Thank you so much.

Eni997:
It works. Your transaction receipt wiill be sent to your email

Good morning all. Thank to everyone keeping this thread alive with relevant information.
Please i need advice on the way forward.
I got admission into University of Houston Victoria November 2022 to resume January 6th 2023.
With all the issues of getting appointment dates, i could not make it in time.
I spoke with the school about the issue and requested to defer my admission to fall 2023 and i was told that an updated I-20 would be sent in February 2023.

I have been calling and emailing them to send the updated I-20 so that i don't miss out on the dates as they are available now, Till this morning no word.

My questions:
1. is it possible to complete my visa application without an I-20?
2.if No, can i complete visa application and make SEVIS payment with the previous I-20 issued in November?

funmikay:
Good morning all. Thank to everyone keeping this thread alive with relevant information.
Please i need advice on the way forward.
I got admission into University of Houston Victoria November 2022 to resume January 6th 2023.
With all the issues of getting appointment dates, i could not make it in time.
I spoke with the school about the issue and requested to defer my admission to fall 2023 and i was told that an updated I-20 would be sent in February 2023.

I have been calling and emailing them to send the updated I-20 so that i don't miss out on the dates as they are available now, Till this morning no word.

My questions:
1. is it possible to complete my visa application without an I-20?
2.if No, can i complete visa application and make SEVIS payment with the previous I-20 issued in November?

If it's the same school that issued the I-20, the information you need to fill out the DS-160 and book an appointment should be the same.
Don't submit the DS-160 yet but keep the application number handy.

BigIyanga:

I feel that some of those agents come to this chatroom to copy expo and feed their gullible clients

Some Nigerians don't like the truth. They jump like politicians from one agent to another, making inquiries until they land in the nets of the dubious ones who tell them want they want to hear "It can be done."

P.S: I am not justifying the act of the dubious agents, but I feel instead of people coming online and laying the victim card, they should look in the mirror and ask themselves what made them the victim so they can learn from their lessons, esp the ones that are not ignorant about the process.

I know some are victims because they lack information.

I met a victim who said she wasn't given the account statement the agent used in applying for her student visa in Canada when she requested help with her SOP.
The agent provided the documents; is this not supposed to be a red flag?

Just a case of wanting to beat the system, and they end up as shark bait.

Greetings All,

In December 2022, my F1 application was denied. Nevertheless, I was able to secure a deferment of my admission to May 2023 through my school.

Since January, I have been diligently searching my portal for available dates, but to no avail. The message "There are currently no appointments available" has been consistently displayed. I am curious to know if anyone else is experiencing this issue and if there are any immediate solutions.

Once I am able to select a date, I can proceed with my EA application.

Thank you.

Yizzurr:
Greetings All,

In December 2022, my F1 application was denied. Nevertheless, I was able to secure a deferment of my admission to May 2023 through my school.

Since January, I have been diligently searching my portal for available dates, but to no avail. The message "There are currently no appointments available" has been consistently displayed. I am curious to know if anyone else is experiencing this issue and if there are any immediate solutions.

Once I am able to select a date, I can proceed with my EA application.

Thank you.

I am currently in this situation. F1 visa denied on 3rd of March this year. Since then, I have been unable to secure another appointment date.

Dates will be released from time to time according to the embassy so we just keep checking.


If you don't mind...Could you please share the transcript of the interview? So others can learn or help to point out areas you need to improve before your next interview.

Roughfyzay:


I am currently in this situation. F1 visa denied on 3rd of March this year. Since then, I have been unable to secure another appointment date.

Lawal1555:


Yes, instead of Unad, he filled U.I and even added Masters from OAU.

Hmmmm. That's bad. This is on record already. Things these bad agents do for especially B1/B2 applicants.

I wish you the best.

Abokyaly:
Dates will be released from time to time according to the embassy so we just keep checking.


If you don't mind...Could you please share the transcript of the interview? So others can learn or help to point out areas you need to improve before your next interview.

No date is going to be released anything, it’s not up to 6 months that they’ve been denied, hence why they can’t see dates. That’s the rule

Myfavour22:


No date is going to be released anything, it’s not up to 6 months that they’ve been denied, hence why they can’t see dates. That’s the rule

this rule don't work like that anymore. They just have to send a mail to us embassy if its a matter of urgency. Waiting that 6 months doesn't work anymore. U can even see date 3 days after ur previous denial

EazyJ:
Good morning, anyone here interested in practicing F1 interview questions together? Please DM

Please add me 09033255328

infosoftlife:


Some Nigerians don't like the truth. They jump like politicians from one agent to another, making inquiries until they land in the nets of the dubious ones who tell them want they want to hear "It can be done."

P.S: I am not justifying the act of the dubious agents, but I feel instead of people coming online and laying the victim card, they should look in the mirror and ask themselves what made them the victim so they can learn from their lessons, esp the ones that are not ignorant about the process.

I know some are victims because they lack information.

I met a victim who said she wasn't given the account statement the agent used in applying for her student visa in Canada when she requested help with her SOP.
The agent provided the documents; is this not supposed to be a red flag?

Just a case of wanting to beat the system, and they end up as shark bait.

I dont have any problem if people use agents for B1/B2… but F1/F2/J Visa, it clearly shows that an applicant is not interested in doing the basic intellectual work… so how are they going to face their school work, project and research?
I once advised an F1 applicant not use an agent…. They felt I didnt want them to succeed… and they got rejected.

Your interview starts immediately you start filling your school’s application and DS160. Most agents don't know what has been done before visa interview, so they are likely to fill your form with their pre-filled generic answers.
DS160 no dey forget lol

No. They will get dates but have to keep checking. Sometimes they may be lucky to get earlier than new applications sef. So it depends.

Myfavour22:


No date is going to be released anything, it’s not up to 6 months that they’ve been denied, hence why they can’t see dates. That’s the rule

Even themselves. some do not even know how to get an international passport.

BigIyanga:

Visa applicants need to declare one day of national mourning for agents…dem sabi everything but cant help their relatives lol

chibertha:
Even themselves. some do not even know how to get an international passport.

Exactly… they dont like US that much?? Lol

You know them. I hear a lot of them say, "I no like abroad" there is no place like home.
okoroooo

BigIyanga:

Exactly… they dont like US that much?? Lol

What is the best flight booking app? Would anyone recommend wakanow? I'm asking because I need an overall estimate on time. Thank you.

HairStar:
What is the best flight booking app? Would anyone recommend wakanow? I'm asking because I need an overall estimate on time. Thank you.

go to airlines direct: ethiopia,turkish, qatar, delta, united

BigIyanga:

I dont have any problem if people use agents for B1/B2… but F1/F2/J Visa, it clearly shows that an applicant is not interested in doing the basic intellectual work… so how are they going to face their school work, project and research?
I once advised an F1 applicant not use an agent…. They felt I didnt want them to succeed… and they got rejected.

Your interview starts immediately you start filling your school’s application and DS160. Most agents don't know what has been done before visa interview, so they are likely to fill your form with their pre-filled generic answers.
DS160 no dey forget lol

Thing is if you advise an average Nigerian to be careful about using agents, to work on getting their own admission and funding themselves, and that all these things can be done by them, they feel you don't want them to come. You see things like "he's discouraging me from japa" "he doesn't want me to come" . These are obvious desperation. Take your time to figure this thing out and you'll get what you want.

That's why I stop giving them candid advise. Even if I see one without funding coming for PhD, instead of me to tell him to convince the school to give him funding, I'll rather advise him to come because it is easy to pick $50,000 on the street in the US. That's what they want to hear. Anything contrary, you become their enemy

Please house,after the acceptance of my admission offer,what do I do next?

Use wakanow or booking.com to compare, but please make sure to buy from the airlines directly.

HairStar:
What is the best flight booking app? Would anyone recommend wakanow? I'm asking because I need an overall estimate on time. Thank you.

Gbam

Rdfactor:


Thing is if you advise an average Nigerian to be careful about using agents, to work on getting their own admission and funding themselves, and that all these things can be done by them, they feel you don't want them to come. You see things like "he's discouraging me from japa" "he doesn't want me to come" . These are obvious desperation. Take your time to figure this thing out and you'll get what you want.

That's why I stop giving them candid advise. Even if I see one without funding coming for PhD, instead of me to tell him to convince the school to give him funding, I'll rather advise him to come because it is easy to pick $50,000 on the street in the US. That's what they want to hear. Anything contrary, you become their enemy

your school should advise you on the next steps.

I-20 ETC

So reach out to them or wait for them to send you the instructions.

Tehilla23:
Please house,after the acceptance of my admission offer,what do I do next?

Rdfactor:


Thing is if you advise an average Nigerian to be careful about using agents, to work on getting their own admission and funding themselves, and that all these things can be done by them, they feel you don't want them to come. You see things like "he's discouraging me from japa" "he doesn't want me to come" . These are obvious desperation. Take your time to figure this thing out and you'll get what you want.

That's why I stop giving them candid advise. Even if I see one without funding coming for PhD, instead of me to tell him to convince the school to give him funding, I'll rather advise him to come because it is easy to pick $50,000 on the street in the US. That's what they want to hear. Anything contrary, you become their enemy

Boss,
I am struggling to arrange this POF of a thing as I don’t have enough fund in my own account. I however can get the all the required documents from company if I want to use them as my sponsor on paper and get my I-20. Please, I want to know your opinion on that please.

idirect:

Boss,
I am struggling to arrange this POF of a thing as I don’t have enough fund in my own account. I however can get the all the required documents from company if I want to use them as my sponsor on paper and get my I-20. Please, I want to know your opinion on that please.

It depends on the length of the program you're planning to do. While it's easier to wiggle through a Ms program without funding since it's a 2yrs program, once you have support from home, place of work, your savings and the little hustle you are able to do on Campus trying to raise money, the same can't be said of PhD (it's a 5-6 yrs program). I don't advise people to take PhD admissions without funding. Working shifts to raise $30k tuition per year isn't as easy as you've been told.

That said, if it's a PhD, I'll advise you seek funding. Even if it means you'll reapply to better schools that'll give you funding+admit. You'll get one as Long as you do the right thing. Even if it means you have to stay 6months more in Nigeria to seek for funding, do it, it's worth it. The stress of school+ the stress of looking for Money to pay your tuition will backfire no matter what anyone tells you.

If it's a Masters degree without funding and you have enough savings or you have alternative means of getting money, it's fine. It's Only for two years, and things get easier after that.

The point here is make sure the POF you want to use will be one that's consistent, one that will sustain you through the program.

You need to have help from somewhere. Otherwise paying your way through $30k every year is crazy. Funding is important. And getting one is easy if you put in the work. Even if you work 24hrs nonstop for 6months at McDonalds, you might not be able to raise this type of money.

My advise is that make sure you have the means to pay your tuition; either through an assistantship, your own savings, company's money, family fund or other means. I'm saying this because I know how it is.

Rdfactor:


It depends on the length of the program you're planning to do. While it's easier to wiggle through a Ms program without funding since it's a 2yrs program, once you have support from home, place of work, your savings and the little hustle you are able to do on Campus trying to raise money, the same can't be said of PhD (it's a 5-6 yrs program). I don't advise people to take PhD admissions without funding. Working shifts to raise $30k tuition per year isn't as easy as you've been told.

That said, if it's a PhD, I'll advise you seek funding. Even if it means you'll reapply to better schools that'll give you funding+admit. You'll get one as Long as you do the right thing. Even if it means you have to stay 6months more in Nigeria to seek for funding, do it, it's worth it. The stress of school+ the stress of looking for Money to pay your tuition will backfire no matter what anyone tells you.

If it's a Masters degree without funding and you have enough savings or you have alternative means of getting money, it's fine. It's Only for two years, and things get easier after that.

The point here is make sure the POF you want to use will be one that's consistent, one that will sustain you through the program.

Thank you for your prompt response.
The admission I got is MSc and the tuition is around 20k after deduction of scholarship
The POF I want to use is just for me to wiggle through I-20 and visa process. Do you think I can hustle this over there with a little support from home please? And most importantly, do I have a shot for my I-20 and visa application if I use my company details as my POF

mantics:


Hmmmm. That's bad. This is on record already. Things these bad agents do for especially B1/B2 applicants.

I wish you the best.

Thank you for your response.

So many questions running through my mind.

Will I be interviewed based on the previous DS 160 or the current one?

Do they have the workforce to check the previous DS 160 of over 200k apps in Nigeria before the interview?

Do they have the technology that automatically picks inconsistency in the previous/current DS160 during the interview?

It became a source of worry because I was opportune to have my previous ds160 available after seven years. What about people who jumped from one agent to another with different ds160 information and later secured visas?

I’m not trying to be smarter here, but I am only trying to give myself some courage and reason to get it right.

idirect:

Thank you for your prompt response.
The admission I got is MSc and the tuition is around 20k after deduction of scholarship
The POF I want to use is just for me to wiggle through I-20 and visa process. Do you think I can hustle this over there with a little support from home please? And most importantly, do I have a shot for my I-20 and visa application if I use my company details as my POF

Great. That sounds good. $20k. If you have other supports, this isn't hard. When you take your company's account to the embassy, what they want to know is why your organization is spending this much on you to go to school. Your job is to convince them why. And that's easy. Just provide your school with what they need And they'll issue your I-20.

Also, when you resume or before you resume, find a way to contact the school to discuss about how you can get a GA role outside your department if your department can't offer u a TA. With that you will be able to offset your tuition and still have some stipends to yourself at the end of the month. These roles are usually advertised at The begining of the semester

You nailed it

Rdfactor:


It depends on the length of the program you're planning to do. While it's easier to wiggle through a Ms program without funding since it's a 2yrs program, once you have support from home, place of work, your savings and the little hustle you are able to do on Campus trying to raise money, the same can't be said of PhD (it's a 5-6 yrs program). I don't advise people to take PhD admissions without funding. Working shifts to raise $30k tuition per year isn't as easy as you've been told.

That said, if it's a PhD, I'll advise you seek funding. Even if it means you'll reapply to better schools that'll give you funding+admit. You'll get one as Long as you do the right thing. Even if it means you have to stay 6months more in Nigeria to seek for funding, do it, it's worth it. The stress of school+ the stress of looking for Money to pay your tuition will backfire no matter what anyone tells you.

If it's a Masters degree without funding and you have enough savings or you have alternative means of getting money, it's fine. It's Only for two years, and things get easier after that.

The point here is make sure the POF you want to use will be one that's consistent, one that will sustain you through the program.

You need to have help from somewhere. Otherwise paying your way through $30k every year is crazy. Funding is important. And getting one is easy if you put in the work. Even if you work 24hrs nonstop for 6months at McDonalds, you might not be able to raise this type of money.

My advise is that make sure you have the means to pay your tuition; either through an assistantship, your own savings, company's money, family fund or other means. I'm saying this because I know how it is.

Lawal1555:


Thank you for your response.

So many questions running through my mind.

Will I be interviewed based on the previous DS 160 or the current one?

Do they have the workforce to check the previous DS 160 of over 200k apps in Nigeria before the interview?

Do they have the technology that automatically picks inconsistency in the previous/current DS160 during the interview?

It became a source of worry because I was opportune to have my previous ds160 available after seven years. What about people who jumped from one agent to another with different ds160 information and later secured visas?

I’m not trying to be smarter here, but I am only trying to give myself some courage and reason to get it right.

No. Embassy has never and will never start to study your DS160 before you appear for interview. This myth is something that has consistently found its way into social media in Nigeria especially where US F1 Visa is being discussed. And I thought anyone could have debunk this myth by now

The reason is simple. Officers don't have time to do this. Your DS160 Only appears Infront of his computer when he collect your passport to scan. And you need to be there before they do this .

These officers have been trained on what they look for on your ds160. They match the consistency of what you're telling them with what you filed on your DS160. And in fact this can be done within 2mins maximum.

While at it, you still need to understand that approving your visa is at the discretion of the officer interviewing you. And these officers have denied visa for baseless of reasons that we sometimes don't even understand. And that's why people try again.

When you want to reapply, use a new ds160,your circumstances have changed; within these years, COVID happened, your girlfriend broke up with u, your dog died, you've added weight. So these officers are not expecting your condition to still be the same after 7yrs, Except the information that don't change, like you date or birth

chibertha:
You nailed it

Lol. Thanks. Are you studying? PhD or. Ms? Looks like we exchanged comments before

Rdfactor:


Great. That sounds good. $20k. If you have other supports, this isn't hard. When you take your company's account to the embassy, what they want to know is why your organization is spending this much on you to go to school. Your job is to convince them why. And that's easy. Just provide your school with what they need And they'll issue your I-20.

Also, when you resume or before you resume, find a way to contact the school to discuss about how you can get a GA role outside your department if your department can't offer u a TA. With that you will be able to offset your tuition and still have some stipends to yourself at the end of the month. These roles are usually advertised at The begining of the semester

Thank you for your response boss. You took your time to address my concerns. Thank you.

I hope to God I can convince them as to why my organization is sponsoring me sha, I hope so.

I will reach out to the school as advised