₦airaland Forum

Pristineni:
Good day everyone. I'm new here. I have a concern about my visa application. My uncle has been living in the US since 2016 and used my information and my siblings' information for his settlement process, possibly for permanent residency or citizenship. However, he's not sponsoring me. If I'm asked during an embassy interview whether I have any relatives in the US, what should I say? I'm unsure of his current status, but as of 2016, he was a permanent resident.

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Your uncle in the U.S used your information for settlement process but you did not know if it was PR or Citizenship. You are also not sure of his status but as of 2016 he was a permanent resident.

■●▪︎ Either you mention relative in america or not will not reduce or add to your F1- visa success . There are many Nigerians in america that also answer same surname as you if that is also your fear.
The only avenue for the visa officer to query or do background checks is if you state your uncle as your sponsor.

Note: Your question is funny. Say the truth of what happens to Nairalanders if someone have used your information for shady stuffs. Hiding information will only give you wrong solution. Meanwhile, your uncle is now a U.S citizen if everything has gone well with his residency. 👍

Efetobore1980:
■■
Your uncle in the U.S used your information for settlement process but you did not know if it was PR or Citizenship. You are also not sure of his status but as of 2016 he was a permanent resident.

■●▪︎ Either you mention relative in america or not will not reduce or add to your F1- visa success . There are many Nigerians in america that also answer same surname as you if that is also your fear.
The only avenue for the visa officer to query or do background checks is if you state your uncle as your sponsor.

Note: Your question is funny. Say the truth of what happens to Nairalanders if someone have used your information for shady stuffs. Hiding information will only give you wrong solution. Meanwhile, your uncle is now a U.S citizen if everything has gone well with his residency. 👍

No, no, no one has used my information for anything bad. If anyone has done so, I'm not aware of it, and that's not why I posted this. I'm asking because my uncle lives in Houston, Texas, and I plan to live with him over there, at least before I settle in.

Teettyllayho:
I stayed at Oliver Twist hotel yesterday. You don't have to pay but you have to book ahead. It’s a really nice place. I paid 38500. And the Uber i took to the embassy this morning charged me 2200 from there to the embassy.

Please how did you book a room ? Thank you

Efetobore1980:
@Zinachidi.

With all honesty. I have seen 5 applicants from last week up till now with their normal f1 visa stampings as normal as before. Nothing change. I have posted it sevaral time that the policy is not going to be easy to be enacted on international students.

■ On B1/B2, 2 ladies got their normal 5 years last week Tuesday (July 15th, 2025). I saw it with my eyes.

■● Normally it can take the embassy 2 months in order to change visa stamps, seals, and all official visa ingredients (permit my grammar) that has formally carried the 5-years (on B1/B2) visa authorization. Hence, people might still be getting the 5 years until they are fully ready for the 3 - months enactment. Practically, they cannot start issuing 3-months overnight otherwise they will have to delay visa issuance. 👍

Thanks chief

Hello bro. Please I have another question. If as a result of unlimited dates in Lagos, I got lucky with Abuja and I booked an appointment, will I have to pay for new visa fees? I have scheduled an initial lagos appointment for Dec 15, but I want to switch to Abuja if I get dates. Secondly, My Ds 160 carries Lagos, but I havent submitted it. Will it affect my bar codes if I switch my location? Thanks.

Efetobore1980:
■■

A possible fruitless effort. You can't send a reminder to the embassy staffs in order to awaken them to their jobs. Your existing ER is pending and they have the record, they knows your start of class and they will decide if to grant your request out of hundreds.

■ Keep using the lifeline of " Reschedule " to look for nearer dates. All incoming F1- visa applicants should do the needful and follow all application instructions fully. Pay sevis fee, fill ds-160 completely by signing and submit, and date-sign your form I-20. 👍

Pristineni:
Richmanpikin, I'm surprised to learn you're from Jalingo. I visited there a few years ago, in 2023, and was struck by the challenges people face in terms of communication. It seems they struggle to articulate their ideas with proper grammar, including accurate tenses and subject-verb agreement. Additionally, writing skills appear to be an issue, with difficulties in using correct punctuation and maintaining a logical flow of thought. Did you attend primary or secondary school outside of Taraba State?

Ahbeg, don't make me write my biography here. I've only been to Abuja three times and Lagos once. All the schools I attended are public schools, and I schooled here in Jalingo throughout. I didn't attend JSS1 and JSS2; instead, I joined my peers in JSS3 after spending two years hawking chin chin. Only God is helping us, dear.

Timshin:
Hello bro. Please I have another question. If as a result of unlimited dates in Lagos, I got lucky with Abuja and I booked an appointment, will I have to pay for new visa fees? I have scheduled an initial lagos appointment for Dec 15, but I want to switch to Abuja if I get dates. Secondly, My Ds 160 carries Lagos, but I havent submitted it. Will it affect my bar codes if I switch my location? Thanks.

■●▪︎

You can change from Lagos to Abuja or vice versa . To do this, you will have to be using only " Reschedule option (do not click on cancel). And no, you do not have to pay another visa fee. ▪︎▪︎ However, you must fill another ds-160 form in order to match with your final embassy preference and update it inside your avits profile . 👍

Thanks bro.

Efetobore1980:
■●▪︎

You can change from Lagos to Abuja or vice versa . To do this, you will have to be using only " Reschedule option (do not click on cancel). And no, you do not have to pay another visa fee. ▪︎▪︎ However, you must fill another ds-160 form in order to match with your final embassy preference and update it inside your avits profile . 👍

Good evening all, please I need help, I paid for my visa fee around February 2025 and after which I want to book for an appointment date but the response I get till this evening is, "no date is available at the location selected", I have called and send mail to Abuja embassy, also i have open series of tickets on the visa appointment site, please help what can I do, my school resumption date is August 25 2025 and I'm yet to get appointment date.

September, 2025 is now available for US Embassy Abuja.

NasaMichael:
September, 2025 is now available for US Embassy Abuja.

It’s no longer available, unfortunately.

You have 10 attempts per day to login. The attempts is reset 1am every day, so try again then

dalobaba:
I can’t log on to Avits platform. It’s saying “access temporarily restricted”.

Is anyone else experiencing this issue.

cole234:
Good evening all, please I need help, I paid for my visa fee around February 2025 and after which I want to book for an appointment date but the response I get till this evening is, "no date is available at the location selected", I have called and send mail to Abuja embassy, also i have open series of tickets on the visa appointment site, please help what can I do, my school resumption date is August 25 2025 and I'm yet to get appointment date.

You need to join a date search group. Dates have been released sometime since February

If you submitted your DS 160 for Lagos, and you don't mind still going for your interview this week. You can reach me. There's an appointment date that we want to cancel/reschedule. If you are fast enough, and with a strong network, you will be able to pick it.

Poormanpikin:
Wow! Thank you for the information. I'm excited Most of the schools I emailed also meet all these criteria, except that application fee waiver is not available for international students. However, once admitted, they offer a full tuition waiver, stipend, and health insurance. Some of the schools include Louisiana State University, Washington State University, and the University of Kentucky. I'm interested in pursuing a Master's or PhD in English, with a preference for PhD. I live in Jalingo, Taraba State. Can we connect so we can talk more?

Good day bro. I share the same aspirations with you. Studied English as well. Looking to apply for a PhD this year... You can add university of Purdue to your list as well.
Cheers bro

Godgivenchild:
If you submitted your DS 160 for Lagos, and you don't mind still going for your interview this week. You can reach me. There's an appointment date that we want to cancel/reschedule. If you are fast enough, and with a strong network, you will be able to pick it.

Please. I am interested.

Kindly reach me on Whatsapp or normal call. 08164195299

I am interested, how to contact you? my current date is in Sept 2025

Godgivenchild:
If you submitted your DS 160 for Lagos, and you don't mind still going for your interview this week. You can reach me. There's an appointment date that we want to cancel/reschedule. If you are fast enough, and with a strong network, you will be able to pick it.

Godgivenchild:
If you submitted your DS 160 for Lagos, and you don't mind still going for your interview this week. You can reach me. There's an appointment date that we want to cancel/reschedule. If you are fast enough, and with a strong network, you will be able to pick it.

cool

hello everyone good afternoon to u all, pls how do i change my ds 160 confirmation number after booking the appointment i dont know if clicking on the reschedule option will cancel my present appointment

Spiceyspicey:
hello everyone good afternoon to u all, pls how do i change my ds 160 confirmation number after booking the appointment i dont know if clicking on the reschedule option will cancel my present appointment

Clicking reschedule menu is risky because i have no idea is the already booked appointment will be lost!

As for Ds160 do another Ds160 and raise ticket to change the old one….highest its done under 48hrs

ambs50:
Good day bro. I share the same aspirations with you. Studied English as well. Looking to apply for a PhD this year... You can add university of Purdue to your list as well.
Cheers bro

Thank you so much, sir. I wish you good luck. I'm still in my junior year (300L) and hoping to apply(next year for Fall 2027) before I complete my undergraduate studies. May God bless the hustle of every Nigerian trying to japa.

Meel:
I applaud your intentionality toward your graduate school goal, but you weren't specific enough to get the necessary counsel you need to succeed.

Funding requirements are field-specific more available in STEM than non-STEM fields. Since you're in a non-STEM field and I’m in STEM, I can only offer a general opinion.

To reiterate, funding requirements are determined by the field. In the US, graduate school funding usually comes in the form of assistantships and fellowships.
Assistantships include:

Research Assistantship (RA): You assist your professor in the lab.

Teaching Assistantship (TA): You support teaching in classrooms.

Graduate Assistantship (GA): You handle clerical or library work.
Then there’s Fellowship, which is competitive but highly rewarding.


One mistake many people make is applying for admission without securing funding, especially when they don’t have any financial support. There are many people with admission letters but no funding and that, to me, is a waste of effort.

To the OP: before applying to any school, reach out to the Graduate Admissions Coordinator. Inform them of your intentions, and they will provide you with funding requirements and details on available assistantships.

Again, funding requirements depend on your field.
For example, in my field Biomedical Sciences/Immunology the main requirement for funding is research experience, often demonstrated through prior research assistantships, publications, or relevant conferences. Even so, it's still one of the most competitive fields to get funding.

So reach out to your program coordinators and find out what they prioritize: research experience, internships, project work, GRE scores, etc.
Programs don’t have one-size-fits-all requirements

Greetings,

Pls I need guidance either from you or any other here. Had to quote as I saw you read Biomedical science which is my field too. I have been reading alot and sincerely,right now am just kinda getting discouraged as it seems not to be working.

I have a first degree in Biochemistry,with an associate degree in Medical laboratory science. I had tried skilled worker route but I don send application taya. Recently I read about accelerated nursing here,intend going that route. Pls direct me cos as I am now, I don't even know how or what to do again

Poormanpikin:
Ahbeg, don't make me write my biography here. I've only been to Abuja three times and Lagos once. All the schools I attended are public schools, and I schooled here in Jalingo throughout. I didn't attend JSS1 and JSS2; instead, I joined my peers in JSS3 after spending two years hawking chin chin. Only God is helping us, dear.

Meaning you finished primary school and started hawking for two years? You must be smart. Are you an Abdul? Sorry, that's a personal quesion.

Pristineni:
Meaning you finished primary school and started hawking for two years? You must be smart. Are you an Abdul? Sorry, that's a personal quesion.

I have no problem answering personal questions; it's just that I don't want us to derail this thread. I'm not an Abdul, I'm a VICTOR. And thank you for the hyperbole

Godgivenchild:
If you submitted your DS 160 for Lagos, and you don't mind still going for your interview this week. You can reach me. There's an appointment date that we want to cancel/reschedule. If you are fast enough, and with a strong network, you will be able to pick it.

Is the date still available?

Poormanpikin:
Thank you so much, sir. I wish you good luck. I'm still in my junior year (300L) and hoping to apply(next year for Fall 2027) before I complete my undergraduate studies. May God bless the hustle of every Nigerian trying to japa.

Amen!

Please make sure you hit a first class by all means possible. Also, try and see if you can get articles published. You could liaise with any lecturer you are close to, to either co-author and publish. Just be close to anyone one that is reasonable. I had that opportunity some years ago but turned it down. And now, I am only wishing and wishing

These two requirements are what is denying me a fully funded PhD in an Australian uni...

All the best bro

Hello quick question, I had gotten a date for Lagos in 2026 and did an expedite request. If I change to Abuja do I still need to submit another expedite request? My program starts in two weeks.

Gone. I learnt someone is using another email/number to contact people claiming I'm the one... That person is a scammer o. Pls be careful. Thank you

Segzy60:
Please. I am interested.

Kindly reach me on Whatsapp or normal call. 08164195299

Gone

Oluwaseun2025:
Is the date still available?

Please I need your suggestion.

I attended my F-1 interview in Lagos on June 23, 2035. I was placed on administrative processing for social media vetting. It's one month now, and my status has remained on "Application Received." My program starts in middle of August.

I sent an email to the Consulate, and got a response two weeks later that my case is still under administrative processing. I confused since it still shows "Application Received" instead of the traditional "Refused" or "Administrative Processing."

This is mentally stressful.

Jack880:
Please I need your suggestion.

I attended my F-1 interview in Lagos on June 23, 2035. I was placed on administrative processing for social media vetting. It's one month now, and my status has remained on "Application Received." My program starts in middle of August.

I sent an email to the Consulate, and got a response two weeks later that my case is still under administrative processing. I confused since it still shows "Application Received" instead of the traditional "Refused" or "Administrative Processing."

This is mentally stressful.

■■

Okay, where was it written that you were placed on INA 221g for social media vetting ? Or did the visa officer told you that verbally ? Or you just thought that was the reason ?

** You can be placed on 221g for many reasons and the reaaon will be marked in a sheet or the officer will tell you what to do verbally.

■●▪︎ If any instructional slip nor verbal directive is not given to you aside of what you attached then you still have another 30 days of waiting. You are lucky they responded to your email. You dont have to send email until after 60 days. 👍

ambs50:
Amen!

Please make sure you hit a first class by all means possible. Also, try and see if you can get articles published. You could liaise with any lecturer you are close to, to either co-author and publish. Just be close to anyone one that is reasonable. I had that opportunity some years ago but turned it down. And now, I am only wishing and wishing

These two requirements are what is denying me a fully funded PhD in an Australian uni...

All the best bro

Thank you, sir. My department doesn't typically award As, let alone first-class honors. Since this university's establishment, departments like English, Linguistics, and Political Science have never graduated students with first-class honors, not because there aren't deserving students, but because the department tends to be stingy with high grades. My brother, who merited a first-class degree in Political Science, graduated with a 4.44/5. I deserve a first-class degree, but I know it's impossible (based on departmental trends, not pessimism). Currently, my CGPA is 4.78/5, but I'm uncertain about getting a first-class degree.

Regarding publishing articles, I'm working on a paper about sentence patterns (SV, SVO, SVC, SVOA, etc.), and my next paper will focus on sentence structure using Noam Chomsky's tree diagram. You can still publish now, and it's not too late. In my department, publishjng a paper costs 30k. If focusing on literature and publishing a book is too expensive, you can publish a paper analyzing central themes or characters in a particular book(novel, novella, short story, play or poetry) and link it to a writing career in your SOP. Publishing is still an option, even for non-students and non-lecturers. I mean you can still publish even though you're not a student.

Don't fret; most English departments in US universities don't require a first-class degree, publications, or test scores(not required). In fact, your writing sample is just as important as your CGPA – these two are the most crucial aspects of your application. If you're focusing on Literature, an MFA (3 years) might be your best bet, and you'll need to submit a writing sample (prose fiction or poetry). For a PhD, the focus is often on language, and you'll need to submit a scholarly critical writing sample (an unpublished paper). If writing proves challenging, I'd be happy to help. Good luck with your applications!