drbabsok:
I didn’t submit any recommendations. I only used my citations and number of publications.

Hello @drbabsok.

Congratulations on your EB2-NIW approval. You mentioned that you only used your citations and number of publications for your petition. I was wondering if you could share the criteria or prongs that you used for your petition please? How was your petition structured without any recommendation letter submitted? What were the additional evidences that you submitted to show you possess exceptional abilities in the sciences if applicable? Did you include being a member of professional association? Fellow postdoc in the sciences here and I would appreciate your input. I hope you get to see this. Anyone with similar experience could contribute as well. Thank you. Happy New Year!

absoluteSuccess:


Alright,

Ajoviyon, the business (of raising) children is good.

Asokere, patridge, (aparo, quail). So asokere might have been a deconstruction of a proverb made into name. That I'm not able to guess.

Ekundayo: they don't translate Ekundayo to Egun language. Rather, Egun adopt the same as though it's Egun.

Kundayo, Egun loves eliminating the first vowel of their Yoruba names, except for letter A or O in most cases.

Ekun, (Avi), di, (zun, lezun), Ayo, (ahya). Aiha, a close sound to ahya means memory. Ajoyo, rejoicing, jahyah.

I hope this helps.

Min tche le min
Nin mi fon gbon? Mi fon gandji a?
Mi kudo xwe! Je vous souhaite une excellente annee plein de succes. I wish you all a great and successful New Year!

yinkhar:
It’s funny that one is blindly giving advice and not yielding to correction.

For the record, I came to the USA three years ago on student visa so you either take my advice or leave it!

For the question regarding who is sponsoring your trip on DS-160, the right answer is “THE SCHOOL” if you are on full funding. “SELF or RELATIVE” (your choice) if no funding.

VO is not interested in who is paying for your flight to US. The question is about who is responsible for the whole travel experience which is your schooling (tuition, feeding, accommodation etc).

Ire o

I'll have to agree with @yinkhar's point regarding filling out the DS-160 when you've full funding.

To everyone else: It's also fine to have difference of opinion on here. We all can't think alike but let's do it without being on each other's throats. Two truths can coexist. Let people pick what they want to do. Peace.

lawrence7:



Thank you very much this a detailed response. Appreciate it.

You're welcome Lawrence.
Some one else also suggested going to Nigeria to renew via drop box so that's also a possibility. Here's the link from the embassy in Nigeria -- https://ng.usembassy.gov/no-interview-student-visa-renewals-available-now-2/
You can also visit Canada to renew as well but it all require strategic planning. I hope it works out for you!

lawrence7:
Hello house I have a question about F1 renewal while on OPT. Is it possible to renew? I have a valid I20 and EAD card and I would like to leave the US for a visit. How do I go about renewing

Hi Lawrence,

It's possible to renew your F-1 visa while on OPT. I did mine some months ago but you'll have to travel out of the US in order for the visa stamping. In my case, I went to Mexico for my visa renewal. Interestingly, I've always renewed mine in Central/South America as they only give 2 years visa to Nigerians. Here are couple of things:
1. If you're visiting a contiguous territory and/or adjacent island to the US, your visa should still be valid before entering the country as you'll need it for entry into that country e.g. Mexico.
2. You'll need to budget for flight and accommodation as the F-1 visa in Mexico is usually out within ~3-4 business days. It can take longer.
3. You'll have to pay visa fees as well.
4. Make sure your I-20 shows your approved OPT and the travel signature from your DSO is valid.
5. In my case, I was only asked two questions and I was approved. What I was doing in the US and explained my current role of my OPT. Your DS-160 needs to be filled out to reflect this.
6. If your trip outside the US is not crucial then you might want to consider just staying back for now.
7. Do your own research online. There are lots of plethora of resources available.
I hope I was able to answer your question.

SoliBayNG:


Okay. Thanks for your feedback.

You're welcome! Are you planning on visiting Mexico for tourism purposes?

itoski:
After taking 3 bottle stout here goes my transcript.
Lagos Embassy
VO: Good morning
Good morning
VO: Where are you going to in the US
ME: Eastern Michigan University for my MBA
VO: Do you have anyone in the US
ME: Yes, I have a brother.
VO: How did he get to the US
ME: I think he went through school and he started working in a medical research field because he studied outside the country in Ukraine
VO: Which school did he finished from in the US
ME: I really don't have an idea because I was busy with my undergraduate study as at then and I haven't bothered to ask about it.
VO: So you don't the school your brother attended
VO: Yes, ma.I was very busy with my undergraduate studies as at then.
VO: How long has he been in the US
Me: I think about 7years
VO: Who will be sponsoring you
ME: My mom
VO: What does she do?
Me: She manages my late dads finances. My dad worked in Shell for 35 years and he had hotels in PH and Delta
VO: oya take blue paper and great
Me: �
Yeah I failed to chip in I had EMU success scholarship of $3100
But I this was my last race because I really needed this MBA.
Anyone knows a better school in CA?
Critics are welcome?
My Transcript is for learning purpose for future aspirant.

I believe you already have a good idea why you were delayed. The boldened text should give you an idea if you don't. Your interview should mostly focus on you and your study intentions but your brother history took most part of it. The fact that you didn't know the name of school he attended or the year he has been in the US. You have to get all that info before you try again.

sewenzie:
Visa approved on Tuesday. First attempt.
PhD. Full scholarship from school(TA) Was asked the following questions.

1. I see that you have a scholarship, how did you get it and why this school?

Answer: I was able to get a mentor from the school who I had been relating with for a while. The mentor recommended me. Also, the school is affiliated with the school where I did my masters.

2. Ok. What is the name of the school where you did your masters.

Answer: Told him the school.

3. What do you want to do after you are done with this program?

Answer. I want to be a lecturer.

4. You mean you want to teach?

Answer: Yes

5. Where do you want to teach?

Answer: At the University of Lagos where I also have a mentor that I have been working with.

6. Okay. I see that you have some personal funds here. This is too little. How do you expect to support yourself (I put $1000 in my i20 as personal funds).

Answer: I will use my personal savings.

Then he gave the golden answer. “Your visa will be approved…. “. He seemed pleasant and smiled sometimes.

Location: Lagos

Was also the first to be approved on Tuesday.
I give glory to God.
I thank all the contributors to this forum as well. Reading here helped me prepare.

Congratulations on your approval!! Could you also share your educational background such as course, CGPA, and GRE range if applicable please? This could potentially help other intending students make decisions.

Amule5000us:
Hellos Boss
Abeg I need your help, the only help I need from is connection to travel out of this country and my favourite destination is USA.
Right now I get N1.2m with me, if you can connect me to sure link that will help me out to travel out. I have tried several times, those travel agents out the duped a lot have wasted a lot of money, but I don’t know went through my mind to contact you if you get sure link for me to travel out to USA (For Non appearance)
Am your die hand fans Here in Lagos, meanwhile I get friends there I can stay with if you favour my request.

Thank You, God bless you

Your best bet is to build substantial travel history first before approaching the US as it seems that's one of the factors they are looking at now. Travel within African countries with no visa requirement or visa on arrival for Nigerians then you can then try to apply to the US. Do it by yourself as someone previously told you.

UmmZayd:


Okay. It will not be proper of me if I see this kind of question and I don't share one or two things. So here's the deal. One of them can come. The one that has the best shot is your mum. Now the thing is, are you in school and are you the only one that will be available to take care of the baby? If yes, then you can apply for visa and EA for your mum to come stating
the reasons you alone can't take care of the baby (I had this same experience). However, if you don't fall under those things I mentioned then getting a EA may not be possible. Everything else which can be, you are not a student and your husband is with you or you are a student and your husband is still with you so you wouldn't be needing extra help with the newborn.

Hence, only you knows your present situation and why you need extra help so use that analysis to weigh your chances of getting a EA.

Thank you for sharing your experience. Hopefully the lady fits into either of the situation you just highlighted. Did you submit any proof when you applied for EA for your family to show pregnancy and that you can't take care of the baby by yourself?

TheEnforcer:
The embassy expects her to give that job to the nannies so that they can earn their own pay.You can't classify your mother visiting you as an emergency.And she shouldn't even tell them that the sole purpose of her mother coming is to take care of her baby as that can even land her a denial.

No the embassy doesn't expect her to give the job to nannies! They are accustomed to our way of lives as a result of interviewing millions of Nigerians/Africans everytime they have an idea we allow our parents to take care of our newborns. NO her mum won't be denied either if she says she was going to visit her newborn grandchild. Please only share facts that you are sure of. Shalom.

SoliBayNG:


What airline/route did you use from Nigeria/Benin to Mexico?

Sorry but I didn't travel from Nigeria/Benin. If you want to leave from Nigeria/Benin you can take a connection flight from Lagos or Cotonou to New York/Atlanta/Toronto and take a final flight to Mexico. This would be feasible if you have a valid US/Canada visa so you don't have to apply for a Mexico visa if your purpose is to visit Mexico.

Poweredbysnacks:
For people who had their visa approved, how long did it take until your passport was ready? How long until you were able to pick it up physically and for those who used DHL to deliver their passport, how long did it take until it reached your city? I selected Benin City for DHL delivery but will reconsider if it usually takes time to deliver. Thanks so much for your info.

You DID NOT share your visa interview transcripts but here you are asking for help. Did you go for your interview?

MelaninGemstone:
I am currently applying for an F-1 study visa
My visa appointment date for my F-1 is in January


Meanwhile, my brother who is graduating from
Harvard have sent me an invitation letter to attend his graduation in June.

If I don’t get my F1 visa, can I still apply for a B1/B2 to attend my brothers graduation?

Do I stand a chance of getting the B1/B2 if my F1 is denied ?

Please focus on getting your F-1 visa approved in January. Do all the best that you can. With the way things are looking, it's hard to get B1/B2 appointment and the VO might think attending the graduation is a front if you come back to say you're applying for another visa class some months later.

AJ85:
I live in the USA and I am having a baby in July. How can I get an emergency appointment for my mom and sister to cone help me with the baby?

I think your best shot might be to get your doctor's office write a letter stating that due to your pregnancy and medical needs they recommend having your family member help with the baby care to allow you rest. Their coming to the US is not necessarily an emergency so it's not guaranteed they will be given an EA but you can give it a try.

Jonesdozi:
Please note that US and UK are different countries..

mjksho:
Hello everyone, I need your help with a situation. The person in question has a masters in the UK and returned to Nigeria. Then on trying to return to the UK for a Ph.D, he got a denial. The denial was on the ground of false bank documentation and issued a 10-year ban. Now, this time around, he has been admitted to a US school for a PhD, and have the right bank documentation. How would the UK refusal affect their US visa application? Would it affect this at all? Or would the VO consider this a fresh case?

The US and UK do share immigration and visa information with one another. One option would be to appeal the 10 year ban with the UK. Regardless, there would have to be transparency from henceforth so the person should give a shot with the US but onward only use correct documentation.

Cheifnaira:
Mehn who sabi reschedule appointment and to get a fresh date in 2 weeks for another visa appt. if you have the ways pls reach out to me ASAP as my school gave me extra 2 weeks to resume. Visa denied 27th yesterday. Thanks for your help.

Sorry about the delay. First you might want to post the transcript of your previous interview so people out there can pick out what transpired and advise you accordingly. Second it's most likely impossible to get any magical dates within two weeks unless you schedule emergency appointment which is not 100% guarantee. Best bet is to attend online for this semester if that option is still available and schedule interview for Spring or just defer totally. Shalom.

Mummywifey:


Nice one , how’s the immigration at the border ? I may be using my schengen visa to visit Mexico soon

Thank you. Which border are you referring to? I flew there and the immigration at the airport I landed was calm. They only asked if I was visiting, looked through old visas in my passport, stamped my passport and added the 180 days stamp on the FMM tourist card/form which I filled out.

Some random pictures:
1. The sign post of the state in front of the park
2. Mountain view from the street
3. More mountains

The cities I visited in the state of Nuevo Leon are surrounded by mountains. So it was only normal for me to go hiking. Here's some pictures from a Park/climbing area called Parque Ecológico La Huasteca.

I saw people climbing even a young child rock climbing with ropes with the help of someone who looked like his dad (see last pic for reference).

chigozieduru:


Hello. I don't know if the OP of this thread is still active. I visited Mexico for two weeks and wanted to share my experience/pictures but I don't want to open a new thread. Should I go ahead and post here or open a new thread? Suggestions please.
cc @justwise

I will be highlighting some of my experience alongside with pictures here and there. I visited the state of Nuevo Leon in Mexico for two weeks and it was really a nice experience for the most part. I will also share some lessons I took from my visit. I decided to take a short break from work and I wanted to be in a different environment. The options were limited because I wanted a country close by that is allowing visitors. It was my second time in Mexico. The first was in the state of Quintana Roo at a resort surrounded by fellow tourists and the workers seemed to understand English so getting around was either then. We took excursions and those tour guide also spoke English that year.

However, this time around I didn't want to stay in a resort. I wanted to be around the locals and see life from an average Mexican perspective. My situation was different as I wasn't visiting from my home country (Nigeria/Benin Rep.) directly. I also didn't have to apply for a Mexico visiting visa because I had a valid Canadian visitor visa. I believe you're allowed to visit Mexico if you currently have a valid US, Canada, and Schengen visa. Entry into the country was smooth as it was only ~6 hrs journey flight for me and then immigration just asked why I was there which I said I was visiting. Stamped the passport and went on to take my connection flight from Guadalajara.

I must admit that the notion that has been passed over the years that Mexico is one dilapidated or nonfunctional country is totally false. I won't dive into politics because I'm sure they have their own issues but it is very maintained from looking at the airport. Once you follow the protocols and sign every declaration form you should be fine. Next step was connection flight and finally landing in the city I was visiting.

Since the hotel I was staying in the middle of the city wasn't a 5 star or anything of sorts there wasn't an airport pickup shuttle. I visited the cab office inside the airport and saw the price in MXN$ was around MXN$699. Then I went on to check Uber which works there. I realised it was cheaper to use Uber which was around MXN$200-250. It took me a while about an hour or so to find an Uber driver I couldn't find the first driver who communicated fully in Espanyol. Other drivers kept canceling once they realized the distance was about 40 mins to my final destination. Eventually I found a driver who took me and wow it so funny trying to communicate with him. He would speak in Spanish and I would use my knowledge of French (some words are tad bit similar) to try to answer. We did throughout the whole ride. The other things I couldn't understand from what he said we used google translator. He suggested different places to visit as we drove past tourist sites and mountains. And oh before I forget the Mexicans drive just like how the drivers in Lagos drive. Impatient, fast, and can be aggressive I remembered we witness an accident of two cars. Finally we arrived and did check in and went to sleep.

benpedro:
Mexico

Hello. I don't know if the OP of this thread is still active. I visited Mexico for two weeks and wanted to share my experience/pictures but I don't want to open a new thread. Should I go ahead and post here or open a new thread? Suggestions please.

osasalfred4:





Hello guys am new here, please can I do my PhD in USA with my Nigerian msc ?

Of course you can! You should know this already. Fall semester (August) 2022 should be your aim. What course are you looking to study?

Some recommendations:
1. University of California - Berkeley, Los Angeles, and other campuses
2. University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign - https://grad.illinois.edu/
3. Carnegie Mellon University - https://www.cmu.edu/graduate/prospective-students/index.html
4. Princeton University - https://www.princeton.edu/admission-aid/graduate-admission
5. John Hopkins University - https://www.jhu.edu/admissions/graduate-admissions/
6. University of Maryland, College Park - https://www.gradschool.umd.edu/
7. University of Texas - https://gradschool.utexas.edu/admissions
8. University of Pennsylvania - https://provost.upenn.edu/graduate-admissions
9. University of Oklahoma
10. Howard University
11. University of Minnesota - https://grad.umn.edu/admissions

...and so much more. Do your search online depending on your research interest(s).

Laworldz:
PLEASE GUYS I WILL APPRECIATE YOIR RESPONSE ON THE QUESTION BELOW

Please, if one received funding from school with deficit of $3,000 Who would one put as person paying for the trip. The school/department or my Mom covering the balance and paying for my flight. I’m a PHD student by the way

I think you can fill your department/school on the DS-160 form as the person paying for the trip. During the visa interview, if you are asked you should state that the deficit of $3000 would be covered by your mum while your PI/dept would be funding you with monthly stipend and covering tuition. Congrats on your admission and welcome to the PhD journey.

absoluteSuccess:


Thanks very much for the enlightenment, all the answers are not in one place. My aunt once told me "Fonnu e wa mi". This I take to mean "we originated from the Fon".

I'm not very conversant with the country or her places compare to your first hand experience. I think my folks are from Vacon. There's a place there called "Agonmeh".

Ahouri

This name is the variant of the Yoruba Ohori/Awori/Awonrin/Ahonrin. The Yoruba equally refer the people of the border as "Ohori".

The Fon here are making reference to the closest Yoruba people to them as different from them. Their name for the Yoruba derived from the root awon-orin: the emigrants.

Fon belongs to gbe linguistic family. It's known as fongbe, and if it's spoken, you will be able to comprehend it to some extent if you speak any of the Gugbe variants.

Agbomeh Calavi
Akala-magbo.

Agbomeh/Abomeh: the people of Agbo
Calavi/Kalavi: descent of Kala

Akala-magbo: Akala, omo Agbo.
Awori: omo Agbo dere

Okala/Oka-nla/Ere. This historical motiff pervades the history and culture of the indigenous people. Hence Calavi is equivalent of the Yoruba "awon omo Akala".

The place name derived from the totem, boa constrictor, Ojola. This is rather a covert reminder for Danvotun. Akala thus mean, "able to fold and stretch"

Mi kudo zanzan

pstfrancis:
Hello guys, please a quick one. My PI that I reached out to said she will like to work with me but she also gave me a contact of another of her colleagues that might be interested in working with me. Please will it be ok for me to tell her to put in words about me with that her colleague or I should just go ahead and send mail to the person. Thanks

Hello. Looks like you’re in the science field and most likely looking to do research since you mentioned PI. No you don’t need to tell her to put in any words for you yet. I’d suggest you reach out to the new professor and indicate your research interest to him/her. You can also include in the mail that “Prof. xxxxx suggested we might be a good fit in terms of research.” Make sure you include your CV/Resume and undergraduate transcript if possible. Best.

ayotunde005:
Urgent please :
I applied for Fall 2021, the earliest date I got even after EA is September 10th and school will resume on 23rd August. I have written to the school to defer to spring 2022. Can I still go for the interview on Sept 10 with the fall i20?

Have you been given a new I-20 for Spring?

If you’ve deferred to Spring semester then you can’t go to the visa interview with Fall I-20. Instead write to your school, politely ask if they can permit you to resume late and issue an extension letter.

Adem20:


Guys pls help a brother in need

Adem20:
Guys please I’m confused and in need of help. When I applied for an emergency appointment, the earliest possible date I got was for 26th of August, however, my school resumes on the 23rd so I already booked my flight for Abuja for next week. However, my school wrote to me today that if I can’t make it by the resumption date, I might have to defer my admission to January or take this semester courses online.

After much deliberation, I decided to defer till January since she told me that the visa won’t be granted coz I need to take a minimum of one course on site and it’s too late for that and she is willing to issue me a new I-20 for January and deferment letter.

Now my issue is this, will I be able to interview for January in August? given this rule of you can only interview within 120days to your next resumption date.

Hey there. That’s correct that there’s the 120 days rule which states that F-1 visas can’t be issued no more than 120 days before the start of program. However I came across some info which says it’s alright to go due to covid-19 issues. I’m not totally sure if you can bank on that. I’d advise you to send an email using the feedback on cgi portal to check if it’s OK to still attend in August or send an email to the NIV section of Lagos/Abuja embassy? The other option would be to reschedule.
Maybe some one else on here that has gone through this can give a better insight.

https://oiss.yale.edu/immigration/f-1-students/applying-for-the-f-1-student-visa

Confide22:
Can someone please answer me..? Mbok, ejoor, abeg...

Confide22:
Hi everyone, please I need assistance.
Experienced people in the house, what do y'all think about Tufts university. I just got an 80% tuition fee waiver from the institution to study Data Analytics. Please I really need your advice on where to go from here.... I am confused. Though I know I have always wanted a full tuition fee waiver, but right now I don't know if it's OK to just go ahead with this.

What's your take guys?

Hi. Did you apply to other schools or only Tufts? If you applied to multiple schools and you got full scholarship from one of them then it makes choosing full ride over 80% tuition fee waiver. If latter then the choice lies between your financial capability. Can you and/or your sponsor cover the remaining 20% tuition fee and living expenses? Living in Massachusetts is not cheap just like majority of places in US recently unless you move down south. This should give you an idea of housing cost there -- https://offcampus.tufts.edu/housing

Tufts is a private university and you'd most likely get quality education there followed by surplus job prospect afterwards. Is this MS degree in Data Analytics?

Another piece of advice would be to inquire from your grad coordinator if there's option of getting full tuition fee waiver when you commence after a semester or so from impressive coursework results.

OdogwuEkeke:
Good Morning House,

Please what are the legit businesses a student can do while studying or better still what are the student jobs one can do to survive?

Most especially in Cape Town.

In terms of student jobs in Cape Town, mostly would involve restaurant/bar so think waitering and bartending. Another option would be uber/bolt or food delivery driver.
https://nest.co.za/guide-to-find-student-jobs-cape-town/

MiamiePizza:
I am currently processing admission to university of Wisconsin-stevens point and during the cause of my application, I was asked to provide an admission councillor in order to continue/submit my application. Please how do I go about that?

Not totally sure how UWSP admission work but did they give you an option to select someone? The admission counselor for international student is Karrie Lane.

https://www.uwsp.edu/admissions/Pages/meet-the-counselors/default.aspx

Vahn:
Hi, I submitted an emergency request and i got denied.

When i logged in, i noticed the “emergency request” option is showing again

What do you think please?

Hi! Good morning. Did you attempt to click on the "emergency request" option that is still showing and what happened when you click on it? If it allows you maybe you can give it a shot.

Also, did you include SEVIS payment receipt, signed I-20, DS-160 confirmation page, current visa appt page, MRV fee proof, and a letter informing them of your school's resumption date and the urgency when you requested EA? I think you should reach out to your school's international office and inform them of the difficulty in getting a date. Then politely ask your DSO to draft a visa support letter addressed to the visa issuing officer at the embassy/consulate in Nigeria to grant you an earlier interview date. If you have any letter or funding proof from your graduate advisor (if applicable in your case) please include it too. When do you resume?