Twenty-six-year-old Benjamin had arranged himself and put in five days fasting and fasting to anchor an understudy visa at the United States’ embassy.
His bereaved mother had spent her reserve funds to pay every one of the expenses prompting the stage and her expectations were depended on Benjamin scaling through the significant meeting.
Like different understudies looking for admission to schools in the US, Benjamin's mom had, as indicated by him, paid about $100 (N36,000) for application charge to the remote school, $300 (N108,000) for assessment expense, and $91 (N32,000) for the messenger administration to convey the affirmation reports to Nigeria. The United States had likewise been paid $200 with an extra $20 benefit charge (N80,300).
the archives arrived and Benjamin's mom paid N57,600 for the visa application to the government office. On the whole, about N350,000 had been used, including different random expenses.
Benjamin went for the meeting and after a few minutes, he was given a blue paper.
"Dear candidate, thank you for your enthusiasm for making a trip to the United States. This is to illuminate you that you have been discovered ineligible for a non-foreigner visa under Section 214 (b) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act. A forswearing under Section 214 (b) implies that you were not ready to exhibit that your expected exercises in the United States would be predictable with the grouping of the non-settler visa for which you connected.
"The present choice can't be offered. In any case, you may reapply whenever. In the event that you choose to reapply, you should present another application shape and photograph, pay the visa application expense again and make another arrangement to be met by a consular officer… .," the letter read partially.
The Ondo State indigene, who pondered what he fouled up, deplored that the dismissal was a major hit to his family.
"The consular officer had no reason not to give me the visa. He made distinctive inquiries, which I addressed genuinely. He just gave me back my international ID and said I should attempt again later. I should continue school on January 7, 2019. My bereft mother paid the expenses for my half year flight course. We spent about N350,000," he said.
Be that as it may, Benjamin's case isn't curious.
Twenty-eight-year-old Bimpe from Ogun State said she was sure she passed the visa meet in the wake of noting four inquiries.
"I was asked what I would do in the US and I said I was going for pilot preparing. The officer inquired as to whether I worked in Nigeria and I said no. He asked who my support was and I said, my dad.
"He inquired as to whether I could fly and I revealed to him that toward the finish of the preparation, I would realize how to fly. He requested my dad' articulation of record and subsequent to experiencing it for a couple of minutes, he returned it and said I should attempt again later," Bimpe said.
Another understudy, Sasha, who professed to have admission to St. Joseph University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, said she had been denied a visa twice.
The 26-year-old guaranteed that the forswearing had influenced her resumption in the school where she had officially paid some cash.
She stated, "The first occasion when I went to the international safe haven in Lagos was in July. The questioner solicited me an arrangement from inquiries, including the name of my school and the course I would ponder. While clarifying, he all of a sudden stopped me and stated, 'Sad, you have not met all requirements for the visa.' That was all; no particular reason was given. When I requested the purpose behind the forswearing, he just stated, 'Sad, I am not permitted to let you know; but rather you can attempt next time.' Most of us who connected for visas that day were not given.
"The second time, I went to Abuja. That was on August 27. When I arrived, I was asked when my school would resume and I disclosed to them August 27 and that I ought to have come before if the government office was not closed for about fourteen days. Instantly I said that the questioner stated, 'Sad, you have not met all requirements for the visa once more.' The blame was not mine."
Another planned avionics understudy of Epic Flight Academy, Florida, Charles, claimed that the consular officer had issues with his mom being the supporter of his training.
Charles said that was the main purpose of contradiction which defaced his odds when he went for the primary meeting on September 21.
"I connected again and got a date for Monday, October 22. I have posted inquiries, for example, the name of my school and why I was going there to contemplate. I was solicited what kind from the plane I might want to fly and I told the questioner and he grinned. I suspected that was a positive response and I was confident. He requested evidence of the instalment of my administration expense, which I gave him. At that point, he stated, 'Sad, I can't give you a visa.'
"We paid N350,000 as visa charge, benefits expense, application charge, assessment expense, among others, and you are not giving us a visa in the wake of experiencing a great deal of pressure? I have paid my enlistment expense. I should continue on November 5," he included.
A parent, who recognized himself just as Adewunmi, affirmed that his 18-year-old little girl, who inspired admission to think about nursing at Grand Valley State University, Michigan, was precluded in light of the fact that she was not hitched.
Adewunmi said the N345,000 he spent on the procedure was squandered.
"She disclosed to me that when she said she was not hitched, the questioner said she has not met all requirements to have the visa. I don't recognize what isn't right with the government office and on the off chance that they don't need us to apply to schools in the US, they should let us know as opposed to abusing us.
"It seems like they are simply taking our cash. What number of individuals would they say they are giving visas? Also, what number of would they say they are gathering visa expenses from in multi-day? It resembles extortion. On the off chance that they don't need us to send our youngsters to their schools, they should let us know," the temporary worker said.
Another parent, Wole Ogunba, said he accepted there was a plot to prevent Nigerian understudies from venturing out to the US.
Ogunba, who professed to have lived in the US from 1996 to 2013 preceding coming back to Nigeria, said his little girl was denied a visa since she requested that the questioner talk up.
He stated, "My girl went to the international safe haven for a meeting and she was the primary individual on hold. All she had the chance to state was, 'Sad, I can't hear you.' She said it twice and that was the finish of the meeting. What's more, it's not the first occasion when that I will hear that individuals stated, 'Exculpate' or 'I can't hear you,' and they are denied visas.
"My girl isn't uneducated. She talks and comprehends English. Also, you can't disclose to me that the reason you turned out poorly with the meeting was on the grounds that you figured she would not have the capacity to comprehend what she would be educated in class. She picked up admission to ponder nursing and we paid a portion of the cash and still, she didn't get a chance to go there.
"On the off chance that this sort of thing occurs in America, you get a discount. Thus, I don't know why it is in Nigeria that things don't work. Individuals pay benefit charge; visa expense; transport passage; in expenses, in the event that you don't live in Lagos or Abuja; flight ticket to travel; and the DHL to mail in various stuff. Furthermore, inside a couple of minutes, their expectations are dashed.
"Be that as it may, I get it is on the grounds that this is Nigeria and no one is prepared to face them. We need answers; on the off chance that they don't need anyone to go there to contemplate any longer, they should let us know. Also, what exacerbates it is that they don't disclose to you the purpose behind the disavowal. They have a little bit of paper that they give you and what they print there is exceptionally obscure."
Visit US government office
Amid a three-day visit to the US government office on Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos, our journalist seen that the territory was a bee sanctuary of business exercises.
In spite of the fact that our reporter got to the consulate around 8am, it was adopted the vast majority of the visa candidates got to the government office as ahead of schedule as 4am.
The PUNCH discovered that a large number of the interviewees, some of whom originated from outside Lagos, stopped in lodgings to abstain from being late.
From 8am till 11am when our journalist left, under five of the individuals who went in for meetings turned out with grins on their appearances.
The destiny of each candidate could be anticipated from the shade of the fresh A4 printout they gathered from the international safe haven: blue for dismissal, white for acknowledgement.
"The lady asked me what course I would study and I said it. She asked who my support was. At that point she said I photocopied my F1 record, however, I didn't. It was what was sent to me through DHL. She, nonetheless, demanded that I photocopied it," an understudy who was rejected said.
A man, who needed to consider Computer Science in Virginia International School, Virginia, said it was an awful day for most candidates at the government office.
He stated, "Around 100 individuals had gone before me and they didn't give anybody, aside from a lady who was in her 80s."
A man, who went with a family for the meeting, told our reporter that the international safe haven some of the time did not make inquiries from the candidates.
"In the event that you arrive by 4am, you will see a considerable measure of stopped vehicles. Individuals who have an arrangement by 6am come early. The international safe haven has in excess of 10 sessions in multi-day and they make billions of naira. On the off chance that 100 individuals go in, under 10 people will be given visas. They are simply utilizing us to profit," he said.
Typically, the family he went with to the international safe haven turned out, looking disheartened.
"They didn't give us," both a couple chorused.
While our journalist held up at the entryway, a man flaunted that he was certain his dad would get a visa.
He stated, "The US isn't giving Nigerians visas. Do you know what number of my companions that have been rejected? Be that as it may, my dad is 77 years of age and I am certain they will give him. In the event that you are under 18, they may think about you. Be that as it may, at age 20, 26, 30, 32, you are simply squandering your time."
A few minutes after the fact, his dad turned out.
He checked the record of the elderly person and grinned at the white paper.
"I revealed to you they would
2 Comments
What a pity
ReplyDeleteSad to hear
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