₦airaland Forum

TheEclat:
V.O : Good morning * pass me your I-20, passport , ds-160 (the document with the barcode).
Me : Good morning *i did as he requested *
V.O : I see you’re going to *reads the name of the school from the I-20*
Me: Yes sir
V.O : mentioned something about being denied in Abuja (I can’t remember exactly how he put it. Me: Yes I was.
V.O : so why this school?
Me: I chose *** because of the global curriculum that aligns with my career goals. Also the school offers me a graduate certification along side the MBA degree without extra course work. The school has an intellectually rich and collaborative learning environment *V.O cuts in*
V.O : Have you been to the school?
Me: No, i’ve never been to the U.S
V.O : Have you ever traveled out of Nigeria before?
Me : Yes sir. I’ve been to SA and Dubai thrice.
V.O : who is paying for this degree ?
Me: My fiancé
V.O : what does he do ?
Me: He is a major distributor for **** He has been in business for over 10 years. He has 4 branches within and outside Lagos.
V.O : sorry you do not qualify for.................

Why are you hiding your school. Do you realise your school might have been the red flag and not providing the necessary details will not give people the full details to advice you.

arTiculaTe01:
I noticed something awkward here...

Even after bringing to the notice of the VO that full funding (+stipends) was offered, the VO still went on to ask "who is your sponsor"?

Is that normal?

Yes, it's normal, with funding, there might still be some deficits in your i20. Even with no deficit, the VO can still ask who your sponsor is because you'd still need funds to book flight and money to settle down before the stipends start kicking in.

iwriterng:
Oshey chairlady, Atlanta division

Eeeh, uncle Atlanta, how you dey

boasty:
Hello everyone

Please is it compulsory to fill a new DS-160 form if reapplying a week after denial?

Yes, although you can retrieve the old form so as to quicken the process and then fill the other places that are blank

BeebarHH:
Hi everyone.

I had to retrieve my password to submit this post as I forgot it as soon as I opened the account years ago. This is because I think it's really important to also drop my transcript here as i have read several transcripts from the older threads which really helped me today at the embassy. So I'd like to thank everyone who has made a comment or another since the beginning of US visa thread (I'm not sure if 'thread' is what they call it but you know what I mean yeah?)

The pre-screening section was fine but i got a bit scared when a lady who's supposed to confirm the passport right before the bio-metrics shook her head while looking through my I-20. She didn't say what the issue was but I knew I had to start praying immediately. I then noticed pink and yellow slips being issued to most applicants. If I hadn't read through this thread from part 13, I would have assumed they were all granted the visa because some of those applicants had been the US and many other countries before and sounded legit. I personally didn't understand the reason for the denial. Anyway, lets skip to my interview.

I was interviewed by a guy at the third booth which went like this
VO: Good morning
ME: Good morning
VO: Pass me your passport please
ME: Here
VO: So you're going to Georgia state
ME: Yes I am. i intend to study for a master's degree in Geosciences at Georgia State University
VO: oh Student Visa
ME: yes
VO: pass me your I-20
ME: here
VO: (looks through the i-20) ohhh Master's
ME: yes, Masters in geosciences
VO: How long is your program
ME: 28 months
VO: how many schools did you apply to?
ME: three schools. Kansas state university, the University of North Dakota and georgia state Uni but I chose Georgia State Uni because I was impressed by its academic ranking in terms of innovation, commitment to teaching and also research. I was also interested in the work of Dr Hassan who has worked extensively on structural geology. I intend to use the acquired to further study the Niger Delta. The Niger Delta hosts the largest oil reserve in Nigeria.
VO: (nods) very good. so you intend to go for a PhD afterwards?(then he looked right into my eyes)
ME: (looking confused) No, I believe the knowledge acquired would be enough to independently study the Niger Delta. My plan is to apply to Shell Nigeria, where I did my graduate Internship, as an experienced Geologist wherein I'd use the data acquired over the years to further understand reservoir connectivity and communication which would in turn boost hydrocarbon production.
VO: (nods) very good. So you did an Internship at Shell
ME: Yes
VO: good...I see you have a deficit of $12000 aside your assistantship. Who'd be paying for that?
ME:My Uncle
VO: Pass me his Bank Statement
ME: Okay but give me a second to get it...here
VO: (looks through it for longer than I expected and I suspected that he assumed the statement was in Naira but I didn't say anything) Oh he's in switzerland so the currency is in CHF
ME: yeah
VO: (he looked me in the eye again) i will be issuing your visa (pauses for a second to process my reaction) you should pick it up at the point...(I didnt hear the rest cuz I was trying to absorb the fact that my visa was granted)
ME: (emotionless face) Okay, thank you
VO: Please go there to pay your reciprocity fees. You should always take your I-20 with you when you travel......(I zoned out again but tried to appear like I was hearing it for the first time even though my school has put me through the entire process but of course he was trying to help and I appreciated that)
ME: ( nods) Okay, thank you.

What I learned from this is
1. Don't memorize your answers. Practicing a billion times would give you an default, memorized response but try to be flexible with it so that you can think while responding. This is because most times, the tension could cause you to forget the rhythm of your response and that could disorient you completely but if you're listening to yourself speak you can always replace a forgotten response with a more logical answer....Half of my responses weren't delivered as rehearsed.
2. Don't wait for the VO to ask every question. if you've gone through this visa posts long enough you'd see a pattern in the questions. e.g which schools did you apply to, why that school and what are your plans after the degree. Answering them before being asked shows that you actually have a plan already and didn't just cook something up because they asked. While sounding smart with your brief and combined response, the VO also wouldn't have the opportunity to pay special attention to each response like if they were asked individually.... I learned this while rehearsing with my Kid bro last night
3. Please don't lie. there was a man who said he hadn't been denied by any country as he has traveled to so many countries only for the VO to roll his eyes and say "really? are you sure?" then he started to confess and ultimately got denied. You can't tell how much info they have of you.
4. Please please and please, practice your response with the intention that you wouldn't stay any longer in the US than the degree you're going for. The PhD question that was asked of me was a trick i believe. If I had said yes then it would have shown that I wasn't eager to come back and that I'd stay back in the US at the slightest opportunity.. I actually didn't realize this until after the interview.
5. Be prepared. Practice as much as you can and be confident. If you're a genuine student with the intention to study for a better future, remind yourself of that every time because you deserve the opportunity.
6. Speak up and speak out. Don't frustrate the VO by sounding like you've got a sore in your mouth. If you have stage fright like me and tend to speak at a low tone in an interview, lean closer to the receiver. Also, once you notice that the VO is struggling with an Info, especially funding, clear the air before he gives you the pink slip. I should have spoken out immediately i noticed him struggling with the Bank Statement ... Thank God he realized it eventually but not everyone gets that lucky.
7. I don't need to tell anyone to pray. That's default. You should go in with the conviction that your prayer has been accepted. That can loosen up the tension a bit and also improve confidence.


I'm so sorry for the long post, i just wish to give back as much information as I gained from Nairaland. I hope this helps a lot of people.

by the way, hold your reciprocity fee. Its N40,700 or $110. You must show the fee in *CASH*in either currency before you even get past the second checkpoint and there are about 5 of them before meeting the VO (but they'd only confirm that you have the fee once). If you get the Visa you'd pay the fee and if you don't then you'd take your money away with you.

Finally(I promise), don't pray for the VO to retain your Passport because the system has changed. the VO would return your passport to you with a tiny pick slip and the usual white paper which you'd take to the booth where you'd pay your reciprocity fee. that's where they'd retain your passport and the tiny pink paper.

Thank you.

Congrats and welcome to Georgia State, Atlanta awaits you

9jamyHome:
Please, I would like to chat you up. I will be coming to GSU next month and need vital information with regards to student experience.

Okay, you can pm me

eddyme:
i specify nigeria boss, i am just stock here. i have try all the formate and is still no going through. can i send you pm

Replied

eddyme:
Can someone answer me please

Please can you help me out i am trying to apply to younger bro to Minort state university but i am having issue when it get to phone number section.

The format is ###/###-#### and i do know how to place it on the website is really giving me isssues.


And how do you calculate Secondary school CGPA

For the phone number part, did you specify that you're not in the US cause that format is in US phone number format. If your phone number is 08000000000 You can try writing it as 8000000000

[quote author=Bhb14 post=83808482][/quote]Almost everyone get the same rejection letter and the color might differ by location so it doesn't matter

Giuseppe1:
Let’s use me for example I was denied October what would be the answer

It's a straight forward question. October is about one month ago, so the answer is yes. January is 10months ago, the answer is No because the question is asking if you've been denied within the last two months.

If the questions is asking if you have ever been denied US visa without stating the period, whether it was denied in 2018 or 2019,the answer is yes.

Giuseppe1:
Doesn’t matter the month you was refused so it should be a yes

That's not true

Biggggboy:
Good day everyone please I’m having an interview soon and on my the ds160 form I answered a question that asks if I have been refused visa before which I was refused in January I answered no as it asks on the form if i was refused in the last two months I just want to make sure thanks

If the questions asked if you were denied in the last two months, the answer is No.

Gospelozy:
Please they have confirmation page and appointment confirmation, which one should I print cos I have only the application confirmation emailed to me. I forgot to email the confirmation page the one with passport before submitting it.
Should I edit it again to get the two or it does not matter?

I can't really recall which one is which. To get the confirmation page from the DS160, just enter the application number, you'd see an option to print or save it, you don't have to re edit it. And the confirmation page on the visa page, you can print/save/email that to yourself as well.

Gospelozy:
Good day house. Please I need help.
I made a mistake on my already submitted ds 160 form. I mistook my intended date of arrival to departure time. Please can I still correct this
How do I go about it??
Thank you

Create a new DS160 from your old one, enter your old form number and if asked if you want to create another one, say yes(I have forgotten the exact word), then after filling a new form, update your new number on the visa page, print another appointment confirmation page. Ensure this is done at least 3 days to your interview.

All the best.

fairheart:
Hey, you still come here. Very nice!

Yes o, I do

Swerveking14:
which airline did u fly

Airmaroc and delta air

Mfondara:
Hello House,

Please is it advisable to convert money in my Naira account to USD and lodge it in Dollar account then print the Dollar account for proof of fund?

Please note that the Dollar account doesn't have too many transaction history (maybe less than ten transactions) vs my naira account with lots of inward and outward flow.

Kindly advise.

Hello, you don't have to convert the money to dollars. The naira account would work just fine

GboyegaD:
Just catching up on post lately. I am glad you pulled through and most especially, I love your tenacious spirit. So happy I was able to be of help and has given me more courage to help more people who might need my help from time to time. How are you finding ATL?

Thank you Mr Gboyega. ATL is fine, thanks

Congrats

Sosao
Swerveking
Hadassah77
Stavanos
Dwilliams707
Oguibe
Pharmz
Oguibe2nice

I am so happy for you all

Roybhatty:
That's awesome. You GRE scores are good too. I'm just trying to understand what type o scholarships are actually present for Indian students. Do you have any idea about that. I just came to know from a scholarship blog that there are 3 types like Fellowship, Teaching A., Research A. Are there any other types of scholarships.

I think all type of scholarships are available for all countries, just have a good profile and indicate during your application that you're interested in being considered for the GA.

Glowrie22:
Most of these fall deadlines are not for priority funding consideration. I attended University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and the priority deadline is Jan 15.

Like the heading says, those are the schools with rolling admissions and schools with deadline in those months, nothing was said about priority. Even at that, although some might not be the priority deadline, some are.

My travel experience

I got to the US on Monday the 12th, my flight was for 1am so I got to the airport around 9:30pm, I weighed my bags before check in started and it was around 23.8 and 25.2kg, so I just reschuffled everything, wore one winter jacket and tied two more cardigans around my waist all through the journey, .


When check in started, my checked in bags weighed around 24.4, 24.5 thereabout and carryon bag 10kg exactly, I also had a laptop bag that wasn't weighed cause I am entitled to a laptop bag, the lady asked why so many loads, I told her I was a student, bla bla.

We went through all those screenings, removing your shoes, your laptop, your jacket and all that, custom, etc. We sat down for some minutes, the flight was a bit late but boarding finally started, it was a not so big plane that took us to Casablanca, there was about 1hr30mins layover to change to a bigger plane, we went through the same process of removing shoes and all that.

We boarded the plane and we were off to New York, we got to JFK around 11am New York time.

My POE experience was straight forward, I passed my passport and i20, he asked where I was going, I told him GSU, he asked for what, I said for my Masters in Mathematics, he said waoh. He tried pronouncing my first name, so I pronounced it for him like 3 times before he got it.

He asked the amount of cash I had with me, I told him, he asked if I had cigarette, and one other thing, I said no, he asked if there was anything I would like to declare today, I said none. He stamped me in, I did my thumbprinting and he took my picture.

I went to obtain a trolley, claimed my baggages. Ooh I forgot to mention that the airline I took from Nigeria offered to check in my carryon bag and I agreed, so I had only my school bag with me on the plane.

I went to check in my bag at the domestic airline desk, I paid for the 2 checked in bags, took train to terminal 4, I had to stay on a lonnnng queue to be screened, same pulling of shoes, jacket process, walked all the way to my boarding gate, sat down for some minutes, it was announced that they needed 30 volunteers to check in their carry on bags, I took my bag there to be tagged and dropped it off when entering the plane, so I had just my school bag with me on the plane once again.

Got to Atlanta around 6pm local time, walked to baggage claim, waited for all my bags, they were all intact, took them and went outside to be faced with the hot summer weather.

The end
PS: Take a jacket with you on the plane if you usually get cold like me.

RealBadBoy:
Thanks. Does it mean that as soon as I put the names and email of my recommenders they will be asked to upload their recommendation? If no, it stand to reason that maybe one of my three recommenders might not upload his LOR on time

Yes, as soon as you put their emails, they would be sent an email to upload the recommendation.

Another option is this. This list was provided to me when I was selecting schools too, it might be of help to you.

RealBadBoy:
That's the issue... I plan to take gre and toefl by November
I have no publications
Undergrad gpa = 3.76/4
Course = civil engineering

I need some more time to apply and let my recommenders submit their letter. Jan 1 might not be feasible as many uni wants. Please I need schools with deadline in February or late in January

But most schools always say after jan1 an applicant won't be considered for funding

A. ROLLING ADMISSIONS -
What does "Rolling" mean - Under rolling deadlines there is no fixed application deadline declared by the university. Applications are accepted anytime till the seats for that particular semester are full.
University of Toledo
Wright State University, Dayton
California State University, Long Beach
Oklahoma City University
Rochester Institute of Technology
State University of New York, Binghamton


B. FALL SESSION ADMISSIONS -
(August-December Semester)

US Universities with Deadlines in March -
George Washington University – 15 March
Polytechnic Institute of New York University, Brooklyn – 15 March
South Dakota School of Mines & Tech – 15 March
University of Colorado, Denver – 15 March
University of Kentucky, Lexington – 15 March
University of North Texas, Denton – 15 March
Stevens Institute of Technology – 15 March
University of Pennsylvania – 15 March
California State University, Northridge – 31 March
University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa – March

US Universities with Deadlines in April -
Idaho State University – 1 April
University of Arkansas, Little Rock – 1 April
California State University, Fresno – 1 April
oregon State University, Corvallis – 1 April
University of Houston, University Park – 1 April
University of Michigan, Dearborn – 1 April
University of Texas, San Antonio – 1 April
University of Utah, Salt Lake City – 1 April
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University – 1 April
West Virginia University, Morgantown – 1 April
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo – 1 April
Wichita State University – 1 April
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville – 1 April
University of Houston, Clear Lake – 1 April
University of Oklahoma, Norman – 1 April
University of Memphis – 1 April
Villanova University – 1 April
California State University, Los Angeles – 15 April
Lamar University – 15 April
Old Dominion University, Norfolk – 15 April
South Dakota State University, Brookings – 15 April
University of Georgia – 15 April
University of Iowa, Iowa City – 15 April

US Universities with Deadlines in May -
City University of New York, City College – 1 May
Clarkson University – 1 May
Illinois State University, Normal – 1 May
Mississippi State University – 1 May
Northern Illinois University, Dekalb – 1 May
Oakland University, Rochester – 1 May
University of Idaho, Moscow – 1 May
University of Memphis– 1 May
University of Michigan, Dearborn – 1 May
University of Nevada, Las Vegas – 1 May
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque – 1 May
Wayne State University – 1 May
Western Illinois University – 1 May
University of North Dakota, Grand Forks – 1 May (General)
University of Texas, Dallas – 1 May (General)
Boise State University – 15 May
Southern Methodist University – 15 May
University of Louisiana, Lafayette – 15 May
University of Colorado, Denver – 15 May (Final)
Louisiana State University, Baton Rogue – 15 May (Final)
University of North Dakota, Grand Forks – 15 May (Computer Science)
Montana State University, Bozeman – 15 May (Most of Engineering Departments)
Wright State University, Dayton – 15 May (Early)
Lawrence Technological University – 22 May

US Universities with Deadlines in June -
Louisiana Tech University, Ruston – 1 June
Monmouth University – 1 June
California State University, Fresno – 1 June
Kent State University – 1 June
New York Institute of Technology – 1 June
Syracuse University – 1 June
Texas A & M University, Kingsville – 1 June
Texas State University – 1 June (Final)
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville – 1 June
University of Arkansas, Little Rock – 1 June
University of California, Riverside – 1 June (without Aid)
University of Detroit, Mercy – 1 June
University of Illinois, Springfield – 1 June
Florida Institute of Technology – 8 June
Drexel University – 13 June
Marist College, Poughkeepsie – 15 June
California State University, Northridge – 15 June
George Mason University, Fairfax – 15 June
Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla – 15 June (Final)
Tulane University – 15 June

US Universities with Deadlines in July -
Florida State University – 1 July
Lamar University – 1 July
Minnesota State University, Mankato – 1 July
Arkansas State University – 3 July
Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville – 15 July
University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport – 15 July
University of South Alabama, Mobile – 15 July (Computer Science)
University of South Alabama, Mobile – 1 July (Other Engineering Departments).

US Universities with Deadlines in August -
State University of New York, Albany – 1 August (without Aid)
Villanova University – 1 August (Computer Science)
University of North Carolina, Charlotte – 15 August (Final)

RealBadBoy:
That's the issue... I plan to take gre and toefl by November
I have no publications
Undergrad gpa = 3.76/4
Course = civil engineering

I need some more time to apply and let my recommenders submit their letter. Jan 1 might not be feasible as many uni wants. Please I need schools with deadline in February or late in January

But most schools always say after jan1 an applicant won't be considered for funding

If you're taking GRE and TOEFL by November, then you still have time. This is what you'd do, start selecting schools with priority deadline around December and early January, shortlist them and start the application, put the emails of your recommenders before you even write your exams so that you would know the remaining thing outstanding in your application would be your exam scores, by the time you write and submit your scores to the schools, you should be able to meet up with December deadline; all things being equal.

victree007:
Hello Folks!
Please for those airlines whose tickets will say check-in baggage not included, do they charge when someone is flying with a carry-on backpack with documents and a laptop in it?

No, they don't charge for carry on backpack

Pepperoni001:
They do

I think you should go to the nearest branch to you to make enquiries, even GTB sef, they were like they require return ticket, I told them I was on a student visa and that my program is more than one year and return ticket is not required, he made enquiries with his colleague and said I should come when it's around 12days abi 14days to my departure.

Just try to explain to them.

martinz1:
Please how can one get to lagos consulates office from obalende, what's the distance like?

Just take a tricycle going to Adeola Odeku, it's #100 and tell the driver you're stopping at the consulate, you just cross to the other side and viola, you're there. It's not that far, average duration of 15mins

Oasishavenng:
It all depends, i am changing airport from JFK to lga Guardia, and my two flights is still be handled by same airline

Oooh okay then

amb001:
My flight itinery is abj-istanbul-jfk-newark-greenville, south Carolina.
1. Will the change in airport from JFK to Newark be handled by the airline?
2. Is there a risk in transiting through JFK?

1. The question would be if the flight itinerary is being handled by one airline. I am sure your answer would be no, since the airline would not land in JFK and then tell you to go to Newark for the next flight if it's been handled by same airline.

So I believe your flight has at least two airlines, meaning you would have to find your way from JFK to Newark.

I guess someone has answered the number 2

amb001:
Do we need transit visa to pass through Casablanca, Morrocco

You're flying Air maroc right, no you don't need transit visa

amb001:
AP decision changed to issued 29 July 2019. Interview was at Abuja. I received a mail from ustraveldocs that passport was collected from the embassy yesterday. When do I expect to pick up my passport in Lagos?

For me, I interviewed at Abuja on Thursday, it was issued on Friday and got an email that it has been picked up from the embassy, two days later, I got the same email, so I went to the DHL office in Lagos and it was there.

I didn't get any email or text message to pick it up, you can check the DHL office tomorrow.