@superbrain, thanks. Will expect more info from all members.

@superbrain; thanks for your response to my question. Will consider your opinion seriously!! However, can a visitor visa holder who is my wife change to student or dependent when they get here? I know a dependent can change to student. Will appreciate a tip!!

Thank Chux. Any honorable member know if there is a time limit between when my wife and daughter can apply after I left? Still waiting for a response in this regard. Thanks

Hi Chux, thanks for your response. Its very logical. However, my family ties were not the only reasons for returning to Nigeria. I am also a government scholar with a signed bond to return and work for my sponsor (govt) after completion of my program. It was only reasonable that they did not apply with me then due to the chances of visa and also they couldn't have come with me immediately since I needed to settle down and get a place ready for their arrival. I am actually not against the idea of visiting but my peeps would like to stay with me throughout the period of study for other personal reasons hence, the quest for dependants visa.

My strong points are my tuition has been fully paid for the current semester by my govt. and I should able to get confirmation of that and my registration status from my school registrar. They will also be issued I-20 by my school. My bank accounts back home are being operated even while am still here by my wife and family and that will not stop even when they come over. I still get funds wired from nija into my US accounts and these will not stop either. I also have documents showing my guarantors and bond to return home after study.

I was only not sure what the regulations says about how long they have to wait b4 they could apply. I think it is 6-months but am not sure and could not recollect the page I read it any longer.

What do you think to my defenses and any other info?

Thanks

@Nwaoma; yes you can take along evidence of that result along with you for your interview even if it is an online printout as long as the score is indicated. You maybe lot better if the ETS copy arrives b4 ur interview. But let the consular know that was the reason you were denied in the first place even though your admission was not tied to the result. But you have gone to take the exam as the consular advised, if I were u, I would go back to the same embassy and try to face the same consular again whom maybe your greatest fear right now! Look at the stats on the forum, nobody has been denied for facing his initial denying consular. The worse which is very logical is that you would be referred to another consular fore a second opinion. Just make sure other areas that may be ur low sides are well covered before the interview. Good luck!!

@ callygood; am cool and we thank God as ever! Forget where? Me I be Naija for life; na strong eba and eguzi soup I dey try arrange now now! lol!! As per ur question accounting major, b4 my interview a young lady was denied and I remember she was going to a community college in Texas for accounting. There maybe other red flags in her case but from the question line she was going to get the visa because the consular asked her relatively easy questions and even joked about her dad being in Texas and works in the oil and gas industry why was she interested in accounting and not a similar course. The main question that the consular asked her over and over again, like more than 5 times and she couldn't answer satisfactorily caused her to lose the visa. The question is general and not account related; WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CURRICULUM YOU WOULD BE STUDYING IN SCHOOL(x5). Maybe if he asked what subjects or what courses,the lady would have understood but sorry she lost the visa and I was convinced not knowing the answer to that question was her greatest undoing!! Hope this is helpful.

@ my ogas; oyewole,wilfred,chux4life,Superbrain, dasleeky,bomly, everybody, abeg make una try look at my earlier post above and drop some useful bits. Thanks.

@callygood; yes, the EVAF is same as D-160. Its just an acronym for EVALUATION FORM or something while DS-160 is just the code in the US documentation tagging. Ciao!!!!

I hail Oh!! Thanks for keeping the flame burning. Can't resist to drop in once in a while when the schedule isn't killing. I will my Ogas to pls advise on this. My wife and daughter did not apply with me when I went for my interview but surely my details showed I was married with a baby in my DS-160. I want to know if there is a time limit on when they can apply for their dependent visa. My girls are missing me so much already and they are even falling ill on me self. Any further tips will be highly appreciated! Waiting for your invaluable contributions as usually. Ciao!!!

@ Oyewolejos; Noted!!!

@Nethacker; good to hear you guys are coming to town for the Nija Independence day parade. I will be there live and direct. As per the madison square meet-up before the parade I am game as well. email me at senior4real@yahoo.co.uk or call me up at 7189135997, should you have further details. Ciaoo!!!!

@ Ojap; no lele, As soon as am thru with the first semester sometime by year end and early January, I am thinking of doing some road travel which make bring close to your end of ''town''.

@ Chuks4liv ; some questions are sensitive and are better discuused maturely to avoid misinterpretations. Also, schools are different but for a better understanding of the details, inbox some members directly and am sure they will be at home to provide answer to ur queries.

Hi house, I have started classes and rocking New York but I can't help to drop in once in a while to see how my peeps are doing.

@ Ojap; welcome aboard. If I find myself on the west side of the States, you and other veterans in Carlifonia be sure to prepare hot bowl of eba and egusi to host me ohhh. LOl!!!!

@ Sanciro; sorry to hear about your case but God has given you the advantage of witnessing miracles here on this thread and therefore no lele!!. I will like to re-echo what has been said by my ogas earlier but also think you should have asked him why he denied you so that you can know for sure the reason(s). It is your right (or say the standard practice in interview situations; even in job interview) to ask at least one question after your interview.

Moreover, I believe you applied a bit too early (personal opinion though). You are not likely to resume school in spring 2011 until around late January or early February 2011. You are not allowed to apply/attend interview more than 90 or 120 days before your school resumption date. Check to be sure that you are not defaulting in this regard.

Also, you should not have said you were ''unemployed''. At worst, tell him you are a fresh graduate, completing NYSC and probably still working in your family business till school resumes coz it is your career plan to acquire graduate training before returning to enter the work place proper.   

Whichever you decide, your state of mind is very important. It is not about the right or wrong answer to the question, infact, it is very much about how you answer it. If you are not convinced of what you are saying, how do you want  to convince the listener. Be more assertive in what you are saying and how you say it even if the answer is just spontaneous. ABOVE ALL, PRAY TO GOD, REASSESS YOURSELF AND BE SURE YOU ARE READY TO FACE THE CONSULAR EVEN IF IT IS THE SAME MAN OR WOMAN AND GO WITH THE MINDSET THAT YOU ARE GETTING IT THIS TIME AROUND.

I will also want other house-members to confirm the timing I said above as per maximum days required for application/interview before school resumes. If you are not in contravention of this rule, then you can apply again and go for your interview as soon as it is convenient for you. But if you are in contravention, then you know why you were denied now! If that is the case, wait till you are within the time limit and schedule an appointment and if you were asked why you were refused, then you know why but it is also important how you respond to such question. You can just say you did not know that there was such limit and in your job of seeing your dreams come true as planned (after NYSC), you scheduled the previous one e.t.c. GOODLUCK!!!!!

@ Aroy; thanks for the info. However, do you or know one or two schools that can be explored for easier researching. leveraging is the word! One love

@house; am still awaiting response to my questions on behalf of my friend . Thanks, ,,.

House; am doing good here at NYC. My class starts today, can't wait to see what the experience will be like, lol!

Please, I have a friend who graduated with a GPA of 4.47/5.0 in Elect/Elect, has CCNA & CCNP, has had communication satelite experience for more than 3-yrs. He had GRE score of 1240/1600 some yrs back but am not sure if its still valid for new application. The questions are; can he go for Phd direct or Msc? He needs funding from the school, What moderately high ranking schools would be perfect and provide scholarship, assistantship, tuition waiver etc? He is intersted in telecommunications and Satellite controls engineering or some sort like that, What are his chances?

Please, help by responding, I will also appreciate direct email via senior4real@yahoo.co.uk

Thank you.

@ Ojap; na God oh! No be mistake when its your time, its your time. No matter what. The secret is prayer, preparation, planning and prayer and prayers. Thank God for your testimony. Your case and those of other people that have gone through the same path goes to confirm that Nairaland and this thread in particular has redefined the myths of Us student visa. Never before have I seen the rate at which refused visa were re-issued within a week and sometimes just some days apart. Let the prospective spring applicants learn from the thread; it does help. I am settling in in NYC. Gone through orientation already. Met with Djunit1 in person already and other Nija's here in my school. Its very comforting to know we are never going to give up irrespective of the challenges. Lets take it to next level; lets do our bits by studying well and giving GOD and Nija the glory. We are a people with great determination for success. Ciao!!!!!!

Hi House;
Am live in Manhattan New York, USA. Ready to storm the school in a couple of hours. Had a long trip coming here; lots of delay but thank God finally finally my brethren!! lol Ciao!

@ Ojap; best of luck; no mistake oh, na God go do am for you, so that when you start to dey celebrate, we self go follow you jubilate!!!!

@ Sanciro; take your NYSC certificate along it is a good tool if you know how to use it. Tell the consular you deliberately waited to observe the program to prepare for your return after the US masters. You can only work in Nija if you have the cert and you know you might have exceeded the age limit on your return hence you did it now instead of later.

@ benom; I have added you to my yahoo chat list. need u to accept my iv. I won't be online until I could a link either during stop over at Istanbul or until I get to Yankee. Send your enquiries. Will respond ASAP.

@ house; see you on the other side. Veteran house members now in yankee, kindly welcome the newest addition to the noble list of sojourners,

One love!

@ Superbrain; well said. I would give the same advice as yours to Ojap. Thats well thought-out and covers all possible loopholes.

@Ojap; But what is most important is not the accuracy or correctness of the response but the confidence and conviction with which you say it matters alot. Anticipate possible questions and triggers from such questions and prepare ur responses, let it be spontaneous. There is one thing you have which is an advantage; you have been there before, no more suprises and the fear of a first-timer must have vanished by now. Just survive the first couple of questions and the flow will begin naturally.

Finally, start out with listing all possible questions extracted from the depth of materials on this forum. Add-up all other questions peculiar to your situation and proffer various responses modifiable from successful stories herein then pick one most conviniently truthful to your situation so much that irrespective of how the question come; you will respond spotaneously. The most unstabling situation can arise only when a question you did not anticipate or you do not have a ready answer for comes up. So, practice, prepare, pray and pray and pray. All is well!!!!!!!!

@Ojap; your response does not have to be the same neither does it have to be totally different. Your response could be ''though I can easily join my family business on returning but I would prefer to have experience first in a multinational oil and gas firm such as Mobil etc or our National oil and gas companies and/or regulatory agency like NNPC, DPR, NLNG etc immediately on arrival and then later take-up management position in my family biz after gathering hands-on experience from these places . When is your new date now? Or are still scheduled for the ninth? Best of Luck!!

Con: How long is your study?
Me:24months for academics, 12months for optional practical training which makes a total of 36months.
Con: Does the practical training have to be in the US?
Me: If my school permits me to return home for the OPT, my sponsor would be very happy to have back earlier than later.
Con: ok, I will give you this card and paper to pick up your visa on Friday at this address. If someone else will pick on your behalf… she turns the other side of the paper…, and I completed the sentence for her as follows…
Me: I will fill in these spaces as instruction to collect on my behalf.
Con: she smiled mischievously, (like say she Gbadun me but me I don marry) and said yes, that’s correct. Before she finished I don grab my ticket and paper from her and was on my way out.
I rushed out of the place b4 I start to dey shout. I was so happy I tipped the security guys on my way out at two points. Outside the Consulate, I cried tear of joy and appreciation for God Almighty. You want to know my reasons? Even with scholarship, a year ago, I was refused at another geographical entity and all hope seemed lost. Ironically, my bike passed thru the same coordinates on my way home and I almost swear for them if not for fasting…,
A lot of you may wonder that my interview was so long. Yes, it has to be for me to be successful. If the consular had based her assessment on docs, it may be a different story now. No Toefl, No GRE/GMAT, No WAEC certificate, just G-factor (GOD), waec scratch card, OND and BSC certificates and WES transcript. All of which she did not even ask for because GOD had substituted all…
Thank Him on my behalf, and for those who got theirs b4 me and learn from our experiences. One love!!!!

Con: How will your family survive when you are in New York?
Me: I have made arrangement for monthly Stipends to be augmented by my wife’s income from her bizness.
Con: How am I sure you will return to Nigeria after your studies?
Me: I have a job waiting for me after the study duration here in Nigeria; it is attached to the scholarship as a bond condition.
Con: How much is your study cost.
Me: $29,000.00
Con: and …, government is going to pay $23,000
Me: Yes
Con: Who pays for the balance?
Me: I will.
Con: And how much is that?
Me: $6000
Con: How much do you earn in a year?
Me: N1.2M
Con: Can I see any document that shows you are receiving scholarship from …….government?
Me: Yes, I gave it to her and she returned them after just a glance.

Con: Why would chose NYIT for such program.
Me: Simply because of the practical approach to this course adopted by the school.
Con: What is your highest level of education as at today?
Me: B.Sc
Con: And this proposed study is for Master’s? She showed me the portion of my I-20 that says so.
Me: Yes, it is.
Con: Where did you study for your B.Sc?
Me: University of Lagos.
Con: what year did you finish that?
Me: 2005.
Con: What have you been doing since 2005.
Me: working.
Con: Where do you work?
Me: I work as a manager in-charge of procurements with a construction firm in Lagos.
Con: What did do at Laspotech?
Me: ND
Con: HND?
Me: No, OND, She cuts in and said yeah I can see that… looking at her computer, by this time she was relaxed and so was I. And I knew I had gotten the Visa but only a matter of seconds away,
Con: How old are you?
Me: I will be 31 on Friday
Con: Are u married?
Me: Yeah with a daughter too, one of my strong point I guess
Con: Are you going with your family?
Me: No.
Con: Why?
Me: My wife has a fledging business here and she needs to grow it. My daughter is still less than 2 and will start her crèche classes in a few weeks. Most importantly, my scholarship value can only take care of me.

Con: How many schools did you apply to or were you admitted?
Me: I considered various schools before deciding on NYIT amongst which include Umich, Ann-Arbour… she cuts in
Con: Do you mean that you were admitted at University of Michigan?
Me: No, I did not eventually submit an application to Umich after my initial consideration and the outcome/feedbacks from my enquiries.
Con: So, you applied to Umich and you were not admitted?
Me: No, I said that I only considered Umich, Sounding irritated by the same question
Con: Excuse me Sir; let me finish asking the questions before you respond. You can then take the whole day to explain.
Me: Ok, go on with your questions.
Con: How many schools did you apply to?
Me: one
Con: Why just one?
Me: After an initial shortlist of schools with specialization in my chosen interest, I came up with Umich and NYIT. I made enquiries to these schools but got better feedbacks from NYIT than Umich…
Con: What kind of enquiries did you make?
Me: I inquired about chances of getting admitted considering my qualifications and experience… basically the potentials…. She cuts in
Con: How did you decide on NYIT then?
Me: NYIT gave me a better chance of getting admitted while Umich was not only unclear about my chances but also not as responsive as I would have expected a would be institution of choice…… she cuts in again

I don't know why but my attempts to post my interview experience for like the fourth time failed after typing and posting; anyway I will split it in several posts maybe its due to the lenght;

As I took my seat next to a young lady awaiting her turn to interview, I quickly perused the additional attached piece of paper to my docs (handed over after biometrics). I found some coding in weight arranged in a box matrix format vis-à-vis my chances of refusal and approval. I quickly glanced at the lady sitting beside me and asked her for the similar coding on her own form. It matched and I felt a bit relieved that it could be a general thing after-all.
The lady was called up by a guy in the 4th cubicle and started interviewing her. The Chinese lady was in cubicle 1 and I was sitting right in front of her space but she had left her seat a while earlier. I prayed the guy completes the interview fast b4 the chinko lady returns but no it did not happen that way. The Chinese lady soon returned to her seat and I became convinced she going to interview me for two reasons; she was the only interviewer that was free while I was the only applicant waiting to be interviewed. She called and I got up with a strange confidence I never knew existed in me. I smiled and we greeted each other at the same time. She asked for my documents which I passed on and the interview began thus;
  Con: where are you going to school?
Me: New York Institute of Tech.
Con: New York Institute of Technology?
Me: Yes

@ I left out one more question;

Con: How long is ur program?
Me: 24months for academics, 12-months for optional practical training making a total of 36-months
Con: Must the practical training be in US?
Me: If my school permits me to return home for the training, my sponsor would be very glad to have me back sooner than later.

Hi House, am sorry for not coming on board in the last few days. I know those who have had their visas within a fews to their departure would understand that the pre-departure prep can be strenous. Anyways, I am booked to fly turkish air Tuesday 31st to NYC enroute Istanbul. When am settled I shall post a comprehensive detail of my interview. I have tried doing it severally but I guess becoz of the lenght, the typed stories just dey dissappear. Abi na Winch?

@ Benom; pls get at least another admission NOT Necessarily another I-20 since u have one and u are cool with it. If not then you better prepare to battle your interviewer on why you applied to just one school or why you were admitted in just 1 school. Some of them think if you chose just a school, then you are not serious.

That was the most interesting and tasking part of my interview but I had to fight it out with God on my side. Details shall appear in my post later on.

@ Ojap; someone seem to be checking out the free dates for you as well. Hurry and see if you can get an earlier date than 9th . Good luck!

Let me start with the precursor to my interview proper maybe this will help to prepare other house members for such situation, should it come up in the future. Read on,

I got there at 6.40am; thanks to a very good family friend and colleague who dropped me off on his way to work. Joined the queue, got to my turn for the prelims and was asked to get a new pair of passport photos. I did for a fee from the nearby instant photo 'studio'. Returned to the line and was cleared to wait in line for transfer to doc submission point. At the point of setting off something happened. A group/family of 6 was called up while a batch can only be max 5 people. So, 1 person (the P.A to the family head) whom I tot came a bit late after the family had been called-up on compassionate ground (kids) was left out. So he took my turn when it got to my batch. I had to wait another 10mins b4 another batch of 5 was called which included me.  

After submission of my docs, I was given a green card, waited a while and was then called-in to the main hall. Then the waiting game began. Various applicants whose tag number were 10-20-30 and even 100 slots behind me were called b4 me for their biometrics. It wasn't in sequence and I started feeling something must be wrong with my docs and/or application and thats why the delay is becoming unbearable. But alas, after the long waiting spell of about 30mins I was called-up for biometrics.

A few mins after biometrics, I was waiting in line for my interview. Between the time I was waiting and the time my interview began, I saw alot of people got their visa granted and an equal volume of applicants refused. But the most scary was that the man who took my turn on the queue initially, was refused while the family of 5 was granted though at different times. The family was already done by the time my replacement was still waiting to submit his docs. There are lessons here for those who care to ponder,