NewStats: 3,262,004 , 8,175,854 topics. Date: Saturday, 31 May 2025 at 01:43 PM 2q6s4t

Best of luck to all visa hopefuls! Greetings from Florida State University

Zanemom:
Hi.
I just got my I20 from Murray state university to study Public istration with concentration in public health. My undergraduate program is Law. I have 8 years experience in law practice and I intend to go with my 2 kids and spouse. Please what are my chances of visa approval? My sister inlaw, my husbands sister is sponsoring, a pharmacist in Georgia USA. Please guys help, as am scared of the outcome.

Big red flag on sponsorship…better find a way to make it look like you are sponsoring yourself..your I-20 should read personal funds, advisably F1 to go alone now and F2s can later (this last part is not cast in stone tho, everything na grace)

VeecThorr:

Congratulations on your visa approval. I can't answer your question. could you share your profile please and perhaps some of the questions you were asked? You should omit any information that might reveal your identity of course. Thank you.

Program of study: MS Food and Nutritional Sciences
School: NC A&T State University
Funding: Fully funded

Transcript
VO: Where are you going to in the US?
Response: I am going to North Carolina A&T State university to pursue a Master's in Food and Nutritional Sciences

VO: Why a Master's Degree?
Response: A master's in Food and Nutritional Sciences would help me achieve my goal of being a college professor of Food and Nutritional Sciences, concentrating on Food and Human Nutrition, my undergraduate project work focused on Nutrition and I plan to continue in the same line.

VO: What's your background?
Response: Food Science and Technology from Obafemi Awolowo University
VO: How many schools did you apply to?Response: I applied to three universities in the U.S.: Alabama State University, North Carolina A&T State University, and the University of Minnesota. I was itted to North Carolina A&T State University and Alabama State University but I chose North Carolina A&T State University to pursue my Graduate studies.

VO: How did you receive this funding?
Response: I received this funding because of my strong academic records and my impressive graduate application. I also had a series of interviews with the departmental board and the graduate committee before receiving the funding

JMG12:
You don't need to be scared, your chances of visa approval for an F-1 student visa depend on how well you can address the key concerns of the consular officer during your visa interview.
1. Explain the transition in your career/profession.
2. Why Murray State University
3. Your sister-in-law’s sponsorship should be well-documented.
4. Since you are traveling with your spouse and children, the consular officer may wonder if you plan to stay permanently in the U.S. In this, you will need to demonstrate strong home ties such as property ownership, financial commitments, or family responsibilities(extended family).
5. Emphasize your plan to return home after completing your studies.
6. If possible, highlight your job or career plans in Nigeria post-graduation.
7. Show how the program is a logical progression from your legal career to public .

CONCERN
1. Be prepared to explain the relationship and why your sister-in-law is sponsoring you and not your immediate family or yourself. This is a Non-immediate /sponsor.
2. The officer will ask why you’re taking your family along. A good response would be to explain that having your family with you will provide emotional while you focus on your studies, but emphasize your intention to return home after graduation.
3. Large family accompanying you, the consular officers may see this as a sign of intent to settle in the U.S. You will need strong evidence of home ties and a clear study plan.

a. Practice mock interviews to build confidence.
b. Stay calm and positive during the interview.
c. Be truthful, consistent, and concise in your responses.
It will end in praise

Like I said , I have my i20 with my 2 kids listed as dependents, my husband is still working on renewing his visa. I guess once it’s out, I will send to the school for his i20.
My question is, can i pay for the sevis fee, and the visa and book a date? Or should I wait for his i20 f2 to be ready for us to do it together?

Thank you

ibroh22:

Big red flag on sponsorship…better find a way to make it look like you are sponsoring yourself..your I-20 should read personal funds, advisably F1 to go alone now and F2s can later (this last part is not cast in stone tho, everything na grace)

What do you advice ?
Should I tell my sister inlaw to send the money to my or better still her brother.

Will she even agree?

Or can I say she is my aunty, she still bears her maiden name, so technically we bear the same last name, I can’t say she is my sister.

No, I have to go with my F2s atleast lemme try.

I will be waiting for your reply

You can proceed with paying the SEVIS fee and booking your visa appointment without waiting for your husband's I-20. However, there’s a small risk that if he applies separately, his F-2 visa could face more scrutiny.

Zanemom:




Like I said , I have my i20 with my 2 kids listed as dependents, my husband is still working on renewing his visa. I guess once it’s out, I will send to the school for his i20.
My question is, can i pay for the sevis fee, and the visa and book a date? Or should I wait for his i20 f2 to be ready for us to do it together?

Thank you

JMG12:
You can proceed with paying the SEVIS fee and booking your visa appointment without waiting for your husband's I-20. However, there’s a small risk that if he applies separately, his F-2 visa could face more scrutiny.

Please how do I pay the sevis fee? And will my F1 visa fee cover for my f2s? Or is all of us meant to pay the visa fee? And in my I20, the school wrote my sponsor’s name and then tagged it personal fund. Is it supposed to read that ?

Please follow these steps
1. Go to the Official SEVIS Payment Website
2. Click on "Proceed to I-901 Form" and enter your details exactly as they appear on your I-20.
3. Make Payment Using; A credit/debit card (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express), or Western Union Quick Pay (Check their site for instructions). If someone in the U.S. is helping you, they can pay it online on your behalf.

Yes, each applicant must pay a separate visa fee. Your F-1 visa fee does not cover your dependents.

Zanemom:


Please how do I pay the sevis fee? And will my F1 visa fee cover for my f2s? Or is all of us meant to pay the visa fee?

JMG12:
Please follow these steps
1. Go to the Official SEVIS Payment Website
2. Click on "Proceed to I-901 Form" and enter your details exactly as they appear on your I-20.
3. Make Payment Using; A credit/debit card (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express), or Western Union Quick Pay (Check their site for instructions). If someone in the U.S. is helping you, they can pay it online on your behalf.

Yes, each applicant must pay a separate visa fee.
Your F-1 visa fee does not cover your dependents.

Thank you so much you’ve been so helpful.
The school wrote my sister in laws name and then tagged it personal fund. Is it supposed to read that.

And please how do I you? I can really use your wealth of knowledge in this. This is my first time and I don’t want to get it wrong.

URGENT PLEASE!!!

Guys, has anyone been able to use F1/F2 interview appointment for a B1/B2 visa interview instead or the reverse? that is, you had an F2 interview date, but decided to apply for a tourist visa instead, and paid another fee for the B1/B2, can you use the F2 interview date for B1/B2 instead or vice versa? anyone who has experience with this should please let me know how you did it.

For those that had visas approved recently, how long did it take before you were able to pick up your port from DHL / you were notified of your port availability for pickup?

The consular officer at Lagos told me at the end of the interview that it'd be ready for pickup in a week (which means today); but I didn't get a tracking ID, and upon visitation to the DHL office, I was told that they do not have it yet.

Note that I'm a returning student and my flight is scheduled for Feb 1, but looks like I'd have to cancel the flight, or at best, change the date, but I don't even know what timeline to work with.

Is there any reason why you want to abandon the F2 interview? why apply for B1/B2 visa? I will advise you to stick with the F2 visa interview, where you have a brighter chance of approval.

Thisismyyear:
URGENT PLEASE!!!

Guys, has anyone been able to use F1/F2 interview appointment for a B1/B2 visa interview instead or the reverse? that is, you had an F2 interview date, but decided to apply for a tourist visa instead, and paid another fee for the B1/B2, can you use the F2 interview date for B1/B2 instead or vice versa? anyone who has experience with this should please let me know how you did it.

Please I need you guys assistance, I was refused 2 months ago so now I’m trying to change my university to a better university and also where I can get scholarship and graduate assistantship, the last program I filled in was political science but now I’m looking to change it to business istration, please is it advisable to change the program you want to go and study and if you know of someone who has done that before or should I just stick with political science

Yes there is a reason I wish to. My spouse is graduating in May and F2 is no longer feasible for me as I want to just visit for few days only to attend the graduation ceremony and return back. Also I have been refused F2 visa already in the past.

welf99:
Is there any reason why you want to abandon the F2 interview? why apply for B1/B2 visa? I will advise you to stick with the F2 visa interview, where you have a brighter chance of approval.

Ideally, your I-20 should correctly reflect the actual source of funding to avoid confusion during your visa interview. Since your sister-in-law is your sponsor, the I-20 should ideally state "family funds" or "sponsor (sister-in-law)" instead of "personal funds." You can me using the default email on my profile.

Zanemom:


Thank you so much you’ve been so helpful.
The school wrote my sister in laws name and then tagged it personal fund. Is it supposed to read that.

And please how do I you? I can really use your wealth of knowledge in this. This is my first time and I don’t want to get it wrong.

Yes, it is possible to change your program when reapplying for a U.S. student visa, but you need to justify the change properly to avoid raising red flags. Because it is already in your record so be prepared to explain and convince the consola why the change, also if your previous refusal was related to doubts about your study plan or ties to your home country, an unclear program change could make things worse. Be consistent in your career path. if you have experience or you are a recent graduate in law, politics science, or public istration switching to Business istration is unrelated, but if you have work experience in business, finance or management the switch can be justify.

Showkey1313:
Please I need you guys assistance, I was refused 2 months ago so now I’m trying to change my university to a better university and also where I can get scholarship and graduate assistantship, the last program I filled in was political science but now I’m looking to change it to business istration, please is it advisable to change the program you want to go and study and if you know of someone who has done that before or should I just stick with political science

Zanemom:
Hi.
I just got my I20 from Murray state university to study Public istration with concentration in public health. My undergraduate program is Law. I have 8 years experience in law practice and I intend to go with my 2 kids and spouse. Please what are my chances of visa approval? My sister inlaw, my husbands sister is sponsoring, a pharmacist in Georgia USA. Please guys help, as am scared of the outcome.

I don’t think your course of study is an issue here, Law is a broad discipline; all you have to do is to prepare a cogent reply why a Public health specialty in istration is a ion you want to pursue.

The main issue is your sponsor, how can you convince the VO that your sister in-law will not only cover your tuition and living expenses but will do same for your spouse and all your kids. That’s not what one individual can do; even parents here in the US don’t sponsor their own kids, they only help them secure a loan.

In my first visa interview I was denied; within 6 months I secured scholarships from my department and re-applied for the visa and was approved. Getting partial/full scholarship is key not only for visa approvals but also for survival while studying in the US. You have 8 years experience, I’m sure that if you put in the work you’ll get some type of funding. Also, visa fees are high if you get denied, you’d have to pay again for the whole family.

Please take my advise with a grain of salt, just wanted to contribute to the forum to keep it alive since it helped me tremendously

kes4glory:
I secured an MPOwer Loan for fall2024, however I didn't go ahead with the process.
I have an offer for Fall 2025, I'm concerned about the chances of visa approval with M power loan.

Please is it advisable to use MPOwer Loan as POF or use someone else's for proof of funds.

I need your guidance guys, I need your wisdom to navigate this.

I used MPower loans when I applied for my visa back in 2022 and was approved. I only got partial assistantship/scholarships from my department which wasn’t enough to cover all expenses. I had $15k deficit so I used the loan as POF.

I think visas can be approved with loans when you have some type of scholarships/assistantship and you prepare a coherent response for when asked. I had less than 1million in my when I went for the interview and self-sponsor was listed on my I-20 since I had no family member or business or employer to sponsor me.

Disclaimer: don’t take my word for it, just adding my 2cents

Anybody that wants to help should do it openly on this platform by responding to people's concerns.

You should be careful with anyone asking you to them privately. If you get scammed, please do not come here to complain.

Thank you and best wishes.

MountainTop34:


I don’t think your course of study is an issue here, Law is a broad discipline; all you have to do is to prepare a cogent reply why a Public health specialty in istration is a ion you want to pursue.

The main issue is your sponsor, how can you convince the VO that your sister in-law will not only cover your tuition and living expenses but will do same for your spouse and all your kids. That’s not what one individual can do; even parents here in the US don’t sponsor their own kids, they only help them secure a loan.

In my first visa interview I was denied; within 6 months I secured scholarships from my department and re-applied for the visa and was approved. Getting partial/full scholarship is key not only for visa approvals but also for survival while studying in the US. You have 8 years experience, I’m sure that if you put in the work you’ll get some type of funding. Also, visa fees are high if you get denied, you’d have to pay again for the whole family.

Please take my advise with a grain of salt, just wanted to contribute to the forum to keep it alive since it helped me tremendously


Thank you

Good morning All,

I have received an I-20 from one institution but am also expecting an ission decision from another institution (my preferred choice) sometime in February. To save time, I am considering using the I-20 i have with me to complete my DS-160 form and book a visa appointment for May/June.

My plan is to change the I-20 details on my application before my visa interview date if the ission outcome from my preferred institution is favorable.

However, I am concerned if this possible as someone (not very experienced with the process) mentioned that this is no longer acceptable. Can anyone confirm what is currently obtainable in this scenario?

Thank you.

KolaSteven:
For those that had visas approved recently, how long did it take before you were able to pick up your port from DHL / you were notified of your port availability for pickup?

The consular officer at Lagos told me at the end of the interview that it'd be ready for pickup in a week (which means today); but I didn't get a tracking ID, and upon visitation to the DHL office, I was told that they do not have it yet.




Note that I'm a returning student and my flight is scheduled for Feb 1, but looks like I'd have to cancel the flight, or at best, change the date, but I don't even know what timeline to work with.

better change your flight date to a month time.

Firstly, your spouse graduating in May does not invalidate your F2 status. They could apply for OPT or enroll in another program, keeping the F2 status valid. However, if your intention is to visit for just a few days to attend the graduation, a B1/B2 visa would be more appropriate, as the F2 visa is intended for long-term stays. Given the time constraints, I recommend proceeding with your F2 appointment but informing the consular officer that your visit is short-term and aligning your B1/B2 application accordingly.

Thisismyyear:
Yes there is a reason I wish to. My spouse is graduating in May and F2 is no longer feasible for me as I want to just visit for few days only to attend the graduation ceremony and return back. Also I have been refused F2 visa already in the past.

A friend's spouse got F2 visa approvals 4 months before the end of the F1 program; she informed the consular the husband would be applying for OPT and a PhD at the of his program in another school. Visa was approved
In addition, there are two important elements in F2 visa approvals: Marriage and Finance. Length of stay is not a factor; intent to return is not really a concern because F2 is a long-term visa, and at the port of entry, validity is D/S.

Thisismyyear:
Yes there is a reason I wish to. My spouse is graduating in May and F2 is no longer feasible for me as I want to just visit for few days only to attend the graduation ceremony and return back. Also I have been refused F2 visa already in the past.

Thank you for the advice

welf99:
Firstly, your spouse graduating in May does not invalidate your F2 status. They could apply for OPT or enroll in another program, keeping the F2 status valid. However, if your intention is to visit for just a few days to attend the graduation, a B1/B2 visa would be more appropriate, as the F2 visa is intended for long-term stays. Given the time constraints, I recommend proceeding with your F2 appointment but informing the consular officer that your visit is short-term and aligning your B1/B2 application accordingly.

KolaSteven:
For those that had visas approved recently, how long did it take before you were able to pick up your port from DHL / you were notified of your port availability for pickup?

The consular officer at Lagos told me at the end of the interview that it'd be ready for pickup in a week (which means today); but I didn't get a tracking ID, and upon visitation to the DHL office, I was told that they do not have it yet.

Note that I'm a returning student and my flight is scheduled for Feb 1, but looks like I'd have to cancel the flight, or at best, change the date, but I don't even know what timeline to work with.

Isnt collection at OIS?

MountainTop34:


I used MPower loans when I applied for my visa back in 2022 and was approved. I only got partial assistantship/scholarships from my department which wasn’t enough to cover all expenses. I had $15k deficit so I used the loan as POF.

I think visas can be approved with loans when you have some type of scholarships/assistantship and you prepare a coherent response for when asked. I had less than 1million in my when I went for the interview and self-sponsor was listed on my I-20 since I had no family member or business or employer to sponsor me.

Disclaimer: don’t take my word for it, just adding my 2cents

How were u able to cover the remainder of ur tuition and cost of living when u landed in the usa

My 120 reads personal fund and the name of my sister inlaw. Should I ask them to modify it to read family funds? I and my husband also have some amount set aside for this purpose, can I also tell the V.O that?

Anyone please🙏🙏

chetaraph:
Good morning All,

I have received an I-20 from one institution but am also expecting an ission decision from another institution (my preferred choice) sometime in February. To save time, I am considering using the I-20 i have with me to complete my DS-160 form and book a visa appointment for May/June.

My plan is to change the I-20 details on my application before my visa interview date if the ission outcome from my preferred institution is favorable.

However, I am concerned if this possible as someone (not very experienced with the process) mentioned that this is no longer acceptable. Can anyone confirm what is currently obtainable in this scenario?

Thank you.

Hello people,

Congratulations to the successful applicants and gratitude to all the people making efforts to be part of another person's success story.

I've followed this thread for the past few weeks and soaked in as much as I can. However, I need some clarification about sponsorship. Most suggestions imply the need for scholarship to increase successful visa application.

I have ission for spring, funding from my sibling, and my interview is next month. However, I'm curious as to what qualifies for a solid funding , if someone is being sponsored by family member, would that not be acceptable too?

Any input will be much appreciated.

Guys, I'm still awaiting decision from UMass Boston for fall 2025.

Should I be hopeful?