Hello everyone.
Please I have a few questions.
For those that got their F1 visas and are traveling this period,
1. what documents are required at customs at the airport here in Nigeria and also at the port of entry over there?
2. Is any form or proof of immunization required?
3. Is the covid test required at the airport before leaving the country or at the port of entry?
Thank you for your anticipated response.

Okay will look into these. Thank you.

pompeiimagnus:


Congratulations! When you get to KSU, endeavor to enrol in a minor - if possible, computer science. Ask your course advisors how to go about this. It would help you when searching for internships - which you would really need as a mech major in your sophomore and junior years.Then try to keep your GPA above 3.5 each semester, so you can fight for scholarships every year. Join NSBE and other student organizations, try to be active in them. All the best!

Okay sure. Haven't seen it tho

Aquilapriscilla:
Brother can I DM you? I sent you a dm

VISA APPROVED
21st December 2020
Lagos Consulate
BSc Mechanical engineering (transferring from unilorin)
COA: $44000
NO FUNDING OR SCHOLARSHIP (JUST GRACE)

Me: Good morning
VO: good morning
VO: Your I-20 and passport please
Me: Sure here!
VO: So you're currently in university of ilorin?
Me: Yes I am
VO: Studying mechanical engineering?
Me: Yes
VO: and you're looking to transfer yh?
Me: Yes
VO: Who is this (referring to my aunty on my I-20)?
Me: She's my aunty and God mother
VO: oh okay. What does she do?
Me: She's a legal practitioner, she owns and runs her own law firm. She's also into real estate, she's an estate developer, she has quite a number of properties here in Lagos, Abuja and port-harcourt. She sells and rents houses
VO: what properties does she own in Lagos?
Me: she owns some residential houses and a mall
VO: Ohh a mall? Where?
Me: Yes a mall in ikeja
VO: Ohh okay. So why did you choose this school?
Me: I chose KSU because it offers 3 courses I'll be taking as an undergrad amongst other courses which are manufacturing engineering, internal combustion engine, mechatronics engineering fundamental and these course align with my career path cause I want to pursue a career in a Nigerian owned automobile organization here in Nigeria after graduation, I have dreams of working at innoson motors. Also the curriculum will train me in basic science, engineering principles and I'll be able to develop skills in computer aided design and this also plays a vital role in the automobile world. The curriculum also offers a balance of coursework in engineering analysis, engineering design and engineering practices and I'm confident I'll fit right in.
VO: Types types types (at this point, I was just praying beneath my mask that this man is keeping my visa today cos I don't need it till it's ready for pick up)
VO: do you have any documents to show that your aunty can afford this expensive tuition?
Me: Yes I have her bank statements (passes it)
VO: (goes through and passes it back) types for a long time... Your visa is approved (slips the white paper). Go to window 2.......(didn't quite hear what he said but I deduced he said I should go there and they'd let me know where I'll be picking my passport)
Me: So when do I get my passport
VO: Err I have to stamp it first before returning it to you.
Me: (I laughed) I know but when can I pick it up.
VO: they'd let you know at window 2
Me: okay thank you very much

THIS HAS GOD WRITTEN ALL OVER IT. I really can't overemphasize that. There's absolutely nothing He can't do. This admission process started off as a bedside discussion with my girlfriend cause of the ASUU strike issues and before you know it, God started unveiling Himself at every step of the way.
From delays with procuring my transcript from unilorin during the lockdown to delays with them sending it. I always kept the faith that God will come through for me and He did. Please and please, pray like never before.

The VOs are humans like you and I. They just want to have a conversation with you so try as much as possible to be as relaxed and calm as possible. Also try and exude confidence, it helps with your flow of speech. Prepare well, put in the required work, pray like your life depends on this(saying this from experience) and watch how God will come through for you.

This thread had a huge impact on my success and I want to thank y'all for the immeasurable information you place on here.

Major shoutout to @fairheart. Thank you for everything you did to help ease the process. Those mocks really had an impact and I'm thankful. God bless you always.

Good luck to everyone with interviews ahead. You'd be approved by His special grace. God bless us all.

Ohh wow! This is truly God's favor at work here. Thanks for the information and congratulations once again.

AkinOseni:


Yes you are right. Remember a guy eventually intimated us that dates were released after the cancellation and that prompted me to imagine the consulate was only trying to get us pay for another form. I called the consulate immediately but the lady insisted I stick to Jan 15th.

Immediately I dropped the call, I logged in to my dashboard and gambled with the ‘reschedule’ tab even after I had initially got the popular mantra — your something something is larger than ... blah blah. But that very moment the message did not pop up. I saw available date — Wednesday 9th 2020 (1). I clicked and got email notification that my appointment had been rescheduled.

But I beg us, in everything, let’s not joke with the power of prayer. Nothing, before our Maker, is impossible.


I was asking my brother yesterday if I wasn’t dreaming. E get why.

Wow! Congratulations!
I remember one of your earlier posts this month talking about how your December 11th was rescheduled and the email was conflicting because December 11th wasn't the following day. Please how did you get the December 9th date for your interview?

AkinOseni:
Good morning all. Now I'm done catching my breath. Here goes the transcript:



School : Bowling Green State University, Ohio
Programme: MA (Literary and Textual Studies)
Visa : F1
Status : Approved
Funding: $25508
Deficit: 3K


I was attended to in an anteroom by some white male VO

VO: How did you know about Bowling Green ( being the first question, while seeming not to have heard my greetings).

Me: I read about BGSU in Princeton Review. EducationUSA and through some random google searches.

VO: How many schools did you choose?

Me: I chose two schools— Alabama and BGSU

VO (cuts in ) so BGSU gave you more money than Alabama and that’s why you are choosing BGSU?

Me : (confused and almost lost for words) No, not really...ermm... I had actually chosen BGSU because the university is rated high in terms of teaching quality, not only in Ohio but also in the United States as a whole.

VO: No (speaking assertively) you have chosen BGSU because of the money, or did Alabama offer you any money? How much did Alabama offer you?


Me: (almost dumbfounded) not really because of the money ...


VO: No, it may be because of the money. There is nothing wrong about that. $25508 is a huge money.


VO: Where do you stay?

Me: Ikorodu here in Lagos

VO: Oh OK, you are a teacher?

Me: Yes I am a teacher. I teach Literature at Eppie International School

VO: What?

Me: Eppie International School at Ikorodu

VO: How many students do you have?

Me: you mean the number of students I teach or you are referring to the school capacity?

VO: Yes, I mean the school capacity


Me: 120 in all

VO: What? (sounded stunned)

Me: Yes, 120. It’s a high-paying school.

VO: What do you teach?

Me: I teach Literature and I also freelance for Digirature (I don’t think he heard the latter)

VO: So who is your favourite author?


Me: William Shakespeare (I actually fancy Alexander Pope the most but Shakespeare surfaced first in my heart and I did not want to engage in any internal conflict, not at that moment)


VO: so you did English Literature (or something like that)

Me: Yes I did. In fact, I taught Shakespearean texts during my national youth service scheme at the department of English, Zamfara College of Arts and Science.


VO: Do you know Nnedi Okorafor


Me: (Just heard the name for the first time). ‘No I don’t.

VO: (looked astonished) you don’t? s/he is a Nigerian. S/he wrote the novel — Lagoon.

Me: Oh, I don’t know her. There are many great Nigerian authors such as Sefi Atta, Chimamanda Adichie, Lola Soneyin, Chogozie Agbim (Obioma intended but I ended up calling the name of a Nigerian goalkeeper but I mustered that divinely inspired confidence ) and a couple of others – pulling this as a stunt not to appear blank and stupid on home front .

VO: But you don’t know Nnedi Okorafo?

Me: what text did you say he wrote, again?


VO: Lagoon

Me: I don’t get that. Could you spell please?

VO: Lagoon like where we are ( referring to the location of the consulate on the Island)

Me: Oh OK. When was that published?

VO: it was published in 2014, no sorry 2015. It is about some aliens who came from ... hesitated


Me : (I quickly filled in an attempt to take charge of the conversation and make up for my ignorance about the author) ... from the space


VO: Yes from the space. It is quite interesting. Muttered other words but I could only hear so when you get to .... don’t blah blah ... Goodluck to you...


Actually, I didn’t know what his decision was but he gave me a white paper and retained my passport and I was sure he had approved my visas.


Epilogue (Comedy of Error)

The guy at the door told me congratulations (perhaps he had heave-dropped the VO). I was happy too until I got out and read the paper:


The consular officer refused your visas due to CGI reason. You need to submit additional documentation and maybe schedule another appointment. My hair stood on end. I couldn’t get the drift. I knew if I had my visas denied, he should not be with my passport. Many thoughts were competing for attention in my heart, the most prominent of which was that I had been denied the visa because I did not know the Nigerian author – Nnedi Okarafor. But I was not too convinced about the refusal since he retained my passport and offered a white paper after the interview.

So I took everything to the CGI point for further clarification.


The woman who attended to me asked: what did the VO tell? Did he say your visa has been approved or did he tell you to provide any document? ‘ I couldn’t even get him because he was rushing towards the last part of the interview,’ I said. But he has my passport with him. ‘ He has your passport with him?’ the woman asked. Yes.

OK, bring your Confirmation. I gave her. She came back some 10 minutes later with a man, both smiling. ‘I’ve got some good news for you, said the woman. ‘You will go in again and meet my colleague, the man added.’

I was led to the interview room again. I had thought it would be another round of quizzing. But on get there, the guy quickly spotted me and led me to a woman. He was the one given the wrong paper. It was a mistake, the VO wanted to give you your pick up note — your visas has been approved.

She took the other paper from me and gave me white paper for Issued visa delivery. If you want somebody to collect your visas on your behalf, fill the back paper (blah blah blah)

Remember, a fellow posted something like being initially denied and later called back? I did not altogether believe but I had a change of mind yesterday after the spectacles of comedy of error.

Note : Prepare well and don’t rely solely on regular questions. My interview did not altogether take the regular route. Remember some very basic things in your field too. Who knows if the VO has just bagged a degree in International Relations and may be willing to test your knowledge on the most basic thing about the discipline?

Most importantly, pray, pray and pray as if that is the only thing you are taking to the interview. Our God is able. Alhamdulillah. I pray Allah, our God ease the affairs for those having their own interviews in coming days.

Chonco:


Check the time too

The time changed too.

[quote author=Adekemimi post=96664898][/quote]

Yeah it's the same for me. Okay I guess I don't have to try calling them again then. Thanks!

Hello everyone,
My interview for tomorrow Dec 3 was just rescheduled for the second time(but still a date in December). Please is there anyone else whose interview date for tomorrow got rescheduled?
Also, can anyone please share the contact number for the cgi guys.
Thanks