06-06-23
6:30 AM
Lagos
Denied under 214(b)

Profile:

Affected by the UAE visa ban and returned to Nigeria after failing to obtain a new work permit. Passport was renewed in Malaysia so place of issue was out there in the open upon inspecting the passport. Over a year of experience as a SWE in AI and RFID/IOT Engineering.
Dual B.Sc. in Computer Science (2021) from a UK university, and a Malaysian university
1st Class Honors in both.

Program:

M.Sc. in Computer Science, BGSU, funding covered by parents (Canadian permanent residents).

Context:

VO was stern and visibly/slightly upset with all preceding candidates including myself. Nonetheless, confidence and grooming was on point.

Interview:

VO: Good morning, pass your I-20 and passport.
-- [Greeted back and obliged]

VO: Who will be sponsoring your studies?
-- My parents will be fully backing me up for the study. With over 2 decades of experience as a chartered accountant, she is a financial analyst manager at ... in Winnipeg, Canada, where she's currently a permanent resident. On the other hand, my dad has over 3 decades of experience in the hospitality and events services industry and recently launched his equipment trading company in Canada where he's also a permanent resident. I am expected to manage the Nigerian branch which we have registered in Lagos upon returning. [Cuts in as I was about to declare their financial status]

VO: Aside from Malaysia what other countries have you been to?
-- [Succinctly described my travel history in Malaysia and UAE, and offered older passports since she was inspecting the pages/stamps on the current one]

VO: [Types for a while and hands over blue paper] You do not qualify for this visa under US Immigration Law.
-- [Walks away dispassionately (I'm a calculative person and a scientist, so I never make the mistake of associating emotions with statistically unfavorable situations {82% rejection rates for the F-1 in Nigeria})]

--------------------------------

PS - I won't be reapplying as my situation and profile almost certainly will not change, but will focus on seeking employment overseas. Please direct potentially sensitive queries to qpdqr@mailed.ro (valid for 24hrs) if you have something valuable to offer that cannot be publicly disclosed, in regards to my case.

May God bless you. I was given a 2024 date since April and was planning to expedite an emergency request (Fall 2023 start date). It's been sorted now.

michael1385:
Dates are available in Lagos.

Anyone should be fine. I used one located in Netherlands until the DS-160 portal finally stabilized (I had the same struggle as you). Prior to that, it just kept reloading, bouncing back, logging out intermittently without reaching the expected 5 minute limit, claiming I entered captcha codes incorrectly (I have mild OCD so there is 0.000005% chance that I'll ever incorrectly enter such things).

The odds are always stacked against Nigerians whenever we try to japa. It's just terrible for an embassy to rig their portal against someone's geographic location/nationality. It is well.

Winas2:

Which county VPN?

BGSU?

Specgal:
Also me I have a January date but I am resuming august this year

Not recommended, but possible. To be safe, ensure the distance between your payment and completion of entire visa application process (everything from SEVIS, to DS-160, and appointment booking) does not exceed 30 days. Just my 0.02 USD.

Teddiement:
Hello. Pls is it possible to pay visa fee before obtaining form I-20?
Though I'm still awaiting the issuance of my form I-20, but I want to pay the visa fee before it's increase to $180 by May 30th.
Thanks.