₦airaland Forum

Can anyone advise me on how to obtain a visa to the Seychelles? I would also like to know which airlines fly to the Seychelles.

Thanks.

@JeSoul ... I'm so glad that the irony wasn't wasted on you ... Had a good laugh myself when I read it and decided to share.

These two articles were interesting to read ... Enjoy!!!

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/chika-ezeanya/on-arrival-at-murtala-mohammed-airport.html

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/chika-ezeanya/in-abuja-to-repair-my-passport.html

justwise: My point is that i did not give bribe to any immigration officer when i got my passport, i was not even asked, there are touts hanging around but i ignored them.

I really don't see the point of bribing somebody when i'm not doing anything illegal.

Lucky you! No thieves were working there!

justwise: Follow which step? Those immigration officers are paid to do their job, so why are you paying them again to do the job they have already been paid for? Are you not encouraging corruption?

People like you are the problem because you make those thieves keep asking for bribe from every applicant and they will leave those who refused to bribe them.

I got my passport without bribing any thief.

Kindly let us know the precise immigration office in Nigeria where you got your passport. Perhaps they have no thieves working there.

Manweysabi: hi all, please help me with the address of Canada embassy in Lagos. i want to visit them and know whats up with my application. my school resumes 5th September and I've not heard anything from them. i submitted on 31st of May.

CHDC
Street Address
4 Anifowoshe St.,
Vistoria Island
Lagos, Nigeria

Telephone: (011 234 1) 271-5650; 262-2512/15
Fax: (011 234 1) 271-5651; 262-2517
Email: lagos@international.gc.ca

Hours of Operation
Monday to Thursday: 07:30 – 16:00
Friday: 07:30 – 13:00

Try and go early just in case others are there too. Wow. you must really be under pressure ... 5th September is just under two weeks away.

Anxiety level ... minimum...

OK... that is good news. At least, your anxiety should be dwindling right now. Let us know the exact SW Global LLC number you called (or called you) (i.e for reference) or was it as a result of the e-mail you sent? I'm happy that they attended to you. Just keep us posted...

So, one set of payments showing pending while the other set showing confirmed. This might mean that sw global llc has not accepted the second payment. How long does it take your financial institution to process refunds?

I was googling and saw these two.numbers attributed to sw global llc. You can try calling these as well.

1-202-223-6895
1-860-693-6319.

Maybe one of those numbers may go.

Which questions exactly?

Just chill till Monday ... You can also contact them again if they don't respond early enough on Monday ...

@SmoothOP,

I found this on the SW Global website (https://www.swgloballlc.com.)

For any queries/concerns, please contact us at support@swgloballlc.com

For refund queries, please contact us at 1-877-693-1919,1922 or refund@swgloballlc.com

I had called them once to shift a visa interview date for my daughter, and they responded. Let us know how it goes ...

The letter of origin is usually gotten from your Local Government in your state of origin. Any friend/relation of yours can be your guarantor. Your guarantor must already have a current Nigerian passport and should fill the Guarantor's form. The form should then be taken to court and stamped (i.e. commissioner of oaths).

This is good news. It seems that things are getting better at the Immigration Offices ...

friend: Please,my intl passport is still in my maiden name and I am married now. Can I still use it to apply for USA visa as I just got d passport last year

@friend ... I guess that depends on what name you use for the DS-160 application. If you are still using your maiden name ... I doubt if there will be an issue, because the name on the application must match the name on the passport. However, if you make your DS-160 application with your new surname, it is advisable to get a new passport bearing your new name.

If you make your DS-160 application with your new name and submit your current passport with the maiden name, there is a high chance that you will be issued a 221 (g) letter requesting that you obtain a passport that matches the name on your application.

Not to worry, this kind of denial just means that you have up to a year or so to provide the document, so that the processing of your visa will be complete.

Dear Justwise,

Thank you very much for comments. They are noble yet naive. I narrated my experience at the NIS combined with comments of the people who narrated their experiences while waiting to collect their passports. I am not a crusader going around glorifying corruption, but I do tell a good story as it happened or was told to me.

Your quest to not glorify corruption in Nairaland is commendable but you cannot deny the fact that corruption is still exists. Nairaland may be seen as an utopia of some sort, but that is not the case in the REAL world.

I tell you what... You should start a thread called, "Obtaining a passport in Nigeria ... Please share your experiences", so we can have a candid view from other Nairalanders.

Dear all,

As a result of the high respect that I have for Justwise, I will respect his stand on the matter and refrain from making any further comments on this thread.

Thank you all.

@henrychubayo,

My old passport was cancelled without prejudice and was handed back to me.

@UBTech,

If you are required to have a 24 month validity on your passport, I will highly recommend that your extend the validity date. You can always attach the old passport to the current one (with rubberband) and submit them both. Embassies usually require previous passports as evidence of previous travel. Let me have your email address, so I can mail the number to you. Also, I seriously doubt that you will get the same number when the passport is finally extended/renewed.

@jaydude,

You are welcome. Have a safe and wonderful trip.

@UBTech,
It was a new passport number, different from the old one.

I was not asked to fill a Guarantor's form ... so I guess you don't need it. Goodluck!!!

@ tayorsnr81,

You can definitely go for an EXTENSION with 6 months validity. With six (6) months validity in your passport, some embassies might not grant you a visa. Mine was like 8 months validity when I applied. Remember, they will give you a new passport with 5 years validity and cancel the current one. Take care.

The validity of a Nigerian passport is 5 years. Like I said earlier, they gave me a new passport and then cancelled the old one.

Please can someone send me the police character report form to me at manny.walford@gmail.com.

Thanks.

BIGER BOY: i just called a friend in the abuja immigration office now. yes you can only do a renewal from abuja, and the official cost is supposed to be 10,000 but if they know you, then you might get it at 15,000. But 50,000? thats outright extortion. goodluck

now can someone please reply me here
https://www.nairaland.com/909260/which-cheapest-flight-ghana-help

@BIGER BOY, Thank you very much for this wonderful update. The issue I had is that all the published NIS numbers are either disconnected or are not going through. So the information I had was from the state immigration offices. Is it possible to give me your contact's number. So I can work everything through him/her when I get to Abuja. This will likely reduce the time I spend in Abuja.

Thank you very much.

I have spoken to two (2) immigration officers in two (2) different states. They informed me that they have not been given permission to extend E-Passports at the state immigration offices. Any requestion for extension is seen as a replacement (such as a damaged, lost, or stolen passport) and at the moment can only be done at the Immigration Headquarters at Abuja. After further enquiries, I was told that this effort will definitely cost around NGN50,000.00. So, unless divine intervention happens, I'm gonna spend a minimum of NGN100,000.00 for passport renewal/extension at Abuja (excluding transportation and accommodation) for myself and my wife.

I hope this post is useful. If any one has any update about this, please feel free to post here.

Dear all,

My e-passport that I collected in late 2007 will be expiring this year. Does anyone know the process of getting it renewed? I don't know if I should just fill another on-line application for a new e-passport for the next 5 years or if I should take it to the Immigration office for a 5-year extension.

Does anyone know someone who just renewed his e-passport recently? Please let me know which step to take.

Thank you very much.

@dell_net,

Thanks.

@dell_net,

Thank you very much for your quick reply. It didn't really occur to me that the interview could be a telephone interview and not necessarily a face-to-face interview. Please, how recent was this? I'd love to know. By the way, did you sister receive any negative reception when she arrived at Immigration in Nigeria?

Thanks once again.

Hello all!

I want Nairalanders who have recently obtained an Emergency Travel Certificate from either the Nigerian Embassy in the US (DC/NYC/ATL), the Nigerian High Commission in Canada or the Nigerian High Commission in the UK to share their experiences. I am interested in knowing the following:

i.   How you applied. Did you call to book an appointment or did you just arrive at the Embassy and were attended to?
ii.  What documents you actually submitted (including payment).
iii. The interview time. Were you interviewed immediately or were you told to come back at a later date? What was the time frame between the application date and the interview date?
iv. The processing time. How long did it take to process and grant you the certificate? And were you told to come back and collect it, or was the certificate mailed to you in a self addressed return envelope?
v.  Validity. For how long is it valid?

I would be extremely grateful if someone out there can help answer my questions. I look forward to hearing from you all.

Thank you very much.

@ galex86,

Sure. You can use either UPS, FedEx, DHL or TNT. You are also required to include a prepaid return courier envelope. For more info, check out http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/nigeria/visas/apply-how_demande-comment.aspx

Have a nice day!

@missojugo,

My wife had her baby in New Jersey last year. And we are also planning for our second baby this year as well and this time, it may be in the US or Canada. My wife has not made up her mind yet.

We arrived JFK in the last week of December 2009, just like two days after the Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab episode. I was a bit worried about the extra security in place after all the pat-down searches we received at Heathrow in our connecting flight. I even had my wife put on my winter jacket as we stood in line at immigration. Funny enough, the immigration officer was not bothered (or did not show it) and he let me and my 7 month pregnant wife in without a fuss.

However, when i flew in 2 months later at Newark to witness the birth, I was now stopped by the immigration officer, and she handed me over to someone else and I was taken into the interrogation room and was asked many questions. They wanted to know if I was in the military, if my parents were in the military, if my siblings were in the military. I was held for like 15 minutes before I was released.

So, from my experience, I can conclude that landing into a busy airport like JFK may offer you less scrutiny than the lesser busy airports like Newark. Travelling with your husband is a great plus because he answers the questions and if he has a big frame like me, he can stand squarely in front of the officer (partially blocking you) and looking them into the eye. The only time my wife came into full view was when she was being ten-printed. At winter time, such as now, no one really questions why you are putting on such a grossly over-sized jacket.

By the way, there is nothing illegal about giving birth in the US. After all, who doesn't want quality healthcare. However, they don't like people giving birth there and then not paying the bill. Personally, I think it is bad. Even in Nigeria, if you can't pay your bill, the hospital will keep you hostage until your family can. If hospitals are expensive, there are also birth centres and if you are courageous enough, you can hire a registered midwife and have the delivery at home. The link below states the CBP's stand on pregnant women.

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/882/~/visit-the-u.s.-while-pregnant-and-the-risks-involved

It is no crime to be pregnant entering the US. However, a mean border agent, can stamp only one month on your I-94 which can lead to the tempation of overstaying. That is why we try hard not to disclose the pregnancy. And also have plenty of cash on you. I had like USD7300 on me. That was my proof that I was not going to be a ward of the US Government.

Have a nice day!