MY FUNDS ARE INVALID

[chyke 0]

Hello,

Everyone my name Chike from Nigeria, i don't know if any one of you has encountered this problem. i recently successfully registered my uncle, wife and 4 of his kids that's 6 Applicants (, on https://cgifederal.secure.force.com platform  u.s visa appointment schedule,

However i mistakenly answered (Yes ) when the application prompted if the question (If the Applicants are over 80 years,) cause they were not over 80 years!!

This eventually took me to their Drop Box option and i entered the receipt Number that i paid at GTB Bank here in AbujaNigeria ( Which i paid N384,000.00 equivalent of $160 x 6= $960) after which the application generated a drop box option for them. i noticed that dropbox wasn't an option for them cause they were first timers to U.S visa application, i called U.S  call centre number +23414406218 which was rerouted to Philippine, i spoke to several staff and the only option they gave me in unison was "I HAVE TO PAY FOR ANOTHER VISA FEE THAT THE FIRST ONE IS INVALID IMMEDIATELY ITS  LOGGED ON THEIR SYSTEM IT WILL  NEVER BE CHANGED!!!)   i went to the bank as i was adviced but the bank sent me to U.S embassy here in Abuja, When i got to the u.s embassy they said the same thing. IT CAN NOT BE REVERSED!!!!

MY QUESTIONS

1. WHY WOULD THE SYSTEM PROMPT ONE TO ENTER ALL HIS DETAILS INCLUDING AGE AND YET ACCEPT A WRONG ENTRY WITH THE SAME QUESTION E.G.( ARE THE APPLICANT ABOVE 80 YEARS) A GOOD SCRIPT WILL TRUNCATE AND RETURN AND ERROR MESSAGE!

2. HOW COME THIS SOFTWARE CAN NOT BE SCRIPTED PROPERLY TO REVERSAL SUCH PROBLEM? 

 

Kindly assist me cause i don't have this money to buy another visa fee for them. 

[CEE53147 559]

Realistically, if you cannot afford another $1000 for visa fees, you do not have enough to have 6 people visit you in the US for any period of time even if you do not have to help pay for airfare.

 

I agree that the software should be smarter, but as a retired developer, it is difficult to make a program deal with all possible mistakes made by person doing data entry.

[SusieQQQ 11,587]

59 minutes ago, CEE53147 said:

Realistically, if you cannot afford another $1000 for visa fees, you do not have enough to have 6 people visit you in the US for any period of time even if you do not have to help pay for airfare.

 

I agree that the software should be smarter, but as a retired developer, it is difficult to make a program deal with all possible mistakes made by person doing data entry.

To be fair, very few people would just shrug off $1000 going down the drain unnecessarily, no matter what kind of fancy vacation they can afford. I find it odd that they can’t reassign the funds if it’s for the same application, even if it needs a human being to input something. 

[Villanelle 4,122]

I dont think anyone here can answer your question about the software.

 

Contact your bank and dispute the charge to get your money back if USCIS is saying they cant reverse it for you.

[CEE53147 559]

I realize it is a lot of money.  It was OP's error; this should serve as a warning to all to double, triple and quadruple check all forms before submitting them.  If their visit is important, he will pay the fee again and go on.

 

This is the US government bureaucracy.  You have been dealing with immigration for long enough to know you cannot understand why they do what they do, and it is useless to argue with them. All it gets you is an ulcer.

 

 

[Ontarkie 14,324]

~~One duplicate thread merged the other with no replies removed. Please do not start more then one thread for the same topic regardless of where it is posted.~~

[Boiler 45,767]

3 hours ago, Damara said:

I dont think anyone here can answer your question about the software.

 

Contact your bank and dispute the charge to get your money back if USCIS is saying they cant reverse it for you.

That is not how the banking system works.

[acidrain 325]

I know it's a long shot but can you try getting a hold of someone higher up at your Consulate to see if they can either fix the problem or issue a refund? It seems pretty ridiculous to expect you to pay again.

[SusieQQQ 11,587]

14 minutes ago, Boiler said:

That is not how the banking system works.

It’s got a good shot of working if he paid with a credit card. If it was just a funds transfer, agree it’s unlikely to be reversed.

2 minutes ago, acidrain said:

I know it's a long shot but can you try getting a hold of someone higher up at your Consulate to see if they can either fix the problem or issue a refund? It seems pretty ridiculous to expect you to pay again.

Agree, I find it difficult to believe the response is just “tough luck, we took your money for nothing”. All of us have experienced call center operatives somewhere in the immigration system who give flat-out incorrect answers.

[Boiler 45,767]

1 minute ago, SusieQQQ said:

It’s got a good shot of working if he paid with a credit card. If it was just a funds transfer, agree it’s unlikely to be reversed.

Agree, I find it difficult to believe the response is just “tough luck, we took your money for nothing”. All of us have experienced call center operatives somewhere in the immigration system who give flat-out incorrect answers.

 i entered the receipt Number that i paid at GTB Bank here in AbujaNigeria 

[Boiler 45,767]

Now would it not be an issue for his Uncle?

[SusieQQQ 11,587]

50 minutes ago, Boiler said:

 i entered the receipt Number that i paid at GTB Bank here in AbujaNigeria 

It’s possible to pay with a cc this way in some countries, it’s just that the embassy only takes payment from banks directly rather than applicants in a handful of countries, not sure of why (possibly fraud concerns, possibly exchange control issues). I don’t know if you can use a cc in Nigeria specifically  or what he actually did.

Edited February 11, 2018 by SusieQQQ

[TNJ17 1,329]

That’s not a software error. You made a mistake and answered the question wrong. You should have been paying attention. It states everywhere on US visa immigration websites that the visa fees are final and not ever refunded or switched to another type of visa. You need to do what they tell you to do now and cut your losses at lesson learned and not repeat the mistake in the future. 

[SusieQQQ 11,587]

5 hours ago, TNJ17 said:

That’s not a software error. You made a mistake and answered the question wrong. You should have been paying attention. It states everywhere on US visa immigration websites that the visa fees are final and not ever refunded or switched to another type of visa. You need to do what they tell you to do now and cut your losses at lesson learned and not repeat the mistake in the future. 

But he is not asking either for a refund or for another type of visa. 

 

Most visa applicants just don’t  face this issue because they pay at the embassy where they can’t make this kind of mistake. While I agree the OP made a mistake, this outcome seems incredibly unfair to me. All he wants is that the fees he paid for his family’s visit visa application actually be applied towards their visit visa applications. He didn’t get the type of visa wrong when he answered. Ticking the wrong box on the age of the applicant should not in all fairness result in him losing the fee. 

 

 

[TNJ17 1,329]

7 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

But he is not asking either for a refund or for another type of visa. 

 

Most visa applicants just don’t  face this issue because they pay at the embassy where they can’t make this kind of mistake. While I agree the OP made a mistake, this outcome seems incredibly unfair to me. All he wants is that the fees he paid for his family’s visit visa application actually be applied towards their visit visa applications. He didn’t get the type of visa wrong when he answered. Ticking the wrong box on the age of the applicant should not in all fairness result in him losing the fee. 

 

 

US immigration is extremely strict. You literally cannot afford to make a mistake. They even give you a review page to look over everything to make sure you got it right. He should’t have made a mistake. He did and now he’ll learn. This is why you always double, triple, and quadruple check everything you do. Always.