profojah:

Hahaha!!..I swear, Na you lie pass!..

my man, I know you probably thought I interviewed in Naija hence your comment. No offence taken.

DeeTus:
Ok no problem but I will check on that later.

What kind of visa do you use over there?

you don't need a visa to come to the Gambia. Your ECOWAS passport entitles you to gain entry into the country. But once in, you would need to apply for residential and work permit. They take that really serious here.

akin3102:
Boss,Just for clarification..do you have Gambia PR?

I have residential and work permit but it wasn't asked for. I guess the fact that I had my work ID around my neck helped.

Hey guys, no need arguing over public holidays. If you actually READ my transcript, you would see I was interviewed in a different country. I have nothing to gain by sharing my experience other than giving back to a forum I learnt quite a lot from the experience of others. And sincerely, this is not the right place to troll. People are here for serious stuff. All the best.

DeeTus:
Again, was your interrview today?

Oh, yes my interview was today in Banjul, Gambia. Not a public holiday here today. I guess that's because wednesday is their national day celebration so they they are cutting down the number of public holidays.

My interview took place at the US Embassy in Banjul, Gambia. I have worked here for the past 7 months in a research institution owned by the UK government. I was denied a visitors visa in Lagos last September to attend a conference. I have been reading the transcripts of other members of this forum starting from page one of part one over the past few weeks and I must show my appreciation to everyone who have contributed in one or the other to the forum. This is probably the best online resource for student visa interviews. But if you ask me what I consider the most important factor to a successful interview, I would say GOD. This is a highly subjective interview and the GOD factor is key judging from my experience and the experience of others here. So fast and pray hard, it works. Next on the list is confidence ( prayer gives confidence anyway) and then preparation. My interview went thus:

Me: Goodmorning with a smile
CO: goodmorning, smiles back
CO: where is your family?
Me: (*surprised by the question, wasnt really expecting that as the first question) In Nigeria
CO: Ok, what do u plan to study in the US? (* I already submitted my documents. You are requested to do so here during biometrics)
Me: masters in public health at the University of North Florida
CO: Did you apply to any other school? *checking his computer
Me: Yes, Harvard and John Hopkins
CO: *looks up and smiles (as if saying guy u get mind o). Were you admitted?
Me: No
CO: why do you think so?
Me: These schools are highly competitive and they receive thousands of applications every year and unfortunately they are not able to admit all qualified applicants
CO: *nods his head in agreement with me. So why this school?
Me: The program's course content and research areas emphasize the practice of public health in low resourced settings such as what we have in Nigeria and ....
CO: *cuts in(seems to have seen something on his system) Oh, you are a doctor.
Me: Yes
CO: where did you get your medical degree*while checking his system
Me: University of Benin, Nigeria
CO: where do you work?
Me: the medical research council(MRC) *it is quite a popular research institution here
CO: how long have you worked there?
Me: 7 months
CO: what is your specialty?
Me: I am a primary care physician
CO: Do you do any research?
Me: I work primarily as a medical officer in the clinical services department, but I also collaborate in researches done in the clinical ward
CO: what kind of research?
Me: clinical and public health research
CO: how will this degree help you with your work?
Me: it will give me an indepth understanding of research methodologies used in public health and...
CO: * cuts in (looking intensely at my I-20) how do you plan to pay?
Me: * being cautious about my reply because my I-20 said personal funds but financial documents included mine and my sis. ) A combination of personal savings and my sister
CO: How much do you earn monthly?
Me: 61, 000 dalasis (about N310, 000)
CO: is your sister in Nigeria?
Me: No, she is a Belgium based business woman but she goes to Nigeria from time to time
CO: Oh, Belgium! *seems excited (don't know his personal experience with Belgium) do you have another relative in Belgium?
Me: No, just her *my brother is there o, God forgive me.
Co: do you have any relative in the US? *checking his system
Me: No *with an who send US? look
CO: What are your plans after study in the US? *by this time he was typing on his system and I was already sensing victory
Me: I plan to return to the MRC here in the Gambia to gain some field experience in public health research and thereafter return to my home country Nigeria to work with the federal ministry of health
CO: How long is your appointment at MRC? *it is a fixed term appointment with opportunity for renewal
Me: 2yrs
CO: I can see you were denied a visa in Lagos last September, what happened?
Me: I was invited to attend a scientific conference by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and I was denied. It was a visitors visa (*so we be clear oga)
CO: *brings out a white paper and says: you would need this paper to pick up your visa at this address on ......
Me: smiles and says thank you

The CO had my documents in front of him all the while but never bothered to check them out except the I-20 and sevis payment. He seemed to be more interested in what I had to say than any documents I had to show. I prayed to God before the interview that any documents that will cause a denial would not be requested for and He answered! Bless God.

Hello everyone, I got my visa today. Well I have been a silent follower of this forum, so I would like to follow the trend by sharing my experience because I learnt quite frankly from the experience of others here. Transcripts to follow shortly.