₦airaland Forum

lawali:
Need to say that It was a long journey since 2018 to this point. Several learnings along the way from great Nairaland forum. You are all appreciated.

I was able to script this together from feedback from my family:

The interview was yesterday at the Abuja US embassy. The place was totally different from hustle and bustle of Lagos consulate. The place is calm with limited people around.
We arrived about 10 am and was bombarded by hustlers as expected. Different messages- you need to reprint your confirmation page because 2 barcodes are not on same page, MRV receipt must have CGI, you will need to take another passport were flying around. I rejected all that but allowed one of them to arrange the documents and dash her N500. I need one of them at my side since I will wait outside.

My family eventually went inside some minutes after 10am and the documents checks was pretty fast. Waited for about 30mins to do biometrics by one black guy who was very friendly and wish them good luck.

While doing their biometrics, they observe the black VO already having it rough with one US citizen that came to get a letter/something to assist him travel out. He was shouting at his top voice and eventually rejected any assistance to the guy. The other VO, a white lady was more friendly and courteous. They wished and prayed to be interviewed by the lady.

After the biometrics, they went outside to wait for their turn. The wait lasted for more than one hour. At a point, she inquired on what's going on and the staffs informed her that both VO were out of the room and they are trying to get them back.

They were called in and interviewed by the guy:

VO: Good afternoon
She: Good afternoon

VO: Where are you going to?

She: Going to University of Texas at Arlington for MS Health Care Administration?

VO: How did you picked the school?

She: Following my decision to further my studies, I attended Education USA fair in September, 2018 where I learnt the application process, search for schools on Google and msinus web, selected some schools and did GRE test October 2018. I later narrowed down the search to 3 schools- Texas Women's University, Fordharm University, New york and University of Texas at Arlington. Engaged the school over a period before my visit.

During my visit to US in December 2019, I checked/toured each school for my preference. I later applied to only University of Texas on my return and was admitted.

VO: Have you travelled before?

She: Yes. I have travelled to US, UAE and Saudi-Arabia. The journey involved the whole family.

VO: Are u going for 2 courses?

She: No. My program is MS Healthcare Administration

VO: I can see on your I-20 you will take English course as pathway program. Is it that you can't speak/understand English?
(Her score in GRE verbal reasoning was lower than required. The school informed her to do another GRE b4 28th of Feb, 2021.)

She: I can speak and understand English language. I am conversing with you in English. It is written on I-20 I am proficient in English.

VO: What are you doing now?

She: I worked with an NGO and also do part-time business (property rentals and event mgt).

VO: Why do choose to go for study at this time and age?

She: I always have that personal goal to achieve this level of education and felt this is the best time to do it. I have been doing other things after my 1st degree.

VO: What does your husband do?

She: He is an Engineer and works in bleep. By nature of his duty, he works across different states and travelled a lot

VO: Is he going with you to US?

She: Yes, to assist me to settle down in accommodation and school for children. He will return after 2 weeks back to his work in Nigeria.

VO: What do you intend to do when you return after study?

She: I will work with Health Management Organization with direct focus on rural healthcare mgt where I already observed serious gap while working with the NGO.

VO: Have you made accommodation arrangements and school arrangement for your children?

She: Yes, my husband has rented a 2-bedroom apartment in Grand Prairie closed to Dallas where my Cohort class will hold.

VO: Where in Grand Prairie?

She: It is a gated/secured estate. I can't remember the name now but I am very sure my husband has rented the place

VO: Which schools your children will attend?

She: The residence has allocated schools and we plan to choose the best on arrival. It's not going to be a problem

(At this point, his temper changed, raising voice and hitting his table.)

VO: Yo have about 2 weeks to start your program and you have no school arrangement for your children? Are you planning to barge into US without accommodation and school arrangements? Children in US are currently in school. Are you planning to keep yours out of school?

She: No. They will attend their school. Currently they are still on holiday here in Nigeria.

VO: What's your husband doing again?

She: Repeated same thing as above

(VO told the children to go and sit down. Your mum will join you later)
VO: You are supposed to do this interview in Lagos. Why do you select Abuja?

She: I originally picked Lagos but the appointment date was later than my class resumption. I requested for emergency appointment and was approved. I saw and picked available date of 28th of December at Abuja Originally but was shifted to 5th of January by consulate.

VO: Do you have families in US?

She: No

(At his loudest voice)
VO: I am going to deny you visa if you cannot give me more details you have for accommodation.

She: Repeated earlier statement. and added my husband has full details.

VO: Picked the green form and issued

Please where did she go wrong?
Looking forward to your feedbacks.

In my perception, the interview went in unexpected way and hope others will take some learnings. Especially those combining F1 & F2 should have evidences for accommodation and children school arrangements.

Beyond that, the black VO is a case on his own. My wife said at a point she almost lost her coolness because of the guy's attitude.

I wish other waiting for the interview best of luck. Prepare and pray for the best.

Thanks for this, i have learnt some lesson from this.
Are you (the spouse) the sponsor?

mcobex:
1. Yes anyone can sponsor you as long as they give genuine reason(s) why they are doing it.
2. The best way to convince the vo is for the sponsor to pay your tuition fee or transfer the entire fund(tuition and living expenses) into your personal bank account.
NB: The above is mainly if the sponsor is a 3rd party(not your parents or siblings).

will this not amount to lumpsum in your account?

BlessedatFest:
Hello Everyone, please kindly help critic my transcript and tell me where I went wrong, I wish to reapply as soon as possible.

My interview was today at the Lagos US embassy.
Here is my transcript :


VO: Where are you headed?

Me: (Intentionally) I’m headed to Montclair New Jersey, I’m going with my husband for his PHD program.

VO: How long will you be there?

Me: 5 years, It’s a PhD program it will be for five years

VO: When did he leave?

Me: He hasn’t. He’s still in the country, we want to leave for the United States together

VO: Why didn’t you come for an interview together?

Me: He was able to get an expedited appointment

VO: Oh I see.When are you leaving?

Me: His program is starting in February so we are planning to leave together by 15th January.

VO: (Mumbles, I heard something like “oh, he has”)

Me: (Can’t remeber what I said, but I attempted further clarification)

VO: Okay. And how long have you been married?

Me: We got married last year September

VO: Do you have any kids?

Me: No

VO: How do you plan to sustain yourself in the United States?

Me: My husband and I have been able to save over the minimum requirement for a dependent. He’s also recieveing an assistantship that waives his tuition and offers him $21000 annuallly

VO: Have you made accomodation arrangements?

Me: Yes, we rented a place in Newark

VO: Okay. How much is it monthly

Me: About $800 monthly.(Don’t know what prompted me, perhaps a fear that she would ask more questions and I felt I should explain first) It’s an Airbnb

VO: So how much is it daily.

Me: I’m not sure

VO: I know Airbnb is rented daily

Me: (May have quickly jumped in without, maybe it felt to her like I was cutting her short) No it was a long-term rental (Know I had gaffed and lost my confidence, even looked down at my fingers at a time and realised it was a bad immpression so quickly looked up)

VO: Okay. And what do you do?

Me: I’m a writer for a media agency here in Lagos

VO: Do you have any kids?

Me: No

VO: (Asks a question about the money but I cant’ remember how she put it)

Me: Over the required minimum…

VO: So how much do you have.You say Over 6000 but below 7000? How much?

Me: Approximately $8000

VO: Okay. For a year.

Offers her rejection speech.

Please where did I go wrong?
Looking forward to your feedbacks.

is this for F2?

englois:
You will have explanations to do concerning the lump sum. Best is let the owner of the money be your sponsor and explain the relationship between both of you

if your sponsor has lumpsum in his account, do you have to explain it and show proof (receipt) of transaction.

JustMellow:
Hello JosephYemsol,

To the best of my knowledge, I will advice you against such Gift except you have a well justifiable and strong proof of relationship over the years with any of the mentioned institutions.

A Gift of Deed holds solid weight if it comes from your parents, guardian or siblings. With proven relationship to these mentioned category of people, you don't necessarily need to include their BS but you may decide to include just the telex/receipt of transaction. However, there is no harm either to include their BS if it will help you breath better. The cover page & transactional page is also sufficient to prove the origin of the funds.

The Deed of Gift is most suitable for self-sponsored applicants. There is someone here who used the Deed of Gift and was successful.

Before considering getting a Gift Deed, ensure your level of economic establish and source of income/employment is solid. This is to avoid "Personal Asset & Financial Status" and Insufficient Funds. Ensure to analyze every aspect of your personal circumstances too.

Best of Luck

If your sponsor has lumpsum in his account, do you have to explain that?

Baphil:
Testimony time!!!

���������

This is for my brother and his family whom I applied for.

1st December 2020 - Application Submitted

4th December 2020 - Biometrics done

10th December 2020 - Upfront medicals for him alone.

15th December 2020 - Medicals passed

22nd December 2020 - NSE request letter for ielts only

4th January 2021 - Medical Request letters for his family

5th January 2021- Correspondence letter for validity of biometric information

5th January 2021 - Original Passport Request Letter

He hasn't even taken IELTS he registered for.
His profile is yet to change to approved
His family is also yet to receive Original Passport Request Letters. I guess because their medical tests are pending.

His course is a certificate course of 2 years, resuming in May 2021.

what are the documents you submitted

davo99:
Guyyysssss!!!
First of all. I need to say: WHAT GOD CAN NOT DO DOES NOT EXIST!!!

'Cos omo, the story long, from getting admission in October to today, omo.. been a lot of miracles.
I'd definitely give a break down once I sort things out.

Meanwhile, please anyone with the link on the best way to send passport to ABJ.
Thanks a lot in advance.

Congratulations, can you please share the documents you submitted with your application

lawali:
Congratulations to you.
My wife with kids were denied at Abuja today.
The experience with black VO is unimaginable.
We thank God and the Gurus in the house for the journey to this stage.

To others who were denied too, tomorrow is another day. Keep forging ahead.

please can you share transcript, on what basis where they denied?
are they all (your wife and kids) on F2? or your wife is going for F1 while your kids on F2?

Chocs:
godguy

Many companies issue it ahead of time. It helps with visa applications. People claim that they’ll be returning to their job after the completion of their studies and some of letters also state that. So it serves as a strong home tie.

Cheers

if you have study leave approval and you later had a change of plan maybe due to visa processing time or other factors, that will be an issue becuase most study leave are without pay and has maximum duration.

I feel requesting for letter of introduction from HR is safer for an employee

Chocs:
NSE19

Do you have a job where you can get a study leave letter from? That’s a good home tie too

Any community involvement? Volunteer work? Religious commitments?

Is your dad your sponsor? You can include the docs for his land. Property belonging to your parent counts as well especially if you’re young.

Best wishes

im confused about study leave approval when you have not yet gotten your visa.

vincent7000:
You need to speak to a professional ..like fairheart to advice you better ..the issue here is not your answer but other factors such as age ,and previous interview history

can you please explain what you mean by age, is there an age limit or something like that

owolabia:
Hi everyone. Any paper application still waiting for approval?

I'm seeing myself alone in Kenya office

did you fly to Kenya to submit your application?

Chukwubuikexo:
There is also the option of your wife applying together with the kids and you staying back as the sponsor. You can join them later.
your decision tho

thanks for your response, i am acting as sponsor for my wife (together with the kids) while i will look for sponsor for myself.

Chocs:
Hello godguy,

Not an answer to your question, just a suggestion.

Have you thought of you/your wife getting a master’s in Nigeria and applying directly for PR? By 2022, one will be done or almost done if you start now.

Best wishes

Thanks for the suggestion.

Reason why we are not considering that is the stress (ASUU strike, getting admission, etc)

Good day all,
Please i need help on the best way to go about this:
I am married with kids, my wife and I are both graduates, I have 10 years work experience while my wife has 7 years experience, both of us graduated with 2:1.

what is the best route to get study permit for both of us (target is Spring 2022):

option 1: we both apply for MSc admission while one person apply with the kids
option 2: one of us apply for study permit and the other person go as spouse with the children

also, since study permit takes 35 weeks (from the site), can we start the application process now?


Thanks in advance

Baggiomarrio:
Processing time is now 34 weeks

are you saying it takes 9 months for them to process study visa?

reigningme:
Visa approved
23rd December
Abuja
Northwest Missouri

I have been a silent reader. God bless everyone for all your wonderful contributions on this great platform.

I was interviewed by a white guy. If you can remember me I was putting on grey blazer, sky blue shirt.

Me: Good morning
Vo: Good morning

Me: Happy holiday
VO: O happy holiday. ( he appreciated it)

After the normal biometric

VO: what are you going to the US to do?
Me;master in computer and information sciences( according to I-20) In Northwest Missouri state Uni ( I can't remember if I mentioned the school)

VO: what will this program do for you?
Me: it will enable me to take up a top management position in my workplace( bleep uni). It will deepen and broaden my knowledge to scale up my registered business. mentioned the name. I also added that 2 centers of excellence ( mentioned the full name, I think it caught his attention and I began to bombard him with somethings) in my workplace deal with data and I want to play a big role in those centres ( said some other things )

Vo: Have travelled out of the country?
Me: No

I believe he was looking at the system and asked me whether the degree was obtained from UK.

I received the Technician diploma in Nigeria

Vo: How did you know about the school
Me: During our research fair in my workplace. I had a conversation with a nonprofit research institute from Germany (named). Also my sponsor Dr ****who has been to US several times for conferences ...*"""

Vo: I can see you have a personal fund ? looking at my I-20( Some think like) How are you going to get the money

Me: I took a loan from...and I have a letter( wanted to show him)

Vo: from the school
Me : yes

He also asked me about my sponsor
Me; Dr **** a senior **" .He owns his own consulting company and a car dealer

Vo: a medical doc.
me; academic doc
Vo: Do you have somebody In US....( Cant remember exactly). Looking at the system.

Me: Yes. 2 sibling s

Vo: How did they travel. What are they doing . Where they are living..( He asked the questions separately)
Me: ( I told him what I know)

Vo : Where did you say you are working
Me; *****Uni

That was it . I heard nothing again when he began to tag my passport and gave me the white paper.
Honestly he was saying something but I was just nodding my head like agama lizard

Thank you to him and then exit with full force. I was saying hank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus

so sorry if it is not well articulated.

Favour found me honestly. It was just the grace of God.

Pls put God into the equation. God bless you.

Just be confident and be truthful. Thank you

Congratulations.
i will like to know if one can take a loan for the COA.

its not easy for him

zeeLady:
In Nigeria, babies have to appear for interview. So go with your baby. I went with my then 3-4 month old baby.

Its never a good idea to deviate from what you have on your application and 1-20.

You have more chances when your spouse is your sponsor (for those going without their spouse).

Let whoever is on your 1-20 as your sponsor, be what you tell the VO.


If you think there is a mistake on your 1-20, call the attention of the school, if the school says that is how it should be, please stick with the information on the 1-20 like that.

Be exact with how you want to keep your baby during school hours.......say something like......"I have made enquiries about Day cares close to my school (or where you will live depending) and the cost per week is bla bla".
Be exact!
The reason is, going with a baby as a student, without a support, is one of the hardest things you will ever do. Trust me on that. But you will be proud of yourself eventually.

What about going with your baby and 2 kids, your hubby is your sponsor, though your hubby is also going about the same time for his post graduate. what do you suggest or advise.

iPLEXUS:
I am self funding because I want to use the money my dad gave me ~ $25000 to start my private hospital to fund the education in USA. He doesn’t want me to travel out for MPH but I want to do this on my own using that money hence the reason I can’t get his bank statement. I have my savings of about $8000. A total of about 33000. It indirectly looks like I am funding myself

Ok, thanks for the clarification.
Now my question is this, lets look at this 2 scenarios:
i have a family member who want to sponsor me, which is better,
1.he transfers the money to account, i present my account statement as self sponsor and answer questions on what i do OR
2.I present him as the sponsor, his account statement and answers questions on why he want to sponsor, his relationship with me and what he does

thanks
cc Predstan
fairheart

iPLEXUS:
Visa denied
4th of December
Abuja
I was interviewed by a black guy probably in his 40s
Profile: WES : 3.26
GRE : 309 it wasn’t required eventually
Program MPH
Admits.
1. University of Illinois Springfield(no scholarship COA for first year $35,000)
2. University of North Carolina Charlotte ( no scholarship COA $41,568)
3. Western Illinois University( 5000 ICS deficit $18,000 but admission letter was MPH, i-20 came with health teacher education which I wouldn’t be able to defend in the interview hence my decision not to go there)
4. Jackson State University Jackson Mississippi
(No scholarship COA $18756)
I picked Jackson State University

Me: Good morning
Vo: pass me your documents
VO: How long is this program for
Me: Two years
VO: How did you pick this school
Me: I was looking for a program with extensive research works on the public health problems of blacks, I did a google search and I found historically black universities. After going through the list and browsing the webpage of the programs, I picked Jackson State university because of the extensive research works there on the health problems of African Americans and the close genetics with the blacks of Nigeria.
I am also interested in the research works of Prof. Marinelle Payton and gratefully she was made my academic advisor when I got my acceptance letter.
VO: (Types for a while) Tell me about your educational background
Me: I hold a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree, I graduated in 2019. I did extensive undergraduate work in medicine, surgery and community medicine/public Health and the experiences have prepared me for graduate level studies in Public Health.
VO: Who is funding this
Me: My father is funding it and he has made the funds available to me
VO: What does your father do
Me: He is a director with a federal government ministry in Abuja which I told him
VO:Where do you work
Me: I work at the federal medical center in Bleep
VO: How long have you been working
Me: since September 2019
VO: are you married
Me: No
VO: Do you have kids
Me: No
VO: have you traveled outside Nigeria before
Me: No, never had a reason to
Vo: I have reviewed your application and find you ineligible at this time, this paper will explain to you

No documents were requested except i-20 and passport
Reason why funds are personal; I will share for clarity, I am a doctor and my dad wants me to practice but I have my own plans to travel. When I told him my intention to go for masters, he wasn’t pleased but instead insisted on helping me set up my private practice here in Nigeria. I couldn’t convince him so I accepted his initial funds of about $25,000 and decided to follow my dreams and I have my own savings of about $8000. That’s why all the funds are personal.
What could be the problem, what can I improve on.

Can you please clarify this

thedsl:
Visa Approved at Lagos Consulate.

Interview was pretty short and here goes:

Me & VO at the same time: Hi, Good morning.
VO: Pass me your I-20 and passport. (Sevis receipt was there too)

VO: So where are you going?
Me: I’m going to the University of Iowa for my PhD in ***

VO: Oh really? Tell me about your course.
Me: Honestly I lost focus here and started talking plenty. Lool. He even cut me short. Chai.

VO: How do you intend to pay for your studies?
Me: I have a full tuition scholarship and monthly stipend. (I actually have a small deficit ($487) but I was advised to wait till I’m asked before volunteering the usual “and the deficit will be paid for by my mum” information)
He never asked and I didn’t say a word though I had bank statement with me.

VO: (Looks at his screen; I guess my DS160 is where he got the info from) Oh you’re a Dentist?
Me: Yes, please.

VO: How long have you been a dentist?
Me: Mentioned.

VO: So what have you done since then?
Me: I have since completed my internship (Housejob) and one year Nysc.

*Types for what felt like eternity. Hovers his hand over the green paper on his table and I’m like OH HELL NOOOOO. Then his hand lands on the white paper. LOL.

VO: I intend to issue your visa.. be ready in one week... bla bla. I wasn’t even listening again at this point lol.

Special thanks to everyone on this platform. The least I could do is come back and post my transcript. I skipped course details on purpose but I’m happy to give my full details to anyone who needs. I had actually been denied before (B1/B2) so I was a bit worried about that but it all worked out well.
Word of advice: Look the VO right in the eye and speak your truth!
Pray too, He listens.
Cheers, guys.


P. S: Can we still travel with electronic I-20?

Please can you help with information on how i can get full scholarship/assitancship for PhD

Danyyyyyyyyyyy:
So we've been together for some months, almost a year now and well my current financial state is making me have doubts about our relationship, he's also not stable according to him but a lot of times I doubt that even if he was he probably won't tell me, or he'll leave me to do it all.

I don't demand anything from him, he's not my dad, I loved him so I always try to act like a grown woman even when I need help, but after losing sooooo much money in a scam I'm so broke that I barely have money to eat. He knows this but he didn't do anything to help, that's how I've been living like I'm single. I do every thing for myself but it's not been easy.

Do you think it's okay to let him go and focus on me? Because I really don't understand his role in my life anymore, or should I try to wait while working and see if he's different in the future?

are you married?

Fahdiga:
They are now celebrities. watch as they will be flown to US to further their education using Niger delta oil money

like Dapchi girls

iWise:
It depends on the school and the program you're interested in.

From what I gather, most programs in the US will allow you enrol in a PhD directly with a BS. I personally do not recommend it if you're interested in a very complex program such as the types you'd find in Physics or Maths or Chemistry, say - unless of course, you got your degree from a US or Canadian or Western Europe or Chinese college (this list is not exhaustive). For all programs in Engineering, Statistics etc, you shouldn't have much of an issue adapting. Please be mindful that I am writing from the perspective of a STEM graduate.

Thanks for this, a BSc (Mathematical sciences) with 2.1 (3.9 CGPA) (graduated from Nigeria, with 6 years experience as a Statistician in Nigeria, can he apply for PhD directly in Computer science or Statistics

fairheart:
This is nice! Thanks for updating it. But let me add more items based on recent interviews I have read their approval news

Additional items you can go with:
11. Transcript (It could be WES or the copy from your school that you used for your application, but if you don't have access to a copy, it is cool).
12. Proof of employment, mostly ID Card.
13. Degree certificate you have.
14. Proof of sponsorship if being sponsored by an organisation
15. Leave letter (Although not required, but if your interview transcript tilts towards returning to the organisation you currently work after studies, then you better have a leave letter to support that claim. The applicant that got approved at third attempt this morning in Lagos was asked, including her work ID, sponsor letter (sponsored by her employer (though she has funding).

All the best guys!

Can you apply for study leave before you received Visa approval?

ponpon:
Our visa has been approved Ooh.

Now I need help guys. Please if there’s anyone on here going to a school in Atlanta, GSU, GaTech, Emory.

I’m in need of housing, seeking roommate or taking over a lease for a shared apartment for a new female graduate student. Preferably Female!

Please pm or send an email! Thanks!

how many of you? did you apply for F1 and F2?

that background/banner is too childish and doesnt make sense

dollytino4real:
bushy abi

no, i keep bard not a fan of afro

dollytino4real:
which one do u have?

dark hair as an african

dollytino4real:
ur side

i dont have grey hair

dollytino4real:
that side go don get grey hair! una dooò

which side?