Hello guys,

I got series of PMs this today about my last post! One of the things we made clear is that whatever questions or contributions I have would be posted here! So please, kindly post your questions and comments here on the thread! I will not be replying private mails please!

*****

That said, I am happy to inform you that i booked Egyptair as against my other option of Turkish Airline. Also, I’d be one of the first set of customers this month that would be flying with the newly introduced Egyptair’s Airbus A330 MS876 aircraft from Lagos to Cairo. This new aircraft was introduced at the start of this month and has started flying today!

This is as against the previously used Boeing 737 which most of my colleagues referred to as ‘Molue’.

With this new and way bigger aircraft, I am assured that economy class travelers like me would get value for our money!

Also, I will be giving a comprehensive review of the Lagos to Cairo flight on the 20th and also the promise of the 5 Star Hotel stay during the long layover. So stay tuned here as I’d be providing pictures and my usual commentary!

Thank you and enjoy the rest of your evening!

Hello guys,

I hope you guys are enjoying the updates. If you do, kindly engage me in the comment session. That way, it would be a lot more interesting and motivating to type and post! Thank you I’m advance!

So this past weekend was so much fun! I got the bulk of the stuffs on my list. As I had spent almost the whole of last week outside Lagos, and would be traveling later this week, it was important that I got to the shopping!

Errm, shopping in Lagos Island (Eko) is not fun on bit! It is not just stressful, I think it is overhyped! Aside the variety of products there, most of the stuffs are as expensive as other parts of Lagos! Nobody should even come for me...I’m not feeling fine! Then it rained cats and dogs on Saturday and Sunday! Jesus! Rain beat me o! But sha, my consolation was that I got the important stuffs!

Prrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiissssssseeeeeee Master Jesus!

I also booked my flight today! That’s the gist gangan! For a couple of weeks now, I have been contemplating which of Turkish Airline or Egyptair I should travel to Berlin with. I made my decision today sha.

Comment on which airline you think I should fly with and kindly state your reason(s). I’d be back later to tell which I went with and my own reasons!

Thank you and don’t forget to like and share!

FreeMejoor1:
what age gap is recommended for undergraduate studies.

Hello FreeMejoor1,

Anything under 27 is alright!

stevebankz:
Congratulations Bro on your Visa.... Is there any Disadvantage Of Age Or maybe Gap for someone who is Going for Undergraduate Course

Hello stevebankz,

I have to admit that the requirements for studying is getting a lot stricter nowadays as the embassy has been getting lots of aplications to process. And judging from this semester, age is and will be a major disadvantage going forward! This is because I have had about 4 over 30 year old friends rejected! It wasn’t outrightly stated that it was because of their age, but the rejection letter addressed the fact that it isn’t believed that they really want to go study.

Germany is trying to reduce the age amongst their working class. So they need young people to apply to their schools, graduate, maybe get job offers and remail in the country.(All that investment in your education isn’t for charity o)

Imagine a 30 year old person going to study for another Bachelors program, at what age does he/she want to graduate and actively search for jobs? So it is surely a red flag to apply for Bachelors degree programs. Older students can apply to Master degree programs and all will be fine.

Thank you:

Ogbodojr:
Hello Everyone,
I got admission to about two universities in germany, and after I got the first one in July, I applied for visa interview online but since then till now, no date has been sent to me.
pls is there any clue on what might be happening?
I have until October 15th to enroll in person in Germany.
p...l...e...a...s....e
Help
me!

Hello Ogbodojr,

I believe the embassy made t known that due to the high number of Winter semester applicants, they do not have available dates anymore. So I will advice that you ask your school for an enrollment extension till about November. Then cancel your appointment and rebook putting the November date as your enrollment deadline. That way, there is a chance that you’d get a date.

Also if you qualify for category A, I think you might get a date. But if it Category B, I’d advice you defer your admission and retry next semester.

Thanks

badmus306:

Which city are you heading to?

Hello badmus306,

Cottbus city in Brandenburg!

Steps To Study In Germany (Part2)

Hello guys,

So yesterday, I dropped the first part of the step by step process of studying in Germany. I tried my best to make it as simple as possible to follow! Had to build on a content from a particular group member who shared the updated version. (Let’s say thank you to this person )

Moving on, you’ll find below the most important parts of all this waka! Infact, without a means of subsistence, one can’t go anywhere, even after getting AM!

Hope you enjoy the read!

:::::::::::::::::::::

5. MEANS OF SUBSISTENCE
i) Funding your BLOCK ACCOUNT (BA) through Deutsche Bank, Fintiba OR any other efficient German bank to deposit €10,236 (minus bank service charges on both ends)

OR

ii) Get sponsor who is a German resident eligible to issue a VERPFLICHTUNGSERKLARUNG – Sponsorship Letter (SL)

OR

iii) Get a Scholarship from a German Institution

6. Interview
Subsequently, I’ll drop some common interview questions for anyone who would like to have an idea of what to expect! It is majorly a conversation and some questions about Germany. For Bachelors degree applicants, the embassy has recently introduced tests to go with the interview.


7. Waiting Period for ApprovailMail (AM)
This is one of the most crucial stages of this whole process. You would really be hit by a multitude of emotions. Waiting time can be between 4-12 weeks! It all depends on the discretion of the Visa Officer and the foreigners office in the city you’re headed! I have seen some who got their approval mail earlier than 4 weeks though. Infact, mine came in 2 weeks and 6 days. I have seen 4 days too! So it all depends.

Good news is, once you get this mail, you’re closest to the finish line! Except something dramatic happens after you send your Sponsorship Lettter or Blocked Account Confirmation or your passport.

If you use BA, you’ll get your Passport with visa under 5 days! If you use Sponsorship Letter, it could take a month. This is because the embassy would need to verify the document.



8. The A.M mail drops...Congratulations!!!

9. *Get travel insurance and book flight ticket whilst you send it alongside your international passport (if not collected on interview day).*

10. Safe Travels


That’s it guys! Thanks for reading.

Kindly like, share and comment! And don’t forget to ask your questions.

Harzion:
can I cope without no knowledge of german language?
Also assuming after payment into block account, visa is not granted how do someone get back his money back

Hello Harzion,

Well, it is generally advisable to learn at least the introductory A1 course here one Nigeria. However, it all depends on the city you’re heading to. For instance, if you’re heading to Magdeburg, Bayrueuth or some other cities in Bavaria, you’d need to learn more than the introductory course! This is because language is very important in this cities in terms of jobs and settling down. But in major cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, you can get away with little or no German!

Also, if your visa application isn’t successful, you’d have to send a mail to Fintiba or Coracle or whatever bank you’ve used to inform them that they should refund you. And attach the rejection letter.

themaestro08:
Congrat man! Am sorry about what you passed through. Absolutely heartbreaking.

I wish you goodluck and don't forget to keep us updated.

Thank you so much and I can assure you I’d kee you guys posted!

Hi guys,

Before I go into the other part of the steps to studying in Germany, I’d like to take questions.

So if you sent me a Pm with your questions, let’s ask here for other people to also learn.

Thanks guys.

Steps to Study in Germany
____________________________________________
1. Decide that you want to study in Germany: This is very important! You have to make up your mind that you want to relocate to this European country that prides itself in its language and culture! This means you’d be relearning all you’ve been opened to up until now and would be learning a bunch of new things!

Even though majority of programs are English-taught and education in Germany’s public university is free (bar for the semester fees; which covers your public transportation for 6 months), relocating to Germany can be pretty much overwhelming!

Bottom line, you need to decide if studying in Germany is for you!


2. Applicantion Phase

i: Find Programs/Universities of your choice via www.daad.de/en

ii: Go to your school and get the following documents
(a) Undergraduate or HND Certificate and transcripts of record

OR

1st year Certificate Transcript of records (Applicable to students going for Bachelor degree programs)

(b) English Proficiency Letter (stating all your courses were taught in English)

OR

IELTS or TOEFL (International English test certificates)

(And any other educational documents required by the school(s) you’re applying to e.g. *First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC), WAEC/NECO certificates, etc.)

iii. A compelling or professionally written Letter of Motivation in line with your intended course of study

iv: 2 (Two) Letter of recommendations from your lecturers (If applicable).

v: Certify your document at the German Consulate in Lagos or High court jurisdiction around you.


vi: Send your application to the school address (Direct application) or Uni-Assist (if applying through Uni-Assist is REQUIRED) through any EFFICIENT courier service of your choice. (I recommend TNT inside Fedex office)


3. RECEIVE ADMISSION LETTER(S)

4. Book appointment for interview and open block account with your Admission letter. Most importantly, fund your account or get your Sponsorship letter before your interview. I’ll talk more about it next...

Hello guys,

I hope y’all are having a good day!

So today, I’d be talking about the different steps involved in studying in Germany. But before I proceed, it is important to note that on no account would I be responding to PMs. Whatever questions anyone might have should be asked here. I’d do my best to respond!

Oya, let’s get to the gist!

tiptoe1:
You truly started from the bottom, I'm glad your dreams finally came through. But I'll like to confirm something about the USA denial from you, I've heard of cases like that, infact I've heard of cases whereby the applicants gets a denial notification that same day after being approved at the embassy in person.

Where you on Administrative processing to confirm some of your documents or what lead to the denial, was it indicated on your denial letter?

Sorry about how the Dubai processing went south after paying. We can't tell if your family friend was involved and got their share or they didn't know anything and started acting brand new towards you cause of shame, I can't judge them.

lastly, congrats on your Germany visa approval. before I opened this thread, I don know say Hadampson must be surely present . If you're using a sponsorship letter, must the person be related to you, like if you get babe for there, you fit use hers?

Hello tiptoe1,

I believe the case of denial after approval became more pronounced last year! I can say with a level of certainty that the scrutiny was tripled around this time. 6 months prior, it wasn’t that bad! Infact, I met some other guy who got denied same day too!

About being placed on Admnistrative Processing, I wasn’t at any point! It just went from issues to rejected! And when I picked up my passport, it was handwritten that I was denied under the regular 214b section! I still can’t wrap my head around all that day even happened sef!

About the Dubai processing, I don’t know if my friend and his mom knew about the whole ish, but they must have known that this man was just leading me on cos up until now, they still haven’t called to sympathize or ask if I had gotten the cash back! But all glory to God!

Using a Sponsorship Letter has requirements that your intended sponsor must fulfill before the letter would be issued. A lot more on this is present on the Nairaland German Student thread! Maybe I’d like that write about this subsequently. And yes, your babe can write you a Sponsorship letter!

Thanks a lot for the well wishes. God bless you.

FreeMejoor1:
any ideas on undergraduate studies..pls help guide me through..i intend further my education abroad since i dropped out of university during a difficult time...pls i need your email..i will pm you for further discussions and guides..

You will find useful information on the German Student thread here on Nairaland!

And if you still don’t get what you want, you can ask on here, I’d try my best to answer to the best of my knowledge!

Thank you.

*****

While it is an interesting idea sharing all of this stories, it is important to note that this is the first time I am really going over all that happened. This is for two reasons;

1. It is important for me to make peace with where I am coming from!

2. It is more important for me to share my experience with people for them to pick up one or two things to learn!

It is also very convenient for me to put my story out here because this is a faceless forum and since I won’t be responding to PMs or divulging important information about me, I can truthfully share some amazing content with a larger audience!


Moving on, I decided to take a week vacation and really spoil myself before I leave Nigeria. So I travelled to a neighboring state to chill since last week and I am presently on my way back to Lagos.

Coupled with the rain, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is locked down!

Traffic will injure people today!

queengift:
Congrats dear, I love your spirit, forward ever, backwards never. Germany will favor you.
please, always update us.
much love bro

Amen ma’am.

Thank you so much!

FreeMejoor1:
did you gain admission into german university using your ielts..

Proof of English language proficiency is a requirement for most English-taught programs.

hammed71:
okay so if someone can't afford the funds, they can use a sponsorship letter, am I right?

If you have someone in Germany who meets the requirements to sponsor you, no problem!

The third option is if you get a scholarship in a German institution!

Later on in the thread, I’ll give a comprehensive step by step breakdown on the process of getting a German student visa.

hammed71:
how were you able to raise funds for blocked account

I used Sponsorship Letter eventually!

Hadampson:
Predstan, come and feed your eyes

Ugosample, as usual... Front seat reserved

Subomi007, where are you nah

Iamboladee, a thread about my dream country

MidEastPrince, thanks for sharing your experience with us. Please don't deny us the beautiful pictures of Deutschland

We dey here boss shaking

Thank you so much chief!

I won’t disappoint you!

*****

After next day after the contact with the uncle , I made up my mind to apply to Germany...with faith o! Because there was no money to fund my Block Account or even hope of getting!

So I started with applying for my undergraduate transcripts and certificate from my school! (Btw, I didn’t get it till 2 months later). I also wrote the IELTS exam and had a 7.0 score.

With all my documents set, I started applying for schools. They were about 7-8 and got admission to all but 2 schools. This was towards the end of June and early July. By now, I had gotten an appointment date at the embassy and was preparing.

All hands was on deck...Affliction must not strike a second time!

My interview came and it was beautiful! And as God will have it, I got my approval Mail 2 weeks and 6 days later! It was an amazing feeling! Along the way, I got a Sponsorship Letter from a relative in Germany and submitted to the embassy with the other requested documents!

To the Glory of God, Visa came back exactly 3 weeks later!

The look on my mom’s face was priceless! And I’d forever cherish that memory!

So now that we are here now, let’s talk about my preparations!

From Friday and a week to my travel date, I’ll start giving out day to day updates of my preparation and experiences! And yeah, I’d be adding pictures too!

Stay glued to this thread...we would be having so much fun!

For the next couple of days, I was just in my room! I just wanted to be by myself! I ate less sef! Before the end of the week, I was super lean! In all of this, the news had been broken to my mom and my elder brother. Both of them were devasted, but since they didn’t want to add to my problem, they just kept consoling me!

By Saturday , 2 things were clear;

1. I wasn’t going to the US!

2. I wanted to leave Nigeria


So when my friend’s mom came to the room and informed me that they had one uncle who is a job agent in Dubai, I was glad! Best news in a week! So we arranged to call him. After about an hour of trying to reach him, we got through and he gave us the updates on the whole thing. I’d pay 1.2 million for the 2 year security job contract and the pay is about 2400 Dirhams. With overtime, salary could rise to 300k. We believed him because we knew of about 3 people he had helped with the same thing and they are doing very well! He asked that we pay half and when everything is successful within 2 months, we pay the remaining half!

It took a week to gather the first half but since I had more cash, I paid 800k. That’s on the 17th of December!

January and February came, and no news! Uncle kept saying he was working on it and it was almost done!

February ending came and he was in Nigerian for his annual vacation. We met with him and he assured us to be patient! That the whole process was batch by batch!

By March, I was getting very nervous. But I sha believed that this uncle won’t disappoint me! He promised end of the month and said we should arrange the balance and I should prepare for my flight!

First week in April, he sneaked out of Lagos and when we called, he said he is back in Dubai to make sure everything goes well! Then after a week, my mom called him and he said the company was blacklisted by the Ministry of Labour and they were trying to resolve the issue. But we should give him another 2 months to get another company in Abu Dhabi.

Jesus Christ of Nazareth!!!

At this point, I just told my mom to tell him to refund! He made mouth, bla bla bla! I sha insisted that he refunds!

Ladies and gentlemen, that’s the last thing I have heard from this uncle! Worse is, my friend’s family behaves like they didn’t even know anything about anything!

Moral of this lesson: Not everyone that smiles with you is truly happy!

Let’s get back to it story sha...


That’s how I found myself applying to universities in Germany!

*****
Thank you for reading and following! Kindly like, share and comment! It would go a long way to motivate!

freakky:

Did you submit the SL before your AM came or after your AM came, if after your AM when, reason is i am trying to estimate when i should expect my documents

After AM!

And I think you should just take it easy with estimating when they’d get back to you. It could be as early as 2 weeks and as late as 8 weeks!

So you need to be calm!

What I am trying to do is give you guys a summary of where I was coming from before I got the German student visa!

Kindly like and share! And I hope you learn one or two things from my experience.

I managed to get myself out of the DHL office and headed back home! I called a friend and explained all that happened to him and he sent me 60k to book another appointment! I paid at GTB immediately. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get any date till the following February!

Game Over!!!


I located a church and I cried my heart to God! Why was this happening to me? I needed answers...but none was forthcoming!

I made sure it was very late before I made my way home! As I turned back my phone, I saw messages from everyone! And I almost forgot to add, December 3rd was my mom’s birthday too! It just made me more sad! She’s been so worried! My friend’s mom who I stayed with too was so worried too!

I got home, narrated everything to everyone Since my mom was hypertensive, I pleaded with everyone not to break the news to her till the next day! Then I went to bed!

It was indeed a terrible night!

freakky:

According to your testimony it took the embassy more than two weeks to issue your visa, did you fund after you were given the AM or before the AM?

I wish everyone all the best in their endeavors

Less than 3 weeks.

And I used Sponsorship Letter.

The next few days still remains the most difficult of my whole life!

Everyone has started telling everyone that I was traveling.

I was getting congratulatory calls.

Everyone was dropping cash to help the ministry!

I couldn’t eat or sleep! I sent mails. I called the embassy.

Everything felt like a bad dream!

Imagine this, you have scaled through your dream job interview and all the stages and after training, you’re being told your services wasn’t required anymore! You never even start work!

Or imagine the love of your life walking out on you on your wedding day - in the presence of all your village people!

Or imagine you being rigged out of a presidential election!

Believe me, that period is terrible!


The next couple of days was equally terrible! It was a weekend! I was faking sleep and using the rest room a lot. Just to avoid conversations. Meanwhile, it was only me who understands why I was losing weight!

Na so I start prayer o! Hoping that they’d overturn the negative decision on Monday! With faith sef, I had told my big brother to send money for flight! The devil is a liar! Lmao!

Monday morning, I prayed well and set out to Victoria Island. I got there and met a couple of other people with long faces! One lady wasn’t even crying on the stairs!

I sha was praying in my mind!

As the officer there handed me my passport ehn, my heart skipped!

Now, imagine trying to avoid a pothole and you swerve into a ditch!

That’s how I felt when I opened my passport.

Instead of a visa, it was a rejection letter, beautifully wrapped in my passport!

Now the bad dream has officially turned into a nightmare...and no one is waking me up! ��‍♂️

Trenton:
i don land ..

Welcome!

Cutehector:
Following.

Thank you.

“Kindly refer to this papers for more information on where to pick up your passport and what is required of you at the Point of Entry. Have a nice day” The US visa officer handed me 2 white papers as she announced that my visa application is successful. The paper contains addresses of Courier service company in Lagos and some other cities!

As I exited the Abuja building of be US Embassy, I wanted to scream for joy. Tears freely dropped from my eyes as I stepped into the taxi. On this day, November 27, 2018, God has heard my prayers and I am finally going to California. I was so excited.

I got back to the hotel and called all my family members and my dear friends. Everyone was happy for me genuinely. I couldn’t wait to get in the bus and head to Lagos later that evening. The excitement on the air was doubled as I got to Lagos and met with everyone! This is indeed the best moment of my life! Or so I thought!

The next day 28th while taking a nap, I got a mail from the US Embassy. It was a rejection letter!

My life came crashing down!

Hello and welcome to my thread.

Here, I’d be sharing my experience as a Nigerian student in Germany, and also life and work in Berlin and Cottbus.

Starting up, this is a timeline of my journey, from application through admission, Interview to Visum!

Application to Universities- May 1

Admission Letter- June 17

Interview- July 26

Approval Mail- August 15

Visum- September 4

✈️- September 20

My name is MidEastPrince, and I can assure you that we’re going to have an amazing time!

You’re welcome!

Testimony!

Glory to God for his mercy and guidance throughout this journey!

Interview: July 26

AM: August 15

Visum: September 4

I wish everyone all the best in their endeavors!