silverchi:
Gooday my most senior&experienced colleagues in the house.

My visa wI'll be expiring in end of mid-September & my EDD date is last week of August.

Which date ll be safe to use as return date for ticket to avoid POE issues?

You can chose any return date that pleases you. The important thing here is that you enter America before you visa expires. It's the duration you are stamped at poe that matters and determines your duration of stay. For example,if your visa expires tomorrow and you enter America today and they stamp you in for 6 months,this means you are entittled to stay in America for 6 months.

Mamaah:
Hi everyone, I need an advise, during my visa interview when I was asked which state I was going to , I told the VO I was going to Chicago
Now my plans have changed, I will be heading to Houston and yes my intention of giving birth was disclosed during the interview.

I'm just wondering if the change of state will not affect me at POE, if such question comes up what do I say?

Kindly advise.

Thanks

One way of playing it safe is,enter through JFK Which is a major entry point for any destination and from there you can find your level.

Harisbabe:
Goodday house,
Pls i need more info on HNWMC peadeatrician fees.
Those that have uses the hospital shld pls help.
@chanbaby @derindee @idonhear @shawbabe. Pls help. Thanks

Hmmmm. The only draw back of HNMC is their pediatric fee. I was given a quote of $1430 eventually paid 715 after several phone calls and heated negotiation. My friend that used them last month was given a quote of 1800 and paid 900 after several battle. So prepare like 1000 for them.

4tiwa:

#sos#
Good day house. I want to say a big thank u you all for all the information that has been shared on this platform.
Pls am in a big dilemma. I just had my baby to the glory of God.am being told now that he needs to have a hearing test which is mandatory by law. The test however is not in the package I got and it is not discounted for.it comes at a fee of 500$.
Am confused as this is quite high for me.am considering refusing this test buy they say I'll have to sign a refusal form
Ave been trying to consult pple some say I should do it since it's mandatory by law of the state others say if I don't have the money and it's not goin to be discounted for I should refuse it sign the forms instead of been stranded or been boxed to receiving any form of financial aid
Pls house I need your timely advise as ave told the lady to come while I decide on what to do.
Let me add that i delivered via an unplanned caesearean which added a new twisty to the all situation.
Has there been any body that refused the test of this kind,any consequence later for the child or future application.
Thank u so much
Responses anticipated in earnest

Sign the refusal form its not mandatory and its terribly expensive. my hospital charged $143 I didn't do it I just signed the form.

Mamaah:
Hi everyone, I need an advise, during my visa interview when I was asked which state I was going to , I told the VO I was going to Chicago
Now my plans have changed, I will be heading to Houston and yes my intention of giving birth was disclosed during the interview.

I'm just wondering if the change of state will not affect me at POE, if such question comes up what do I say?

Kindly advise.

Thanks

You also have the option of renewing your visa 6months b4 the expiring date if you want to play safe. Anyone that will make you sleep well at night!

Hello everyone ..thanks for your help concerning my mum as I was scared she won't be able to defend herself enough..I prepared well enough with her and she went for her interview this morning..I gave her my visa page data page flight ticket doctors appointment and she went with her statement of account but none of this document was checked.
Vo..where are you going.
Mum..Houston
Vo..what are you going there for.
Mum...to assist my daughter that plans on leaving end of June to have her baby..I plan to join her end of July and will be spending two weeks with her..I have her visa here flight ticket doctors appointment.
Vo..what do you do
Mum..am a teacher.
Vo...how many children do you have.
Mum..4
Vo...have you ever travelled out of the country before.
Mum..been to dubai severally uk and going to Canada by July then from canada to us to assist her.
Vo...gave her white paper.
Mum...asked is that fine ..can I go.
Vo..your visa has been approved.


Dropped my mum off by 7 for her interview by 8.15 and waited for her at the park was surprised when I got a call from her 8.30 that she was done.

I told her not to give the vo one word answer and always elaborate..everything they asked her was what we prepared for and even more.

Thank you all for the support..will be travelling in two weeks and will come back to share the almighty dreded Houston poe experience.

This is how to answer these questions! Congratulations!
Welldone to grandma!

happymumtobe:
Hello everyone ..thanks for your help concerning my mum as I was scared she won't be able to defend herself enough..I prepared well enough with her and she went for her interview this morning..I gave her my visa page data page flight ticket doctors appointment and she went with her statement of account but none of this document was checked.
Vo..where are you going.
Mum..Houston
Vo..what are you going there for.
Mum...to assist my daughter that plans on leaving end of June to have her baby..I plan to join her end of July and will be spending two weeks with her..I have her visa here flight ticket doctors appointment.
Vo..what do you do
Mum..am a teacher.
Vo...how many children do you have.
Mum..4
Vo...have you ever travelled out of the country before.
Mum..been to dubai severally uk and going to Canada by July then from canada to us to assist her.
Vo...gave her white paper.
Mum...asked is that fine ..can I go.
Vo..your visa has been approved.


Dropped my mum off by 7 for her interview by 8.15 and waited for her at the park was surprised when I got a call from her 8.30 that she was done.

I told her not to give the vo one word answer and always elaborate..everything they asked her was what we prepared for and even more.

Thank you all for the support..will be travelling in two weeks and will come back to share the almighty dreded Houston poe experience.

mamanicole:
Hello all pls kindly advice me on what next to do cause am confused. I applied n got a b1/b2 visa in 2014 for vacation,used it twice for vacation n my 3rd visit was for childbirth last year.I gave birth,paid all my bills n got my zero balance letter n came back to Nigeria few days to the 6 months that was stamped on my passport (I left for us when I was 6 months pregnant, baby came at 41weeks n was advised by my doctor to let her have her first immunization which is at 2 months plus the passport processing n all).The problem now is that I submitted my passport for renewal in January but was called for an interview in Abj n was refused,I reapplied today again n was refused.
Vo-why are you going to Florida
Me-Short vacation to celebrate our wedding anniversary n daughters bday
Vo-What do u do
Me-Am a PR manager with-----
Vo-Is your husband here in Abj
Me-yes
Vo-Sorry I can't approve your visa now
I was hurt cause I used the visa well,paid all my bills but she didn't even ask any question that will make me explain myself.I want to reapply asap,pls what do u advice I write as the reason why I was refused?Am thinking of going to reapply in Lagos cause that's where I was issued the previous one plus the rate at which they were just dashing out green paper today is discouraging

How long were u stamped?
How many weeks were u when u entered d US.

I'm trying to b sure u didn't over stay ur visit

Congrats happymumtobe! Please can you help to take a letter of consent to my DW in Houston for our LO's pasport? Thank you!

boluwagin:


So just as I promised to share my total bill and experience for my first Missionary Journey:

Hospital Bill - 3k for noncomplicated vaginal delivery (it has to be paid before discharge from the hospital to qualify for the discount package)

Dr fee - 1k for vaginal delivery (payment is due at initial doctors appointment)

Lab test - 158

Ultra scan - 120

Paediatrician - 300

Well Child Check - 95 (this was done at JPS hospital fort Worth)

LO birth cert. - 23 each (collected two copies)

American Passport - 165 (I got it by mail exactly 13days after applying)

I got my zero balance from the hospital by mail 3 weeks after discharge. I left US with LO on the 30th of March, got to Qatar and was hoping to get a transit visa to qualify for an hotel in Doha but sadly our Visa wasn't granted by the immigration, we had to stay at the airport for a 12hrs layover. Thank God it's finally over for now, I will hang my coat and hibernate till further notice. Thanks to everyone who has shared their experiences, bills and answered both my public and direct questions, God bless you all especially @chloe7 @temmyo ...@dyout Congratulations and thank you so so much for the assistance with LO letter of Consent and it was nice to meet your Madam a fellow Nairalander in diaspora.
Peace!

Hello, I am planning to give birth in Dallas. My email address is ggnwigwe@gmail.com, i would appreciate it if we can communicate via email so i can get more info asper giving birth in Dallas.
Thank u

Okay! I'm fully relaxed now..
Here's my traveling and POE experience
I left Nigeria on the 1St of June via Qatar..bought my return ticket #360k....take off time was meant to be 2:15pm but was delayed by an HR...I was asked to go to port health for a test which I did and paid #1500.
Flight was smooth to Doha..was suppose to have a 2HR stop over at Doha but we didn't spend up to 45min before we boarded for new york.I only showed port health certificate during check in at Doha...no cbp approached me...flight to JFK NY was very smooth and long..on arrival I did my self service afterwards queued ...the queue wasn't that long and there were just 2 cbp officers 1 American man and 1 chinko man..the American was just passing everyone without too many questions but the chinko spent more than 10mins with each person..so while I was praying not to go to the chinko ll and behold twas my turn to face the chinko guy...

Me: Good morning
Chinko: no response
Then I gave him my passport
Chinko: why are you here
Me: vacation and childbirth
Chinko: really! Have you contacted a Doctor
Me: yes in Houston and I handed him my correspondence
Chinko: oh you are still going to Houston..okay..how much are you gonna spend on hospital bill
Me: about #6500
Chinko: oh OK cos it's self pay right
Me: Yea..
Chinko: stamped me in for 6months and he asked me to proceed to get my luggage and then pronounced my name in a funny way..and said I thought he wouldn't be able to pronounce my name right..
We both laughed and that was it.
My egusi was seized cos twasnt blended...that was all..

[quote author=boluwagin post=55474891]

So just as I promised to share my total bill and experience for my first Missionary Journey:

Hospital Bill - 3k for noncomplicated vaginal delivery (it has to be paid before discharge from the hospital to qualify for the discount package)

Dr fee - 1k for vaginal delivery (payment is due at initial doctors appointment)

Lab test - 158

Ultra scan - 120

Paediatrician - 300

Well Child Check - 95 (this was done at JPS hospital fort Worth)

LO birth cert. - 23 each (collected two copies)

American Passport - 165 (I got it by mail exactly 13days after applying)

I got my zero balance from the hospital by mail 3 weeks after discharge. I left US with LO on the 30th of March, got to Qatar and was hoping to get a transit visa to qualify for an hotel in Doha but sadly our Visa wasn't granted by the immigration, we had to stay at the airport for a 12hrs layover. Thank God it's finally over for now, I will hang my coat and hibernate till further notice. Thanks to everyone who has shared their experiences, bills and answered both my public and direct questions, God bless you all especially @chloe7 @temmyo ...@dyout Congratulations and thank you so so much for the assistance with LO letter of Consent and it was nice to meet your Madam a fellow Nairalander in diaspora.
Peace!
[Hello Boluwagin, I sent you a pm. My email address is ijcity22@yahoo.com. Kindly respond. Thank you.]

firsttymum:


How long were u stamped?
How many weeks were u when u entered d US.

I'm trying to b sure u didn't over stay ur visit

I was stamped in for 6 months n I left 5 days to the expiry of my 6 months stamp.I was 24 weeks pregnant when I entered.

In the spirit of being kind (no-one will answer me if I ask but no p)

Qatar is having a diplomatic row with all the countries surrounding it and they have shut down their borders, ports and airspace. Those countries are also ejecting Qatari citizens from their country. The Qatari govt is scrambling to make sure Turkey doesn't also ban them from their airspace as Saudi Arabia has (I believe a portion of your US trip flies over SA airspace, you could ask some pilots or check online) so they are not completely isolated. Everyone in Qatar is rushing to the supermarkets to stock up on groceries (kinda like what you would expect if a country is in some crisis). The US is the one pushing for Qatar to be isolated and has also approved social media searches for visa applicants.
Anyone planning on using Qatar Airlines should probably have a rethink for at least a week. At least till the situation on ground is clear.

Cc mamaOO

cutieb:
Okay! I'm fully relaxed now..
Here's my traveling and POE experience
I left Nigeria on the 1St of June via Qatar..bought my return ticket #360k....take off time was meant to be 2:15pm but was delayed by an HR...I was asked to go to port health for a test which I did and paid #1500.
Flight was smooth to Doha..was suppose to have a 2HR stop over at Doha but we didn't spend up to 45min before we boarded for new york.I only showed port health certificate during check in at Doha...no cbp approached me...flight to JFK NY was very smooth and long..on arrival I did my self service afterwards queued ...the queue wasn't that long and there were just 2 cbp officers 1 American man and 1 chinko man..the American was just passing everyone without too many questions but the chinko spent more than 10mins with each person..so while I was praying not to go to the chinko ll and behold twas my turn to face the chinko guy...

Me: Good morning
Chinko: no response
Then I gave him my passport
Chinko: why are you here
Me: vacation and childbirth
Chinko: really! Have you contacted a Doctor
Me: yes in Houston and I handed him my correspondence
Chinko: oh you are still going to Houston..okay..how much are you gonna spend on hospital bill
Me: about #6500
Chinko: oh OK cos it's self pay right
Me: Yea..
Chinko: stamped me in for 6months and he asked me to proceed to get my luggage and then pronounced my name in a funny way..and said I thought he wouldn't be able to pronounce my name right..
We both laughed and that was it.
My egusi was seized cos twasnt blended...that was all..

congratulations

just want to say a very big thank u to every one that contributed in one way or the other

my interview was approved today at Lagos embassy today:
me:good morning ma'am(with a smile)
vo:good mawn(passport pls)
vo:why r u going to d us
me:to have my baby cos am pregnant and my hubby is the one sporting my trip
vo:so u Wanna have ur baby in the us
me:yes ma'am
vo:why us
me:to have access to good health care service (me I xplained some personal issue to her)
vo:were dos ur husband work
me:bleep(i gave full details of his work)
vo:have u contacted any doc
me:yez,doc Nicolas xydas and d name of the hospital is Houston north west medical center
vo:aw do u come about the hospital
me:did extensive research on the internet and I learn a lot(nairaland forum u know)
vo:aw long av u been working
me:6yrs

pick up ur Visa in 3days time, congratulations
seriously I just started smiling me saying tnk u Jesus. the interview was very lively seriously and I learn a lot from dis forum dat we should give details of our ans
thanks naira landers and I bless God my creator.

my question now is
1)will be going next week and I will be 35weeks By dat time(pls I know is late don't abuse me please) the medical someone said she did at the airport ,is it for scan or wot and pls house enlighten me on how to go abt it
2) in the form I fill on my ds form my intended date of arrival is next week Wednesday but want to extend it to Friday, will dat bring alert at the poe or any were
3) house u can play suggest which flight to bud dat won't raise any alert of my weeks
thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! am so grateful for ur contribution

cutieb:
Okay! I'm fully relaxed now..
Here's my traveling and POE experience
I left Nigeria on the 1St of June via Qatar..bought my return ticket #360k....take off time was meant to be 2:15pm but was delayed by an HR...I was asked to go to port health for a test which I did and paid #1500.
Flight was smooth to Doha..was suppose to have a 2HR stop over at Doha but we didn't spend up to 45min before we boarded for new york.I only showed port health certificate during check in at Doha...no cbp approached me...flight to JFK NY was very smooth and long..on arrival I did my self service afterwards queued ...the queue wasn't that long and there were just 2 cbp officers 1 American man and 1 chinko man..the American was just passing everyone without too many questions but the chinko spent more than 10mins with each person..so while I was praying not to go to the chinko ll and behold twas my turn to face the chinko guy...

Me: Good morning
Chinko: no response
Then I gave him my passport
Chinko: why are you here
Me: vacation and childbirth
Chinko: really! Have you contacted a Doctor
Me: yes in Houston and I handed him my correspondence
Chinko: oh you are still going to Houston..okay..how much are you gonna spend on hospital bill
Me: about #6500
Chinko: oh OK cos it's self pay right
Me: Yea..
Chinko: stamped me in for 6months and he asked me to proceed to get my luggage and then pronounced my name in a funny way..and said I thought he wouldn't be able to pronounce my name right..
We both laughed and that was it.
My egusi was seized cos twasnt blended...that was all..

plss wot test were u asked to do at port health? plsss

Onegai:
In the spirit of being kind (no-one will answer me if I ask but no p)

Qatar is having a diplomatic row with all the countries surrounding it and they have shut down their borders, ports and airspace. Those countries are also ejecting Qatari citizens from their country. The Qatari govt is scrambling to make sure Turkey doesn't also ban them from their airspace as Saudi Arabia has (I believe a portion of your US trip flies over SA airspace, you could ask some pilots or check online) so they are not completely isolated. Everyone in Qatar is rushing to the supermarkets to stock up on groceries (kinda like what you would expect if a country is in some crisis). The US is the one pushing for Qatar to be isolated and has also approved social media searches for visa applicants.
Anyone planning on using Qatar Airlines should probably have a rethink for at least a week. At least till the situation on ground is clear.

Cc mamaOO

I just PMed you. Didn't ask first... .. How is lil princess? Missionary 2.0 nko ? Or you are waiting for USD to come back to sub 200?

All dem ME countries will be fearing someborry now sef... The hostility in that region is off da chains!!!

Onegai:
In the spirit of being kind (no-one will answer me if I ask but no p)

Qatar is having a diplomatic row with all the countries surrounding it and they have shut down their borders, ports and airspace. Those countries are also ejecting Qatari citizens from their country. The Qatari govt is scrambling to make sure Turkey doesn't also ban them from their airspace as Saudi Arabia has (I believe a portion of your US trip flies over SA airspace, you could ask some pilots or check online) so they are not completely isolated. Everyone in Qatar is rushing to the supermarkets to stock up on groceries (kinda like what you would expect if a country is in some crisis). The US is the one pushing for Qatar to be isolated and has also approved social media searches for visa applicants.
Anyone planning on using Qatar Airlines should probably have a rethink for at least a week. At least till the situation on ground is clear.

Cc mamaOO

Thanks a lot. The booking is on hold for now. Pending how things play out. Appreciate it!!

Hello, cutieb, congratulations. Please which Dr / hospital are you using that is costing you $6500? Appreciate your feedback.

cutieb:
Okay! I'm fully relaxed now..
Here's my traveling and POE experience
I left Nigeria on the 1St of June via Qatar..bought my return ticket #360k....take off time was meant to be 2:15pm but was delayed by an HR...I was asked to go to port health for a test which I did and paid #1500.
Flight was smooth to Doha..was suppose to have a 2HR stop over at Doha but we didn't spend up to 45min before we boarded for new york.I only showed port health certificate during check in at Doha...no cbp approached me...flight to JFK NY was very smooth and long..on arrival I did my self service afterwards queued ...the queue wasn't that long and there were just 2 cbp officers 1 American man and 1 chinko man..the American was just passing everyone without too many questions but the chinko spent more than 10mins with each person..so while I was praying not to go to the chinko ll and behold twas my turn to face the chinko guy...

Me: Good morning
Chinko: no response
Then I gave him my passport
Chinko: why are you here
Me: vacation and childbirth
Chinko: really! Have you contacted a Doctor
Me: yes in Houston and I handed him my correspondence
Chinko: oh you are still going to Houston..okay..how much are you gonna spend on hospital bill
Me: about #6500
Chinko: oh OK cos it's self pay right
Me: Yea..
Chinko: stamped me in for 6months and he asked me to proceed to get my luggage and then pronounced my name in a funny way..and said I thought he wouldn't be able to pronounce my name right..
We both laughed and that was it.
My egusi was seized cos twasnt blended...that was all..

biolarh:


plss wot test were u asked to do at port health? plsss

It was just some measurements they did to ascertain the no of weeks gone...and also bp check...it all depends on the airline..not all airlines request for port health certificate...my advise is for you to leave this week cos most airlines don't carry passenger that ate 36weeks...virgin is 32weeks...so you need to do your research on available airlines to know the max weeks...don't forget that 35wks and 1 day is presumed 36weeks

Onegai:
In the spirit of being kind (no-one will answer me if I ask but no p)

Qatar is having a diplomatic row with all the countries surrounding it and they have shut down their borders, ports and airspace. Those countries are also ejecting Qatari citizens from their country. The Qatari govt is scrambling to make sure Turkey doesn't also ban them from their airspace as Saudi Arabia has (I believe a portion of your US trip flies over SA airspace, you could ask some pilots or check online) so they are not completely isolated. Everyone in Qatar is rushing to the supermarkets to stock up on groceries (kinda like what you would expect if a country is in some crisis). The US is the one pushing for Qatar to be isolated and has also approved social media searches for visa applicants.
Anyone planning on using Qatar Airlines should probably have a rethink for at least a week. At least till the situation on ground is clear.

Cc mamaOO

Any 'SAUCE' to go with this info? lolz

OK, thanks. Quotes I've got so far from Houston are 9-10k, although for CS. So still researching.

MamaOO:

Thanks a lot. The booking is on hold for now. Pending how things play out. Appreciate it!!

Travel from/to africa is the most affected. Expect a slight increase in flight duration. But qatar-us isn't really affected. Miami-doha today even arrived ahead of schedule despite the change of flight path

modath:


I just PMed you. Didn't ask first... .. How is lil princess? Missionary 2.0 nko ? Or you are waiting for USD to come back to sub 200?

All dem ME countries will be fearing someborry now sef... The hostility in that region is off da chains!!!

Ifax is right, what is happening is that they are changing flight plans to avoid the countries banning them. So expect some delays. However, I personally wouldn't want to be having a long, need-to-leave-the-airport layover there for now. It won't hurt to call the airline beforehand and confirm.
MamaOO, Emirates and Etihad are fine, you could look at those airlines.
Modath, the cause of the wahala makes no sense (it sounds like "he-said-she-said crap", like Ghana and Nigeria banning themselves over Jollof rice fight ) but the speed at which other countries retaliated is silly and everyone is saying our dear Orange Cheeto is the one pushing them to do it. I haven't seen any message from you o.

a new book focusing on Birth Tourism in the USA for Tourists. Available free and on Amazon: https://tourist-giving-birth-in-usa.000 webhost app.com/

Im signaling the book as a resource on this forum since the add is also displaying on this page.

cutieb:


It was just some measurements they did to ascertain the no of weeks gone...and also bp check...it all depends on the airline..not all airlines request for port health certificate...my advise is for you to leave this week cos most airlines don't carry passenger that ate 36weeks...virgin is 32weeks...so you need to do your research on available airlines to know the max weeks...don't forget that 35wks and 1 day is presumed 36weeks

tnx ma'am. it seems I absolutely ur mail, will give u a mail to talk better. enjoy ma'am

Onegai:


Ifax is right, what is happening is that they are changing flight plans to avoid the countries banning them. So expect some delays. However, I personally wouldn't want to be having a long, need-to-leave-the-airport layover there for now. It won't hurt to call the airline beforehand and confirm.
MamaOO, Emirates and Etihad are fine, you could look at those airlines.

I hope UAE will quickly & quietly find a way to extricate herself from the drama, its a tourist haven, perception matters (even more than reality) & people won't be comfortable enough to want to stray into a situation that could go from 0-1000 in a covfefe minute when all they trying to do is, have some fun and relaxation. .

Modath, the cause of the wahala makes no sense (it sounds like "he-said-she-said crap", like Ghana and Nigeria banning themselves over Jollof rice fight ) but the speed at which other countries retaliated is silly and everyone is saying our dear Orange Cheeto is the one pushing them to do it. I haven't seen any message from you o.

I didn't PM, was only poking you cos of your siggy .. Done it to you severally but you still fall for it each time

As for bigly, whatever covfefe he's trying to start up won't end well, keeps burning every bridge he can find...

Gloriagee:
Good evening guys,

Please those that gave birth in Houston and processed passport at Houston, did u have to notarize at the US embassy or will any notary do?

Thank you

For houston you can use Any notary public.

olajay5:


Any notary public is accepted in Houston. Just ensure the notary append his/her seal and signed!

Very true!

biolarh:
just want to say a very big thank u to every one that contributed in one way or the other
my question now is
1)will be going next week and I will be 35weeks By dat time(pls I know is late don't abuse me please) the medical someone said she did at the airport ,is it for scan or wot and pls house enlighten me on how to go abt it
2) in the form I fill on my ds form my intended date of arrival is next week Wednesday but want to extend it to Friday, will dat bring alert at the poe or any were
3) house u can play suggest which flight to bud dat won't raise any alert of my weeks
thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! am so grateful for ur contribution

Let me attempt to answer your questions
1) The medcals they do at the airport is 'fit to fly' and most airlines require you to do it in addition to the one you get from your Dr. It cost about #1,500
2) You can get away with arriving early or later than the date you filled on your form,the date doesn't really mater.
3) If you are travelling next week and you have not bought ticket by now,that's pushing it a bit far o.