nice thread. i've been following it silently for the last couple of days. It reminds me so much of my own experience circa 2004-2005. Things dont seem to have changed much, still the same experience, same feeling of anxiety, same joy at getting your chance to head off to greener pastures. To those who have obtained their visas, congrats and welcome to the land of opportunities! To those who are still waiting . . . God be with you and grant you your hearts desires.

Ojap, your response to where you'd be working after school was ur undoing. You need to be be armed with a far better response next time.

my brodas, i really need help from you guys, i also wnat to apply to a school in US but i dont know how to go about it and i only have my WAEC pls i need help from you i want to know which school accepts WAEC and all

Hope to hear from you guys
stay blessed and 1 love

kwizzy212:

my brodas, i really need help from you guys, [b]i also wnat to apply to a school in US [/b]but i dont know how to go about it and i only have my WAEC pls i need help from you i want to know which school accepts WAEC and all

Hope to hear from you guys
stay blessed and 1 love

why do you want to apply to a school in the US? Simply because others are doing it and you think that's the easiest way out of nigeria? You dont seem to have any focus.

Hello Guy oh, I don reach USA OO But yawa still dey, I need help from those taking Masters program, please reach my on YM: bomny@yahoo.com is my Yahoo messenger email, I beg una make una come tell me how una take cope oooo I beg.

@ kwizzy212, read all the pages on this thread. You will get enough answers. If you do not have permanent internet access, get a flash drive, save the webpages and read offline at your pace. Simple.

Hello OjaP, I am sorry to hear about your refusal, my advice for you is that you should remain focus and continue to press, don't give up stay online you will find a date, study and go to the intervie again. I was refused on Monday and that same week Friday I got my Visa.

Superbrain thanks alot I am really greatfull, And hey davidylan no dey talk wat you don't know if you can't help sit one side, I have been traveling since I was 1 years old I have been to more than 10 cointries so don't think that I want to run out of Nigeria ooo as I dey talk to you I have 3 visa in my passpot, Plz anyone with any other solution for me plzzz

Brain plz, Can you send me a mail I will like to ask you somethings mk_4fana@ yahoo.com. Thanks

@ kwizzy, I've sent you the mail. But please ask you questions here so other members of the house can benefit and also contribute. You can add me on ym.

I learnt i cnt apply for emergency appointment since i have been denied once,i have an appointment for 9th bt my school resumes 10th,what do i do?

As per my interview,my graduate adviser adviserd i tell the consular that my dept has strng connections wt d oil cmpanies in bakersfield,dis is becos the location of d skul is near amazing Geology.Cos of dis i wil be able to attend their talks,use their lab and work on a thesis using their data thus gvin me a world experience Which geology is noted of.

but it was a pity the con7ular became furious on hearing this,he stood up and said why didnt u apply to Uni in Oklahoma,Arizona and Nevada thou he quoted d name directly,i told him that some offer Geology at only degree level and that sme do nt have my research interest.He said NO and started typing,i dont knw what he wants to hear,He askd for my transcript,i shwd him the WES Report and asked what i have been doing since 2006.i told him Nysc,cmputer training and my present job and asked what the company was into and i told him,he had no problem with that,He nw asked where i plan to work after my M.sc,i told him my intl experience and professionalism i might have gained would go a long way in making me add professional touch to the family biz and also serve as a consultant to any of the multinationals here in Nigeria.That was the details,please,advise on where i need corrections,So that i wont make same mistake again.Advices,suggestions and criticisms are most welcome.

I don't get you. Are you going for geology? If yes, then is your family in the oil and gas business (exploration and production)? Because I don't see how your course of study will make you add "professionalism" to your family business after your MSc.

If I'm wrong, then what is your stake in the business? Are you a director in the company and what document do you have that verifies that claim. If I was the consular, I would have had lots of questions to ask.

What course are you going for? What school? And what kind of business is your family into? Also, who is your sponsor. If I know all these, I can construct a valid argument for you.

Expecting your reply.

Yes,i am going for Geology,my family biz is into oil exploration.I am going for Masters,My dad is sponsoring,my school name is California state University,Bakersfield.Please,i need your advice,My school also resumes 10th and i have interview billed for 9th sept.What should i do?

The consular do not allow me to present any docs.

You have not answered the questions in the second paragraph of my previous post. Did you take the company documents with you during the interview?

Another thing I think you should do is find out a lot about Bakersfield. You'll have to convince the consular about your choice of School. Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana are more recognised for oil and gas related course. Create a "Unique Selling Point". What research have you done in the past? Is there a lecturer at the school whose research interests match yours? Did you communicate with the lecturer? If you did, print out such email. You main aim must be to show family ties. Get a letter from your family company stating categorically that you will return after your studies and the company's expectations. If you've been working there, get a study leave letter.

Asides the above, I advise you just lay it all at God's feet.

PS: you must be able to explain your preference for a not too popular university in California to other renowned unis in Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana. All the best.

I told him i am a Geologist with the company,thou,i do nt tell him about me being a director.Yes, i strongly agree with you that those schools are top ranking schools in Geology,thou i said all i knew bt i think it didnt work.If you have any strong points for me,please let me know.At house,if anyone has any point,please,let me knw.Thanks all for your concern.

Ok. If asked again, capitalize on two things. The first is the fact that you're a director in the company and will have to return to take on more senior responsibilities after your studies. You can say your exposure will also help you determine how you can improve on the company's current operations. Don't generalise. Be specific so you appear as someone who knows his onion. You can talk about advanced technology in geology that you hope to incorporate into the business when you return. Use some geological terms but be sure you know exactly what they mean.

Secondly, don't ever say your school is cheap! To defend why you opted for CSU Bakersfield, you best bet is to talk about your research interest. Talk about the project work you did in the university, and how Professor X is currently working on Project Y and how it interests you, what you hope to achieve with it (all these must tally with what you may have said initially about improving the family business when you return).

Also have documents to back any claim you make like your being a director, maybe a study leave letter, or the printout of an email showing that you communicated with a Professor at the school.

What else?

@ House, where is everyone? Gongo aso et al? Spring 2011 hopefuls, how far? Any acceptances, I-20s, yet?

@ojap since ur skl is resuming 10th, why not chil 4 spring. Since funds are not a challenge , the CO might doubt ur genuine intent. But if u insist, get a note frm ur schol with regards ur late resumptn. Get ur pops acct statmnt. And in addition 2 wat brain said, get a paper start scrible thru past posts and make up questions. No detail is too smal

@superbrain, pls i need your view about this issue, a friend of mine applied for the spring 2011 and his currently waiting for his I-20.He later found out his elder brother in yankee just filed for immigration visa on his behalf,so he wants to know if that will reduce his chances of getting his F-1,also if he is asked at the embassy if he has a relative in the US should he say yes or no.

@Ojap, Love your spirit bro, i strongly accept the points superbrain gave,also i believe you telling the consular there r some oil companies around the area where you can carry out research while in school propbably made the consular feel you wont come back because you might end up bn employed by the oil companies.I will strongly advice yo take along a study leave like superbrain said.Cheers bro!

@ House, we spring 2011 applicants lets come out and rub minds oh because 30 good heads are far better than 20 good heads oh

@ femiap, he should still go ahead. If he plans to use his elder brother as his sponsor then his chances are low. Is the elder brother a citizen? Honesty is key here.

Hello Everyone:
My Visa was refused twice and its over a year now,  A friend told me that a visa refusal history that has gone above 12 months is to be terminated from US Embassy Database. I just wanted to confirm if it's true.
I want to reapply for 4 years F1 visa, but my passport will expire in the year 2013. Will that be a problem in issuing a 4 years visa?
Please advice,

adedolaseu

They do not erase any refusal record.

Your passport is fit to apply for the visa.You might not understand the technicalities, but I know what am talking about.

Goodluck.

@ house
I need some help. My I-20 is out for spring 2011. I heard its not good for me to just take a single I-20 to d embassy. I need to know if this is true so that i can quickly make some more applications.

@ benom, it is a big fat lie! Your I-20 contains your SEVIS number cos it is SEVP generated. Don't even think of taking more than one to the embassy. Make use of the one you have. You're good to go. Are your documents set? I will advice you book an appointment for October so you can have ample time to sort yourself out before you leave Naija. All the best.

Thanks a million @ Superbrain.
What documents do u think i need from my uncle who is sponsoring me. We don't have thesame surname.
I need to know what documents they will neeed from me to show ties with him.

@ benom, take the following:

1. His bank statement which should be within the last six months with account balance of at least 60% more than the amount stated on your I-20.
2. A letter from his bank (on the bank letter-headed bank) stating his details- name, account number and account balance (both naira and dollar equivalent).

3. A sworn affidavit by your uncle stating his relationship to you, vouching for your conduct and character, and confirming himself as your sponsor all through your education.(he should state the school and course too to show that he is aware). You can get this done at the High Court in Ikeja if you're in Lagos or any other high court.

4. If he works, you need to get his employment letter, payslips, tax-clearance documents, etc. If he owns a business, get the particulars of the business, CAC certificate of registration, and tax documents.

I think thatz it. If anyone has more to contribute, please do so.

Benom, how do you hope to show your intent to return back after your studies? That is the most important.-

@Superbrain, thanks again. My uncle is willing to give me all i need. The only thing is that he can only release the photocopis of his business documents. Do u think they will accept a certified true copy attested by him and the court?
As per coming back home, i am the eldest of my family and has a lot of responsibilities as regards to my community. A letter from my community will show this

Hello good people,
i have been following this thread for quite a long time and i must say that you guys are just the best. I mean, all these infos been pasted on this thread cost millions, stil you guys giv it out for free. May God bless you all.
But mehn, i've gat a problem. I read civil engineering and graduated with a CGPA of 2.92 but i dont know how to go about the WES thing as am sure that wen converted by WES, it shuld be above 3.00.
So Please beloved niaralanders, help a brother here with neccesary info.
@ojap, i think u've gat some experience about it. Please kindly contribute and better stil add me on your YIM rufusuzoma@yahoo.com.
Thanks allot brofs,
1luv!

@ benom, I don't know about that oh. Try to convince him.

helo house, my friend wrote gmat yesterday and has been panicking. his unofficial gmat is 370. is that his final score?

help house, my friend wrote GMAT yesterday and has been panicking. his unofficial GMAT score as at yesterday is 370. is that his final score?