₦airaland Forum

freshStarz:
Hello, did they still need you to submit a block account after the DAAD scholarship awarded.

Alapereketu:
Yes, you should proceed with the online submission and urgently request prioritization. As a DAAD scholar with a firm start date, you are eligible for fast-tracked appointments. Follow the VFS Global Nigeria and German Embassy Lagos websites for specific expedited procedures.

Somatohadidas:
After admission (and funding for those who need it), and you've decided where you want to go:

✅ Request for your i-20 from your school. Some give one or both of soft/hard copy, and you might pay shipping fee for hardcopy in some schools ($50 - $100). You'll usually supply details of passport page, ability to cover cost like funding letter or bank statement, etc. for this.

✅ Get the i-20. I'll suggest you request the e-copy even if the school wants to send hardcopy, so that you can use the details to book your visa interview while awaiting the hard copy. A4 printed of i-20 is acceptable at embassy. After i-20, the next 3 items can be in any order.

✅ Start filling your DS-160 form online at https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/ . You can use this video as a guide when filling it: https://www.facebook.com/287980197932222/videos/318718789713853

✅ Create a CGI profile at https://www.ustraveldocs.com/ng/ng-niv-appointmentschedule.asp and pay for your visa fee, costs #67,200 with GT Bank, and book your date at your desired location if an available one shows.

✅ Pay Sevis fee. You can create a coupon at fmjfee.com but someone in the US has to pay it for you. It costs $350, but there might be a $10 processing fee and people's dollar rates differ. So expect a wide range when converted. To be safe, the payment must be confirmed at least 72 hours prior to your interview.

✅ Prepare for your interview and ace it.✌�

✅ Book your flight, typical ranges can cost from 250k - 400k for cheapest ones depending on location, or go for the more expensive and comfortable ones.

Good luck.�

*Copied*.

NewBoyKhashoggi:
Hey 🤠

For the sake of future readers ;


On DS 160, The question (Who is the ) Person/Entity paying for your trip means ....WHO IS FUNDING or SPONSORING or BACKING your whole academic sojourn in the USA financially .


1. Answer to this question is of great value. Therefore, if you have received a scholarship, then mention that. (write the name of the institution that has awarded you the scholarship) . ... Go along with your scholarship award letters ..print out all the congratulatory emails and insert it inside your Form I 20.


2. Otherwise, mention the name of your sponsor, who might be your Guardian, Mother or Father or Loan company or your employer , etc.


3. They just want to know where the money is coming from or how you want to cover your expenses .




Best Wishes 🙏

BETHANY2024:
Hi bioemmy,

First of all, congratulation for your F1 visa success.

Though, I have not traveled to the US before and I hope to travel to the US for the Fall 2024 intake if I am granted a student visa, from my dad experience, I asked him if you need a transit visa, he said since you have a US visa (student or visitor) and passing through the UK, you don't need any transit visa if:

a) You are not checking out of the airport (Heathrow), you don't have any problem. He said you should ensure you have your next connecting flight from Heathrow airport to your US destination city if you are been asked by the UK immigration at the airport, tell them you are not embarking or checking out of the airport and that you are heading to the boarding gate to wait for boarding to your US destination city. He said you don't have any problems or issues even though your waiting time before boarding to the US inside the UK Heathrow airport is 6 hours. He said the UK authority respects US visa. He said don't ever attempt to try to check out of the airport.

As a matter of fact, he said if you land at the airport, after disembarking from the aircraft and at the check point, tell the UK immigration officers that you need direction to the boarding gate for so and so airport (the one you already have in your flight schedules and they will tell you the boarding gate to proceed to). He said you should ensure that the travel agent that is booking your flight should have your luggage picked up at your US final city destination and not from the UK airport to check in again your luggage.

He said you will need UK transit visa if you are going out of the UK airport and entry inside the UK even though for 5 minutes and coming back to the airport to onboard your next flight to the US, you will need UK transit visa. But he said in your case, you don't need UK transit visa since you are heading to US and with a valid US visa.

Also, he advised that your travel agent should ensure that your ticket is booked together all the way from Nigeria to the city/state in the US where your school is located. If your final destination or last stop city/state in the US is different from the city/state where your school is located, you may have issues with the US Custom and Boarder patrol officers that may subject you to intense questioning and scrutinizing. If you have two tickets, one is from Nigeria to UK and to say to New York where you will have US immigration clearance, but your school is in Chicago (Illinois), just ensure that your travel agent booked a local flight from New York to Chicago and you should have this second ticket handy to show the US Custom and Boarder Officer at the Airport, because they may ask you your final destination, which is Chicago and you have the ticket as well that says the aircraft will be leaving in 5 hours time and you will start boarding in 4 hours time. You are good to go.

We have a family friend to my Dad who traveled with his wife and daughter this December to the US and he and his wife and small daughter were granted student visas (F1 and two F2s) for he is a PhD student. He traveled from Abuja to Frankfurt (Germany) (without going out of the airport) with no German or Schengen transit visa) and then from Frankfurt to Houston (Texas) and from Houston to Gulfport, Mississippi, all journey was smooth and no issue.

He said you don't have any issue, you are good to go and he said if your travel agent is knowledgeable, your travel agent will know this that as long as you are not going out of the UK airport to fling around before coming back to board your next flight to the US, you don't need a UK transit visa. UK respect US Visa, whether student or visitor/business visa. But they don't respect other African countries visa to transit to other countries via the UK without a UK visa or transit visa.

Good luck for your trip.
Thank you all.

Maxidooo1990:
I guess this must be you who is being advised here �

NewBoyKhashoggi:
Hey 🤠

1. You do not need any medical examination to attend an F1 visa interview in both embassy locations in Nigeria ( Abuja / Lagos).

2. May be your agent or what you heard or what they told you about is BIOMETRIC which IS FREE and will be done for you inside the embassy ON THE DAY OF YOUR INTERVIEW.

3. These are what you should take to the embassy :

*** Form I 20
***"SEVIS fee payment receipt
*** MRV (visa fee) payment receipt
**** DS 160 confirmation page
*****2 Passport photo
Financial Proof ....


NB; There are other US visa categories which requires some form of medical examinations but NOT STUDENT VISA.


Best Wishes 🙏

NewBoyKhashoggi:
Hey 🤠

If you have not been rejected an F1 within the last 6 Months (according to the embassy policy) then your emergency appointment as a first timer will be granted .

Don't rely on what you are hearing , everyone knows that the population of applicants going to Abuja are lesser than the Lagos Applicants, therefore , Abuja will grant your EA if you do the needful.

If you still have the emergency option in your CGI portal and you have not cancelled an appointment before , and you have a longer months ahead of your resumption, you may go ahead and cancel Lagos and pick Abuja.

1. Your SEVIS payment receipt with your I 20 are the two documents the embassy requires for emergency booking .


Best Wishes 🙏

oluwasayotinu:
I got my US interview approved in Lagos some weeks back. All thanks to a youtuber 'shaykorner' who explained in detailed how she and her friend got approved. I would highly recommend you to checkout YT and btw she responds to messages on time. I wish everyone the best.

XY23:
The only thing that didn't work well on February 25th was the sabotage of results upload to iREV. Accreditation was tight,
hence the total votes lower than in previous election, even though we had one of the highest turnouts this year. It was supposed to be a significant process until INEC in connivance with criminal elements struck in the middle of the night. Unfortunately for Nigeria, the judiciary in an attempt to defend illegality, unwittingly destroyed everything about technology (including BVAS), that's why governors could conveniently write results and explain later.

All it takes now to win elections is desperation, not goodwill. The beans is still being cooked.

welf99:
I think the problem is that F2 is a dependent visa tied to the duration of her spouse study. It is not a short visit visa ..that is why the VO asked how long you are staying. You should have said you are staying for the duration of your spouse study to give him emotional support and to keep the family together having giving birth after he left...you know something emotional. F2 visa was created for dependent and you qualified for it, no point lying about the true intentions having secured the F2-I20. All the things you said about coming back after 4wks is unnecessary, you make it look like you applied for B1/B2. So stay on your F2 and reapply . But if you truly wants to return after 4weeks request for invitation from your husband and apply for B1/B2. Honestly you don't need that stress , your best option if F2 , put yourself together , and reapply

Taal17:
Winter is coming!!!!!
A few tips in my opinion

Thicker or Bigger clothes don't always mean warmer
Try fleece or fleece lined clothing look for inner thermal wear
Clothes for skiing are good options especially the gloves

You lose heat from your extremities

Top of your head, sole of your feet, fingers, nose.
Be intentional about your shoes being lined on the inside, ski gloves or fleece lined gloves. wear caps and head covers. For women pls use wigs, no cornrows or braids

Footwear and coats are an investment
Buy shoes that are waterproof because when snow melts it is still water
Spend money on good quality boots. Lined inside and with heels grooves so you don't slip. You buy a good pair it will last you years
Coats? Pls stick to those with padding, avoid those heavy coats that weigh so much but are useless.

Black skin cracks
Use creams as opposed to lotions , in my experience they provide more hydration.
After the cream use a body oil to seal it.
Or use Shea butter
Or add vegetable glycerin to any cream or lotion you have and mix it

Heater is not always your friend
Heaters can give you headaches, stuffy sinuses because it dries out the air
You can open the window to bring in some moisture
Or use a humidifier or leave a bowl of water in the room like with a flower vase

Or if you have carpeting in the room, wear fleece lined housewear and use winter duvet/comforter then you can switch off the heater.

BigIyanga:
Buy beta school bag in Naija.. you’ll be charged $20-30 for a school bag you should have bought in Naija 10-15k.

Get an Intl Driver’s License.. some states may accept it pending when you get your US driver’s license.

Buy beta OK jacket and boots if you’re going to a winter region. They’lll save u from doing math and $/naija calculation when you go to malls to buy things.

Per meds: buy some cold and flu meds, Robb and Aboniki inhalers.
Or scratch off all of the above … if you got like $5k-$10k as pocket money.. everybody is not broke