₦airaland Forum

kushercain:
Please, is it possible to have an interview in Abuja and select passport drop off in Lagos for the next day? Please help clarify 🙏🏾

The visa officer that interviews you holds back your passport for stamping, so it’s technically not possible to submit your passport by yourself in Lagos after your interview in Abuja. However you can select Lagos as the pickup point by modifying same in the delivery section on AVITS.

Long post alert!!
Thought to share my experience at the consulate last week. It was a long and interesting interview.

Background:
I actually qualify for IW but AVITS took me to consulate appointment. After raising four tickets and several futile calls with the AVITS team, I decided to go for the interview; I’ve got no extra 300k to waste. So I picked the available date Feb, 2026. I was lucky to get a business visit letter and used it to make an emergency request which was approved within 24 hours; was super excited. I sharply picked Jan 28th.

Pre Interview:
Got there early and had to take another photograph as they said my passport photo isn’t compatible. They asked for my receipt and I told them it was never listed as one of the requirements and I was subsequently allowed in. When I got into the main interview session, it was denial left, right and centre. I listened to about six interview sessions of other people that day before it got to my turn and I felt sorry for most of them. There’s this young black American guy with dreads, pls avoid him if you can. He denied every single person in sight. There was an elderly woman with the famous ‘I am a chosen vest’ on. The woman spoke pidgin, so they got her an interpreter but He still denied her after about 5mins session. He denied serval couples as well. A guy who spent 5 months on his last visit and a man who was going for his son’s graduation were both denied. When it was looking like I would be paired with him, I excused myself to use the bathroom. Thankfully I was eventually paired with a mid aged American lady.

My interview proper:
Me: good morning madam, how are you doing today? Trust you’re great.
VO: Ignored me and just said, pls pass me your passport and I did.
VO: so why are you visiting the U.S. this time.
Me: I panicked and said complete none sense. I was just stuttering. I was so disappointed in myself that I couldn’t even look at her again.
VO: please what did you just say? You mean you don’t know why you are visiting?
Me: Took a deep breath, cleared my throat and said. ‘My apologies, I am actually travelling to the U.S. to hold a weeklong husinesss meeting. I will also be inspecting xxxx as part of the trip. The meeting is very crucial for both our company and our US counterpart as it will xxxxxx
VO: What is longest time you’ve stayed in the U.S.?
Me: Two months and that was some years back.
VO: I need you to be upfront with me here. You clearly spent more than 3months at some point. How am I certain you won’t be staying longer again.
Me: Madam! I insist I have never stayed beyond 2 months in the US. I wouldn’t know if there is a mixup in your system but I do not accept I’ve stayed beyond what I said. I was stern and firm while saying this.
VO: So is August to October not 3 months?
Me: Please check again, you would notice I got into the U.S. on the last day of the month of August. It won’t be fair to count that single day as a month or even a week.
VO: Oh I see.
VO: Started typing like forever and stopped looking at me. Then she asked: How many children do you have?
Me: XYZ children
VO: They’re staying with you here right?
Me: No, they’re in the U.S.
VO: you mean, all of them?
Me: Yes, with their mum.
VO: When did your wife move to the U.S.?
Me: I honestly can’t remember precisely, but it’s definitely more than a year now.
VO: ok, when is she done?
Me: I believe it’s sometime in 2026 ma.
VO: started tying vigorously again. Why don’t you want to apply for the right visa and stay with your family?
Me: I believe I’m better off here. Besides, I’m the sponsor. I’ll rather be visiting them from time to time.
VO: Where do you say you work again?
Me: told her
VO: I see you qualify for Dropbox, why didn’t you use it?
Me: The AVITS platform has been messing up lately. Besides I won’t be able to meetup with my business trip if I had taken that route.
VO: I quite understand.
VO: I will be approving your visa, you can pickup in 5 days.
Me: Thank you very much, I really do appreciate.
VO: Smiles and says: No worries.

It was a long interview session but it ended in praise. Please do not underestimate the power of prayers. Commit the session to God’s hand and he will favour you in the sight of the VO.

All the best to all intending applicants.

Submitted my application on 18 October and picked-up my passport yesterday 6 November (2 weeks and 3 days). Applied for a week trip but was granted one-year multiple entry. Submitted the basic requirements; 3 months insurance, bank statement, payslips, hotel reservation, flight reservation, etc. Wishing all intending applicants the very best.

Thanks Justwise

No I did not send anything to them. But i received a notification from them yesterday about my wife’s application as we applied as a family. They requested for the scan page of her passport that has 6 months validity. Her passport expires in May which is less than 6 months. I was impressed they picked this up. The race now is to get the passport renewed within a month and send to them. Hope this helps.

gonegreen:
Please, did you send a webform or email before the response?

Application submitted 26 July 2022, got Passport request on 28 February 2023. Submitted the passport today at VFS. All the best to those who are still waiting for decisions to be made.

Jbab:
Congratulations! Pls how much was your closing bank statement balance when you applied for the 10 years visa?

3.2m

giselle237:
Congrats. It was a gamble but I definitely believe you have well above average bordering on excellent personal circumstances including home ties otherwise this length would have not been granted.. abeg dnt downplay it

Thanks giselle237. You are doing an amazing job here

Visa Alert!!!
10 years Standard Visitor visa
TLS Ikeja

Previous UK travel history (6 months)
Application and payment date - 31st May 2022
Biometrics date - 9th June 2022
Transfer to DMC - 9th June 2022
Received by DMC - 14 June 2022
Transferred to VAC - no mail, no information as per tracking
Received by VAC - no mail, no information as per tracking
Collection Mail - Twice on 13th & 14th July 2022
Collected - Today, 15th July 2022

Interestingly the Visa was issued 5th of July (a day before the proposed travel date of 6th of July). So they tried for me to make my trip but perhaps the TLS logistics failed them. Painfully I forgot to cancel my hotel booking and was debited

I was honestly worried I might not be given 10 years especially because I went straight from 6 months, but I was just tired of what I went through while renewing my passport and the chaos I witnessed when driving pass the TLS Ikeja earlier this year; it was pure madness. So decided to be out of the mess for 10 years; and boom it paid off.

Key points:
I was very open and truthful; I was once denied a Canada visa and I was open about it. I stated I do not understand why the visa was denied but I believed the visa officer must have made an error in denying me the Canada visa.
I explained every transaction not supported by my payslip; including ATM reversals of 10k - i was that detailed.
I had a good bank balance and was ready for them.
I believe I have a good job as well - this is relative though.

This experience has proven that you can go straight for 10 years from 6 months; but I will still not advice anybody to do it as the visa officer has the right to reduce the length of visa granted. I would say I was lucky with my gamble.

Please if you want to pickup your passports, please go early ooo, I was there for over 3 hours. the queue was out of this world.

Thanks and have a good evening. See you in 10 years

No I don’t. I’ve never used an agent for visa applications.

perigosa:
pls do you know of any france agent who can assist me with invitation letter to France and guide me through visa process
Here is my Whatsapp number
Thank you

Soraco57:
Congratulations bro, please what are the requirements for the visa

Thanks

Application form
3 months bank statement
Hotel reservation
Itinerary for the period of stay
Travel insurance
Employment letter
Flight reservation
2 passport photographs
Copies of previous Schengen visa (if any)
And of course, your international passport

toshibazaram:
I have qatar and ethiopian airlines to chose. Please can anyone share their experience? Thank you guys����

Ive flown both and they are both good, but I’ll take Qatar airways any day. Doha international airport where you will be transiting is better than Bole international airport in AddisAbaba. Also in-flight entertainment and food are better with Qatar airways.

pufframmy:
please enlighten us more on point of entry there in spain. what was ask

It was very smooth. I landed in Barcelona and just passed my passport to the immigration officer. No questions asked actually. My details were taken; photographs and finger prints. Very friendly people and a lovely country.

erwinschro:
Actually you can apply to EITHER your first port of entry or the country where you plan on spending the most time. Yes once the visa is issues it doesn't matter but I have heard that if your actual itinerary is too different from what you applied with then you can have issues with your next visa - for example you apply through France to visit France and Spain but instead you go to germany and the Netherlands. Obviously that is a very extreme example but nobody knows where the embassies draw the line so I always prefer to tread with caution

You are very correct, I just returned from a trip to Spain even though the visa was issued by France; I had indicated in my application that I would be visiting Spain. I went straight from Lagos to Spain without passing through France. Interestingly, our Naija oversabi airline wanted to stop me at the airport but i was just laughing at their ignorance. When i was tired of them i asked them to call their boss for me and i explained my situation to her. He cautioned them accordingly. I cited this experience to buttress the fact that there’s a lot of misconceptions on this matter, even the airline staff are not exempted.

Foxie:
Gurus in the house, I just realized my kid's place of birth on the collection slip is different from what is on his birth certificate, I called the immigration office if anything can still be done since capture was done yesterday, but they said he'd captured and it can't be edited. While crosschecking I only looked at his name arrangement and date of birth, didn't pay attention to the place of birth, whereas I filled the correct information on the online application form, I guess the officer who did the capture didn't notice.
Please will this be an issue for us when applying for Visa?

I would advise you to get it corrected and don’t listen to whoever says it doesn't matter for visa processing. Passports bear place of birth and once this information contradicts what you fill in your visa application forms and supporting documents (birth certificates), it would be seen as a misrepresentation which may have dire consequences. Sorry, you should have paid more attention during capturing, unfortunately.
But again, the passport will only contain the town of birth so if the town of birth on the birth certificate and the collection slip are the same, then you dont need to bother. If not, please get it corrected, but it will be done at a fee at the passport office.

As the year winds down, I would like to say a big thank you to all that contributed in one way or the other to my Lagos building project. The project was actually completed in May but I have been very busy since then, hence this late post.

Of course it was not all rosy and I will try and share some of my learnings from the project later next year. The site engineer, some artisans, the carpenter, artisans and even some family members showed me pepper, but I thank God I was very close to the project, so I was able to stop the bleedings in good time.

It is noteworthy that about 90% of the people I worked with are from this forum and I would mention some of them in appreciation.

Money121 did the roofing. I sent 2.4m mobilisation fee to him even without meeting him and I was not disappointed. His boys did a fantastic job and had to give him the water collector project as well. Due to his continued professionalism, he has just finished another roofing project for me in Ibadan. Well done brother. Did I mention this guy is taller in person than he looks . My only advise is for you not to be too trusting. Please keep up the good work.

Michillin was our burglary man. Fantastic guy I must say. I have no problem with him at all. Though the output was bigger than expected, it was no fault of his. I loved the finishing of his work and I am certain we will still work together at some point in the future. My advise for you is that 'silence at times is very golden'.

Dominion was my PoP man. He made me change my mind and I have to use plaster board, though more expensive. This guy is very intelligent and will argue his point continuously till you fully get his viewpoint. I did not even know he was on nairaland when I contracted him. I honestly wish I met him before the Lagos project as he was able to identify some errors of the site engineer. He pointed those errors without bringing down the site engineer which i think shows deep maturity. I like the fact he is very humble and tech savvy as well. I am very sure we will travel together one day, maybe to Singapore to show him an example of the house I would love to live in when the time is ripe. I was so impressed with him that he is the one in charge on my ongoing construction in Ibadan. Dominion saved me millions in the hand my electrical guy. God bless you sir. Keep being yourself and keep improving yourself; the sky is the limit. Thank you so much! Lest i forget, this guy is not cheap ooo, he hates to admit this but he knows I will always stand for the truth.

I have several other people I worked with on this platform and I would rather not mention them as the relationship went very bad and for reasons best known to me. Some thought they could dupe me. I don't talk much, I just get them locked up and recover my money - no long story. Guys be very careful here, just as there are great guys here, there are wolves as well; as in some people are just very wicked!.

Wishing you all the vey best in year 2022.
God bless.

I believe so too. It seems like it.

OmoWorld:
Relax... It"s a positive feedback. Most embassies in Nigeria don't have time to call applicants.
By the way... Your visa application is approved. Your visa is being completed and has been issued. So you are going to receive your visa tomorrow.

Yes, you’ll have to wait to receive the passports; that’s the only way to know if the visas were approved or not.

esdajo:
Good day everyone. So my family and I applied for a visitor's visa to France last Thursday and we just got emails and text messages that our passports have been sent back to VFS and ready for collection. How do we know if its a positive response as the embassy did not call anyone of us for any kind of questioning. Do they send refusal emails like the UK does or we must wait to receive the passports from UPS first to know if we were approved or not? Gurus should please help me out.

Most definitely.

kolladey:
Thanks Boss for your response.
That means I can still use it to apply?

As per the account statement, I can confidently tell you that you don’t have anything to worry about. Spend wisely though. All the best as you await the decision.

Vicki2020:
Please guyz does the eco actually confirm your account balance or is it just the bank statement they confirm if it original. I am really scared. I was told on the 14th of October that a decision has been made on my application and I called every day of the week throughout October and was told decision has been made just for me to go to the embassy yesterday and I was told a decision has not been made again that there system was experiencing an error throughout October. And me na after I was told decision has been made I removed money from The account started spending on our rent in the UK as I am going to meet my husband who went on the 25th of September and I applied priority student dependent.
The worst is they told me there was a mistake in the application transfer that why my decision process is been delayed they are sorry for the backlog they are experiencing
That they will refund my priority fee and get back to me after 15working days

Not a problem, I will share that with you, given your circumstance.
If your sister is Legal in France, then I will advise you to also include a letter from her stating that she (being a first time mum), would require her mum's support for some weeks or months as she just put to bed. She needs to also emphasis that your mum will return home subsequently to continue to take care of her husband (your dad).
Your dad should also include a letter of introduction supporting and approving of his wife's trip to take care of his grand daughter.
If your mum works, include documents supporting her business as well - this also serves as a tie to return home.
You have to support this application very well. She must no be denied again!

Kikistar:
Hello, congrats on this! This has boost my morale not to give up. Please can you help with the email address and possibly, the email template to serve as a guide. We applied for my mum on November 1st and it was denied. We got the feedback on the 8th. It was on the basis that they are unsure if she will leave the schengen country by the expiration of her visa. We got extra supporting documents (land and pension statement for the last 3 months). Appealing will take a longer so we decided to reapply but there are currently no slots. My sister, who is a first time mum just delivered and she needs help. We are so worried. My mum was supposed to travel 23rd November. Hence, the urgency and the need for my mum to travel. My mum just wants to go and help her with the baby (her grand daughter). Please kindly help us. I kept checking for a way out online when I found this nairaland thread and opened an account. Please I will appreciate your help and feedback. Thank you so much in anticipation of a favourable response.


Thought I should share my recent experience and lesson learnt about this France visa application thing.
So I attempted to book an appointment and all available slots were already taken. I called my contacts at VFS and they couldn't help either. I was almost giving up and already considering going to Ghana for the planned vacation. But I decided to give it a final fight before giving up. So I wrote a strongly worded email to the consulate general expressing my dissatisfaction with the appointment booking process. I also explained that the trip to Paris is very important to my family and I and would like the consulate to intervene and let me know the next steps. After 3 days, lo and behold, I got an email asking for the time convenient for me for my submission. I was pleasantly surprised and I replied with my preferred date and time.
I submitted the applications and got my passport with the visa stamp within 3 days. Yes you heard me, 3 days my visa was in my hands!

Your visa can outlive your passport. The issue is that most European countries require your passport validity to be about three month beyond your return date. I believe you can always renew your passport at the Nigerian embassy in Paris close to its expiration in 2023.

kolladey:
My people, u na good afternoon oo.
My passport will expire June 2023, as we know that a long-stay student visa is 1-year embassy do give, if I apply next year Sep, then my visa will expire Sep 2023
Does that mean I can't use my passport to apply since the passport will expire before the visa expires?

I submitted at VFS and went through the normal process, just that I did not have to book an appointment as I guess I was pre-introduced by the consulate. I believe there is no need to send emails at this point as dates are now available and can be booked on the VFS site; there was no available slot when I was booking mine.

sirrotex:
Please share such a useful email address. Are you saying you did not go through VFS?

Thanks bro. I was given a one year visa, even though I applied to spend just two weeks.

Lizzer:
Felicitations! You're very lucky.

quote author=ty01 post=107503757]Thought I should share my recent experience and lesson learnt about this France visa application thing.
So I attempted to book an appointment and all available slots were already taken. I called my contacts at VFS and they couldn't help either. I was almost giving up and already considering going to Ghana for the planned vacation. But I decided to give it a final fight before giving up. So I wrote a strongly worded email to the consulate general expressing my dissatisfaction with the appointment booking process. I also explained that the trip to Paris is very important to my family and I and would like the consulate to intervene and let me know the next steps. After 3 days, lo and behold, I got an email asking for the time convenient for me for my submission. I was pleasantly surprised and I replied with my preferred date and time.
I submitted the applications and got my passport with the visa stamp within 3 days. Yes you heard me, 3 days my visa was in my hands!

Thought I should share my recent experience and lesson learnt about this France visa application thing.
So I attempted to book an appointment and all available slots were already taken. I called my contacts at VFS and they couldn't help either. I was almost giving up and already considering going to Ghana for the planned vacation. But I decided to give it a final fight before giving up. So I wrote a strongly worded email to the consulate general expressing my dissatisfaction with the appointment booking process. I also explained that the trip to Paris is very important to my family and I and would like the consulate to intervene and let me know the next steps. After 3 days, lo and behold, I got an email asking for the time convenient for me for my submission. I was pleasantly surprised and I replied with my preferred date and time.
I submitted the applications and got my passport with the visa stamp within 3 days. Yes you heard me, 3 days my visa was in my hands!

NGN19,760

esdajo:
Good day everyone. Please, how much does VFS charges for delivery of passports by courier? I want to know so I can go there with enough on submission day. Thanks in anticipation.

Please anyone who has an hectare or two acres of land for sale in Ilishan should contact me urgently. Thanks.

JustCryptos:
Thanks boss. In terms of durability and function, would you recommend American panels?

I am particular about them because they were one of the cheapest from my market survey.

1. Wood - #23k without frame and key
2. American Panel - 23k with frame
3. PVC - 17k

Bought 42 units of American panel door today at Mushin at 20k each. FYI

michlins:
here's my contact. Although I love as we have kept it open cause there are people who are learning on the low

Sorry I hadn’t come back to you. I had a serious emergency, plus a business partner got Covid and almost passed away; it called for a sober reflection about how transient this world is. I do not have any problem with us continuing the conversation here; I just thought it’s gotten to a stage where direct telephone conversation should happen. Anyways, I’ve done my analysis and your quote is very similar to what I got here in Lagos, hence I will proceed with you because of your tenacity and persistence, but I will require some discount for this to work out. Also can you complete this work by next week if money is sent to you tomorrow?

michlins:
why I recommended the use because it's sturdier knowing that rods are usually wobbly. The difference however isn't much cause I will be using just one length of 16mm on each protector. That should be -#1,500 on each window protector.

The cost of transport to Jibowu is 20,000. Thanks

Thanks for the update and quick response. I will do the maths and revert shortly. In order not to spam the thread, please share your contact and we can take things forward from here. Thanks again.

michlins:
here's the prices for each of the sizes

4 * 4 ....16,000

3 * 3..... 13,000

2 * 2..... 5000

2 * 4.....7000

6 * 4....... 18,000

Here is the details of the materials to be used.

16mm square rod for the framing of the windows

14mm square rod for the interior designs.

Kindly note that you determine the choice of materials and can decide for something lower which will significantly lower the prices also.


I just went around town and most of the parks are yet to open so I couldn't get drivers going directly to Egbeda. The guy I usually use stops at Jibowu. I tried to convince him to get down to Egbeda but the numbers he's calling isn't encouraging. So I plan to check on other drivers by tomorrow morning. Thanks

How much is transportation to Jibowu? I can arrange for pickup from there; that’s not a problem. Need to do the maths and make a decision today. What’s the % reduction in price if 14mm is used instead of 16mm?

michlins:
where's your destination in Lagos

Egbeda LGA.