I am so sorry guys. I can see that so many of you were trying to reach me. If you sent me an email, you can resend and I will get back to you. Thanks

It's been a long time here.


Your transcript sounds like a copied transcript. For some years now, some folks when asked why they didn't go with their spouse to the US usually use project as a reason. Was there no other convincing reason apart from project The VOs are probably tired of hearing this.

If you are a government employee, you cant be talking about a special arrangement. You have to use the appropriate terms. wether it's leave of absence to be with spouse, or study leave. Use the right words, some of these VOs know the process.

Tidy your funding story. They need to know exactly how you guys will handle funding.

techkay:
Please, I need everyone' s contribution concerning my case.

I am F2 with 2 kids and our visa was delayed on 23/06/22 in Lagos.

How soon can I reapply?

The interview.

Vo: good morning ma

Me: good morning sir

Vo: pass me your documents

Me: I passed my documents

Vo: why are you going to the US

.

I think we should form a whatsapp group to help other people gain their feet in Albany New york. I moved here last week and it has been rough. I don't even know my left from right.

Skystemarymary@rocketmail.com

Is your pregnancy showing?
Do you think it will show by the time you are travelling?
But how do you intend to do it while schooling if you are not coming with any one to the USA.

Chynwem:
Abeg make una advice a sister o. I got admission and assistantship in US, I'm pregnant. Please will US embassy grant me student visa as I get belle.

Hi Sis, if you are planning to go with your kids, you have some more homework to do. My advice:

1. Be ready for every kind of question. Write your transcript and start practicing.

2. Google schools for each of your child, based on proximity to your school/residence , price and google review, choose one school for each child. You can even print out your email correspondences with the school and go with it. So that if the VO asks, you can be specific in your response. For example, rather than say , " childcare for my 6 months old will cost around $100 a week", you say ,"child care for my 6 months old will cost $100 a week". Be specific


3. You dont pay sevis fee for F2s but you have to pay visa fee for them.


4. If possible, let your husband be your sponsor. And be ready to say what he does and i will be hoping that what he does will be huge enough to be able to cover your fees at least in the eyes of the VO.

gerona:
Congratulations.
I am travelling with 2 kids 4 and 14, for my interview do I need to show proof of schooling arrangements for them? If yes, how do I go about it, please?. Also, did you pay for SEVIS for your kids. Kindly guide. Thank you.

I am so happy for you. It just gives me joy seeing married women with children pursue their dreams and win, despite the load of motherhood. Congratulations!! We will always keep in touch. Have a safe flight.

Patsido:
VISA APPROVED.
June 16, 2021.

All glory and Adoration to him who is able to do much more than we can ever ask or imagine.

This is my 3 Attempt. First was October 19, 2020 with my 9 yr old daughter at Lagos ( Florida State University, Tallahassee. Scholarship $15,000). Second Attempt, I applied alone December 2, 2020 at Abuja( Florida State University).

Third Attempt today June 16, 2021 ( Abuja). I applied with my 6 month old baby and 9 years old daughter. I couldn't imagine leaving her behind.
Appointment was for 8am. Got to the Embassy 6.45am. The rush of those hustlers at the embassy is indescribable. No matter what they asked me I just told them am fine and I don't need anything. Abuja Embassy had a lot of applicants today. When I got to the CGI official to arrange my documents, he asked for my passport photographs and it was no where to be found. I was just wondering which Kain local trouble be dis one. He asked me to take another picture for the 3 of us. I had to go back get my phone to retrieve soft copies. They printed for N3,000 after asking for N7500.
My interview finally took place at about 11.30am. I was interviewed by the white lady. They were just a male and female VO. I noticed the female VO was dishing out more approvals than denials.

Funding( Scholarship)- $40,000
Dependents- $13000
Deficit- $31000
Total deficit- $44,000

V.O: pass me your I-20 and passport

Me: Excuse ma'am I stutter sometimes ( �,)

V:O: That's ok

V.O: I see you are going to University of xxxxcx for your masters in Law.

Me: yes ma'am

VO: Are those your only children?

Me: yes ma'am

VO: How old are they?

VO: The baby is 6 months and the other is 9yrs old.

VO: You have been to the US?

Me: yes I got a child birth Visa in October 2017 and we bought our tickets shortly after but lost my pregnancy. We decided to change it to a Christmas vacation so that I can have a change of environment. I have the medical report.

VO: ( she kept nodding her head) and said sorry about that.

V.O: what is your highest qualification?

Me: I graduated with a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Jos in 2003 and proceeded to the Nigerian Law School same year and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2004.

Meanwhile she was reading and typing. I just dey kabash under my face mask. I dey cancel every negative remark on my profile.

VO: what is this masters going to do for you?

Me: Over the years my legal Career has been hinged on my Bachelor's degree and Work experience. I do not have a masters degree and because of the demand for legal pratictioners who are skilled in Nigeria, it has become imperative for me to acquire an advance knowledge in the field of law. This program will equip me with skills and knowledge to negotiate multinational transactions and regulatory framework for foreign trade and investment. This program will also equip me with skills and knowledge to resolve international sales disputes as I will be handling legal issues that arise from Multinational transaction on behalf of my clients in the corporate and commercial setting upon my return to Nigeria. I am also looking to improving my professional credentials so that I can secure a lucrative post in a multinational company in Nigeria.

VO: what have you been doing as a lawyer?

Me: I incorporate new companies, handle post incorporation processes, render legal opinion on my behalf...( She cut me off)

VO: ( she stops typing & starts looking at my I-20). You have a scholarship of $40,000 and the deficit will be taken care of by your husband?

Me: yes

VO: what does he do ?

Me: He is the CEO of xxxxx Nig LTD a furniture company that manufactures metal and wooden furniture for Schools in the Northeast on behalf of UNICEF, Educational Establishments and Individuals.
He also builds living Apartment and office spaces and offers for rent

VO: Ok I will be keeping your passports..... ( I no remember this last part)

Me: I was shocked when she made this statement. I never realized how this denials affected me. I was like approval with my two kids? She didn't ask for statement of account, accommodation , daycare, Evidence of Elementary school for my 9 years old


I already made arrangements for all of the above. I have been asking God to arise for me and he did.

Please if you see Jesus thank him for me. I shed tears of joy that my daughter asked me " Mummy we didn't win again"���

I gained a whole lot from the thread and it's fair that I come here to present my transcript.

Thank you Fairheart, for being so selfless.
Thank you Zeelady for the tips.

Your profile looks good to me. Your chances are high. There are so many schools you can apply to, for example University of Houston-Victoria, Texas Tech University, University of Arkansa Little rock.....etc.......just google

tizzdi:
Afternoon guys. What are the chances for people with not so great results?
Unfortunately I finished with a 3.49 in CS and about prepping for GRE.
What are the chances for some sort of funding.
Ps I'm about publishing my undergrad thesis in order to have some form of research experience and also I hold a CCNA cert which I got last year March. Pls any advice would go a long way. Thanks.

The american educationl journey will take money. People apply to as many schools as they can to boost their chances. I know people who applied to as many as 13 schools. It depends on you. Some people apply to one high end school, One average school and one "low" end school just to be safe. Some people also apply to only schools with less than $30 app fee. The choice is yours. The more schools you apply to, the more options you might have.

TrillionBrains:


How do you guys even do this, applying to so many schools bearing in mind they all have substantial application fees (most won't process your application until you pay)?

This VO looks like she/he wanted to issue you this visa and was trying to make sure you have concrete financial plans for you both. Unfortunately, you didnt prove you had done that. Where does he intead to eventually stay? How about knowing exactly how much rental goes for in that city so that even if you booked airbnb for a few days, you intend to see the places you could live at and then sign a longer lease agreement off campus . Does him getting an expedited apointment change anything? Why didnt you book together? If you booked together, you both would have gotten the new date together.

BlessedatFest:
Hello Everyone, please kindly help critic my transcript and tell me where I went wrong, I wish to reapply as soon as possible.

My interview was today at the Lagos US embassy.
Here is my transcript :


VO: Where are you headed?

Me: (Intentionally) I’m headed to Montclair New Jersey, I’m going with my husband for his PHD program.

VO: How long will you be there?

Me: 5 years, It’s a PhD program it will be for five years

VO: When did he leave?

Me: He hasn’t. He’s still in the country, we want to leave for the United States together

VO: Why didn’t you come for an interview together?

Me: He was able to get an expedited appointment

VO: Oh I see.When are you leaving?

Me: His program is starting in February so we are planning to leave together by 15th January.

VO: (Mumbles, I heard something like “oh, he has”)

Me: (Can’t remeber what I said, but I attempted further clarification)

VO: Okay. And how long have you been married?

Me: We got married last year September

VO: Do you have any kids?

Me: No

VO: How do you plan to sustain yourself in the United States?

Me: My husband and I have been able to save over the minimum requirement for a dependent. He’s also recieveing an assistantship that waives his tuition and offers him $21000 annuallly

VO: Have you made accomodation arrangements?

Me: Yes, we rented a place in Newark

VO: Okay. How much is it monthly

Me: About $800 monthly.(Don’t know what prompted me, perhaps a fear that she would ask more questions and I felt I should explain first) It’s an Airbnb

VO: So how much is it daily.

Me: I’m not sure

VO: I know Airbnb is rented daily

Me: (May have quickly jumped in without, maybe it felt to her like I was cutting her short) No it was a long-term rental (Know I had gaffed and lost my confidence, even looked down at my fingers at a time and realised it was a bad immpression so quickly looked up)

VO: Okay. And what do you do?

Me: I’m a writer for a media agency here in Lagos

VO: Do you have any kids?

Me: No

VO: (Asks a question about the money but I cant’ remember how she put it)

Me: Over the required minimum…

VO: So how much do you have.You say Over 6000 but below 7000? How much?

Me: Approximately $8000

VO: Okay. For a year.

Offers her rejection speech.

Please where did I go wrong?
Looking forward to your feedbacks.

why do you want to choose single when you are married?

hairbyuj:
Can I apply as a single person whereas am married for my students Visa

Cost of attendance

Ge0grapher:
Can someone kindly tell me what COA means ??

Sure your company can sponsor you, but does your 1-20 show that? or is it a combination of company support and family support? any funding? what age are you sir?

ArDun:
Hello!

I got delayed today as VO could not approve my VISA.
I got blue form 214(b)



Previous Experience. 2014, my ex wife won Visa lottery. I was a beneficiary of the lottery, upon Interview we were denied. Unfortunately, we divorced in 2017. Current Marital Status, I'm still divorced but in a relationship looking forward to marry soon!!!!


Interview experience.

VO: Good morning

Me: Good Morning Ma, compliments of the Season.

VO: Collected my documents, asked, where are you going?

Me: I'm going to Western Illinois University at Macomb, situated in Illinois state. For my Masters program in Biology.

VO: Which aspect of Biology?

Me: Environmental Biology.

VO: Where do you work?

Me: I was tensed, I mentioned P**** Services Environmental Ltd, instead of P**** Environmental Services Ltd.

VO: What do you do?

Me: I am an environmental Officer and specialized in Water Quality Analysis. I work on Both Groundwater (wells, boreholes) surface water (streams, lakes etc) I help to analyze the biochemical components chemicals such as heavy metals and bacteria load in the water. I compare the results with WHO standards and write a report to know if it's consumable or fit domestic uses etc. (at this point VO said it's OK)

VO: Why the school?

Me: I heard about the school from a stakeholder my company worked with. She did her master there and came back to the country to work with federal ministry of water resources. So I went further online to read about the school. I discovered there are well equipped laboratories, the courses to offer which are requisite to carry out my research work. Also, the school is known for innovative teaching, hands-on learning opportunities for students and career success.

VO: How did you hear about the School?

Me: When we carried out a Bioremediation project, one of the stakeholders introduced the school to me when I told her I need a school where I can carry out my research work.. So I went further online to browse the school.

VO: Who is sponsoring you?

Me: My father.

VO: What does He do?

Me: He's a contractor for Government on Rural Electrification project in South west region.

VO: Are you married?

Me: I gave a smile, I'm divorced.

VO: Any kids?

Me: No

VO: Any traveling experience?

Me: No.


VO, kept typing..............

Picked up a blue form and told me my visa can't be approved at the moment. I can try later. Wished me compliments.

Me: Thank you.

* Please can the expert in the house help me with the cause*****

*Also, do I have to maintain all information I gave during interview when I reapply or I can use other information*****

Information such as Married, Cox my wedding is few months.
Also, my company may sponsor me for the program. Cox I got a study leave already with full pay.

Please, I need help.

Your previous denials may or may not have played a part. When was your previous denials?
Did you do at least a mock interview? your response to study plan was not the right response

Vision2:
Visa Denied ( 4 Attempts)

Date: 30-12-20
Location: Abuja

Profile
Spring admission
University: Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Scholarship:$7,697
Deficit: $28,531
Program: Masters in Mechanical Engineering

These my fourth attempt and I have collected Pink, white and green paper but same content message.
Kindly help with your advice and corrections.

Still trying to think how best I could have answered him. Hmmmm.

There is nothing definite. You can always try, you never know. But carefully think about how you will foot all the bills.

godguy:


What about going with your baby and 2 kids, your hubby is your sponsor, though your hubby is also going about the same time for his post graduate. what do you suggest or advise.

I think I replied

quasarJose:


I have sent you a pm already

Someone who came in from Nigeria yesterday was given bread and juice for a whole 13 hours flight from Instabul (the flight was even diverted to Quebec, canada and took many more hours than estimated). I dont know if this is the new norm, but anyone using them now should not expect extraordinary services. They are cheap-depending on your destination-thats all!

LagosismyHome:


at real food .......

you mean different food than you are used to because surely you wont be fed fake food

Turkish does not require COVID test. But, their service is not wonderful. You may/may not get real food. Your flight may be diverted...etc

Anybodie:
Has anyone used Turkish airlines lately?
Was COVID test required?
If you travelled to US in the past weeks using any airline at all, please share your experience

Sure

quasarJose:


Good day.. Can you help me look into my SOP?

In Nigeria, babies have to appear for interview. So go with your baby. I went with my then 3-4 month old baby.

Its never a good idea to deviate from what you have on your application and 1-20.

You have more chances when your spouse is your sponsor (for those going without their spouse).

Let whoever is on your 1-20 as your sponsor, be what you tell the VO.


If you think there is a mistake on your 1-20, call the attention of the school, if the school says that is how it should be, please stick with the information on the 1-20 like that.

Be exact with how you want to keep your baby during school hours.......say something like......"I have made enquiries about Day cares close to my school (or where you will live depending) and the cost per week is bla bla".
Be exact!
The reason is, going with a baby as a student, without a support, is one of the hardest things you will ever do. Trust me on that. But you will be proud of yourself eventually.

Mumzeeo:
Hello everyone, some of you asked for my transcript, I'll do my best to type out what I remember.

Date of interview: 18th December
Venue: Abuja
School: University of Houston (PHD)
Funding: Covers tuition only
Visa Denied

My interview went like this

VO: where are you going

Me: University of Houston for a PhD in Petroleum Engineering

VO: would you be going with your baby? (My baby was with me for the interview, the guy verifying the documents asked me to go back home and bring her).

Me. Yes

VO: have you ever travelled with her before?

Me: not out of the country, this would be my first time.

VO: where is your husband

Me: he's is here in Nigeria and would not be coming with us, he is in the military and presently working at the Navy headquarters

VO: have you ever worked before

Me: yes, I worked for two years but I resigned from my job about four months ago to start my PhD, I am currently done with my first semester

VO: who would care for your daughter when you go to school

Me: I have looked up the cost pre schools around university of Houston and I hope to enroll her in one on the days I have to go to school (my baby is 20months old)

VO: who is paying for your fees and expenses (something like that, cant remember the exact words)

Me: first I have a scholarship that covers my tuition, the remaining expenses will be paid by my father in law. He is a retired Admiral of the Nigerian Navy and presently the MD of a Global Spectrum Energy PLC, a shipping company that offers hipping services to offshore oil and gas companies.

VO: types endlessly and says visa will be denied for reasons stated in this paper (he passes me the green sheet)

Now I have to state that a mistake was made on my I-20 and I only noticed it a night to my interview. For funding it was stated spouse as my sponsor but all my financial documents I sent to my school showed father in law so I wonder why the mistake was made. It has been corrected now and I have a new I-20 document.

Also for my funding, only in state tuition was highlighted as the funding from my school which is about $8.7k. And the deficit $6.5k was added to my own costs to be paid by me. When I reached out to the I-20 officer in my school she said out of state tuition is not included in the I-20, please is this true especially when the school paid all my fees which amounts to 18k annually, why reflect only 8k?

Also do I take my baby for the next interview, people kept on asking why I took her, but the man verifying the documents said I should go back home and get her if now I will have to schedule another interview for het. I'm confused.

Lordsagna:
Good afternoon Nlanders, I want to ask some questions pls pardon my naivety. I'm a year one chemical engineering student but I've got passion for medicine nd I wanna study it in the US but I'm from a lower social class, so what I wanted to ask is can I take SAT exam to get a fully funded scholarship to study a medical related course in the US nd later ,maybe be after graduating get a direct entry to study medicine?
And also what is the cost of writing SAT?
are all these dilemma up there possible?
PS: I'm nineteen years.

all opinions are accepted.
thanks

Cost wise, its always better to do medicine in Nigeria.

ugomnaanny:
would like to further in interiors , would I b granted a visa?

One option is get admission in a field related to your first degree in a school rhat also offer the furniture degree (which you truly want to do) and then when you get there, you switch programmes.

A second option is seeking for admission in what you really want to do (furniture). But you will have to develop a persuasive reason for the switch at the embassy.

What do you really want to do. This thing is first about you, then about strategy to acheive what you want.

Babygal1990:
Good morning, I need advice, I applied for schools in uK and till this moment no admission yet, so I want to face US now, I have my 1st degree in surveying and geoinformatic but currently have a furniture and interior store now, thou I had worked from nov 2015 (Immediately I finished nysc) till nov 2019 . Opened my coy 2020 june .... currently looking for a school where I won’t get to write sat, gre, tofel or ielts . It is advisable to further in surveying ? If I should further in interiors will I be granted a visa? Thanks

From a student who isnt on nairalnad. I asked him to write his transcript.
He started looking for spring admission sometime in August 2020.
He did everything himself, I only went through his Statement of purpose (when he was looking for admission) and transcript, did some mock interview with him and offered some advice here and there during the whole process.

I am sharing this mainly for two reasons: firstly because his undergraduate course is different from the graduate course he is going for and lastly because he had very little funding.

BACKGROUND
No GRE
No IELTS/TOEFL (the school accepted his WAEC in lieu of them)
One year COA $30K
cultural scholarship: $3k
BSc civil engineering (concentration: structures). CGPA is either 2.9 or 3.0
Proposed MSc : Computer science


Visa interview Mon 21 Dec 2020
Abuja

VO:next person.
(I walked up to him and greeted Me: good day, happy holiday.
VO: Thank you. Pass me your passport and your i20.
(Me passing it to him)
Me: there you have it.
(He takes it and types for few seconds)
VO: what do you do or a living?
Me: I am a Full stack software development at xxxx. Xxxx is an agro tech firm that bla bla bla...
(VO looks at the I20)
VO: how will this degree help you?
Me: As a full stack software developer, my focus has been on Artificial intelligence for Structural Engineering. The combination of the knowledge from my undergraduate in civil engineering where I focused on computing for Structural Engineering and the knowledge from a master's in Computer and Information systems, I will be able to build Autonomous Construction equipments. These equipments will play a vital role by eliminating injuries and fatalities in construction sites. Also the knowledge is required in the next phase of my current employment.
(Nodeded and looked expressed).
VO: who will be paying for your trip?
Me: My parents are my sponsors and I also have a merit scholarship from the university.
VO: What do your parents do?
Me: My dad is a registered electrical engineer and also an electrical engineer consultant. He owns a commercial cooking oil production plant and is also a part time lecturer in University of............... My mum is also a registered architect and a consultant. She manages both public and private real estate development. She is also the current deputy director of works department in...........
VO: Ok. Congratulations, take this paper( he offers me an A4 paper with my I20) on the paper you will see all the information you need for picking up your passport.
Me: Thank you, do have a great day.
VO: and you too.


BE ENCOURAGED

Where you going without your daughter innitially? Do you you have other children you are leaving behind? Your hubby in Nigeria? MSc or Phd ? Any funding?

Mumzeeo:
Hello everyone. I had my visa interview on the 18th of December in Abuja and I was denied the Visa. Please I have a question, do I have to bring my 20month old daughter for my next interview and please and please can anyone give me Mr. Fairheart's email address or number. My email address is withsherrynow@yahoo.com. Thank you.

Keep checking the website, twice or trice a day. Click on reschedule to view available dates, if you dont see a closer date, just log out.

pointednose:
Please how do I know there are new appointment dates if I already have a date scheduled but wish to get a nearer date?

Thank you.

Congratulations to all who got their Visas recently.
Turkish Airline is giving discount for students flying to some destinations such as Houston. You might want to call their office.

For those who have been asking how to pay SEVIS fee, you can contact walspring. If you truly truly are not able to reach him, you can contact me.

For those needing mock interviews, you can contact fairhart, if you truly truly are not able to reach him, you can contact me.

I dont guarantee that i will respond to your email, but if i can, i will.

December dates are currently available at the Abuja embassy.

The most important thing is for her to make sure that her name matches the name of her son, whichever name she chooses.

favouredtk:
Hi everyone.

A friend of mine asked some questions which I'm not able to answer. She's not on NL but approved of me posting it here. Please, I need advice from experienced people here.

I will be sharing her story and her questions below. I'll be using imaginary names, so we can follow.

She (maiden name: Ada Okeke) recently lost her husband (Obi Eze) of 3yrs and they had a son (Junior Eze) together before his death.
She is a first class graduate, currently on her Master's program here in Nigeria and is considering PhD in the US (Fall 2021).

She has not done her change of name but on the child's birth certificate, her name is written as Ada Eze.


She's still young, so there's every possibility of remarriage. The child is 18 months old.

Now, she has the following concerns:
How will this affect her going with the child after getting the admission?
Should she still do the change of name so that it matches what is on her child's certificate?
Should she get another birth certificate for the child where her name is written as her maiden name Ada Okeke?
Also, she wants to get her intl passport soon and is not sure if she should do change of name before then or use her maiden name.

It's really complicated but I hope I was able to explain well.
Thanks in advance for your responses.

This is not just about strange times. Before now, some schools accept WAEC result with a B or C in English in lieu of Toefl/ielts. Each school has its own requirements.

kastgeraldino:
I don't want to shit on your parade, but I would be seriously worried about any school that mentions WAEC in relation to a graduate degree program as it is in no way an appropriate standardized exam for this situation. Like, really? The worst I've ever heard of grad programs talk about anything close to high school was when some business school programs allowed few candidates to submit their SAT scores in lieu of GMAT during the start of the pandemic. At least one can roughly extrapolate (not always) someone's GMAT/GRE score with SAT. Anyways these are strange times.

There is hope. There are other factors to consider.
Do you have relevant work experience?
Try and study hard for GRE and ace it very well.
Have good recommenders preferably professors.
In your statement of purpose, you can explain some reasons why your cgpa was low, for example, you worked many hours while schooling.........Personalise your SOP to reflect your background and circumstance.

I have someone who just got admission with some funding, without a CS background, with low CGPA, but with an engineering background.

Admission decisions are done wholistically. They dont depend on only your CGPA. However, you have to make sure the other components are actually projecting you as a candidate to be considered.

GreatMage:
Is there hope for a third class graduate in CS getting a masters in any university?

Pls I need guidance

Google can answer this one

Asguard:
please who has the email address for abuja embassy

WES is not slow at all. What makes the process slow is the time most nigerian universities waste before responding to wes.

mousano:
why did you say so please?

I read here that Wes is slow and much more expensive that is why I opted for ECE however, I just found out that ECE reports reduces GPA.
I just want to be sure cos I want to apply before the end of tomorrow.


Please I need sincere reviews.