lagdude:
Thanks for your response V.O,but you are yet to help with the 2nd question that is on a general visa issued by your consulate,want to know the exact expiration month of the visa if it is 6months and issued on say 29th October,2013.please dont get crossed with my question just arguing with someone and need to get the real fact.

Thanks and cheers

If a six-month visa is issued on 29-OCT-2013, the expiration date ought to be 28-APR-2014.

(In practice, sometimes we try to issue on 29-OCT-2013 with the expiration date of 28-APR-2014, and then something goes wrong with the computer and the visa doesn't get printed until 01-NOV-2013, but the expiration date stays as 28-APR-2014 unless someone manually changes it to 30-APR-2014.)

bamideleniayo: Greetings VO, thank u so much for ur reponse to my previous post..
Pls I just want a little clarification on this..!
Once a DV lottery winner receives his / her Visa..; Is there a stimulated period of time in which the said individual must make use of the Visa once issued..? Thnks..!

The visa must be used before it expires. If for any reason it can't be used, and we reissue it.. .well, we CAN'T reissue after Sept. 30 of that DV season, no matter what. The computers won't let us.

Hi VO,my wife went for an interview few months back and she was refused and the consular that interview her told her she can't issue a visa for her untill she brings her husband.The consular gave her visa pick up ticket(green colour) to come back with her husband for the visa.i want to know now do we need to go with the visa pick up ticket if we want to apply and will they issue the visa for us if we go together because we have not apply since then.many thanks

VisaOfficer:

Ah, sorry to have misled you! Yes, the DS-230 is still being used for Diversity Visa applicants. Sorry, I'm so used to saying "DS-260, DS-260, DS-260" these days, I forgot about this exception. You can fill out the DS-230 for the baby.

Thank you, apology wholeheartedly accepted.

I got another reply to a follow up e-mail sent to LagosIV@state.gov
it is as follows:

Dear M.. ..........,
Thank you for your email. Diversity Visa applicants are not required to fill out the DS-260. You are required to fill put DS-230 on behalf of your baby. Please visit http://travel.state.gov/visa/forms/forms_1342.html
Sincerely

so, on behalf of every member of the family, I say a big thank you for all swift responses.

My advice:
If a tread like this is not dis-continued, it will ease your work and cut totally, all touting activities.
Can you imagined that at the discovery of NAIRALAND, I have not discuss our wining with anybody and we can say we have most information needed for our success.
More testimonies after the interview Day (which I guess u know)
once again, thank you and God Bless you

Hi VO, kindly assist on this issue My mom applied for a US visa and was told by the lady dat interviewed her dat her application will go through administrative process.she was told they will get back to her in 2weeks.its almost a month now and she hasn't gotten a feedback.what could be wrong.my sister n I got my own US visa without any admistrative process last year(and we where both invited by my brother who is a US citizen).how long will my mom hv to wait

VisaOfficer:

214(b) would be appropriate if the fake docs made the officer lose all faith in the applicant's credibility, but if they weren't necessarily material to the case. For instance, a student visa applicant who for some reason brought in fake academic credentials that he didn't need to qualify for the visa, when he was otherwise qualified with legitimate documents . Say he really did have a high school diploma and good high school transcripts, and for some reason he also presented fake documents from an associate's degree program. That would ruin his credibility, but you don't need an associate's degree to qualify for a student visa, so it's not material, really. Make sense? I know it's a strange distinction.

So, the applicant denied under 214(b) because the VO noticed a fake doc.

Would it affect him the 2nd attempt?
Does it has any effect on his rest of applications for VISA to the US?

jeff1980: Hi VO,my wife went for an interview few months back and she was refused and the consular that interview her told her she can't issue a visa for her untill she brings her husband.The consular gave her visa pick up ticket(green colour) to come back with her husband for the visa.i want to know now do we need to go with the visa pick up ticket if we want to apply and will they issue the visa for us if we go together because we have not apply since then.many thanks

Good morning VO,am still waiting for ur reply regarding my question.thanks

A million thanks to u sir 4 ur selfless help to info-hungry individuals.
My problem started wen a family friend played d DVlottery 4 me thru an agent, who used my hometown as my place of birth. Wen I was selected and was about filling my forms, the agent warned me dat I shud maintain my hometown as my place of birth, stressing dat doing otherwise will mean automatic disqualification. I conceded to d agents suggestion due to 3 reasons, namely: 1. I had no knowledge of DV lottery and its processes and only participated by bringing my photo and data with wch they played 4 me. 2. because I haven't paid d agent d charges he demanded b4 he gives me my documents and password. 2. The family friend who played it 4 me advised me to concede to his friend's ( d agent) instruction. 3.
When i got my Confirmation number and 1st Notification letter from d agent after paying his charges, and got adequate information Nairaland about DV processes, I decided to correct the error.
But I am worried dat d complexity of not making d correction wen filling d forms in d 1st instance will affect my progress in d interview. I need ur ever helpful guidance.
Thanks once again 4 ur selfless help to the needy.

Good evening sir, is it advisable to apply for a visa in Ghana? Am a Nigerian and I've been in Ghana for four years.

Amefrica:

Yes, you are right! Honesty is the best. So, fake docs have nothing to do with 214(b)?

Hm. I smell a rat.

Hi VO,
I really appreciate how you answer the questions here...Am a DV winner 2005 but i came to the states 2008 after all the processes,am now an american citizen.I applied for a fiancee visa for my fiancee since june of this year 2013,with all necessary documents ,pictures..i just got a letter that it has been approved.Pls what is the next step to do?From the letter i got i was asked to contact the consulate with any questions about visa issuance.Please i will be grateful if you answer me because we have a very short time for this notice.Thanks

VisaOfficer:

The visa must be used before it expires. If for any reason it can't be used, and we reissue it.. .well, we CAN'T reissue after Sept. 30 of that DV season, no matter what. The computers won't let us.

Thanks VO... But what I really want to know is ... Once the Visa has been issued, is the expiry date written on the Package\Visa once issued. How do we get to know when it gets expired because for some reasons, someone or even majority may decide not travel immediately.. Thnks, really apreciate.

Hello VisaOfficer, I am resident in America and together with my wife, we have invited my mother to visit us this holiday season. We have a 16month old daughter which my mother was helping to teach my local language when she visited us in Paris earlier in the year(my wife worked for a UN agency in Paris and my mom came to visit and stay with her and the baby while I worked in the US). My wife applied for my mother to come to the US with them after she resigned her job at the UN agency in Paris and decided to come back home to America, but my mother felt so nostalgic that she begged to go back home to Nigeria and come to America at a later date. After much persuasions to no avail. we canceled the visa interview already scheduled in Paris and she went back to Nigeria. Now that we reapplied for her to come visit in America, she was told during the visa interview that her previous application in Paris was still open and will need to be closed out before she can be issued a visa. Her passport was collected from her and she was placed on 'administrative processing'. The consular officer told her they will have to close out the application in Paris before they issue her a visa. This is the end of the first week and I have been checking the status via the CEAC website and still no change in status. I was able to find the previous Paris application and when I checked the status, it stated 'ready'. I tried to see if I can find a way to cancel that application in Paris but apparently there seem to be no way of doing that online. I have heard about the uncertainty of waiting for 'administrative processing' and the length of time it takes for some people before they can get their passport back and I think in my mother's case, this will completely disrupt the plan and reason for her visit which is to spend the Christmas holiday with my daughter. Is there a way this process can be done faster? We live in a modern era where information technology and communication are transmitted in megabits per second. Even though I understand there is need for special administrative processing for certain applicants, I don't understand why it will take more than 48 hours to carry out an administrative processing for a simple reason as my mother's case in which my wife had thought that canceling the appointment for visa interview in Paris will cancel out the application. Thank you.

VisaOfficer: Another note: If you're applying to renew a non-immigrant visa, you may be able to use our new dropbox system! It saves you time and lets us interview more people every day, so, happiness all around. Here's what our website says:

Have you traveled to the United States before? You may be eligible to renew your United States non-immigrant visa without being interviewed by a consular officer using the Dropbox Renewal program if you meet the following eligibility requirements:

1.You are applying for a visa in the same classification as your previous U.S. non-immigrant visa.
2.You were not refused a visa at your most recent interview for a U.S. non-immigrant visa.
3.You are applying at a U.S. Consulate or U.S. Embassy in the country of your normal residence.
4.No more than 12 months have passed since your previous U.S. non-immigrant visa expired.

If you meet the above eligibility requirements, you may apply for a renewal of your U.S. non-immigrant visa using the Dropbox Renewal process.

Please visit the Visa Appointment Instructions page at http://nigeria.usembassy.gov/niv_appointmnent_instructions.html to schedule your renewal appointment. When you arrive to the Embassy or Consulate, inform the greeter that you are eligible for the Dropbox Renewal program.

Does that mean a student continuing studying is qualify for this Dropbox Renewal program and can apply in the US without the need of going outside the US territories for renewal? Thanks

Regarding my original post about receiving a  (212)(a)(6)(c)(i) for a k1 visa denial. Is this the blanket determination one receives when their K1 is denied? Which would make you ineligible to reapply for any visa or rebuttal because wouldn't this eventually require a waiver even if you were approved upon filing a second time? My question is regarding honest petitioners with a sincere relationship who in no way misrepresented any information in their petition but still get denied? There's lots of rumors about quotas? My question is do you believe its possible to receive this decision unjustifiably when filling in high fraud consulates like Nigeria? Besides calling a lawyer or senator, how could someone who inaccurately received this verdict become exonerated?

We all are very appreciative of your time & consideration regarding all our concerns. Thanks VO!

[quote author=jeff1980][/quote]

Hi VO,my wife went for an interview few months back and she was refused and the consular that interview her told her she can't issue a visa for her untill she brings her husband.The consular gave her visa pick up ticket(green colour) to come back with her husband for the visa.i want to know now do we need to go with the visa pick up ticket if we want to apply and will they issue the visa for us if we go together because we have not apply since then.many thanks

VisaOfficer:

I'm not sure how things work from the NVC side or how long it takes to get a case number. Once your K1 petition has been approved by DHS, NVC will notify you that your petition is on its way to post. At that point, you should download and complete the Interview Preparatory Packet available at http://nigeria.usembassy.gov/immigrant_visa_forms.html . Also, the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos will contact you when your petition has arrived at post so that you may schedule your appointment.

The Immigrant Visa Unit will be open to the public on Dec. 23, closed Dec. 24-27 (Christmas Eve, Christmas, Boxing Day, last Friday of the month), open on Dec. 30, and 31, closed Jan. 1, then back to business as usual.

Morning VO. Thank you for the information and your response. My next question is if a petitioner mistakenly submitted his/her original documents during the I 129F application like a citizen certificate I hope the beneficiary can demand it back after the interview on her behalf? Is there any other way to go about it? She thought she was suppose to submit the original copies not a photo copy. Please advice.

ehosoros:
thank u so much pls dont forget to keep me posted as promised. thanks

Just in case you haven't heard: Nigeria is not eligible to participate in the 2015 Diversity Visa program. This is because only countries that have sent fewer than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the past five years are eligible (that's been the rule since the program was created), and as of this year, Nigeria has surpassed the 50,000 mark. The ineligibility isn't a reward or a punishment, it just means that Nigeria no longer qualifies.

Also, this has nothing to do with immigration reform, which may or may not pass this year (Congress works in mysterious ways). If the immigration reform bill passes, I'll let you know.

janut: Its heartwarming to know that u guys really care about those who genuinely wants to come to ur country. Thanks for taking out ur time to inform us.
Please kindly assist on this issue as regards my chances of obtaining a visa-
I am one of the winners of DV 2014 lottery along with my spouse. In my original application there was an error in my year of birth although the day and month are correct just the year. I have contacted kcc on the issue and I was told to fill in the correct year while submitting my forms as they cannot make any changes to the application.
Also I wish to state that all my documents has my actual date of birth.
Once again I wish to know if this error would affect my chances.
Warm regards.

Good morning! Don't worry, this mistake will not disqualify you. It happens all the time. We'll probably ask you a couple extra questions when you get here, but no big deal. Good luck!

Modifying my previous post: Oops, accidentally responded a second time to a question from July... I blame my computer...

jeff1980: Hi VO,my wife went for an interview few months back and she was refused and the consular that interview her told her she can't issue a visa for her untill she brings her husband.The consular gave her visa pick up ticket(green colour) to come back with her husband for the visa.i want to know now do we need to go with the visa pick up ticket if we want to apply and will they issue the visa for us if we go together because we have not apply since then.many thanks

Sounds like we want to interview both of you to see if the relationship is bona fide. We can't insist that the petitioner come to see us, but if the beneficiary says the petitioner will be in Nigeria anyway, sometimes we ask. Please send an e-mail to LagosIV@state.gov with the case number and tell us that both the petitioner and beneficiary are ready to be interviewed together. You might want to suggest some dates that would be convenient for you.

Obatide:

Thank you, apology wholeheartedly accepted.

I got another reply to a follow up e-mail sent to LagosIV@state.gov
it is as follows:

Dear M.. ..........,
Thank you for your email. Diversity Visa applicants are not required to fill out the DS-260. You are required to fill put DS-230 on behalf of your baby. Please visit http://travel.state.gov/visa/forms/forms_1342.html
Sincerely

so, on behalf of every member of the family, I say a big thank you for all swift responses.

My advice:
If a tread like this is not dis-continued, it will ease your work and cut totally, all touting activities.
Can you imagined that at the discovery of NAIRALAND, I have not discuss our wining with anybody and we can say we have most information needed for our success.
More testimonies after the interview Day (which I guess u know)
once again, thank you and God Bless you

Thank you! We don't mind ALL the touts. Sometimes touts are useful, especially for people who don't have internet access. We are very much opposed to touts who are only in it for the money and who take advantage of honest applicants, though. Those guys make me angry...

kunby: Hi VO, kindly assist on this issue My mom applied for a US visa and was told by the lady dat interviewed her dat her application will go through administrative process.she was told they will get back to her in 2weeks.its almost a month now and she hasn't gotten a feedback.what could be wrong.my sister n I got my own US visa without any admistrative process last year(and we where both invited by my brother who is a US citizen).how long will my mom hv to wait

Administrative processing can take days or it can take months. We try to do it as quickly as possible. There are a lot of different reasons why a case might need administrative processing, so I really don't know what to tell you. My advice is to e-mail LagosNIV@state.gov and ask what the status of the case is.

jeff1980:

Good morning VO,am still waiting for ur reply regarding my question.thanks

If you ask your question at 5:07 p.m., you're probably not going to get a response until the next working day...

Amefrica:

So, the applicant denied under 214(b) because the VO noticed a fake doc.

Would it affect him the 2nd attempt?
Does it has any effect on his rest of applications for VISA to the US?

It could very well continue to have an effect. We now know that the applicant is not very credible and is willing to present falsified documents. Even though he's not permanently ineligible, future officers will be less likely to take anything he says at face value. (There's a nuanced difference between being ineligible to travel to the U.S., and not being qualified for a visa.) Fake documents are never a good idea!

chiwuike20: A million thanks to u sir 4 ur selfless help to info-hungry individuals.
My problem started wen a family friend played d DVlottery 4 me thru an agent, who used my hometown as my place of birth. Wen I was selected and was about filling my forms, the agent warned me dat I shud maintain my hometown as my place of birth, stressing dat doing otherwise will mean automatic disqualification. I conceded to d agents suggestion due to 3 reasons, namely: 1. I had no knowledge of DV lottery and its processes and only participated by bringing my photo and data with wch they played 4 me. 2. because I haven't paid d agent d charges he demanded b4 he gives me my documents and password. 2. The family friend who played it 4 me advised me to concede to his friend's ( d agent) instruction. 3.
When i got my Confirmation number and 1st Notification letter from d agent after paying his charges, and got adequate information Nairaland about DV processes, I decided to correct the error.
But I am worried dat d complexity of not making d correction wen filling d forms in d 1st instance will affect my progress in d interview. I need ur ever helpful guidance.
Thanks once again 4 ur selfless help to the needy.

Greetings! Don't worry, it's not a disqualification. Just be prepared to explain to the officer. We know what agents are like, so we won't hold it against you. Of course, you'll have to show that you qualify academically, also...

spongeisback: Good evening sir, is it advisable to apply for a visa in Ghana? Am a Nigerian and I've been in Ghana for four years.

You can apply wherever you are. The thing is that we officers are only familiar with the countries we've worked in, so an officer in Ghana may not understand some details of your background in Nigeria. But if you qualify for a visa, you should qualify in Ghana as well as in Nigeria. Good luck!

Suchie: Hi VO,
I really appreciate how you answer the questions here...Am a DV winner 2005 but i came to the states 2008 after all the processes,am now an american citizen.I applied for a fiancee visa for my fiancee since june of this year 2013,with all necessary documents ,pictures..i just got a letter that it has been approved.Pls what is the next step to do?From the letter i got i was asked to contact the consulate with any questions about visa issuance.Please i will be grateful if you answer me because we have a very short time for this notice.Thanks

Congratulations! If you go to http://nigeria.usembassy.gov/immigrant_visa_forms.html you can download the K1 packet. Also, when your case arrives at post, we'll contact you with instructions for scheduling an interview date. Here's what our website says:

Fiance/Fiancee visas (K1s, K3s)
If your K1 or K3 petition has been approved by the Department of Homeland Security and you have received notification from the National Visa Center that your petition is on its way to post, you should download and complete the following application. The U.S. Consulate General in Lagos will contact you when your petition has arrived at post so that you may schedule your appointment. If you have questions, you may e-mail LagosIV@state.gov. [Click to open "Interview Preparatory Packet (K1, K3)" PDF 442KB]

bamideleniayo:
Thanks VO... But what I really want to know is ... Once the Visa has been issued, is the expiry date written on the Package\Visa once issued. How do we get to know when it gets expired because for some reasons, someone or even majority may decide not travel immediately.. Thnks, really apreciate.

Every visa has an expiration date printed on it, near the bottom right-hand corner.

VisaOfficer:

It could very well continue to have an effect. We now know that the applicant is not very credible and is willing to present falsified documents. Even though he's not permanently ineligible, future officers will be less likely to take anything he says at face value. (There's a nuanced difference between being ineligible to travel to the U.S., and not being qualified for a visa.) Fake documents are never a good idea!

*thumb up* Good job! Keep it up..

chizzobah: Hello VisaOfficer, I am resident in America and together with my wife, we have invited my mother to visit us this holiday season. We have a 16month old daughter which my mother was helping to teach my local language when she visited us in Paris earlier in the year(my wife worked for a UN agency in Paris and my mom came to visit and stay with her and the baby while I worked in the US). My wife applied for my mother to come to the US with them after she resigned her job at the UN agency in Paris and decided to come back home to America, but my mother felt so nostalgic that she begged to go back home to Nigeria and come to America at a later date. After much persuasions to no avail. we canceled the visa interview already scheduled in Paris and she went back to Nigeria. Now that we reapplied for her to come visit in America, she was told during the visa interview that her previous application in Paris was still open and will need to be closed out before she can be issued a visa. Her passport was collected from her and she was placed on 'administrative processing'. The consular officer told her they will have to close out the application in Paris before they issue her a visa. This is the end of the first week and I have been checking the status via the CEAC website and still no change in status. I was able to find the previous Paris application and when I checked the status, it stated 'ready'. I tried to see if I can find a way to cancel that application in Paris but apparently there seem to be no way of doing that online. I have heard about the uncertainty of waiting for 'administrative processing' and the length of time it takes for some people before they can get their passport back and I think in my mother's case, this will completely disrupt the plan and reason for her visit which is to spend the Christmas holiday with my daughter. Is there a way this process can be done faster? We live in a modern era where information technology and communication are transmitted in megabits per second. Even though I understand there is need for special administrative processing for certain applicants, I don't understand why it will take more than 48 hours to carry out an administrative processing for a simple reason as my mother's case in which my wife had thought that canceling the appointment for visa interview in Paris will cancel out the application. Thank you.

Hmm, that's odd. I'd e-mail Paris directly and explain the situation. Oddly enough, their NIV Unit doesn't seem to have a public e-mail address, but if you e-mail citizeninfo@state.gov and cc LagosNIV@state.gov, someone somewhere should be able to forward your inquiry to the correct person.

imperiouxx:

Does that mean a student continuing studying is qualify for this Dropbox Renewal program and can apply in the US without the need of going outside the US territories for renewal? Thanks

No, they still have to come to the Embassy or Consulate to use the Dropbox program.