₦airaland Forum

It starts counting from the day your visa was issued ooo, whether you've picked up your passport or not, once it is issued, the visa starts counting from that day. They are not playing at all.

Lethhhgooo:
Please does anyone know how the new VISA validity date is determined with the new policy?

Will your VISA validity be based on the date of your visa approval or the date of travel.

For example if my interview is in August but I plan to travel in December, will my validity start from August or start from December?

The new appointment is with the Consular at the embassy.
I'm pretty sure they just want to ask you a few questions just to clarify something.
All the best.

naivasha:
Just a little update on my application.

IW passport submission: May 30th
Case created: June 2nd
Case last updated: June 2nd

Email received on June 18th

Consular Section marked your appointment for follow up 221g

Dear applicant,

Please log back to your profile https://www.usvisaappt.com/visaapplicantui/login locate your appointment card and click "Reschedule" your appointment.

Earliest appointment I saw on Avits is on August 7th.

For those who have gone through this, please confirm: is this new appointment at the embassy or at OIS?

That's what they say, but how/ where do I select any of these centres on the website? It's still showing only Lagos and Abuja

infosoftlife:
VFS now has a centre in PH and Enugu, offering premium service.

Are the premium centers functioning? Do you know anyone who has been able to successfully book an appointment there?
That's the information I need. Thank you.

infosoftlife:
VFS now has a centre in PH and Enugu, offering premium service.

Hello House!
Anyone figured this out please? I'd like to schedule my appointment via Enugu but I can't find it on the VFS page.
Is there a number I can reach out to for VFS enquiries?

Zeni06:
Good day All,
Please if like to know if anyone has been able to book an appointment at the Enugu or Port Harcourt centre since they opened their VFS office. It hasn't been updated on the VFS site and I can't get anymore information regarding these centers.
Thank you

Good day All,
Please if like to know if anyone has been able to book an appointment at the Enugu or Port Harcourt centre since they opened their VFS office. It hasn't been updated on the VFS site and I can't get anymore information regarding these centers.
Thank you

Girlfriend, not spouse. So it's definitely B1/B2.
You don't necessarily have to buy your ticket beforehand. Just ensure you have enough evidence to prove your relationship with your girlfriend, and strong home ties to prove you're returning back to Nigeria.
All the best.

AdisaMighty:
I am not sure your category is B1/B2

They can both go in at the same time. They should just indicate at the gate that they are a couple and it's a group appointment.
Mine was scheduled for 7am but my coconut head no gree enter after my documents were scanned till I felt a nudge in my spirit around noon. I just wanted the crowd to disperse a bit so I waited, and I saw other people waiting for their family members to join them too. So your parents will be fine.
All the best to them.

canadaman18:
I followed the advice shared regarding rescheduling a group appointment. The good news is I was able to pick the same day for both mom and dad , bad news is the appointment time is 30mins apart . I think 7.30am for one and 8.00am for the other.

Is there anyway this can be combined on the day of the appointment or will they have to be interviewed separately 30mins after each other?

How long ago did you visa expire? The new rule states your visa must have expired not less than 12 months from application.

AFLOM:
What does the interview waiver question look like? I qualify but didn't see the questionnaire. It took me to regular appointment which I booked, and now I believe $185 is wasted.

OIS is different from AVITS ooo. OIS are refunding people who paid for passport collection appointments whereas it was free.
AVITS will not refund any kobo to you for any mishap.
It's advisable to keep trying to reach them on all available channels.

Isha24:
Why was it refunded?
Can I get a refund fir applications for my son and I , as I am unable to progress on AVITS , if I start another process and pay again?

Only applies to IMMIGRANT visa. Not applicable for non immigrant and student visa.
Hope this helps.

Nitta08:
Good morning guys! I just want to confirm if it is true that one must go to the embassy at least once before their scheduled interview date. I recently heard that and not sure how true it is. Thank you

Sometimes it's a system to glitch. Today is Thursday, hope you went for your pick up at the OIS office?

Alexie89:
My interview was on the 10th. Visa was approved. So I don't understand that

There is no tracking number. Just select the service you're interested in, ie USA visa, then passport pick up. You'll be asked to input your passport number and you can track your passport.

skolss:
Someone pls help. Where do I find the tracking number for my application. The one I need to track passport of the OIS website

Take a screenshot of the visa tracking status update let me see what's showing. It either shows approved or issued for a successful application.
If it's showing "issued", and you passport is ready collection on the OIS portal, please go for your pick up appointment on Thursday at the OIS office.

Alexie89:
Hello all, Happy New year
Please I need a suggestion or advice
I applied for b1/b2 tourist visa in 2022 and got appointment for Dec 10th 2024. I attended interview and it was successful but I've not received my passport back.
I've not gotten any email that it is ready for pick up but I went on the ois site to see if it was ready and it showed me its ready for pick up and I booked appointment for Thursday for pickup but this morning and went on visa status check and it's saying application received and opened etc😀 and nothing else.
I'm confused.
Should I just go to the scheduled appointment or I should wait to get an email, it's almost a month since my interview, I thought maybe because of the festivities

You're on the right path. Your visa interview will most likely take three (3) minutes, or even less. The consular will most likely not look at any of the documents you came with as that's time consuming for them.
Simply pay attention to what you filled on your DS-160 form and be very bold and assertive.
You'll be interviewed in front of everyone and your fate will be decided in front of you, if you're rejected a blueish green paper is given to you stating the reason for the rejection, and if the visa is approved a white paper containing your passport pick up information is given to you whilst your passport is collected for the visa issuing.
You're not dropping any document with them and everything you go with will return with you.
Ps: Whilst you're there don't get scared by the number of rejections you see/hear. It's a strategy to throw you off balance before it gets to your turn and it works most times.
All the best.

Layeeee:
Hello. Thank you all for all the information. I’d like to clarify that this is the current process for B1/B2. Please let me know if I missed anything.

1. Fill DS-160 (done)
2. Go on avitz, pay and choose interview date (done)
3. Go for visa interview - include ds160 confirmation, visa appointment confirmation , intl passport, passport photograph, supporting documents like bank statement, proof of job, proof of family etc.
4. Hold documents in hand during interview. ( no need to upload anywhere). Do you need to leave documents there?
5. If visa approved, will they tell you there immediately at the interview? Or you know after by checking the portal?
6. Pick up passport or have it shipped to you.


Thank you all.

Hi. Any luck with this issue?
Please use the chrome browser as some browsers don't work properly with the website and use desktop version if you're using your phone.
From the screenshot, it means you've been able to check your status and all. Just select country, select city (VI, Lagos for OIS pickup) select OIS under type and book your appointment.
Let me know how it goes.

adenikeO:
I am unable to go past this page after verifying that my passport is ready for pick up. Can you kindly assist on what action to take?

If it is a physical interview you will get your passport maximum 7 working days after the interview.

sanyaolurilwan:
Hello here,

Please I have a question, I have a B1/B2 interview on the 10th January, 2025. I also considering buying a ticket to visit Canada for February 1st, 2025. I would like to ask: Is it possible to have collected my passport from the Embassy if my visa was approved? Because not getting it back means the trip will be missed.

Thanks in advance.

I've been thinking of the best response to your question, because you've already answered it yourself.
They've used up all their slots and have to attend individually. What I can suggest is that whoever goes first mentions to the consular that the other spouse is traveling with them but would be interviewed on a later date because they couldn't get same date for both. It may help to give whoever goes first a copy of the others DS 160 form, passport date page and appointment confirmation, as supporting documents.
There's no guarantee that making a fresh payment will get same day for both of them.
We dey roll dice, but na God dey give six six!
Stay blessed.

flamenco123:
ASKING AGAIN, PLEASE HELP!!!
Hello everyone. Please my parents are trying to interview for a visiting visa but they were unable to secure the same date for interview and have used up all rescheduling slots.

Is it advisable for them to go separately or are the chances of approval higher if they go together?

That's very cheering news. Can you please enlighten us on how you solved this problem, so that others with similar experience can learn? That's why we're all here

jSchrodinger:
Goodnews, I was able to resolve it.

My interview was on the 5th of December, when I got home I checked the status and it showed "Approved". On the 6th the Status changed to "Issued". I proceeded to check for my passport on OIS website and it kept showing "passport not ready for pickup" until yesterday morning when I checked and it showed "passport ready for pickup". I filled out the necessary information and booked a pick up for this morning. Thankfully pick up is free till the 31st of December.
Hope this answers your question.

ayotycoon:
Okay thanks for responding, what was your interview time ? and did you get any notification ? that your passport was ready ?

I had my interview on the same day and picked my passport up from OIS VI this morning.

ayotycoon:
Hi everyone I have a slight issue and its not related to visit visa but wanted to post it here as I could not find another relevant group

I did my H1b visa interview Dec 5 and was approved, I found out from the VO I made a mistake in the day of my date of birth but she corrected it. I checked https://ceac.state.gov/CEACStatTracker/Status.aspx?App=NIV and my passport still says Approved but not issued. It's been 5 days and was wondering how long it usually takes to get the passport back as I have a flight on Friday. Can any one pleas let me know if they have any idea and if they did their interview on the 5th too and if they have gotten their passport. Thank you

J

Good day Everyone,
I should have given this update since last week but I have been overwhelmed with stuff.
For those who paid using GTBank on the old portal, please just be patient as I am pretty certain you'll be attended to.
Don't bother raising a ticket on the AVITS portal as its a waste of time and chances are that your issue won't be resolved as their website has not been configured to accept GTBank receipts. Since this can only be done manually, please send a mail to LagosNIV@state.gov. I've attached a sample of mine and blurred my details. I also copied nigeria@usvisaappt.com
Once you've done that, please wait for a response. Sending the mail multiple times only delays your response time....a reliable source confirmed this.
I sent a mail on the 27th of November attaching my details, and I received a response on the 29th of November, that I had been scheduled for an interview for the 5th of December at xyz time. I simply followed the instructions on the mail sent and I had no problem at all when I got to the embassy. The mail served as my appointment letter.
I hope this helps someone out. May all our genuine efforts be met with success.

Update!!!!!

My dad's visa interview done and granted this morning.
I was still hoping to get a closer date for his appointment as I was only seeing Jan 2026 and earliest May 2025, so I waited patiently only to receive a mail from the consulate last Monday that an appointment has been scheduled for him for today. I was surprised but then remembered I had sent several mails to them that I have been unable to schedule an appointment due to the GTB receipt issue.
I told my dad about it and he went with the printed email inviting him for the appointment, alongside other documents of course
Long story cut short, appointment was quick and done within an hour.
Again, I don't know if this is the norm or He was just lucky but, all what I did is in the quoted below for those in similar situation with their GTB receipt.
Good luck to everyone[/color][/quote]

Omo, today has been (past tense because i left there around 11:50am) brutal at Walter Carrington (Lagos embassy) especially for F1 visa applicants. They were just rejecting left, right and centre. Crazy stuff. These consular guys are not smiling at all.
I'll come back to give a detailed feedback on how I scaled through.
Ps: There's hope for those who paid via GTBANK but can't use the payment on the new portal, as long as it is still valid.

Hello Everyone,

Please can anyone help me out with the right format for addressing a letter of Invitation to the High Commission/ US Embassy?

goldenmind:
In the same shoe, not yet sorted out.... I ve been on this issue for 3weeks now

Create a ticket and attach you gtbank receipt. It will be resolved. I created a ticket on Thursday and it was resolved this morning.
They will automatically attach receipt from the backend and you'll have three days to validate it else it becomes invalid.

curiousgeorgy:
Please I am also having the same issue. I literally copy and paste and it comes up with the same error.

Just create a ticket on and attach your ds-160 form.

Fear not!!! You're on the right platform and your questions are legitimate.
Unfortunately, it seems those of us (I'm in your shoes too) who paid on the old portal via GTB but didn't select any interview date have been "abandoned" to our fate.
You weren't supposed to create any profile on the new portal as all old profiles are to be migrated. When the migration will occur? Only the Lord knows.
Honestly, if it's time bound, just go ahead and make new payment and start the process afresh on the new portal. It's easier and faster that way.
Let's wait for the OG's to respond.

Hello Everyone,
Please what's the update on migration from the old portal to the new one? The people I know in the same situation had to pay a new visa fees and get on the new portal as no one seems to have been migrated.
I paid for visa application via GTbank on the 23rd of February 2024 but encountered a setback with was eventually rectified by the help desk. I wasn't able to choose a preferred date before the migration.
Is there any hope of migration, or I should just pay a new visa fees and hoop on the queue.
I'd appreciate all the help I can get.