₦airaland Forum

LadyIE:
Hello all, please kindly advise on the best store to shop for diapers, wipes and formula. Do we use Costco or Sam’s club. Any other store would be well appreciated.

Also, any recommendation On shipping these items to Nigeria will be well appreciated

Amazon for water wipes they have great deals on water wipes, formula and diapers too & Sam’s club for their members mark unscented wipes
Shipping depends on state and mode of shipping, heavy items should go by ocean and it takes 12 weeks from other states but from newyork and neighboring states it’s about 6/8 weeks.

hunee:
Director Maduka,
Good evening.
I thought i should not reply, but i did not have a choice, as it stands, I also want to establish some point.

We are all here to learn(Even though your post was not directed at me, I can make some inputs, if you would allow for that)

Look at the bolded, you see those two things are key for successful visa applications.

Sometimes, it is not even your account balance. I have received visas with 700k and 400k account balance, then again, the document was solid and the porfolio was good as perceived by the VO.

Do not forget, no one has a mastery or magic wand for visa applications, as the consular or visa officer has a final say.

Good portfolio, but again a good travel history sometimes or maybe all the time matters.

Above all, if you are applying for visas, which i feel it is critical to note, avoid most common mistakes as numbered below;

1. Document forgery
2. Incoherent information's or data.
3. Not uploaded records on public platforms
4. Falsification of information's, not been truthful
5. Going against the standard as you are required for that application by the embassy(If they tell you use black pen, use black) Following instructions is key.
6. Applying to the wrong visa category

As listed, these mistakes or acts are very common amongst visa applicants, which is very much undeniable, even when many always claim or want to be seen as though, everything was perfect on their applications.
Visa officers have no job than to look for errors on your applications, so you dont give them chance or opportunity for that.

Inconclusion, soft and light words are sometimes preferred for responses , so the recipent can grab the message.
The majority of people who apply for visas on these platforms are either doing it for the first time or had never had the exposure.

A proper diagnosis of the subject matter will aid the tone for the discuss.

Goodevening House.

Just to add to this, a lady who shared her refusal letter a few pages back was refused for lack of travel history as part of one of the three or four reasons she was refused.
And it said - “Based on your travel history, I am not convinced that you will leave Canada at the end of your temporary resident status, as required by paragraph 179(b) of the IRPR”.

Belizas:
@debbieeeeee when you renewed what pls

July B1/B2 not F1

Belizas:
School

You can request an emergency appointment if the start date on your I-20 is within 60 days. One user recently reported an earliest appointment date of May 4th over the weekend.

Belizas:
My program starts in May 13 2024…

School or church or work?

iyanuakin:
Wow lucky you, lagos or Abuja?

This was last year July in Lagos.

Belizas:
Hello Debieeee, is thr anything I can do to get a response quicker??

Nothing at all. You just need to wait for the email. When I renewed, I noticed that some people had to wait for two months to receive the email. So, I renewed my with the understanding that it might take some time. However, to my surprise, I received the email to schedule the renewal in less than 24 hours.

Belizas:
Your request to schedule an appointment has been received and will be reviewed. You will receive an email once your request is approved“ Pls how long am I going to wait when I get this message on my dashboard..
URGENTLY ANSWER PLS

You’ll surely get a response. It can be as short as 24 hours and as long as a month.

Akintayo1983:
Please house I need wheel loader job as heavy equipment operator in Canada or Germany can someone help me out how to do that

Check the Canada job bank and also check the teer codes to see what matches this job description

NairaLuck:
Greeting everyone, i got my B1/B2 visa valid for 5 years.

How can i switch to a Masters Program in the USA.

i am not sure how to go about it, will it be easier from inside the USA because i have 6 months per entry

To change your immigration status and prove that you did not have any intention to study before entering the USA, you need to file for AOS. However, I recommend that you apply for an F1 visa from Nigeria instead of going through the stressful process of hiring a lawyer to help you with the application.

fkj950ax:
The exchange rate due to our weak economy and poor government is the reason for all of this. If FX Rate is $1:N500, it won’t have that much of an impact on people earning salaries and profit in Naira.

Visa fees between countries are equally fixed. NG will bump its fees to the new figure also for Americans requiring NG visa. I think it’s part of the consular reciprocity or something like that countries have.

Unfortunately the reciprocity doesn’t account for equal application by nationals of the two countries, NG will still suffer because we don’t have that number of tourist willing to come to NG.

Visa fees are non refundable everywhere in the world. So if your application is denied, the “processing” or “work done” by the embassy has to be paid for regardless.

I agree, because I remember the days of 27k us visa fee back in 2014.

Thenomad:
Over 1.5m for visa fee is beyond outrageous!
What! But for the US high refusal rate and wait time, kindda think their process is pretty straight forward, and less cumbersome.

The UK embassy used to be notorious for its strict refusal policy, but they have recently become slightly less strict due to Brexit. This has had a significant impact on their economy, which is why they have allowed an influx of students. However, they have now capped the number of student dependants they accept. Ireland was the first to implement the 2-year post-study work visa before the UK followed suit. When it comes to filing forms, I personally prefer the USA forms as opposed to the UK forms, as the latter requires more detailed information. However, it ultimately comes down to personal preference. As you mentioned, apart from the wait times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, dealing with the Americans is relatively straightforward.

Ndubestjude:
Pls can I still create an account to check my application too? Though is my agent that applied for me, he's de one dat create de portal, can I still create an account my tracking number because it's in my email?

If you have your UCI yes you can.

olaoye15:
Hello good people.

How long does it take to secure appointment? I have a conference to attend in May and hoping to begin my application process next month when my passport renewal request will be processed.

Thanks.

Ustraveldocs.com provides estimated wait times for different visa categories.

Thenomad:
The UK fees I havent been able to wrap my head around it. It's all sad really. I have to google to know what Nigeria Embassy visa fee is to British citizens. Maybe it's an agreement. Otherwise is just not right.

I’ve been applying to the Uk embassy since when we were allowed to go to Walter Carrington with our docs and Their visa fees are the most ridiculous of all the embassies in Nigeria offering visas and for a few years now you have to find your usd to pay the visa fees they don’t even have the option of you paying in Naira since they stopped using vfs and moved to teleperformance. For the USA it’s still $185 and they’re going by what obtains as exchange rate via gtbank for a flat number of 5 years, imagine paying a little over $1k as visa fees for 10 years, I paid $1259 to be precise which is over 1.5 million and they call that seamlesss and reasonable? Anyway they no force us to apply na we carry ourselves go apply, get a second citizenship to stop this nonsense. God help us all.

I still maintain the U.S. embassy is more reasonable in terms of visa fees than the uk the one year wait time aside.

hunee:
Uk embassy fees? Check the records, the uk offers an elaborate visa process. It is what you want they give, there is 6, 2, 5, 10 yrs. The United Kingdom visa process is not as complex as the United States. Let not even start the discuss
Waiting time alone is crazy and the conditions herein are nauseating.
The better time for us not to begin to glorify all these foreign missions as Africans, if our system worked well, no one will hustling for a US Visa. Above all, migration can never be controlled, because we also find people coming from various parts of Europe to Nigeria to seek greener pastures. People look for opportunities everywhere, but it should not be a means of exploitation for these foreign missions, a bunch of people or enterprise.
That is my point.

I am extremely conversant with the UK application process and I don't think it is any better than the USA. 6 months visa fee for the UK is about $136 if you're submitting in the premium centre you need pay an extra £50, 2 years is over $500 how is that not exorbitant for 6 months and years respectively and also what if the individual is refused? The only difference is the long wait time for the US embassy. I am not glorifying anything I am only highlighting differences.

Thenomad:
It's crazy. What's exactly their reason for the almost 100per increment? Maybe to discourage people i don't know. But Nigerian should learn to use a Visa for the right purpose. They maybe perceive most people are trying to Japa, and you really can't blame them.

These set of people spoil the chances for those whose sole reason for wanting a tourist visa for example is tourism and come back home. But how would the visa officer know this?

The only good thing our Govt did was making them extend validity to 5years, but the Visa fee shouldn't be this high, it almost feels like legal extortion.

The US embassy adjusts its visa fees based on the exchange rate available at the central bank for dollar exchange. If the exchange rate goes up, the visa fees increase accordingly, and if it goes down, the fees decrease. This has been the pattern since last year. Despite the increase, the fees are still significantly lower than the UK embassy fees, which are exorbitant and unreasonable.

flourishing247:
This is really in..sa...ne. imagine the cost for a family of four.

With the unstable exchange rate I knew it was going right up. It’s just so ridiculous.

sethtsadopp:
Is it true US B1,B2 visa is no longer 185k? Heard it’s now 277,500.

Correct. You can also check ustraveldocs.com to confirm the same. Two people posted the direct link earlier in the day.

Denc:
Abeg o, say persin dey
- post wit English
or
- write plenty grammar
or
- say e dey US (abi abroad)
no mean say e dey talk true or wan help persin o.

Pipu eye dey chuk ... red eye, red eye everywhere, so shine your eye o.

Dat ya budget (whether ₦1,000,000 or ₦5,000,000 or ₦15,000,000 or ₦30,000,000 etc...), e get "mock interviewer" abi "group admin" abi "travel agent" or na "consultant" wey dey think how e wan take get e cut for inside ... weda e beta for u or not, e no concern am.

No loose guard

lol 😂 as for me o Na mock interview I like

Blessedone100:
Good evening All, trust you are doing great? I need your advise on an issue. I am preparing my application for a tourist visa to the US. I have successfully completed my DS-160 form. However, I didn't get an acknowledgement mail in my email box. I am beginning to think that I probably spelt my email address wrongly.
Secondly I have made payment yesterday for the visa application fee. The bank gave me a payment receipt. I still didn't get any acknowledgement mail via email from the embassy of the fee payment I made.
Kindly advise.
Thanks.

If you made a payment at the bank, the paper you received is your only proof of payment. You should not expect to receive any email notification. However, if you paid via the Gtbank mobile app, you will receive an email receipt, which serves as the proof of payment.

Your DS-160 confirmation should be sent to your email address. If you did not receive a confirmation, you will need to fill out another DS-160 form promptly before your interview. Be sure to complete the form quickly to avoid any delays. Input your correct e-mail this time around, you may also retrieve the previous form if you have the number.

sethtsadopp:
Please, in the spirit of being 100% truthful on the DS 160 form, is it absolutely necessary to fill the parts that ask for
Do you have a social media presence?
And then list ALL my handles which I have Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram?
In my case typing my full name on Google alone can show some of my social media handles, so do I skip it or list ALL of them?

It became a requirement starting from 2019 so I’ll say it won’t hurt to fill it out. For me I usually just put my Instagram and LinkedIn and that’s all because that’s all I’ve got.
If they put it there then it’s for a purpose so just list whatever social media handles you have and I really don’t think it impacts your application except you’re one of the activists/popular people on these platforms and your opinions come under great public scrutiny.

Chadx:
Thank you very much for your kind response.

I already got the link to make payment during my research, but what I don’t know is how to send the receipt/proof of payment to the IRCC.

When I log on to my account via GCKey, there’s no option to add any other document to my application as my application has already been approved (awaiting my passport).

Is there something else I’m missing that I’m not seeing? Do you know how I can send the receipt to the IRCC? Can you direct me?

Thank you very much for helping out.

Login using your tracker and you’ll see the webform option right underneath your contact details. Utilize that webform to send the receipt to them

ARISTOCRATDAMMY1:
HELLO GUYS,
I SERIOUSLY NEED TO WRITE THIS IN BLOCS.
How are you guys handling the SOA. This dolllar rate is not encouraging. How does the school calculate the equivalent to naira?
$1450 dollar rate is not feasible.

Thank you.

Some schools use the google currency exchange rate which is slightly lower than what obtains at the black market but even at that it’s still very high but you still have to find a way around it so you can get your I-20.

Ruby56:
Hi oyoTunji,
Below is the picture of what I am saying about the form.. the top right

Ignore the expiry date, just fill the fresh DS-160 and get her a one mrv payment receipt to reschedule her appointment.

BlessedABee:
With US embassy, you never know why she was rejected.

- Unless this is new, my mom is retired and got her visa the first time she applied. She renewed via Dropbox last year. My aunt is retired and got her visa last year ( she has travelled multiple times to US)

If she needs a translator, please find out how she can request for one at the embassy

I co agree, retired is not the issue here and I wish they usually divulged refusal reasons at least to allow people work on their errors.

Ruby56:
Thank you Debbie. I got my status as LPR through marriage to us citizen. I will fill another one and put 3 weeks. Yes I love early morning appointments. I saw that appointment times for Lagos is shorter than Abuja. Is it better I just do the Lagos again? Also the last one I put b1/b2 but got to my attention now that there is specifically b2 for tourism/medical treatment. So I should pick the b2 right?

B1/B2 is good that’s what I usually fill for myself , the class of the visa is appropriate because even if you fill B2 she will still be given B1/B2.
If she lives in Lagos let her go to Lagos again but this time better prepared. My cousin has a profile profile to yours too she went to the U.S. on K visa in 2018 got married within 21 days and become a PR and subsequently a citizen last year, she invited her mom over and she attended the interview her mom is 65 and retired as a teacher, I just prepped her a bit and she attended the interview in Lagos and got the visa, no travel history too. Don’t worry I know how painful it is, waiting for so long and getting refused. When my mom was put on admin processing my heart was beating almost 180bpm because we waited about 9 months for that date , dropbox had not resumed then but after three weeks she got a call from the embassy asking her to drop off her passport in dhl with the admin processing paper she was given.

Ruby56:
My dad is late. My mum has her old age mother she takes care of, and my other siblings are at home too. In the new ds160, should I put married or widowed because I put widowed in the last one.. also my mum went with pictures of her properties, shop she sells at home, her mother’s picture but she wasn’t even able to show it. Also I put 3 months of stay in the last one. What’s a reasonable time period of stay to put for this one. Should I still indicate myself as paying for the trip? Or put her as the one. Pls I need help to fill out new ds160

Don’t change widowed to married it’ll complicate issues for you big time, my mom was put on admin processing because of a similar reason but eventually she got the visa again.
I personally believe Lagos or Abuja if you’re meant to get your visa you’ll get it .
Three months is too long fill three weeks max.
Maintain details you filled in the form asides putting yourself as sponsor , make sure you’re the sponsor and point of contact and tweak the length of time she has to stay in the USA.
Also if I may ask how did you attain your PR? I’m asking because the mode and manner of which relatives attain their PR status will influence the outcome of their relatives visa interview.
Pick early morning appointments abeg by 11am consular eye don see shege from different grammars.
To Conclude I will like say prep on your mom on answering questions directly and promptly, during my interview In Abuja a few years ago I noticed a guy who was being interviewed and the consular wasn’t understanding his accent neither was he understanding the consulars accent and she got impatient and passed him the blue paper. If she needs a translator make sure you tell her to indicate same as soon as she enters the building and hopefully she’s granted.

Ruby56:
Update guys.. my mum’s visa was denied 😢😢😢. Just gave her 214b blue paper. These ppl are wicked.

Sorry about this. Can you ask her to maybe share a few questions she was asked? Did she get a translator or was she interviewed in English language?

UdumaXYZ:
Hello,

I need all the help I can get, please. I got a fully funded doctoral scholarship from the University of Chicago. I was awarded their most prestigious fellowship for my academic excellence with an extra 8k USD on top. I intend to travel with my wife. So, we want to start the visa process but I have zero knowledge of what to do like:

1. Can we fill the DS 160 form now and schedule for June without paying the visa fee? Like to pay it later..The school promised to pay it but can only do so in April when they start their Visa process.

2. How do we establish strong home ties? I think that's the only part we need to get right as we already have funding that covers for her deficit.

If there are other things we need to put together so as to present a strong application, please feel free to share.

I need information, please.

Congratulations on your scholarship, I love to read things like this.
Last time I checked with someone who got a fully funded one he got the visa alongside his wife and kid.
You can fill form now and setup and appointment profile but to get a date you must link your payment receipt to your profile to access the date area.

sanyaolurilwan:
Please how do you open a return ticket?

Just call the airline to leave it open and that way you don’t have to keep making several changes, you can just leave it open until you decide on a definite return date but delta airline doesn’t offer that option they’ll tell you to take the unused portion as airline credits

Teeeteee130:
How much do IRRC charge for visitor Visa for someone that is not doing biometric again?

100cad