₦airaland Forum

Adeeva: @babababy
They are leaving tomorrow night, pray for them please
Many thanks ,will keep u posted

Adeeva: @babababy
Thanks you ve been wonderful my family (wife,son and mother inlaw )leaves this coming week for newyork, wifey is not due til end of October but I wnt them to go early and settle well.i will also join them at the end of October for 2 weeks.
At point of entry she will declare she is coming to have her baby and will declare cash of about $13k( though at the interview in April it was holidays we said we wr going for and they never asked if she was pregnant)
Will keep u posted

Adeeva: @babababy
My family leaves for newyork in a couple of days.am really hoping $10k can take all the medicals

@ tobiojo
The hospital u r using is it cheaper or more expensive than $10k

Mrs Bee: Hmmmnnnnn, my friend had hers done in Phoenix and it was okay. Abeg i done dey fear oh, Shey I circumcise my pikin like dis. Well till then will ask around becos my family friend had 2 of her babies at d same hospital and she has 2boys. And this boys am seeing ehn. Bad guy things. Dis was 16yrs ago oh. Them all grown now.

Adeeva: @babababy
Thanks, I am not traveling with her,she will be traveling with her mum and our 2 yrs old son,but I will join them for a few weeks after she gives birth in October by God's grace

Adeeva: @babababy
Thanks a lot will tell her to check them ,if there discount for cash payment is reasonable we might opt for them,but if any one as any other options in New York we won't mind
Thanks

Mousepad: @Babababy: Your comment is very helpful but you know its a bit dicey. You're saying she should not lie but she shouldnt say that she's there to give birth unless they ask. Their question is usually "what are you here for?" At that point she must say what she's there for which is to give birth. You get what I'm saying abi? Meanwhile nobody wants to tell me whether $8k cash is sufficient to carry in addition to my bank cards. Na so I go reach there this weekend bone una oooo! Hahahahahahaha biko nu "crossees" answer aspiring ones like us o!

bolanleife: @ least the 500 - 700 dollars difference makes it cheaper.send your e-mail let me send some other 1 I knw to you. I guess you have to keep trying the midwive. We actually had a chat. I didn't call her.

surety: Hmm, If I av to go for an interview then so be it. God will go before me. If not for uk that will not give citizenship,wetin I de find for their country b4 sef


Hmm, If I av to go for an interview then so be it. God will go before me. If not for uk that will not give citizenship,wetin I de find for their country b4 sef Lolz . Am so certain that when I get to dat bridge,I'l cross it.

Adeeva: @babababy
Please what's the name of the hospital u opted for in newyork and what's the price range ,my wife leaves NAIja for newyork next Saturday
Many thanks

MsOyin: @babababy did u finally get a hospital in newyork for your wife's delivery?

surety: Thank u all for responding to this issue,I have made up my mind to turn down the chip program and pay for the bills. Will be able to raise some extra cash since I'l be due in dec... Will probably use a birth centre as that's cheaper....
Will appreciate if anyone can recommend a low-cost birth center to me here in houston or any other advise is welcomed
I also googled the eligibillty for u.s renewal(drop box) and it didn't state any visa length/validity, only that it must be the same category of previous visa amongst other things which I am qualified. At least that's a relief to me.
Will keep u guys posted...

fabulousmom: @babababy,

Yes, the notary must be as recent as possible, that's why Mrs Bee said that if you'll notarize the statement of consent before your wife leaves nigeria, you and the notary public shouldn't include any date on the statement of consent. Let your wife be the one to write dates on it for you and the notary public, after the birth of your child.

To answer your second question, the statement of consent can definitely be notarized in Nigeria. My husband printed it out in nigeria, notarized it in nigeria (abeokuta for that matter) and sent it to me by courier. So you could either do it that way after the baby is born, or before your wife leaves. Whichever way you choose is fine, so far you do not make the mistake of filling dates that will cause the rejection of the statement of consent by the passport agency.

Mrs Bee: If d father of your child will not be joining you before or after the baby is born; then you may need to have his Parental Consent Form filled out, signed and notarized by a lawyer in order to process your baby's US passport.
 
For perspective, when applying for a US passport for a minor below 16years, both parents and the child need to be present to submit the application. However, if one parent cannot be present, then he/she would need to fill a Parental Consent form which will need to be notarized by a lawyer.
 
Scanned copies of this form are not accepted; only the original copy with the notary seal will be accepted. You therefore have 2 options- it's either you wait till the baby is born; and this form is filled by your husband, notarized and original copy sent to you via courier OR you fill in the key details +notarization before your trip and travel with the original copy thus saving you the courier costs.

If you decide to fill the form prior to your trip, click here to download the form. While filling the form, do note the following:
Fill in baby's name (if agreed) but do not fill the birth date yet; as this can only be filled after the baby is born.
The form needs to be signed by the father of your child and his signature notarized by a lawyer. Both father and lawyer should not date their signatures. Once the baby is born, you can date their signatures with a date like 5-7days after the baby's birth date.
The ID details to be filled by the father in this form should be his international passport details. You will also need a coloured photocopy of his passport page as you travel.
Hope dis helps. Cheers

Babababy: The issue of birth tourism has no rule book, what applies for Paul wont apply for Peter. You mentioned you were not asked, and since you have other business to attend to in America,you should not have too much problems, this is not to say your renewal is 100% guaranteed. The next time you try and renew your visa you can follow some few tricks, don't apply for a renewal with your American baby, don't fill out a ds-160 form and include you will be traveling with an America citizen. Most people believe traveling with the baby would help, in reality the reverse is the case. The embassy would scrutinize all your details if they receive an application with an American citizen included in the travel itinerary . Also try and apply for another form of visa if you can, example M1 education visa , and also make sure you pay all your bills,I mean all your bills. Don't take Medicaid for the baby even though they might tell you the baby is entitled to it. All this would help,but won't guaranty a renewal, but would give you a better fighting chance.

The issue of the POE is also tricky, it depends on how you run your package. America is not advertising birth tourism ,so they are not keen on people coming over just to have babies. With that being said, it is illegal to have your baby in the US if you can afford it. You cannot walk to a CBP officer and just say I am here to have a baby. Some women have smaller bodies, and just stroll into America with a six month duration of stay . For the purpose of having a baby, you would prefer to be stamped a six stay at the POE. This duration depends fully on the officer and how he perceives your story. You mentioned you were going for business as well? Well to be frank with you, business travelers sometimes get the shortest duration of stay!!America is very strict with immigrants trying to work with a non immigrant visa. So in some cases, if you declare you are here for business, you could get the exact duration your business trip will last (3weeks). They don't expect a business trip to last 6 months. This is not to say you can't be stamped 6 months. So I believe you can declare your business intentions, as well as your birthing intentions and have sufficient funds with you as well. While accessing your application, the CBP officer will take into consideration if you won't be a liability to the American tax payers, also if you would return home afterwards. Although it is not illegal, they would be very happy to send you home if they find the smallest reason to do so. Your own game will be to be ready and know all your weaknesses. In my experience most tourist that have family in America easily get a 6 month granted if you declare you would be staying with family, they don't expect a tourist to stay 6 months in a hotel. They are just some few tips to get you prepared, and ready ,but their are really no guarantees. America is trying to recover from a recession and they would gladly welcome travelers with thousands of dollars ready to be spent in their economy. So make sure you declare how much you are carrying on your declaration form ,it helps as well. Hope this helps and good luck

Mousepad: Kudos to everyone who has contributed to this topic! Well done. Please o! I applied and was given a 2yrs b1/b2 visa, at the time of application i was a month and few wks pregnant.Now I told the VO i was travelling for business i.e.to buy goods and sell in Nigeria (which isnt a lie), but I intend to give birth in the U.S as well. I didnt mention anything abt pregnancy during my interview cos I wasnt asked any question relating to that. Will this be a problem at POE? I'm a first time traveller to the U.S and I intend to carry like $8,500 cash as well as my bank cards, I hv also gotten an apptment with a doctor and they've sent confirmation of apptment as well as payment details via email. I intend to tell the CBP at point of entry that I'm in the US first for business after which I hope to stay back and have my baby. Pls let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

Adeeva: @ tobilojo
Yes o my wife is,stil in NAIja but she will be leaving for newyork in exactly 4 weeks, so please we don't mind if you can help with the details of the hospital in newyork that charges 8k , we are paying cash so am sure we can still get a good bargain.
Thanks a lot we appreciate

MsOyin: Thanks Tobiojo2002 , wishing you the best. Please let me know how it goes

Hello Babababy ,
Please keep us posted . Thank you and all the best

Adeeva: @tobilojo

Hi pls will not mind to know the name of the hospital in New York that is charging 8k, won't mind going there,wife is due in october

Babababy: It takes a matured mind to appreciate a mistake, it takes a lesser mind to clearly not admit a mistake!! Try keeping quiet and stop embarrassing yourself . You clearly know nothing about what a visa is, green card my foot. Ignorance is a curable disease only if you Want to cured. I clearly told you to do more research after you initially told me same,and then you call me rude . I just cant phantom the way you are reasoning, if only you knew me,you wont be telling me about any green card bull. I repeat , go and get educated about the difference between a visa and duration of stay. Thanks @bettymafy and @popstar.

Whites: Babababy, I do not appreciate your rudeness, but if that makes you feel who you are then it's the least of my cares. I do not need to do any more research. I already stated here that I know someone who was turned away because their visa was expiring. So what you think or don't think doesn't matter to me because it doesn't change the fact that this happened. Also, you need to note that I am not the one taking my wife to the US on an almost expiring visa- I would have enough class not to do that and leave her at the mercy of the customs officer. Lastly, I do not need to verify any claims, and neither do I need any more information on visa, I am a permanent resident and do not need to apply for a visa.

nikkygal: Hmmnn. . . interesting discourse here! Been following this thread for a while and the CBP part of the gist really got my attention. .

Now let me contribute based on my experience. I am also a frequent traveller to the US (at least for the past 8yrs) & I had my baby there as well early this year. On my 1st trip to the US, I was issued a 3-month visa with an annotation stating I needed just 3-weeks for a vacation. At the POE, I was given a 1-month stay! . . . which was fine by me anyway, since I was just visiting. . . . .

Now the catch is that having a 3-month visa already kind of 'connotes' a brief stay & so normally, It might not necessarily grant you a 6-month stay pn your I-94 card. I fully agree with dancewith here as I am privy to a lot of preggy women that overstayed their I-94 period and are having issues renewing their visas now.

Infact, a friend's wife was given 2-weeks at the POE. . . Lol! Becos she said she came for a vacation, yet they could see she was heavily preggers. Well, she still waited to have her baby sha & is trying to sort out her wahala now. Others I know were even removed entirely at the POE just for not being honest with their intentions. Anyway, if you have issues with a short stay on your I-94, I suggest you either return to Naija within the specified period or use an immigration lawyer to extend it. I know pple who have used this route as well.


@Bettymafy, you said that the lady wasn't asked directly if she was going to have her baby or if was preggers. . . Well, the truth is that she should have given the info. upfront! I was also just asked by the CO if I was going to seek any medical aid while in the US & I told him NO but I am pregnant, I plan to have my baby there & have made the necessary arrangements. He didn't even ask to see my papers sef, he just smiled, thanked me for my honesty & gave me my visa. . . . Shikena!


We all have valid points I believe, but the interesting thing is their are no set rules for this things. A six mont stay has been granted to dozens of 3 months visa holders as well. So many factors are put Ito consideration. And a 2 weeks stay has also been granted to a 5 year visa holder has well. Some of those CBP guys are simply over zealous in trying to protect their country. To each is own.

dancewith: After all being said, if the CBP officer should issue you a one month stay, it means they don't expect you to file for extension because the minimum is 45 days, to file for an extension and also if you are stamped that low number of days their is a big chance,that your card will be stamped with the annotation " 30days with no extension" . I hope I answered your question.

For a good number of women trying to give birth in the US, this has been a recurring problem. While most CBP officers do not send back most pregnant women seeking admission into the US, as the vast majority of them have the right visa(B2), most have been noted to issue shorter number of days for pregnant women with the no extension annotation.

There are a number of ways to handle this. The best option is usually to leave within the permitted days. Second, most expectant mums do continue to stay until delivery thereby violating their visa condition or being out of status.

A third, and hardly known option exist. Should you be pregnant and get issued with the short term permission to stay and annotated "no extention", your lawyers could be able to help you get your stay extended. I may not state the process here but do talk to your immigration lawyer. Most will be able to show you a way to remain in status and avoid voilating your visa condition while being able to complete your delivery

hardeymijuh: @Bettymafy,

What if the CBP officer stamps for only one month. Will the person be able to extend while still in the US even (with the expired Visa). I know that is possible normally just wondering if this applicable in this case too.

hardeymijuh: Questions About Visas?
My visa will expire while I am in the United States. Is there a problem with that?

No. If the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection Immigration Officer at the port of entry (generally an airport) admitted you into the United States for a specific period of time, s/he will note your authorized period of stay on your admission stamp or paper Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record. You will be able to remain in the United States during your authorized period of stay, even if your visa expires during the time you are in the United States. If you are issued a paper Form I-94, this will document your authorized stay and is the official record of your permission to be in the U.S. It is very important to keep inside your passport.

For more info:- http://travel.state.gov/visa/questions/questions_1253.html#10

Babababy is right,but i as a person will not take that risk........

Apparently their is no risk involved at all, it's just the way the American system works. The only problem is with us as individuals, most people just assume an American visa works like most European countries.

Whites: Babababy, I'm sorry but I have to say you got it wrong. I went to school in the US and lived there for quite a while, and I can tell you that the CBP cannot extend your wife's stay beyond the visa validity period. If you have a 2 year visa, they will decide your duration of stay for each visit- (which has to be within your visa's validity), but the same is not the case for a visa which is about to expire. No one will grant you entry just before your visa is about to expire- the visa is an indicator of your legal status in the US, and if they were to let you in before it expires then it would be tantamount to granting entry to an illegal immigrant, (as you will be out of status)- which will never happen. You need to check this before you travel, otherwise you'll end up disappointed. The US aside, I do not know of any country which will grant you entry at the expiry of your visa. Do your research.

dancewith: I believe a 3month visa is routinely issued to first time travelers to the states, my first visa in 2005 was a three month visa, not until 2008 did I start getting 2 years.
********************************

Before last month, and starting sometime in 2009, the US consulate in Nigeria had an unstated policy of issuing 2 years full validity visas for B1/B2 applicants. From 2009 up until July this year, you will find that all successful visa applicants got 2 years visa

The large volume of applicants were part of the reason advocated for this unstated policy as the consulate needed to decongest the number of applicants and interview wait time. Prior to 2009, VOs routinely issues shorter validity visas: 3 months, 6 months and 1yr. However the consulate seem to have reinstated the shorter term visas starting sometime or around July this year.

The reason for this is unclear but u should note that a short term visa shows what it is: the VO is not entirely convinced on the applicant and wishes to see how the visa is used before a full validity visa is issued.?

At no point did I mention that a 3 month visa is only for first timers. I said routinely, I have other issues on my mind ,if they dot grant them visa again ,so be it, America is one of the many places on the planet. To each his own, knowledge is as and no one person knows all.

So pls it is not all first timers that are issued shorter term visas. It is issued based on the VOs perception of the applicant. The VO feels the applicant qualified for the visa but is not convinced on their reason for travelling to the US.

Most short term validity visa is single entry and almost always annotated. The annotation signifies that the CBP officer must ensure the holder adhers strictly to the reasonfor travelling as stated during the visa interview