₦airaland Forum

Still waiting for your help folks.

eduson002: Its hard for ppl to comment.I cannot believe dat u, d originator of this thread has nt achieved ur aim since 2009.

Well, believe it! Things do not always work out as thought or planned.

Can you make any useful comments besides unproductive observations?

Can knowledgeable forum posters please assist?

This is URGENT.

Thx!

I am in need of urgent clarification please:

In the absence of any family member to assist me in first obtaining an age affidavit from the Lagos High Court and then an attestation of birth from the NPC, can a good friend of mine in Lagos swear to an age affidavit on my behalf as well as obtain the NPC document for me?

I have known my friend since university days (over 12 years) but she is younger than I am.

Has anyone successfully had their friend obtain these two documents?

If this is possible then I will send her the photocopies of all the documents necessary - my passport biodata and residence doc. page, passport photos, details of my parents e.t.c. ANYTHING ELSE?

Any help would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

sholatech: I provide support for Expatriates entering Nigeria and several african countries hence I am advising you based on prior experiences with NHC. And hey, Letter of Invitation should be easy for you from any of your numerous contacts in Nigeria. That will ensure you are 100% certain of getting him the Visa

Would you know why the Embassy may have such a blanket rule? Does the fact that I, the Nigerian spouse, travelling with my husband not count for anything?

I just don't see how an IV letter from a Nigerian resident who we will NOT be staying with makes any sense at all!

Any takers?

sholatech: Yes, it is important to have the Letter Of Invitation before NHC will issue Tourist or Business Visa. Cheers

Thanks, but what is your response based on? It would be beneficial to me if perhaps you have applied under similar circumstances.

Logic dictates that an IV letter is only necessary where a traveller is being hosted. If a traveller is self-funding then proof of this is what's necessary which is the case for us.

Anyone else please?

I am back again with one more question!

The first stage of the process is to swear to an affidavit of birth. Can a friend of mine in Lagos do this?

Thanks

Hi Folks,

My husband and I would like to go to Nigeria in spring/summer of 2013 for which my husband needs a visa (I am Nigerian).

I have just checked the NHC London's website which lists the required docs for a tourist visa, one of which is that my husband must have an invitation letter from someone in Nigeria addressed to the High Commission stating that they take responsibility for him/us while there. However we will be travelling together, self-funding and most likely staying in a hotel/guest house so don't see any logic in an IV letter.

Do we just submit flight and hotel bookings with his application?

I am concerned (and confused) as the High Commission warns that any application without this IV will be rejected.

Any (informed) guidance is welcome.

Thanks!

claremont: On the Nigeria Immigration Service Website, is payment taken before appointment times are displayed or do you have a view of available dates first?: I can't really remember as I did mine about a year ago, but I think the payment is taken before and not after. When I did mine, the nearest appointment date was about 3 months away. I heard that if you are not happy with your date of appointment, you can call them at the embassy to get it shifted closer or farther. I could be wrong on this though.

When at the embassy for the passport interview will my current passport be taken off me or do I only have to show it for the record?: Your current passport will be taken off you and given to you when your new passport is ready. Mine took about a week.

Were your old passport pages stamped with the remarks "cancelled without prejudice" when you went to collect the new one or before?: Yes, all the blank page of my old passport were stamped with "cancelled without prejudice". The only page that isn't stamped is the page containing your vignette.

Thanks Claremont, you've been very helpful. From the sounds of it I think i'll just let my passport run till summer of next year and then renew. It might be too complicated getting one now with my trips so close to each other.

claremont: I did not use any guarantor when I did mine, I think that only applies to people who do not already have a Nigerian passport. As for your Shengen trips, you may have to travel with both passports till you get your ILR sorted.

Just a couple more things Claremont:

On the Nigeria Immigration Service Website, is payment taken before appointment times are displayed or do you have a view of available dates first?
When at the embassy for the passport interview will my current passport be taken off me or do I only have to show it for the record?
Were your old passport pages stamped with the remarks "cancelled without prejudice" when you went to collect the new one or before?

Thanks!

By the way, is there any need for a guarantor?

The Nigeria HC website says that this is compulsory but I didn't need one when I applied in 2008.

Is a guarantor necessary or not?

claremont: They will stamp 'cancelled without prejudice' on the blank pages of your old passport. When you have received your new passport, you can submit both to the Home Office for them to transfer the vignette from the old to the new passport. They have a small charge for this.

Thanks Claremont. I'm not transferring my vignette but applying for confirmation of permanent residence which comes with a new vignette.

Thing is I have two European trips between now and October but hoped to apply for a new E-passport in September in time to submit my application to the UKBA so that my PR vignette goes into my new passport.

I wonder if I should just leave getting a new passport till next year when my PR application has been processed. Just means that i'd have to travel with both old and new passport in the future.

[quote author=claremont]Will my current passport be cancelled/retained once a new one is issued?: Your current passport will be stamped with 'Cancelled without prejudice, Nigeria High Commission, London'.[/b]I hope this will not be a problem as my current UK residence permit is in there as well as a valid Schengen Visa.

What is the £20 postal order made out to the Nigeria HC for considering that applicants have to return to collect their passports? There is already a separate passport fee of circa $65.: [b]My guy, just pay whatever you have been asked to pay officially and carry the receipt to the embassy.

Not saying I will not pay but it just doesn't make sense (to me) what this £20 PO is for. Btw, i'm a woman not a guy!

Finally, has the system of operation at the embassy improved compared to four years ago? I dread the thought of going back there!: [b]When I did a passport reissue about a year ago, I followed the official channels and got a new passport. Just be sure to arrive at the embassy very early in order to beat the queue.

I have always followed official channels and was not asking for shortcuts. I more meant if the chaos has been reduced or eradicated. Last time I visited it was a shameful display of incompetence.

Thanks for your time.

Anybody?

My e-passport (originally obtained at the Nigeria High Commission in London) expires in 11 months but i'd like to renew it next month so that my permanent UK residency status can be affixed in my new passport when I apply in October.

Couple of questions for those who have renewed e-passports in London:

Is 11 months too soon to reapply for a new passport? Is there a strict rule about this?
Is the E-passport extendable or do I have to apply for a new one?
Will my current passport be cancelled/retained once a new one is issued?
What is the £20 postal order made out to the Nigeria HC for considering that applicants have to return to collect their passports? There is already a separate passport fee of circa $65.
Finally, has the system of operation at the embassy improved compared to four years ago? I dread the thought of going back there!

Thanks in advance.

CH is expensive yes, so go somewhere else if you want to get 'more' for your money. We're going to Helsinki and Oulu this summer and i'm curious to see how the spending power of the Euro compares to the Swiss Franc. In France, Belgium and the Netherlands it seemed that the Euro went that much further but that may just be my perception.

llbhuds:
abi ooo bro, i had to transit there and i decided to enter the city and i almost cried cos its so so so f**king xpensive.
i wonder how peeps der survive with such an exorbitant prices. even the toblerone chocolate which is produced in Swiss cost 25euros and which i can buy at the rate of 18euros in another country.
shioooo

You have to understand that those who live AND work in Switzerland earn wages commensurate to the relatively 'high' standard of living. My husband is Swiss, we CH visit at least once a year and yes, prices of commodities like food, clothes&shoes, transport fares are expensive comparative to its neighbours - France, Germany, Italy, austria - but it balances out when you compare with wages, high quality standards and the country's preference to maintain a stable and relatively 'exclusive' population.

For instance, whenever we visit we like to take the train to explore different parts of the country. Last December we left from a village near Geneva and crossed all the way through Lausanne, Bern, Interlaken to Grindelwald and back. There were numerous interchanges and trips up and down the mountains but everything ran like clockwork (despite heavy snowfall). In London (where we live at the moment) you cannot set your watch to the national rail services. Some rain and there are delays; some snow and there are cancellations; even some heavy winds and trains are suspended!

The Swiss invest in infrastructure and are very committed to maintaining a very high standard of performance and excellence that is reflected in their prices, luxury products, public services and general culture.

redcliff:
Nice thread, would also love to be in that country, they have one of the best economies in europe, the mainly speak dutch/german

The Swiss do not speak a word of Dutch! They mainly speak German (and many Swiss German dialects) in central, North and east CH , French in West CH, Italian in South CH and Romansh in the Grisons (far east CH).

I have read through the posts and struggle to see why there are muddled up view points.

Mother is a Nigerian visitor who has given birth to a child in the UK. The child's father (one speculates) is not an EU citizen or a permanent resident or a national of a country that has bilateral healthcare agreements with the UK.

To me the plan of action is as easy as:

Pay off NHS bills
Apply for a child passport at the Nigerian High commission in London
Book and board a return flight to Nigeria

The OP writes that she is a regular visitor to the UK and therefore is entitled to free NHS treatment. A regular visitor would know that visitors are ineligible simply because they are non-residents and non-tax payers.

Busy_body:
With all the documents you have listed, you are nearly good to go, just that one of your "ties" is your Hubby who is following you on this trip, so this means you need to include all details of his asset outside US too, otherwise it is easy to wrongly conclude that you both wanna stay on in US because you have no incentive to come home.

Many thanks busybody. This is a good point which I hadn't considered - will include my husband's employment details etc when applying. The UK has been our home for close to 7 years and we have no plans of abandoning it!

Thank you both - I will focus on demonstrating strong ties to the UK by way of documentary evidence and see how the application goes.

justwise:
@ Plum70
Oh please!! go ahead with your application, you have a strong tie to the UK and in a good position.

Don't pay too much attention to pple telling u that your Nigerian route will play against u.

Thanks for your input. Can I ask if your viewpoint is from experience or just personal opinion?

I know that for any application there is a possibility of refusal but I simply wish to reduce that possibility by arming myself with (more) cogent info.

Thanks again.

I'd like the point of view of Nigerian expats living in the UK or indeed dual national consular officers who may work for the US embassy:

I am a Nigerian married to a Swiss and we have lived in London as a married couple for 3.5 years (6 years as partners). We'd like to go camping for 2 weeks around San Francisco in Sept/Oct, for which I need a tourist visa. I have been strongly advised in another forum that me being Nigerian (and the poor reputation that comes with it!) puts me at a great risk of being declined a US tourist visa, and better to wait till i'm British and then travel under the VWP. I found this a preposterous and unfounded statement!

If I were to apply now I would be able to show the ffg:

Letter from my employer detailing my role, salary, period of employment and leave authorisation; tax certificates for the last 2 years and most recent payslips
Bank statements showing sufficient funds/savings for the trip
Our joint tenancy agreement where we've lived for over 4 years
My current passport with a valid UK residence document and stamped proof of extensive travel within the EU
My husband's employment contract and proof of income (if necessary)
Our marriage certificate (if necessary)

Based on the above and despite me being Nigerian, what are my chances of acceptance? I refuse to believe that my visa may be declined if I am eligible but solely because I am Nigerian!

Constructive and balanced comments from people who have 1st hand experience pls.

Thanks for contributing Megastu. Can you pls post your article on here? I bet it would be beneficial, not only for me, but for any other person on the same path.

Muchas gracias!

Seriously, is there no one who is any wiser on this matter?

Any takers?

Also, can a friend of mine swear to an affidavit on my behalf or is it strictly family?

I am looking to get my Nigerian Birth Certificate from the NPC (currently residing in the UK with my husband) to enable my marriage to be recognised by the Swiss embassy here and entered into the Swiss family register. I would like to know:

What information (apart from my name, DOB, place of birth, parents' names and their DOBs) would I need to have? Do I need to provide my parents' current addresses, what their occupation was at the time of my birth, where they were born and their LGAs etc?

Any pointers from those who have actually undergone the process would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Chi*Babe:
My husband was told by the National visa center here in california to get his birth certificate from Lagos Ministry of Health in Ikeja. They can give you the birth certificate,  or a certified letter stating why the doc is unavailable. then they stamp it to certify, but you need the affidavit as well, and you can get that there too. When he got there they told him it will cost N8,000-just to go look into the files and see if the certificate was available. I wonder if he could hav gone to NPC now. Also, he needed a police certificate that he was supposed to obtain somewhere in Ikoyi. They bribed him since they knew its for visa purposes, so im starting to wonder how much these things cost now. you can tip them to sped the process, but they shouldnt be asking for large fees for this stuff. 

Isn't that part of the frustration though? These services do not seem to have a fixed price and one is exploited for this reason. It's all about how much tipping you are prepared to do! Tiring!

Anyway, I will look into getting a member of my family to sort it out in due time. Where I can send/fax photocopies of my passport and marriage certificate, I would need to send original passport pictures. It seems ridiculous to have to pay £40 to DHL pictures (that cost £7.00) across to Nigeria! I'll look into this some other time.

Thanks everyone!

brutal:
It's not a situation of being considerate cos they don't expect u 2 travel back home because of a minor issue.if they actually want 2 prove that u r d one in ur B.C.,then i''ll advise u 2 give them egunje when they visit ur folks.usually is one(NAIJA) representative.take style, tell dem say na 4 transport. :'

What

brutal:
i got it.d B.C. would be inspected back home at d swiss embassy in nigeria.it might take at least 3 to 4 months.i guess they have same law with germany.

Yes. However, the Swiss embassy in London has been considerate enough to say that should a 3rd party retrieve the BC, we can submit the certificate here in London and they would then liaise with the Swiss folks in Abuja for the authentication process. Time line is about 6 months actually.