Please let me know what you think, if you have been "Bounced" let us know why, and how you presented your Case. If you have appealed a Visa refusal, let us know how it went. Those that were successful for B1/B2,F-1,H-1,H-2 Visas, please tell us your story. Nigerians spend over $100 Million for a non-refundable Visa application fees. Why do we keep coming back, when we are refused in such large numbers? And why do Nigerians lie so much on their application? Over 900,000 apply for US Visas every year, i think maybe 15% are successful. Yet we keep coming back. Is the US embassy in Lagos Racist toward Nigerians? Speak your mind!!

My Personal Opinion is that they should increase the price of the fees no weed out the fakers from those that really want to visit. I think they should use not only fingerprints but also Biometrics, Eye Scans and Document Verification Technologies to prevent scams. And there should be a "Cooling Period" for all applicants and mandatory interviews for all. Making it much harder for women of child bearing ages to visit. They should make it hard period,and Nigerians will then stop trying.

My point is the embassy needs to discourage Nigerians from fleeing en-mass, and make it even harder for them to visit. What is your opinion? www.Nigeriaworld.com has a good read on this topic.

My point is the embassy needs to discourage Nigerians from fleeing en-mass, and make it even harder for them to visit. What is your opinion?

why do u want them to make it hard or even harder to "visit" in the true sense of the word- i mena what about the genuine holiday makers?

the UK system is more lenient though (as usual) people abuse it but i think there are more "visitors" to the U.K now that they've softened up, people actually go back home.

i also read somewhere before that the nigerian/ghanain*government complained about visa applications, how they generate huge revenues just to turn people away for flimsy excuses.

but the american embassy nah something else!! they definately discriminate!

_{everybody wants to jah}

@OldGlory

Its not that they discrimate but there are few problems

1) Most of the time they believe all the documents are fake.

2) They determine the application before you get there, which i found very strange.


UK one is far better and the embassy treat one like fellow human being.

Akolawole

Are you still in the UK? What was your experience at the US embassy in Lagos VS the UK. Please give us details of your experience.

@OldGlory

I have never applied for US visa but i have seen friends do that.

So much stories from different people.

1) Mr A got a US visiting visa, apply to British high commission for transit visa( he intends to fly British Airways enroute London). They ask him to come and pick it 2 days later.

Suprisingly, his transit visa was refused AND British high commission send his passport to US embassy for cancellation of his already-issued US visa.

Reason: The UK embassy suspected a fraud, they then requested his visa form at US embassy, they discover some inconsistencies, which is why the two were cancelled.

2) A family friend was given and imagine they ask him just one question.

Wow that is brutal!! What has the British Embassy got to do with an already issued US visa? I guess the UK has Veto power over the US in Nigeria.

@OldGlory

Please read this account:

I lost N20m – Yinka Ayefele, gospel singer
By Sun News
Saturday, November 19, 2005
•Gbenga Ayefele
Pix: Sun News Publishing

*
Blockbuster Index

Talented gospel singer, Yinka Aye-fele has revealed how the German Em-bassy had colluded with the American Embassy to scuttle his trip to the United States of America thus making him to lose a whopping N20m.

Starting from October, crippled and wheellchair-bound Ayefele had been scheduled for a 3-month tour of America that would have seen him and his band perform in over 26 states of the country.

The musician would have brought his unique gospel melody to the Royal Castle and Marriot Hotel in New York, Yoruba Heritage Centre in Boston, D. C Armory and C & S church in Washington, YMCA Centre in Atlanta and Empire Plaza in Orlando where tickets have already been sold out. But the American Embassy had thrown a spanner into the works as it canceled already granted visas.

Visibly sad Ayefele explained thus: “I am not involved in any visa scam. My band men and I had applied for visas at the American Embassy, which were granted. We then applied for transit visas through our agent at the German Embassy only to be turned down on the excuse that sometimes in August we had applied for German visas with 19 names but now the transit application had contained 14 names.”

If the German Embassy had turned down the transit visa application and returned the musicians’ passports to them, they would have made alternative arrangements for the trip to US. But the Germans had forwarded the passports to the American Embassy for outright cancellation of already granted visas.
Fighting back tears, the gospel crooner exclaimed: “How could they do that to me?

What have I done to warrant such ill treatment from the Germans? They turned deaf ears to my explanations that the American promoter had told me he could only foot the bill of 13 band members and that I should not exceed the figure. I have a 30-member band. I have the right to choose those who would make the trip with me. I watched the Consular General canceling the visas and I felt my world collapsed.”

On what he had lost over the aborted American tour, Ayefele said: “I have sustained a huge loss. I lost about N20 million. Apart from refunding N4.8 million to those who had engaged my services for the 3 months the tour would last, I have lost about N15 million that I would have made from the tour. The American promoters are on my neck because they have lost lots of money. I am sad, so sad.”

Sanya Ogunfowora, Chief Promoter, Shower of Blessings Tour, USA had in a letter expressed his displeasure to Ayefele thus: “…you have been very disappointing. You’re scheduled to appear at the Youth Conference, Christ Apostolic Church, 622 Corfelyon Rd, Brooklyn on October 13, 20, also to play at Rose Garden Ball Room B10 on October 14, 2005 but you failed to appear. Be aware that you have already been booked till first week in December. Please give us the details of what is going on…to avoid a lot of loss and compensation.”

Meanwhile, the Video CD of Ayefele’s current album, “Fulfillment” has been released. It hit the market last week and is already making waves.




Did you now see that these embassies work together?

Very Interesting!!! An eye opener.

::

Those people at the US embassy in Nigeria will continue to treat Nigerians like shit until the Nigeria government itself starts treating her citizens with dignity.
My cousin went for an interview at the embassy some weeks ago. Now, the visa fee is $100 payable in US currency ($100 note) or N14000. But apparently they have been refusing to take the $100 since the naira rose against the naira. They told everyone to bring N14000 effectively setting their own exchange rate at $1=N140 when the naira is now officially N129=$1
A better country than Nigeris would address this, ask them to either declare an increment in their fees or use the correct exchange rate

Mailaika

South Africans do not need a visa to go to the UK? Is that the case till today?

Erm in not malaika but

i have some SA friends: they apply for visa either the working holiday visa which is 1 year for working and 1 year for holiday(not entitled to work-officially)

::

Mailaika

I heard the law changed about 2 months ago, can you confirm?

::

Mailaika

I was pricing tickets to Joburg online, the cheapest i could get was Emirates @ $1700 and the flight is 21hrs+ long, am still looking.I might fly out of NYC.

I went to The U.S embassy today to renew my expired visa and thankfully got it done but not without a few hassles. Sincerely i think what's going on there is driven by their poor perception of the average nigerian which is right some of the time and wrong, some. Largely though i think they're annoying. Their mindset is that any nigerian applying for a U.S visa wants to run away.
A pointer here though, i was refused a visa the first time i applied just said i didn't qualify , later learnt that it was because i was single. I went back 6 months later , single still and got issued a 2year multiple, my guess is because i was consistent in the information that i gave , they don't like contradictions i figure. It's a shame but there are no hard and fast rules to knowing who's a genuine visitor and who's not. In all though , i think we could use more respect out there. Peace

The US consulate has to be the very worst in the whole country. My experience?

REFUSAL 1: Before I got married, I had wanted to go "meet" my mother-in-law who happens to have a green card and was unable to come home at the time. The young lady did not even look at any of my documents before saying that I was ineligible (The only question asked being whether I was married or not). The fact that I had an unused US visa in the passport did not even deter her after I indicated that I had just changed jobs at the time and could not take time off nor the fact that I had a letter from the company I had been working at for over 3 years.

REFUSAL 2: After Being married for over a year, at least the second time round was marginally better with the official looking through most of my documents and asking pertinent questions. However in a queue with over 30 people, only 2 were given. I actually heard one of the interviewers tell a guy that "why do you want to study in the US when your degree is not so good? you should try an African University"- the arrant gall of the officer!!!

The rejection after paying your hard earned cash, waking up early to meet your appointment, being spoken to rudely by some of the officers (the Nigerian girl, who looks like an SU member and sings gospel at the TOP of her voice being the worst.), and being asked some of the silliest questions in the world is really disheartening.

I have decided not to bother going to look for my mother-in-law anymore. If she comes home, all well and good; if not, the Empire State Building and Lady Liberty can wait.

I am still on number 5 in the number of beautiful African countries I can visit on holiday on my own.

I have never been to the US embassy in Nigeria but from the tales of woes peddled around, i think i can conjure a picture of what its really like in there.
Even though i have qualified for a good while now for a British passport, is till carry my Nigerian passport around.
I have done my fair share of globe trotting around the world including a trip to China. I then applied for an American Visa at the US embassy here in London afterwards and expected the yanks to ask silly questions like what did i go to China for.
But the young lady was sweet. Asked what Job i did, do i own my house etc. In my bank statements, there was nothing extra there just my day to day transactions etc.
She then asked why did i want to go to the states, This was the craziest part cos i didn't fine it in me to offer a simple answer. I told her amongst my friends, i suddenly realised that i was the only one who had not visited the US. And that i feel out of place when they talk about the US, by this time, the interviewer was pissing herself with laughter and she said OK am going to let you go so you dont feel out of place when you meet up with your friends again.
I think they are more humane in the Uk office. If i hade given that kind of answer in Lagos, i guess i would have been shown the door.
If the embassies are bad, wait till you get to their airport. Thats a story for another day.

Good luck.
Am now applying for my British passport

thanks for the story well if you as me i think they do and the Nigerians gov. have to do something about it, well this is my own story.

i am a systems engineer and work for a power generation company in which my father is the technical adviser. we were to travel to the usa Kansas city for an HRSG (A seminal for power generation) seminar, becos the company is one of the company recently giving the FG PPA license to generate 1000mw of electricity. we go to the embassy in lagos cos we colud not book a place in abj, got in front of the lady and the 1st qus was what is the relationship, my dad ans and said am his son and also a worker in the company and that was it, after seeing the FG papers and all she did not even ask for the cash aspect all she did was to refuse me and gave my dad, not even considering the money we had spent in payment for the seminal and accom. going to about 2000 USD, the company worth the consulate sending all the doc. and they asked us to reapply, we did got a placement in abj and this lady was nice but guess what she said after going through the papers, she believes the papers but she will judge based on my personality, then she said i'm 24 years of age and since i have a transferable knowledge she cant give me.and that was it. i wonder is it that the Americans believe young ppl cant make it in nigeria or what? and that was how we lost 2000USD and 28000 naira, someone pls tell me do we treat them like this, well left to me i think the usa don't want Nigeria to develop,

Well the post colonial world isn't looking too rosy for Nigerians, is it? Actually, is it the worse sort of nightmare anyone could imagine? Not only has poverty gone up from 15% to 91% but instead of having lovely British passports which allowed you all to move and trade freely around the world, you now have nasty green ones which make travelling a virtual impossibility. Add to that: hardly any power or water, just about the world's worst crime, some of the nastiest corruption and general despair. And it's not only Nigerians suffering. I'm a white European and can't be with my Nigerian girlfriend because of all this. I cry myself to sleep every night. But possibly the worst example of all this patriotic nonsense came when I last visited Nigeria. I was walking up the street by myself and a guy approached me asking for my passport and visa as I was a foreigner. I politely asked him to let me pass. He grabbed my wrist and arm and started shouting. Perhaps three dozen people in the street were laughing at me. He then hit my face. The laughter increased. He then picked upa window lying in the street at hit me over the head with it. The laughter reached fever pitch. Men, women, children and the elderly were all laughing hysterically at a white person being attacked. I ran up the street and I guess the Nigerian laughing is still going on now. I was bleeding and yes, I cried later. Wouldn't you? Compare that to the centre of the empire - Hyde Park. Today, it was a hot, sunny Sunday and people from all over the world threw frizbees, played soccer, ate picnics and paddled boats in the lakes. Hardly any of the couples were same race. It was simply a multicultural paradise in the centre of the empire where a third of the population wasn't even born in Britain. Everyone was smiling. Back in the patriotic nightmare of Nigeria, violence, deaths, corruption, poverty, fear and bitterness characterised the day. It was election weekend!

I have been trying to book interview appointment for american embassy in nigeria throught onlinie for past month without success. the site open and gets where to choose date but no is selected. Is like they lock it up. PLS anybody with reliable information on how to go about it will be appreciated

@topic

my two cents

I think it can only be experienced

First of all its the queue and the security checks

Having to get there early and WAITING for sooooooooooooooooooo long before your passports,forms etc are checked and accepted

You could be there waitng for close to 4 hours at times, God help you if the AC is not working.

There are screaming kids, and elderly people, others dozing off.

Then when you finally get to the inner room you find out that the so called interview is really open meaning everyone else can hear all

My first attempt was 2 years ago, The interviewer just asked me all the information in my form which i simply repeated, I was NOT asked to show any evidence or anything, other visas on the passport did not seem to matter. He just retuned the passport to me and said visa denied.
Reason: he did not give an answer just gave me a slip of paper

Like some one else mentioned all those on my line were refused it did not take up to 1 min

Second attempt was really just a trial, my cousin abroad was getting married I seemd the only in my nuclear family interestedd in going so i went there with IV and email from him. He had sent a mail listing family members that were interested in coming to the embassy. I did not take any bank statements with me just ID card and employment letter. during the wait i just tried to keep calm , didnt entertain thoughts of denials cos then i'd be jittery. The minute you lose comportment then any interview job or visa is bound to fail.

I was called in and had to pass along the queue seat by seat. we noticed a certain interviewer kept giving denials whilst another was so jovial and friendly with applicants. He gave most refused a few. Suddenly the chic in front of me started singing his praise loudly. He must have noticed. Another couple refused to get up until his cubicle was vacant.

This chic started wishing the 'refusal' guy left his seat. we considered many ways either he was in the toilet for long, or he would be hungry and go for lunch etc. Finally the R guy got up and chic moved straight to nice guy with a big smile. needless to say she got her visa(by the way she was schooling in the uk but wanted to visit US). Yours truly was praying R guy woul.d not come back from 'toilet' on time. halelluyah!! nice guy was free and i calmly walked up to him

He asked why i was refused before
answered 'i dont know'
he checked syytem said something abt understanding why
asked reason for travelling i said wedding
evidence -gave him IV
where do you work
i told him
he did not recognise the name so he asked what do we do
told him
he types some more
then he says i should give you 2 years then, is that ok
calmly i said thats fine

collecting the passport was wahala though cos those pesky security guys kept shutting the door

This news about embassies sending passports to each other is new to me.
Its a good thing I keep my documentation consistent else when i recently applied for UK visa dem for just cancel US own

lawrence99:

Well the post colonial world isn't looking too rosy for Nigerians, is it? Actually, is it the worse sort of nightmare anyone could imagine? Not only has poverty gone up from 15% to 91% but instead of having lovely British passports which allowed you all to move and trade freely around the world, you now have nasty green ones which make travelling a virtual impossibility. Add to that: hardly any power or water, just about the world's worst crime, some of the nastiest corruption and general despair. And it's not only Nigerians suffering. I'm a white European and can't be with my Nigerian girlfriend because of all this. I cry myself to sleep every night. But possibly the worst example of all this patriotic nonsense came when I last visited Nigeria. I was walking up the street by myself and a guy approached me asking for my passport and visa as I was a foreigner. I politely asked him to let me pass. He grabbed my wrist and arm and started shouting. Perhaps three dozen people in the street were laughing at me. He then hit my face. The laughter increased. He then picked upa window lying in the street at hit me over the head with it. The laughter reached fever pitch. Men, women, children and the elderly were all laughing hysterically at a white person being attacked. I ran up the street and I guess the Nigerian laughing is still going on now. I was bleeding and yes, I cried later. Wouldn't you? Compare that to the centre of the empire - Hyde Park. Today, it was a hot, sunny Sunday and people from all over the world threw frizbees, played soccer, ate picnics and paddled boats in the lakes. Hardly any of the couples were same race. It was simply a multicultural paradise in the centre of the empire where a third of the population wasn't even born in Britain. Everyone was smiling. Back in the patriotic nightmare of Nigeria, violence, deaths, corruption, poverty, fear and bitterness characterised the day. It was election weekend!

i dont know where you got your figures of 15% and 91%.also i'm a bit appalled by your description of british and nigerian passports as being "lovely" and "nasty green" respectively, i'm also uncomfortable with your attack by nigerians as i believe there is no excuse for crime. but the truth is, the world is getting really annoyed with the west especially US/UK axis. the global policies emanating from those countries have further alienated them from the poor countries and have widened the gap btw the rich and the poor. also the west does not hesitate to flaunt their wealth in front of our poverty. e.g when a poorly educated european comes to nigeria with a british company and starts to work earning pounds which is great in nigeria he can use it to convert even the most beautiful girls in Port Harcourt to prostitutes (some of whom are university students) this is insult upon injury.

you talk of the peace at hyde park as well as mixed marriages and smiling faces. hmmmn, i live in the UK so i know better. how joyful are those smiles? some of those mixed marriages were done "against their wish" you need to be an immigrant to understand that. now how fair is your british society? how are africans and british muslims treated? how come most africans get "shitty" jobs even when they get highest education. how come the black neighbourhoods are trash? how does your decent police treat black people? what do you understand by injustice?

i believe that in the present global village where people can move around freely, having all these visa refusals is like apartheid south africa where some people need passbooks to go from one end of their country to another.

peace

I did my interview today at abuja, i must confess, all what i read on this page made me scared. but God took control.
First and foremost, i think anybody wishing to get a US visa should go to abuja.
my apointment was for 1:30pm. i got there about 12:30pm. i didnt meet anybody, i had thot the address was wrong. i tspoke with the security and he said i was in the right place. we gisted for about 40mins, the story that i heard about securities were differtent, also, there was no rush of any sort, i think we were 20 applicants in all or so,
to my story, i applied for a student visa , the consul asked for documents but he never even glanced on them. he just collected it, ask for another document and kept on collecting what i gave to him. what he checked in all my documents was the balance on my statement of account, I am very sure he didnt know the name of the bank that the statement was from, he just checked the balance and asked few questions, that was it, all in all, i think its really God's work, the consular officers were very nice, the securities were also very nice compared to the stories i have heard and read,

yeah the US Embassy in nigeria are really sumthin else.i remember they didnt give anyone in my family when we applie in 2000.then 2001 we applied again and they gave all of us,2003 they gave us again,i used both visa's.Then in 2005,my interview was 9:00 in the morning and i wasnt interviewed till about 4:30 in the evening(student visa) and they ended up refusing me.well i'm in canada now and i applied for one in Ottawa(visistor),interview was 8:00 by 8:45 i was done after just 3 questions and all on the school i was in.was granted my visa.
In nigeria,boi i know it's so hard to get it,my mum met someone who tried 5 times,her 6th time they gave her.

Yes, the US Embassy visa policy in Nigeria do discriminates because Nigeria have no working system for verifying the authenticity of documents.
And also the US is yet to recover from the post 911 syndrome that makes them think most people out to attack them. So they are very busy
flushing foreigners out of their Country, building the Berlin Wall around their Country and being very careful and strict about entry Visas.
So we Nigerians need to be aware of these facts and go to them with proper documentations as requested.

For all i care, American is a no mans land. Everyone there is visitor. Its a country  that were established by foreigners. I have been to UK once and i also did apply for American visa which i was given. But after i heard about the Gun shots everywhere in US and un-serious life  style. I had to throw  my passport in the closet. American is noting to be compared by the UKs. Sometimes i hate why they are the world power.

they have a very poor perception of the average nigerian and its very wrong
even towards elderly people, I dont understand why they reject elderly people
My mum was rejected twice in Lagos without a single look in at her documents and she came over to the uk and got her visa, and she was told if she wanted to go the us again she should come to the embassy again and she will get a visa
why do they think a 65 year old person would go to america and not return what can they possibly do

oldglory,

wat r u doin in usa urself wit ur old glory.
Even if d fee is increased to 100k illegals
will still apply.

I intended goin for my bsc at CSUN but i was
refused cos i couldnt av enuf info about California
So whom shud be blamed for dat and moreover
i fink dey r a lil bit racist

SHALOM

@suxes2005, av gone for an interview this year, were u denied again after this recent admission letter u got

Actually I don't think they discriminate, or are even rude. In fact, the US visa interview is probably the easiest to ace, provided you understand the requirements clearly beforehand, not that you are basing the requirements on something someone told you.
Those guys have about 2 minutes to conclude your interview. However, most times Nigerians, and possibly other Africans, cannot understand the questions, answer in an unclear or roundabout manner, or simply launch into some kind of long-winded explanation of their situation. I see this all the time, not only at embassies, but at various points of entry into many countries.

For example, only yesterday, at Heathrow T3, one chap (Nigerian), first-timer into the UK, was asked where he would be staying, and he cited an address in Essex. The entry clearance officer then asked, why essex? And suddenly, something straightforward became a long-winded explanation. I left the guy there sha. They'll probably let him in, but will waste his time a lot. I have seen this so many times.

The truth is, we Africans seem to suffer from some kind of lack-of-preparedness syndrome. Those guys publish all their entry requirements online for people to read. Yet I see posts here on Nairaland, like 'What is the format of the US Embassy interview?'. Nobody ever bothers to read the US Visa information page, which describes in detail the format and duration of the interview, and also informs you that you are supposed to prove to the visa officer that you will return to Nigeria after your study or visit. Why can we not go with the information published without trying to add our own jara? Ayefele's case is unfortunate, but why did they showcase some form of inconsistency?

We always seem to assume that every other race is like us, i.e. they will 'understand'. Usually they don't and won't be sympathetic to our kurukere explanations. And since we are the ones who are queuing up in the thousands at their embassies every day, we should comply with their rules, and stop complaining.