@Abatts4naija: Thanks. as per the NYSC, naturally I am beyond the age of serving, was exempted on the basis of age. Do you have any other points? Please funnel across.

As for degree, I finished last month, degree certificate is not yet ready, so I am going with the print-out of the online transcript. What do you say?

As for sponsorship, I am using my father's company, the sponsorship letter is being prepared on the company's letterhead. Does he need to sign it alone or with anyone else?

Abats4naija:

your WAEC result is important but since u are going for graduate studies, they might want to focus more on your undergrad degree. And if asked, you can present what u have from WAEC and explain your situation to d V.O. as u explained in your post. its the way you present your case that matters. I think whats more important is to explain why you didn't go for NYSC. they might ask and u should be prepared to give a reasonable answer.

about the letter of sponsorship, i think your dads letter will do. In my case she didnt look at the letter just the statement of account.

@House: GUYS, I need help. I am going for a Masters. Is my waec certificate very important? I am asking because I did my WAEC in '98, collected but later lost the certificate. What I have been using is the Statement of Result issued by my School and WAEC's Verification of Result. I am scared of presenting this Statement of Result at the Embassy because 'VALID FOR 12 MONTHS ONLY' is written at the bottom of it. Please, what do you think?

Also, since I finished since '98, bagged a BSc this year June, do you think questions like 'what have you been doing between '98 and now' will come up?

Thirdly, after having my father do my letter of sponsorship, do I have to notarize it or do an Affidavit of Support?

Abeg respond,

@HOUSE: Is Affidavit of Support thesame with Letter of Sponsorship?

@fun2sho, Gboyega, Imperiouxx: I intend taking the print out of my online transcript. I can defend it by saying it is easily verifiable from the university's website. I will not advise a photocopy. I will not also advise that your university issue you transcript to take to the embassy as the embassy is not a higher institution. I can only recommend a transcript that is stamped and signed 'STUDENT'S COPY'. Either this or the print out of the online transcript which is verifiable from the uni's website. There is an interview where a guy took a photocopy and got it. There is another where the guy took a transcript from his university; the lady said he is not supposed to be in possession of his own transcript - he was denied. Take less risks. Cheers!

myforumid3:


I propose that we successful VISA Fall students connect and share our contacts as we plan and yankee together, Life in yankee would be better for us all of we network like our predecessors femilangy, nethacker and co did. Shoot me a mail (da.ghost63 at yahoo dot com) and when we are over there and ve changed our email ad and fone contact, we can then connect again and update our contacts. This is just a proposal sha, and not mandatory

myforumid3: EXCELLENT SUGGESTION.

@myforumid3: Excellent suggestion. I concur.

imperiouxx:

Guys, my international advisor don kill her self oooo at 11th hour  After long waiting for the I-20 so that I ask for expedited date, it finally come with mistakes.
She put first name as last name vice versa and wrong sponsor. I guess she did that because she once told me last 2 week that my application got through to them from WES extremely late.

And I have asked the other school that gave me admission to defer their own till spring in preference to this one that gave me admission with graduate assistantship. I don vex wrote her 5 long paragraph dissatisfaction mail in return sa ooooo. F. U. C. K her! She will soon wake up to get that. She is the first international advisor I will see that is not ready return to mails, else, I would have detected this long had it being she did like the other school that mailed me the scanned copy when I requested.

Now, should I ask her to defer their own till spring too because international students are expected to be on campus for orientation not later than August 10 or still risk the much rush now? Spring! Isn't it too far?

@imperioux: Her reply should signal your next move, whether to defer or follow through. August 10 is still feasible if the corrected I-20 can be sent within a week, i think.

@Abatts4naija and Jasper: Congrats. I'm also heading for the lagos embassy and did not expect long interviews like yours. Abeg o

trancophon:

I came, I saw but the American embassy conquered. This time that is.

I appreciate guys that have come on here and given a blow by blow account of how their interviews went.
I'll do that as soon as the opportunity arises. I have a sneaky feeling my application was denied because I applied for a B.Sc (I have a first degree, didnt apply for MBA cos my transcript was seriously delayed by the nonsense school I went to).

So, back to work, taking a chill pill and will apply for a Masters degree against spring. (got my transcripts now).

I promise to be back.

Cheers guys

@trancophon: Sorry about this. Please, DON'T GIVE UP. Dreams come true. Can you kindly post your interview so that we can learn a thing or two?

Ayanfe22:

If there's anyone who is judgemental here, it is you guys. I am simply trying to say at the end of the day, God favor grants visas. There are many people on this thread who have packed numeroud degrees and have a lot of achievements and financial standing, yet, they are rejected visas. I didn't say what is said on this thread doesn't make sense. If I didn't read this thread, I would have kept trying to use my brothers credit card to pay sevis fee. At one point I had even told my dad that I will explain dat the system refused to accept payment not knwoing the payment can't be made with any nigerian IP address. I do not mean to come off as arrogant, but sorry, I WILL not withdraw my statement on being born again. I only said it to encourage people not to rely on the documents they r taking for their interview. My older brother entered the embasy without his statement of account in 2002 because of my dads forgetfulness,yet, he was granted his student visa and has since returned and works with harllibutton. All I am trying to say is thsat prayer and favor is what grants student visas. Being female doesn't change anything. They will still reject you if it appears your economic stituation is nigeria is not worth returning to.

@ Ayanfe and co: Please leave all these things. This is not what this thread exist for: proving that one is born again or not, or that God is the one actually giving visas at the embassy and not the V.Os. Abeg leave these things. Reading this thread from page one, we see that it is indeed the favor of God to get a visa, no doubt about this. Still, we have to help ourselves with the relevant information and prepare, hence this thread. Someone like me is sincerely grateful to this thread and the wonderful folks who keep it going. Abeg, let sleeping dogs lie. Facebook is enough for us to SHOW ourselves. This thread is for mutual helping.

kelly d:

I forgot to upload my photo to form ds 160, now dat i av schedule an appointment hope dat wont disqaulified me

Nope. We are to take along some passport photos - 2 copies i think - 2 X 2 size. You can scroll back on this thread and read the details by dizifrenzy

@HOUSE: I have some advice. Reading through this thread, I think it pays to SELL YOURSELF at these Interviews. It pays. I figure these people (V.O.) at the embassy also want to know apart from 1. you will come back and 2. that you can finance your study. They also want to know that you will be an ASSET not a LIABILITY to their country and economy. That is why Ivy-league admitted applicants always get the Visa. But you don't need to be ivy-league. I have noticed that things like 'i got a SCHOLARSHIP' even when it's partial not full also scores with them. Then, AWARDS. Also travel experience, high intelligence, articulation and such. Anything that makes you an ASSET grabs their attention. Because if we look at it carefully, the US is the biggest thief-nation in the world stealing the brightest and the best from all nations to enrich themselves. They are looking for an ASSET in us. So, please when you respond to their questions, sneak in brief evidence of your being an asset. I have read several posted interviews where the girl or guy should not have gotten the visa but because they sold themselves as ASSETS along the line, the got it. Please sell yourself, your course, your school and your country. I believe it helps. And please, the most important factor in getting this thing remains GOD and His favor. God will help us.

@House: Please what dressing is appropriate for the interview? I'm going for a Masters, above 29, International Business. I am thinking of wearing something that matches my course or field- business (shirt and trouser)? Or something Native (as it shows I love my country and will be coming back). What do u guys think abeg?

naggy:

@USBound please do not hesitate to REQUEST for a new I-20 if any information on the current one has changed or got updated. I know it looks irrelevant but believe me little things like that really matters a lot. Thank you.

@naggy: I have requested one from the school but the lady says I should go ahead to use it that way and that it does not matter - that family sponsorship is still sponsorship. She says the alternative is for me to maintain corporate sponsorship which I won't from reading this thread. I am now thinking of using my father's personal company (not where he works as an employee) as this still falls under 'sponsorship'. More advice welcome.

@House: Please advise: I am going for a Masters in International Business. Can you please give me good ideas on what to say if asked ' why this course?' and 'how it relates to Nigeria?'

Jamsmither:

Pls,did u just book 4 appointment just of recent,cuz i need a interview date b4 july23.

@Jamsmither: I booked since June. It's not that recent. mid-june I think. Have you tried sending an email to the embassy?

@Naggy, Dizifrenzy: Can one request a new I-20 after paying SEVIS fee and scheduling appointment? I am asking because I have changed my sponsor from a company (where my father works as the GM) to my father but the I-20 i have reads 'sponsorship' and not 'family sponsorship' as sources of funds on the right hand side? Please respond.

@HOUSE: SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES PLEASE POST YOUR INTERVIEWS SO WE CAN LEARN O. aBEG.

@Cleverdude: I am sorry about this. I believe you can still get it. Reading through this thread, there are folks who got it a week after they were denied. Some, quite later. But they got it. You have to re-package yourself and make a clear case. I believe what dizifrenzy said: She needed to know that you know your school and have reasons for choosing it. Please do a little research then the bank statement thing.

@HOUSE: Please let's encourage those who did not get it. If we read through this thread, many who were rejected like masepat and OjaP later got it before their school's resumption. God will help us all.

yoddy01:

Hello everyone,

I must commend on your posts. You are all the best. My brother was denied F-1 visa few weeks ago and he is planning to come in this August. Is it possible for him to re-schedule another emergency appointment? If yes, is there any chance of granting the visa as the consular already knew he applied few weeks back? What I know is that you should only apply once in 6months, How true is that?I advised him to defer the admission to next spring and tackle his weak points but from the look of things, he wanna come in this fall. Guys, please I need an advice on this.Thanks all!

@yoddy01: Sorry about that. Do you have an idea of his interview questions? Why was he denied? This will give the great and experienced guys here the kind of suggestions you will find helpful. Please post his interview or why you think he was denied.

@ ALL: PLEASE, how do I go about saving the pages on this thread to my hard drive so I can read them when offlline. This thread is a huge resource.

aroy1:

cleverdude:  -1 has a quare root which is in the complex number system. It is denoteb by 'i.'

USbound: You misinformed. It isn't j.

Little knowledge is dangerous and a student should confidently know what they are talking about.

Goodluck!

@aroy1: I agree the answer is 'i'. This is what the v.o. knows. In science and engineering, which i did a little of, complex number or the imaginary unit is also symbolized by 'j' to avoid confusion with electrical current which is denoted by 'i'. You can read more on this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imaginary_unit

@dizifrenzy: Please i need to talk to you. my email add is usbound911@yahoo.com, I have already sent u an email.

@aroy1: I agree the answer is 'i'. This is what the v.o. knows. In science and engineering, which i did a little of, complex number or the imaginary unit is also symbolized by 'j' to avoid confusion with electrical current which is denoted by 'i'. You can read more on this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imaginary_unit

@dizifrenzy: Please i need to talk to you. my email add is usbound911@yahoo.com, I have already sent u an email.

dizyfrenzy:

for those that are going for interview in abuja any time soon, if youre an undergrad, you should be prepared to answer the following questions cos one of the v.o was asking that question when i went there,
1. what is standard deviation 2. what is the square root of -1,
and if youre going for masters, please go and read your undergraduate project again very well and know it cos you could be asked to explain your undergraduate project.
here is another thought. dont be afraid to explain stuffs to the v.o, heres an example, a guy that came to the embassy on the day i went there. the guy did waec and had E8 in chemistry, but he had C4 in neco chemistry. he came to the embassy with only the neco. when the v.o asked him for his waec, he produced the neco result. the v.o asked him where his waec was and he said he didnt write waec(maybe its because of tension). the v.o made a statement and said "young man, i have lived in nigeria for the past 5 years and i know theres no way you would write neco without writing waec as a secondary school leaver, so tell me the truth about your waec result", the guy tthen answered and said, its because he had E8 in waec chemistry, thats why he didnt come with it. he was denied a visa because he was caught in a lie.
my point is,if a smart person was in that situation,, theres nothing wrong in telling the v.o that your grade was low in waec, but when you were writing neco, you improved your weaknesses and corrected your mistakes and thats why u have a better score in the neco,
these consular officers are humans and they read body language to know when youre lying to them, its not like they are human lie detectors o but they have a lot of experience and most people tell silly and unbeleivable lies, so they get caught and they are denied visas,
once again, pls prepare very well and know what you are doing when youre going to the embassy, above all, pls pray very well, theres nothing God cannot do, am telling you from experience cos my own interview success was a big miracle,
all the best

@HOUSE: the question 'what is the square root of minus one?' is a correct question. The ANSWER is 'A COMPLEX NUMBER'. In mathematics, the square root of minus one is a complex number designated 'j', small letter 'j'. The V.O. is just trying to see if you are a student. However, only folks who did advanced maths or further maths will know this answer. If you are asked, tell him it is a 'COMPLEX NUMBER' symbolized by 'j'. simple.

@masepat: Thank you for the advice. If I were to pursue the 'scholarship' sponsorship from the company, what document do you think I have to require from the company - they are prepared to give me whatever is necessary. Please specify. Do you know of anyone who has really sold a 'corporate scholarship' to the v.o. successfully?

@dizifrenzy

Please send me an email: usbound911@yahoo.com

I need advice on the company sponsorship bank statement. masepat has suggested 'scholarship' from this company. I can go ahead and get full documentation from this company to this effect - my dad is the GM - but do you think a 'full scholarship' from a company will appeal to the V.O.? I need your help real quick. My interview date is drawing nearer.

dizyfrenzy:

@cleverdude & usbound
i think it will be better if we get to chat on yahoo, am always signed on most of the time sha, yahoo i.d is dizyfrenzy
i feel we ll be able to talk better that way and i ll be able to help you in any way i can

Please specify the full email add. I just sent a mail to the id and it bounced back. Ist it dizifrenzy@yahoo.co.uk
I have also added you on messenger. Pls check!

dizyfrenzy:

if your dad owns the company, then ure good as long as u can show that the company is your dad's and there is enuf money in d acc, But if your dad is just an employee of the company, i wouldnt advise u to go wit company acc then cos the v.o would definitely ask you '' what does the company have to gain by paying millions of naira to sponsor the son of an employee'',
My advise to u is that you should try and get another bank statement(including confirm sponsors letter) and say that the owner is your uncle or u shld pray hard that they wont ask you for financial records,
Nothing is impossible for God,

@dizifrenzy: Thank you for the advice. The problem now is getting another bank statement. Do you know of anything convincing I can say to the v.o? Please post your email add so I can send u an email. I need to be guided. Also, does it matter if I change the bank statement from the one I submitted to the school for I-20?

@ HOUSE: I need advice and help from all. I am using my dad's company statement (company sponsorship). He works in the company as the general manager. I cannot use his bank statement because the money there is not enough at all. I have the company's statements and they are good, original. But presenting company's statement is a red flag, as I have read on this thread. What can I do? I really need help,

@ Debbie @Adedayo: CONGRATS. We'll join you soon.

@ HOUSE: Do I need a Reference Letter from the Bank? My sponsor is a company, my dad works there as the General Manager and I have the bank statements. Is a Reference Letter necessary? Also, someone please give detailed directions on how to pay the SEVIS Fee in Seme? I am going in a few days. Please, what next after I get to the border?


God will crown our efforts with SUCCESS.

dizyfrenzy:

alright guys , here is the details of the interview,
i got there around past 10 cos i had a 10.00 appointment, but i got there late because i forgot my passport at home(na devil wan derail me o), so after i got there, i went through all the normal security checks, there were about 35 to 40 people there, most of them were families going to visit, after the checks, we went to anotheer building where we too fingerprints and our sevis fee payment was checked, then we had to go sit and wait for the interview, i saw the dreaded chinko woman therre o and i was silently praying not to be called to counter 6(her counter), so after waiting for about 1 hr plus(all 6 student visa applicants before me were denied), i was called to counter 9 and here is what went down

me: good afternoon sir
v.o: hello good afternoon, (didnt even look at me, kept typing at his computer)
v.o: can i have your passport and application forms pls
me: (gave him)
v.o: can i have your gre, gmat, toefl or anything you can show me that shows that you are a student
me: sir, the gre wasnt required for admission but i have my university transcript and waec result here sir
v.o: show me,
me:gave him my transcripts and result,
v.olooked at my transcripts for a while), then asked me, what is the chemical symbol for Lead
mewas so surprised but i remained composed), itsPb sir
v.o: okay, can you tell me that of silver
me: Ag sir
v.o: thats good, youre the first person to get that question since av been asking,
methen i smiled at this point, he smiled too),
v.otypes for a while on his computer and then asked me, why did you choose the school
me:told him,
V.O: since av been asking that, youre the first person to give me a satisfactory answer,
at this point he returned my docs to me and gave me a brown tag, and said, your visa is approved sir, it will be ready in 2 days,
that is it o my people, all glory be to God

CONGRATS ONCE again. what was the answer you gave him as to why did you choose this school? PLEASE SHARE IT. CHEERS.

dizyfrenzy:

people of nl, help me thank God o. I got my visa at the abuja consulate yesterday(21st), Just patiently waiting to go pick up my passport on thursday,

Congrats. Please share your experience.

@ dizifrenzy: CONGRATS. How did the Interview go? Please share you experience, questions asked etc for the benefit of the house. Thanks.

@ ALL: Is there any provision for uploading a digital photo on the DS form? I am just about to schedule my interview. Hope it's not too late, i resume in september 21. has anyone scheduled in the last few days?

@ Abatt4naija - Thank you for the advise. I think I can fill out another DS 160. I think it is the confirmation page I give them that matters.

@ALL - I need advise on using corporate sponsorship with original bank statements. It is thesame corporate sponsorship statements that I sent to my school for my I-20. Now, what do I expect because reading through this thread, I see that it's best to use one's parents statements. My father's statement does not have enough money but it has been running very well in the last one year. My father works in the company I am using as the General Manager. What supporting documents do I need to prepare if I am using corporate sponsorship? Or, can I use my father's bank statement without enough money in it? Please reply.