₦airaland Forum

fkj950ax:
Why do you think he will be denied?
The asylum was granted 2 years to his wife and children. He stayed back in Nigeria, and visited twice using B1/B2 and returned. It isn't stated anywhere he wants to get legal stay status based on his wife and children's status.

PS: I am just asking why for information purposes. I do not know or have an expert opinion on this matter. I just think it is a straight forward issue that he should not be denied

What’s to stop his wife from filing a green card on his behalf?

bucksguy:
Hi guys, please I need your thoughts on this:

A friend's wife and kids were granted asylum in the US two years ago based on domestic issues involving his parents. He wants to renew his b1/b2 visa which expired late last year. What are the chances that he will be given the visa given his wife's status in the US? Is there anything he can do to increase his chances?
Note: he visited US twice last year before his visa expired.

That piece of information is needed to help out.

But my first guess would be he is highly likely to be denied.

Peebles23:
Desperate? Mtseew i typed something in bold form u obviously did not read it. Pls keep ur answers to ur self biko thanks MRS DESPIRADO!!!!! If u cant AFFORD TO GIVE BIRTH IN THE US. Y NOT SHUT UP AND LET US BE.

Beautyaddy actually lives in the US i think, she would not need to be able to "afford" to give birth in the US - insurance takes care of that, even for the poorest person living on the street.

Why don't you use your "money" to improve your country so you don't have to beg for a visa?

Vlesparza:
This is an arbitrary excuse that VO are using to deny Visa's, there are people that have paid upwards of $20k in other states and are still denied. If you wish to be billed more you can ask to pay whatever you wish in El Paso, both the hospital and doctor will accommodate.

This likely amounts to fraud. Hospitals don't bend what you pay just to hoodwink the US consulate.

Saskbound:
She can take her entire village if she wants to, the decision is on the VO to approve her application or not, some of you are so nasty in this forum you’d think you get paid for being NASTY!

No she really can't, even if she tried.

jesmond3945:
how many people do phd because of interest in research? It is always because monetary reasons.

Many Nigerians do phds because it is an easy way to immigrate to US and do so with full funding. Most other people do phds because they have a passion for it, money is completely secondary. For the average American, you earn more working with a masters degree than you will earn doing a phd. Most postdocs also pay a paltry amount of money so most people you find doing a phd are people who are passionate about what they do.

MyCaseIsDiffere:
Thanks so much, Boss. I doff my hat. Below is an attempt at answering your questions:

1. Although, I noted at the point of entry that I will be staying for 2months, I was stamped in for 6months. I understand it is not logical for a working alien to stay in the US for that long. My host had a health emergency. I had to extend my stay out of concern and friendly obligation. I contacted my immediate boss (HOD) and was granted an extension of leave, provided I continue my classes via Skype. At that time, I had also started the admission processing, so I wrote in to extend my leave on the basis of self development. ( I have a copy of the mail and my HOD's response). Basically because I was on an unpaid leave, my employers did not raise so much dust at the moment. Upon my return though, I danced to the music.

2. My first masters, just like my first degree, is in English Literature. This time, I am going for a master's in theological studies, with a focus in Literature, culture and religion. My first masters was majorly to foster my career path as a Lecturer in a private University owned by a Church. You may think "why the change?". Actually there is no change in career path. For my high school, I attended a Junior Seminary for JSS 1 - JSS 3 and a Rhema College for SS1 - SS3. My first degree is also from a Church owned University, where I was retained after graduation. Interestingly, the long thesis I wrote to earn my undergraduate degree is titled "A Study of Lyrical Poetry In The Book of Psalms". I also currently teach Bible As Literature to undergraduates in the Department of English.

Another important reason why I am going for this second master's in theological study is to use the knowledge acquired in administrating a theological academic school founded by my father and willed to me. My parents established two schools; one primary and one secondary, both are theologically oriented. I am an alumnus of the Secondary School. Both were the first private academic institutions in our local government. My mum currently heads the Secondary School, but age is telling on her, she needs to retire. Although my siblings and I are all members of the board of directors of the Schools, none of my siblings are interested in taking over from her. I have spent the last one year being in active control of our primary school.

3. Yes Nigeria is a highly religious country and one can easily bag a degree in theology here; but that's the problem. No insititution in Nigeria offers theology as an inherently interdisciplinary course. HDS counters extremism by exposing students to contemporaries who have diverse faiths in Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Buddhism; I can't find that in any Nigerian institution. I also can't study theology in Nigeria with a focus in Literature, Culture and Religion. I don't think I can find any other theological program so perfectly tailored for me and my interest. I am going to be learning theology in a multi-religious environment with diversity and pluralism. I need this to adequate lead a student body consisting of both Christians, Muslims and traditionalists in my theologically orientation school, in my hometown.

HDS also allows me to cross register up to half of my courses in other universities, such as Boston College, Boston University of theology, MIT, among others; at no extra cost. Thereby giving me a robust learning experience. The most invigorating thing about studying theology at HDS is that I can have dual degrees. This enables me to concurrently study for two degree programs from other Harvard Schools such as Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Law School, etc. This way, I can acquire the needed knowledge and skill to continue my father's legacy and make him proud, at the same time fulfilling my dreams and passion.

Pardon my long story. I know I can't go before the VO to spill this Kain epistle. I will certainly have it condensed. Where do I need to add and where do I need to subtract? Thanks for your gentle reproof.

Please do not go to your visa interview with anything you've said here - you will be denied.

You must understand that by law, visas like B1/B2 and F1 are NOT dual intent visas. That means that you must prove that you have something outside the US that will compel you to return on completion of your studies.

1. You misused your visa. You did not mention your purpose for applying for a visa, you told CBP you would only stay for 2 months but ended up staying for 5 months. That you "had to extend my stay out of concern and friendly obligation" because of your hosts' medical emergency is not a logical excuse. Your host could easily pay for a nurse aide. This excuse will not fly at your interview. Frankly its also clear that this excuse is a lie...
- You claimed to have extended your stay as a result of your hosts' medical emergency - while at the same time admitting that you were processing admission to a masters program in the US. When you contacted your employer to request permission to extend your stay, you claimed you wanted to do this on the basis of "self development". Which is it? self development or your hosts' "medical emergency"? If you present the correspondence between you and your employer at your interview, what do you think the VO will think about your lying about your reason for spending 5 months in the US?

This is one reason the unecessary highfalutin noise about "god" and "grace" nauseates me. It's all a fraud. You have no problem lying to us, the VO and your employer... even one run by a church.

2. As far as the VO is concerned, staying 5 months simply points to one thing - you do not consider your present job important enough to return to. What ties you to your home country then?

3. CBP stamps almost everyone in for 6 months, that does not mean you should stay in the US for 6 months. Please do not state this at your interview.

4. You admit that your MA in theology is not meant to further your career, neither is it meant to change your career path. You do not need a theological degree to run a theological school.

5. What HDS helps you accomplish is of no value to your visa interview, especially when churches own universities in Nigeria already.

Here is the point... your 5 month stay and the fact that you are going for essentially the same degree you already have paints you as someone simply using the school route to emigrate from Nigeria. Why have you not applied for the phd program? That would have made your case much easier.

Peebles23:
Those 1s that will hold passport for like 3weeks and u can't be sire they would give and with what i have read tru in this wonderful platform, if they deny u and u tried to apply again for the US visa its another red flag! Kilonshele gan gan

Simple. Nigerians abused US and Canadian visas and you’re simply paying the price.

Peebles23:
Thanks alot for this but the thing now is im going with my family, that's my mum, DH, and 2 kids, should i choose B2 for them or their own class of visa should be B1/B2? PLS ANY1 WITH EXPERIENCE CAN HELP ON THIS. ITS QUITE URGENT PLS hubby is only spending 2weeks, while my mum, I and the kids will return back after 2months

Try having your baby elsewhere.

Peebles23:
Feeling so cold and sad, went for my interview yesterday, with mom, my 2kids (1 a citizen) and hubby. Was denied, the consular asked for the hospital reciept which was given bill as at 2015 was 4700 dollars or so for hospital bill So he saw that without asking for the doctor's reciept and he just said no we can't pay this for hospital bill. Without even asking for the new bill for the coming baby. Hubby said he heard him say u can't use this class of visa for child birth (b1/b2) was what we used before to apply.
He didnt even ask for the new bills for the new baby we are about to go and have. In which the bill is about 10k sef

The consular officer is concerned that you seriously underpaid for childbirth in 2015. That’s the problem you need to overcome

Biobioliscious:
Hello everyone,
Please I need ur advice on this:

I had my baby in the US, Elpaso Texas precisely in 2015. The visa got expired in 2017 and I renewed it effortlessly via drop box , I was given another 2yrs visa then. Fast forward to 2018, I got the mail saying my current visa is invalid and that I should appear for a follow up interview, I went for the interview in Nov 2018 but unfortunately my visa was revoked based on d fact that the consular said my hosp bill was small Nd dt I was given a discount by the hosp. I really dragged with the consular cos I was never aware of any discount at the hosp and I paid the exact amount on my bill with Zero balance on my receipt. Unfortunately, my visa was revoked.
I mailed my hosp d next day explaining the whole scenario to them and they responded to me with even an encrypted letter to the embassy stating that I did my self pay with no medic aid.Now I attached this letter as well as my own detailed composed mail to the embassy, I stated and quoted the VO’s statements during the follow up interview and I expressed how disappointed I was.
I didn’t get any response from the US embassy until 3 weeks later, saying they appreciate my complaint and would like to inform me that such issues are not treated via email and that I should reapply and lay my complaints to the consular on duty by then
I haven’t reapplied since then because I didn’t want to appear being desperate, but I have plans of reapplying next month.
Now I need all possible advice on the reapplication, am I good to reapply or isthere anything else I should do before reapplying?

Sorry for my long epistle�

Reapply and explain yourself. Every case appears to be unique so i doubt anyone can tell you anything here that would be helpful.

1jimax:
Good afternoon everyone, my visa was denied today, and it's my first time. Two things I will want to know
1. I have an SAT score of 1280,is it compulsory to have applied to more than two schools with that kind of score.

2. How soon can I reapply?

I will really appreciate your responses

1. Your score is good enough to enter better schools. Did you make an attempt to search for schools with financial aid? That can be a strong reason for selecting a school.

2. If you apply now you'll be denied again. Save your money and start again. This time apply to more and better schools. Understand why you are choosing a school and why you want to study computer science. Take your time. America will be there again next year.

1jimax:
Here is my transcript


Consular : why US?

ME: USA is known for it's World renowned Academia, and an education their will help build my intellect and professional competence.

Consular: why computer science?
There is more to computer science than just mobile and web development, studying computer science will help me learn more about other core branches that relates to computer science and all of these will help me in creating solutions that help in problem solving.

Consular : how many schools.

My response : 2 schools (Ramapo College and Sam Houston state university)

He asked of my SAT score and I told him 1280. And he was like with that score I applied to two schools.

After which he asked of who will be sponsoring me and I said my sister will be sponsoring me.

And he was like "Sorry I won't be approving your Visa"

Your answers made no sense. You can easily get the same level of education in the UK, Canada, Germany etc. Your rationale for why you wish to study computer science is even less convincing. Your SAT score is in the top 81st percentile, yet you applied to middling schools and only 2 at that. Easy to see the VO was not convinced you were ever interested in studying in the US.

MyCaseIsDiffere:
Lol! Lol! Lol! I begged ooo, I begged that no one should come for me cos I have headache and I am preparing for my interview... *Ok, inhale and exhale*

Having read through your notes here, there is not much you need to prepare for. This is what you will need to overcome:

1. Why you spent 5 months in the US on a visit visa when you obtained the visa for a program. You'll need to explain that you have a job that permitted you to stay away for that long - apparently on short notice. If you took a leave of absence without pay, it may be useful to bring proof of this with you.
2. You're going for an MA, when you already have a masters degree - you'll need to explain why.
3. Your MA is in theology - from a country where a church can be found on every street corner and at least 1 in 3 people is a pastor. What is the purpose of this degree in your home country?


Frankly that's it. Come up with coherent explanations and hopefully you'll be able to convince your next VO. Americans do not believe in unecessary prayer, emotion-laden shouts of "amen" and empty "spiritual exercises". Answer questions truthfully and do not abuse the terms of any visa - claiming to not know is an excuse that only works in Nigeria.

LOVEGINO:
that's our problem, we never celebrate success. What has other useless governors done in their state especially my beloved Kaduna?

Our problem isn’t that we never celebrate success, it is that we celebrate mediocrity. The person you quoted is right, in other serious countries, it doesn’t matter if you built the stairway to heaven, you are required to do so in a cost effective, corruption-free and transparent manner.

MyCaseIsDiffere:
A big congratulations, brotherly. See God! See God! Chai see God! I am currently rolling on the floor to praise this God on your behalf. What a smooth, easy peasy interview!

Uncle, please sir before you go, please pass the mantle to me, Biko... I type in faith, as I tap this testimony, I claim it and I receive it, in Jesus Name.

Please, nobody should come for me, Biko. I have headache. I am preparing for my interview. I am preparing as if God is too busy to look my side and I am doing the spiritual work as though that is the only way.

Over preparation no dey kill!

God doesn’t grant or deny visas, can we please tone down on the insincere religious groveling? It smacks of desperation rather than true reverence for God.

I read through your profile quickly and it’s easy to see why you were denied an F1 visa 4 times. At your last visit to the US, you stayed for 5 months! That’s almost half the year. What job allows you to take a 5 month vacation? The #1 criteria for qualifying for an F1 visa is that you show solid ties to your home country and prove non-immigrant intent. Well you decide if your travel history does that.

Lastly, you’re applying for an MA in theological studies. You can do that in any school anywhere on the planet. Using the name “Harvard” does not grant you any special privileges here.

You can spend more time understanding why you where denied a visa and reconsidering your goals than wasting your time rolling on the floor.

MyCaseIsDiffere:
Joke or not, there is a big lesson to learn from this. My Professor would always say, " woe to those who think experience is the best teacher because it is actually the worst. Precept is the best teacher. Precept is the experience of others."

It saddens me to share my experience as relating to the young man's comedy post of a proposed transcript to study in Harvard. I am also not so saddened cos I am sure this will help someone. The post caught my attention, cos I was initially like, " Oh, wow! Someone going to my school? We can certainly link up". But my bubble bursted when I realized that it was only a satire. For those who can remember, I shared earlier how I got denied a student visa, 4 times. Even though; I carried an I-20 from Harvard, with full tuition waiver plus stipends; I had a bank statement from an account in Atlanta with over $40k genuinely set aside for my studies; Plus a GA position. Chai! The pride that followed me to my first interview no make me see road pass. I answered all the questions arrogantly, who born their father? Chai! Pride is a demon oooo. I was so proud that I didn't alter a single sir/ma. I held my Harvard folder with so much air of importance. And with the same pride, the VOs gave me the blue slip 4 solid times.

LESSONS TO BE LEARNT: You are not superior to any VO as long as long as your visa interview is concerned. IVY school I-20 holders, get rejected too. No one cares, even if you were the best overall graduating student in your alma-mater; as long as you cannot answer the questions thrown at you to the satisfaction of the VO, rejection is sure. Be confident but DON'T BE PROUD! IVY league school is no substitute to preparation. Prepare! Prepare! Prepare! I read Shawarma's appreciation script and the wise counsel texrem gave her. If only someone had said that to me before my previous interviews. If only I was even humble enough to read Nairaland like my dear friend pleaded with me to. As long as you are reading this, I am sure you wouldn't make the same mistakes that I made.

There is safety in multitudes of counsel. God bless Nairaland and God bless you all. Happy Weekend. ��

Unnecessary and insincere “humility” won’t get you a US visa. Very few Americans address each other as sir/ma. In fact most people prefer to be on first name basis, regardless of title. If you cannot answer the questions asked satisfactorily, you will be denied a visa, no demons involved.

anelsta:
Good morning House,
Please does anyone here know how to go about us group invite?
Because my cousin and his friends have an invite to us next 2weeks and wanted to knw how to fill in their forms online? Re dey to use separate forms or 1 person then indicating that he/she is going with 3 or more?
Also are they to be interviewed seprately?

Each person is responsible for applying for a visit visa and will be interviewed individually. Don’t waste your time sending an invite letter, it is not solicited by the consulate and will play no role in whether any one of your invitees is issued a visa or not. Each person qualifies for a visa on their own merit.

dumbiri99:
Wow. Even paracetamol and anti-malarial?
Plus there is a prescription medicine I use too for high blood pressure, I can't carry that one too?

You don’t need anti malarial drugs in the US. Paracetamol is everywhere in the US - Tylenol, excedrin etc.

AngelicBeing:
@Twoods, let me answer it, pun intended, Grace, favor, unmerited favor = Entry to the US = less questions from the border officials = cheap discount from hospitals = safe delivery = Yankee passport for the baby = mother and baby doing fine =Testimony... Hallelujah, wetin person no go read for Nairaland.com

That’s not a testimony. Other people, who don’t pray at all, pick a passport and fly into the US whenever they want...

mesh2003:
I had my baby in the US in 2013. I posted my journey some years ago. Not sure. I believe this discount thing is not peculiar to VOs in Nigeria. I live in Vancouver and when I went to renew my visa in 2016. The VO pointed out the discount as well and asked why I was given such a huge discount. I simply answered I didn't know why but paid what I was asked to pay. She also saw the zero balance letter. She immediately switched to why US and not Canada as Canada has better healthcare. I said I wasn't living in Canada then. I think this whole thing is as a result of the current immigration policy(publicly known and unknown) in the US and the number of Nigerians crossing over to Canada seeking asylum. The truth is that Nigeria has been flagged(my opinion).

These embassy have their internal policies that are not made public. They can use anything as a reason to deny a visa and will not always voice out the main reason they are denying it.(My opinion)

The guy that posted about his already approved US visa denied after a rejection from Canada, its correlated. A family friend and his family had valid US visas and have been to the US on a yearly basis for God knows what. The family applied for a Canadian visa some months ago. They had to withdraw it when they felt it was taking time and already made travel plans to the US.. A week after the withdrawal, they were asked to come to the embassy. The US visas were revoked. It was shocking. They were asked why they withdrew their Canadian visa application.
They share information.(FACT)

Yes, Canada and the US share visa information. When trump came to office promising to tighten up immigration rules, there was a surge of Nigerian illegals from the US crossing the northern border to seek asylum in Canada. It was to the point where Canada specifically requested the US to tighten its visa eligibility requirements for Nigerians to stop the flow. It’s likely the US now views anyone who is rejected a Canadian visa (or withdraws it for suspicious reasons) to be automatically ineligible to enter the US. We should simply blame our selfish and lawless brethren. Those who caused this are safely enjoying themselves in Canada while the rest of you suffer the indignity of cancelled visas.

inizo:
It's a piece of paper consent form it isn't flip flop, luggage or food stuff.

Calm down.

This platform has been saving people since ages.

Will this consent form be sealed by you or the person delivering on your behalf? It is never advisable to fly internationally with any package you did not seal yourself. That’s one of the first questions you will be asked at screening.

TripleKMama:
I thot she said she has used the Visa twice for vacation abi casual visits. .
I believe she's good to go oh.
Let's not over think these things. There are so many factors that affect one's outcome. Getting fidgety and over careful is one of it.
U will soon apply for Visa wey no expire, dem com deny u then u cry com NL.
Abeg travel go come share ur testimony if u wan born pikin there. Just look for moderate bill n pay.

What is a “testimony”?

peacenigeria:
It’s an offense only if you are Nigerian.

Actually not. If you note, Europe goes a step further and requires every non-EU citizen show proof of travel health insurance before they can be issued a visa. The visa expires on the very day your insurance lapses. If the US government worked effectively, it would simply adopt the EU model. A system where pregnant mothers could simply purchase insurance to cover their expenses would be an effective way of avoiding all these.

Vlesparza:
This is incorrect. In terms of revenue (If this is the loophole you are referring to because no one is paying for their bills), international patients pay the same (actually a little more) than Medicaid and most insurance companies. Also, there is less paperwork since the payment is upfront and the patient is only seen for a fraction of the time of a US Resident goes to prenatal care. Im not sure who you are referring to is paying their discount because no one is paying us.

I disagree... again i would note that your responses are biased because this is your livelihood.

Why would an international patient pay the same as a medicaid patient? You and i both know that many hospitals and doctors routinely turn down medicaid patients because they pay far lower costs than the traditional insurance model.

jossy404:
Please ooo......... is it only in healthcare sector in US that "discounts" is an offence or in all transactions? am just curious to know..........

I would guess any that does not have the US government supporting you or subsidizing the discount should be ok.

I'll give an example - if you've ever noticed, many biomedical phd programs in the US are fully paid for, for both the US citizen and non-citizen. But the source of the money is completely different. The US government (through the NIEHS) fully funds the costs for the US citizen for the first 4 years. The costs for the non-citizen is borne by the principal investigator whose laboratory he/she works in.

dsaynt:
Reason the hospitals give the discount that they do is because the international patients are paying cash and in full at once. Their regular US customers pay via insurance. And just like any other insurance, the insurance company would contest the bill given and also would not pay immediately. They eventually pay months and months later. These are the things that hospitals (infact any company that is dealing with insurance companies) take into consideration hence the initial high bill. The insurance companies too don't pay the advertised bill too as they negotiate it down (much the same way car insurance people do with mechanics). How come the US govt don't complain that that insurance didn't pay the full amount.
The VOs should understand all this. Its simply "time value of money" that the hospitals are looking at. If you are paying cash and immediately you get a big discount. If you pay cash but not immediately you get a discount but not as much as the 1st. If you're paying via insurance then no discount.
So the US govt should take it up with the hospitals not the patients. American citizens too get big discounts if they pay immediately and in cash.

But you're not a US citizen...

Your argument is upside down really. If it is true that hospitals generally prefer self-pay, then they would actively advertise it. Most Americans would also prefer to take that option. But that is not the case. Infact in certain cases, many doctors would not take you in as a patient if you have no insurance, regardless of what you intend to pay as self-pay.
As you have stated, hospitals allow self-pay since it is the only way to ensure some who cannot afford insurance will at least pay something. The government also reimburses those hospitals for providing care for indigent Americans who cannot afford to pay. Neither of these apply to you. It is easier for the American government to simply deny you a visa (it is a privilege, not a right) than to waste their time bothering the hospitals who provide this service for American citizens as well.

kamee:
hello house, so i went to to renew my visa by drop box but i and my family (myself,hubby, and 2 daughters but the last is a citizen and ther was no one to leave her with) but we were asked to reschedule and appear. so fast forward to the vo asking question

VO - where are you going in the us and why
WE - florida for holiday about 2-3 weeks
VO - what do you do
I - business and explains
VO - faces hubby with same question
HUBBY - work at a corporate office with detail
VO - types and starts murmuring looks like he couldn't find any error on our document
VO- turns to the baby and ask why she was not an applicant
I - she's a citizen
vo - can i have your receipts and did you inform the embassy of your intent
we - yes we did and handed the intent later along side receipt and told him a total of $7500 bill was fully paid
vo - so you got a discount
we - no we did not, there's a zero bal inside the envelope stating we paid all there was
VO - why did you get a discount
I - was furious but kept my cool and said againg that there was no discount
VO - kept insisting about the discount (infact mention it 3 times) like his mind was made up about the discount and asked what state we had the child
VO - looks up and said NJ birthing bill was usually $17,000 so paying $7,500 was dicounted
VO - -hands over the blue paper

you see, all we incured including uber, housing, feeding, scan, blood works etc was totalling $15,000. should we have added all these expenses as birthing?. When the hospital billed us as self payfor 2 nights should i have asked them to increase my bill? I really need closure to this rejection. if he had said that we did not make our intent clear from the time of application, that would have been understood. Hubby says we should move on and try uk cos we want to take the kids on vaca but i want to explore the usa more since that is where my business is sourced from. and i also feel that if we do not clear the air about this discount, we would keep facing it or what do you think guys? Do we stand a chance if we re-apply?

There is no "air to clear" on the discount. The discounts are strictly meant for indigent US citizens... the fact that hospitals do not call it a discount does not remove the fact that it really is. It costs the average American double that for childbirth in NJ, how do you justify paying only $7500?

Vlesparza:
The same discounts are available to US Citizens that are willing to pay non-insured self-pay package. We simply charge what Medicaid and most insurance companies would pay us in the end. What the insured patients see on their bill is not what we get paid... We wish!

I understand that you have to defend this as this is essentially your livelihood at stake. However, the whole point of the reduced "discounts" was strictly for US citizens who cannot afford insurance. It was not meant to be abused by non-citizens. That the government is slow getting around to removing this loophole does not make it justified.

kamee:
hello house, so i went to to renew my visa by drop box but i and my family (myself,hubby, and 2 daughters but the last is a citizen and ther was no one to leave her with) but we were asked to reschedule and appear. so fast forward to the vo asking question

VO - where are you going in the us and why
WE - florida for holiday about 2-3 weeks
VO - what do you do
I - business and explains
VO - faces hubby with same question
HUBBY - work at a corporate office with detail
VO - types and starts murmuring looks like he couldn't find any error on our document
VO- turns to the baby and ask why she was not an applicant
I - she's a citizen
vo - can i have your receipts and did you inform the embassy of your intent
we - yes we did and handed the intent later along side receipt and told him a total of $7500 bill was fully paid
vo - so you got a discount
we - no we did not, there's a zero bal inside the envelope stating we paid all there was
VO - why did you get a discount
I - was furious but kept my cool and said againg that there was no discount
VO - kept insisting about the discount (infact mention it 3 times) like his mind was made up about the discount and asked what state we had the child
VO - looks up and said NJ birthing bill was usually $17,000 so paying $7,500 was dicounted
VO - -hands over the blue paper

you see, all we incured including uber, housing, feeding, scan, blood works etc was totalling $15,000. should we have added all these expenses as birthing?. When the hospital billed us as self payfor 2 nights should i have asked them to increase my bill? I really need closure to this rejection. if he had said that we did not make our intent clear from the time of application, that would have been understood. Hubby says we should move on and try uk cos we want to take the kids on vaca but i want to explore the usa more since that is where my business is sourced from. and i also feel that if we do not clear the air about this discount, we would keep facing it or what do you think guys? Do we stand a chance if we re-apply?

the VO is simply saying that it makes no sense that it costs more for the average american to have a baby in the US than a foreigner. While you may argue that you did not get a discount, you really do not know how the system works and the VO has a much better perspective than you. It is very common for hospitals to charge self-paying patients far less than they would charge insurance for the same medical care. The reason is simple, nothing stops you from simply traveling back to your country without paying a cent of your bill... so rather than lose out, hospitals charge you a lower amount that they think you can afford - half bread is better than none. Who bears the brunt of the rest of the charges? Hapless US citizens who have to face a 30% or more increase in insurance premiums EVERY YEAR. You pay $7500 to have a kid in the US, that is less than half what many middle class families pay in insurance premiums every year alone.

babyfaiz:
You have done nothing wrong, I can tell you that 100%. There’s a ban on those who went for birth tourism by the Trump administration. They VO’s are working under the instructions of their superiors. Even if you paid, $20,000 your itemized bill will show a discount. Even figures quoted for insurance companies are subjected to discount. They have a list they’re working on, given to them by their superiors. The list shows the average price for child birth in each state. If only your bill was around 12k, they would surly grant your visas. They are aware of the discounts by hospitals & they know you paid without using any governmental grant. However, they have to leverage on something to justify their denial. Trump doesn’t want birth tourism - period. If he has he way, he’ll abolish it with immediate effect. Measures are put in place to check birth tourism and one of it is the discount bills international patients receive. You can try again after some few and stick to the same story, you MIGHT be granted. There are no footprints to these things. Better still, wait till next year. U.S elections is around the corner. Some very few have been granted paying less but majority have been denied under the same circumstance. Next time when you are asked, if you got a discount, answer yes & let them know you didn’t request for it but was a standard by the hospital. Any patient that paid 12k and above have a very good chance for successful renewal. My advice is for you to wait till after 8 months after which you must have visited another country in between. Trump has no joy for Africans

trump, much as i dislike him, is not the president of africa neither is it his responsibility to ensure africans have access to a US passport.

doziej84:
Hi...I'm heading to the US on F1 visa

I read somewhere that cooking utensils are quite expensive in the US...I'm wondering if I can go with a few in my baggage from Naija.

For the experienced travelers...Is it possible?

Not necessary