₦airaland Forum

temmyvocals:
Hello sir, when I'm I supposed to receive response from them because there's no reply whatsoever yet except an automated email from
nigeria@usvisaappt.com

Hello Temmy.
If your issue has been rectified your dashboard should display calendar after clicking on pending appointment. Therefore don't rely on notification just keep clicking on pending appointment intermittently. ** The issue should not take more than 72hrs to resolve.

** You may try another idea by creating another avits (temporarily) and in the process use the opportunity to check your payment status (as attached).

Note: Payment error has various form of background cause which is best known by you. When you have tried all official recommendations and it's still the same then you may need to pay another MRV and let an experienced user guide you. 👍

Xplicit007:
Hello House, your help will be highly appreciated.

I have my b1/b2 interview appointment for June 10, next month. Now I got a mail from the embassy in Abu Dhabi for a new appointment for 7th May, next week Tuesday.

Can I ignore the mail and go for my initial date or I must attend on the new date.

I’m certainly not prepared as I want to change my IS -160 form for the new passport. My old passport has one year validity and am worried I might get less than 5years.

Hi.

The U.S embassy in Abu Dhabi & The U.S Consulate General in Dubai only release appointments for non immigrant visa interviews Every Friday Morning between 7: 30 a.m. and 11:30 a m. Although they at time release dates outside of these and when they do they send out notification email.

Therefore, ignore the email notification (it's not targeted at you, it's general) and proceed with your normal appointment. Other applicants who need that date will pick it.

Note. Ensure you read the email very well in case your current appointment might have tallied with an holiday or other event . If this is not the case just ignore it. 👍

Moty111:
Hello everyone,

Thank you all so much for your support and help on this platform.

Please, I need some advice. My aunt, through her son, who is a U.S. citizen, applied for a migrant visa. She submitted all the required documents, including her medicals, sometime in 2023 and subsequently had an interview in Nov 2023, to which her passport was taken and that white paper issued to her. However, since then, there has been no update, and her passport was held till date

Towards the end of last year, she tracked her case and saw that the status read “Refused.” But no sign of her passport being released. However, just this week, she received an email inviting her for another interview and requesting that she come along with previous passports.

Is this normal? Has anyone experienced something similar? What steps should she take at this point?

Thank you so much.

Hello Moji.
The whole application can take up to 3 yrs if not more than. Are you sure an agent did not start the procedure and have some of your aunt's documents (ie the old passport etc) ?

Anyways don't bother to reply me. Go and repost your query on that (attached red-circled) section of Nairaland. You will get better help. 👍

Toptierworldwid:
Hello, Please

My maternal uncle is my sponsor and my interview is next week, is it okay to go to the embassy with a hard copy of my sponsor and my mom id card just for further proof of relationship. They both have the same last name.

Hello.
The embassy does not need proof of relationship and if they need it they will put your visa application on hold (221g) and ask you to go and bring the evidence.

US consulars are pure psychologists. No matter how new or strange the story you are taking to the embassy they have treated it before (either physically or in training).

Go with normal application requirements and focus on accurate and consistent communication based on your ds-160 inputs. 👍

petengine:
Thank you. I have contacted the school, and they said my admission will be extended to August 2025. Will the I-20 I used for the Visa interview remain valid?

** Yes and No.

If your school is going to write an official email extending the admission yes the I 20 is still valid, you will only need to print out the letter and show any immigration personnel.

But if they want to issue another I 20 in order to update the date then your current I 20 will be void . Ask your school (admission counselor) what do they want to do. Ether of the option is sufficient for you.. 👍

easydrizzle:
Had my interview some months back and was denied but have being trying to reach book I was told I had to wait for the embassy to deny my appointment before I can create a new one. Would appreciate if I can get response from anyone that has gone through the process

Hi Easy.
You don't have to wait for the embassy for anything to re-apply. If your avits profile is still displaying pending appointment just click cancel to erase the history and initiate another visa application by clicking on create new.

They said you should wait for 6 - months after every visa denial before you can re-apply but a genuine student (note the word genuine) whose resumption is January 2026 and was denied visa in December 2025 will never wait for 6 - months.

** What the embassy is saying is that re-apply when your circumstances have changed or when you have corrected your initial application error ( some errors can be lack of communication, or flimsy mistake etc which does not require waiting for long) . 👍

petengine:
My visa has been approved. It was approved on April 29, 2025 - the same date I was to resume studies in the USA.

Can I still travel to the USA with the old I-20 form?

Hello.
A little luck and probably prayer has worked for you. Some consular will not approve your visa same day of your resumption because most foreign students takes minimum of 1- week to prepare for travel. Some students from humble backgrounds might take 3 wks to gather resources together and they (the embassy & school) don't want you to arrive late to school.

Since the consular has approved your visa he or she actually saw you as a genuine student as you actually have convinced him or her beyond doubts. ** Now the main challenge is convincing USCIS @ the port of entry why coming to school late (they expects all int- students to arrive at worst 1 wk B4 resumption).

Note: You do not have any old I 20. If you're refering to the I 20 you took to the embassy in obtaining your current visa then it's not an old I 20. It's new. 👍

crano:
Good morning and happy new month, beautiful Nairalanders!

I tried to reschedule and got surprised to see that I have 5 remaining reschedule available.
Surprised because I thought that each MRV has only 3 reschedule opportunities.
May questions are:
1. Have the embassy increased the rescheduling options to 5 per B1B2 applicant?
2. If not do you think it has to do with my application for emergency appointment?
@Efetobore1980
Please, I need explanation on this.
Thank you all.🙏

** 1. Yes (I think) the embassy has increased the visa appointment rescheduling option to 5x (times) for B1/B2 & F1 visa applicants. It does not have to do with your emergency request application based on what i have being seeing (so let's call it a coincidence).

** 2. You will always receive an approval/denial notification for your emergency application but in the case of delay notification (at times you won't even receive any notification while your expedite application has already been approved) it is better you start clicking on reschedule options after 24hrs of your emergency appointment application.

** Clicking on reschedule appointment (either 5x or 3x) is the only way to pick another date either expedite is approved or not because the embassy or the system cannot auto-do that for you. Happy New Month. 👍

crano:
Please, will clicking on reschedule invalidate my current appointment if I didn't see a closer date to choose?

No. That is the natural avenue which will take you out of your current date (even after your emergency appointment has been approved).

When you click on reschedule it will take you to a calendar (dates) where you can pick another favourable date , if the available dates does not favor you just leave the page and navigate to log out. That process does not change anything from your already booked date.

The only icon you should not click in your avits profile is " Cancel . 👍

crano:
I really appreciate your timely response.
I don't have pending appointment on my dashboard. I meant that I saw "Already request is pending" on my dashboard when I clicked to resubmit the emergency appointment request.
Please, see it written with orange 🍊 on the attached screenshot.

Sorry it was a typo error. I wanted to type clicking on Reschedule . 👍

mb92:
Good day all
Please is it okay if the amount of funds in my account is more than that of my sponsor while submitting it for I-20 secondly my sponsor have most money for school been transferred to my account

Good Day.
The information in your question is not clear enough but let me try to decode it.

** If your deficit is 1000 and you have 700 while another person is willing to support you with 300 (your imagined sponsor) that is fine . The person is no more a sponsor but a co-sponsor or Investor but let us leave the grammar.

If your sponsor have most of the money transferred into your account then it is the best thing to do. Why not use only your account but name the person as your sponsor ? US embassy likes it when a prospective student have the required deficit in his or her account.

Note: If a 17 yr old have 30k (USD) in his or her account definitely a sponsor or parent have deposited that money so it's fine. That does not mean that you are richer than your sponsor .

** A sponsor can die or hospitalised or imprisoned or changed his or her mind but if the money is already in a student's account there won't be a disappointment. Good LucK 👍

crano:
Greetings, everyone!
I submitted request for emergency appointment two days today but I didn't even receive a notification that shows I've submitted the request. I only noticed "Already request is pending" as indicated on the right side of the attached screenshot when attempted to resubmit it.

Please, how long do I have to wait for a reply?
Your response to my comment will be most appreciated. Thank you all.

** Notification can be delayed or omitted due to computer program error/ glitches. The only best way to test the validity is to keep clicking on " Pending Appointment on your avits dashboard. If your expedite appointment has been approved then the pending appointment would take you to a nearer calendar dates upon clicking. 👍

Xoxobull:
Good evening, please if one paid for visa interview in February fixed appointment for August and decided not to make use of it that August,can it be used next year April.

In order words how long does visa payment last or expire when not used.

Hello TheBull..
MRV (visa fee) is following SEVIS fee in duration which is usually 1- year. But MRV has a special grace which is : If you book an appointment say for August 2025 and you did not want to attend but reschedule then the duration of the MRV will be based on the reschedule natural (embassy grace) capacity.

For example if you click on reschedule and the reschedule option brings August 2027 (2 years time) then your MRV will still be valid in 2027 providing that you were able to book successfully and you did not cancel. 👍

temmyvocals:
How do I go about that please

US Embassy:

If you have challenges making payment for your visa fee or you have paid and it is not reflecting on your AVITS profile, email us at LagosNIV@state.gov with the following information:


USE THIS SUBJECT LINE: V45 - MRV ISSUES ON AVITS

Full name
Date of birth
AREDS-160 confirmation number (starts with AA)
Passport Number
Copy of First Bank receipt or any other evidence of payment
A short description of your situation including screen shots if applicable.

===≠=====≠

ABUJA

If you have challenges making payment via any of the payment options available on the website, email us at

consularabuja@state.gov with the following information and as much attachments as possible.

USE THIS SUBJECT LINE: V45 - FULL NAME - PAYMENT ISSUES

Full Name (as listed in passport)
Passport number
Copy of DS-160
An explanation of the issue, including system screen shots if applicable

Note. Copy nigeria@usvisaappt.com in either of the center. 👍

zinachidi:
but doesn't she need an appointment before coming to Nigeria though? Please I'm honestly asking. Also, she did have an OIS drop off appointment letter, is it not this document you're talking about? So she qualified for the IW isn't it so?. I have understood all you said about void payment. Just not clear on the others boss.. thanks so much again for answering my questions, I know my wahala is too much

***. She does not need an appointment before coming to Nigeria . Applying before coming to Nigeria is against the rule of most visa application especially for principal applicant because that will amount to impersonation or misrepresentation of fact. She must have landed in Nigeria before she make the moves.

Every IW (renewal) visa applicant has the tendency of post verification of physical residency which can be done by only inserting the applicant 's passport number in the data base , therefore i am against applying before arriving.

She doesn't have to rush. When she arrives her application can be fast track based on the information in her Form- I20. US embassy understands international student's resumption deadlines through their I 20s and DS- 160 information. This is why it is of utmost importance that your ds-160 is completely filled and submitted prior to any US visa appointment application. 👍

chiammaka:
Hello Everyone, my school resumes in August. Can anyone please tell me which embassy (Abuja or Lagos) typically has closer appointment dates?
Thanks.

Hello.
Natural psychology should tell anyone that Lagos has far more population than Abuja and not every visa applicant is willing to risk travel procedure either flight or by road. Therefore, Abuja embassy does not see crowd in comparison to Lagos.

** Abuja usually have open dates. 👍

temmyvocals:
What I meant was that I also paid on the 17th and it has not been confirmed and I made cash payment. I've raised ticket and they responded that it will be investigated and on the ticket the status says in progress from pending

** I see. Raising a ticket is not the major solution then. The major solution is to send a payment error to the embassy and copy avits amentum with payment slip and error message screenshot attachments. Good LucK 👍

zinachidi:
yes oo it is. Wait so are you saying the first MRV I paid has gone like that? i did not pay with card, I paid cash at First bank using ger details, She then raised the issue that she could not attend via a ticket and they said the interview will be marked as a no-show and after one business day she will be able to reschedule, its two business days after yet no show. The pressing issue now is, what is the assurance that this wont happen again. You've been really helpful I won't lie.

also you said the payment was temporarily successful but then failed, so lets say she was able to come that Monday that she scheduled, would they have turned her back? and then who is responsible for it, First Bank or AVITS ? Because I went to first bank they said the issue is not from them.

Hello.
All things being equal the first payment was temporarily successful and was later declined or retracted. The major cause can be the fact that it was discovered that she is not physically present in Nigeria which is against the rule of IW qualification and she also must have secured the first (expired or about to expire ) visa in Nigeria .

Even with that , she did not have any OIS drop off appointment letter(she did not create the profile) so she would have eventually forfeited the appointment.

In this whole scenario, the applicant or the person who started the application process from ds 160 to processing payment teller is not experienced enough. Therefore ,it is better you handle it or seek more knowledgeable person to initial the new application.

Note She has to open a new profile 👍

zinachidi:
has nobody experienced this before? what was the solution

@Zinachidi.
Is this the same IW payment we have been talking ? May be after this answer i will stop responding until you can read from another person.

This payment have been void. The payment was temporarily successful that was why you were able to schedule that appointment. The card transaction was later declined.

** By the way why are you stressing about it again ? I thought the main applicant is still over in the US and could not meet up with the appointment you scheduled?

** Chidi allow the applicant to open another profile and pay another MRV when she lands in Nigeria. Or is this a new payment issue ? 👍

temmyvocals:
Same here o, don't know why it is taking long, I made cash payment, I raised a ticket and I see that the status is in progress since Monday.

Hello Temmy.
Your issues are not the same. @Solafemsy27 you quoted paid MRV through online transfer and the payment issue was almost 2 weeks at the time of his or her post.

Note:. As per your situation, you just made your payment 2 days ago (Monday) so it's likely have been activated. Click on pending appointment from your avits profile and you should be able to navigate calendar for dates.

**. If you initiate your physical bank payment correctly it only takes 24hrs to reflect. 👍

Toptierworldwid:
Hello please

Can I sign my I20 before my interview and where Parent/guardian is indicated, can I fill in my sponsor name in that spot .

Hello.
That is another technical space were you must not place the square peg in a round hole. *

Good LucK ✓

flamenco123:
Hi all, please is it possible to apply for an F2 visa while on a Standard visiting visa to the UK? What are the likely requirements please?

Hi Flamenco.
Yes it is possble but dangerous to your visa application because the UK consular is very likely to name you a ' Forum shopper / Consulate shopping.

Wherever you are interviewed, the consular officer will review the same databases and watch lists. The standards applied are the same no matter which country you are applying from.

Your application will however raise a stronger -questions if your initial visit to the UK is for pleasure or meaningless. Every consular officer at any consulate anywhere in the world can and will access your entire immigration history. There is no sympathetic consular officer anywhere in the world.

Note: The procedure is the same. Apply here ;

https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-gb/niv 👍

Kemmiiee:
Hello house,

Please I need advice on how to go about funding at the embassy. I got denied 2 years ago due to funding issues and I’m trying to avoid it this time around.

So my COA is $59k and I got funding of $39k which covers tuition plus a small stipend and I have a $20k deficit which is quite a lot of money. I have 3 options of sponsors whose bank statement I need to take to the embassy and I need advice on the best option.

1. My cousin (my mum’s older brother’s daughter) who is a successful surgeon in the US and earns at least $400k annually. She’s married with 3 kids under 10. We aren’t too close like that but she can help provide her bank statement.

2. My godmother who is a US citizen based in Nigeria. She’s a successful businesswoman and does monthly transactions of 50-100 million. All her kids are done with Uni and based abroad.

3. My professional mentor who is a qualified professional in my field. He is a white American and has been very supportive of my professional development. I have never met him before but I’ve know him for 4 years now and he has paid for my professional exams in the past. He’s elderly and all his kids are done with Uni. He earns $250k plus annually.

Please help as I need to act fast in terms of requesting I-20 from the school. Thanks.

Hi Kemi.
I was about to enter my study when your query came in which i think is an interesting debate. Number 1, deniedl under INA 214b will not specify your reason of denial so the believe that you were denied for lack of funding is a speculation. NOW let us believe that you were denied for lack of funding (not lack of sponsor) then you are on the verge of repeating the same error because your current funding is like no funding at all.

** All of your sponsors are shaky sponsors but i will pick number 2 if you don't have a choice .

Foreign based sponsors will leave you with rigorous drilling at the embassy which can lead to outright visa denial or placement on 221g.

Note: If you can have your way let any of your true sponsor deposit the money into your account and use parent/family/or spouse (if you re married) as sponsor. Locally (Nigeria) based entity which is easily verifiable by the consular is the best. 👍

Solafemsy27:
Good evening House. Please I paid my Visa fee online using Firstbank Link for other banks on 17th April . But up till now my payment has not been confirmed. I have raised a ticket AVITS and also emailed firstbank but nothing has been done.

Has anybody experienced this kind of issue before ?

Hello.
17th of April is taking longer than normal . Card payment is almost instant while bank deposit is 24hrs. Any normal MRV payment option (cárd , transfer , physical , etc) should not exceed 48hrs. Going beyond 72hrs is no more normal.

Send payment error email to the embassy and copy avits amentum otherwise your money is galloping away. 👍

Wealth1990:
Thanks for this response.
I have gotten a date for July 7th and my resumption is August 21st. I won't to create an emergency visa appointment because of the closeness of dates. Will you suggest I create a visa emergency appointment?

Hi.
@naivasha's answer is a good and reasonable one but you are the only one who knows your reason. I am also wondering why do you need nearer date (ie like August) ?

If you are so desire you should go ahead and apply. It's your right if you really need it. You seems to be an F1 visa applicant why don't you align to that forum for updated gist ? We re talking B1/B2 here . 👍

zinachidi:
also there is a 120 day ban for no-shows, do you think allowing tomorrow pass naturally is a good idea?

**. Even if it's not a good idea it is now a must-do idea 😊 She does not even have OIS for drop off appointment and if she has where is the physical passport that you want to go and drop ?

** Her I 20 is still valid, they cannot cancel it until after the school's resumption date. 👍 Why can't she even stay over and finish her study ? She does not have to come and renew ... Except if she really really want or needs to visit Nigeria.

zinachidi:
1. I paid for her from Nigeria, but I used her details.

2. No she is in the USA

Also I don't think the date is suspended because it still shows tomorrow on her confirmation letter

**. Well you don't have a choice than to let tomorrow go . After tomorrow don't raise ticket but email the embassy and copy avits amentum. If they did not open the reschedule option then you don't have a choice but to pay another visa fee

** I still believe that payment has error. Fine you were able to book appointment but payment might have been retracted. *** Dont use the profile again if the above solution did not solve it. 👍

EchegAshley1:
Hello everyone, could I use coming back for nysc as a way to show I have a tie to the country or I shouldn’t mention I haven’t done it at all?

Hi EchegAshley.
Even your studentship (if not PhD in Nigeria or undergraduate in a reputable costly Nigerian University in programs like medicine & surgery, pharmacy etc) is not a tie or a feeble tie not to talk of after school attachment like nysc.

You don't even need an NYSC discharge or exception certificate to apply for MSc or PhD in many US Universities so tell me how will a consular take it as a tie ?

** US embassy have hundreds of record of Nigerian undergraduates who have abandoned profitable program of studies in some of the best Nigerian Universities and stayed back in the United States. 👍

zinachidi:
hi guys, please she has an interview tomorrow by 2pm. What if we cancel the appointment can we reschedule or she must pay another MRV? She obviously can't make it tomorrow, we have tried raising tickets, emails , just generic responses. The numbers online are not going through.

Please what to do.

Hi Zinachidi.
I have answered this question once and asked you few questions which you refused to answer. I will tell you my true opinion again.

The first arrow (downward) indicated that she has a payment issue or was that not her avits profile screnshoted by you ?

The 2nd arrow (pointing to reschedule upward) indicated that she has a complicated appointment because any reschedule prompt must tell (display) you how many time you can reschedule but time grace is not displaying under the reschedule.

I am asking the question again ...1. How did she make payment ? 2. Is she physically in Nigeria ?

** My best permutation is that she has payment error. This can be detected by the embassy even after she must have picked a date and the date is now suspended (just my reasoning based on the display of her profile).

NOTE:. Do not cancel the appointment because if you do you have officially rejected the appointment and ready to pay another MRV (visa fee).

** Allow tomorrow to go naturally. You need to email the embassy and copy avits amentum with all the error screenshots.

Note2. Abandon that profile entirely and start afresh from a new AVITS profile if you are ready to pay a new MRV. Good LucK 👍

Debbie6534:
Please my friend has an F1 visa interview coming up next week. I was the one that helped her pay for her visa using my US debit card. But now she doesn’t have a visa payment receipt. How can she get it since we didn’t receive a notification of payment receipt. Has anyone been in this situation before?

Hello Debbie.
1.Call or email your US bank (or the financial institution attached) to email you your bank statement for the month. You will be able to do the photocopy of the MRV payment debited log and your friend can take it along. Or 2. go to your email if you do receive email notification of the debit and print it out as evidence. Or 3. if you received SMS notification forward the SMS to a printable format and print it out for your friend .

MRV payment evidence is what the embassy are looking for because they knows that you cannot book an appointment without having paid MRV. One of the above suggestions should work. Ciao 👍

okeleye200:
I would like to schedule a visa interview appointment for my family of three. Should I schedule separate appointments for each applicant on the same day different time ? I was informed that I couldn't schedule a group session for all three of us at once or what should I do please help

Hello.
There is family group appointment (eg father, mother & children), but there is no general group appointment (eg office staffs from NTA).

In order for you to create family group appointments all of you must be applying for the same visa class eg B2 tourist/visitors visa and you must answer the same surname .

If the above is true then you should click on Create new in your avits profile (as described in the attached) and follow the prompts, it will ask for your travel companions info and calculate your visa fees together which you will print out and proceed to pay in the bank or choose your other payment options.

Do not navigate to the general group appointment which is marked " X cancel (in the 1st attachment).

Note: You are applying for your family inside your own avits profile . Do not open another avits for any of your family except if anyone of them doesn't answer your surname or he or she is going for another visa category eg F1 visa. Good LucK 👍

Otelsmyg:
Hi Efotobore,

Thank you for your detailed response. I am grateful.

I will go with the option that the money will be in my account.

I have another question, we don't have the full $5k equivalent in Naira, if we can get someone to deposit the fund, how long are we going to leave it in the account before we print the account statement to submit to the school for the I-20s.

Secondly, can we arrange the account statement via olowore.

Thirdly, does the school and the embassy carry out verification of the account statement.

Hi
I was thinking this question was meant to troll and now
@Potvalor have said my mind 100%. Follow his advice 👍