praise the Lord
Hello, My brethren, I went for my interview today, 19th June 07.15 am
Am going to be a bit detailed because of our people in diaspora.
When I got the First notification, I was in Nigeria,
I filled the form, did a police certificate (which expired in Sept 2006).
I left Nigeria for Jamaica in August (Because I got an employment)
I mailed my package back to kcc in late Sept 2006 via regular post
I discovered that I didn't have a birth Certificate, I sent a message to Nigeria, they got me one from NPC (not attestation or certified copy) and posted it to me.
My sponsor said he wouldn't be able to sponsor me when I got my second package in may, 2007.
I got another sponsor, The embassy in Jamaica uses for I-864 as affidavit of support, and it has to be down loaded from the web.
I sent a mail to my new sponsor and ask him to download and attach all document.
On the 18th of June 2006, I recieved the affidavit of support via FEDEX from my sponsor. He sent two copies each filled by him and his wife, (no supporting documents, not a single one, the affidavit was full of tipex, and not notarized).
What can I do?
By 6.38am on 19th of June, I left my house with my wife and two kids
We got to the embassy at 6.58am (walked to the embassy, it is close to my house).
Got into the embassy by 7.20.
The security men were very polite, one of them (a female) asked my wife to taste the water in the baby's bottle.
After the gate, another security check, they politley annouced the important documents, that we should have, birth cert, form ds-230 and some stuff.
Got inside and sat down, a lady beconed to us from a window describing with her hand that we should meet her at window 9, she apologised that she could not pronouce our surname because it is long.
She she took her time to check all the documents and trust me she paid attention to details. i have gotten another passport here which i attached to the old one, and the number dey diff, she asked me where i got it, so she adjusted the passport number they have on the system.
She asked me if i know the address i will be staying in the states, I said no, but if she want me to write the add for the green card I could, and you wouldn't believe it, she wrote it her self, for the four of us( though she wrote 'same as next line') that was nice of her.
She went through every thing on the computer and up-dated some she needed to.
She then said i should go and pay, meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen, the bill was killing, She gave me a bill of $3,020=00 (for the four of us and I had to pay there and then, i didn't have that much, because i tot it was like the 355 and pay the rest later, so i had to pay with a card). At that point I talk say if dem collect this money and dem no give me visa, wahala go shele, fast i don calculate the thing for naira, I come conclude say Mama J must pay the one million if she still wan be my American in-law.
she now asked me to sit in section B after payment and listen for my name, after what looks like 20 minutes I was called and my wife and I did finger print, but not the little once(cos they are less than 15).
I went to section C after that, After about 30 minutes or less, a lady called my name and everybody laughed, We went to her and she welcomed us with a bougus laughter apologising for pronoucing the name in her own way, we all laughed.
The interview now.
Lady====== You guys are so lucky, let me just say congratulations.
Me and my wife .... . Thank you.
Lady==== ===(Taking the young boy Jamaican passport), lets start from the youngest. How old is he (answering her self) he just arrived, he is pretty young. Putting the passport aside.
Lady========== So sir, you need to sign something for me,she gave me the ds-230 as ask me to sign number 35 or so, said to my wife, mam u also need to sign this, so my wife handed the baby to me.
the lady said to my wife "the babies are too young to sign you know, so you will write their names in each form and write mother beside the name."
My wife........... I have done that, and she gave them back to the lady.
Lady===========I hope ur kids will forgive me for pronoucing their surname in my way
My wife................ When they get to the states, they will get used to it, and funny enough, they also may pronouce the name worse than you have done.
Lady=========== You are right mam............
Lady===== How did you get a social security number Sir
Me............ When I was in the States, with I M F that was in 2005
Lady=======So u were working in the states
Me..........It was a programme
Lady==== But they were paying u
Me.........Yes
Lady====So sir when did you apply for the lottery
Me.........Last year (dont mind me i forget say last year na 2006)
Lady=====O.K, when did you submit ur notification letter
Me........Last year
Lady=====O.K, when did you garduate
Me......... B.Sc............, M.Sc.........., P hd......................
Lady======Which University did u attend?
Me .......University of Immigrant Portal, Nigeria
Lady-=======You said ( and I repeated)
Lady=====So what do u do here
Me....... I lecture
Lady=====Where
Me...... University of this and that, Jamaica
Lady----=Which course?
Me..........Economics, Micro Economics to be specific
Lady=====Who is ur favourite ecnomomist
Me............Adam Smith.
Lady======He wrote a book on.......................
Me.................Yes that book ,made him popular
Lady====I studied economics at my undergraduate, and I used to argue with my Professor, that children were subsistence, that the richer the parents become, the less they care for the children, would u agree with me or u would have failed me?
Me....... I will not totally agree with u
Lady=====My professor too, didn't agree with me.
Lady=====You have a job here how long is it.
Me.........Three years
Lady======So what will happen, after getting ur visa, will you terminate the appointment.
Me...........No, When I get to the states and get my green card , I intend to come back to finish the contract and travel during holidays
Ladys.=====Yah u can travel during summer.
Me..............Yes
Lady......Facing my wife. Mam u also have two degress
My wife........Yes
Lady =====Wa ohhhhhhh, are u working?
My wife.............No
Lady=======You just have a baby, that is enough work
All of us,,,,,,Laughed.
Lady=====Checking through the forms do u have any police case or medical case
We.......................Nop.............( We attached another police certificate that we did at our base)
Lady========Who is ........
Me...My wife uncle and that is my sponsor
Lady,=======and ...mentioned another name
Me.......His wife (my sponsor's wife)
Lady ===O.K, (looking for something),,before we can complete this case, ur sponsor will have to send his tax return, for 2005 and 2006.
Me.....I asked him and he said he does not have it
Lady=====the tax return is usually on june 15 each year, so he should have it now. Then ur sponsor should earn $43,500 to be able to sponsor u all, but if this sponsor does not have that salary, then we will have to split u and ur wife, sponsor wise
My wife.....Mam, if u take a good look at the sponsorship form u will realise that the husband and wife filled diff forms and they have a total of $72,000 do u think we should still get another sponsor?
Lady======No mam, I didn't know they filled diff forms, in that case u should get me each copy of their tax returns, then that will be ok, becuse we have to make sure they will be able to finance u in the states.
My wife............So mam, can u pls repeat what we are suppose to bring
Lady............Only the tax returns for the two of them.
MY wife.............O.K, what about if we can not get that, what do we do,can we get a new sponsor?
Lady.........You can, he will fill a new form, and provide u with all the documents, and the old sponsor does not have to post the tax return, he could fax it or scan and e-mail it to you
My wife.....Ok, but does that mean we will come for another interview
Lady..........No mam, infact only one of u can come back with the blue paper am giving u and complete ur case.....mhhhhhhhhhhh let me check which day is available, mmmmmmmmmmm July 10, will that be ok or u want it further
My wife .....no we want is close
Lady===========oh am sorry, thats is the closest day available.
My wife ok, then
So she gave us the blue sheet and our passport, but not the original of our birth certificates and marriage cert, which were just the originals, we gave them.
We did not present our school certs and we did not present the originals or our university degrees.
And we left the embassy by 10.10 am
I hope I have tried to be explicit.
Every body in this forum have been prayerful. The Lord will anwer all our prayers
Past Adebayo, pls lay all the bible quotations to the house , they helped me alot, Thanks
[modest,pls wat kind of document will i require from my sponspor as evidence of support??and ur number should be current now?abi?