Praise the lord!!! I have been looking forward to share my testimony in this great forum after been waited for almost 14 months ago. I thank God for open my eyes to be able to discovered this forum & as well for given me a little bit high Case Number: 13XXX for me to be able to rectified all the mistakes that I made on my documents. Once again, I’ll like to thank Our Omnipotent God & the highly esteem members of this great forum for your advices, contributions & suggestions for all of us to get to dream land. You guyz were really wonderful!
I was scheduled for an interview on Tuesday July 07, 2009 for 7:00 am appointment which was really interested. I left home for embassy with my friends around 4:50 am on Tuesday morning, after we drove for about 10 minutes (i.e.5:00 am) we discovered that one the rear(back) tyre of the car have been deflated, so we quickly alight from the car & change the tyre,which lasted for almost 30 minutes(i.e. 5:30 am) for us to replaced it. So we continue driving to embassy, we got to embassy around 5:45 am & we paid for packing fees and we parked. So I joined all the visa applicants that were waiting outside the embassy for the security guards to call them to queue.
Before I continue sharing my experience at embassy, i’ll like to flash back our memory to some mistakes that I made during my DV preparation for the benefit of the current & upcoming DV winners in future, so that if they made these kinds of mistakes as well, they’ll quickly know the way out. To cut the story short, here are the mistakes listed below:
(i)
Place Of Birth issue on my international passport: Open the link below in new window & read it for more information………...( By
Diamond_009 post no :
635 )
http://forums.immigration.com/showthread.php?t=276910&page=22
So, i returned my international passport to passport immigration office for correct & they accepted it from me. So, if new applicant made mistakes on his/her new e-international passport, it is possible to re-apply for another new one, but if it is applicant that have appeared at some embassies before, i don’t know whether it is possible to correct it. I think such applicant should go to the passport immigration office for inquiry. It may be possible to correct for such applicant as well.
Note: Observation on passport is not acceptable by US embassy:
http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_3741.html
Although, I read somebody’s post that made this kind of mistake (i.e. Place Of Birth) & the person decided not to correct it, and the interview was successful. Open the link below in new window & read it for more information……….………...( By
Jrcies post no :
902 )
http://forums.immigration.com/showthread.php?t=245065&page=31
And he/she was successful.
Also some people were disqualified because of the discrepancy or misspelling in their Place Of Birth: Open the link below in new window & read it for more information………...( By Onoriode post no :830 )
http://forums.immigration.com/showthread.php?t=245065&page=28
(ii)
Doubting whether my application is double entry or not: Open the link below in new window & read it for more information..( By
Diamond_009 post no :
559 )
http://forums.immigration.com/showthread.php?t=276910&page=19
Although, i know that shouldn’t be double entry as well.
(iii)
Mistakes on my parent’s data on already submitted DS-230 forms to KCC: Open the link below in new window & read it for more information…… (By
Nucleus post no :
664 )
http://forums.immigration.com/showthread.php?t=276910&page=23
Note: House, I am also the same person that is bearing
Nucleus in this great forum. I follow all advices & suggestions from the house. And thank God I was able to correct all the mistakes before my interview.
So, if anybody in the house made mistakes on already submitted DS-230 forms to KCC, it is
acceptable by KCC and embassy to correct it, whether it is your own biodata information or your spouse. Here is the proof and message from KCC below:
Thank you for your inquiry.
It is acceptable to use correction fluid to correct mistakes made while completing your forms. If you have detected an error on a form you have already submitted, you can send the corrected information to KCC through regular mail or email. If there are more than one or two minor corrections, you may submit a corrected copy of the forms. You can use photocopied forms or you can download them from
http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/forms/forms_1342.html.
KCC/hrg
Public Inquiry
Serco Inc./Kentucky Consular Center
Williamsburg, Kentucky
KCCDV@state.gov
(606) 526-7500
Note: If you made mistake on your input data to the online DVlottery application entry, it is not possible for KCC to correct or retrieve it. Here is the proof and message from KCC below:
Thank you for your inquiry.
KCC does not have the ability to retrieve or correct the data that was provided on the original entry to the lottery. Please complete the forms DS 230 Part I, DS 230 Part II, and DSP 122 with the correct information. Once received at KCC, the information will be included in your case file for review.
_________
KCC/cac
Public Inquiry
Serco Inc./ Kentucky Consular Center
Williamsburg, Kentucky
KCCDV@state.gov
(606) 526-7500
The Consular Officer did not even asked any question concerning the mail that I sent to KCC for correction of mistakes on my parent’s data, maybe she forgot to ask me, and I saw the hard copy of the mail that I sent to KCC in front of her.
Once again, if not because of the favour of God and information provided by the house, i might find it difficult to survive during my interview at embassy, especially mistake that i made on my Place Of Birth which is the main critical information concerning principal applicant.
Yeah, back to my experience at embassy, around 6:30am, the security guards addresses the waiting crowd, they said that following items were not allowed inside the embassy, they include cell phone, laptop, flash memory drive, any items that is using battery, metals, water, food, perfumes, powder etc. Just go to embassy with only your pen & all your documents.
At 6:45am, immigrant Visa(IV) & Diversity Visa(DV) were told to open all the sealed envelopes & form a queue. After the queue, we were told to pass through a gate outside the embassy to submit our invitation letter which came along with the 2NL & i was given a payment paper to pay $775, a slip of paper which demanded applicant name, name of petition, contact address, telephone number & email. Also, a card with number DV 06 was given to me. After that, I proceeded forward to be checked/screened by first security guard with the aid of metallic detector incase if i carried any unwanted items that were not allow or if I did not open my envelopes, after that, we were directed to the entrance of the embassy compound at the gate for second security screening where we passed through a big metal detector again, incase if the first security check missed any unwanted items. After that screening, we entered the main compound of the embassy, so we were directed to where to pay for cashier the sum of $775 (# 124,000). The current exchange rate at embassy is still 160 Naira = 1 US Dollar. Note: You can either pay in US Dollar or Naira denominations, mixed payment of Dollar & Naira are not acceptable by the cashier. It was true that the cashier was not friendly, she delayed some applicants because they were unable to identified & show her the payment paper slip that was given to them initially for payment. So, when I paid my own application fees, I moved to the next window A to present all the following documents (both Originals & Photocopies) to a Nigerian (Male) separately:
(1)NPC Birth Certificate (2)Waec, University & NYSC Certificate (3)Original Medical Result & Vaccination Record(4)Original Police Report(5)International Passport & 3-Passport photographs.
So he returned the old passport photograph that I mounted to the DS-230 forms that I returned to KCC initially, he collected another 3-new Passport photographs. Also, I saw computer print-out of my online original entry to DV 2009 & hard copy of the mail that I sent to KCC for rectification of mistakes on my parent’s data.
After I submitted all the documents, I was told to enter the main interview hall because all the previous activities was been carried out outside the gate & the compound of the embassy. So, as I was going, I met another 3rd security guard for last screening, and then I went into the interview hall around 7:55am. I sat down where DV & IV immigrant normally sit; there are separate chairs for non-immigrant visa (NIV) applicant. It was IV & NIV that the Consular Officers were firstly attended to, the Consular Officers told most of the IV that they need to compare their DNA with that of their relatives in US before they can made final decision on their application.
All DV applicants that was interviewed before me was successful. Around 9:45am I was call to window 10 by a white lady Consular Officer. The interview lasted for 7 minutes. The Consular Officer did not even asked any questions concerning my biodata.
Consular Officer: Good morning
Me: Good morning
Consular Officer: You’re here because you were selected for further processing; you know it is not 100% guarantee that the visa will be issue to you
Me: Yes, I know
Consular Officer: Raise your right hand & sworn after me that you’re the person on this forms & you’ll tell the truth.
Me: Yes, I’m the person that appears on the form & I’ll tell the truth.
Consular Officer: You know you qualify for DV through educational qualification?
Me: Yes
Consular Officer: Please sign this DS-230 form
Me: I did so
Consular Officer: What are you doing presently?
Me: I’m teaching
Me: Why can you work in a company that related to your field of study?
Me: Yeah, I’m still applying online for work to get a job that will suit my course of study
Consular Officer: Ok, what is the name of the school?
Me: No, is not a school, it is private home tutor
Consular Officer: So, why did you write N/A in your occupation?
Me: I haven’t started teaching work when I received the Notification Letter that I won DV. So, she wrote ‘Teaching: private home tutor’ inside my DS-230 form of question 12.
Consular Officer: What kind of educational degree you have?
Me: University degree
Consular Officer: I mean degree
Me: Ok, Bsc
Consular Officer: What is the name of your University?
Me: University Of American Embassy
Consular Officer: What course did you study?
Me: X & Y Engineering
Consular Officer: How many years does your course of study normally takes to completed in school?
Me: 5 years
Consular Officer: When did you gain admission?
Me: Sept. 2000
Consular Officer: It was year 2000 you received admission letter?
Me: Early 2000, but the school star registration by Sept. 2000
Consular Officer: But you indicated in your form that you graduated Mar. 2006 & that means that you spent 6 years in school.
Me: Yeah, I t was strike activities that cause the delayed to that year
Consular Officer: Can you tell me number of students you’ve in your faculty?
Me: I don’t know the exact number of students that we have in our faculty, but in my own department for my session, we were just only 21 students in a class
Consular Officer: Ok, out of college of medicine & your faculty, which one is the largest?
Me: Oh! Faculty of engineering is bigger than college of medicine, because engineering have many departments compare to that of medicine, so we’ve main building and annex etc. (I think the Consular Officer was just trying to confirmed psychologically whether it is truly graduated or pass through higher institution of learning, maybe she was suspecting something because of the duration of my 6 years of study in school)
Consular Officer: Can you define your course of study for me?
Me: I said bla bla bla …..(because the definition of my course of study is too long, so the Consular Officer did not understand or not satisfied with the definition, although I defined the right definition for her, but I think the definition is too much complex for her to understand, so she said :
Consular Officer: I want something brief & that relate to your course of study.
Me: I just told her bla bla bla……., again
Consular Officer: List the courses you did in school
Me: I listed close to courses
Consular Officer: Can I see your academic transcript to check all the courses you did in school?
Me: Thank God, I went to embassy with my academic transcript (because, when I want to applied for some schools in Europe, I requested for my transcript in school & I made the photocopy of it as my own copy) but I don’t wish to release it to her, because she may just pick any course that I cannot remember very well again. And she did so, when I gave her the transcript
Consular Officer: Good, what is the slogan of your University?
Me: Recte sefon….bla bla….it is something like French word, but I can’t remember it very well again
Consular Officer: Ok, can you tell me what Industrial Sociology is all about?
Me: (House) I can’t remember the course very well again, I just talk about something that related to it, because I noticed that she was not an engineering student.
Consular Officer: You did Physics, can tell me what Electricity is all about?
Me: I talk bla bla bla as well. So after that she started input some data into the computer. So I smile, I know God has already answer my prayer.
Consular Officer: So, She stood up & picked a blue pick-up slip and gave it to me with all my original documents. And she told me that you’ve been found eligible to receive an immigrant visa !!!
Me: Thank you
Consular Officer: Do not make any life changes or buy a plane ticket until you collect your visa next week
Me: Ok thank you.
Once again, I want to use this opportunity to thank 4real4u, Godblesschuks, Sunnyaje & all the entire member of the house for your advices, contributions & suggestions toward my success in life. Indeed in life, ‘Information is a power tool of success’
Infact, the most active member in this naija link goes to: 4real4u
Also, the most active member in this immigrationportal goes to: Tazmania ( The guy used to visit all the link in this site)
ADVICES:
All the current & upcoming DV winners should note the following critical information in their documents for you guyz to be 100% successful during your interview, the following biographical (biodata) information must be the same in the documents you’ll present during your interview: e.g for principal applicant, assuming my information is
Full Name Date Of Birth Place Of Birth
Online DV entry application: Williams John Jimmy October/12/1803 Embassy
DS-230 Forms: Williams John Jimmy October/12/1803 Embassy
NPC Birth Certificate: Williams John Jimmy October/12/1803 Embassy
International Passport: Williams John Jimmy October/12/1803 Embassy
Police Report: Williams John Jimmy October/12/1803 Embassy
So, if you made mistake or you discover any discrepancy in your biographical (biodata) information in the documents you want to present, please try to correct it before you go for interview, because any discrepancy or misspelling in the 3-information above may lead to disqualification! So just go to the issuing offices to correct your documents now if possible.
RULES DURING INTERVIEW:
Don’t panic, they are just people like you, Try as much as possible to be calm, be Bold, smile and look the interviewer in the eyes (please never look down or away, it is a sign of cowardness to American but sign of respect in Naija), don’t play smart by bringing fake documents because they will verify and they have special anti-fraud unit in embassy, Reply with exact answers and never volunteer information that interviewer didn't ask for (over too sabi). If they ask you a question think before you answer it. The more you talk the more the questions, the less you talk the better for you i.e. talk Less, Even if you don't know answers try to use your head to say something closer, Only Discuss What you Know Best i.e. all Questions will generated from your Response/reply.In the course of your discussion and try not to fake anything what so ever.
