also applicants who simply don't qualify for a visa. So it's not that they're permanently banned; it's that they may not qualify for a non-immigrant visa, for a variety of reasons. If someone in this situation gets refused over and over and over, I can see them thinking "Maybe I've been banned and no one's told me why" when the real answer is "I should stop applying for visas I'm not qualified for."

Amefrica:

Wow!! This is breathtaking, I think you should be paid for this selfless service ..

So if a VO tells an applicant "Sorry, your application does not qualify you for a non-immigrant visa this time" What are the reasons associated with the statement and can the applicant re-apply ?

2ndly, in what way do you guys say an applicant is banned ?

I'm sorry for the dumb questions..

VisaOfficer:
These aren't dumb questions at all! They're perfectly logical questions.

When we say "Sorry, your application does not qualify you for a non-immigrant visa at this time," we usually mean that the applicant has failed to convince us that s/he intends to abide by the terms of the visa, or to return home in a timely fashion. The applicant is welcome to reapply, but the next officer will be curious about why s/he qualifies now when s/he didn't qualify before. That's why applying twice in the same week is generally discouraged.

Take the example of someone who applied right after graduating from high school, no job, not enrolled in college, and he has an LPR brother in the United States (LPRs can't petition for siblings); to make the example more stark, the applicant can't really explain why he wants to go to the U.S. and how he intends to pay for the trip. We'll probably think "possible intending immigrant" and refuse the case. But then the kid goes to college, gets married, gets a good job, attends a few conferences in the UK and Canada, and comes back to us to apply for a visa again. At that point his circumstances have clearly changed, and it sounds to me like he has a good chance of receiving a non-immigrant visa. So the earlier refusal isn't a permanent ban.

When someone is permanently banned, we give them a letter that says, "This office regrets to inform you that you have been found ineligible to receive a visa under the following section(s) of the Immigration and Nationality Act..." And there is a list of possible ineligibilities; we mark the one that applies. For instance, "212(a)(6)(c)(i), material misrepresentation." There's also a box to check if the person is eligible for a waiver of the ineligibility, and we give them instructions for applying for the waiver, too.

If they're ineligible but it's not a permanent ban (say, they just need to submit additional documents), we tell them what they need to submit.

So people are informed when they're permanently ineligible.

That said, it can be a very confusing process for someone who has never applied for a visa before, so we understand that sometimes people don't really follow everything we've said. That's why we give them a letter to take home, in addition to explaining at the window.

Amefrica: Wow!! This is brilliant.. You are so right about people not following everything VOs says. For example, an applicant's VISA was approved all he would hear is ''I'm approving ur VISA, kindly go this address and .....*fades* he would not bother to listen to the remaining.

And when an applicant is refused VISA, all he would ear is "I'm sorry your application does not qualify you for 'this' VISA....*fades* due to...'' You are so right and i agree with you..

And If an applicant was refused VISA and he was given a paper 'under section 214(b)' i want you to tell me what might have led to that..

Also, if an applicant is refused, must he travel out of the country before going back to the embassy and get his VISA approved ?

BTW! I was at the American consulate (Lagos) last month with my dad but they didnt allow him to follow me in, which could have boosted my morale because i'm a minor (under 18)..

VisaOfficer:

We like people. You might want to put ATTN: IV CHIEF in the subject line...

i.kjay:
Dear V.O, i am getting prepare for that day to come. Also how many copies should be the affidavit of support my fiancee needs to fill in and send, and also she wants to include her letter of employee...which is that all i will be taking along to the embassy?? Thank you

VisaOfficer:


BTW, I always feel bad when I realize how confusing we unintentionally are. I always forget, too, until I have to apply for a visa somewhere else... and I'm always like "Wait! What did she say I was supposed to write on line 34.b? But wait, which line am I supposed to stand in? Could someone tell me again, please? Ack!"

okeymen:



but for you, how hard can that be? its not just an american passport you carry, its a diplomatic american passport!

VisaOfficer:

We're more concerned with the relationship itself than with the name you take. We may ask about it, but if the explanation makes sense, everyone's happy.

Amefrica: Wow! Good. Thanks for taking ur time to reply my questions (necessary & unnecessary questions )..

This should be all for today, though i still have more questions..

Have a nice day ahead. God bless you!

VisaOfficer:

K visas use the I-134 for the affidavit of support; you only need one copy. Your fiancee should also provide her income tax statements for the past three years if at all possible. Please also bring evidence of your relationship -- letters, photos, e-mails, whatever you have.

Good luck!

VisaOfficer:

Tell him not to pay the agent. Shame on that guy! He should contact us (LagosIV@state.gov) and we can recreate the original packet if need be. I'm not thrilled to hear that we've issued a visa with a false date of birth, but under the circumstances, we're not going to cancel the visa or anything. ~grumble grumble grumble~

dmoney104: Good day V O,
Tanks a lot for d great job dat u are doing, pls I want to make some inquiries in respect to student F1 visas, I was denied last year dec , d V O asked 4 any of d standizd result and I was not able 2 present any and he said @ dis point ur f1 visa cnt be granted bla blas, so I want 2 knw if it was becos of dis exams or d skul dat I applied 2(V I U), becos a frd told me dat some skuls in u,s has a Reg flag in embassy, am Writring toelf next month so I want 2 knw if I shud go bak wit dat same skul or apply 2 anoda skul maybe public or state uni. Tanks

Neldre:

sir, thank u so much. I've told him not to pay the agent but he said the agent wants to petition the embassy and report him of untrue birth certificate so that the embassy would seize the visa from him and then blacklist him. That has got him afraid. Pls, will they seize the visa if the agent petitions the embassy?

Ermo_71: Dear VO, well done for all the good counsel you've been offering. I just want to make an enquiry about my eligibility for a NIV? I got married to a Nigerian-US citizen man in 2006. We did the whole works- registry, traditional and church marriages here in Nigeria. I was finally able to join him in America legally in 2008 with a conditional spousal visa. I can't remember what they are called but I got something like a temporary green card and social security number. I was to renew the green card for a permanent one at the end of 2 years. Unfortunately my marriage didn't last up to that time and I got divorced. I tried to legalize my stay after the 2 years expired on my own with the help of an immigration lawyer. I got an extra 1 year added while I filed my application. I only had the tax documents of my ex-husband and I for submission. I didn't have all the other documents requested for eg joint bank account statements, car/ life insurance etc. the lady at the immigration office had requested I go and get those documents. My ex-husband was not going to help me out and I was already frustrated with the whole process. So I abandoned it midway and came back to Nigeria. My lawyer wanted me to see it through even to the stage of appeal but I was just so tired. I felt the immigration woman was going to deny me the permanent resident card b/c I would still not have the documents she requested for. I had already spent more than a thousand dollars on application fees. Had to pay the 500+ dollars fee twice. Sorry to cut my long story short, I came back to Nigeria Sept 2011. I was still legally able to stay in the US till then. I would like to ask from you if I can be eligible to visit America again on an NIV visa. I have an international conference I would like to attend next year. What are my chances or am I banned for life since I abandoned my application for permanent residency in 2011 and returned back to Nigeria. The hassle was just too much and I couldn't take it any longer. I'm a doctor and I came back to complete my residency. Sorry for the long post. I would most grateful if you can advice me. Thank you. Looking forward to hear from you.

hastron: Dear VO,Thanks for all your responses,you"ve been a life saver,Please i would need to verify somethings from you.My wife is a GC holder,She and my son have been in Nigeria since February,I need to Clarify is The period she can stay out of the US is six months or a year? there has been a time she stayed for more than six month and she travelled the seven month,She was not disturbed,She won The Visa Lottery 2010/2011 and she collected her GC by 2011.Would want to know if She can officially stay outside the US for more than Six months.Thank you