Kojo E
Active Member
VB for December out. Thanks @BritsimonVB for December interviews should be out by 15th of October no? Should make for interesting reading.
http://britsimonsays.com/visa-bulletin-december-2017-interviews-released/
Dunamis
Member
Kojo E
Active Member
Nah bro. I'm 16xxx
Kojo E
Active Member
All the best mate!
Dunamis
Member
Dunamis
Member
Kojo E
Active Member
FaroukJnr
New Member
Hello, I am Farouk and I also got drawn to go for interview. I did the interview and got approved and eventually got my visa...and like lucid said, we all have a role in eliminating visa related frauds which have plagued our system... I am here to help
Plss can you share with us your experience
FaroukJnr
New Member
Definitely...
I used to live in Ghana, but after secondary school I went to Europe. I applied to some of the Uni's after secondary school but didn't stick around to even find out if I had be accepted. Some random person used the info on my KNUST application paper to enroll me in the DV 2017. I was selected but he couldn't reach me because I have not been living in Ghana and all my contact infos on the application paper were outdated except my Dad's.
He got through to my Dad, but I thought it was some scam since I had't applied for any dv lottery. I spoke to the guy and eventually found out it was true. This is weird - they do this without informing the actual applicants! I had recently been denied a student visa to America, and I assumed my enrollment in the program could have been the reason for my denial. Why? As a student they want you to finish your program and leave, why would you enroll in a program which makes you stay in America? I don't know, just my thoughts...
Remember I said it took him a while to get to me, I had like 4 months or so before my case expired, and I didn't even know if I wanted to go ahead with it or not. I was just about to begin a Uni course in Europe, and I am already resident. I was also about to vacation in Ghana and I had already gotten my ticket - I would have loved to have my interview in Europe because I assumed I would have a better chance... so many thoughts during this period and I still didn't know if I should forfeit my course.
I eventually decided I would attend the interview which had been scheduled in August at the Embassy in Accra. I didn't have to depend on the guy who enrolled me in the program for info or guidance because I did my own research on the internet on how I should go about it. So forums like this one and random info from the official sites and other places helped me
I got all my supporting documents and attended the interview. I don't like the embassy- the security and the ladies outside(checking appointment letters) would mess up your mood with the yelling and aloof attitudes before you even get in! And you would be transitioning from the heat outside into the air-conditioned hall(ironically i didnt like this) I had been denied a visa here before, so it wasn't my favorite place to be!
My name was called, and I went to a lady who checked my documents, sat for for a while then called again to get interviewed. The officer checked my docs and asked why I didn't have police reports from spain and austria which I had stated in my application that I have lived at before. He asked me to go get those and asap because I had like a month and a couple weeks till my application expired. I wasn't really happy because I had a letter included which explained why I didn't have them. I could have called it quits if I hadn't already spent so much on medical reports, Ghanaian police cerficate and the fee at the embassy.
I went to the Spanish embassy to go get the police certificate. Spanish embassy put in a request for me but it would take a while since they couldn't issue it from the embassy. It had to been done in Spain, picked up by a spanish resident whom I would have authorized to do it, and eventually sent to me. There is no Austrian embassy in Ghana, no consulate too so I would have to travel to Nigeria and put in a request for the austrian police certificate which would also be done in Austria and sent to the embassy who would in turn DHL it to me, and I already had a month and a week till my case expired
FaroukJnr
New Member
continuation:
I didn't want to travel to Nigeria by road(stress and fear) and I didn't know anyone in Nigeria to stay with after I did my thing at the Austrian embassy. Flights to Nigeria were insanely expensive.. sooo, i eventually had to fly to Austria to get my certicate, and I had requested my police certificate from Spain at the spanish embassy but for some reasons my friend who would pick it up and send it to me was always told the certificate was not ready when he went to pick it up at the local ministry of justice's office. After I got my police certificate from Austria, I could have come straight to Ghana but I was only an hour away from spain where I could go directly to get my police report in 15 mins max if I went in person to request for it. I got a supercheap ticket from Austria to Spain, got the report .. called the airline which flew me from Ghana to Austria to get my return flight changed so I would be able to fly from Spain to Ghana instead... the entire procedure was not cheap but not too expensive. I know my ins and outs of Europe with a lot of flying experience so I knew how and where to look for tickets on a budget. I got these two certificates and submitted them at the DHL head office where I was instructed to submit additional documents.
I started tracking and checking status after a week(im not such a patient person).. after two weeks I thought I would have had my visa issued, but instead I was instructed by an email to come to the embassy againnnnn to see an officer.. whatttt? 10 days to expiry? why? I was instructed to come on thursday, and guess what? embassy was closed on this day because it was a public holiday.. I was so pissed! why would I be given an appointment date on a holiday? I went the next day and the unfriendly people outside told me those appointments are only done on thursdays, mondays, and tuesdays so I should wait and come the next monday. I wanted to argue that my case would have had 5 days or so to expire, but what would they care?
I had a terrible weekend filled with regret! I spent all that money to go through all that to eventually get denied, otherwise why would they want me at the embassy again if not to hand out some paper which explains why I was not eligible to be granted the visa. I went there on Monday and as usual, I had to sit at this hall filled with sad faces, looking at people getting denied and waiting for my turn to also get denied... I had to go to the washroom because my stomach always acted funny whenever I was there and it was always a false alarm.. lol
In my application I had to state the languages I speak which are spanish, german and english. I was eventually called to get speak to an officer. he started speaking spanish to me and I responded and spoke a bit in spanish.. translation: do i speak spanish, how i learnt the language and why.. I have lived in Spain before and I speak fairly good..He also started to speak German to me but his german was not that good. I have B2 proficiency in German now which is great level German. We spoke a couple seconds then we switched to english and he asked me how I came about speaking the language..I told him I started learning German when I was in Junior High School in Ghana and already had a B1 german proficiency before I left for Europe.. He was impressed and told me I was his best interviewee that day, and that was when I realized I was being interviewed again and not that I was denied and I had to come get my passport. I thought I had already been interviewed in August.
He told me I was approved and my visa would be available to pick up in 2 weeks. I was happy when I went home, but I am a natural worrier, and this is good sometimes because it made me a perfectionist- made me do things and not leave room for doubt, but sometimes it is unnecessary and made me think about the possibility of something not working out when the chance is even 0.1 percent. Remember I told you I had 5 days till September 30th when my case would expire? Generally, your case would expire and your visa would not be issued if your case was even under administrative processing after september 30th. Did this apply even when you have been approved? I asked around and none gave me a definite answer. I was worrying again but on 27th of september, my status changed to "issued" when i tracked it and I was eventually calm... all I had to do was wait till the two weeks had been exhausted so I would pick up my passport
I didn't want to travel to Nigeria by road(stress and fear) and I didn't know anyone in Nigeria to stay with after I did my thing at the Austrian embassy. Flights to Nigeria were insanely expensive.. sooo, i eventually had to fly to Austria to get my certicate, and I had requested my police certificate from Spain at the spanish embassy but for some reasons my friend who would pick it up and send it to me was always told the certificate was not ready when he went to pick it up at the local ministry of justice's office. After I got my police certificate from Austria, I could have come straight to Ghana but I was only an hour away from spain where I could go directly to get my police report in 15 mins max if I went in person to request for it. I got a supercheap ticket from Austria to Spain, got the report .. called the airline which flew me from Ghana to Austria to get my return flight changed so I would be able to fly from Spain to Ghana instead... the entire procedure was not cheap but not too expensive. I know my ins and outs of Europe with a lot of flying experience so I knew how and where to look for tickets on a budget. I got these two certificates and submitted them at the DHL head office where I was instructed to submit additional documents.
I started tracking and checking status after a week(im not such a patient person).. after two weeks I thought I would have had my visa issued, but instead I was instructed by an email to come to the embassy againnnnn to see an officer.. whatttt? 10 days to expiry? why? I was instructed to come on thursday, and guess what? embassy was closed on this day because it was a public holiday.. I was so pissed! why would I be given an appointment date on a holiday? I went the next day and the unfriendly people outside told me those appointments are only done on thursdays, mondays, and tuesdays so I should wait and come the next monday. I wanted to argue that my case would have had 5 days or so to expire, but what would they care?
I had a terrible weekend filled with regret! I spent all that money to go through all that to eventually get denied, otherwise why would they want me at the embassy again if not to hand out some paper which explains why I was not eligible to be granted the visa. I went there on Monday and as usual, I had to sit at this hall filled with sad faces, looking at people getting denied and waiting for my turn to also get denied... I had to go to the washroom because my stomach always acted funny whenever I was there and it was always a false alarm.. lol
In my application I had to state the languages I speak which are spanish, german and english. I was eventually called to get speak to an officer. he started speaking spanish to me and I responded and spoke a bit in spanish.. translation: do i speak spanish, how i learnt the language and why.. I have lived in Spain before and I speak fairly good..He also started to speak German to me but his german was not that good. I have B2 proficiency in German now which is great level German. We spoke a couple seconds then we switched to english and he asked me how I came about speaking the language..I told him I started learning German when I was in Junior High School in Ghana and already had a B1 german proficiency before I left for Europe.. He was impressed and told me I was his best interviewee that day, and that was when I realized I was being interviewed again and not that I was denied and I had to come get my passport. I thought I had already been interviewed in August.
He told me I was approved and my visa would be available to pick up in 2 weeks. I was happy when I went home, but I am a natural worrier, and this is good sometimes because it made me a perfectionist- made me do things and not leave room for doubt, but sometimes it is unnecessary and made me think about the possibility of something not working out when the chance is even 0.1 percent. Remember I told you I had 5 days till September 30th when my case would expire? Generally, your case would expire and your visa would not be issued if your case was even under administrative processing after september 30th. Did this apply even when you have been approved? I asked around and none gave me a definite answer. I was worrying again but on 27th of september, my status changed to "issued" when i tracked it and I was eventually calm... all I had to do was wait till the two weeks had been exhausted so I would pick up my passport
FaroukJnr
New Member
I came a long way from having been denied student visa 3 times - first time was in Ghana and we all know its super difficult to get a student visa from Ghana. Second time was because my counselor advised that I apply from Europe because I was eligible to apply from Europe since I had residency there and I stood a better chance in Europe than in Ghana. I got denied the second time, and i think it was because it didn't take too long after my first denial to go for an interview again. The third time was in Ghana again, because time had passed and I thought I was in a better position than the previous times. The second and third times were weird because I answered all the questions perfectly and thought I would have been granted then those dreadful papers got handed to me. My third time was my last time and I would never have applied for a student visa again, but somehow I ended up at the embassy again because some "connection man" in Ghana put me in his pool of applicants and enrolled me for the DV lottery..
I wanted to study in America because there was so much bureaucracy in Europe for me - I always had to legalize something and go through so much paperwork for uni applications plus my best friend was in America and had already started studying, and I was still stuck waiting because somehow the administrations in Europe don't trust that african students are qualified enough to start uni even when we had graduated from secondary schools and were uni admissible. You would waste 2 years doing preparatory courses. My best friend was studying in the best Engineering school in America and I was still going through hoops. I had just been offered admission to start my Computer Science program after 2 years on conditions that I took physics and maths first and take entry tests afterwards, and if I passed, I would be able to start the actual degree... but I already had SAT scores and Uni applications in America are smooth and straightforward so I thought I would forfeit that and go to America instead.
Luckily the airline which would have flown me back to Europe also flies to America, and all I had to do was pay penalty and some extra charges to change my ticket from the european destination to America..
I wanted to study in America because there was so much bureaucracy in Europe for me - I always had to legalize something and go through so much paperwork for uni applications plus my best friend was in America and had already started studying, and I was still stuck waiting because somehow the administrations in Europe don't trust that african students are qualified enough to start uni even when we had graduated from secondary schools and were uni admissible. You would waste 2 years doing preparatory courses. My best friend was studying in the best Engineering school in America and I was still going through hoops. I had just been offered admission to start my Computer Science program after 2 years on conditions that I took physics and maths first and take entry tests afterwards, and if I passed, I would be able to start the actual degree... but I already had SAT scores and Uni applications in America are smooth and straightforward so I thought I would forfeit that and go to America instead.
Luckily the airline which would have flown me back to Europe also flies to America, and all I had to do was pay penalty and some extra charges to change my ticket from the european destination to America..
FaroukJnr
New Member
oh word? i don't even know how the entry is done.. i just took charge from getting selected
SusieQQQ
Well-Known Member
You’re lucky you could do that. Most people who get entered without their knowledge get extorted by the “agent” who did that.
FaroukJnr
New Member
all he had to do was give me the case number and you could pretty much do everything on your own from there. . In the beginning, i told him i didn't want it and he could keep it, so he gave me the case number just so i could verify its authenticity myself.. i was not in Ghana so he had no choice than give me the case number so i could verify myself.. i never met him but i did agree to compensate him. I have not done yet but I will. I am definitely not paying him some crazy amount of money