uchee:



Thank you!

This was my continuation of the last recommendation given as seen below attached.
However after going through the process and logging in my own ds160 number was updated but it did not reflect appointment Coverage for the 3 of Us (that’s my kids inclusive)
i tried then to reach out to their helps desk requesting possible lining of them to my appointment Scheduled already and they informed that that will not be possible as “ they both have their Individual Profile already and cannot be linked to mine. Meanwhile their profile created on CGI am unable to Access it yet and have called their helpline for a new password which they will say they will send but have not done till now. Intend to still call them though.
As of now i don’t know what their own application status is especially considering i have filled another ds160 for them both.
Just thought i should provide this update .

Hey 🤠

@uchee

1. Did not know it was you . You have actually gone in the way of IW interview waiver in your application hence the complications you are experiencing.

2. Naturally , you do not have to create a separate CGI profile for your kids or minors (except if you are renewing your visas IW). All you have to do is include them in your application via DS-160 like i directed you.

3. Attend your interview and submit your kids application on the day of your interview. Your would-be consular will tell you want you need to do if you have not done it well. Dont be afraid , at worst the consular can place you on 221g and ask you to come back.


Best Wishes 🙏

OyoTunjiUSA:



Hey 🤠

1. After updating, wait for 72hrs (or 3-days) and logback to your cgi. Click on "appointment " and it will give you options to ; either download appointment or e-mail appointment.

2. Any of the options you chose above will give you opportunity to print our a new visa appointment letter which will contain your new DS-160 confirmation number.


Best Wishes 🙏

Thank you!

This was my continuation of the last recommendation given as seen below attached.
However after going through the process and logging in my own ds160 number was updated but it did not reflect appointment Coverage for the 3 of Us (that’s my kids inclusive)
i tried then to reach out to their helps desk requesting possible lining of them to my appointment Scheduled already and they informed that that will not be possible as “ they both have their Individual Profile already and cannot be linked to mine. Meanwhile their profile created on CGI am unable to Access it yet and have called their helpline for a new password which they will say they will send but have not done till now. Intend to still call them though.
As of now i don’t know what their own application status is especially considering i have filled another ds160 for them both.
Just thought i should provide this update .

flourishing247:


You have to go to your profile and remove your child as a dependent. Or hold on and call the embassy on Monday to do it. Now, don't book an appointment before your sort out your child's own except you live in lagos or Abuja. This is to reduce expenses. Book Your appointment for the same day.

Thanks .

Please i want you to know i had already filed individual ds160 for each one of us before this issue came up.
Also sequel to the above message i got while trying to scheudle him i had gone ahead to confirm the transfer and then uploaded his data page as i was requested to do same earlier today . And got a message that “i will be contacted by email once my request is approved and my account is changed” this i got on my Son’s profile.


i called the embassy today and after much difficulty in getting someone to attend )as they kept saying the network was not clear) he requested for my son biodata details and then asked me to log back to his profile and fill in his details in the the Ustravel doc platform to schedule appointment but i tried logging in with his details but was getting error message attached below , even though am sure of the email and password inputted.
i then left it.

Case 2
My daughter i created a profile for her and after filling her details i got a message on the screen again as i did get for my son above saying details match an already existing profile on database that do i want to transfer also. So i just logged out at this point .

i went to sign in to my Own profile which is still awainrg their feedback mail on approval to continue with appointment schedule by the way . i selected the option of update Profile but it did not provide me with dependent details of any sort that will allow me edit . i didn’t see my kids details on my profile on the USTRAVEL DOC.

So please what do i do now?
For my daughter do i still go ahead and accept a transfer and upload her data page?
Am at a crossroad here and need ASSISTANCE to resolve and be able to complete there scheduling and submit their MRV as well .

Looking forward to hearing from you GURUs in the house . So i can get it done with and be sure .
Thanks in anticipation

nuttycaptain:



i agree with the posters on this one. Speaking from experience.
2 years ago, i got a new passport the Friday before the Monday of my interview. Didn't know i could actually update the ds160 ( i'm not sure i even knew how then). Went to the embassy with both the old passport and the new one. Presented the old one (didn't have 3 consecutive blank pages) and during the interview the VO asked if i had a new passport, which i promptly presented. Good thing is the old passport number is annotated on the data page of the new passport.

Last year october i came to the thread to ask if anyone had a similar experience because it was my mom but i didn’t get a response, i called the embassy they told me to tell her to bring both passports and there was no issue they put the visa on the new passport. i came back to update the thread on how it worked then. Afterwards a few people posted they did same thing.

Eriokanmi:
You're kinda worried about your situation. You need to be calm. Refusal under 221g via IW or other means isn't a denial. It simply means they need some clarification on your proposed visit and to do this, you'd have a date with a consular officer in a face-to-face interview. 90% of the time, 221g situation results in approval of a visa. A lot of factors could be responsible for this. If you overstayed during your previous trips, you'd need to explain why. If you gave birth with your B1/B2 visa, you'd need to show up for an interview and explain why. You may be asked to show proofs you paid in full and you didn't enjoy any support to offset your bills, e.g, health insurance or other means. If your purpose of visit isn't cleanly defined in your ds160 too, you'd need to provide details.

Guy, your passport will be sent back to you, wait for it. Under 221g, one cap doesn't fit all so, every applicant is treated on a case by case basis. A letter will accompany your passport which contains different refusal reasons. The VO who adjudicated on your case would tick the reason you were refused and what you need to do next...some, only ds160 and appointment printout page with passport will be requested to be brought during the interview. To others, medical bills , letters and other documents will be requested. Some parents couid be asked for finger printing of their child as well.

A refusal under 221g( administrative processing) doesn't mean you weren't qualified for IW. If you weren't qualified, you wouldn't have received an approval mail to submit your documents to a DHL office with a date in the first place. When you chose IW on the cgi portal, you received a notification that your application would be reviewed and if approved, you'd receive a mail to schedule a date for doc submission, which you did, right? A robot didn't send that approval mail, neither was it an auto response so, that's a proof you qualified for the IW.

My cousin just called. He attended his follow-up appointment yesterday. In the 221g letter which accompanied his passport, he was instructed to only print his ds160 confirmation page, bring the 221g letter, his passport and his follow-up appointment letter for his appointment. The VO didn't ask much questions after the exchange of greetings. He only asked for his passport and...how long are you staying? His visa was approved. He said to me one thing, which i'd like to draw the attention of those with 221g to. He said he checked ceac website weeks after his refusal in March and realised its been updated twice despite being refused. This seems to me that 221g isn't a total denial as many may have thought. They need to check some other things about the applicant which could mean going as far as their home office to fetch some information about you and as they're doing that, they're updating your status. He was refused in March but His status was updated 5th April and 26th April respectively and he saw the first follow-up appointment dates as released the following day, being 27th meaning, ( in my opinion though), they were done with the administrative processing and he should now pick a date for his follow-up interview. He missed that slot as all the dates had disappeared by the time he checked later. He saw the date again this week and booked 4th May He said he kept checking the ceac and cgi randomly in case the status would change to something else, despite being refused, only to discover a change in the date twice

My candid advice...especially fist time applicants, always use your visa for the purpose it was meant, to avoid administrative processing or any form of delay when it's time for your visa renewal. Drop box is a great opportunity which would take a lot of stress and anxiety off your neck so always take advantage of this by playing by embassy's visa rules, now that they're issuing 5 years...that's a lot. Only Canadian embassy had done that once and it was 4 years, Germany did that to me once as well, on a renewed passport. They said i don't have to always come to them, based on my application history. The drop box i had enjoyed for nearly 20 years now, hitch-free. i don't need to see most embassy's faces....just by simply playing by their rules.

Good luck to all in my cousin's shoes.

Good day.
Pls seeing as you are well vested in these issues, i’d like to throw my complaint directly at you….. pls.

i’d submitted my docs at surulere for the iw process. i’d been checking ceac at least every other day for updates and between 21st of April and 3rd of May (almost 7 weeks), my status had been updated over 8 times.

However, on the evening of May 3rd, the update changed to no status.
On (4th May) Thursday morning my cgi updated to “your passport has been sent from the consular office and is being processed for delivery.

On Friday (today) i got a mail that my passport is ready for pickup at my chosen location.
Immediately i went to ceac and the status is still on “no status”.
Went to cgi and it says passport ready for pick up.
All this is novel for me and i’m kinda confused. i don’t know what this means , i can’t even call the embassy till Monday.
Pls if you have an idea or anything at all that’ll guide me, pls help as i’m getting worried and wondering how to wait through the entire weekend.

Thank you.

Please who did you call or reach out to when you had issues with updating the new ds-160 on the CGI portal

Dronequeen:
Visa alert. Let me share my story in the spirit of giving back. i applied with my daughter
First time applying to the US
we applied for a visa at the beginning of 2022 and got a date in 2023. We initially wanted to go on summer vacation, but had to change our plans and applied to the UK, got our visa, went on vacation and came back.

Before we went to the uk, dates got freed up due to the interview waiver and we got a date for late 2022. i did all the booking by myself, with no agent and God by my side.

A month to the interview date, we filled a new DS 160 form, snapped new photographs, and updated it on my appointment page, i had difficulty filling the form, it just kept logging me out and i also had difficulty adding the newly completed ds160 form for my daughter, i had to call the embassy and they helped me to update it. A few weeks to the interview date, our appointment was moved but thank God the change in date was for just about a week.

i printed our confirmation pages, hard copies of our passport photographs and our payment receipt. Our appointment was supposed to be for 11.00am but we got to Walter carrington at about 6.30am, joined the queue, we had to drop our bags, phones in the car, no smart watches allowed, no sharp objects, no keys.

After about an hour on the queue we were ushered into the interview building, i did my biometrics and joined the queue for the interview. Blue papers were just flying about. All through only one white paper and the man is a frequent traveler.

i stayed on the queue and was directed to the 4th window, a woman.
She asked for my name, asked for my occupation, asked why i am traveling to the US and the duration of my visit. Asked where i would be staying, i had booked hotel reservations and she asked why i would be visiting the US, i told her my daughter has been dreaming about visiting all the fun places . She asked for my husband's occupation and why he is not traveling with us. Also asked for places we have been together. Asked if i have family in the US

She typed for long, she spent a lot of time typing, we were probably there for the duration for three sets of interview session. She finally said she would place us on AP and returned our passports to us gave us a white slip that ticked that we didn't need to provide any documents and then the wait began. i felt really bad because i thought it would end in a refusal, ans also because my only purpose in the US is tourism, i dont have any intentions of overstaying.

When i tracked the application it showed refused and some things about AP, after 2 working days we were called to drop our passports. After 6 working days it changed to approved , after 2 working days it changed to issued and the next working day we were contacted to pick up our passports.

i wish to thank all the wonderful people on this platform for sharing their experiences, it sure goes a long way. Note that no document was requested from me. All the documents i took along was not requested for

congratulation ma,

USA one of the Game of Luck Visa Embassy in Nigeria..

Dronequeen:
Visa alert. Let me share my story in the spirit of giving back. i applied with my daughter
First time applying to the US
we applied for a visa at the beginning of 2022 and got a date in 2023. We initially wanted to go on summer vacation, but had to change our plans and applied to the UK, got our visa, went on vacation and came back.

Before we went to the uk, dates got freed up due to the interview waiver and we got a date for late 2022. i did all the booking by myself, with no agent and God by my side.

A month to the interview date, we filled a new DS 160 form, snapped new photographs, and updated it on my appointment page, i had difficulty filling the form, it just kept logging me out and i also had difficulty adding the newly completed ds160 form for my daughter, i had to call the embassy and they helped me to update it. A few weeks to the interview date, our appointment was moved but thank God the change in date was for just about a week.

i printed our confirmation pages, hard copies of our passport photographs and our payment receipt. Our appointment was supposed to be for 11.00am but we got to Walter carrington at about 6.30am, joined the queue, we had to drop our bags, phones in the car, no smart watches allowed, no sharp objects, no keys.

After about an hour on the queue we were ushered into the interview building, i did my biometrics and joined the queue for the interview. Blue papers were just flying about. All through only one white paper and the man is a frequent traveler.

i stayed on the queue and was directed to the 4th window, a woman.
She asked for my name, asked for my occupation, asked why i am traveling to the US and the duration of my visit. Asked where i would be staying, i had booked hotel reservations and she asked why i would be visiting the US, i told her my daughter has been dreaming about visiting all the fun places . She asked for my husband's occupation and why he is not traveling with us. Also asked for places we have been together. Asked if i have family in the US

She typed for long, she spent a lot of time typing, we were probably there for the duration for three sets of interview session. She finally said she would place us on AP and returned our passports to us gave us a white slip that ticked that we didn't need to provide any documents and then the wait began. i felt really bad because i thought it would end in a refusal, ans also because my only purpose in the US is tourism, i dont have any intentions of overstaying.

When i tracked the application it showed refused and some things about AP, after 2 working days we were called to drop our passports. After 6 working days it changed to approved , after 2 working days it changed to issued and the next working day we were contacted to pick up our passports.

i wish to thank all the wonderful people on this platform for sharing their experiences, it sure goes a long way. Note that no document was requested from me. All the documents i took along was not requested for

Congratulations �

Dronequeen:
Visa alert. Let me share my story in the spirit of giving back. i applied with my daughter
First time applying to the US
we applied for a visa at the beginning of 2022 and got a date in 2023. We initially wanted to go on summer vacation, but had to change our plans and applied to the UK, got our visa, went on vacation and came back.

Before we went to the uk, dates got freed up due to the interview waiver and we got a date for late 2022. i did all the booking by myself, with no agent and God by my side.

A month to the interview date, we filled a new DS 160 form, snapped new photographs, and updated it on my appointment page, i had difficulty filling the form, it just kept logging me out and i also had difficulty adding the newly completed ds160 form for my daughter, i had to call the embassy and they helped me to update it. A few weeks to the interview date, our appointment was moved but thank God the change in date was for just about a week.

i printed our confirmation pages, hard copies of our passport photographs and our payment receipt. Our appointment was supposed to be for 11.00am but we got to Walter carrington at about 6.30am, joined the queue, we had to drop our bags, phones in the car, no smart watches allowed, no sharp objects, no keys.

After about an hour on the queue we were ushered into the interview building, i did my biometrics and joined the queue for the interview. Blue papers were just flying about. All through only one white paper and the man is a frequent traveler.

i stayed on the queue and was directed to the 4th window, a woman.
She asked for my name, asked for my occupation, asked why i am traveling to the US and the duration of my visit. Asked where i would be staying, i had booked hotel reservations and she asked why i would be visiting the US, i told her my daughter has been dreaming about visiting all the fun places . She asked for my husband's occupation and why he is not traveling with us. Also asked for places we have been together. Asked if i have family in the US

She typed for long, she spent a lot of time typing, we were probably there for the duration for three sets of interview session. She finally said she would place us on AP and returned our passports to us gave us a white slip that ticked that we didn't need to provide any documents and then the wait began. i felt really bad because i thought it would end in a refusal, ans also because my only purpose in the US is tourism, i dont have any intentions of overstaying.

When i tracked the application it showed refused and some things about AP, after 2 working days we were called to drop our passports. After 6 working days it changed to approved , after 2 working days it changed to issued and the next working day we were contacted to pick up our passports.

i wish to thank all the wonderful people on this platform for sharing their experiences, it sure goes a long way. Note that no document was requested from me. All the documents i took along was not requested for

Visa alert. Let me share my story in the spirit of giving back. i applied with my daughter
First time applying to the US
we applied for a visa at the beginning of 2022 and got a date in 2023. We initially wanted to go on summer vacation, but had to change our plans and applied to the UK, got our visa, went on vacation and came back.

Before we went to the uk, dates got freed up due to the interview waiver and we got a date for late 2022. i did all the booking by myself, with no agent and God by my side.

A month to the interview date, we filled a new DS 160 form, snapped new photographs, and updated it on my appointment page, i had difficulty filling the form, it just kept logging me out and i also had difficulty adding the newly completed ds160 form for my daughter, i had to call the embassy and they helped me to update it. A few weeks to the interview date, our appointment was moved but thank God the change in date was for just about a week.

i printed our confirmation pages, hard copies of our passport photographs and our payment receipt. Our appointment was supposed to be for 11.00am but we got to Walter carrington at about 6.30am, joined the queue, we had to drop our bags, phones in the car, no smart watches allowed, no sharp objects, no keys.

After about an hour on the queue we were ushered into the interview building, i did my biometrics and joined the queue for the interview. Blue papers were just flying about. All through only one white paper and the man is a frequent traveler.

i stayed on the queue and was directed to the 4th window, a woman.
She asked for my name, asked for my occupation, asked why i am traveling to the US and the duration of my visit. Asked where i would be staying, i had booked hotel reservations and she asked why i would be visiting the US, i told her my daughter has been dreaming about visiting all the fun places . She asked for my husband's occupation and why he is not traveling with us. Also asked for places we have been together. Asked if i have family in the US

She typed for long, she spent a lot of time typing, we were probably there for the duration for three sets of interview session. She finally said she would place us on AP and returned our passports to us gave us a white slip that ticked that we didn't need to provide any documents and then the wait began. i felt really bad because i thought it would end in a refusal, ans also because my only purpose in the US is tourism, i dont have any intentions of overstaying.

When i tracked the application it showed refused and some things about AP, after 2 working days we were called to drop our passports. After 6 working days it changed to approved , after 2 working days it changed to issued and the next working day we were contacted to pick up our passports.

i wish to thank all the wonderful people on this platform for sharing their experiences, it sure goes a long way. Note that no document was requested from me. All the documents i took along was not requested for

Enjoymentman:
Shout out to everyone doing helpful contributions here ��

Please i hope someone can give me meaningful advise too

i am going for an US appointment next week and i am getting about some things . i lost my my mother few months ago and the burial was scheduled to take place last Friday in California but we tried hard to get emergency appointment which was denied 2 times but was later approved after i paid the 3rd visa fee and also changed my location to abuja .

The interview date me and my siblings got was a date after the burial so i don’t know if the letter from the funeral home inviting us for the burial of our mother can still count . i plan to tell them that i want to go and visit my mothers grave in order to have a closure and also attend the celebration of life which is scheduled to take place in September. i don’t know if they can still issue the visa since the burial has been done . My mother was only in US for visit and lockdown happened and few months later we found she had cancer so she couldn’t travel again till she died there .

i don’t even have plans of staying back in the US, what documents do i need to show them and what kind of questions should i be expecting from them.

i wondering if i should fill a new ds160 form and update it since the dates have changed or should i stick the the old form which had July 1st as expected time to travel ?

This was not a group application but in the form they asked if there are people i am traveling with and i wrote my siblings name , i wondering if this will affect my application negatively so they don’t think we won’t come back. One of my siblings is working in a government firm and will sponsor himself while my sister just finished Waec and my friend will act as her sponsor. i don’t know if that will make sense

i reserved a hotel through a 3rd party called booking.com , i don’t know if it is fine to use reservation from such site for US visas , for my sister we got a letter from a friend in US as a where she will be staying, we don’t know if we should reserve a hotel room for her too than saying that she will stay with someone ?

Please i need possible answers and advises ��

Since this is an emergency appointment. You’re good to go visit your mother grave. Just be honest and by truthful. The VO will ask for any documents. update your DS-160 form with new travel date to reflect your wish to attend your mother celebration of life. Plan to stay with relatives, and confirm that your mother did not use public fund for her treatment, as you may be ask by the VO. Since you did not do a group appointment, i can not evaluate the chances of your siblings as they may be interviewed by a different VO.

If she didn't make use of public funds for her treatment, you are good to go.

Enjoymentman:
Shout out to everyone doing helpful contributions here ��

Please i hope someone can give me meaningful advise too

i am going for an US appointment next week and i am getting about some things . i lost my my mother few months ago and the burial was scheduled to take place last Friday in California but we tried hard to get emergency appointment which was denied 2 times but was later approved after i paid the 3rd visa fee and also changed my location to abuja .

The interview date me and my siblings got was a date after the burial so i don’t know if the letter from the funeral home inviting us for the burial of our mother can still count . i plan to tell them that i want to go and visit my mothers grave in order to have a closure and also attend the celebration of life which is scheduled to take place in September. i don’t know if they can still issue the visa since the burial has been done . My mother was only in US for visit and lockdown happened and few months later we found she had cancer so she couldn’t travel again till she died there .

i don’t even have plans of staying back in the US, what documents do i need to show them and what kind of questions should i be expecting from them.

i wondering if i should fill a new ds160 form and update it since the dates have changed or should i stick the the old form which had July 1st as expected time to travel ?

This was not a group application but in the form they asked if there are people i am traveling with and i wrote my siblings name , i wondering if this will affect my application negatively so they don’t think we won’t come back. One of my siblings is working in a government firm and will sponsor himself while my sister just finished Waec and my friend will act as her sponsor. i don’t know if that will make sense

i reserved a hotel through a 3rd party called booking.com , i don’t know if it is fine to use reservation from such site for US visas , for my sister we got a letter from a friend in US as a where she will be staying, we don’t know if we should reserve a hotel room for her too than saying that she will stay with someone ?

Please i need possible answers and advises ��

Enjoymentman:
Shout out to everyone doing helpful contributions here ��

Please i hope someone can give me meaningful advise too

i am going for an US appointment next week and i am getting about some things . i lost my my mother few months ago and the burial was scheduled to take place last Friday in California but we tried hard to get emergency appointment which was denied 2 times but was later approved after i paid the 3rd visa fee and also changed my location to abuja .

The interview date me and my siblings got was a date after the burial so i don’t know if the letter from the funeral home inviting us for the burial of our mother can still count . i plan to tell them that i want to go and visit my mothers grave in order to have a closure and also attend the celebration of life which is scheduled to take place in September. i don’t know if they can still issue the visa since the burial has been done . My mother was only in US for visit and lockdown happened and few months later we found she had cancer so she couldn’t travel again till she died there .

i don’t even have plans of staying back in the US, what documents do i need to show them and what kind of questions should i be expecting from them.

i wondering if i should fill a new ds160 form and update it since the dates have changed or should i stick the the old form which had July 1st as expected time to travel ?

This was not a group application but in the form they asked if there are people i am traveling with and i wrote my siblings name , i wondering if this will affect my application negatively so they don’t think we won’t come back. One of my siblings is working in a government firm and will sponsor himself while my sister just finished Waec and my friend will act as her sponsor. i don’t know if that will make sense

i reserved a hotel through a 3rd party called booking.com , i don’t know if it is fine to use reservation from such site for US visas , for my sister we got a letter from a friend in US as a where she will be staying, we don’t know if we should reserve a hotel room for her too than saying that she will stay with someone ?

Please i need possible answers and advises ��

Don’t complicate the process

Why is your sister being sponsored by a friend. Her siblings and nuclear family is picking her bills. Prevent anything that leads to multiple questions.
It’s fine to go to the US and visit your mums gravesite, but you have to communicate this as quickly as possible within the small window giving for reason of visit during the interview.
What date is the celebration of life event? Hope it’s not too far from your intended travel date?
To demonstrate returning to Nigeria your economic and work history (list in ds160) and confidently talk about it at the interview.
i don’t know about documents for this.
Hotel reservations is okay, but if your mum had accommodation in the US all through the whole, isn’t that a place you can also list as a 2nd option?
Siblings all going for the same purpose should at the least have same accommodation plans. A friend housing your sister who is being sponsored by another friend when her siblings are in same place is too many here and there.

Shout out to everyone doing helpful contributions here ��

Please i hope someone can give me meaningful advise too

i am going for an US appointment next week and i am getting about some things . i lost my my mother few months ago and the burial was scheduled to take place last Friday in California but we tried hard to get emergency appointment which was denied 2 times but was later approved after i paid the 3rd visa fee and also changed my location to abuja .

The interview date me and my siblings got was a date after the burial so i don’t know if the letter from the funeral home inviting us for the burial of our mother can still count . i plan to tell them that i want to go and visit my mothers grave in order to have a closure and also attend the celebration of life which is scheduled to take place in September. i don’t know if they can still issue the visa since the burial has been done . My mother was only in US for visit and lockdown happened and few months later we found she had cancer so she couldn’t travel again till she died there .

i don’t even have plans of staying back in the US, what documents do i need to show them and what kind of questions should i be expecting from them.

i wondering if i should fill a new ds160 form and update it since the dates have changed or should i stick the the old form which had July 1st as expected time to travel ?

This was not a group application but in the form they asked if there are people i am traveling with and i wrote my siblings name , i wondering if this will affect my application negatively so they don’t think we won’t come back. One of my siblings is working in a government firm and will sponsor himself while my sister just finished Waec and my friend will act as her sponsor. i don’t know if that will make sense

i reserved a hotel through a 3rd party called booking.com , i don’t know if it is fine to use reservation from such site for US visas , for my sister we got a letter from a friend in US as a where she will be staying, we don’t know if we should reserve a hotel room for her too than saying that she will stay with someone ?

Please i need possible answers and advises ��

Hi Gent2nice, congratulations on your Visa approval.
i have a question, please.
you said you only put your sister in your ds-160, and i'm in a similar situation having a co-sponsor who is not a relative.
my question is if your i-20 showed that your friend will also co-sponsor you?

Gent2nice:
First Attempt: (expedited appointment) Tuesday, Aug 31, 2021
Lagos Consulate
Status: Approved, later...denied (Program start date was Aug 30, 2021 had extension till Sept 6. Went with the letter but didn't present it because it was not asked for)

Around 10am, i met with the VO, a very black lady in her 50s (VO Valerie).



VO: Good morning

She collected i20 and passport, started typing, looking carefully.


Said to us please wait while she typed on.

Finally
VO: tell me why you are going to study this course and why this University. And she gave us a full attention

Me:
i spoke about how i have good background in Deaf Education field, my first degree in special education (hearing impairment focus), my masters degree in Deaf Education. i have taken leadership position in Nigerian Deaf community which i have used all to contribute towards Development of Deaf Education. i mentioned that i am Education Officer under ministry of education. (At this point i realized i have blown myself enough and needed to proceed to the relationship with the current which i intended to do, i wondered if she wouldn't have started wondering if i understood her question) so i continued
i want to study this course because i want to acquire adequate knowledge, experience and build up my skill in research, advocacy and innovation as a tool for contributing to the development of Deaf Education in Nigeria.

i chose Gallaudet University because it is the only University all over the world promoting bilingual and bicultural education, known for its excellence in teaching pedagogy, where Deaf students from all over the world find a sense of belonging , the needed learning resources, supportive faculty, student and staff. It will help me to achieve my aim (i stopped there, i momentarily lost what to continue with but immediately realized it was worth ending there)

Then she *signed* thank you while i blushed. She typed briefly.

VO: You said you work under ministry, tell me what exactly you do there.
Me: i have been an education officer under ministry of education since (my thought was to continue explaining the duties i carry out at different stations i've worked)

VO: cuts, Ok, since 2014?
Me: responded positive (she typed)

VO: i can see that you have school scholarship that covers $26k+, tell me how you will pay the deficit of $23k+.

Me: i will be co-sponsored by my sister and my friend. My sister is Mrs xyz, she works as accountant under KPMG, abroad , she also has landed and rented properties back here in Nigeria. My friend is Mr abc, he works as , Tennessee.

VO: Have you traveled out of Nigeria before?
Me: No, because i've not had a reason to.

VO: Where do you say your sister works?
Me: she works as accountant in audit region at KPMG,

VO: Typed... Do you have any document to prove that your sister works at KPMG?

Me: Yes. (Reached for my file and brought out document her employment letter, Bank statement and Sponsorship affidavit filled because i stapled the three together)

VO: Looked thoroughly and calmly . Typed, then put up her hand to get a white paper, took my i-20 and placed it where i should pick it and said Be careful about covid-19...


Three days after i got called to send an update i20 because i attended the interview postdated. i sent documents required within the hour... And later rejected.

In my ds160, i noticed minor error and corrected the error.
Also when i was explaining under yes to previously denied, i added that i have convincing and compelling socioeconomic ties. i stated that i have a permanent and pensionable appointment as... And also i talked about my achievements in community service in Nigeria etc then ended that i am a credible Student . ( i practicalized FAIRHEART theory, lol, because i went back to read this Nairaland page from page 1, lol).

i got date through surge appointment after so much stress trying to get date.
i did more prep and talked to some mock VOs (Carter, Francess and Jake who i met on GraithF1 visa whatsapp group ) who expressed concern about a friend as sponsor and was advised to find a way around it.
Note, sister was my major sponsor covering 85% of the deficit and it's her detail i input into Ds 160.


Second attempt
Wed 24th, November, 2021 (surge appointment, 7am)
Lagos Consulate
Status: Approved
Vo was a black lady, probably in her 30s, at extreme window.



Interview proper around 8.35am , can't say..by 8.55am, i was out!

Vo: Good morning
Me: good morning

Vo: where are you going to?
Me: i am going to Gallaudet University, Washington, DC to pursue a doctorate degree in CSEDL which is under SEVIS category of Education/ Teaching

Vo: What do you do?
Me: i work as Education officer under ministry of and my current post is at Federal Education... -----state where i ensure quality service delivery at schools through monitoring,and inspection of school, curriculum and pedagogy. Also i provide recommendations and reports for the Education of children with disabilities, also i supervise the library service of the department (*she fixed her eyes to the computer reading my job section to ensure it is a match)

Vo: You have scholarship of $26000+ and your sister is sponsoring you. What does your sister do?
Me: she works as accountant at KPMG , and she also has rented and land properties in Nigeria. She has been supporting me in my undergraduate when i was best faculty student.

Vo: how much does she earn?
Me: about $45000 annually

Vo: do you have any document to show me regarding your sister's job?

Me: nodded, searched and gave her recent appointment letter dated Nov 23rd, together with her recent bonus letter.

Vo: went through it.

Vo: there is Mr abc here who is covering the deficit, who is he to you?
Me: He is someone that has known me before i became Deaf and after i became Deaf and who knows about my academic and community achievements despite been Deaf and he is willing to support me.

Vo: How long have you known him?
Me: i have known him since , before i became deaf and after i became Deaf and he knows about my academic achievement and community contributions.

Vo: When did your sister started working at
Me: 2019

Vo: when did she arrived
Me: 2018

Vo: when did Mr abc leave for the US?
Me: was saying 2016/17 (not sure, though my disposition indicated i wasn't sure i was unruffled. It was as if i was answering to a normal conversation)

VO: When last did you see him?
Me: since..., ha i can't remember, since... (my mien was truly like trying to recollect something while having an informal conversation)
Vo then helped me add that ok since a long time.

Me: yes a long time.

Vo: has he ever come to Nigeria since he left?
Me: Noooo, but his wife and children have visited when they came for burial of his in-law.
Vo: asked about his job
Me: said it


vo: when did you start working under ministry of ?
Me: 20**, i was first posted to Federal bla bla bla (one of the federal unity colleges), where i taught chemistry to students.. and ... and ....

Vo: ok

Vo: where is Mr abc in the US?
Me: Tennessee


Vo: Do you have any family or friends in the US?
Me: Family? Family? (i wanna be sure what interpreter signed, because the 'friend' looked dicey to me) Nooooooo


Vo: Where will you be staying in the US
Me: On campus. The school encourages her international student to reside on campus so as to learn culture (deaf culture)...

Vo: brought white paper.. i will be approving your visa.

Me: thank you ma. God bless you ma.

Exit

(Visa issued next business day)



PS: At both my first and second interview, i was very confident and even more relaxed or settled at the second..hmmm. i said more than i wrote to the first question in my first interview because i recall i hinted about my proposed thesis interest too.

Visa interview is exam, take it as one! Let your profile be rich. Bank on the areas where you are loaded, academic? Career experience/achievement? Community contribution/volunteer experience? Financial capacity? Travel experience etc. And wherever ur application gives you fear (weak), find your way around it.

Note that VOs are not doing giveaway with visa approvals and they are there doing their job while they also have their own constraints too. The onus lies on you to do your part and do it well. Seek help, study and practice. Before my first interview too, i had my transcript vetted by friends schooling abroad too and i started following Nairaland page two months prior the interview.

If anyone has a denial, especially after a meaningful interview, look inward to see what you can do better, study, seek help, take advices and do your best. Don't just get angry at the VO.

Ensure you have a copy of your DS 160 which you must review over and over as interview approaches and if you see anything to change, kindly retrieve and fill another one latest before 72hours to your interview (i made that mistake with my first interview)

The God factor still remain a sure factor, trust Him too and honour him.

i'm very grateful to everyone who has helped me on this journey, some of whom i have mentioned earlier. i wish everyone the very best.

hi how did you cope with late resumption? plus how did you get an early appointment after the first rejection?

Gent2nice:
First Attempt: (expedited appointment) Tuesday, Aug 31, 2021
Lagos Consulate
Status: Approved, later...denied (Program start date was Aug 30, 2021 had extension till Sept 6. Went with the letter but didn't present it because it was not asked for)

Around 10am, i met with the VO, a very black lady in her 50s (VO Valerie).



VO: Good morning

She collected i20 and passport, started typing, looking carefully.


Said to us please wait while she typed on.

Finally
VO: tell me why you are going to study this course and why this University. And she gave us a full attention

Me:
i spoke about how i have good background in Deaf Education field, my first degree in special education (hearing impairment focus), my masters degree in Deaf Education. i have taken leadership position in Nigerian Deaf community which i have used all to contribute towards Development of Deaf Education. i mentioned that i am Education Officer under ministry of education. (At this point i realized i have blown myself enough and needed to proceed to the relationship with the current which i intended to do, i wondered if she wouldn't have started wondering if i understood her question) so i continued
i want to study this course because i want to acquire adequate knowledge, experience and build up my skill in research, advocacy and innovation as a tool for contributing to the development of Deaf Education in Nigeria.

i chose Gallaudet University because it is the only University all over the world promoting bilingual and bicultural education, known for its excellence in teaching pedagogy, where Deaf students from all over the world find a sense of belonging , the needed learning resources, supportive faculty, student and staff. It will help me to achieve my aim (i stopped there, i momentarily lost what to continue with but immediately realized it was worth ending there)

Then she *signed* thank you while i blushed. She typed briefly.

VO: You said you work under ministry, tell me what exactly you do there.
Me: i have been an education officer under ministry of education since (my thought was to continue explaining the duties i carry out at different stations i've worked)

VO: cuts, Ok, since 2014?
Me: responded positive (she typed)

VO: i can see that you have school scholarship that covers $26k+, tell me how you will pay the deficit of $23k+.

Me: i will be co-sponsored by my sister and my friend. My sister is Mrs xyz, she works as accountant under KPMG, abroad , she also has landed and rented properties back here in Nigeria. My friend is Mr abc, he works as , Tennessee.

VO: Have you traveled out of Nigeria before?
Me: No, because i've not had a reason to.

VO: Where do you say your sister works?
Me: she works as accountant in audit region at KPMG,

VO: Typed... Do you have any document to prove that your sister works at KPMG?

Me: Yes. (Reached for my file and brought out document her employment letter, Bank statement and Sponsorship affidavit filled because i stapled the three together)

VO: Looked thoroughly and calmly . Typed, then put up her hand to get a white paper, took my i-20 and placed it where i should pick it and said Be careful about covid-19...


Three days after i got called to send an update i20 because i attended the interview postdated. i sent documents required within the hour... And later rejected.

In my ds160, i noticed minor error and corrected the error.
Also when i was explaining under yes to previously denied, i added that i have convincing and compelling socioeconomic ties. i stated that i have a permanent and pensionable appointment as... And also i talked about my achievements in community service in Nigeria etc then ended that i am a credible Student . ( i practicalized FAIRHEART theory, lol, because i went back to read this Nairaland page from page 1, lol).

i got date through surge appointment after so much stress trying to get date.
i did more prep and talked to some mock VOs (Carter, Francess and Jake who i met on GraithF1 visa whatsapp group ) who expressed concern about a friend as sponsor and was advised to find a way around it.
Note, sister was my major sponsor covering 85% of the deficit and it's her detail i input into Ds 160.


Second attempt
Wed 24th, November, 2021 (surge appointment, 7am)
Lagos Consulate
Status: Approved
Vo was a black lady, probably in her 30s, at extreme window.



Interview proper around 8.35am , can't say..by 8.55am, i was out!

Vo: Good morning
Me: good morning

Vo: where are you going to?
Me: i am going to Gallaudet University, Washington, DC to pursue a doctorate degree in CSEDL which is under SEVIS category of Education/ Teaching

Vo: What do you do?
Me: i work as Education officer under ministry of and my current post is at Federal Education... -----state where i ensure quality service delivery at schools through monitoring,and inspection of school, curriculum and pedagogy. Also i provide recommendations and reports for the Education of children with disabilities, also i supervise the library service of the department (*she fixed her eyes to the computer reading my job section to ensure it is a match)

Vo: You have scholarship of $26000+ and your sister is sponsoring you. What does your sister do?
Me: she works as accountant at KPMG , and she also has rented and land properties in Nigeria. She has been supporting me in my undergraduate when i was best faculty student.

Vo: how much does she earn?
Me: about $45000 annually

Vo: do you have any document to show me regarding your sister's job?

Me: nodded, searched and gave her recent appointment letter dated Nov 23rd, together with her recent bonus letter.

Vo: went through it.

Vo: there is Mr abc here who is covering the deficit, who is he to you?
Me: He is someone that has known me before i became Deaf and after i became Deaf and who knows about my academic and community achievements despite been Deaf and he is willing to support me.

Vo: How long have you known him?
Me: i have known him since , before i became deaf and after i became Deaf and he knows about my academic achievement and community contributions.

Vo: When did your sister started working at
Me: 2019

Vo: when did she arrived
Me: 2018

Vo: when did Mr abc leave for the US?
Me: was saying 2016/17 (not sure, though my disposition indicated i wasn't sure i was unruffled. It was as if i was answering to a normal conversation)

VO: When last did you see him?
Me: since..., ha i can't remember, since... (my mien was truly like trying to recollect something while having an informal conversation)
Vo then helped me add that ok since a long time.

Me: yes a long time.

Vo: has he ever come to Nigeria since he left?
Me: Noooo, but his wife and children have visited when they came for burial of his in-law.
Vo: asked about his job
Me: said it


vo: when did you start working under ministry of ?
Me: 20**, i was first posted to Federal bla bla bla (one of the federal unity colleges), where i taught chemistry to students.. and ... and ....

Vo: ok

Vo: where is Mr abc in the US?
Me: Tennessee


Vo: Do you have any family or friends in the US?
Me: Family? Family? (i wanna be sure what interpreter signed, because the 'friend' looked dicey to me) Nooooooo


Vo: Where will you be staying in the US
Me: On campus. The school encourages her international student to reside on campus so as to learn culture (deaf culture)...

Vo: brought white paper.. i will be approving your visa.

Me: thank you ma. God bless you ma.

Exit

(Visa issued next business day)



PS: At both my first and second interview, i was very confident and even more relaxed or settled at the second..hmmm. i said more than i wrote to the first question in my first interview because i recall i hinted about my proposed thesis interest too.

Visa interview is exam, take it as one! Let your profile be rich. Bank on the areas where you are loaded, academic? Career experience/achievement? Community contribution/volunteer experience? Financial capacity? Travel experience etc. And wherever ur application gives you fear (weak), find your way around it.

Note that VOs are not doing giveaway with visa approvals and they are there doing their job while they also have their own constraints too. The onus lies on you to do your part and do it well. Seek help, study and practice. Before my first interview too, i had my transcript vetted by friends schooling abroad too and i started following Nairaland page two months prior the interview.

If anyone has a denial, especially after a meaningful interview, look inward to see what you can do better, study, seek help, take advices and do your best. Don't just get angry at the VO.

Ensure you have a copy of your DS 160 which you must review over and over as interview approaches and if you see anything to change, kindly retrieve and fill another one latest before 72hours to your interview (i made that mistake with my first interview)

The God factor still remain a sure factor, trust Him too and honour him.

i'm very grateful to everyone who has helped me on this journey, some of whom i have mentioned earlier. i wish everyone the very best.

Gent2nice:
First Attempt: (expedited appointment) Tuesday, Aug 31, 2021
Lagos Consulate
Status: Approved, later...denied (Program start date was Aug 30, 2021 had extension till Sept 6. Went with the letter but didn't present it because it was not asked for)

Around 10am, i met with the VO, a very black lady in her 50s (VO Valerie).


VO: Good morning

She collected i20 and passport, started typing, looking carefully.


Said to us please wait while she typed on.

Finally
VO: tell me why you are going to study this course and why this University. And she gave us a full attention

Me:
i spoke about how i have good background in Deaf Education field, my first degree in special education (hearing impairment focus), my masters degree in Deaf Education. i have taken leadership position in Nigerian Deaf community which i have used all to contribute towards Development of Deaf Education. i mentioned that i am Education Officer under ministry of education. (At this point i realized i have blown myself enough and needed to proceed to the relationship with the current which i intended to do, i wondered if she wouldn't have started wondering if i understood her question) so i continued
i want to study this course because i want to acquire adequate knowledge, experience and build up my skill in research, advocacy and innovation as a tool for contributing to the development of Deaf Education in Nigeria.

i chose Gallaudet University because it is the only University all over the world promoting bilingual and bicultural education, known for its excellence in teaching pedagogy, where Deaf students from all over the world find a sense of belonging , the needed learning resources, supportive faculty, student and staff. It will help me to achieve my aim (i stopped there, i momentarily lost what to continue with but immediately realized it was worth ending there)

Then she *signed* thank you while i blushed. She typed briefly.

VO: You said you work under ministry, tell me what exactly you do there.
Me: i have been an education officer under ministry of education since (my thought was to continue explaining the duties i carry out at different stations i've worked)

VO: cuts, Ok, since 2014?
Me: responded positive (she typed)

VO: i can see that you have school scholarship that covers $26k+, tell me how you will pay the deficit of $23k+.

Me: i will be co-sponsored by my sister and my friend. My sister is Mrs xyz, she works as accountant under KPMG, abroad , she also has landed and rented properties back here in Nigeria. My friend is Mr abc, he works as , Tennessee.

VO: Have you traveled out of Nigeria before?
Me: No, because i've not had a reason to.

VO: Where do you say your sister works?
Me: she works as accountant in audit region at KPMG,

VO: Typed... Do you have any document to prove that your sister works at KPMG?

Me: Yes. (Reached for my file and brought out document her employment letter, Bank statement and Sponsorship affidavit filled because i stapled the three together)

VO: Looked thoroughly and calmly . Typed, then put up her hand to get a white paper, took my i-20 and placed it where i should pick it and said Be careful about covid-19...


Three days after i got called to send an update i20 because i attended the interview postdated. i sent documents required within the hour... And later rejected.

In my ds160, i noticed minor error and corrected the error.
Also when i was explaining under yes to previously denied, i added that i have convincing and compelling socioeconomic ties. i stated that i have a permanent and pensionable appointment as... And also i talked about my achievements in community service in Nigeria etc then ended that i am a credible Student . ( i practicalized FAIRHEART theory, lol, because i went back to read this Nairaland page from page 1, lol).

i got date through surge appointment after so much stress trying to get date.
i did more prep and talked to some mock VOs (Carter, Francess and Jake who i met on GraithF1 visa whatsapp group ) who expressed concern about a friend as sponsor and was advised to find a way around it.
Note, sister was my major sponsor covering 85% of the deficit and it's her detail i input into Ds 160.


Second attempt
Wed 24th, November, 2021 (surge appointment, 7am)
Lagos Consulate
Status: Approved
Vo was a black lady, probably in her 30s, at extreme window.



Interview proper around 8.35am , can't say..by 8.55am, i was out!

Vo: Good morning
Me: good morning

Vo: where are you going to?
Me: i am going to Gallaudet University, Washington, DC to pursue a doctorate degree in CSEDL which is under SEVIS category of Education/ Teaching

Vo: What do you do?
Me: i work as Education officer under ministry of and my current post is at Federal Education... -----state where i ensure quality service delivery at schools through monitoring,and inspection of school, curriculum and pedagogy. Also i provide recommendations and reports for the Education of children with disabilities, also i supervise the library service of the department (*she fixed her eyes to the computer reading my job section to ensure it is a match)

Vo: You have scholarship of $26000+ and your sister is sponsoring you. What does your sister do?
Me: she works as accountant at KPMG , and she also has rented and land properties in Nigeria. She has been supporting me in my undergraduate when i was best faculty student.

Vo: how much does she earn?
Me: about $45000 annually

Vo: do you have any document to show me regarding your sister's job?

Me: nodded, searched and gave her recent appointment letter dated Nov 23rd, together with her recent bonus letter.

Vo: went through it.

Vo: there is Mr abc here who is covering the deficit, who is he to you?
Me: He is someone that has known me before i became Deaf and after i became Deaf and who knows about my academic and community achievements despite been Deaf and he is willing to support me.

Vo: How long have you known him?
Me: i have known him since , before i became deaf and after i became Deaf and he knows about my academic achievement and community contributions.

Vo: When did your sister started working at
Me: 2019

Vo: when did she arrived
Me: 2018

Vo: when did Mr abc leave for the US?
Me: was saying 2016/17 (not sure, though my disposition indicated i wasn't sure i was unruffled. It was as if i was answering to a normal conversation)

VO: When last did you see him?
Me: since..., ha i can't remember, since... (my mien was truly like trying to recollect something while having an informal conversation)
Vo then helped me add that ok since a long time.

Me: yes a long time.

Vo: has he ever come to Nigeria since he left?
Me: Noooo, but his wife and children have visited when they came for burial of his in-law.
Vo: asked about his job
Me: said it


vo: when did you start working under ministry of ?
Me: 20**, i was first posted to Federal bla bla bla (one of the federal unity colleges), where i taught chemistry to students.. and ... and ....

Vo: ok

Vo: where is Mr abc in the US?
Me: Tennessee


Vo: Do you have any family or friends in the US?
Me: Family? Family? (i wanna be sure what interpreter signed, because the 'friend' looked dicey to me) Nooooooo


Vo: Where will you be staying in the US
Me: On campus. The school encourages her international student to reside on campus so as to learn culture (deaf culture)...

Vo: brought white paper.. i will be approving your visa.

Me: thank you ma. God bless you ma.

Exit

(Visa issued next business day)



PS: At both my first and second interview, i was very confident and even more relaxed or settled at the second..hmmm. i said more than i wrote to the first question in my first interview because i recall i hinted about my proposed thesis interest too.

Visa interview is exam, take it as one! Let your profile be rich. Bank on the areas where you are loaded, academic? Career experience/achievement? Community contribution/volunteer experience? Financial capacity? Travel experience etc. And wherever ur application gives you fear (weak), find your way around it.

Note that VOs are not doing giveaway with visa approvals and they are there doing their job while they also have their own constraints too. The onus lies on you to do your part and do it well. Seek help, study and practice. Before my first interview too, i had my transcript vetted by friends schooling abroad too and i started following Nairaland page two months prior the interview.

If anyone has a denial, especially after a meaningful interview, look inward to see what you can do better, study, seek help, take advices and do your best. Don't just get angry at the VO.

Ensure you have a copy of your DS 160 which you must review over and over as interview approaches and if you see anything to change, kindly retrieve and fill another one latest before 72hours to your interview (i made that mistake with my first interview)

The God factor still remain a sure factor, trust Him too and honour him.

i'm very grateful to everyone who has helped me on this journey, some of whom i have mentioned earlier. i wish everyone the very best.

How did you get an updated i-20? Did your school update your i-20 with a new date after an extension from your department?

You made of mention of how your filled the reason why you were previously denied in your ds-160. Can you please explain further about it.

Gent2nice:
First Attempt: (expedited appointment) Tuesday, Aug 31, 2021
Lagos Consulate
Status: Approved, later...denied (Program start date was Aug 30, 2021 had extension till Sept 6. Went with the letter but didn't present it because it was not asked for)

Around 10am, i met with the VO, a very black lady in her 50s (VO Valerie).



VO: Good morning

She collected i20 and passport, started typing, looking carefully.


Said to us please wait while she typed on.

Finally
VO: tell me why you are going to study this course and why this University. And she gave us a full attention

Me:
i spoke about how i have good background in Deaf Education field, my first degree in special education (hearing impairment focus), my masters degree in Deaf Education. i have taken leadership position in Nigerian Deaf community which i have used all to contribute towards Development of Deaf Education. i mentioned that i am Education Officer under ministry of education. (At this point i realized i have blown myself enough and needed to proceed to the relationship with the current which i intended to do, i wondered if she wouldn't have started wondering if i understood her question) so i continued
i want to study this course because i want to acquire adequate knowledge, experience and build up my skill in research, advocacy and innovation as a tool for contributing to the development of Deaf Education in Nigeria.

i chose Gallaudet University because it is the only University all over the world promoting bilingual and bicultural education, known for its excellence in teaching pedagogy, where Deaf students from all over the world find a sense of belonging , the needed learning resources, supportive faculty, student and staff. It will help me to achieve my aim (i stopped there, i momentarily lost what to continue with but immediately realized it was worth ending there)

Then she *signed* thank you while i blushed. She typed briefly.

VO: You said you work under ministry, tell me what exactly you do there.
Me: i have been an education officer under ministry of education since (my thought was to continue explaining the duties i carry out at different stations i've worked)

VO: cuts, Ok, since 2014?
Me: responded positive (she typed)

VO: i can see that you have school scholarship that covers $26k+, tell me how you will pay the deficit of $23k+.

Me: i will be co-sponsored by my sister and my friend. My sister is Mrs xyz, she works as accountant under KPMG, abroad , she also has landed and rented properties back here in Nigeria. My friend is Mr abc, he works as , Tennessee.

VO: Have you traveled out of Nigeria before?
Me: No, because i've not had a reason to.

VO: Where do you say your sister works?
Me: she works as accountant in audit region at KPMG,

VO: Typed... Do you have any document to prove that your sister works at KPMG?

Me: Yes. (Reached for my file and brought out document her employment letter, Bank statement and Sponsorship affidavit filled because i stapled the three together)

VO: Looked thoroughly and calmly . Typed, then put up her hand to get a white paper, took my i-20 and placed it where i should pick it and said Be careful about covid-19...


Three days after i got called to send an update i20 because i attended the interview postdated. i sent documents required within the hour... And later rejected.

In my ds160, i noticed minor error and corrected the error.
Also when i was explaining under yes to previously denied, i added that i have convincing and compelling socioeconomic ties. i stated that i have a permanent and pensionable appointment as... And also i talked about my achievements in community service in Nigeria etc then ended that i am a credible Student . ( i practicalized FAIRHEART theory, lol, because i went back to read this Nairaland page from page 1, lol).

i got date through surge appointment after so much stress trying to get date.
i did more prep and talked to some mock VOs (Carter, Francess and Jake who i met on GraithF1 visa whatsapp group ) who expressed concern about a friend as sponsor and was advised to find a way around it.
Note, sister was my major sponsor covering 85% of the deficit and it's her detail i input into Ds 160.


Second attempt
Wed 24th, November, 2021 (surge appointment, 7am)
Lagos Consulate
Status: Approved
Vo was a black lady, probably in her 30s, at extreme window.



Interview proper around 8.35am , can't say..by 8.55am, i was out!

Vo: Good morning
Me: good morning

Vo: where are you going to?
Me: i am going to Gallaudet University, Washington, DC to pursue a doctorate degree in CSEDL which is under SEVIS category of Education/ Teaching

Vo: What do you do?
Me: i work as Education officer under ministry of and my current post is at Federal Education... -----state where i ensure quality service delivery at schools through monitoring,and inspection of school, curriculum and pedagogy. Also i provide recommendations and reports for the Education of children with disabilities, also i supervise the library service of the department (*she fixed her eyes to the computer reading my job section to ensure it is a match)

Vo: You have scholarship of $26000+ and your sister is sponsoring you. What does your sister do?
Me: she works as accountant at KPMG , and she also has rented and land properties in Nigeria. She has been supporting me in my undergraduate when i was best faculty student.

Vo: how much does she earn?
Me: about $45000 annually

Vo: do you have any document to show me regarding your sister's job?

Me: nodded, searched and gave her recent appointment letter dated Nov 23rd, together with her recent bonus letter.

Vo: went through it.

Vo: there is Mr abc here who is covering the deficit, who is he to you?
Me: He is someone that has known me before i became Deaf and after i became Deaf and who knows about my academic and community achievements despite been Deaf and he is willing to support me.

Vo: How long have you known him?
Me: i have known him since , before i became deaf and after i became Deaf and he knows about my academic achievement and community contributions.

Vo: When did your sister started working at
Me: 2019

Vo: when did she arrived
Me: 2018

Vo: when did Mr abc leave for the US?
Me: was saying 2016/17 (not sure, though my disposition indicated i wasn't sure i was unruffled. It was as if i was answering to a normal conversation)

VO: When last did you see him?
Me: since..., ha i can't remember, since... (my mien was truly like trying to recollect something while having an informal conversation)
Vo then helped me add that ok since a long time.

Me: yes a long time.

Vo: has he ever come to Nigeria since he left?
Me: Noooo, but his wife and children have visited when they came for burial of his in-law.
Vo: asked about his job
Me: said it


vo: when did you start working under ministry of ?
Me: 20**, i was first posted to Federal bla bla bla (one of the federal unity colleges), where i taught chemistry to students.. and ... and ....

Vo: ok

Vo: where is Mr abc in the US?
Me: Tennessee


Vo: Do you have any family or friends in the US?
Me: Family? Family? (i wanna be sure what interpreter signed, because the 'friend' looked dicey to me) Nooooooo


Vo: Where will you be staying in the US
Me: On campus. The school encourages her international student to reside on campus so as to learn culture (deaf culture)...

Vo: brought white paper.. i will be approving your visa.

Me: thank you ma. God bless you ma.

Exit

(Visa issued next business day)



PS: At both my first and second interview, i was very confident and even more relaxed or settled at the second..hmmm. i said more than i wrote to the first question in my first interview because i recall i hinted about my proposed thesis interest too.

Visa interview is exam, take it as one! Let your profile be rich. Bank on the areas where you are loaded, academic? Career experience/achievement? Community contribution/volunteer experience? Financial capacity? Travel experience etc. And wherever ur application gives you fear (weak), find your way around it.

Note that VOs are not doing giveaway with visa approvals and they are there doing their job while they also have their own constraints too. The onus lies on you to do your part and do it well. Seek help, study and practice. Before my first interview too, i had my transcript vetted by friends schooling abroad too and i started following Nairaland page two months prior the interview.

If anyone has a denial, especially after a meaningful interview, look inward to see what you can do better, study, seek help, take advices and do your best. Don't just get angry at the VO.

Ensure you have a copy of your DS 160 which you must review over and over as interview approaches and if you see anything to change, kindly retrieve and fill another one latest before 72hours to your interview (i made that mistake with my first interview)

The God factor still remain a sure factor, trust Him too and honour him.

i'm very grateful to everyone who has helped me on this journey, some of whom i have mentioned earlier. i wish everyone the very best.

You mentioned something about answering the question “reason for been denied before” can you please explain further on it?

Gent2nice:
First Attempt: (expedited appointment) Tuesday, Aug 31, 2021
Lagos Consulate
Status: Approved, later...denied (Program start date was Aug 30, 2021 had extension till Sept 6. Went with the letter but didn't present it because it was not asked for)

Around 10am, i met with the VO, a very black lady in her 50s (VO Valerie).



VO: Good morning

She collected i20 and passport, started typing, looking carefully.


Said to us please wait while she typed on.

Finally
VO: tell me why you are going to study this course and why this University. And she gave us a full attention

Me:
i spoke about how i have good background in Deaf Education field, my first degree in special education (hearing impairment focus), my masters degree in Deaf Education. i have taken leadership position in Nigerian Deaf community which i have used all to contribute towards Development of Deaf Education. i mentioned that i am Education Officer under ministry of education. (At this point i realized i have blown myself enough and needed to proceed to the relationship with the current which i intended to do, i wondered if she wouldn't have started wondering if i understood her question) so i continued
i want to study this course because i want to acquire adequate knowledge, experience and build up my skill in research, advocacy and innovation as a tool for contributing to the development of Deaf Education in Nigeria.

i chose Gallaudet University because it is the only University all over the world promoting bilingual and bicultural education, known for its excellence in teaching pedagogy, where Deaf students from all over the world find a sense of belonging , the needed learning resources, supportive faculty, student and staff. It will help me to achieve my aim (i stopped there, i momentarily lost what to continue with but immediately realized it was worth ending there)

Then she *signed* thank you while i blushed. She typed briefly.

VO: You said you work under ministry, tell me what exactly you do there.
Me: i have been an education officer under ministry of education since (my thought was to continue explaining the duties i carry out at different stations i've worked)

VO: cuts, Ok, since 2014?
Me: responded positive (she typed)

VO: i can see that you have school scholarship that covers $26k+, tell me how you will pay the deficit of $23k+.

Me: i will be co-sponsored by my sister and my friend. My sister is Mrs xyz, she works as accountant under KPMG, abroad , she also has landed and rented properties back here in Nigeria. My friend is Mr abc, he works as , Tennessee.

VO: Have you traveled out of Nigeria before?
Me: No, because i've not had a reason to.

VO: Where do you say your sister works?
Me: she works as accountant in audit region at KPMG,

VO: Typed... Do you have any document to prove that your sister works at KPMG?

Me: Yes. (Reached for my file and brought out document her employment letter, Bank statement and Sponsorship affidavit filled because i stapled the three together)

VO: Looked thoroughly and calmly . Typed, then put up her hand to get a white paper, took my i-20 and placed it where i should pick it and said Be careful about covid-19...


Three days after i got called to send an update i20 because i attended the interview postdated. i sent documents required within the hour... And later rejected.

In my ds160, i noticed minor error and corrected the error.
Also when i was explaining under yes to previously denied, i added that i have convincing and compelling socioeconomic ties. i stated that i have a permanent and pensionable appointment as... And also i talked about my achievements in community service in Nigeria etc then ended that i am a credible Student . ( i practicalized FAIRHEART theory, lol, because i went back to read this Nairaland page from page 1, lol).

i got date through surge appointment after so much stress trying to get date.
i did more prep and talked to some mock VOs (Carter, Francess and Jake who i met on GraithF1 visa whatsapp group ) who expressed concern about a friend as sponsor and was advised to find a way around it.
Note, sister was my major sponsor covering 85% of the deficit and it's her detail i input into Ds 160.


Second attempt
Wed 24th, November, 2021 (surge appointment, 7am)
Lagos Consulate
Status: Approved
Vo was a black lady, probably in her 30s, at extreme window.



Interview proper around 8.35am , can't say..by 8.55am, i was out!

Vo: Good morning
Me: good morning

Vo: where are you going to?
Me: i am going to Gallaudet University, Washington, DC to pursue a doctorate degree in CSEDL which is under SEVIS category of Education/ Teaching

Vo: What do you do?
Me: i work as Education officer under ministry of and my current post is at Federal Education... -----state where i ensure quality service delivery at schools through monitoring,and inspection of school, curriculum and pedagogy. Also i provide recommendations and reports for the Education of children with disabilities, also i supervise the library service of the department (*she fixed her eyes to the computer reading my job section to ensure it is a match)

Vo: You have scholarship of $26000+ and your sister is sponsoring you. What does your sister do?
Me: she works as accountant at KPMG , and she also has rented and land properties in Nigeria. She has been supporting me in my undergraduate when i was best faculty student.

Vo: how much does she earn?
Me: about $45000 annually

Vo: do you have any document to show me regarding your sister's job?

Me: nodded, searched and gave her recent appointment letter dated Nov 23rd, together with her recent bonus letter.

Vo: went through it.

Vo: there is Mr abc here who is covering the deficit, who is he to you?
Me: He is someone that has known me before i became Deaf and after i became Deaf and who knows about my academic and community achievements despite been Deaf and he is willing to support me.

Vo: How long have you known him?
Me: i have known him since , before i became deaf and after i became Deaf and he knows about my academic achievement and community contributions.

Vo: When did your sister started working at
Me: 2019

Vo: when did she arrived
Me: 2018

Vo: when did Mr abc leave for the US?
Me: was saying 2016/17 (not sure, though my disposition indicated i wasn't sure i was unruffled. It was as if i was answering to a normal conversation)

VO: When last did you see him?
Me: since..., ha i can't remember, since... (my mien was truly like trying to recollect something while having an informal conversation)
Vo then helped me add that ok since a long time.

Me: yes a long time.

Vo: has he ever come to Nigeria since he left?
Me: Noooo, but his wife and children have visited when they came for burial of his in-law.
Vo: asked about his job
Me: said it


vo: when did you start working under ministry of ?
Me: 20**, i was first posted to Federal bla bla bla (one of the federal unity colleges), where i taught chemistry to students.. and ... and ....

Vo: ok

Vo: where is Mr abc in the US?
Me: Tennessee


Vo: Do you have any family or friends in the US?
Me: Family? Family? (i wanna be sure what interpreter signed, because the 'friend' looked dicey to me) Nooooooo


Vo: Where will you be staying in the US
Me: On campus. The school encourages her international student to reside on campus so as to learn culture (deaf culture)...

Vo: brought white paper.. i will be approving your visa.

Me: thank you ma. God bless you ma.

Exit

(Visa issued next business day)



PS: At both my first and second interview, i was very confident and even more relaxed or settled at the second..hmmm. i said more than i wrote to the first question in my first interview because i recall i hinted about my proposed thesis interest too.

Visa interview is exam, take it as one! Let your profile be rich. Bank on the areas where you are loaded, academic? Career experience/achievement? Community contribution/volunteer experience? Financial capacity? Travel experience etc. And wherever ur application gives you fear (weak), find your way around it.

Note that VOs are not doing giveaway with visa approvals and they are there doing their job while they also have their own constraints too. The onus lies on you to do your part and do it well. Seek help, study and practice. Before my first interview too, i had my transcript vetted by friends schooling abroad too and i started following Nairaland page two months prior the interview.

If anyone has a denial, especially after a meaningful interview, look inward to see what you can do better, study, seek help, take advices and do your best. Don't just get angry at the VO.

Ensure you have a copy of your DS 160 which you must review over and over as interview approaches and if you see anything to change, kindly retrieve and fill another one latest before 72hours to your interview (i made that mistake with my first interview)

The God factor still remain a sure factor, trust Him too and honour him.

i'm very grateful to everyone who has helped me on this journey, some of whom i have mentioned earlier. i wish everyone the very best.

First Attempt: (expedited appointment) Tuesday, Aug 31, 2021
Lagos Consulate
Status: Approved, later...denied (Program start date was Aug 30, 2021 had extension till Sept 6. Went with the letter but didn't present it because it was not asked for)

Around 10am, i met with the VO, a very black lady in her 50s (VO Valerie).



VO: Good morning

She collected i20 and passport, started typing, looking carefully.


Said to us please wait while she typed on.

Finally
VO: tell me why you are going to study this course and why this University. And she gave us a full attention

Me:
i spoke about how i have good background in Deaf Education field, my first degree in special education (hearing impairment focus), my masters degree in Deaf Education. i have taken leadership position in Nigerian Deaf community which i have used all to contribute towards Development of Deaf Education. i mentioned that i am Education Officer under ministry of education. (At this point i realized i have blown myself enough and needed to proceed to the relationship with the current which i intended to do, i wondered if she wouldn't have started wondering if i understood her question) so i continued
i want to study this course because i want to acquire adequate knowledge, experience and build up my skill in research, advocacy and innovation as a tool for contributing to the development of Deaf Education in Nigeria.

i chose Gallaudet University because it is the only University all over the world promoting bilingual and bicultural education, known for its excellence in teaching pedagogy, where Deaf students from all over the world find a sense of belonging , the needed learning resources, supportive faculty, student and staff. It will help me to achieve my aim (i stopped there, i momentarily lost what to continue with but immediately realized it was worth ending there)

Then she *signed* thank you while i blushed. She typed briefly.

VO: You said you work under ministry, tell me what exactly you do there.
Me: i have been an education officer under ministry of education since (my thought was to continue explaining the duties i carry out at different stations i've worked)

VO: cuts, Ok, since 2014?
Me: responded positive (she typed)

VO: i can see that you have school scholarship that covers $26k+, tell me how you will pay the deficit of $23k+.

Me: i will be co-sponsored by my sister and my friend. My sister is Mrs xyz, she works as accountant under KPMG, abroad , she also has landed and rented properties back here in Nigeria. My friend is Mr abc, he works as , Tennessee.

VO: Have you traveled out of Nigeria before?
Me: No, because i've not had a reason to.

VO: Where do you say your sister works?
Me: she works as accountant in audit region at KPMG,

VO: Typed... Do you have any document to prove that your sister works at KPMG?

Me: Yes. (Reached for my file and brought out document her employment letter, Bank statement and Sponsorship affidavit filled because i stapled the three together)

VO: Looked thoroughly and calmly . Typed, then put up her hand to get a white paper, took my i-20 and placed it where i should pick it and said Be careful about covid-19...


Three days after i got called to send an update i20 because i attended the interview postdated. i sent documents required within the hour... And later rejected.

In my ds160, i noticed minor error and corrected the error.
Also when i was explaining under yes to previously denied, i added that i have convincing and compelling socioeconomic ties. i stated that i have a permanent and pensionable appointment as... And also i talked about my achievements in community service in Nigeria etc then ended that i am a credible Student . ( i practicalized FAIRHEART theory, lol, because i went back to read this Nairaland page from page 1, lol).

i got date through surge appointment after so much stress trying to get date.
i did more prep and talked to some mock VOs (Carter, Francess and Jake who i met on GraithF1 visa whatsapp group ) who expressed concern about a friend as sponsor and was advised to find a way around it.
Note, sister was my major sponsor covering 85% of the deficit and it's her detail i input into Ds 160.


Second attempt
Wed 24th, November, 2021 (surge appointment, 7am)
Lagos Consulate
Status: Approved
Vo was a black lady, probably in her 30s, at extreme window.



Interview proper around 8.35am , can't say..by 8.55am, i was out!

Vo: Good morning
Me: good morning

Vo: where are you going to?
Me: i am going to Gallaudet University, Washington, DC to pursue a doctorate degree in CSEDL which is under SEVIS category of Education/ Teaching

Vo: What do you do?
Me: i work as Education officer under ministry of and my current post is at Federal Education... -----state where i ensure quality service delivery at schools through monitoring,and inspection of school, curriculum and pedagogy. Also i provide recommendations and reports for the Education of children with disabilities, also i supervise the library service of the department (*she fixed her eyes to the computer reading my job section to ensure it is a match)

Vo: You have scholarship of $26000+ and your sister is sponsoring you. What does your sister do?
Me: she works as accountant at KPMG , and she also has rented and land properties in Nigeria. She has been supporting me in my undergraduate when i was best faculty student.

Vo: how much does she earn?
Me: about $45000 annually

Vo: do you have any document to show me regarding your sister's job?

Me: nodded, searched and gave her recent appointment letter dated Nov 23rd, together with her recent bonus letter.

Vo: went through it.

Vo: there is Mr abc here who is covering the deficit, who is he to you?
Me: He is someone that has known me before i became Deaf and after i became Deaf and who knows about my academic and community achievements despite been Deaf and he is willing to support me.

Vo: How long have you known him?
Me: i have known him since , before i became deaf and after i became Deaf and he knows about my academic achievement and community contributions.

Vo: When did your sister started working at
Me: 2019

Vo: when did she arrived
Me: 2018

Vo: when did Mr abc leave for the US?
Me: was saying 2016/17 (not sure, though my disposition indicated i wasn't sure i was unruffled. It was as if i was answering to a normal conversation)

VO: When last did you see him?
Me: since..., ha i can't remember, since... (my mien was truly like trying to recollect something while having an informal conversation)
Vo then helped me add that ok since a long time.

Me: yes a long time.

Vo: has he ever come to Nigeria since he left?
Me: Noooo, but his wife and children have visited when they came for burial of his in-law.
Vo: asked about his job
Me: said it


vo: when did you start working under ministry of ?
Me: 20**, i was first posted to Federal bla bla bla (one of the federal unity colleges), where i taught chemistry to students.. and ... and ....

Vo: ok

Vo: where is Mr abc in the US?
Me: Tennessee


Vo: Do you have any family or friends in the US?
Me: Family? Family? (i wanna be sure what interpreter signed, because the 'friend' looked dicey to me) Nooooooo


Vo: Where will you be staying in the US
Me: On campus. The school encourages her international student to reside on campus so as to learn culture (deaf culture)...

Vo: brought white paper.. i will be approving your visa.

Me: thank you ma. God bless you ma.

Exit

(Visa issued next business day)



PS: At both my first and second interview, i was very confident and even more relaxed or settled at the second..hmmm. i said more than i wrote to the first question in my first interview because i recall i hinted about my proposed thesis interest too.

Visa interview is exam, take it as one! Let your profile be rich. Bank on the areas where you are loaded, academic? Career experience/achievement? Community contribution/volunteer experience? Financial capacity? Travel experience etc. And wherever ur application gives you fear (weak), find your way around it.

Note that VOs are not doing giveaway with visa approvals and they are there doing their job while they also have their own constraints too. The onus lies on you to do your part and do it well. Seek help, study and practice. Before my first interview too, i had my transcript vetted by friends schooling abroad too and i started following Nairaland page two months prior the interview.

If anyone has a denial, especially after a meaningful interview, look inward to see what you can do better, study, seek help, take advices and do your best. Don't just get angry at the VO.

Ensure you have a copy of your DS 160 which you must review over and over as interview approaches and if you see anything to change, kindly retrieve and fill another one latest before 72hours to your interview (i made that mistake with my first interview)

The God factor still remain a sure factor, trust Him too and honour him.

i'm very grateful to everyone who has helped me on this journey, some of whom i have mentioned earlier. i wish everyone the very best.

olamitunposi:
Hi guys, i thought it would be nice to share my timeline here with y’all, as i’ve been a silent follower of this thread.

We filed December 2019, case was approved and sent to NVC April 2020, but Pandemic delayed us till May 2021 before it reached Lagos embassy.

Here’s my interview transcript and point of entry experience.

i interviewed August 18th 2021.

i got there around past 6am and waited till after 6:30 before they could pass us in.

After getting in, i was called and they asked for my attestation of birth, affidavit of support and tax transcripts, along with all the interview documents( ds160 and the likes). Afterwards she asked me to sit and will be called. Here; the lady asked for my petitioner’s number and asked for my marriage certificate, knowingly on their record that i’ve never been married�.

Interview;

It was a white lady in window 14, she asked me to take an oath and took my finger prints.

Then she asked;

Who petitioned for you?

So tell me how you guys met?

When did you both start talking?

When did you decide on starting a relationship?

When was your first meeting?

Where does your fiancé live?

What does she do?

What’s her job description?

Where is her place of work?

What does her work name means?

Does your fiancé live alone?

Has she ever been married?

Does she have kids?

Have you ever been married?

Have you ever been out of Nigeria?

What country did you visit?

How long did you stayed for?

What were you doing then?

Have you ever been arrested or committed any crime?

What’s your wedding plan?

Where do you plan to live when you get there?

What’s the time difference now?

…….. Your documents looks okay, i will be approving your Visa… Kindly note, you can’t marry in Nigeria while on this Visa and have to marry within 90days of your arrival in the US.

Congratulations and all the best.

By the way, it took 12days for my Visa to be issued.

POE: On getting to the Immigration at the US point of entry, a lady took my packet and passport, after opening the packet, i saw my medical and her tax transcript with our filling documents, then asked where my fiancé is, i told her she’s on her way to pick me up, then she stamped my passport and wrote 1 of 1 entry on the Visa.

After that, she then took me to the waiting room for processing, where i was processed and the immigration officer asked for the address i would be staying, at that point my head went blanked��, i told him the city and state…. But he needed a proper address, thank God i had it saved on my fiancé’s contact in my phone, so i pulled out my phone and showed him…… Then he typed it on the system and returned my passport saying; welcome to the United State Of America, please do enjoy your stay.

Then i left there, only to see my luggages waiting for me to claim them�.

Overall, i didn’t spend 20min with immigration and baggage claim.

PS: @treasureprince, this is Funmi’s fiancé (Anthony, Gina)✌�✌�✌�

update!!!

Filed for my AOS on September 29th and got NOA1 for October 4th, biometrics appointment letter was sent on October 9th, did my biometrics on November 1st.

Now the wait continues.

i wish everyone on the waitlist both at NVC or AOS all the best.

update: i deleted this and just wrote "that i was refused a visiting visa in 2014 on grounds of 214b


Visa approved this morning in Abuja
PhD Public Policy and Administration
Funding: GA $5520
Deficit: $13920
Sponsor: Mom
VO: Blonde Lady
Fall 2021- class resumed 23rd august and i resumed online. It was stated on my i-20

My interview lasted 3mins at most

Me: Good Morning Ma
VO: Good Morning
i passed my documents
VO: i see you are going to Jackson State University for a PhD in Public Policy.
Me: i am going to JSU for a PHD in Public Policy and Administration and i'll be specializing in Public Policy Analysis
Types...........
VO: what do you currently do in Nigeria
Me: i work as a graduate assistant at the University of Calabar where i graduated from.
Looks at her screen for a while
VO: when did you graduate from your masters program
Me: 2019 with a CGPA of 3.63/4
VO: will you be carrying out any thesis?
Me: Yes, my thesis will investigate the impact of public policy making and implementation institutions on economic development in Nigeria. This research is relevant now because Nigeria is at the verge of an economic breakdown as a result of bad policies and lack of seasoned policy analysts. My thesis will be supervised by Dr Johnny Gilleylen.
VO: What will this degree do for you
Me: it will enable me take-up a full-time lecturing position at my University. i cannot be a full-time lecturer without a PHD.
VO: i see you have a deficit, who will be paying for it
Me: my mom. She is the CEO of........an independent petroleum marketing company with 3 branches in Nigeria, i mentioned them.
Types...........
VO: i'll be approving your visa, gave me the white paper,
i didn't hear the rest, i almost left out of excitement, she laughed and called me back and said something about taking my i-20 with me to the port of entry and the UK and some European countries being banned from entering the US.

i was denied a visiting visa in 2014 but that didn't even come up.

Special thanks to Teemah and Omolola. i'm so grateful to them for patiently fine-tuning my transcript. Listen to advise and ask questions on this journey.

i'll be willing to help anyone in any little way i can

Diedi:
Hello. Please i need guidance from experienced people here, iv seen where someone was told to tackle the reason for a previous denial in the ds160 space where we are asked if we have been denied a visa before. i wrote

"i WAS REFUSED A VISITING VISA IN 2014 or 2015(please pardon me, i can't remember the exact year). i BELIEVE THE VO REFUSED ME A VISA BECAUSE HE BELIEVED i HAD NO HOME TIES, ALTHOUGH HE WASN'T PATIENT ENOUGH TO LOOK THROUGH MY DOCUMENTS BECAUSE i HAD PROOF. SINCE THEN, i HAVE GONE ON TO GET A MASTERS DEGREE, i HAVE A THRIVING CAREER - ACADEMIA AND HUMANITARIAN FOUNDATION, i BELONG TO PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND HAVE MY MUM AND SISTERS HERE. THIS TIME i'M TRAVELLING BECAUSE MY CAREER NEEDS ADVANCEMENT AND EXPOSURE"

Is it okay or do i take it out and just say "YES"

update to this...
DW and i welcomed our baby boy in the first week of November at Emory University Hospital , Midtown Atlanta as initially planned.

Summary of how it all went.

Re-applied and got October 3rd as the earliest date for interview, efforts to get a closer date proved abortive even with agents.So i had to take excuse from my training to make it there for the interview and then back to PH on the next flight after Interview.

Interview transcript (VO was a black guy and he had actually approved like three persons while we were there)

DW and Me : Good morning

VO: Good morning , your passports please

VO: Why are you going to the US?

DW: To birth our first child

He was reading on the computer for like a minute

VO: Let's try to unpack this, i will ask you a couple of questions and then we will see.

VO: (Facing me) , where do you work ?

Me: i work at xxxx

VO: How long have you been with them

Me: 8 years going on 9

VO: Do you have Hospital/Doctor's correspondence?

DW and Me: Yes ,we do and payment receipt too (Passes them to him)

VO: (Facing me) What countries have you been to?

Me: UK, Turkey ,Kenya, UAE ,France and Netherlands

VO: Interesting

VO: And when last did you travel as a couple?

DW and Me : We were in London and Turkey last August till first week in September

VO: Okay (Facing DW) , why did you apply to Canada Ma'am?

DW: For visit

VO: Who do you know in Canada

DW: Friends

VO: Okay, i'm reading through your history now and it doesn't make sense to me why you were called back the last time.Well ,i am going to approve your visa now and i can assure you won't be called back this time (Now , that was peaceful to hear ...lol)

VO: What they say is true , avoid discounts that may affect your future renewal.Take this pink slip and go over there to pay your reciprocity fee and drop your passports.You can pick up next week,have a safe delivery

DW and Me: Thank you

POE

DW flew Delta to ATL the following week @35weeks (We got fit to fly but they did not even ask to see it according to her) with wheelchair service at POE.
Just few questions about her trip and got stamped for 6months .No luggage check

i joined her 12 days later after my training and POE was also smooth for me.Just that the Inspection guys checked my bags for few minutes.

Accommodation

We rented Airbnb apartments for the whole 10 weeks stay

Documentation

Special thanks to @TripleKMama for being there whenever i had questions,since we used the same hospital.

Most of the information regarding Emory and documentation has already been highlighted by her on this thread.
In addition , a friend sent me this too.

" US Passport Application

1. At the hospital, you will be required to fill a document requesting the newborn baby's birth certificate and social security number
2. Pick up birth certificate from the county
3. Book an appointment at the Atlanta passport office (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast/passport-agencies/atlanta.html)
4. Take a passport picture of baby

For further information, see:
https://www.path2usa.com/applying-for-us-passport-for-newborn-in-us "

The links were helpful.

Applied for Nigeria Visa through OIS Atlanta for $180 with UPS next day delivery envelope ($75),visa approved after 7 working days (December rush).

Now back in Nigeria to celebrate the season with family and friends that have been waiting to meet our bundle of joy.

Thanks to everyone with advice and kind words the last time,we are grateful.

Wishing you guys success in your application and the subsequent trip. God makes everything beautiful in His time

Merry Christmas and a very happy new year in advance

trakos:
i know some of us here have been waiting for me to share this transcript , believe me i had it in mind all these while but i got so busy in the last few weeks that it became "work" for me to sit down and type something this long.Especially with the plot twist(like in a movie) that made the story a long one.But i knew i was going to to do it eventually , for others to learn from it.

We had our interview scheduled for Thursday 27th June,2019 (6: 30 am).Me and DW had flown into Lagos the previous day as we do not stay in Lagos.
After a long wait going through the screening and intake sections , we finally landed in front of this young white lady VO .She had been dishing out pink papers to people before us like that's what she's just there for, lol.

VO: Good morning
DW & Me: Good morning
VO: What's your relationship
DW: We are married
VO: Why do u want to come to the USA
DW: To birth our first child
VO: Why US?
Me: For my wife and baby to have better medical care and also for the child to have dual citizenship
VO: Where in the US
DW: Emory University Hospital ,Midtown Atlanta. And we have our receipts for full Doctor's and hospital's payment already made
VO: Okay (stretches hand to collect the correspondence and receipts)
VO: How did you make your payments?
Me: i used my Dollar , Euro and Naira cards to make full payment as there are monthly transaction limits on each card
VO: Can i have the statements
Me: (Gave her 6months statement of account for the three accounts)
VO: i want the cards statements (Still looking through the statements of account with her)
Me: There is no statement for the cards here but i gave you the statement of accounts that the cards are linked with.You can see the cards activities in the statement (pointing towards the statements) including the payment.
VO: i can read please ( i just quiet there)
VO: Can i have your email thread with the hospital , all of them
Me: Here (i kukuma printed all the emails from Day1)..She just skim-read the pages
VO: What do you do? (Faces DW)
DW: i work with ....... (DW was explaining her job functions then pause a lil towards the end ,so i cut in to help complete the statement)
VO: (Faces me) i wasn't asking you Sir
Me : Sorry
VO:How long have you been with XXXX (My company ,i guess she's seen it in my ds160)
Me: Over 8 years
VO: Have you traveled out of Nigeria before ? (Facing DW)
DW: Yes, we were in Dubai and Kenya after our wedding in December for honeymoon but my husband has been to other countries
VO: Looks towards my side, so i listed the other countries i have been to( UK ,France ,Netherlands)
VO: Can i have your old passport
Me: It's already with you Ma'am (i gave her together in the first place)
VO: (Facing me) the time you have travelled ,were they for work or vacation
Me: Vacation
VO: (looks through our passports and asked DW when she got to her UK visa page) why havent you been to the UK Ma'am ?
DW: i just got the visa last month (i renewed mine and DW got 2years as her first in May)
VO: When did you get married?
DW: XX December ,2018
VO: When are you due
DW: First week November
VO: Do you have a relative in the US
DW: Yes , a distanced cousin in Alabama
VO: Will you be staying with her
DW: No , she may come around after the delivery (She nods)
VO: Do you think this is all this medicals will cost you?
Me: No Ma'am , we haven't paid paediatrician and will still have to do some lab tests and others.
VO: Why did you pay for CS?
DW: Being a FTM , to be ready for the higher scenario
VO: What if there are complications?
Me. We will sure have enough fund to handle that
VO: keeps typing for like a minute then says congrats i am approving your visas....Make sure you pay all your bills (and a couple of other stuffs that we didn't hear).Pick your passports here in three working days (Circles Muri Okunola GSS address on the white paper that i posted that day and gave it to us)
DW & Me: Thank you so much, ma'am

We were so excited as we left the Consulate that i even had to post here to encourage others and just waiting to update the transcript.

Next morning (around 7am) i got a call from the consulate that they are about to send the passports to Muri Okunola documents pick up location and i could pick up Monday or any other day after that.To me ,i thought that was procedural.
Later that day DW saw an email that had come in around 8am from LagosNIV stating that she had to come for a re-interview as her visa is not valid and she will not be allowed to travel(board) with it. The email stated she should come in on or befoe July 5th (the following week) . i could tell DW was not happy throughout that weekend that i had to be telling her it's nothing,maybe they just want some clarifications.So yes, we extended our stay at the hotel for a few days .On Monday,we went to pick up the passports but to our surprise,neither of our passports was stamped with Visa.

What could be wrong?The question we were asking ourselves.i told DW it could be about our Canada visa application refusal the previous month.That was refused on the most flimsy reason ( as seen in the GCMS notes i later got).well , we would find out at the re-interview.

We got in for re-interview 3rd July .This time ,another lady but more strict was the VO we were directed to.She had just denied the couple before us carrying their US baby.i heard the husband say they paid 21k dollars in total but she still insisted the payment was not complete (i dont know how).
Now our turn
i was right , all questions she asked were about Canada.Transcript below

VO: Good morning

DW and Me:Good morning

VO: Why are you here

DW : We got an email to come back for re-interview

Me: Our visas were approved last week but we got the passports back without the visa

VO: Have you recently been denied a visa to another country

Me: Yes , we applied to Canada recently but refused

VO: What's the purpose of the trip

Me: Visit and tourism

VO: That was when ?

Me: April/May

VO: How far gone are you ?

DW: 5 months

VO: So it means you already knew you are pregnant ? (She was using her hands to even count month backward from July ,June ,May..)

DW:Yes

VO: So why didn't you state childbirth for Canada

DW: Because we never planned to have our baby in Canada this time

VO: You said you wanted good healthcare and citizenship ,you can get that in Canada.

Me: Yes we know that ,we just didn't think to use Canada for that purpose since we already have a plan for US

VO: You can check google ,Canada healthcare ranks 30th whereas US is 37th on the list ( wetin concern me with ranking, i later checked and confirmed she was right though)

Me: Ok ,i am not disputing that but we just want something better than what we have here and US is our choice

VO: So did you re-apply? i mean to Canada

Me: Yes ,this time for only my wife but no response yet

VO: Why? why not you too

Me: Because i really don't need to be there

DW: (DW cuts in) and he will also be on training that period .

Me: Plan is for her to stay in Canada a few weeks while i am on training and i will later meet her in US after the training

VO: If you are always offshore , why the training?

Me: i am not always offshore ,i work on rotational basis and the training is an international professional course.

VO: Throws our passport a little away from her and typed for some time.Then says, i wont be approving your visa this time but you can check (something about status)...my mind was on the pink paper she was bringing out

DW & Me : Okay , thank you (i felt like asking if applying to Canada and US at the same time is now an issue but i did not)

i check the status few days later and it has gone from "Administrative processing" i saw before the re-interview to "Refused"



Now the Canada story, On getting to know about the pregnancy .i knew DW will be due just two weeks or three after my 6weeks long training(i work offshore on rotations though but this is a professional training) ,so i had to factor that into the plan.We read both this thread and "Giving birth in Canada " thread extensively to make a choice.we realized despite Canada higher visa success stories compared to the US ,a lot of people do not declare birth because they find it hard to get a Ob-gyn/hospital correspondence unlike US. Infact i tried one myself and the secretary told me they do not send email but will be ready to attend to us once we are in Canada and can come to the office.So , i told DW there's no need to stress on Canada,let's just focus on US.And that's when the search led us to Emory (i personally love Atlanta since the Olympics in 1996, plus the red flag about Texas ).Everything was going fine,DS-160 filled, email exchange with Emory hospital going good.Still had like 10 weeks before the interview. One day, DW was on the phone with her friend that has PR in Canada.Then i thought to myself ,why not go to Canada for like two weeks before my training.Then leave DW there to stay with her friend like 3 or 4 weeks before heading to Atlanta while i am back here for my training.Then after the training ,i will be back to the US (At this time ,it would be my annual leave period at work) to join her just before the baby arrives.That way ,she wont have to stay alone for such a long time in US. DW saw reason with my plan and that's how we decided to apply to Canada for TRV (Visit/tourism ).No declaration of birth ,we had settled for US for that (well ,maybe we should have but i didn't see any reason having the same plan for two different countries at the same time) .i already was discussing payment with Emory because they would not send VISA acceptance letter without full payment.So ,we knew US was our shot for medicals if i had to pay Emory in advance(which i did anyway).

So we applied (Online) to Canada and after just four weeks , the refusal letter came stating financial status and personal assets as the major reason for denial.It was surprising to me because i had a lot of fund in the account statement presented, properties docs and all ,so i ordered for GCMS notes to know the details of the decision.Then after two weeks(mid June) , i re-applied for DW alone with her friend's invitation because truly i dont need to be in Canada with her (i have a training).And maybe that will even boost her chance of getting the visa (No update up till now though).i later got the GCMS notes this July and apparently, the officer in charge didnt do his/her homework properly before making the final decision.If you have doubts ,why not make confirmations ,call the numbers on my employer's letter to confirm if i really make the salary claimed, check the internet to have an idea of what's obtainable as salary in my position in the industry, call the banks to confirm the authenticity of the statement. After all , they have enough time to do whatever unlike US that their VOs have few minutes to decide.i even added my tax certificates.
The other reason is the previous US refusal (2013 ) as i stated in one of their forms, no need to lie.i have never lied in any of my previous visa applications.

Well , i already told DW we would try once more if there is time and i already filled the form.i personally never felt bad for refusals before as it's my money i am going to spend and i could easily just go elsewhere.But this time it's different,i did feel bad a little because it's not just about me ,and the fact that it has to do with time.i once said to myself that i should have never applied to Canada but how would i have known this was going to happen.That's just me being human. Anyway it ends , what matters is DW and the baby's welfare during and after delivery. Anything aside that is extra

Sighs , sorry for the long epistle.Just want you to have the full gist.

Wishing you all the best but most importantly ,be as honest as possible.

A snapshot from Canada application GCMS notes below





2

brownesugar:


@legitbachelor,@sharpman1,@anjiee,@study4life Thanks guys i called them this morning and i got my ds160 confirmation linked on my appointment letter,it was sent to my email.. waiting to hear from @lagosiv now for response of validity extension mail i sent to them...thanks for the info,guidelines and all you give here bless you guys,lld follow this thread and ask for guidance as time goes on/also update u as medicals and interview goes.. cheers&kudos to everyone here....#gracias

Wow, thank God.

brownesugar:


@legitbachelor,@sharpman1,@anjiee,@study4life Thanks guys i called them this morning and i got my ds160 confirmation linked on my appointment letter,it was sent to my email.. waiting to hear from @lagosiv now for response of validity extension mail i sent to them...thanks for the info,guidelines and all you give here bless you guys,lld follow this thread and ask for guidance as time goes on/also update u as medicals and interview goes.. cheers&kudos to everyone here....#gracias

Brown Sugar, have you gotten any reply to your email?

anjiee:


You have to complete the DS 160 form. The confirmation number on the appointment letter must tally with the number of the just concluded ds160.

i believe the confirmation number you have currently on the appointment letter would be that of your previously filled DS 160 form.

In order to rectify, u will need to call them giving the new confirmation number of the just filled DS 160 form. As soon as it is rectified, u will get a mail from them.

@legitbachelor,@sharpman1,@anjiee,@study4life Thanks guys i called them this morning and i got my ds160 confirmation linked on my appointment letter,it was sent to my email.. waiting to hear from @lagosiv now for response of validity extension mail i sent to them...thanks for the info,guidelines and all you give here bless you guys,lld follow this thread and ask for guidance as time goes on/also update u as medicals and interview goes.. cheers&kudos to everyone here....#gracias

anjiee:
update on my story!

i went for my medicals yesterday at qlife , wrote down my name on a register at the gatemans place, took the passport picture. Then waited till 8am when we all later got ushered in.

The receptionist was nice to my surprise, started calling out names according to the register. Low n behold, she called my name, then stood up n approached her, gave her my international passport n passport photographs. Oh, she said out loud, ur pass port isn't valid, i argued no it is, she returned my passport n told me to meet one other lady inside to attend to me. i did n i realised i miscounted the month truly, it won't b valid.

A throwback: i paid my GTB fees July, finished filling n submitted ds160 form also in July, Tried scheduling an appointment but to no avail. No dates were available for August n September! How some pple got September was a surprise to me but then i saw the nearest date for October.So counting from the date in October, my passport which is to expire mid March wouldn't be valid for this process. So i lost hope again. But then i decided to remain strong.

i asked the second receptionist how long it takes for the results to be out: she said after seven working days, she told me that means i have to do my medicals on Thursday(this Thursday). i became devastated, how do i get a new passport withing two days. i called someone that knows someone that knows someone, hmmmm rushed down to ikoyis passport office. Did capturing n all of that and i'm to pick up my passport tomorrow. Which means i would make the test on Thursday.

My Question:
1.The said new passport would be having another number which will be different from what i have on my GTB receipt, ds160, Appointment confirmation page.Although i still have my old passport to expire Mar next year with me. What is my faith on this. Still trying to be strong.

2. The police report i have has the present passport number not the new one i'm to collect tomorrow, which means i have to get another police report,right?

i'm totally lost. Pls house, wat do you suggest. @legitbachelor @sharpman1 @abisolaarshow @glorioussugar @sukey @drenimarcus Please i need your input.

Thanks

1. i know change of passport number can be done by sending an email to support@ustraveldocs.com. But remember the window closes 3 days to your interview.
2. i guess you have to get another one to avoid stories that touch.

update on my story!

i went for my medicals yesterday at qlife , wrote down my name on a register at the gatemans place, took the passport picture. Then waited till 8am when we all later got ushered in.

The receptionist was nice to my surprise, started calling out names according to the register. Low n behold, she called my name, then stood up n approached her, gave her my international passport n passport photographs. Oh, she said out loud, ur pass port isn't valid, i argued no it is, she returned my passport n told me to meet one other lady inside to attend to me. i did n i realised i miscounted the month truly, it won't b valid.

A throwback: i paid my GTB fees July, finished filling n submitted ds160 form also in July, Tried scheduling an appointment but to no avail. No dates were available for August n September! How some pple got September was a surprise to me but then i saw the nearest date for October.So counting from the date in October, my passport which is to expire mid March wouldn't be valid for this process. So i lost hope again. But then i decided to remain strong.

i asked the second receptionist how long it takes for the results to be out: she said after seven working days, she told me that means i have to do my medicals on Thursday(this Thursday). i became devastated, how do i get a new passport withing two days. i called someone that knows someone that knows someone, hmmmm rushed down to ikoyis passport office. Did capturing n all of that and i'm to pick up my passport tomorrow. Which means i would make the test on Thursday.

My Question:
1.The said new passport would be having another number which will be different from what i have on my GTB receipt, ds160, Appointment confirmation page.Although i still have my old passport to expire Mar next year with me. What is my faith on this. Still trying to be strong.

2. The police report i have has the present passport number not the new one i'm to collect tomorrow, which means i have to get another police report,right?

i'm totally lost. Pls house, wat do you suggest. @legitbachelor @sharpman1 @abisolaarshow @glorioussugar @sukey @drenimarcus Please i need your input.

Thanks

JTDeus:
Hey, F1 Nairalanders! You guys rock! You guys tutored me wella on these insightful and generous pages.

i've been waiting for my visa delivery so that i'd have complete peace of mind while posting the transcript. Interview was Thursday, July 11th, in Abuja, 9am (that's 2 weeks already).

V.O. gave me white paper but mentioned that my visa would be put on hold so as to verify my submitted SOA. i've been tracking my status via both email, website, appointment page as well as call option too. They're all saying visa still with the embassy/consulate.

My story long o. But it's just a full testimony of God's favour and grace at work. i'm a first class student, with Bachelor's degrees in Philosophy (2009) and Theology (2014) respectively, PGDE from NTI (2015) and COMPTIA A+ from NIIT (2015). i'm 32 and i've been teaching since 2014, plus other engagements like NECO SSCE Supervisor, education board volunteer, ICT manager in an establishment, charity organisation experience, etc.

i applied for Licentiate in Sacred Theology from 2 Jesuit Schools in the US - Santa Clara University, California, and Boston College, Massachusetts.

Both schools offered scholarships. SCU replied first with 50% tuition scholarship, and i processed everything with them (i20, SEVIS fee, and nonrefundable enrolment deposit of $500). i even paid visa application fee and was about applying for visa when BC miraculously showed up last month. i didn't hear from them after application, and because i applied later than their deadline, i presumed they didn't take me. They just appeared last month with admission and 75% tuition scholarship, which i appealed and they increased to 100%. Bingo! �

i immediately applied to DHS for SEVIS fee transfer request from SCU to BC, which they did immediately and hitch free too. i went for visa interview with BC full tuition cover, while my uncle (same surname) takes care of other expenses. i used 2 SOA (dollar and naira respectively) from him issued in May for my admissions and i20 processing. He gave me sponsorship letter, together with another SOA printed July 10, a day to my interview.

VISA INTERVIEW:
Abuja, July 11th, 9am, window 6 or so, elderly white man who was very calm and gentle with me. Arrived consulate around 7:50am, got interviewed after the series of queues and processes around 10:35am or so.

My situation: No GRE, GMAT, TOEFL, IELTS or other standardised tests, and no external transcripts evaluations (none required); totally Virgin passport (but i've been to Benin and Ghana, and i filled them in my ds160); Single and childless; sponsored by uncle. Big mistake in my visa appointment form which i never discovered as i did all my stuff and printed myself, until the guys checking at the front desk pointed it out to me - i put my email address in place of my first name so the appointment page bears only my surname and email address, no first names. i almost fainted! Good enough, my email is a twist of my first names, so the identity connection won't be hard. They passed me on to the next screening stage though.

TRANSCRIPT:
(i'm not good at quoting verbatim, please, but you'll get the whole gist as much as i can).

We greeted and i passed my passport and i20.

VO: Are you in Orders? (meaning, are you a priest?)

Me: No

VO: i'm seeing Theology

Me: i've been in the seminary all my life but i didn't continue to the priesthood. i want to advance in Theology so i can lecture in the senior seminary or Catholic University when i return.

VO: Do you have a place to teach when you return?

Me: Yes (i dash him the letter i'm holding)

VO: What level of students are you teaching now?

Me: Secondary students, but i want to advance so i can teach in the higher institution.

VO: (goes into typing mode, so gentle all the way like he really wants to grant the visa but remembered he hadn't really asked me anything) Let me ask you just one question, a quick one. (i say, sure). Can you tell me the only doctrine the Pope has pronounced as infallible?

Me: (i never expected that. i was confused whether he meant the current Pope or past popes. He saw my confusion and said since Vatican. So i answered) We have the Immaculate Conception, we have the... (i wanted to continue but VO cuts in...)

VO: There you go! You did your Theology well! Did you obtain any bachelors during your seminary studies?

Me: Yes.

VO: What subjects?

Me: Philosophy and Theology

VO: (looking at my i20...) i see you have generous funding from the school. (i no talk. He moves down to my uncle.) Your uncle is taking care of the rest. Can i see...

Me: (i didn't let him finish. i dash am my sponsorship letter plus 3 different SOA for same uncle, two naira and one dollar account, all three legit. He looks at the SOAs and exclaims)

VO: These accounts are loaded. Your uncle must be well off. What does he do?

Me: (i tell him uncle's job and professional level.)

VO: i'll put your visa on hold while we verify these accounts against fraud. If you're guilty of fraud, you won't be allowed to enter the United States for...

Me: (i cut him off) Sure, i know. With all pleasure, please, you can confirm.

VO: (sticks a small white piece of paper behind my passport, gives me white A4 paper saying) This is for your visa (white paper showing visa approved and collection info).

(Gives me another cut white paper saying) This is specifically for your F1 visa (contains F1 travel guidelines).

(Keeps my passport. Hands back my i20 saying something like) Keep it on you while travelling, not in your bag (and so on... But i wasn't listening. The only thing in my head was... Run � � �)

VO was still giving final remarks but i was already towards the door in excitement and also fear of being called back for another thing again.

Me: (Already turned to run away �) bye bye, bye bye... God bless you, Sir!



Na so i take waka. i wasn't asked most of the usually expected questions. The only documents i presented were passport, i20, letter of employment confirmation and financial documents (letter of sponsorship and 3 SOA from uncle).

First, it's God. Then, truth is key. Also, struggle for good grades, you have less worry afterwards in academic adventures or application processes. Study the scope of the interview well and know what they're looking for. Try have documents to back up answers, and present the document to backup your claims as you're voicing oral answer too, because you may not be asked. Don't talk too much. Stay on the question. Let the VO lead the conversation. Don't answer the next question VO hasn't asked.

Pray my dear. Fast. Abstain from sin for that period. Make God a project as you make the visa a project and also make your documentation a project, and all will rhyme in that small cubicle. Pray to also meet a gentle VO. A guy immediately after me who came with the same school i got in California (SCU), with same 50% tuition scholarship i had with them, was not successful at the visa interview and he said the VO wasn't letting him talk (i got their i20 and paid SEVIS fee with them but switched to Boston that gave me 100% tuition scholarship, transfered my SEVIS record and went for visa interview with Boston College.)

Another thing, i feel they check social media profile, else they wouldn't ask you for it. Have a mature consistent social media profile that would make a potential employer take you if they were to look at your social media; a social media profile that can tell who you are, and also match what you filled in your ds160. i was expecting to feel tensed as i approached interview, but only remembered after the interview that i felt no tension at all. My VO made me at ease. It wasn't really a grilling interview, but more of a coffee chat. He was an angel!

However, i've still not been contacted for my visa collection and tracking is saying still at embassy. i filled PH as my pick-up location. The white paper said 4 working days if using pick-up. It's 2 whole weeks now, that's 10 or 11 working days. What's your take guys about my situation?

Also, what's take about landing at a POE different from your school airport? i want to land in Los Angeles for some days before moving to Boston? Any concerns about immigration wahala if i do so?

My empathy to all those not yet successful, and best wishes to those going soonest. One love, Nairaland! ✌

update
Case created July 10th
Interview July 11th
Case updated July 25th
Issued July 29th
Got a mail July 30th and picked same day in PH

To God be the Glory!

Please, can we get experiences from POE?

Best of luck to y'all

domesef2:
Good day,

kindly help,
i made a dropbox application at Lagos Isolo dhl for my mum but was invited for an interview thru 221g. However, when i picked followup appointment on her profile it redirected to Abuja for interview which i picked for june29 but when she got to Abuja she was not interviewed based on the fact that her ds160 shows Lagos and her details not available for Abuja. since then i called and mail the contact on emabssy website for directions. i was told she can be interviewed at Abuja but since its not done way forward is to get another follow up appointment for Lagos which since then it has not been possible. But now the profile has been enable for follow up appointment but once clicked on, no date shows on the pup up for up to a week now and keep calling no solutions.
Moreover, She is going for my brother wedding (Her son) in September the plan date was for august and for 2month duration but now there are changes in the plan date to go in sept and her duration can we change the date and her duration filling a new ds160 and update her profile?

kindly advice and assist on what next to do, how can we get follow up date

thanks

Applicants cannot make changes to the DS-160 once it has been submitted. One must fill out a new DS-160 then contact CGI to associate the new ds160 with their appointment date. CGI contact information is located on these sites: http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ng/ng-main-contactus.asp and https://ng.usembassy.gov/visas/

Good day,

kindly help,
i made a dropbox application at Lagos Isolo dhl for my mum but was invited for an interview thru 221g. However, when i picked followup appointment on her profile it redirected to Abuja for interview which i picked for june29 but when she got to Abuja she was not interviewed based on the fact that her ds160 shows Lagos and her details not available for Abuja. since then i called and mail the contact on emabssy website for directions. i was told she can be interviewed at Abuja but since its not done way forward is to get another follow up appointment for Lagos which since then it has not been possible. But now the profile has been enable for follow up appointment but once clicked on, no date shows on the pup up for up to a week now and keep calling no solutions.
Moreover, She is going for my brother wedding (Her son) in September the plan date was for august and for 2month duration but now there are changes in the plan date to go in sept and her duration can we change the date and her duration filling a new ds160 and update her profile?

kindly advice and assist on what next to do, how can we get follow up date

thanks

amanonymous:
No have not filled a new ds-160 and have not called. My interview date is on the 25th of October i submitted the ds160 form on the 21st of September and i picked 3rd of October as my intended date of Arrival which is the problem am having now *i just want to know your advise on this before i take any decision. i didn't know that an appointment is always 30 days prior to the day of booking it.

Ogbeni, relax.

1. Fill another ds-160 form with your correct details and correct travel information using this link: https://ceac.state.gov/GENNIV/

2. Send a mail to support@ustraveldocs.com and let them know you realized you might have wrongly filled your submitted online NIV DS-160 form with Application ID: **********.

3. They will get back to you and ask you to log back into your account at CGI https://cgifederal.secure.force.com to update. On your CGI, you will then update the old Application No. with the new one...then save and print.

Do this asap and you will still be able to go for your interview on the 3rd of October.. Goodluck

kooljay5:



hello bro, i have retrieved the ds160 form i filled, but there was no space to make corrections to the errors. the info i am getting is that the form has been submitted and i cannot make corrections on it. please advice.

i think you din't do something right... retrieving and correcting is a possibility with ds160's. However, fill up another ds160 and use the method i stated to update the new ds160 you filled to your appointment confirmation.

Also inform them when you called that you wanna shift your date...

Goodluck bro...

On another sad note, RIP to all those who lost their life in Brussels today