Good morning everyone.... As promised, I will be sharing my experience here even though my interview was strange and may not be helpful to a lot of people especially virgin visa applicants.... A brief history of my visa applications
2014..... Uae approved (visited Abu Dhabi for two weeks and returned)
2016.....USA B1/B2 approved (visited USA for three weeks and returned)
2017.....Canada study visa Denied
2018.....USA B1/B2 visa renewal Approved (this one happened in Febuary. Did the normal drop box but it was returned .. They demanded I came to the embassy for another interview.... I later got to understand that the reason for the invite was because they needed clarification on why I was denied a Canadian visa....even though the VO was pretending he doesn't know I was denied by canada.... Everyone should note, these guys conduct a thorough check on you before you show up for your interview....hence, it is very important you are as transparent as possible....if you are planning to tell lies, my brother, it's better you don't apply at all until you get your facts/records straight/clean....because if you are caught, it becomes more and more difficult to get into the USA .... Also note that I didn't visit the USA within this period)
2019.... USA F1 visa approved.....
Let me start by giving my 2cent on tips on how to get a USA visa from my own experience....please note, these tips are strictly my opinion, may or may not be correct and may or may not work for you....
*..... The journey to get your visa approved starts from your DS forms....this is where many of us lose our applications....we don't take time to fill this form....many don't think twice before writing anything ..... Note that every single information you put in there will either make or mar you....they would be thoroughly scrutinized....if the consulate is ok with your DS forms, the next thing is to ask you questions that you already filled in the DS form....you must never say anything contrary to what's in your DS form....once you do, it's over.....many people don't fill their forms themselves....most times they rely on agents to do that for them....while most of these agents don't care about the applicants but their agent fees, the applicants themselves don't supervise what the agents are doing....they don't even read to understand what the agent has filled.... They just go to the embassy to disgrace themselves and make getting a visa more and more difficult for themselves. My humble advise is fill you DS forms your self....don't give it to anybody....it is very easy to fill....don't let anybody deceive you that you can't do it....also, ask questions properly before filling out anything you don't understand....a lot of people do this because they want to rush the completion of the form.....when you rush you would be prone to mistakes....everything in your DS form must tally.....it must be coherent....if it's not, you will be denied.....take you time guys to study your document....possibly get a third party to look at it for you before submitting it....don't be in a rush
*.....Travel History.....This one is very very important. Many people don't realize this....if you have a good travel history on your passport without any blemish, you have almost 80% chance of getting any USA visa. Please when I say travel history I don't mean Togo, Benin, Ghana....no offense meant but if you are asked by the VO if you have traveled before and you say yes only to mention west African states, he will deny you immediately because he will know you are lying.... (This is what I think the VO reasons.....you can't claim to have the resources to travel to the USA when you have never traveled to any country that matches the USA in all ramifications ....countries like UAE, UK, European countries....please note, your Tavel history must not come with any blemish....many of us don't even know that your international passport id is very powerful....once you submit it to anywhere, all the information between you and that place you either submitted it to or you visited would appear....so if you go to another country to commit a crime and you are caught, any other place you take your passport to will show that crime you committed...... Another travel history blemish that you can have without knowing is for example, you claim to be a civil servant knowing fully well that civil servants have maximum, 30working days leave per year, you then travel to another country and spend 6months and you still claim to be a civil servant....you have without knowing dented your travel history and your integrity....nobody will ever believe you are a civil servant because the story doesn't add up.....Another important thing the VO looks at is that, you cannot claim to be a rich man/you work for big companies, you haven't travelled at all but you want to tRavel to the USA ....they don't believe that crap....so if you really want to get your visa, traveling to other places will do your application a whole lots of good....please don't misquote me....I am not saying if you don't have any travel jistory you won't be granted visa.....you may be granted but your chances will be greatly reduced.....
*....How much do you earn monthly.....you see this question, many people get it wrong here....many of us fail this question right from filling the DS form .... Please note that what ever you claim to earn must tally with what you filled in the DS form....if you say anything contrary, you will be denied....it's as simple as that....many of us don't even fill that section in our DS forms....then when they are asked by the VO the wart to quote imaginary figures.....without being told, the VO knows you are lying already....any when you start lying with finance related matters, it simply means you don't have the necessary finance to take care of yourself when you get to the USA.....( I saw a transcript of some who said he/she worked/school in Europe but came back to set up an Ngo or something and when asked the how much do you earn question, she claimed she earned 300k per month....my problem wasn't that he/she was denied, but that he or she didn't even know why they he was denied....this is because in the persons transcript here, the person was regretting why he/she said 300k per month and that he would have said 1mil.....what I could simply gather from that person is that he or she didn't even fill that section in the DS form but the applicant is claiming to earn money or that he or she actually filled the section without remembering what he or she filled.....as far as I know, that would be one of the major reasons the person was denied) please note guys, what ever you write into that column, if asked by the VO never ever add to that value or reduce it....never ever...if it's 100k, tell the VO it's 100k.....most times the VO will questions like, do you make any other money outside the one you declared in your DS form, if you mistakenly say yes and maybe quote any figure , you have failed......I remember the second USA visa interview I did, I was asked how much I earned , I said exactly what I wrote....and the next question came in.....Do you earn any other money? In all honesty, I do earn extra bonuses not included in my salary but I didn't declare it in my DS form....I almost fell for the trap but one cool breeze from God blew me just at the point my village people wanted to ruin my day.....immediately I came back to my senses and said No....visa as approved at the end of the day..
*....dress code..... Very very important....any day you go to the USA embassy, you will weep for Nigerians ....you will see people wearing all sorts of Agbada up and down, standing under the sun sweating profusely .... Some will be wearing all the royal cloths they have thinking that they will command respect from the VOs .....my brothers and sister, the VOs derive joy in turning down these sets of applicants....last week, I even saw one guy wearing this sports pants with the waist of the trouser just under the buttocks.... His inner pant was very dirty and clearly visible and to crown it up, he was wearing slippers....I just weak....it is this set of people that makes it difficult for genuine visa applicants to get a visa....sad but true....for the guys, a well ironed and possibly starched T shirt and chinos trousers with clean shoes is more than enough....tuck in and be well belted.... May people may not agree with me on this but like I said its my opinion and may not be helpful to some people
*....confidence while speaking to the VO .....we all know it's not easy to be fully confident....but guess what, even the VOs expect you to be shaky....so once you are shaky but you are still telling the truth, they will grant you a visa....but once you lie and you are shaky, it will be very easy to detect.....the most important thing is to make sure you always maintain a regular eye contact with the VO....please note that I didn't say you should be looking at the VO like you want to bewitch him or her oh...lol....be calm and don't present any document until you are asked to do so.....the truth is the consulate knows almost all documents are forgeable especially in nigeria....so they aren't really interested in these documents....all they want to see is the sincerity in your application....Also, there is no point in forging any document guys ....you will be doing your self more harm than good....if you documents are not complete, no need to apply for visa....save yourself your time, stress and money until you documents are complete....( you can imagine, last week during my interview, I guy who was being interviewed for an F1 visa didn't come with any I-20 form....his excuse was that the school was wasting time.....just imagine....what many of these kind of people don't know is that they spoil the genuinuity of Nigerian applicants....they make lif difficult for not only themselves but other applicants....honestly if you ask me, Nigerians should come together and beat the hell out of these kind of people because they are seriously putting sand sand for other people's garri....
*....Universities and standardized tests....While choosing schools to apply to, concentrate on good public schools....stop looking for cheap unknown or unheard of schools....you maybe sending a wrong information to the VO that you want to abscond....also writing standardized tests like gre, Ielts toefl Sat and their likes also to some extent shows that you truly want to school....even if your school doesn't need them, write them.....they will help build your schooling claims.
Well I hop these points will help someone out there....if it doesn't help you, I am very very sorry....
Please also note that if you are denied a visa, it doesn't mean you won't be granted again if you reapply irrespective of how the previous interview unfolded ( you know, there is a way the VO will talk to you eh, you will be thinking this people will never give you a visa again....that's not true guys)....all you need to do is to discover why you have been denied , fix it and re apply .....you will be surprised .....unless you have been banned from re applying for a period of time....you can only be banned if you are caught to have forged very important documents....
My Transcript
VO...good morning
Me...good morning
VO ....typed endlessly
Me.... Was just looking at him like a cow
VO....what school are you going to
Me....California state university LA
Next question threw me off balance
VO .... Do you have a sister in California ?
Me... (In my mind I shouted JESUS before answering) yes I do
VO .... Where does she live
Me..... I answered...
VO.... Continued typing endlessly
Me ....tried to recompose my self
VO....what course are you going to study ? (At the same time, he quickly took a look at my i20 form)
Me ..... Information technology
VO .....why didn't you use the last b1 visa you got in March 2018 because you claimed to be going to visit your brother in Houston for a month
Me....I work in the oil and gas industry and 2018 was a super busy year ....I was hoping I would get my annual leave approved ...unfortunately , because of the too many activities , it wasn't approved...
VO..... But the oil and gas prices has crashed ( he said this with a smile on his face....guys just note that when ever the VO says something funny during your interview and he laughs too, just know that the visa is yours to lose....if you lose it, it's your fault....you cannot blame your village people at all because at this point the are helpless and can't harm you)
Me....well that's true, but earlier this year oil prices were too good for business,...hence the number of activities....
VO..... Typing
Me..... But also there is forecast that it will rise again this year (VO was nodding his head while also typing)
VO....who is sponsoring you
Me.... My mother, elder brother and myself
VO .....what does your mother and brother do
Me.... My mother is an associate professor in ******* while my brother works with ***** in Houston
VO....can I have you statement of accounts
Me.... Presented them.....(he scanned through each of them ...handed over to me)
VO ..... Do you have any other siblings
Me.... Yes , two
VO....and where are they?
Me ..... In nigeria
VO ..... Did you write any standardized test....
Me, ....yes Gre and Ielts
VO what were your scores
Me.... For gre 295 while Ielts band 8
VO....what course did you apply to in canada
Me....(in my mind I shouted gbege don burst oh...but I quickly responded) electromechanical technology
VO ....why the sudden change of course
Me.... *************** ( my brothers and sisters, if I tell you I know what I said here I will be a great liar)
VO ....what will you do after your studies
Me.....yes, I will return to my company (immediately he heard company he starting shaking his head until I continued talking) but in all honesty (VO sharpaly raise him head and gave me a very stern look) when I return , I don't think my company would be able to pay me because I know for sure my value with skyrocket so I am looking at other bigger oil companies in nigeria.....although I plan to work for my company for some time before quitting)
VO....typing with his face relaxed a little ....
Me .....in my mind I was just saying....my Father my father....disappoint my enemies...
VO .....your visa has been approved it will be sent to your dhl location in three days....gave me white paper
Me.... Oh...thank you so much
VO ....(raising myi20 high, he then said) this document, you must travel with it handy and must not misplace it or else you won't be permitted to enter the yes.....(and with a smiling face he told me) I am sure you know that would never be happening
Me.... Oga it will never happen....I collected my documents made for the exit and all eyes were on my.....
Guys it has been God oh ....all these things happen because of Gods favour on me....I prayed , booked mass, fasted and tried to maintain a good life style....then also I tried to ensure my records were very straight ....no corner corner....
Chaiiiii.....I didn't know I could write for long like this oh....honestly I hate writing ....I only just felt it's my responsibility to help others....
Again, let me apologize if my conclusions/reasonings does not match your expect ions or can't help you....I am so so sorry guys affected...also note that this are my opinions and may not be correct....
Web done guys and I wish others luck as they continue to apply... Good morning 36 Likes 4 Shares |
AlvinKem:
It’s good to see that the trend is still on, I have heaps to write and address and pls bear with us all cos this Aussie life ain’t easy, busy schedule here and there.... quick one, for all the visa grants congrats and to the hopefuls keep your phone close and pray like never before.
Currently the standard for visa grant is high as Australia made changes to immigration rules, that doesn’t stop the grants coming in, my advice make use of all the information in this trend and don’t get tired of asking questions from ones with experience
If your application has passed the stated processing time and your start date is close, you have every right to mail or call and ask for the status of your application and reminding them that your start date is close, it doesn’t show any desperation on your part Buh if it’s not beyond the processing time just leave em, bear in mind they know about your start dates and would always process the pile of applications based on start dates, Read someone saying Adelaide is a forest or sumfin, pls for goodness sake we are in the age of google, why not get busy and read about the city, I’m in Adelaide and it’s a beautiful city, people get jobs and heaps of students are here surviving, if it’s not then how are we making it?! For those coming, pls be advised that your cannot start work in Australia until you have started your program, even if you arrive 3months before, doing so is a bridge on your visa and to avoid stories that touch, buh it’s good to arrive few weeks to your start date so you can settle your accomodation, learn the routes, know how to catch the buses, train or trams etc and prepare your mind to attend heaps of job interviews and Finally hold enough cash to last you like 3months before you start working to enable you pay rent and transport, also carry enough local food stuffs ooo!.
One more thing watch Border Security Australia on YouTube to familiarise with how to package food stuffs your bringing into Australia cos those customs are strict and if you don’t declare the stuffs you can get a serious fine!.
AlvinKem:
It’s good to see that the trend is still on, I have heaps to write and address and pls bear with us all cos this Aussie life ain’t easy, busy schedule here and there.... quick one, for all the visa grants congrats and to the hopefuls keep your phone close and pray like never before.
Currently the standard for visa grant is high as Australia made changes to immigration rules, that doesn’t stop the grants coming in, my advice make use of all the information in this trend and don’t get tired of asking questions from ones with experience
If your application has passed the stated processing time and your start date is close, you have every right to mail or call and ask for the status of your application and reminding them that your start date is close, it doesn’t show any desperation on your part Buh if it’s not beyond the processing time just leave em, bear in mind they know about your start dates and would always process the pile of applications based on start dates, Read someone saying Adelaide is a forest or sumfin, pls for goodness sake we are in the age of google, why not get busy and read about the city, I’m in Adelaide and it’s a beautiful city, people get jobs and heaps of students are here surviving, if it’s not then how are we making it?! For those coming, pls be advised that your cannot start work in Australia until you have started your program, even if you arrive 3months before, doing so is a bridge on your visa and to avoid stories that touch, buh it’s good to arrive few weeks to your start date so you can settle your accomodation, learn the routes, know how to catch the buses, train or trams etc and prepare your mind to attend heaps of job interviews and Finally hold enough cash to last you like 3months before you start working to enable you pay rent and transport, also carry enough local food stuffs ooo!.
One more thing watch Border Security Australia on YouTube to familiarise with how to package food stuffs your bringing into Australia cos those customs are strict and if you don’t declare the stuffs you can get a serious fine!.
Hello guys in this house.....Thank Goodness I found this page before forging ahead with my application....I am just so confused on what or where to start from .....I recently got a refusal from CIC recently and I wouldn't want to repeat the same mistake again....I sincerely hope I can get valuable advice from you guys First, I got an offer from UNSW to study Petroleum engineering February 2018 intake...although my background is mechanical engineering with close to 6 years working experience in the oil and gas sector in nigeria, at worst, I was expecting a diploma in petroleum engineering with a conditional offer of the masters program.... Was shocked to see that what I was actually offered was a postgraduate certificate program with no attached conditional offer....considering my experience with CIC, I am really confused if my application would fly with this offer....this has affected my initial tuition payment because to receive is very easy and sweet but to refund....very hard.... Also, I intend to apply for my visa by first week of January if everything goes well but information I am getting from agents is it will be very late by then and I would probably need to defer my admission but surprisingly, from what I have gathered from this group is that visa application takes 36 to 50 days.... I sincerely hope I get a clarification about this here because I may re consider my options if my application would extend to July.... Furthermore, I understand that Sydney is quite an expensive city coupled with the fact that UNSW is a very expensive school....but I know we have lots of Nigerians there and of course they are surviving legally....so I guess I will survive too....I just hope I am not wrong.... Finally, I have seen some people make reference to AL1 schools and UNSW as one of them. Though I know not what that means but I would like to know if it has any effect in Visa applications Thanks people for the good works.... God bless everyone here especially the big contributors here.....for those of us that are new here please ask questions but taking any leap....it's better to ask oh because you would most likely regret it if you don't.....I am speaking from experience oh. CIC don stain my beautiful passport with their yeye refusal and I cannot afford to get another ...lol...God bless everyone here |
Travel / Re: General U.s.a (student) Visa Enquiries-part 14 by Benitez05: 8:01am On Jan 07, 2019