₦airaland Forum

TheEnforcer:
The American,you have handled the debate here pretty remarkably well. There's a guy here on Nairaland who attacks the first worlds countries especially the USA. He says most immigrants in the USA are slaving away and that Sudan is even better than the USA.

I wanna ask you,what are your thoughts about Nigerians who visit,change status and then naturalize via some route?

Thanks for the compliments. Regarding the person saying Sudan is better than the U.S., everyone is entitled to an opinion. That is all it is, an opinion. We know what the fact is. No country in Africa can hold a candle to the U.S., and to even suggest that is comical.

Slaving away? This is another mentality some people have. Looking down on people because of the nature of their job. You see a waiter/cleaner in a restaurant or someone who assists old people, and laugh at them for being slaves. A job is a job. So, the concept of slaving away is for a-holes. Nobody is forced to do a job they don't wanna do and you get paid for any job done.

Your last question. I support migration the legal way. As long as no crime is committed/law is broken, I have nothing against anyone's decisions.

freudianslip:
For those that won't show up in school..


USCIS Changing Policy on Accrued Unlawful Presence by Nonimmigrant Students and Exchange Visitors

I will try to interpret this. The U.S immigration laws are so complex that unless you understand them, you could make mistakes and put yourself in trouble when you panic and do something stupid.

When a student falls out of status, That's all there is to it: they're out of status. Some people think the day you violate your visa and fall out of status is the day you start accruing unlawful presence. NO! Unlawful presence starts counting when you get an order to leave/deportation order or when you apply for an immigrant benefit and it gets denied.

Let's use an example. A student is supposed to resume school on August 7, 2016. He didn't go to the school. He remains in the U.S. and works illegally. He has been out of Status, that's all. We're in May 2018. You'd think he has accrued 2 years of unlawful presence. He has not. Until he gets a deportation order, or he applies for an immigration benefit (for example green card) unsuccessfully, they don't start counting unlawful presence.

Now, the new law has fixed that. It has triggered counting unlawful presence the instant you fall out of status. In the past, they had to find you, and get a judge to issue you an order to leave voluntarily, or deportation order or a denied USCIS application to start the clock to count the days.

Do you understand so far? Good.

It's the same way a 3 year/10 year ban is only activated when you wanna return to the U.S. so if you've accrued unlawful presence for 6 months for example and you never leave the U.S. the ban doesn't come to effect. It is triggered when you answer calls from the village, visit them and then wanna get back into the U.S.

A summary of the new law: once you fall out of status, you start accruing unlawful status. Any unlawful presence over 180 days triggers a ban that works just like I explained above. In addition, 1 year of unlawful presence triggers a permanent ban. The bans also make you ineligible to try to get a visa, greencard, etc. This new law has blocked some paths.

When you wanna adjust your status and get a green card, there are two questions you'll have to answer. Have you ever violated the terms of your visa (been out of status)? And have you ever been ordered to leave/received a deportation order/applied for a green card (to calculate accrued unlawful presence)?

Let's see an example:

Suppose that same student in the above example marries here and wants to get a green card. Under the old law, he hasn't accrued any unlawful presence (I believe you understand how/why), but under this new law, he has accrued over 1 year, triggered a permanent ban which makes him permanently inadmissible and ineligible to apply for visa/green card.

Oh, I must add... Marrying a U.S. citizen makes them forgive a visa overstay (falling out of status), but this new law blocks that. Now it's not falling out of status anymore but unlawful presence/ban and even marriage can't save some people because unlawful presence/permanent bans rule you out of adjusting your status.

This is my opinion/interpretation. It's not legal advice and shouldn't be construed as one.

Some people will argue and praise Nigeria, lash out at people abroad, laugh at them all they want and beat their chest, saying there's no place like home. When the argument's over, and everyone logs out of Nairaland, we know who's cursing NEPA, getting mad at neighbor's gen, being locked out by landlord for getting home past 10, or being spat on on their way home while inside danfo.

I was in the dark for almost two decades of my life. I believed in Nigeria and used the "those developed countries didn't get there overnight" argument to delude myself into thinking things would get better. Now, I've decided not to bother. I would believe it if there was proof to show the country's going in the right direction.

To those of you enjoying in good countries and coming here to deceive the gullible ones into thinking there's nothing special where you are and there's nothing different, lol. God is watching you as you are making plans to get that permanent residency/citizenship haha.

A question keeps bugging me. At what point do immigrants decide/find out Nigeria is better than where they migrate to? Is it before applying for visa? During the interview? when they first arrive? First few months? Years? Before applying for permanent residency? Before getting citizenship? After citizenship? When their ridiculous expectations have not been met?

At what point is it too late to go back home where things are better? I'll tell you: NO POINT. The conscious decision to keep staying and deceiving oneself is just laughable hypocrisy.

A footballer like Leon Britton spent almost all his life playing for Swansea city. He loves it there, he's one of their own. He has all he wants and can visit any stadium in the world. He's free to say "I don't see any reason going to any other club BECAUSE Swansea city are a better club than Real Madrid?". He can say it passionately and even get praised for it but in his heart, he knows how stupid the statement is. He might even reject a world record transfer to Madrid to earn astronomical wages.

In the end, it's fair to him to remain at Swansea and be happy, same way it's ok to remain in Nigeria and be happy. Don't just delude yourself into thinking Nigeria is a match when we're talking about world superpowers in terms of development, same way Britton wouldn't delude himself into thinking Swansea are better than Real Madrid. As long as everyone's happy.

Nig4Greatness:
......
This seems a good start but even at that, fundamental human rights as you are trying to say is subjective,remember what constitutes a human rights violations in the US may not be the same let's say in a country like Russia or Nigeria.even the UN resolutions on human rights is not binding on all countries.the reason every country operates their own laws.

You're right, it's a good start.

For those who have never traveled before and are unsure about what life really is abroad, I may not be able to tell you a lot about other countries but I can speak for myself here and what my experience has been. See, you may not understand the little things that make life worth living until you actually live in (not just visit) a very developed country.

The deal breaker for me is the violation of rights. Some people don't even know their rights not to talk of fighting back when they've been violated. No amount of money I make can make up for that and that's the main reason living here is a win for me. I can't mistakenly hit a soldier's car and start praying for death.

You see me driving an expensive car. Without any proof, you assume the source of my wealth is fraudulent. You stop me and ask to provide my ID, I give it to you, you say "let's go to our station" for absolutely NO freaking reason? I try to call my lawyer, you seize my phone and prevent me from reaching out to people. I didn't break any law, my crime is just driving an expensive car? Lol... you're looking for trouble.

I can sue anybody's father here for any nonsense . I don't have to suffer because of anyone's incompetence, recklessness, or stupidity.

Affordablerent:

If we tear our passports as theamerican said we should, who will be a Nigerian citizen?

When did I ask anyone to tear their passports? I see you missed the point of the whole thread. All you picked is "someone is attacking Nigeria and asking us to tear our passports", may God bless your heart.

Maze1:
�

Thanks @theamerican and @lagosismyhome. Weldone for the great work you are doing here

@theamerican did you go to OU?

No, I didn't study there but some of my girlfriends are there. I go to Norman regularly to see them.

Affordablerent:
This thread is funny. Someone calls herself "theamerican" opens thread to abuse Nigeria and ask people to tear their passport. Some people jump on her bandwagon and start following their leader's advice. It's the same thing as collecting money to vote without knowing if the person can lead well. I'm sure they will PM the babe to send invitation letter to them. Whether good or bad it's a perception. If I say Nigeria is good to me like some are saying, it's not anybody's business, it doesn't make them selfish, just like you feel Nigeria is bad to you should not make you selfish, you are only being real. But here if someone says Nigeria is good to him, people will become angry and start attacking instead of asking the person to show them the way. Do you think everybody is poor? it's not possible. Learn from others, when a guy say it's good for him, ask him what he does and learn but here they will write long letter to convince you that it's bad, it must be bad for you to satisfy them. Are you in their shoes?

You think this thread was opened to "abuse" Nigeria? I'm shaking my head. Nobody is saying anything bad about people liking Nigeria. Like any country if you want, don't just say untrue things. That's all.

Many people don't care if they graduate with a first class or not. It's ok. They can shoot for 2.1 or even 2.2. You may even pull up stats online to suggest there are countless people with successful careers. Nobody's going to argue. You don't come here to say "First class is nothing important, all the first class graduates in Nigeria are learning make-up business. Don't waste your time trying to graduate with a first class". That will get a backlash.

At the bolded part, the way you think ehn... may God show you the way forward.

Maze1:
Visa interview held on the 7th

VO: which school?
Me: University of Oklahoma

Boomer Sooner!!! Get ready to check the weather forecast 750 times daily haha! You're going to love it there.

Congratulations!

Dear @Nig4greatness,

The thread is not a restrictive one. It simply asks people to say if they think traveling is worth it and try to give reasons for their answer(s). When people say misleading things, I decide to refute those claims. If you say I prefer staying in Nigeria because of the gun violence abroad", that's a good reason. I may say nothing OR decide to say/prove that there's also gun violence in Nigeria, hence a healthy debate.

Another example: "All the people traveling abroad wash plates and sweep floors, so I don't wanna travel" is different from "if I travel, getting a job good job abroad may be difficult considering the fact that I have an already stable job here". You see? I will instantly disagree with the first, and the second may or may not be argued.

Case is different if someone says "I prefer staying in Nigeria because they kill everybody in the U.S. there's no black family in the U.S. that doesn't have a gun violence victim, they shoot all the blacks there". Now that's a statement that's completely misleading and untrue. So... I will refute that nonsense and set the record straight in case people who don't know, read such nonsense.

Also, a person abroad who says: "No one in Nigeria eats 3 square meals" is saying nonsense. I will definitely reject that. So, you see? It's a thread for healthy arguments and counter-arguments. We learn from each other.

Also, I didn't even quote any law. I just reminded you that you're under oath. That's all.

@Nig4greatness

And just to add on the "stop deceiving yourself" topic. Your "I'm Nigerian first before any other nationality" idea should remain here on Nairaland or in your head. By law, you are now under oath to put America first. You must have forgotten your oath during Naturalization. You swore to put America first. They didn't put a gun to your head to swear that oath.

If you think I'm bluffing, start a business here and try to sponsor green cards for Nigerians to employ them over your fellow Americans. They'll remind you. Or if a war broke between Nigeria and the U.S., you'd tell them Nigeria first? You had the option to remain a permanent resident and renew all the time, you chose to become an American citizen so... never forget.

It's like a police officer saying he loves his mother so much he can't ever harm her and decides to not arrest her for murder because she's his mother (no pun intended). The law says something different sir/ma'am. Of course, he he can choose not to arrest, just like you can choose to put Nigeria first before any other nationality. Just remember the consequence(s). In your case, revocation of your citizenship and any other punishment for treason.

Finally, no one is attacking Nigeria. I don't go about, telling my friends that Nigeria is a hell hole. I encourage them to visit and I still try to say nice things about Nigeria. But khaki is not leather. Truth is truth.

hilaryxoxo:
[s]
The TOEFL is a very very very easy exam - especially for native English speakers. I am sure you’re done with secondary school, where you studied English as a subject for 6 years. Im also sure you’ve spoken English for over 20 years (assuming you’re above 20 and have been speaking English since birth).

So what is difficult in an exam that just wants to test our ability to use English? - The reason people fail or do below their expectations is: (1) Inadequate preparation (2) Inadequate practice[/s]

This is absolute nonsense and your follow up post of "Nevertheless, I must say, 69 in toefl? Did you read at all? Don’t you speak English?
My dear, get down and dirty with your books and write it again." is condescending and unnecessary.

Not everyone is as intelligent as you think you are. A person shouldn't sit for GRE 3 times, with the scores 320, 322, and 325 then come here and say things like "No Nigerian graduate should score anything less than 300". Such things piss me off. Same way a computer programmer will tell a layman "Python is very very very easy, it shouldn't take you more than a few weeks to get used to it". I'll be like "what? Please speak for yourself".

You find TOEFL easy, that's good. My friend finished his Master's at Unilag last year, did his TOEFL and scored 72. I simply told him to prepare better and didn't include all the "how can a Master's degree holder score 75 on their toefl" nonsense.

Ask people on here who have graduate assistantships how many times their students stared blankly at them when they tried to teach because of communication barrier. Wait until you get here and try to communicate with people, you'll know that getting a PhD and speaking English all your life in Nigeria doesn't necessarily guarantee good communication with people over here.

Now that I got that out of the way, good of you to have provided links to study materials. That's great!

@Nig4greatness

You've started misleading people and using rhetoric. You need to stop lying to yourself. You asked "Is US definition of slum different from that of Nigeria?". Good Lord, are you kidding me? When you say vaguely, "there are slums too in the U.S". An uninformed person thinks you're talking about a place that has people with no food, water, phones, electricity, accessible roads, houses, access to schools, healthcare, or diseases everywhere, uneducated people who seem doomed forever. Put things into context and stop deceiving yourself.

We can say "the president is a disgrace, he's not fit to be in that office" about Nigeria and the U.S., does this mean Trump and Buhari are on the same level and equal? Put things into context, please. I can say "go to Dallas and see bad roads" and someone would think I'm talking about the same horror in Nigeria.

Stop comparing Nigeria to the U.S. when it comes to development or standard of living. They are light years apart. I don't care if you've been to all the cities in the U.S., you need to stop misleading people and deceiving yourself. "Some inner cities are worse than hell" lol. Smh. Let a woman in those inner cities call 911 and tell them her husband was with a knife and threatening to stab her to death and watch what's gonna happen.

You said: "I'm a Nigerian first before any other nationality and I won't trash the formal for the latter just because am frustrated". Nobody is trashing Nigeria, sir/ma. The truth is the truth, Nigeria is nowhere close to the U.S., Canada or the U.K. It's ignorant to even think that.


We talk about people's decisions to stay in Nigeria or travel abroad based on what they want/like, let's leave it at that. A person would tell you: "no food can taste better than my mother's". Best thing is to smile, and leave them.

Gospelozy:
Thank you ma'am for breaking it down. I appreciate you loads.

You're welcome.

signature2012:
Bro,pls just burn your blue pali and maintain the green one.If yankee no good for you,no ones fault,stop preaching Nigeria this,Nigeria that...e dey vex me gannnn.

What do people like you gain claiming patriotism on naija but live in America?

Burn U.S passport for Nigerian one? He would do no such thing. You have no idea the time and effort people put in to naturalize.

solasoulmusic:
One thing I do miss is everyone seemed mature not out to ruin your life with words not out to erase your legacies just generally working together for the better of all

What do you mean?

aadeyi:
To the best of my knowledge, I-20 does not carry any name, it will just show funded by family member or something like that.

Really? It must have changed from how it was during my time. My i-20 definitely had my dad's first, middle and last names and the amount he'd be contributing... as my sponsor.

Gospelozy:
Please gurus help me here.
The statement of account that I submitted to the school bears a different name with the one I intend going to the embassy with. It's actually owned by d same person, just that d first is her maiden name. And I have asked d bank to change it as to tally with my surname.

Please I hope my i-20 won't carry d statement I sent to them and also it won't be a problem at the embassy?

Please I need guidelines

This may be completely different from how things are done in Nigeria but this is what I was thinking as a possible solution after reading this:

Just go with an official document that shows the name change. Like marriage certificate, sworn affidavits or any other official documents that prove your mom's the same person. Have it in hand just in case.

Your interview will most likely not lead to being asked for documents. They usually stop at "who's sponsoring this trip/what do they do?", confidently answer that question and don't panic. There's a chance you're just worrying over something simple, but it's good to prepare for the worst case too.

In the event you're asked to present your bank statement, have the official documents ready in case of any follow up questions. Or if you are a worrier, you may feel comfortable to place a copy of one official document that shows the name change on the front page of your bank statement.

your i-20 will carry your mom's maiden name as you said, so if any follow up statements carry your last name, it's better to have a backup document that shows she's the same person. You'll most likely not get to that, but if you do, it's not a big deal.

Seek other opinions/advice, please.

Nig4Greatness:
......

I enjoy learning from people I disagree with........i never disagreed with you,i only said you shouldn't let Nigeria be the primary focus of your thread,that's not what we want to see.i already referred you to your thread headline.
have a good life.

"People I disagree with" is not "people who disagree with me". Again, I have enjoyed our discussions. I only know about Nigeria and the U.S. as these are the only two places I have lived, that's why I Personally focus on these two countries.

I can't speak on how a Ghanaian or Mexican would feel about going to the U.S or Canada for example. Or how a Nigerian would fare in the UK or Germany, South Africa or UAE. People in those countries have been talking about them and if you notice, I've not said anything. I simply read from them and say what I know... or think I know.

Again, I apologize if the thread topic raised your expectations on what it should contain, or what should be written. I didn't even know it would get so much attention. I'll write more in my free time.

Have a good life, too. I hope you had full coverage when your SUV was stolen. Things like that aren't pleasant. God bless you.

Nig4Greatness:
i already answered your question(s)......if you are not satisfied,let me makes it very simple.....i would gladly choose my country of birth over any other country,you know why i can be president tomorrow and besides that,nobody can take away my birthright citizenship from me but my citizenship acquired through naturalization can be a subject of revocation if serious offense is committed.that is my choice and i wont blink before making such pick.

I will ask more precisely. If the U.S. and Nigeria stopped dual citizenships and you had to denounce one of these two, which country would you denounce? A. Nigeria B. U.S.A

As a Nigerian American, If you got stuck in a foreign land, which govt DO YOU THINK is more likely to come to your aid (I suppose, the first you'd try to reach out to) between the U.S and Nigeria? A. Nigeria B. U.S.A C. None

See? Simple. Just answer and we're good.

Just to add, when I argue with people... I learn from them. From what you wrote, I figured in the case of going to Russia, it COULD be easier going there during this coming world-cup as a Nigerian citizen. So, don't think my disagreements are attacks, I enjoy learning from people I disagree with.

I welcome completely differing opinions. I learn everyday.

Nig4Greatness:
@OP,

Say you travel to Japan or Saudi Arabia and you get arrested/kidnapped or whatever. As a dual citizen, which government do you think will likely come to your rescue when contacted? Nigeria or the U.S? ...

For whatever it worth,i can not be in that position for whatever reason,because when you travel to other countries and run foul of the law,you will be arrested and prosecuted and jailed if found guilty irrespective of passport you are holding(Japan and Saudi Arabia inclusive),there are many Americans in foreign jails serving their terms and the one that readily comes to mind is that of Otto Warmbier who was jailed and later died in North Korea over trumped up charges and our almighty America couldn't do anything about it.

Finally, if the U.S. and Nigeria came up with laws that prohibited dual citizenship and you're forced to choose either to be an American, or Nigerian, which citizenship would you give up? I'm curious, I really wanna know your answer...

I doubt if that situation is foreseeable but you know what,both passports serve different purposes to me and if you must know,there are some countries i don't/cant travel to with my blue passport and vice versa like am planing to be in Russia 2018 world cup if Nigeria makes it to the second round on my Nigeria passport.
Let me conclude by asking you my simple questions as well but be sincere if you must answer though,as simple as it may get,if Nigeria and united states happen to be playing against each other in a competition,who would you support?..
secondly,where do you intend to spend your retirement?..in Nigeria or remain in the US?..
Lastly,if a war should break out now,lets say a third world war,where will you be?
i guess your answers are as good as mine.

To others,nobody demands patriotism from anybody(besides,its not even the focus of this thread),but its suppose to be part of our culture naturally,that's what an average Americans do.there are countries not as good as Nigeria yet their citizens don't talk down on their countries.in my course of travelling around,what i see are products of people committed to make their countries great at all cost. ..

P.S @op, lets focus more on the purpose for this thread so we can all make meaningful contributions.this shouldn't be about Nigeria.

No sir/ma'am, Answer the simple questions. My questions were simple and straightforward. Until you answer them, I choose not to bother with this discourse anymore.

Nig4Greatness:
.....
Thanks all the same for your response...There's no point insulting anyone here,it's a faceless forum and there are lots of kids here as well as those witht no real life experience..they are the bunch of people you will likely find on this type of thread.
You see your thread headline is misleading or you are unknowingly derailing your own thread because you didn't focus on the subject matter.
I wanted to see what makes your life so beautiful in America,your accomplishments,your real story,experiences and all that,or is that not what memoirs is all about ??.you ahould.focus on what works in the US because thats what people back home want to see,they already know whats not working in nigeria anyway,no need reminding them again.mere focusing more on what's not working in Nigeria is abusing the purpose of the thread.
The point I try to make all along is that US vs Nigeria is a mismatch same thing you will say about Nigeria vs Burundi or Somalia.
US is first world country while Nigeria is second world where the likes of somalia are regarded as third world.while US has a budget estimate of $4T,Nigeria has $25b and the likes of somalia has like $4b....the level of developments can't be the same ..that's the point.so the same way a typical Nigerian would prefer the US over Nigeria is same way a Somali would prefer Nigeria over somalia.
In the end,simple reasoning would prevail that,if you can't be part of the solution don't be part of the problem.

Nice, but please answer the questions I asked.

The topic of the thread does a good job and the follow-up posts that "derail" are just answers to counter-arguments. You're right, posting more about my experiences, etc. could help to keep it interesting but not posting it doesn't nullify what the whole point is.

For example, posting details of how I came here, step-by-step info about how I naturalized, my current job or economic status is at my own discretion, and not necessary. "Memoirs of a Naturalized Immigrant" doesn't mean I'd document my whole life here. I still have the freedom to choose what I write.

Please, I still wanna know your answers to my questions. Thanks.

peacengine:
Is it not same America that they are doing "Black lives matter" due to killing of blacks by white cops?
You mentioned no one coming to your aid as a Nigerian abroad, are you not informed that the govt has been sending planes to pick up stranded Nigerians from Lybiia?

You have relocated abroad that's good baby but you haven't given any valid points yet, I don't think you are working becos of time u spend here. If you are being paid per hour by this time you should be busy at work na

Which part of my posts said anything about the Nigerian government not coming to your rescue? I simply asked, between the two govts, which is likely to rescue a dual citizen? (it means who would you trust more to come to your aid).

Black lives matter. Smh... You must have missed the part where I said I could also write a novel about the flaws of this country, I never said anywhere on earth was perfect lol. Read my posts again and understand them.

I have been criticizing the mindset of some Nigerians and you just proved me right. You don't think I'm working because I post on Nairaland? The same way a Nigerian cop will see you holding an iPhone at 23 and say you must be a criminal for owning an expensive phone without any basis for the archaic assumption.

Being paid per hour doesn't mean you have to slave away and not be able to excuse yourself to do other things in life within reason. Moreover, I type whatever I type in a few minutes lol.

Some Nigerians! Smh.

To @EMMAACHILE and @ugosample

"Being rich is success/happiness" and "success/happiness is being rich" are not the same.
"A rich man is a successful/happy man" and "a successful/happy man is a rich man" aren't the same too. Let's not confuse these two.

When we talk about migrating/staying in Nigeria, people are quick to say how much money you can make in Nigeria and the opportunities available. They tell you all the business ideas in the world that can make your life awesome. They keep missing the point! Not everyone travels just because they want to amass wealth. Being rich is good, money answers most of the problems in life, don't get me wrong.

Being rich wasn't the motivation for my coming here. I wanted to be in a working system. A system where accountability from everyone is paramount. A place where no professor is sleeping with me before giving me the grades I deserve. A place where cops/people won't justify or laugh at being raped because of what I wore to a party. A place where widows are protected by law and not kicked out by the family of their late husbands, I could go on and on.

These are things people take for granted... and that's fine for them. Not for me.

Dear @Nig4greatness

I have read all your posts and I must give it to you, you are intelligent, experienced and the maturity in your all you have written has been refreshing. Thanks for trying to make your points without insulting anyone.

The thread was created to throw the question to the public: "is migrating worth the stress?". I always talk about subjectivity, and I have never stopped talking about it. I have absolutely nothing against anyone's decision to stay in Nigeria or migrate. I simply give reasons for migrating.

Now that we've got that out of the way, this is not a "how to migrate/how to become a U.S. citizen" thread. Those who have tried to ask me that have been told to visit the threads for that and/or get more info from the right places.

The "2nd class citizen" theory is one of the things I don't agree with one bit. Your rights as an American or even a legal resident/visitor can't be compared in any way, shape or form to whatever you call rights in Nigeria. People come here, go through the very complicated steps to become citizens, and when they finally get what they want, they come back to feed others with statements like "we're suffering here", "the country is overrated", "2nd class citizen", "no place like home", etc. I call them out for what they are: UNGRATEFUL HYPOCRITES!

When immigrants want to become U.S. citizens, they swear to "...renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen." If your patriotism was that strong, or if Nigeria's all that they're trying to make it, why would anyone swear this oath? Why don't they remember the suffering in the U.S., taxes, racism, high cost of living, etc. and not swear that oath?

Again, I will state this... I am NOT against anyone's decision to live in Nigeria or go elsewhere. I was in Nigeria, I didn't like it there, guess what I did? I left. Those who are here and don't like it here and think Nigeria is better can also leave. It's a free choice.

Say you travel to Japan or Saudi Arabia and you get arrested/kidnapped or whatever. As a dual citizen, which government do you think will likely come to your rescue when contacted? Nigeria or the U.S?

Finally, if the U.S. and Nigeria came up with laws that prohibited dual citizenship and you're forced to choose either to be an American, or Nigerian, which citizenship would you give up? I'm curious, I really wanna know your answer.

Robert6708:
What I meant when I mention standards is just the fact that I feel a lot of hidden factors are always at work during the Visa process. I read a lot and I read this whole thread from start to finish. Some responses are rude, harsh, insensitive, and some people make it seem like you’re doomed to fail if you applied to one school and didn’t write standardized exams. I think I read where someone was saying some schools are waste of time and all. I just feel everybody’s circumstance is peculiar and since this is a faceless forum, it’s better to give more tailored advices.

What we do here is to advise anyone to cover any potential loophole(s) and be as prepared as possible. There's no one sure way to securing a visa and all we encourage people to do is prepare as much as possible. People can come back after they get their visa and say: "I didn't even do this or that as I was advised on Nairaland". All you get here is what we think would boost your chance. It's taken for granted most times because it's free advice.

"You can't get a visa if you apply to one school, have no wife/kids, apply to an unpopular school, weird course, etc." is different from "try to apply to more than one school, a good school, take exams, etc.". You're only advised to do as much as possible to boost your chances.

For example, a man who wants to meet his girl's parents asks you for advice. You tell him to get a shave, dress well, and cut his hair when he's going to meet his in-laws to ask to marry their daughter. It doesn't mean he's doomed to fail if he doesn't do these. It's only an advice. Now, imagine the said man arriving there after following your advice.

Upon his arrival, the parents aren't home. He calls them and tells them who he is and why he's there. They talk on the phone for 30 minutes and the parents say "ok, you can marry our daughter". It'd be ignorant to blame you for having unrealistic standards because in the end, the things you said didn't matter.

I agree with you, everyone's case is peculiar and people deserve as many opportunities as possible as long as they don't screw it up by getting banned. My first visa interview lasted 39 seconds. I don't remember it much or if I even made any sense during it. In the end, I was approved and the rest is history.

Immigration lawyers give almost the same advise you get on online forums such as this and those guys charge thousands of dollars. Ordinary consultation, people are already paying $150+. Let's show appreciation. We are all trying to do better and help one another.

Congrats to you again.

drwrites:
Hello guys, please i need help with my situation and i feel i can get informed piece(s) of advice from here.

I applied to a couple of schools in the US and a school in South Africa to study MPH last year. This year january i was given admission to the school in South Africa to study MSc Epidemiology, but not MPH because it is offered as a part-time programme in the school. So i enrolled for it because i thought a bird at hand is better than none.

I have just been offered admission to my choice school in the US to study MPH(my choice program) for this fall, but my dilemma now is, can i appear for F1 visa interview here in South-Africa or i must return to Nigeria for the interview? And will the fact that i have a valid study visa for a masters program on my passport affect my chance?

Please your informed but candid advice is needed...thank you all for the brotherly care on here.

You are stressing over something that's not a big deal. Get a cold bottle of soda, smile and don't stress yourself over simple things. My answers to your 2 questions:

1. Unless you are a permanent resident or have any permanent ties in/to South Africa, I'd assume your interview should be in Nigeria.

2. I don't think that'd affect anything. You may be asked why you're abandoning a current program for a new one, so it won't harm you to prepare for that. As a matter of fact, it could work in your favor.

Bonus advice: From what you have said, you know what you want. You didn't put all eggs in a basket, you didn't get what you wanted the first time so you went with option B. Now that what you really want has become available, you're shooting for it. No crime in that. It's perfectly normal. Just work on how you're going to make the VO understand this and you'll be fine.

EZEIGBO1OFIMO:
it is a well documented mental case known as PVAGG (post VisaApproval Gra Gra) , in this state, the newly approved visa hopeful gets all philosophical when laying down their transcript for the rest of us that have not been to the embassy,they dish out advice, criticize the forum and disappear forever

Lmao! Smh. Why not wait for him to explain what he meant? I see where you're coming from and what you mean but let's see if he's going to explain what he meant, it could be something entirely different from your interpretation.

I can't count the number of times I have rolled my eyes, laughed, smiled and left my mouth open with surprise after reading a lot on this thread so far. It's been an eye opener.

This is why during visa interviews, they sometimes ask if the applicant has ever traveled out of the country and ask where. Blind patriotism will be out the window once a first-timer walks out of JFK airport in Newyork and sees the difference between a developed country and where they are coming from lol.

Despite being here for what seems like ages now, I still visit some parts of the country and get wowed like a first timer. Nigerians complain about paying taxes abroad, they never talk about what the tax payers' money have done to the level of development (infrastructure) or that at the start of the year, people get back some of their taxes to do whatever they want. I got $9k as my tax return in March.

When you hear "Million", you think it's a fortune lol. Well, I hope people's dreams come true and they survive wherever they choose to be. I'm glad fate smiled upon me and sent me here and made all my dreams come true. It remains the best thing to happen to me. God bless America.

Robert6708:
Never give up on your dreams, provided they are genuine and you know what youre doing. Whilst this forum is good, i think a lot of standards here is not really the true situation when it comes to visa and all that.

i was sad, very sad, was wondering how my brothers status should be my business, anywasy fast forward to yesterday at the lagos embassy, te place was like a market, filled to the brim.

All in all, i still believe prayer is the key, my interview lasted close to 4 minutes, plenty talk, i just tried to break it down small here. be confident, be fluent, and be firm. but pray pray pray like its all that matters, and be prepared too. shallom!

First of... congratulations!!! I hope you enjoy your stay here and your dreams come true. Congrats.

I'm curious, please explain what you meant by the standards here not matching what the case is in reality. I'm just curious, I wanna learn.

Of course, your brother's status is your business. If he came in as a student, and decided to remain after studies, it's normal for them to think you'd be going the same route. Remember, the VOs are trained to assume every applicant wants to come here and never return. It's nothing serious.

Your 2nd interview was obviously better than the first. I'm proud of people who don't let any failure/obstacle stop them, so... congratulations one more time.

monistick:
Someone should please help with this. I recently got admitted to a University in Indiana for MBA which is a two year program. When I got my I-20, I discovered the programme end date was August 2021, instead of August 2020. I sent a mail to the school and they responded saying sometimes the programme exceeds two years when prerequisites are involved and also to give me enough time to prepare to leave the U.S when the programme is completed.
Please won't this look like a part time programme to the Consular ?
Should I tell the school to change it ?

This is completely normal. Don't worry about it. During my time, my i20 also said 3 years. Student visas are for "Duration of Status". As long as your program is running and you're in legal status, you're fine.

He's 37. Tell him to spend 6 months-1 year on planning the best immigration path... and give himself 5 to 10 years. In 10 years, he's going to come back and tell you he made the best decision ever by moving out.