₦airaland Forum

LadyGuinivere:
I thank God 9jastar replied you before I did
I don't understand you either.
Did u understand either his post or mine?
Did he say he was the one that got a visa?
Did he mention a fake company or taxes?
I fear for Nigeria o! Reading comprehension no dey school again?
Ngwanu 9jastar biko enjoy your friend's visa! I no hol' you o!

Yes ma.
Make I start to plan well well

AZUH:
@ladyg you should just let @9jastar enjoy his trip . Anyone can apply for a visa and get it . His job was used as strong ties . I remember advising a young man to register his business and pay his taxes as at when due 'that cud be used as strong ties for him . But they think I was stupid .

Bros, I don't understand

LadyGuinivere:
Thanks 9jastar for giving me a point of reference to show people that single / no travl history folks can get visas.
If only it will make people stop misrepresenting

Btw, I sort of 'coached' her for this interview because she was really nervous. Reason being that for various reasons, I knew she would not abscond or misuse her visa. I'd also recommended her to the Foundation for the grant, so before the coaching, I warned her that if she even thought about absconding, I'd personally make it my mission to find her and deport her myself!

So we spent a whole day with me as VO. First time, she was so nervous and almost cried when I said 'Sorry, you do not qualify for a visa at this time. This paper will explain why.'

After a few more attempts, we were good to go.

My main advise was this: the VO has hundreds of interviews to go through and only has about 5 minutes to hear and assess you. He/she is not telepathic. Answer every question (especially the first couple of Qs) with as much relevant detail as you can, without being wordy so that everything else will basically be a follow up question.

It's no guarantee you will be issued a visa, but at least it makes adjudication a lot easier for both VO and applicant.

LadyGuinivere:
Thanks 9jastar for giving me a point of reference to show people that single / no travl history folks can get visas.
If only it will make people stop misrepresenting

It beats me why people think that they must spend their well-earned money accumulating travel history just so they can get US visas. If you really need or want to travel to those countries, whether it's for business or pleasure, fine. But if you don't, why waste money?

While VOs might sometimes misjudge intentions to return (considering the volume of interviews they have to deal with, that's hardly surprising), they usually get it right most of the time.

So if there's a genuine reason for travelling (and vacation is a genuine reason), and you show sufficient ties to home, odds are strongly in favor of success.

I would just like to share the transcript of a friend who went for her interview in Lagos on Friday.
Profile: single lady, mid-20s, journalist, virgin passport, salary <N150K,
Not quite exact words but will do

VO: Good morning. Passport please
Friend: Good morning (hands over passport)

VO: What are you going to do in the United States
Friend: I am attending the annual convention of (names organization) with the support of Bleep foundation. I'll be there for about 10 days then. . .
(VO is interrupted by someone and spends a few minutes attending to the colleague. Then resumes with my friend)

VO: I'm sorry. You were saying?
Friend: (Repeats first part then continues). I will be there for 10 days then I'm going to Brazil to cover the Olympic Games for my office

VO: What can you tell me about Bleep Foundation
Friend: Gives a pretty good breakdown of what the organization does and how they fund training and education.

VO: You have a Namibia visa on your passport but you didn't travel
Friend: Yes. I was to go cover a tournament there, but I suffered a personal issue a day before my trip and could not travel anymore.

VO: Are you married?
Friend: No

VO: Do you have kids?
Friend: No

VO (does their normal typing thing for a couple of minutes): Pick up your visa at so and so date

And that was it.

It's not my interview, that's why I have not provided some information. But I believe I have provided enough to make a good transcript that will help.

My friend had a letter from the Foundation sponsoring the US trip. Had a letter from her office backing her Olympic trip including Olympic Accreditation letter. VO neither asked, nor looked at any of those documents

akagson:
New in Abuja and I want to get to the US embassy. Assuming I'm to take off from Wuse Zone 3, how do I get to the embassy? Directions pls.....

pls comment. Don't just view and go away

Just hail a cab. Tell them US Embassy. Ask him if he knows where it is. Most of them do. If he says no, look for another one

LagosNIV:
Approval of the application is determined by another agency, USCIS. We simply do the interviews at the Consulate. I can tell you that they will run a criminal background check on the petitioner and it can play a part in whether or not the petition is approved, but I don't know much more about it than that.

As far as being safe... Just don't make her angry I guess.

Moonlighting as a comedian, VO?

alfasulaimon247:
i need help pls
hello and how r you ? i just stumped online on this forum and wish i can ask you my question pls
i am currently in the US, a foreign national from nigeria and me and my USC girlfriend are been planning on getting married here in the US, but just recently i checked online for her background, i saw things like Traffic Crime, Murder, Petty theft, Murder, Aggravated robbery, all these appears on her background check which i conducted.. With all these crimes committed, am i good and safe to go ahead with marrying her ? With all these crimes committed, will she be able to file for me for AOS and Greencard ? I need your advise pls

Jesu Kristi!!!

Murder. Twice. And you still want to get married to this person?

My brother, advise is not what you need. Deliverance/intervention is

nefertitiram:
Lemme cut to the chase. She is ur sister. Blood sister abi? Let her apply for immigrant visa for you. Its that simple. Dunno y 9ja people like to abuse system.

As u see me, my daughter is a US citizen. I'm waiting till she turns 21yrs in 20 yrs time so dat she can file for me. If ur sister starts now, before 21 yrs they will answer you

I am, quite literally, rolling on the floor in laughter

mamaya:
Thanks for your sincere reply,but why did u think my chances are slim if invited?and if she becomes a citizen will that hasten d filling process?if true ,should she just start her nationalization before starting the filling for me?thanks

Honesty is always the best policy.

Why should her naturalisation processes affect your NIV application? She can start doing that while you apply for your NIV. Once her naturalisation is complete, she can file an IR1 petition for you and you can get your green card within a year, all things being equal

slightlyMad:
Please what higher tie do you need to show when they have clearly shown that they intend to migrate via their petition?
your ties becomes weak since you plan to leave these ties anyways as proven by submitting a petition

remember that once someone with a pending petition enters the US, they can just work illegally and adjust status when their PD becomes current, a smart way to outsmart immigration law and an abuse of the visit visa.

Tmeeto has confirmed this and nupital will in a few days.
There may be exceptions though, if you have an history of using previous visas rightly, i will guess you may get it because you have a good reputation already
I am glad Tmeeto saw the good side of it all.

You are wrong bro. I used to think the same way too. Until I asked VO here and was told I could apply.

I had a pending IV petition (IR1) and still got my NIV approved.

Omoluabi16:
The person wey I dislike pass na that Emeka nwanne. Them use Nigerian league swear for am. Even though our league is crap, he still insists on his boring analysis.

Journalism is a sweet profession sha. Really hope the femi sorts his crew back.

League is crap? Really?

When was the last time you watched a local league match?

Omoluabi16:
yes, he is.

He is not. But he supports Rangers

pazienza:
I know it must hurt when you feel wanted, only to find out that you are insignificant and totally of no use to the Igbo future plans. Deal with it.

****

Thank you.

Now please educate your Igbo brothers that we non-Igbos in the South South region are not interested in joining

pazienza:
No sensible Igbo man would want to have foreign entities like Itsekiri,Ijaw,Uhrobo,Isoko and the rest in our Republic. We are simply not on the same wavelength with those groups, they are surplus to requirement. Igbo republic is strictly for speakers of Igbo dialects. The only non Igbo speaking group that would always be welcomed are the Akwa ibom and Cross river groups.

Exactly!!

Scholes007:
****

Don't deceive yourself. The vast majority of the people in the parts outside of the Igbo areas did not want any part of Biafra. That is why the Igbos termed them 'saboteurs' and killed people indiscriminately. We will not forget. And we will not be part of any Igbo agenda.

If you Igbos want Biafra (and a lot of the educated/intelligent Igbo friends I know are not interested), that's your problem. But don't try to rope others into it for your own interests. It won't work

jkross:
b


nwanne opobo was never and has never been igbo land..trade and slave trade took the language there

Tell them. The language of the Bonny/Opobo people is Ibani. Which has no relationship at all to Igbo. Their culture is also totally different from Igbo.

Trade is what took the Igbos there, and the Igbo language was widely used for trade. So most people of that area can speak a sort of Igbo dialect. But it is not their language. And they certainly don't consider themselves Igbos

It's 2016. Time for another round of predictions from pastors

Hello VO,

Let me apologise in advance as this is actually an IV question, but I'm asking because my appointment is around the corner and our new IV VO is not on NL. Yet (hopefully, he/she comes eventually).

Here's my question. Part of the Nigeria-specific document requirements include photos taken before and during marriage.

We've been married 10 years, I go at least twice a year. We have kids (will present their birth certificates), hold a joint lease on the mortgage and have joint credit card accounts.

In light of all these, are the photos really necessary?

Reason I ask is because we were burgled a few years ago, and most of those pics were among our losses.

Thank you

pascalineluv:
The immigration officer in Benin city Edo state are charging 30,000 35,000 above to issue a passport saying that it is the fixed amount by the federal government. Is it supposed to be so? I was in their office on Thursday, and that is what they collected from me for 64 page. Only for me to glance through my file on Friday and I saw that they only made payment of 22,300 to one union bank account. Please fellow Nigerian's help me to address this issue let corruption stop in Nigeria.

I paid N35000 too for the 64-page.

For me, it's about the convenience. Pay, drop passport photos, give them the necessary info, come back later and do the biometrics/collect passport.

Have done the same for my last 3 passports.

I am a Christian, and I believe in God as much as anybody. But to be honest, I can't fathom this constant talk of prayer and God's favour/blessing/mercy with respect to applying for visas.

Foreign countries, whether Europe or America, are not heaven. Frankly, I see no reason why people should bring the Lord into the matter of visa applications.

If you have business in that country, present a strong, genuine case and you will most likely get a visa. If they refuse you, file an appeal. Or reapply.

If it's for a vacation and/or personal trip, and they refuse you, there is always somewhere else to go to.

I am on my 7th Nigeria passport. The most recent being the 64-page one. Not ONCE have I prayed for over a visa. My first visa (on a virgin passport) was USA.

The only time I was refused was when I took a wrong document to the US Embassy at my first interview. I simply booked another appointment the week after, took the correct document, went there and got my visa.

If it makes you feel better to pray, that's your prerogative. But I have seen pastors and churchy people denied. Considering our propensity to pray, if prayer had anything to do with it, I doubt many Nigerians would be here asking for info about visas. All we would need to do would be to fast and pray and the VO would automatically stamp visa!

VisaOfficer:
Yes, that's a perfectly safe assumption. We always check to be sure that the most current passport number is on file; getting a new passport is a common occurrence.

I miss Nigeria! Nairaland keeps me from getting too homesick.

We miss you, too! Come back soon.

On the passport issue, would I need to update the passport number on my petition? I hope not. Sounds like it would cause complications

Hello VO,

Been a minute.

Great to know you're still with us. Can we file a petition to keep you on here permanently? :wink:

More seriously, I just got back from an international trip and my passport now has just one blank page left. I have a few more international trips coming up that I'll need visas for, meaning I'll need to get a new passport.

Naturally, that brings up the question of how it affects my petition. NVC already sent me an email similar to Titilayodeji13's stating all necessary documentation has been received and an interview will be scheduled.

The petition carries my current passport details. Getting a new passport will mean this one will be cancelled. Is it safe to assume that I can go ahead and get a new passport issued, then bring both to the interview whenever it is scheduled?

VisaOfficer:
I thought you all might be interested to know that yesterday I had a chance to get some training at the National Visa Center (NVC), including a tour of the facilities. It's really amazing. You should see the MILLIONS of files, all neatly labeled and filed and tracked. (I felt just like Kristoff when he first sees Elsa's castle in "Frozen" -- "Whoa. Now, that's ice. I might cry... Ice is my life!" )

A few take-aways:

1. NVC was created to reduce the clerical burden on posts. In other words, they want to be sure that spouse petitions are accompanied by marriage certificates, and that a signed affidavit of support was submitted, etc., before they ship a case off. They're not interested in whether the marriage certificate is real or whether the spouses, once married, actually intend to live together as spouses. Those questions are for the officers at post. (I was used to the idea that "USCIS and NVC don't adjudicate; officers do," but I'd never heard it explained explicitly that NVC's primary role is to relieve our burden overseas by collecting the basic documentation, so we can focus on interviews and document verifications and so on.)

2. NVC's tracking system is really impressive. (Again, I felt like Kristoff at Elsa's castle.)

3.a. NVC is focusing on how to make processes better and quicker for petitioners and beneficiaries. For instance, you may have noticed that they no longer ask for certain original documents; they'd rather have photocopies, and ask beneficiaries to bring the originals to the interview, where in most cases they'll be checked and returned. And in the past, they often refused to schedule an interview until ALL the documents were properly submitted. These days, they'll let petitioners know that (for instance) an affidavit of support appears to be faulty, but instead of insisting on a new submission before an interview can be scheduled, they ask the families to bring the new document to the interview at post. So I think you'll start to see waiting periods for petition approvals become noticeably shorter very soon.

3.b. This doesn't mean they're not going to insist on having the correct documents submitted, especially if there appears to be a deeper problem, so anyone who's reading this and thinking they can just file haphazardly is getting the wrong message.

4. I got a chance to verify that sometimes when NVC tells you "Your case has been sent to post," what they mean is "Your case has been packaged to be sent to post, so please don't e-mail LagosIV@state.gov right away insisting that Lagos has your case already, because that's not what we meant. It should go out in tomorrow morning's mail, though; and then give it a couple weeks to get there, please. Thanks!"

5. Most important: The really cool part of talking to people at NVC was the way they all recognized that every single file on the shelf represents a human being who filed a petition and a family who wants to be together. Yes, processing so many cases requires a lot of bureaucracy and technology. But the humans at NVC are also really excited about helping the humans in Lagos and Manila and Reykjavik, etc. I'm glad I got a chance to talk with them.

This is so cool. And insightful. Thanks for sharing!

VisaOfficer:
This isn't a question I have an answer to. Maybe someone here can explain how to get the police certificate?

Police Certificate is usually obtained at Alagbon Close. The officers there know exactly what is required and are quite nice and helpful (at least I found them to be!)

VisaOfficer:
I'm in the Washington DC area for training these days -- enjoying it greatly! I should arrive at the next post in late September. Also Western Africa, by the way. I like your continent. Thanks for asking!

Lovely.

You're not very far from me, then. Wish it was possible to drop by and say hi before I return to Nigeria next week.

Hope somebody makes a mistake in your paperwork and you end up back in Nigeria

VisaOfficer:
Your wife won't be required to come down. (We only ask to see petitioners when there are issues with the case that can't be resolved just by talking with the beneficiaries.) My best guess, which is only a guess, is that you might be scheduled for an October interview. Since I'm not in Lagos any more I can't be more definitive.

Great. Thanks. Was really hoping it would be the case that she didn't need to fly down.

Anytime between October and early December would be perfect for me.

Thanks a ton. As always

VisaOfficer:
That was fun. I missed you guys. Here's a picture of me being attacked by one of my cats.

Cute cat. Looks like she missed you just as much as we did.

Got an email from NVC last week saying my documentation is complete and interview should be scheduled soon.

When can I expect that to be? And would my wife be required to come down?

LGS2014556014

Thanks as always

If not for VO, I wouldn't be in my way home to see my family.

Filed for Immigrant Visa and didn't know I could apply for NIV while the Greec Card is being processed. She cleared it up. I applied and within two days my visa was out.

But more than that, it's her humour and wit. Never knew a Consular Officer could be so friendly and accommodating in the line of duty. This bar is so high it will take some reaching, let alone beating

Hi VO,

I wasn't going to ask this until much later. But I might as well now before you leave for good. Sadly.

Been married over 10 years. Wife and kids are all USCs. But only filed late last year (don't ask me why. Let's just blame procrastination).

My documemts are at NVC. May be another month before they get in touch.

What I need to know is, would I need to go through that whole hoop of getting and printing photos of marriage, engagement, etc?

We already have marriage certificate, plus kids' birth certificates. Plus our house in the US has both our names on.

I'm just trying to do the minimum possible as I'm not the most organized person in the world and I really do not want to go digging up old pictures if I don't have to.

VisaOfficer:
I am departing Nigeria tonight and am rushing around today to get everything finished! So, Nairaland, this is goodbye! Goodbye until next week, anyway. I'll still be online to answer questions until my successor arrives in Lagos.

I'd say a big sentimental goodbye, but I'd rather leave that until I sign off for good. Today's goodbye is just a temporary one. See you soon!

Oh dear,

And here I was fervently hoping that somehow, someone upstairs would have a change of heart and this day would never come. . .