Hello VO,

My folks are USC/LPR.
My sis, a USC filed F4 for, my PD is 2007.
My NIV application was always denied I was told by the CO to have either parents file for me but i did not care for it at the time, all i wanted was to be able to visit them, cos i have a really good job.
I finally got a NIV which i used to attend a training & returned to my job. I have a live in partner, we did not get married simply because i did not want my petition cancelled. During the interview, i was asked if i was married and i just answered yes, on my ds160 i had tried to explain the domestic partnership by selecting "common law marriage where i was prompted and mentioned my partner.

A few months after i returned from the training, i got pregnant and wrote the embassy to use the same b1b2 for delivery in the US. At the POE, questions leading had me open up to CBP i stayed unmarried because of my petition although we live like a married couple. She made notes and appeared to understand all i said.

However, the hospital i used had an OB package that required the latest i came into the US was at the end of my 7th month. After i put to bed, i stayed another 2months b4 flying back with my baby. My partner also came during the 4months(close to) i stayed. I paid my bills and returned home. Btw, i am entitled to a total of 4 months maternity time at work. I returned to work immediately i returned.

Now i tried to renew my B1B2 via dropbox for a training sponsored by my job. I was called in and showed all my bills and receipts. The CO had asked what i was doing in te US for 4minths and i told him i had a baby. Showed him the hospital document that required i came in at 7months. I dont know if he could see the recird that showed i even wrote the embassy before using the B1B2 for medicals. Btw this time on my form i filled i was single, he asked if i was married and i explained my domestic partnership. I was denied for "having no ties". I reapplied 2 weeks after because my job has paid a very high amount for the training. I was denied again even after answering all the questions asked including previous travel history which i have alot of cos my siblings and i pick a country every year and we visit for vacation. He asked if i was married and i said yes to avoid stories since i had it clear on my form which i believe he could see, the common law marriage.

Last year, in addition to my sister's petition, my mum finally filed for me just because of the difficulty in getting a NIV. I genuinely am not interested in relocating because i would not leave my job and partner here for any reason. He never even wants to travel, he does not care for it. I honestly just need to attend the training and visit my family during my yearly vacation time (i miss alot of family functions being the only one here )

Fyi my entire family members are either USCs or LPRs. I put that on my form.

The question now is:
Does it make sense to re apply?

How do i know the genuine reason for refusal because i believe the refusal papers are generalized? because i dont mind staying off if they want me to wait till my PD is current.

Is it better to re apply with my partner?

Why an i being denied even after returning and never overstaying? Could it have to do with 2 of my siblings getting the IV through marriage to their partners? I thought each individual is treated independently? How does this interprete in my petition, i have an f4 with 07 PD and an F1 with 2015 PD.

Good day VO,

I have applied for b1/b2 visa to attend business meetings. I have a complete supporting documents from my employer. However I still got denied. I tried to answer the consul's question at its best. But I don't know why they keep denying me my visa. Can you please give me an advise? Thanks a lot.

@abujaniv

Nedum14:
Hello VO,

Please advice.

I have a B1/B2 visa which will expire in May and I am planning to apply for a renewal. I recently changed my name. Do I need to obtain a new passport in my new name before I can apply for the visa renewal? If no, do I need to come with the change of name documents during interview or submit them along with my passport if I qualify for Dropbox? (My current passport is still valid for 3 years).

Also, can I apply for the visa renewal before it expires?

Hello BelieveAndrew,
I don't quite understand the question. If you're married, note that you are "married" on your application. If you're not, note "single." Just be honest and be able to explain the circumstances at your interview. If you have family in the US, it's best to list one of those people as your US contact.
Regards,
Abuja NIV

BelieveAndrew:
Good day house.
Please I want you guys to help me have a better understanding on this issue, I've applied initially for visa with the married status and skipped the interview, because I booked appointment for myself alone and intended to go for annual vacation.
I intend to pay for another visa fees to restart the application, only this time with a single status, since I am traveling alone.
My question is, will the initial information won't still be on record, since I didn't go for the interview and did not thumb print.
Secondly-I have an uncle in New York, but I want to book for hotel reservation against where I will be staying in d same new York. While I use his informations as contact person, I also want to know if this won't trigger an eye brow...
I sincerely need your expertise to throw more light into it.
Thanks :

Hello danosky91.
You can apply again at any time.

danosky91:
Hello house,
pls i would like to know how long can one wait to reapply for visiting visa,after being denied 1 due to less strong ties back home.

Hello Nedum14.
Have a looks at this page:
https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/general/frequently-asked-questions/about-visas-the-basics.html
The relevant portion is:
"If your name has legally changed through marriage, divorce, or a court ordered name change, you will need to obtain a new passport. Once you have a new passport, the Department of State recommends that you apply for a new U.S. visa to make it easier for you to travel to and from the United States."

Nedum14:
Dear AbujaNIV,

My wife and I have legally changed our names and we wish to renew our visas. Our passports in the old names will expire in 2019.

Can we apply for the visa renewal with the passports?

Thank you.

Hello Simplesoul05. How you and your family travels is your business.

Simplesoul05:


Hello Sir/Ma

I plan to embark on a 5 days vacation to Ghana with my wife for a traveling experience while our daughter stay with my mum simply because her passport is not ready yet.
Will this be an issue at the day of interview with US VO if the officer get to know that out daughter did not follow us on this journey?

Hello commante. It's fine if one person speaks for the family. If the visa officer wants to direct specific questions to a family member, we have translators available in many languages.
Best regards, Abuja NIV

commante:
Dear AbujaNIV,
I will be having interview wit my family at d America embassy wit my family but wat is bothering my mind is that my wife is not comfortable speaking English can she be interviewed wit her local language or can I interprete for her during d interview?

Hello boldbabe. They can reapply at anytime. A visa applicant should be able to clearly explain where they want to go and why.

boldbabe:
Hello VO,

Please i am asking this question on behalf of a friend. He and his wife with their two children applied for a B1/B2 Visa in June this year and was denied. The V/O that interviewed them said the state that they were travelling to that Americans don't go there. They were scared as it was their first time of travelling to the USA having travelled as family and they have travelled to the UK three times. Can they reapply?

Hello Horlopz. Minor applicants, those under the age of 18, typically appear with one or both parents, or a legal guardian.

Horlopz:
Hello VO,
Please I want to confirm if it is necessary one is over 18 before one will be allowed into the embassy? In other words, I am 17, can I decide to go on my own the day of my interview.
Thanks.
Lagosniv.
Abujaniv.

Hello Cfo4all. Provided the trip is short term and no work is being performed, the B1/B2 visa is most appropriate. If you are doing religious work in the US, the R1 visa is appropriate.

Cfo4all:
I intend to visit a church in the US that wants to set up a Christian mission outreach in Nigeria through me. Do I need to apply for B2 visa only or is there another type of visa for such visit?

Hello BitterSweet. We don't comment on specific cases. That said, it is legal to give birth in the US on a tourist visa (B1/B2), provided the applicant is open about their intent and is able to pay the medical expenses and other related expenses in full. In effect, you declare your purpose of travel at the initial visa interview and again each time at the port of entry into the US. It is important that you be honest and clear about your intent at every step.

BitterSweet:
Hello,
I was issued a B1/B2 visa in June 2015 and i used the visa when i was 4 months pregnant for a 2 week vacation in August 2016. Since the visa was issued for tourism purpose, do i need to write a letter to the embassy for change of intent since i intend to have my baby in the US?
AbujaNIV

Hello gbegemaster. I think it's easier and more open to list the sibling as a family member in the US. The technical term for a green card holder is a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR). Focus on that middle word: Permanent.

gbegemaster:
Good Day,
Please am hoping you would be able to make this clearer:
I have a sibling who has a green card and is married to a Citizen of the US. However my sibling has a job in Nigeria and stays longer here.
So in answer to the question "Do you have immediate family members in the US"? Is this question by Status or by Current location?
Thanks a lot for the help.

Hi purplecircle. If you're applying for renewal via dropbox, you shouldn't also book an appointment for interview. It's one or the other. You can submit an old passport along with the new one if you're applying via dropbox. For specific question about your profile, contact customer service at support-nigeria@ustraveldocs.com or +23414406218.

purplecircle:
good day VO,
I got a B1/B2 visa that has expired and i want to renew it via the dropbox service. After filling my DS160,and made payment. Trying to book appoitment but i logged in with my old profile for the previous visa. i noticed i cannot change my passport number as my old passport expired in 2015. what do you advice? My D160 carries my new passport nos so also payment confirmation. Should i just go ahead with the appointment using the old expired passport but submit both passports at the dropbox center?
thank you for your response.

Hello daomi. We don't comment on specific cases. You may apply again at any time.

daomi:
Dear vo,I was denied b1/b2 visa 2 yrs ago,214b which I guess to to do wt home ties.my pay then was 150k,am married wt 2 kids age 6 and 2 yrs old,my circumstance have changed cos have gotten a good job with a salary of 325k my question now is am I good to go? I mean to re-apply for tourist visa?

Hello YRRAHERM. It should not be an issue. Explain at the port of entry if you are asked.

YRRAHERM:
Hi guys,I recently got a b1/b2 visa and my point of entry was supposed to be miami.However because of Hurricane mattews and the presence of Zika virus in miami beach I ve decided to head to another state for my vacation.

Can anyone confirm if I'll have issues if I choose another point of entry different from the one I applied with (Miami)especially as this is my first time travelling to the USA.

Tnx

Hello mummykel. In cases where family names (surnames) on passports are different, it is helpful to bring along birth certificates, marriage certificates, and official ID to aid in demonstrating the family relationship.

[quote author=mummykel post=50041638][/quote]

Hello ilymoa. Visitors to the US are expected to pay any medical expenses they occur in full. In the case of childbirth, those expenses do not magically transfer to the newborn, American child. As you can probably appreciate now, healthcare in the US can be quite expensive. Inability to fully pay for medical treatment on previous trips to the US can be grounds for inadmissibility for future trips. Visitors are also expected to comply with the time limits imposed on their visas. It is possible to file for extensions of those time limits with USCIS, though it sounds like you did not do so. The best I can tell you is to apply for visa renewal and be prepared to explain the circumstances to the visa officer.

ilymoa:
Hello AbujaNIV,

Thanks for all you feedback here. It has helped a lot of people. Please let me state in advance that this will be a lengthy one.

Hello 321d. I've truncated your question for space reasons. We can't comment on your specific case, but in general, if a person has stronger ties to the US than their home country, it can be difficult for them to qualify for a nonimmigrant visa. This is especially so if the person in question has concurrent immigrant visa applications.

321d:
Hello VO,

My folks are USC/LPR.
My sis, a USC filed F4 for, my PD is 2007.
My NIV application was always denied I was told by the CO to have either parents file for me but i did not care for it at the time, all i wanted
How do i know the genuine reason for refusal because i believe the refusal papers are generalized? because i dont mind staying off if they want me to wait till my PD is current.

Is it better to re apply with my partner?

Why an i being denied even after returning and never overstaying? Could it have to do with 2 of my siblings getting the IV through marriage to their partners? I thought each individual is treated independently? How does this interprete in my petition, i have an f4 with 07 PD and an F1 with 2015 PD.

Hello Ats2x. Documents are very rarely examined in non-immigrant visa interviews. You may apply again at any time. Be prepared to explain your ties to your home country and your purpose of travel in detail.

Ats2x:
Good day VO,

I have applied for b1/b2 visa to attend business meetings. I have a complete supporting documents from my employer. However I still got denied. I tried to answer the consul's question at its best. But I don't know why they keep denying me my visa. Can you please give me an advise? Thanks a lot.

My fiance had his k1 fiance visa interview set 29 and was denied because the counselor believed we were married. This was in India. I had on traditional dress for the engagement party. But we are not married. Then we were told to apply for marriage visa which we can't because we are not married and have no marriage certificate. One does not exist. We are in the right category. Is there any way to have them take a second look we can take court affadavits proving we were not married. Any help? We reached out to congressman to see if he can be of any help. Please help I can't travel back to India now to marry because we have a 1 month old baby together.

Hello Mercedes428. This is a thread for people in Nigeria who have questions about non-immigrant visas. It sounds like you are talking about an immigrant visa that was initiated in India. You are better off directing your questions elsewhere.

Mercedes428:
My fiance had his k1 fiance visa interview set 29 and was denied because the counselor believed we were married. This was in India. I had on traditional dress for the engagement party. But we are not married. Then we were told to apply for marriage visa which we can't because we are not married and have no marriage certificate. One does not exist. We are in the right category. Is there any way to have them take a second look we can take court affadavits proving we were not married. Any help? We reached out to congressman to see if he can be of any help. Please help I can't travel back to India now to marry because we have a 1 month old baby together.

Dear AbujaNIV,

I was denied a B1/B2 Visa last year January in Lagos. My wife have also been denied 4yrs ago. I was given a 214(b) letter, and then i was single. It was to be a pleasure visit so, i didn't go with an Invitation Letter. I got married mid this year and my elder brother who has a US citizenship status came for my wedding but couldn't come with his family. He wanted us (myself and my wife) to visit him and his family in the USA for Christmas this year so, his wife and kids could meet my wife during our annual leave and Christmas break(2weeks). We have an invitation letter from him. We have applied for a B1/B2 Visa and we are having our interview in Lagos next week. I changed job same January last year. Was working with a private firm with a good salary but the job was not pensionable and salary was always unstable. I luckily got another job with a state government institution and my wife works in a federal government University. Plus i do some private jobs to increase my income streams. I am being owed months of salary by the institution due to the recession in the country. But i make money from my private business which i think is sufficient to take care of our trip. Do you think we have a chance? Thank you.

Dear AbujaNIV,

Thanks for making this channel available, please I would like to register my displeasure with my experience at the Abuja consular today 11Oct 2016 for a scheduled visa interview.

I and a member of my family traveled half way across the country for our scheduled interview for this morning 11Oct , on arrival I found a large number of other applicants schedule for interviews at various slots waiting too. The security informed us that there was an issues with the system, however we all waited in the blistering sun till some minutes past 10am before an officer from your consular came out to address the crowd that has now more than doubled since I arrived. She did apologies and informed us of the issues, however the solutions on offer didn't fairly address those of us that have traveled a long way to get to Abuja. She advised that we either come Thursday or wait till 12pm, and check again if the system is up and running, obviously for most of us with business and family to attend to in our states, we chose to come back by 12pm.

Came back, waited another one hour before we were allowed in by the security men, went through a long queue going through the initial formal check at the point of entry and security checks and then waited again for over another hour inside, standing since all available seats where taken only for all of us waiting to be told again the system still is not working and we would have to come back Friday.

Sadly this didn't take into consideration those of us like my self and many other folks with young children or aged parents who had traveled out of our location into Abuja, in my case I have incurred cost of return flight tickets for two, costing about 50,000naira for each person a total of 100, 000naira also Hotel accommodation of 80,000naira for two nights and taxi transportation cost and feeding cost,and all these would now go to waste since I didn't achieve my aim for coming to Abuja, so I believe you can understand my frustrations,as I can't wait till Friday because of my work, family and other commitments.

We had scheduled this as a one night trip into Abuja and out the next day and now this has not worked out due to no fault of ours.

While I understand, that systems can be unpredictable and may fail without warning, I would expect far better ways the consular handel's such unforseen situations and most importantly take into consideration the unique peculiarities of individual from outside Abuja, the importance of time and efforts it has taken to get to the point of making an application and coming for an interview.

If I had been given the information early enough as to the fact that they system is not working or won't workb and that we can't be interviewed today or even squeezed into the next day because of the volume of applications interview you deal with, personally I think it would have been better, rather than wait from 7am till 3pm and still didn't achieve nothing.

Also why not specifically address those of us who are not resident in Abuja and give further extended dates so if we wish to we could return at a far later date for those who can't wait till Friday due to our other commitments?

Well like I said I don't blame you guys, unfortunately it's a system issues and there's nothing you could do about that, but in the future informing applicants schedule for interview in a more timely manner and taking into consideration our own challenges will make this types of unpleasant experience more understandable.

Thanks for listening.

Best Regards.

Hello 9JAgosurvive. Thank you for writing in to relate your story. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience you and your family had during our systems outage, and I appreciate your patience and understanding. The Embassy was closed on Monday due to a US holiday, so it wasn't till Tuesday morning that the problem was discovered. The systems could not be fixed in time to accommodate any visa interviews on Tuesday, though they are now in working order. We are presently working hard to ensure that applicants who could not be seen that day will be able to get an appointment in the next few days or can reschedule for a later date. I will pass on your concerns, and I apologize once again for trouble.

9JAgosurvive:
Dear AbujaNIV,

Thanks for making this channel available, please I would like to register my displeasure with my experience at the Abuja consular today 11Oct 2016 for a scheduled visa interview.

I and a member of my family traveled half way across the country for our scheduled interview for this morning 11Oct , on arrival I found a large number of other applicants schedule for interviews at various slots waiting too. The security informed us that there was an issues with the system, however we all waited in the blistering sun till some minutes past 10am before an officer from your consular came out to address the crowd that has now more than doubled since I arrived. She did apologies and informed us of the issues, however the solutions on offer didn't fairly address those of us that have traveled a long way to get to Abuja. She advised that we either come Thursday or wait till 12pm, and check again if the system is up and running, obviously for most of us with business and family to attend to in our states, we chose to come back by 12pm.

Came back, waited another one hour before we were allowed in by the security men, went through a long queue going through the initial formal check at the point of entry and security checks and then waited again for over another hour inside, standing since all available seats where taken only for all of us waiting to be told again the system still is not working and we would have to come back Friday.

Sadly this didn't take into consideration those of us like my self and many other folks with young children or aged parents who had traveled out of our location into Abuja, in my case I have incurred cost of return flight tickets for two, costing about 50,000naira for each person a total of 100, 000naira also Hotel accommodation of 80,000naira for two nights and taxi transportation cost and feeding cost,and all these would now go to waste since I didn't achieve my aim for coming to Abuja, so I believe you can understand my frustrations,as I can't wait till Friday because of my work, family and other commitments.

We had scheduled this as a one night trip into Abuja and out the next day and now this has not worked out due to no fault of ours.

While I understand, that systems can be unpredictable and may fail without warning, I would expect far better ways the consular handel's such unforseen situations and most importantly take into consideration the unique peculiarities of individual from outside Abuja, the importance of time and efforts it has taken to get to the point of making an application and coming for an interview.

If I had been given the information early enough as to the fact that they system is not working or won't workb and that we can't be interviewed today or even squeezed into the next day because of the volume of applications interview you deal with, personally I think it would have been better, rather than wait from 7am till 3pm and still didn't achieve nothing.

Also why not specifically address those of us who are not resident in Abuja and give further extended dates so if we wish to we could return at a far later date for those who can't wait till Friday due to our other commitments?

Well like I said I don't blame you guys, unfortunately it's a system issues and there's nothing you could do about that, but in the future informing applicants schedule for interview in a more timely manner and taking into consideration our own challenges will make this types of unpleasant experience more understandable.

Thanks for listening.

Best Regards.

You are the best... An Excellent Customer Relation.

Thank you for writing in to relate your story. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience you and your family had during our systems outage, and I appreciate your patience and understanding. The Embassy was closed on Monday due to a US holiday, so it wasn't till Tuesday morning that the problem was discovered. The systems could not be fixed in time to accommodate any visa interviews on Tuesday, though they are now in working order. We are presently working hard to ensure that applicants who could not be seen that day will be able to get an appointment in the next few days or can reschedule for a later date. I will pass on your concerns, and I apologize once again for trouble.

[/quote]

abujaniv:
Hello 9JAgosurvive. Thank you for writing in to relate your story. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience you and your family had during our systems outage, and I appreciate your patience and understanding. The Embassy was closed on Monday due to a US holiday, so it wasn't till Tuesday morning that the problem was discovered. The systems could not be fixed in time to accommodate any visa interviews on Tuesday, though they are now in working order. We are presently working hard to ensure that applicants who could not be seen that day will be able to get an appointment in the next few days or can reschedule for a later date. I will pass on your concerns, and I apologize once again for trouble.

Many thanks, for your reply. We keep an eye out for the next avaliable date we can book and travel again to Abuja for an interview.

Thanks

Please what doe this mean? Can I still reschedule by cancelling current date if i see this on the screen without having to pay another MRV?

If you cancel this appointment, then you will have exceeded the limit of appointments canceled, and will not be able to schedule another appointment until another MRV fee has been paid.

Hello all are all renewals via drop box guaranteed?? Just wondering

abujaniv:
Hello gbegemaster. I think it's easier and more open to list the sibling as a family member in the US. The technical term for a green card holder is a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR). Focus on that middle word: Permanent.

Gracias!

Hello VannyE. There is no ambiguity in that message. You get a maximum of one chance to change the appointment. After that, you have to pay again.

VannyE:
Please what doe this mean? Can I still reschedule by cancelling current date if i see this on the screen without having to pay another MRV?

If you cancel this appointment, then you will have exceeded the limit of appointments canceled, and will not be able to schedule another appointment until another MRV fee has been paid.