Lord hear my prayers o. Want to leave this country and enjoy values for my hard work

TWoods:
Don't buy a phone line from At&t, Verizon or Sprint

I would disagree with this. Verizon has about the best coverage in the US. Sprint can be quite spotty, though cheap. If you own directv, then you should definitely buy a phone line through AT&T. The lines are expensive for individuals but are worth the money for a family that burns through data. I find I can watch live TV through my phone without it counting against my data plan at all. win win for me.

why not allow him give his own point before you disagree..i hate over sabi people like you and you are just like the moderator of travel section.nonsense

rinzaugustine:
I believe most of us who are here legally have already done the aforementioned Do you know any legitimate business to invest in here like residential care home or sending used items back home and the procedure for setting it up

Hello.Selling of used items here in naija thrives, used to be in the business.You can contact me for more details...
kunleblackrule@gmail.com

cristianisraeli:



why not allow him give his own point before you disagree..i hate over sabi people like you and you are just like the moderator of travel section.nonsense

Lol, the guy don offend you before? I don't know what most people have against this guy. He says the bitter truth though, it just depends on the angle you read it from.

Please is it true that there is plan by United States embassy to increase the visa fee?

Blackpromise:

Hello.Selling of used items here in naija thrives, used to be in the business.You can contact me for more details...
kunleblackrule@gmail.com

Sent you a pm

following...

mikebrown92:
Nice one OP

You are really passing knowledge


Can i talk to you Outside NL pls? @sevule

Sure, send me a PM

Shop at discount stores, warehouse clubs and outlet stores

I could probably write a whole thread on getting stuff at highly discounted prices in stores. Coming from Nigeria where I learned to haggle in open markets, the mindset of getting a good deal stuck with me. The great thing about America is that even though you generally don't haggle, you can get amazing discounts if you only know how and when to buy. I used to think that Walmart was one of the cheapest places to buy groceries, clothes etcetera, boy was I mistaken!! Here are some tips I learned

1. One of the cheapest stores for groceries in the USA is Aldi not Walmart. If you have an Aldi near where you live, do yourself a favor and pay them a visit. You will be amazed at their prices.

2. If you have a family you will get massive savings by joining a warehouse club. A warehouse club is basically a store that sell bulk items cheaper than regular stores. I tend to favor Costco over Sams Club because they have a much better selection of products. Not only is food cheaper, but electronics, gas(fuel), drugs and alcohol is also cheaper at warehouse clubs.

3. Outlet stores are stores that sell things like electronics, furniture, designer clothing, furniture etc at discounted prices. If oyu are looking to buy any of these things, you might want to check an outlet store first

Craigslist and Ebay are your friends

Everybody knows Amazon is the number one online shopping site but people tend to forget about EBay. Generally when I want to buy something expensive, I check what the price is on Amazon and Ebay. Some things are cheaper on Ebay and some things are cheaper on Amazon, so it is good to check both sites. I have a ton of designer clothing on Ebay because it tends to be much cheaper on Ebay than Amazon. Also if oyu are looking at buying used electronics like phones, Ebay is the number one choice not Amazon. However there are some shady sellers on Ebay so always make sure you only buy products from sellers that accept returns. I once bought a Chinese Note 4 that an unscrupulous seller tried to pass off as the original thing. When I discovered the phone was fake, I quickly informed Ebay and they forced the seller to refund my money.

Craigslist is another hidden gem that most people do not use. Many Nigerians tend to use Craigslist only when they want to but cars but you can buy virtually anything on Craigslist. The great thing about Craigslist is that you can haggle and as a Naija boy I no dey carry last for that side. I have bought high end furniture(I love well made furniture) worth thousands of dollars for a few hundreds.

Not only can you buy stuff, you can even get a short term job on Craigslist. If you are looking to earn some money and you have time on your hands, you can get "sharp sharp" jobs on Craigslist.

However if you are buying stuff from Craigslist, MAKE sure you do your due diligence!! Some people are psychopaths so never trust anybody from Craigslist! Try and meet in a public place if possible and if you have to go to a person's house, make sure you go with someone who will wait outside for you.

There is free stuff everywhere, you just have to look

The amount of free stuff in this country is amazing!!! As a Naija boy I do not pay money for things I can get for free. One good example is Craigslist. If you go to the free section of Craigslist, you will be amazed what people are giving away for free. People give away furniture, tvs, electronics, clothes you name it. Because America is so rich, people buy stuff, get tired of it and then give it away. I have definitely gotten my fair share of free stuff from Craigslist. The fact that it is free doesn't mean you can't be picky though! If you don't like it don't take it. If you are looking to furnish an apartment, you should definitely check out free furniture on Craigslist first before paying for stuff you could have gotten for free.

There are so many other things that are free. You can rent movies and books for free at the library. If you don't have a PC, you can use the PCs at the library for free, internet there is also free and very fast. If you are going to a restaurant and it is your birthday, tell them and they will probably give you a dessert for free. Talking about birthdays, there are lierally hundreds of stores that will give you free stuff on your birthday and all you have to do is sign up for emails. Restaurants give out coupons for buy one meal get one free. This is not limited to restaurants as grocery stores sometimes offer buy one get one free. Sometimes I complete surveys online and get free stuff.

When my wife was pregnant I went to check my maibox and there were 3 cans of free baby food from Similac waiting for me! How they knew she was pregnant is beyond me but who am I to reject free food? Whenever I go to Costco, they always offer free food samples and I always help them offload their samples into my stomach. In my mind I am like this can never work in Nigeria because people will bring their whole families to eat lunch from the free samples. The long and short is that there is free stuff everywhere, you just have to know where to look.

Amazing bro! You are the bomb. Know all the things but no knowledge is wasted

following....

Following. ..

@sevule
Free lunch
Free furniture
Free gadgets

Wow.... That's an organized society

.

sevule:
Get an SSN and Drivers license
Without a Social Security Number (SSN) you can't do anything in the United States. You can't work or get a drivers license. This is why being an illegal in the US is so difficult. No reputable company will hire you without your SSN and documentation that proves that you can legally work in the USA. If you are thinking about overstaying your visa or entering the US illegally, take my advice and DON'T do it. You cannot work and the only people you can work for will DEFINITELY take advantage of you and pay you peanuts. It is NOT worth it.

If you can't legally emigrate to the US, there are other options that are easier like Canada. A Social Security Number is so important that babies are given one when they are born. In addition your SSN is confidential and should be known to you and you alone. There are times you will need to give your SSN like when you are getting a job, applying for government identification, going to the hospital etc. Just be aware that identity thieves can steal your identity with your SSN and other personal identifiable information so guard your SSN jealously

How is Canada an easier option sir?

@MackyNaija Thanks for pointing that out, I almost forgot that there were special cases were you could get a license without an SSN. Do you have any tips you want to share?

America runs on a credit system and your credit worthiness is determined by your credit score.

In order to have a credit score, you need to have some kind of credit card or loan. Like I said earlier no bank will give you a loan without a credit score so you need to have a credit card. As a first timer without a credit history, you need to apply for what is called a secured credit card. This is a credit card that is secured by cash and once you get this card or any credit card, you wll then have a credit score.

I will be making some additions based on my experiences as a student on F1 visa.

'Unsecured' Credit Cards can be gotten as a student; no security deposit, cosigner, or social security number is required.

Deserve offers this as 'Deserve Edu' and I think Discover card does offer one too.

Documents required are 1. a copy of your passport, 2. proof of a U.S. bank account 3. your Student Visa and 4. I-20 form.

'Deserve Edu' approves a credit limit of between $300 - $1000 from what I have seen, if you prove to be credit worthy they easily up your card limit in a few months.

Following

sevule:
Get a Green Card
This is definitely the most important step. It opens up doors that will for ever be closed without this little card. If you are on an F1 visa, you should start thinking about how you want to get your green card. Do you plan to get it through marriage or work? This topic alone should probably have its own thread. Because this topic is so large, I will leave it for last

Editted

What profitable business can a student/ immigrant venture into?

ennyscongy:
Amazing bro! You are the bomb. Know all the things but no knowledge is wasted

Following.

This is a very good thread. Thank you! Since we are in the tax season, I would say YouTube is a good place to learn how to file taxes especially for students on F1 visa. here is a video to start with
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd-dtYIhkZk

@sevule......good job bro. i like what you are doing here. As for me, this is the best thread on nairaland.

God bless you

cristianisraeli:



why not allow him give his own point before you disagree..i hate over sabi people like you and you are just like the moderator of travel section.nonsense

you day mind am? Twoods abi na Tbag oversabi too much.. I have followed all the pages of US student visa thread, I can tell you that the guy is something else.. They are many in that thread Feeling like Demigods

sevule:
Shop at discount stores, warehouse clubs and outlet stores

I could probably write a whole thread on getting stuff at highly discounted prices in stores. Coming from Nigeria where I learned to haggle in open markets, the mindset of getting a good deal stuck with me. The great thing about America is that even though you generally don't haggle, you can get amazing discounts if you only know how and when to buy. I used to think that Walmart was one of the cheapest places to buy groceries, clothes etcetera, boy was I mistaken!! Here are some tips I learned

1. One of the cheapest stores for groceries in the USA is Aldi not Walmart. If you have an Aldi near where you live, do yourself a favor and pay them a visit. You will be amazed at their prices.

Some tips:

Aldi is pretty good but you can't easily find them in TX. For your groceries in TX, HEB is the place to go.

For F1 students, if you have MintSim coverage around you, I suggest you try it as it's relatively cheap.

Just like Mackynaija said, Deserve edu is a good way for F1 students to build credit. Discover will give you a higher credit line >1'5k but you need an SSN. For Deserve, get someone that has a deserve card to share their link to you; that way you both ll get free $30. For Discover you get $50 when you sign up thru an existing users link.

Get a DL even if you don't have a car yet (For those in big cities, find a small town near you & do it there..#lesshassle). Insurance companies start counting your experience from the date on your license. Unless you want to pay ^^100s/month when you eventually do get a car. I don't have to tell you to perfect on your driving in 9ja.

Thanks Sevule for this thread. I know I ll learn a'lot here.. Following

cristianisraeli:



why not allow him give his own point before you disagree..i hate over sabi people like you and you are just like the moderator of travel section.nonsense

You don’t hate over sabi people, you simply hate that others are here and you aren’t. Underlying much of the noise here is an overwhelming sense of disappointment and jealousy.

I find it funny that you were more upset about me giving an opinion than the op who I replied to.

Please someone help me on this information., i learnt that police now check people immigrant status in the US and that if you are stop by police and ur status is not legally Right then you will be jailed and the deported immediately..

ijoka:
Please someone help me on this information., i learnt that police now check people immigrant status in the US and that if you are stop by police and ur status is not legally Right then you will be jailed and the deported immediately..

Not always. If you are within 100 miles of a US border, then they have legal authority to ask for your legal status. In certain states though, the police can report you to ICE if they find out you are illegal.

If you are here legally, that should not concern you.

Good day sir @ sevule,
i'm new here and i have being following your thread
on this platform and i really like your write-ups
but i will like you to advice me or pm me
for i have someone that want to package Visa conference
for me so that i can enter America.
i want to know the advantages and disdavantages of it
as i'm a gentle man who would like to be working in
America without fear of police or any illegal stuffs.
pls sir, your prompt response through pm will be highly
need and appreciated.thanks