Hi Abujaniv,

I have a question for you please. I am an F1 PhD student currently studying in the US, and I plan to come to Nigeria to get married to my fiancee sometime close to the end of this year. My school does not explicitly require that I show a marriage certificate in order to get an I-20, neither do I see any such requirement on the official immigration website. Is it illegal to get an I-20 from my school to bring along when coming down to Nigeria for my wedding later this year? Even though my school does not require it, I'm also wonder if presenting an F2 I-20 which predates the date on the marriage certificate will raise some reg flags when she goes for the interview. Getting the I-20 before coming will be more convenient, as opposed to coming back to the US, applying for one, sending it down to Nigeria and then having her go to the embassy afterwards. Any suggestions you have will be well appreciated.

Thank you

NB: The interview was very short and he didn’t even ask me those frequently asked questions which I had prepared thoroughly for. I was very calm during the interview, extremely calm almost to the point of being complacent. I just assumed I was standing at the counter of a bank trying to pay money into an account (lol) and it worked for me. I erased all the external pressures surrounding the interview from my mind with such mind games. So for those who will be going in future… all the best. Be calm and collected. Don’t shake. The Vos are not Gods, they are humans like you. And guess what? Your destiny is not even in their hands - it’s in God’s hands. The worst that will ever happen is that they will deny you, and then you will learn from your mistakes and apply again (abi shey dem go flog you again if dem no approve your visa?) Such mind games can help you stay calm. Don’t think about the possible consequences if you’re denied while you are at the embassy. I had so much erased the though of such from my mind that I wasn’t even too excited when my visa was approved. I was until I got outside that reality began to dawn on me… then celebration and thanksgiving began. Don’t put pressure on yourself.

Also, prepare well. I personally advise taking gre and toefl for graduate students cuz I think it helps you get into good schools and also to avoid some hassles during your interview, although you can still get a school and a visa without that for sure. And then reading a lot about the school and your intended program of study is good. Get the names of some faculty members and know the location on the map. Just get stuff. I didn’t need all those info for my interview questions but you may just need them. Argue if you really need to, but pls be reasonable and present your facts cogently and articulately. Don’t be clumsy in your arguments and don’t interrupt the Vo. You aren’t arguing on the street! And then beware of terrible blunders. On the day of my interview I remember a girl saying she wants to go to the usa cuz us is a developing country! If you want to study and you don’t know the difference between a developed and developing country that doesn’t speak too well of you. The vo wasn’t too happy with that response… just citing that example to emphasize the importance of being prepared and calm. The girl probably said that out of nervousness who knows?
All the best guys!

Hi fellow nairalanders my f1 visa was recently approved! I’m sorry this is coming late… I had issues with my being able to post it. I have gained so much from this thread and felt it would be selfish not to give my out quota back even it’s small. My interview was at Abuja by 8 a.m. I got there around some minutes before 8. We were very few and it took a while before they opened the gate to let us in. I can’t remember the counter number on which I was interview but it was a white guy that interviewed me. Here is how the interview went:

Vo: Hi. Good morning (wasn’t smiling but sounded friendly).
Me: yeah good morning.
Vo: Can u pass me your docs pls?
Me: (passed my passport and my ds 160)
Vo: (sights my I-20 on the counter) and your I-20 too.
Me: (I passed it)
Takes a look at my docs then starts typing. After a while stops and then studies my I¬-20 for some time.
Vo: So lets talk. I see u are going for your masters right?
Me: yeah
Vo: In mechanical engineering?
Me: yeah
Vo: so how did you get to know about the school?
Me. I got to know them on the internet through usnews.com and other sites like universitylist.net (didn’t allow me to finish what I was saying)…
Vo: When did you finish school?
Me: Just last year and then I been serving since then… just finished my youth service about three weeks ago.
Vo: okay… So which exams did u take to apply to the school? Did you take any exams at all? (In a gentle, reluctant tone)
Me: I took the gre and toefl
Vo: can I see them?
Brought it out and showed him. I was very happy he asked cuz my reults were good. I had 320 in my gre and 112 on my toefl. He looked at the gre very long and carefully, took a short look at my toefl and then passed them back to me.
Vo: So lets talk about this... Who will be paying? Ur parents?
Me: my dad will pay
Vo: can I have his financial documents?
(As I was bringing out the documents…)
Vo: What does he do?
I told him what my dad does and then gave him the docs
Vo: (takes a look at it, flipping thru the pages)
Me: Does your dad do any other business or he relies solely on his salary?
Me: Errrrr… yeaaahhh (Somewhat reluctantly) He has a xyz but he’s gonna fund me mainly through his salary.
Vo: (Pauses for long looking at the financial docs) then asks: so do u have a payment plan with the school or something?
Me: (acting somewhat confused like what on earth is that? After some time with a confused but bold look on my face I don’t understand what you’re talking about.
Vo: okay. Cuz your school says here that the duration of stay is 3 years. And the fees – (he shows me the fees on the I-20). Looking at the money in the account... I’m wondering if your dad will spend most of the money in his account to send you to the US.
Me: (confidently arguing in a reasonable manner) well 3 years is the maximum time. One could complete it before then in say 2 or 1 and half years.
Vo: (Pauses a little still perusing the financial statement)
Vo: so what’s the minimum time?
Me 1 and half years
Vo: so how long do you intend to spend?
Me: One and half years
Vo: One and half?
Me: yeah

Pauses and then types on his system for a while then keeps my passport. He brings out a white paper (was thinking at first that I had been denied cuz I expected a green slip instead). I'll approve ur visa. Take a means of identification and collect it by Friday at… bla bla bla. I wasn’t hearing all that again… Appeared emotionless at the outside and pretended like nothing happened all the way till I got outside. All glory to the Lord Jesus Christ who helped me. The interview was short, and my final arguments were not too convincing. I have a feeling that the vo was confused on whether to give me or not but glory be to the God who holds the heart of Kings in his hand and directs it like a river in whatever direction he pleases. All the people I saw that were interviewed before me were denied (as much as I know; maybe I’m wrong) but thanks be to God my case was different.