Milkshakes01:
@Isaacbill’s transcript

Transcript.

Visa Approved

Interview was scheduled for Wednesday, 9th December at the Abuja Embassy.

Two windows (VO) were available to interview applicants, a white in her mid 30's - 40's and a middle age Afro-American man.

Me : Good morning sir

VO: How did you find out about this school?

Me: I once read an article about top hydrogeology programme in the US from the Nigeria Mining and Geosciences Society Magazine. So, I made the choice of the schools from the magazine listing.

VO: (Nods head)
Oh, You applied to other schools ?

Me:Yes, four other schools

VO: Tell me about your background.

Me: I bagged a bachelor's degree in Geophysics in 2014 and went for NYSC thereafter. I finished NYSCin 2016. I have been working as a geoscientist.

VO: Since when have you been working ?
Me: 2016


VO: So, What will you do with this degree?
Me: I intend to come back and pick a position as Hydrogeologist 1 at the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency. I will be switching from field geologist to a research position with the agency.

VO: Who will sponsor you

Me: My brother will pay the deficit.

VO: Are you Married?

Me; No, not yet


VO : Have you traveled before ?
ME: NO.

VO: Everything looks good from here. I will approve your visa . Take this paper, it has instruction on how to pick your bla bla

Me: Thank you sir.

Congratulations brother. May God make this beneficial to you, your family, Nigeria and humanity.

No document was requested except i20 and passport. To God be the glory.

Congratulations

For emphasis, you don’t need to print anything save all the documents herein listed by Honorable Fairheart. Not even stapling or anything. Those extortionists are always on the prowl. They will come with some facade affections. It is just a ruse to get you extorted. You don’t need their service once you go with all the documents highlighted here and intermittently reposted by Oga Fairheart.

Please don’t get extorted. May Allah smooth our paths and make us fulfill our aspirations. Go Guys and get your visas.

If your appointment was rescheduled from December to January, please keep checking your dashboard. December is still young and dates can still be rolled out. Don’t give up please. It will happen. The good news.

mousano:
Go to the email you registered with.
Then reply the messages received. The recipient will be notified of your response.

Thanks very much. I will do that.

Please, can anybody explain how I can access mails sent to me on this platform? I have tried and tried to do that but to no avail. Please, this is the reason if I’ve not replied your message. Please kindly help.

Tjayyy2406:
Wow! Congratulations!
I remember one of your earlier posts this month talking about how your December 11th was rescheduled and the email was conflicting because December 11th wasn't the following day. Please how did you get the December 9th date for your interview?

Yes you are right. Remember a guy eventually intimated us that dates were released after the cancellation and that prompted me to imagine the consulate was only trying to get us pay for another form. I called the consulate immediately but the lady insisted I stick to Jan 15th.

Immediately I dropped the call, I logged in to my dashboard and gambled with the ‘reschedule’ tab even after I had initially got the popular mantra — your something something is larger than ... blah blah. But that very moment the message did not pop up. I saw available date — Wednesday 9th 2020 (1). I clicked and got email notification that my appointment had been rescheduled.

But I beg us, in everything, let’s not joke with the power of prayer. Nothing, before our Maker, is impossible.


I was asking my brother yesterday if I wasn’t dreaming. E get why.

Good morning all. Now I'm done catching my breath. Here goes the transcript:



School : Bowling Green State University, Ohio
Programme: MA (Literary and Textual Studies)
Visa : F1
Status : Approved
Funding: $25508
Deficit: 3K


I was attended to in an anteroom by some white male VO

VO: How did you know about Bowling Green ( being the first question, while seeming not to have heard my greetings).

Me: I read about BGSU in Princeton Review. EducationUSA and through some random google searches.

VO: How many schools did you choose?

Me: I chose two schools— Alabama and BGSU

VO (cuts in ) so BGSU gave you more money than Alabama and that’s why you are choosing BGSU?

Me : (confused and almost lost for words) No, not really...ermm... I had actually chosen BGSU because the university is rated high in terms of teaching quality, not only in Ohio but also in the United States as a whole.

VO: No (speaking assertively) you have chosen BGSU because of the money, or did Alabama offer you any money? How much did Alabama offer you?


Me: (almost dumbfounded) not really because of the money ...


VO: No, it may be because of the money. There is nothing wrong about that. $25508 is a huge money.


VO: Where do you stay?

Me: Ikorodu here in Lagos

VO: Oh OK, you are a teacher?

Me: Yes I am a teacher. I teach Literature at Eppie International School

VO: What?

Me: Eppie International School at Ikorodu

VO: How many students do you have?

Me: you mean the number of students I teach or you are referring to the school capacity?

VO: Yes, I mean the school capacity


Me: 120 in all

VO: What? (sounded stunned)

Me: Yes, 120. It’s a high-paying school.

VO: What do you teach?

Me: I teach Literature and I also freelance for Digirature (I don’t think he heard the latter)

VO: So who is your favourite author?


Me: William Shakespeare (I actually fancy Alexander Pope the most but Shakespeare surfaced first in my heart and I did not want to engage in any internal conflict, not at that moment)


VO: so you did English Literature (or something like that)

Me: Yes I did. In fact, I taught Shakespearean texts during my national youth service scheme at the department of English, Zamfara College of Arts and Science.


VO: Do you know Nnedi Okorafor


Me: (Just heard the name for the first time). ‘No I don’t.

VO: (looked astonished) you don’t? s/he is a Nigerian. S/he wrote the novel — Lagoon.

Me: Oh, I don’t know her. There are many great Nigerian authors such as Sefi Atta, Chimamanda Adichie, Lola Soneyin, Chogozie Agbim (Obioma intended but I ended up calling the name of a Nigerian goalkeeper but I mustered that divinely inspired confidence ) and a couple of others – pulling this as a stunt not to appear blank and stupid on home front .

VO: But you don’t know Nnedi Okorafo?

Me: what text did you say he wrote, again?


VO: Lagoon

Me: I don’t get that. Could you spell please?

VO: Lagoon like where we are ( referring to the location of the consulate on the Island)

Me: Oh OK. When was that published?

VO: it was published in 2014, no sorry 2015. It is about some aliens who came from ... hesitated


Me : (I quickly filled in an attempt to take charge of the conversation and make up for my ignorance about the author) ... from the space


VO: Yes from the space. It is quite interesting. Muttered other words but I could only hear so when you get to .... don’t blah blah ... Goodluck to you...


Actually, I didn’t know what his decision was but he gave me a white paper and retained my passport and I was sure he had approved my visas.


Epilogue (Comedy of Error)

The guy at the door told me congratulations (perhaps he had heave-dropped the VO). I was happy too until I got out and read the paper:


The consular officer refused your visas due to CGI reason. You need to submit additional documentation and maybe schedule another appointment. My hair stood on end. I couldn’t get the drift. I knew if I had my visas denied, he should not be with my passport. Many thoughts were competing for attention in my heart, the most prominent of which was that I had been denied the visa because I did not know the Nigerian author – Nnedi Okarafor. But I was not too convinced about the refusal since he retained my passport and offered a white paper after the interview.

So I took everything to the CGI point for further clarification.


The woman who attended to me asked: what did the VO tell? Did he say your visa has been approved or did he tell you to provide any document? ‘ I couldn’t even get him because he was rushing towards the last part of the interview,’ I said. But he has my passport with him. ‘ He has your passport with him?’ the woman asked. Yes.

OK, bring your Confirmation. I gave her. She came back some 10 minutes later with a man, both smiling. ‘I’ve got some good news for you, said the woman. ‘You will go in again and meet my colleague, the man added.’

I was led to the interview room again. I had thought it would be another round of quizzing. But on get there, the guy quickly spotted me and led me to a woman. He was the one given the wrong paper. It was a mistake, the VO wanted to give you your pick up note — your visas has been approved.

She took the other paper from me and gave me white paper for Issued visa delivery. If you want somebody to collect your visas on your behalf, fill the back paper (blah blah blah)

Remember, a fellow posted something like being initially denied and later called back? I did not altogether believe but I had a change of mind yesterday after the spectacles of comedy of error.

Note : Prepare well and don’t rely solely on regular questions. My interview did not altogether take the regular route. Remember some very basic things in your field too. Who knows if the VO has just bagged a degree in International Relations and may be willing to test your knowledge on the most basic thing about the discipline?

Most importantly, pray, pray and pray as if that is the only thing you are taking to the interview. Our God is able. Alhamdulillah. I pray Allah, our God ease the affairs for those having their own interviews in coming days.

Dramatic though, F1 Visa approved.

Lagos Consulate.

Wednesday, 9th December, 2020.

7:00 A.M Appointment.

Transcript later, please.

Seems there is a design to get us pay for another MRV. Appointments were massively moved from early December to January last week. And all of these days are available now. This is really not funny.

Interestingly, I mustered the courage to call their help line to see if my appointment could be adjusted after seeing this post but the lady who picked my call maintained that days are no longer available in Lagos till January. I tried appealing to emotion by emphasizing my starting date and that I had exhausted my deferment options at my school . Sensing her empathetic tone, I requested if she could fix me in Abuja. She checked and checked and told me the earliest day in Abuja is January 15th. She was sorry for the inconvenience and that was all.

As noted by someone recently, it seems something is amiss. Check the attached mail I received from them yesterday.

Tomorrow is not 11th December as stated in the email. More so , if the embassy is not opening on the dates quoted in the emails sent to respective applicants , the consequence should not be a four-week extension for all. But I suggest we call them today and vehemently emphasize our starting dates. Perhaps they will address the issue.

Good morning all.

Guys, try and put a call to the consulate. Your expedited appointment may be approved just like mine was this morning. I called this contact (‭+234 1 227 8955‬)and my emergency appointment was approved for Lagos, next Friday. Please try this too. May Allah perfect our affairs.


Caveat: this is my first application. I have not been denied recently and I only completed my regular application last Thursday, when I selected April 2021. I don’t know if the information helps.

Good morning all.