worworgirl:
What if a US citizen who is not my relative is sponsoring my immigration (not visit), what visa category will I apply for

There is no such category. Only a spouse or a relative can petition.

janykute:

Don't cry for us Argentina,I believe you have other problems to think about your region than the outcome of your enemies new nation.

I have no enemies.

Onyeedum:
Today, after 57 years living under serious suffocation, Biafrans are back to demand Nigeria to come to the table to revisit the merit and demerit of Nigerian unity and the same Northern Nigeria is saying no discussions. So, how difficult is it for the dumbest person on earth to see through the secrecy and the hidden agenda of the Northern Nigeria towards the rest of what make up the so called one Nigeria? Why is it that the holocaust against the Jews was discussed and compensated but not Slavery? Why is it that Rwandan genocide was discussed and compensated, the Kosovo genocide was discussed and compensated, in fact, every genocide that happened on this earth was discussed except Biafran genocide? Was Philip Effiong captured and under duress to denounce Biafra. Yes or no. As long as these questions remain unanswered the desolation of a useless union that only makes to the North is a must. The West want to go, the East and South want to go, only the North want one Nigeria. Can the North alone hold the rest to ransom, even to pay with their lives? The disagreements going on in Nigeria today is a result of bad leadership. Ownership of a bad leader does no good to either the leader or his people.

Do you truly know what a genocide means?

A civil war agitated by group A, which suffers defeat in the hands of group B is not a "genocide."
It's a CIVIL WAR.

In the US, we had a civil war between the North and South in the 1800s, because the South insisted on slavery, and the North wanted an end to it.

There were massive casualties on both sides, but the South ultimately suffered more, and quit their secession in defeat.
That was not a "genocide" on the South, it was a CIVIL WAR.

After every civil war, there's a winner and a loser. Or in the very least, a truce. NEVER a "genocide," regardless of casualty figures.

What happened in Rwanda was a genocide, not what happened in Nigeria.

I bet if the Spanish Immigration shows up to the rally, more than half of them will be back in Umuahia by dinner time tomorrow.

Ranchhoddas:
Really?
$1,000 per month.
How and why?

What could be the reason for this?

I know it's not a lack of opportunity.

Laziness.

You can offer people all the ingredients for a meal, but if they don't make the effort to cook it, they'll still starve.

LogicStatement:

Thanks for this. Though, I've done some google search but I wanted a first hand info from people who live in these cities. I am basically wondering if one can live on $1000 per month in Washington DC or NY

You can certainly live on $1k/month. Millions of American adults don't make $1k/month, however, you'll most likely be living in poverty.

Best case scenario: You find a room in a shared apartment to rent at around $250 - $400 (hard to get).
If it comes with electric, heat and internet included, then great. The remaining $600 can go toward your other expenses.

A good place to check available rent prices is Craigslist.
Go on craigslist . org. Find the city you want to check out, then visit the "housing" section.

For a shortcut to it, copy/paste this into Google: "Washington DC rooms for rent craigslist"
Click the first result, and use the drop-down to sort by price, so it shows the cheapest ones first.

bebe2:


Why do pple judge a whole city based on a few events.

My aunty has lived in Chicago for over 20yrs and seem to have done right.

Nairalanders in Chicago should educate us on this issue.

"A few events"? It appears you haven't actually looked into the level of violence in Chicago (mostly in the South side).
Chicago isn't nicknamed Chiraq for the fun of it.

Think of the most dangerous places on earth, and there are people who've been there for generations.
Does this fact negate the level of violence in these places? Nope!

Since I made my original post yesterday at 1:40 pm Eastern Time, till now (27 hours later), THIRTEEN people have been shot in Chicago.
Not in one isolated incident, but as a daily occurrence. EVERY day.

186 people have been shot so far this month. In Chicago, a person is shot approximately every 2 hours and 19 minutes.

Numbers don't lie, but if you truly feel this level of violence is just "a few events," then that's your prerogative.

Does this mean people don't live in Chicago without issues?
Absolutely not. However, as human beings, we make decisions based on probability.


Source of infograph, with a lot more Chicago violence stats: heyjackass . com.
While they're presented in satirical fashion (from official sources), there's really nothing funny about the situation.

LogicStatement:

A google search should've been your first option.
There's all kinds of statistical data on the cost of living in these places. Except you're trying to get first-hand info.

The rule of thumb is: The bigger the city, the higher the cost.

Living in NY could cost a fortune, or cost relatively little, depending on where you live.
Living in NYC (New York City) is significantly more expensive than living in other parts of New York State, for instance.
[New York City is in New York state, like Kano City is in Kano State].

NYC is made up of 5 Boroughs: Manhattan, Queens, The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island.

Average rent in Manhattan (most expensive borough) is $3,900/month for a 2-bedroom. With a roommate, that's $1,800 each in rent.
The cheapest borough in NYC is Staten Island. You can get an okay 1 BR apartment for only $1k/month.

New York is a sizable state, but most areas outside NYC aren't worth living in, as far as opportunities for a new immigrant.

Your true cost of living will depend on your lifestyle. However, you could survive with an income of $2k/month if you're really frugal.

My guess is you're looking for the cheapest option, so while looking, consider the following expenses:

- Rent - $1k
- Electric & Gas - $100 - 200 depending on the season (or if included in rent).
- Groceries (feeding) - $150 - $300, if you're not a glutton.
- Car insurance (or transport if you won't own a car) - $200
- Phone, cable & internet - $100 - $200

These are perhaps the most basic things you'll need for a start, for one person.

In general, the cheapest part of the US to live is the Mid-West (they're boring places).
The states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Chicago in Illinois is the only real major city in the Mid-West, but you really don't want to live in Chicago. You'll be safer living in Iraq.

MYMINDER:
People be informed. Harvard does not have an EMBA. Neither does Stanford or Tuck. She also did nor get into their MBA program as she has already stated that it is an executive study.

This is likely what she got admitted for. Click link below. It is a Program for Leadership Development. I am just clarifying and not downgrading her achievement.

https://www.exed.hbs.edu/about-us/Pages/emba.aspx

Yup, you're right. I was going to mention that, but then I read the predominant level of comments here.
Not even worth the trouble.

fiendishghoul:
Does Harvard make you smarter?

Absolutely.

A Lamborghini will always drive you faster than a Kia

This is the exact reason Nigeria is the dump it is today, and the dump it will be tomorrow if y'all don't change your attitudes.

When next you point fingers at hopeless Nigerian politicians for offering critical positions to their under-qualified kin, know you're no different.

All that "divine whatever" talk is total ignorance. Go ahead and explain that crap to the more qualified applicant (who could be you).

kimbra:
Your father is the most selfish human on earth. You should as well relay to him to keep aside money for his burial arrangement, 'cause if I were in your shoes, I won't spend a penny from my hard earned money in his burial. Even your mum isn't helpful, they suit each other for a couple.

The OP is 21, and his brothers are older.

They're old enough to make their own ends meet. They're grown ass men.

Nigerians love slacking off and blaming others for it.

MsFaith:
sometimes I imagine how life would be if it can just fall back to #100 - $1

In 2007, it was about NGN110/$1.

Were Nigerians "prosperous" and free from poverty? No!

Think back to your life in 2007, and that's what you can expect. There's nothing to "imagine."

Ugosample:


We are still saying the same thing

Okay let me ask you, you think that even if you use your card to withdraw here in Nigeria, that the bank will not collect dollar equivalent from your own bank?

MasterCard will debit your bank, and credit the Nigerian banks ATM, that way, dollars still flow in

It's the same thing

Yes, you are absolutely correct.

However, remember this discussion is more about the direct impact of physical cash flow on the parallel market rates.
My stated scenario (as you rightly said) brings Forex through the Official Exchange -> BDC -> Street vendor.

Hoarders and vacationers cut out the middle man and sell directly to street vendors.
Higher direct supplies like this drives the price lower/faster than supplies from the official channel above.

Anyway, I believe at this point we've both made our valid points.

“No one should come out in 2019 and declare his ambition. The only way to avoid not wasting their money is to support Ambode and his deputy to rule Lagos for the next six years,”

That's a foolish thing to say. It's called democracy, not a monarchy, as he is accustomed to.

Those are the kinds of sentiments that fuel lifelong dictatorships.
No matter how good an elected official is, the process of democracy isn't negotiable.

Ugosample:


Whichever way you did it, there was an injection of forex into the country, whether it entered through the window, door, leaking roof, however, the important thing is that it came in.

I think you missed the point.

Point being, people aren't really going to Nigeria with wads of dollars anymore (as they no longer have to).
They can get Naira directly from their US account at a Nigerian ATM, as needed.

10 years ago for instance, Mastercard or Visa cards weren't functional in Nigerian ATMs.
Therefore, the most convenient option was hard cash swaps. This is no longer necessary.

So yes, there might be an injection of hard forex, but at negligible amounts.

Ugosample:


But when the Nigerians come home for summer holiday, normally that should increase the supply of forex in the system.

Or what do you think

That is also true. However, I don't believe the incoming currency from vacationers comes close to the local demand.

Last time I visited Nigeria, I don't recall exchanging more than $1,000 in cash.
Matter of fact, I returned with most of the physical cash I took.

Primarily because it was more convenient to get cash from an ATM. Instant conversion to Naira.
This way, I didn't have to deal with some shady gentlemen each time I needed Naira.

I believe many others also operate this way.

CoolAmbience:


They would say it's all propaganda, like one has already said.

They are only interested in hearing negative news about the government of the day.

I really don't care about the political angle in Nigeria. However, this "appreciation" has very little to do with economic forces. It's purely good ol arbitration at play.

There's something in financial arbitration called "pump and dump." Right now, from the info presented, hoarders are dumping fast to get the most they can. This triggers the race to the bottom.

However, dumps typically don't last too long, because the source is very limited.
Sometimes, values stay low after a dump, but typically they go back up.

The way I see it, it'll go back up when people in Nigeria start coming around for summer vacation, sometime around May.

Until the "unofficial official rate" changes, there's no true yardstick for economic impacts on the Naira.

Never mind, I figured out a solution.

I am in the process of having someone in Nigeria (Lagos or Abuja) manage/run a web business I own, but have no time for anymore.
In order for the person to do this, they'll need a decent home connection on a PC, as there's a lot of video content involved.

My question is, what companies are you aware of that provide decent monthly rates/services for high cap data plans?
Either Lagos or Abuja.

Also, what do you use for home internet on a computer? (not mobile device).

I can definitely Google up services in those places, but I'm asking here to get insight on actual user experience.

lielbree:

I simply don't have the platform.

I'm not famous or rich enough to buy people to get on my side.

If I say I want to lead the protest, I won't get a big enough audience to get the attention so desperately needed.
But that does not mean I'm doing nothing. I'm ready to join the protest!

Excuses upon excuses. Doers do, they don't line up excuses.

We live in a world where people can easily be mobilized online for a worthy cause. Start a thread on Nairaland, start a social media group etc.
Galvanize the base, and it will grow organically and fast, if you can articulate your message clearly.

Never think of what you can do with what you don't have, but what you DO have.
If you try and fail, you're lightyears ahead of someone who has made zero attempts.

So I'll ask you again, what is stopping YOU from leading a protest? YOU are the people you're waiting for.

lielbree:
Nigerians are myopic and docile. We want something as expensive as good governance yet think it will be handed to us for free... lol

We need to read more history books. How the western world fought against corrupt dictators, revolution after revolution to get to where they are today.

My people are too weak , common protest is too much to ask. Yet we expect the fg not to loot

Who are the people you speak about? YOU are the people.
What stops YOU from leading the protest?