₦airaland Forum

prazzi: sup house..my frnd have gone for his interview and the gud news is he got it but the problem is its been delivered to the ikeja address he selected and he wont be able to get it because he's not in lagos (in PH) till 10days time he will be travellin. my question is can his document be held dere for him till his travel time?. tanks

He should have authorized someone to pick it up for him and, I'm not sure, but I am thinking that option should be possible. Also, I think it can be held till he's ready to pick it up himself.

Let him contact the embassy or collection center to find out which of these options is feasible so he can make his most convenient choice.

ferdiii: And not any more! See attached files.Even to have someone abroad pay online for you is not allowed once you say ur test location is gonna be Nigeria.We are suffering oh!

This is really serious, na wa oo

ferdiii: Okay. I will do just that. How about TOEFL? Although I do not plan to do TOEFL.I have an expired one and IELTS.I will get them on on those.

The last time I checked, TOEFL only accepted VISA cards and Nigerian VISA cards didn't "work". You may want to check again.

ferdiii: Okay but why no ECObank Branch in Nigeria say Lagos. I have couple of guys in US and Canada and that won't be a problem but it is for others. No credit card from Nigeria to pay for GRE too? A pal from Canada helped me register my brother against TOEFL last time.Again we used GT to pay for my visa fees for my B2 Interview. So easy!

Is SEVIS different from visa fees, I will be up against F1 pursuit?

YOU CAN USE A GTBANK NAIRA MASTERCARD TO PAY/REGISTER FOR YOUR GRE.

sensational: I understand what you are talking about, is nt that i don't wnt to write the test infact i am abt to reg for GRE. (1)as we all knw high score is not guarantee, am just considering every alternatives. Concerning my course, i am a gradute of economics.
(2)Does it mean i don't have a chance of getting a sch with my lower without a test?

imperiouxx: And you still want to school in US without writing test to increase your chance of admission, GA and visa? Well, it depends on your course. As you said, most graduate schools will ask for 3.0/4 which I think is higher second class lower.

(1) I nor follow know that one o ... Why can it not be guaranteed? It's an exam not gambling.

(2) I believe he already provided the answer to your question before you asked.

biofem2000: Ovap, here`s what I think about standardized test requirements/preference. Your school sets the rules. If your school says its a requirement, then it is a must that you have it. If its a preference, it is a matter of choice. If it is neither a requirement nor preference, you have no business with it. Like someone said, these are Americans. Yes, so am I and a whole lot of us. Being an American does not make you a small god. You need to be able to defend yourself when someone question your choice. If someone askes you " Why didn`t you take GRE?", if it is not a requirement, the answer should simple be my course of study does not require that I take GRE. Simple. That is the simple truth. If you`re asked "Why didn`t you take TOEFL? The answer should be "Since the language of instruction for my undergrad studies is English, I am not requred to take a test of English". Again, simple. For the sake of all that is holy, aren`t we speaking English? ( Oh well I know we`re not writing English).
I think it is high time we let "people" know what we are made of and wht we can do. Why take TOEFL if it is not required? Why let someone question your ability to speak a language you were not taught? To many of us, English is like a second mother tongue. We didn`t learn it, we simply started speaking it. We need to actively stop giving the impression that we can only speak in monkey. If you need a TOEFL waiver, write an impressive statement of purpose. Simple. If you`re asked why you got a waiver, tell the VO your statement of purpose was from out of this world. Oh, shhhhh don`t tell the VO I said this but I bet he/she will not pass the TOEFL.

My suggestion is go for your interview with confidence knowing you have done all that is required of you. The VO does not expect you to go above and beyond what the school expect of you. You have satisfied the school requirement, there is nothing like the VO requirement. These are people who have been trained to do what they do; they do not expect you to be a genius. For all you know the person interviewing you may be a 26 year old with nothing more than a high school diploma (Ha ha ha... here goes the American) and guess what? Because he sees the fear in you, he capitalises on your vulnerability and squeezez life out of you for the 3 mins you are in front of him/her. Take charge. Be confident. The VO is American, You are Nigerian.

I wish you luck!

Every letter in this post makes it own point! The nail head sef won scatter

imperiouxx: The success story as directed to post:

August 16

The funny thing was that this same guy that interviewed me today was the one I was praying not to interview me the last time cos he was just bouncing guys anyhow...
and the one that interviewed me the last time was doing the biometrics today. Imagine. I didn't even realise this until I walked up to his counter and saw him because from the angle where I was sitting I couldn't see the person occupying that counter..

I walked up to the counter smiling...
Dude: Can I have your documents?
Me: I passed it to him (he started looking at his screen, I expected him to say I've been denied once and why)
Dude: Why are you going to the US?
Me: I wish to go the US for my graduate studies in OE in this university. I'm also on a study leave from the coy where I work. (I repeated the last one so he could hear. This was my strategy to give him everything he needs at a go)
Dude: (still looking at the screen) so you are on a study leave?
Me: Yes ( he was looking at the screen for too long this made me feel slightly uncomfortable)
Dude: (finally looking up) And what is currently your highest level of study?
Me: I have a bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering
Dude: And from where?
Me: I told him
Dude: When was that?
Me: 2006
Dude: what have you been doing since then?
Me: ( I knew this is the crucial part so I took my time to explain my work history to him)
Dude: So why do you want to go to study at this time?
Me: (wasn't really expecting this but I quickly recovered) So as to get more value for my self cos I can only get to a certain level with a first deg so I want to make myself more employable when I come back
Dude: why this school?
Me: (emphatic, and started explaining all those things the course and school have to offer...I even told him the course produced the discoverer of the Titanic wreck and he is currently a professor there. He got excited and even mentioned the name before I did! I was just smiling)
Dude: Do u have experience related to this course?
Me: yeah ( I started explaining-)
Dude: Did you take GRE?
Me: (emphatic) No because it is not required for the course but I wrote TOEFL and I have a waiver for the GRE. (he did not bother to ask for it)
Dude: So who's paying for your study?
Me: My dad, and I also have my own account
Dude: Can I see his statement?
Me: (passed it to him and he just glanced through it. I was scared here cos, even tho he is really my dad, he used his father's name as surname in this account therefore our surnames are diff.)
Dude: what does he do?
Me: I explained to him
Dude: started typing on the screen for like 30s. (I was just praying inside) He even asked if I would be attending that Prof's class jokingly, cos he is a celebrity over there. This was where I knew I would get it lol. Finally he tore the pickup ticket and told me to pick it up on Tuesday and make sure I resume on 5th Sept.
I just gave a very big smile and said 'thank you'. I even asked 'would that be all?' and he said yes.

He only asked for my account statement. I just give all the glory to God. Even the study leave letter that I drafted myself with letterhead paper of my company he did not ask lol.

Wish him good luck at Rhode Island

nifty: hi guys am trying to ask for advice on here,i am a 300l computer science student of a university here in nigeria which means i have 1 more year to have my bachelors but i won the american visa lottery and presently in the us,my plans where to go get my green card then come back to naija to complete my bachelors and then go back to american to compliment it with a masters degree in america nd wld probably be able to get a job here in america,but peeps and student i met here said my naija degree is useless even if i have a masters wiv it that i shld just take a transfer to a university here then continue from there.........and wld have 2 more years to be thru instead of one if i return to naija...............i need some advice

About transferring, I think I'm with Imperiouxx and your peeps on that one.

About the 9jan Bsc + American Msc, I can't just stop wondering what the "peeps and students" who made that comment must be thinking. If they were right, then almost all of us on this thread are wasting our time and money on a "useless" venture!

Yes, With 9jan degree(s) alone, it will be very difficult to make any good out of it here in the US without adding THE American flavour.

Webstradamus, how you dey? Where are you now?

Baiyewu: @Square Bros i don send you ofline message tire. Thanks for your response and i beg pls reply me. @All i want to say that the forum has lived to its expectation. I want to thank you guys for the support, help and encouragement. Some of the contributors here went as far as paying sevis fee and admission fee for people they have never met. Indeed all the enquiries a novice needs as regards study in usa is embeded in this forum, that is why am suggesting that we look into building a website or blog where we can archive these invaluable infos for future references. Thanks and appreciates.

I did not receive any of your offline msgs. I hope you have the correct addy? Here again to confirm, tha65thsquare@yahoo.com. Let me know on Nairaland immediately you send a msg ...

Baiyewu: Praise God my nairaland friend was given visa. He was there for me when i was denied. @ imperi baba Pls i heard the power rating in us is 110 V pls will it affect my laptop and clipper if i decide to bring it along. Thanks and appreciates

Just drop your clipper in 9ja if the rating is 220V, your laptop is gd.

kpolli: This makes sense cos he applied for visa lottery in October and by December, he is applying for student visa. . . Doesn't that portray n intending immigrant?

ekundayomi: You both have spoken well.. but i Strongly believe that if JOV is on your side,.. no man can teast

kpolli, no one can draw a fail proof logic to the visa lottery thingy. Last year, I applied Nov 5 and went for interview Nov 10. Like I said earlier, someone else who lied about it was still given his visa even after the VO proved he lied to his face! While ekundayomi has said it all, it is good that we are all conscious of these seeming possibilities to have our minds prepared accordingly so we are not caught offguard.

imperiouxx: I know it's disappointing but it's true about the visa lottery when the day is so so bad. In my presence in Dec 21, a young undergraduate applicant was told ''You applied for the just concluded visa lottery and so you are not qualify for an F-1 visa''. Everybody was shocked. I was part of those who claims lottery doesn't concern getting student visa but on that day, when they are looking for a way of cutting the number of students issued visa...Yes! visa lottery concerns F-1 visa. Fortunately, I didn't apply for the lottery only that year (2011) but unfortunately I was also denied on another ground

My advice would be, don't apply for the visa lottery if you are going for your interview around Nov/Dec i.e during or immediately after visa lottery application and hope you are getting the student visa.

See also:

Imperiouxx is right, when the day is bad, they may use it as a convenient excuse to deny. If you have not played the visa lottery as of now I think it is best to follow Imperiouxx's advice of staying away. If you have played the most recent one or any one at all, do not deny it out rightly. A kinda "safe" response is to tell the VO one that of your brothers/friends/sisters/etc has made it a habit to be playing for you every year and that you would not be surprised if it has already been played for you this year cos you don't keep a tab on it. The overall goal is to eliminate any impression of lingering desperateness to go the US despite having played the lottery.

kpolli: This is not feasible. . . I still dunno how a 1 way can be more expensive than a return. . . Agents just say that cos they get less commissions on 1 way bookings

Very much possible sir! Sometimes a one-way ticket is more expensive than a round trip even when you check directly on the carrier's website without going through an agent. I think the trick is to overprice their one-way tickets unreasonably to market their return tickets.

WARYZ: pls can I buy a 1 way ticket or should it be a round ticket?am sorry 4 being such a pest,Thanks *wink*

Yes you can come to the US on a one way ticket with a student visa for most airlines (i don't even know which airline doesn't allow) and to erase all doubts call the carrier/wakanow to confirm.

biofem2000: One way tickets are usually more expensive than round ticket. My advise is that you buy a two way and play around with your return in such a way that you get more bank for your buck.

Good luck.

Can anyone chime in on expedited visa appointments please? I`ve tried to ask the question twice. Anyone had luck getting one?

Thanks.

More often than not, round trips are more expensive, especially at times like this, when it could be way more expensive!

Baiyewu: i did not get the mail o. Pls i still need to chat with u oh. My visa interview was very successful. I photocpy ur response since na de same sch and course we dey do

Congrats! I must have missed your story. I had since responded to your offline msg. Lemme have a yahoo id so I can contact u directly from mine. When are u coming in to town?

@Gboyega, are u in Houston? Pls txt me your address pls.
@Imperiouxx, when are u coming?

Baiyewu, I did not get to hear from you anymore. Have u gone for your interview? I provided my real email addy ...

bawizle: yes oooooooooo. I just bgot my visa. it was fast.
Here is d interview at abuja, booth 7
VO: smiles & says Good afternoon,
me: Good afternoon, passed my docs
VO: why r u going to u.s?
Me: to obtain a bsc in comp info science in wiley college
Vo: ok. So what is comp info science?
Me: It is a network of hardwares and softwares used in creating, filtering and distributing data in an organization
VO: So how is dat gonna help u?
Me: With the fusion of d knowledge i'll get 4rm dis course,and d acquired knowledge i got while working for my dad, i will be able to solve d major information challenges in the current Nigerian business market.
VO: good, so where is ur school?
Me: Marshall Texas
VO: Where is Texas?
Me: East of U.S...na here i jonse
VO: You're a great student, but u need to learn how to answer lil questions like d location of texas.
Me: i started saying tinz 2 show i know d location, cos i don jonze already. den i said " GOD its ur turn 2 do ur work
VO: have u been 2 u.s?
me: No
VO: hold on
i started thinkin it was over
VO: u have been approved, come bck in 2 days 4 ur visa.

I turned 2 others and made a sign showing i made it. cos dia were over 30 people b4 me, and only one person was approved
It was God

It's like roads are leading to the Lone Star State! "You don't mess with Texas" (not even the VO, lol) Congrats!!

biofem2000: Nairalanders,
I would like to know the implication of seeking a student visa while one has a visiting visa that was issued a few months ago. The intent was to visit the US when the visa was issued so as to visit some of the schools. However, life got in the way. The visiting visa has not been used. Please advise. Thank you.

I think you will be shooting yourself in the leg ...

lanrypaddy: Hello to you all,
Please friends kindly help me out because I have scheduled my US Visa interview at Lagos embassy here in Nigeria and I want to know my possibilities of getting Visa. My details is as follows:
I am a graduate of University of Ilorin here in Nigeria, I graduated with B.Sc. in Plant Biology second class upper and undergraduate percentage is 76.2%. I graduated in October 2010 and did NYSC till october 2011. Since then I have been applying to institutions(local and abroad) for my masters.I gained admission into Obafemi Awolowo University (M.Sc. Botany), University of East London (M.Sc. Bioscience)and another conditional offer in UK university. My Uncle who has been living in US for long told me to apply to CCSU which is in the country he lives about 45min drive from his house in Connecticut. I applied to the school and I was given admission in May 2012 and now I get CCSU Form I-20 with major in M.Sc. Biology/ General Bioscience. I did TOEFL and scored 78/120 but my school inform me that I do not need GRE for admission. My mother is my sponsor and she has sufficient funding in her bank account. On M̶̲̥̅Ɣ sevis online receipt, M̶̲̥̅Ɣ uncle's address Ȋ̝̊̅§ on it because he paid Fø̲̣̣я̅ M̶̲̥̅ƺ when I told him I couldn't pay the fee here in Nigeria. Hope the VO won't query M̶̲̥̅ƺ much on this and what can I say if asked?
Can anybody kindly tell me how my VI might look like and my possibilities of getting VISA despite low TOEFL score, no GRE, my Uncle living in US(though I have planned to deny knowing his whereabout in the US but I will just say I have Uncle over there if asked). What are the possible questions I might be ask by the VO and what should my response be like? What are the documents I should take along with me and how should I appear at the Lagos embassy on the day?
If I were ask that how many institution did I applied to? can I tell the VO about the local and UK institutions wont it have any bad effect as I applied to only CCSU in US and 2 in UK. please friends kindly help me out because my interview is fast approaching by early next month (August).
Expecting to hear from you soon. Thanks.

According to Kpolli/Obusco these your many many questions hard o! But here's my own piece:

SEVIS Reciept and Uncle's Address
- The last time I checked, only the student's name will be on the SEVIS receipt, abi? The address could be any other person's (you know in the US). A handful of us paid their SEVIS that way. There's no crime in knowing someone in the US. I don't even think he'll question this, so don't worry.

List of Applied Schools
I think this will hint the VO that you are serious about furthering your studies anyway whether locally, in the UK or US. To ME [/b]it's a good impression. The main thing is you need to give [b]STRONG [/b]reasons why you chose US above others, which is one of the standard questions asked.

[b]Low TOEFL
As long as it was high enough for you to be admitted, I do not think you should fret about this. It's "YOU vs VO"

Not Taking the GRE
People are usually advised to take the GRE/GMAT whether or not their school(s) require(s) it. I am not sure how cogent this is as I know many people who did not take the GRE/GMAT and are here in the US for their grad studies. Again, your case is not unusual.

Mother as Sponsor
Very good, of course.

Documentation
It's strange that you have gotten this far, and you are not aware of the necessary documents.

Primary Documents
1) Appointment Confirmation Letter
2) MRV receipt (or whatever it's called now)
3) DS 160 confirmation page
4) 2x2 passport size photograph
5) Nigerian Passport
6) I-20
7) SEVIS Receipt

Secondary Documents
Statement of accounts, school transcripts/certificates, as many documents as you need to support your own peculiar case.

Possible Questions
Start from page 1, part 1 of this thread, I am sure by the time you peruse through you will have overwhelmingly enough!

Appearance
Anything from business casual, semi-formal to formal should be ok. I don't think it's by "knacking" tie and new suit. A nice pair of pants/jeans/chinos with a well tucked in good shirt plus good shoes, I am sure it's a enough to make a good first impression.

My 50 cents ...

Freddieyankee: First of all ask yourself if Nigeria is a place to live... Nonsense no go get visa make u use ur life do better thing

GboyegaD dem don advise u say make u go get your visa oooo

Mr Fred, it's gd to take your time to understand the terrain of where you are

imperiouxx: You new guys shouldn't pack dry akpanla and garri while coming to US ooo. If caught at entry, your stuffs would be seized, trashed and you pay fine. If you need garri (nice one ooo), ground egusi, palm oil, ogbonor, tinko, okra (americans dey fry their own eat like fried fish) etc dem dey sell them fine fine in US. You fit no see ponmo but good shaki dey for Walmart and other stores. Moreover, US is home of different kinda food, you go eat and eat till you can't no more.....That's if your intention is real and you are on good standing ooo. But if not and you go astray like noise from a big speaker, you go.... well, you know how person wey struggle reach lagos dey face am nau.


@Mrs,

GRE material sent.

Baba Imperiouxx, my madame pack all of the above come for me o .. except palm oil. U can bring these things, na packaging matter. She brought them in sealed transparent plastic bags, just as they usually package it here.

walex57: Bros ooo..thanks...how do i know if they convey students one way...cos it was one way i searched for...abeg tell me ooo...mi o fe shi flight wo ooo

I think students can travel on a one-way ticket on all airlines. You just need to provide a copy of your visa as proof.

imperiouxx: Why getting greyhound bus isn't as easy as it seems? I'm curious. May be I'll stop taking greyhound next time I'm planning to go to Houston.

Me sef wonder o ...

PS
You mean you came to Houston? Pls lemme this next time o

kennix73: NB: Please first Impression matters, dress well.

I agree with your comment above and I just hope my people understand the meaning of dressing well? It's not by "knacking" tie and new suit that probably still has the price label with an evidently "gator-ed" pants o ... You don't really need that.

One should simply dress looking responsible. Any dressing ranging from business casual to formal is ok.

Baiyewu: @Square65 Thanks for coming by. My program is NGEN. I observed some anomalies on my i-20. Despite sending my dad's statement, the funding as stated on it was 'Student' instead of my dad's name. Also the program state was 'Engineering General. Then i remember that u said the IO made mistake on ur I-20 which made u defer ur admision. Please is this a mistake or i should ignore them. I will also like to chat you as regards study in Tamuk and more specifically ur course. Thanks in anticipation of ur prompt response.

"Engineering General" ke?? You need to get a revised I-20 and it's not too late so far u can get an interview date before aug24 or so (which i think it's still very much possible) add me on yahoo messenger so we cld chat...

Baiyewu: @House Please is there any NLander in Kingsville Tx

First, again, I must commend GboyegaD, Imperiouxx et al for their relentless support offered in this forum unlike some of us who just went AWOL.

Baiyewu what specific info do u require? What program were u admitted into? do u have ur visa now?

Cheers everyone!

kacytunde: Hello guys,

My wife intend to visit me and go back to nigeria just for two months because she need to do her NYSC. Does she need to apply for F2 visa or Visiting visa since she will not stay long before she return. My question is just that can visiting also work for wife of F1 instead of F2.

phy: @Kacy, 1) if your wife's passport has your surname and 2) she has documents showing that you're married, 3) I'll advise she goes for F2 and that will save you a lot of stress. 4) Try to fund your account for the period as evidence that you can take care of her when comes 5) (she will also need a sponsor from home if her account is not sufficient) 6) and you'll need to get a letter from your school. 7) That will guarantee her a multiple entry even if she wants to go/come back at anytime. 8 ) Visiting visa may restrict her to single entry.

Kacy, I make the below additional comments on Phy's response from my own experience

1) your wife's passport doesn't have to bear your surname

2) yea of course you have your marriage docs, right?

3) Gbam! easier and better except if you didnt declare her as your wife when filling the ds160

4) Very key or else see 5)

5) a) If the funds on her i-20 (essentially yours) are enough to support her per your sch's minimum requirement she does not need any extra sponsor.
b) otherwise she has to provide her own proof she can support her stay either by herself or via an extra sponsor.
c) Either way, it's advisable for her to have a little something to show personally, especially if she's working.
d) if she's not working no need for personal

6) Not a bad idea but not necessary

7) Not true. Multiple entry is guaranteed, of course, with or without a letter from your sch. once she gets F2 her status will be good as yours except for the fact that she can't go to sch or work unless she changes to F1 or something else.

8 ) That's just it!

If you did not declare her as your wife in ds160, then it's understandable u wanna consider another type of visa for her. (Note that F2 is still possible here, so long as you are married)

If you declared her as your wife, then there's almost no issue just make available the basic necessary supporting docs (which might not be asked for) and she has over 90% chance of having a smooth ride at the embassy if she applies for F2. Go for F2.

xtus: @ all and imperiouxx.......... 1) Can i still apply for the fall semester now and 2) can u guys help me with some list of colleges/universities that do wavied application fees. Thanks guys

1) Have u taken the required standard tests?

If no, then work towards next year's spring/fall.

If yes, it's a bit too late but not impossible, moreover your chances of admission would be slim as most deadlines are about this time of d yr for fall. work towards spring.

2) You may have to search that for yourself. Infact for some schs, you wouldnt know application fee could be waived until you apply (eg wvu). so u need to do your research. It's simple google! and my advice is, probably u know dis already, do not apply to schools based on application fee waiver only cos may miss out on the real goodies. Yes it may take some pains to find what you want but the most important thing's dat u smile in the end.

imperiouxx: GRE materials sent..... QED

Nice to see that u are still being useful to this thread unlike many of us. Kudos bruv!

Anyway I hope all summer/fall hopefuls are warming up already. Praying for good news in the house all round.

Cheers everyone!

hello