₦airaland Forum

chibertha:
were you renewing your f1? Then you are eligible for dropbox don't you think so?

Yes I am. My flight into Nigeria last month got delayed and I missed it. Poor planning on my part I know. Now I can’t find a Dropbox date and since it could take up to 8 weeks to get my documents back, my best bet is to go the emergency appointment route. Agree?

mobbwc:
STILL NEED HELP WITH THE BELOW ALL.

Fill a new ds160. Then apply for an F1 visa instead with your mrv receipt etc. I’m not versed in this area but if the above is possible then do it.

Jhabulani:
I applied March 7 and my resumption date is May15th. Travel date is April 15. And I’ve not gotten a response yet.

What could be wrong?

Looks like you and I are in the same boat. Please update when you get one. I should be back in school now, and I applied in early March. No response yet.

ikeolafarm:
Please help clear my confusion

1. With a PhD full funding, is it advisable to apply for the student's I-20 and that of the dependent at the same time?
2. Will there be a need to provide for living expenses of the dependent outside of the funding or the funding can cover both of them?
3. If they are to apply for it same time, can they attend visa interview same time?
4. Are they going to fill separate DS 160 form? If yes, how can they plan to attend interview together?
5. How do you advise the dependent to answer the question 'why do you want to go with your spouse?

Thank you.

1. Always better to go first time without dependents. Else, you usually get your i-20 first, then request for each dependent (not sure).
2. You would need to prove to the VO that your funding (or SoA or both) covers the living expenses.
3. Visa interview has to be the same slot if applying around the same time. You typically add dependents on your F-1 application.
4. Yes, separate DS 160. Again, there's a section to add dependents ahead of your F-1 appointment.
5. Support him/her, babysit the kids, etc

Opemz:
Please I need advice

Have been admitted for PhD program fully funded + graduate housing and meal scholarship.

-How can I get appointment date. Getting date is difficult.
- it's advisable to go with dependent (s)

Congrats. Apply for a visa and pick the earliest date you can find. Then make an emergency request if your resumption is less than 60 days away. Hope for the best and check your account at least once a day, because you may not be notified.

It's always better to go without dependents if you can. Then bring them over when it is convenient after one semester. However, you can go with dependents, but the 'family ties' bit might be hanging over your head and make you nervous.

bigheadday:
Greetings mate, I applied for emergency request some days ago and till now I have not got a response from the Lagos embassy. Has anyone successfully got an approval? Pls help as my resumption date is getting closer. Sincere appreciations.

This matter tire me too. I traveled to Nigeria for spring break and other urgencies, and I, unfortunately, missed the date given to me due to flight delays. I have made emergency request with no response for almost 2 weeks now. Terrible customer service from the embassy

Bibbzy:
Can anyone help me out

You have such an impressive GRE score. You should look at medium-ranked schools in the US. Every state has them, beginning with AL (Alabama) to WY (Wyoming). Easiest schools to get in, as seen on this thread, are ball state uni, west texas a&m, marshall uni, eastern Michigan, georgia southern uni, east tennessee state

Systrom:
If someone is married in Nigeria and filled it in the visa application, will the person still be able to marry a US citizen ?

Since the marriage is not registered in the US, yes it is possible. But is it moral? Of course NOT!

Nil

TeeD:
I just booked Interview Waiver for Monday 28th Feb. I'm flying in Sunday and hope to leave in 2 weeks. Anyone know how long it typically takes F-1 to get approved?

Visa website says to expect 2 months, but I'm willing to take the risk if it usually happens in way less time.

Thanks

My flight has been pushed to Tuesday, so I will miss my Interview Waiver appointment. Please, guys, how can I reschedule my IW appointment? There's no way to do that on the visa website. I need a guaranteed appointment before I fly out of the US as my visa is expired.

Thanks

Kween2014:
Goodmorning, just to update everyone that I tracked the status of my visa and it showed as ‘issued’ this morning but was updated yesterday. I submitted Friday 8am. This means it took just about 3 days. Guess the 2 months was just to manage expectations.

All the best to everyone awaiting a decision or searching for an IW date.

This is nice. I guess my 2 weeks vacation is enough to get my IW visa. Thanks.

I just booked Interview Waiver for Monday 28th Feb. I'm flying in Sunday and hope to leave in 2 weeks. Anyone know how long it typically takes F-1 to get approved?

Visa website says to expect 2 months, but I'm willing to take the risk if it usually happens in way less time.

Thanks

Kween2014:
Hiya @Gigli, I’m in that bucket and my visa has been issued through IW. All the best.

@Queen, what's the expected time to get my IW visa if I submit it on Monday 28 Feb. I'm flying in on Sunday and need to return 2 weeks after. Anyone knows the average time to get my passport?

Visa website says expect 2 months, but I'd really want to take the risk if others are getting it in much shorter time.

Thanks

aboderinf:
Hi Guys, I have my interview on Aug 6.

I have a very high GRE score and I finished with a First Class but at the time I applied for my I-20 I had no funding. I now have a Graduate teaching assistantship which covers tuition for the fall semester.

Do you guys think I should mention this (if asked why no assistantship?

Thanks in advance for all your responses

Don't go for your interview without an updated I-20. It's not worth it unless you're confident it'll work out; think about what could happen if you're denied. Even if you carry a TA letter, they know it could be forged. Pester your school for an updated I-20 letting them know how much you need it for the VISA interview (they know this). If possible you can postpone your interview if there's not enough time. Also, prepare hard for your interview, they still deny peeps with 'very high' GRE score

spaccleinc:
Hello guys.

Visa denied last week Friday at Lagos Consulate. Please, kindly help review the interview transcript and advise if it's still worth it to apply with this same admission offer / any other advice or tip that comes to mind. Thank you.


...........................................................................................


VISA DENIED. Lagos Consulate.

Interview by a middle-aged man, probably late 40s or 50s (Indian origin) on Counter 1.



University of South Florida 

MS in Mechanical Engineering 

No funding/assistantship received 

35K deficit 




Transcript:


VO: Pass me your passport and I20

Me: *passed him my docs


VO typing and looking at his screen for almost 45seconds. Finally asks questions but was staring at his screen for most of the time


VO: When did you finish High School? 

Me: 2010


VO: Bachelor's? 

Me: 2016


VO: What course? 

Me: Mechanical Engineering 


VO: What have you been doing since then? 

Me: I went for my mandatory national youth service at Co**... (VO cuts in) 


VO: Oh... That's just one year 

Me: Yes... After that, I secured a job as a project engineer at **** Engineering Limited, and I've been there since then. 


VO: As a project engineer? 

Me: Yes


VO: And you're still working there? 

Me: Yes, currently working 


VO: You don't have any assistantship. Did you take the GRE? (Now looks at me) 

Me: Yes


VO: What did you score? 

Me: 318


VO: TOEFL? 

Me: Yes, 106.


VO: So, how come no assistantship? (VO said this looking very disturbed)


VO: How many universities did you apply to? 

Me: 4


VO: How many admits? 

Me: 2


VO: So why no assistantship?

Me: Well, I was also surprised that I didn't receive any assistantship or funding, so I contacted the schools about this and I was told that assistantships and scholarships are usually awarded on a first come first serve basis


***All this while was always typing and looking at his screen,then stares back at me .. He was still disturbed even after I told him the reply I received from the school ***


VO: Ok. So, why a Masters in Mechanical Engineering? 

Me: Well, I have career interests in Energy sys.... (VO cuts in) 


VO: Ok. Who will be sponsoring your education?

Me: My father will be paying for my education 


VO: Ok. (says this while still typing) 


VO: (Types for about 15 seconds, then brings out the pink slip). I cannot approve your visa. 

Me: Ok sir. 


He didn't ask to see any supporting documents throughout the interview

Dude/Lady, funding is the issue here. Also, there are no surprise questions here, they're questions you could have anticipated and found smooth answers to.

VO: So why no assistantship?

Me: Well, I was also surprised that I didn't receive any assistantship or funding, so I contacted the schools about this and I was told that assistantships and scholarships are usually awarded on a first come first serve basis


***All this while was always typing and looking at his screen,then stares back at me .. He was still disturbed even after I told him the reply I received from the school ***

Next time, don't say you're 'surprised', don't be surprised. There are bunch of americans who don't get funded for graduate studies, that's why many are with huge school debt. My GRE was 5 points higher than yours and despite applying to 6 schools for PhD, only 1 came through.

Again, always use a dept/school policy to describe your situation, say something like "The professor who has agreed to take me wants to see my work before taking me up. (it happens alot)" or if it's a phD admit, say something like "The funding is pending because I'm required to take a Ph.D. candidacy exam upon resumption". VOs don't know specific school/dept rules and it's left to you to make them believe.
However, I strongly advise against moving to the US when you're not funded, because even funded folks have a hard time here.
Again, if you know of any deficiencies in your story, you must be prepared ahead of how to respond to any form of questions.

VO: When did you finish High School? 

Me: 2010

You may already know this, but if I were you, when he asks this, I'll immediately continue to talk about when I finished bachelor's because I want him to know I have a higher degree than what he's asking. While it's safe to give short answers and not give more, but questions like this deserve more answers.

VO: Ok. So, why a Masters in Mechanical Engineering? 

Me: Well, I have career interests in Energy sys.... (VO cuts in)

At this point, the VO wants to gamble on you. For questions like this, I'll strongly advise starting with a statement like, "In my current job, I have seen the need to ... and having a masters in energy systems will certainly ..."
Prepare answers like this beforehand and rehearse them multiple times. Let your statements be concise, brief and show that you're gainfully employed, focused, have home/country ties and you're not desperate to run away
Maybe say parent (rather than father) as it's stronger as it shows both your parents are invested into you should one kick the bucket.
If you can sort out your funding issue, I believe you'll get it.

Sheq:
Hello elders.... please i need your help, i am trying to mail a professor...whose area areas involves of information systems auditing, accounting information systems; financial audits and internal controls etc.... please how do i go about mailing him to join his team..althoughh he just published a textbook and his last cite quotation was 2015.


Please kindly help me with a format. Thank you

Not sure this is the right thread for this.

But try this.

Subject: Interest in Joining XYZ team (team/group/lab name if any), some professors are specific on what mail subject to use on their website)

Good day Dr/Prof X,

I am considering applying to abc program in def department in xyz university and your work on info systems and financial audits is intriguing to me. Last year, I did xyz project with tyu outcome and realized that ...
The 15th chapter in your book supports this idea and I want to explore jyt concepts and use it to solve xyz problems inherent in jfk.

I believe I would be a valuable member of your team. I would like to know if there are openings for GTA.

TeeD

homirefacuny:
Visa delayed at the Lagos consulate this morning

Visa delayed at the Lagos consulate this morning

VO....Good morning
Me ....Good morning
VO .....So why did you chose this university.
Me.....I have been in constant communication with Prof Joseph Elarde even before I decided to apply. He is spareheading a reaserech on network security systems precisely offfensive-defensive based network security systems and I would be on his research team for the next two years. Besides this, the concentration at this university is information assurance and security unlike the other university that gave me admission that has cyber security has its concentration. Cyber security is a subset of information assurance and security. So going with this university is like killing two birds with one stone.
VO ....The course you told me you are going for is different from what I see on the i20.
Me.... Yes. The Tennessee higher education commission accreditation of computer science is registered on their database as warehousing and data database administration. I have a doc from the school that clarifies that. I gave it to him.

VO... so who is paying your tuition?
Me..... I got a GTA that covers my full cost of tuition and some Monthly stipends. The rest of the expenses will be sorted by my uncle and my personal savings. Passes the statement.

VO... tell me how you got this huge scholarship.
Me ..... The award committee must have been impressed by my SOP and my recommendation letters was written by professors who had adequate knowledge of my abilities during undergraduate studies.
Types forever ....
VO ......sorry I won’t be approving your visa at this time .....bla bla bla

Thanks for everyone for their inputs. I have to give it a break. Not giving up tho.

Seems to me your transcript is incomplete and you omitted some things. If you come here to get helpful feedback, say the whole truth. Willing folks here get turned off by transcript like these and don't comment at all.

So why did you chose this university

1. No way the VO would ask "why did you choose this university" without asking "What you wanna go do in the US or which school, etc". Again, methinks this transcript is incomplete.

2. The context of the question "Why did you choose this university" matters a lot. For example, if the question follows "Which school?", then the VO wants you to tell him why you chose this school out of all the schools in the world and why you chose to enrol in a US school. But if the question follows "Which other schools did you apply to?", the VO wants you to tell him why you chose this particular school from the others you applied to/got admitted to.

I have been in constant communication with Prof Joseph Elarde even before I decided to apply. He is spareheading a reaserech on network security systems precisely offfensive-defensive based network security systems and I would be on his research team for the next two years. Besides this, the concentration at this university is information assurance and security unlike the other university that gave me admission that has cyber security has its concentration. Cyber security is a subset of information assurance and security. So going with this university is like killing two birds with one stone.

3. Nice response. I think you need to prepare like 2 or 3 reasons for questions like this, just should in case you forget any. Also, you can have something to say if the VO isn't satisfied with the first or second reason. Be brief and concise. Mention each point and move to the next.

VO ....The course you told me you are going for is different from what I see on the i20.
Me.... Yes. The Tennessee higher education commission accreditation of computer science is registered on their database as warehousing and data database administration. I have a doc from the school that clarifies that. I gave it to him.

4. As the gurus have emphasized, when asked what course you're going for, make sure you mention what you have in your I-20 in your answers. You have your I-20 over a week with you before the interview, and the VO expects you to have seen what information is in it. It's awkward when you're saying something else, the VO doesn't need to understand your field. Any supporting document could be forged, and the VO has no time to verify that, that's why you show up for an interview.

VO... so who is paying your tuition?
Me..... I got a GTA that covers my full cost of tuition and some Monthly stipends. The rest of the expenses will be sorted by my uncle and my personal savings. Passes the statement.

5. The I-20 is a very powerful document, it is issued by the US gov in collab with your school, so you need to take advantage of it to defend anything. if you've got a GTA, the VO would see it on the I-20 or you point his/her attention to it. Don't expect the VO to believe you. Yes, go with supporting documents, but they aren't as trusted as the US issued I-20.

6. Next time, stop after the first sentence. That's all the VO needs to know. If your GTA covers your full tuition and stipend, what other expenses are you talking about? Having a parent or family member sponsor your travel could prove "family ties", so mentioning personal savings unnecessarily might portray otherwise.

VO... tell me how you got this huge scholarship.
Me ..... The award committee must have been impressed by my SOP and my recommendation letters was written by professors who had adequate knowledge of my abilities during undergraduate studies.

7. This was a big chance to grab that visa but. Next time, ensure you mention GRE, standardized tests also, in a single coherent sentence. Don't bore them with how strong your letter was, unless you have more time or required to clarify.

You didn't mention if you were asked any standardized test, this looks strange to me. Which is why I have doubts about the completeness of this transcript.

To be honest, you did well, but try to work on these points. The earlier you get it right the better. The VO might have access to your I-20 issuance history, and definitely your visa application history too. There's a lot those guys look at, so, don't waste time at all, work hard on this same school and refire again.

Disclaimer: My opinion, and not facts.

Olalekank:
Bosses use dotNet

I'm not a pro o, I'm trying to shoot my shot .

Haha. Keep shooting!

Olalekank:
Congratulations!
The VO seemed to be very happy.

=========================================
2 yrs+ experience in this same software engr. Abeg show me the way, what stack do you write?

We also appreciate your 2 cents ($0.02)

@olalekank Thanks, been using dotnet stack althrough. You sound like a pro.

CuteRedd:
@TeeD congrats bro see you in V** Annex

Hahaha. Bee, that's you.

I've been a silent follower on this thread but been greatly helped by folks here.
Visa approved on October 4th 2018, Lagos office. three months late, sorry guys for posting this late.

Here is my transcript:

Thursday 4th October 2018. About 7.00am
Took about 4 mins.
White dude in early 30s

Exchanged pleasantries.

VO: Pass your passport
A: (passed it under the hole)

VO: What are you going to do in the US?
A: For my master's degree in electrical engineering at Marquette University

VO: Pass me your I-20
A: (passes it under the hole)

**types for a while**

VO: So, tell me about your educational background
A: I graduated in early 2015 with a bachelors in electrical engineering from University of Ibadan.

VO: (looks at the screen) And you work as a software designer now?
A: Yeah. Software engineer at V*** group.

VO: (stares at my I-20 and sees my financial aid) Oh, I see you have some financial aid?
A: yes, full funding. (VO echoes “full funding”)

VO: Did you write any standardized tests?
A: Yes, GRE and TOEFL.

VO: What was your GRE score?
A: 323 (pronounced three-twenty-three, and didn’t mentioned the score on each component)

VO: How many schools did you apply to?
A: Six in total

VO: Can you list them?
A: Texas A&M, Oregon state uni, Kansas state uni, Binghamton uni at New York, Michigan tech uni and Marquette uni

VO: (staring at resumption date 7/Jan on I-20) You’ve come here so early?
A: Yeah (with smiles, already very happy, just waiting for the white paper, lol)

VO: Are you married?
A: No

VO: Do you have any kids?
A: No

VO: I’m approving your visa blah blah blah. Gave me white paper…
A: I didn’t focus anymore, was just thanking God

Profile:
My Financial aid stated on I-20 was more than cost of attendance $39k>$36k
Earn over 300k/month gross as software engineer
No close relative in the US
25yr old with 2+ yrs work experience

My $0.02:
When filling DS160, “package” your work history and pay attention to every detail
Prepare for and take the GRE (pool of schools to apply to, GRE ‘prepares’ you for grad school life and VO thinks you’re an intending immigrant if you didn’t take it)
Apply to 3+ schools (increases your chances of getting funded and VO wants to see you’re a ‘normal’ applicant)
G-factor important too.

alakara:
Happy Sunday peeps.

Pls whats the minimum operating balance in Stanbic?

Youngzedd:
PayPal funds available.


292 USD available @ 200 NGN per USD.

Can a nigeria paypal now receive funds?

alakara:
on the front page thr is a daily update

Cud u put me through please, I'm a JJC oh.

alakara:
Since Stanley08 removed the updates I take it upon myself to up date each bank exchange rates as posted daily.
thanks.
sterling bank 236.41 (July 28).lordkay10
stanbicibtc 199.5 (July 29)
diamond 215 (July 28) tdjeans

Oga, how do you mean by the bolded, is there a link or something where Stanley08 placed the updates before?