Hi beautiful people, welcome back to my channel. My name is Fisayo. If you’re new here, hello, thank you for being my guest; it’s nice to have you watching me on the other side. I am a second-year MBA candidate at Arizona State University, and today I’ll be sharing a vlog on my one day in New York City. But first, I just wanted to come here to share something with my international students on the actual reason why I went to New York: Passport Renewal for OPT Application.
What is OPT and Why I Needed It
OPT is Optional Practical Training, a work authorization that allows international students to work for a 12-month period after their graduation. Some people have asked me what the difference is between CPT and OPT because I mentioned CPT in one of my previous articles.
CPT vs. OPT
CPT is Curricular Practical Training, the authorization you get to work during your internship, typically happening in the summer between the first and second year. So, before I did my internship in the summer, I applied for CPT through my school. However, the process is different for applying for OPT, as it’s a more advanced work authorization. I realized that in order to apply for OPT through the USCIS website, I needed to have a passport that wouldn’t expire within six months. Since my Nigerian passport had July as its expiration date and it was already March, I needed to renew it first before applying for OPT.
Importance of Renewing Your Passport Early
For international students, please don’t be like me and wait until the last minute. I wish I had known this earlier. I’m here for you now: once you see that your passport is expiring in nine months, eight months, or seven months, start looking for the embassies around you and get the procedure started for renewing your passport.
Choosing a Nigerian Embassy for Passport Renewal
I did some research and found that there are three Nigerian embassies in the United States: in New York, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Georgia. Based on information from other international students who had renewed their Nigerian passports, it typically takes between three to four months to get the passport back, regardless of the embassy. So, I started looking for flights. I checked for the cheapest flights from Phoenix to either Atlanta or New York and found a good deal to New York for the next week.
Booking the Trip
Once you decide on an embassy, you go to their website to apply for a passport renewal. I’ll put the link in the description box. The website takes you through an application form where you fill in your basic details like name, date of birth, and next of kin. For the 32-page passport, which was available at the time, the fee was $106.
Application Process and Challenges
After payment, you should be able to choose an appointment date. However, as many have told me, don’t be surprised if no dates are available. In such cases, you have the walk-in option, but it costs an additional $130.
At the Embassy
On the day of the appointment or walk-in, you need to bring the payment slip, acknowledgment slip, a photocopy of the biodata page of your passport, and a priority shipping envelope. This isn’t clearly stated on their website, but it’s important to bring these items as the embassy won’t be responsible for shipping your passport back to you. I got my envelope from a shipping company like FedEx or USPS for about $13.
Personal Experience at the Embassy
I arrived at the embassy around 8:10 AM, and they started processing around 9:40 AM. They attended to people with appointments first and then to walk-ins. It took about four hours to complete the process, and I left around 2 PM.
Unique Situation and Request
Since I needed my passport for my OPT application, I explained my situation at the embassy, and thankfully, someone agreed to help expedite the process. Hopefully, I’ll get my passport soon and can apply for OPT.
Final Thoughts and Tips
I didn’t take much footage at the embassy to avoid any issues, but I did take some pictures that I might insert here. After the embassy visit, I explored some nice places in New York City, which I’ll share in a separate vlog. If you’re interested in that, let me know in the comments!
Thank you so much for being here with me today and for watching and engaging with me. If you have any questions, drop them in the comments. Don’t forget to like this article and subscribe if you’re new here. See you in my next article! Bye!
