TODAY- (April 6)- Chat with Casa Consulate

[kristen_maroc 126]

This was on facebook today:

Pour toutes vos questions concernant Le processus d’obtention de visas aux Etats Unis, surtout ne ratez pas l’occasion de poser vos question en directe au Consul Américain lors d’un débat en ligne demain a 15 :00h.

The link to enter the chat is: https://statedept.connectsolutions.com/casablanca

(For those non-Francophones, it says: "For all your questions about the visa process to the US, don't miss the occasion to ask your questions directly to the American Consul on an online chat at 3:00pm (Morocco time).)

WHOO HOO.

Anyone want me to ask something for them? I only have one short question but will ask if anyone can't make it.

Peace!

K

[msheesha 548]

I would ask what the procedure is for letting the petitioner know the reason for denial of visas.

It really seems they like to keep it a secret, and if they told the petitioner some of the reasons, it would cut down on a lot of problems.

[tany1157 161]

Just asked that question, see what they say. I asked what would make them deny a case twice. Basically said if the interview goes poorly, and they can't answer basic questions, then they will deny it. So I just asked what if the interview went very well. I also asked why they like to keep the reasons for a denial a secret. Lets see what they say about that.

[msheesha 548]

Great. Keep us posted. Did time change in Morocco happen this weekend? I thought it was only 2:15ish there now. Husband mentioned time change coming up, but I didn't realize it was this past weekend.

I would also ask, not to put them on the defensive, but because I'm genuinely interested, what training they get specifically to detect fraud. And, why there seems to be so much difference between some interviews - 5 minutes vs. 2 hours.

[tany1157 161]

tonia: (10:19) How come the reasons for a visa denial are kept secret?

Liz, U.S. Consulate: (10:19) Hi, Tonia. The reasons for visa denial are not secret at all. When a visa is denied, we explain to the applicant in person why they were denied. We also give them a letter explaining the denial.

Liz, U.S. Consulate: (10:20) For non-immigrant visas, the most common denial is called Section 214(b). It means that the consul was not convinced the person planned to return to Morocco after a short trip.

Liz, U.S. Consulate: (10:20) Others are denied because of past immigration violations, criminal histories, medical issues, etc.

tonia: (10:23) I understand you can't answer about an individual case, but, my husbands interview went very well, and he was still denied. What could some of the reasons be behind a denial with a good interview?

Paul, Consular Officer: (10:23) Well, perhaps your husband’s definition of a good interview differs from that of the consular officer. Basically, we send back cases if we believe the beneficiary is only in a relationship to get a visa. For example, if he cannot talk about your work, education, family, interests, time growing up, etc. We can only assume that he is only interested in getting a visa. At the same time, if someone knows too much information, we suspect that the have just memorized lots of facts and don’t really have a connection with the person. For example, in one of my cases the beneficiary could name the date in 1985 that the petitioner started working at a certain job and knew how much she earned per hour. I have to be honest, I have no idea about jobs my wife held 20 years ago, much less how much money she was making. We then ask follow up questions like “why did she decide to leave that job?” or “what did she enjoy about her work?” and the beneficiary typically cannot further contextualize the response. It is one thing to memorize a bunch of facts, but it is totally another thing to actually care enough about someone to understand their life and what was important to them.

[tany1157 161]

Great. Keep us posted. Did time change in Morocco happen this weekend? I thought it was only 2:15ish there now. Husband mentioned time change coming up, but I didn't realize it was this past weekend.

I would also ask, not to put them on the defensive, but because I'm genuinely interested, what training they get specifically to detect fraud. And, why there seems to be so much difference between some interviews - 5 minutes vs. 2 hours.

yes, time change happened a few days ago!

[tany1157 161]

 I very much appreciate you answering my any questions! But, both interviews, my (then) fiance, and (now) husband was told they couldn't tell him the reasons. It is just all very confusing. We are all human, and while I respect your positions, do you admit there are times you may be wrong?

Paul, Consular Officer (privately): (10:30) We certainly tell applicants when they are not approved the reasons why. We are humans, and it is certainly possible that we make mistakes. That being said, we try to be as professional as possible and with experience figure out which relationships are real and which are just for immigration purposes.

[tany1157 161]

tonia: (10:34) Just for my own knowlege of your jobs, what training do consular officers go through to detect fraud? Also, why the variances in interview times? First interview was over an hour, while second interview was 15 minutes. Thank you for your time!!

Paul, Consular Officer: (10:34) Before being assigned overseas, consular officers take an intensive multi-week course on U.S. Immigration law. In addition there are a variety of fraud classes both in classroom and online settings that officers take. We have a robust internal training program and officers share insights about other cases with each other. Because each interview is individually customized, the times can vary grately. For example, a few days ago we interviewed a couple that had been married for 50 years and had several grown children and grandchildren. It was very apparent that their relationship is legitimate and we did not need to conduct a long interview. Alternatively, we have other cases that require more time to ask more in-depth questions.

[tany1157 161]

tonia: (10:39) If there is no law preventing a person from getting a visa to the US, what are the odds of being denied a visa a third time?

Paul, Consular Officer: (10:39) Well, there are certainly various laws preventing people from receiving visas. For example, section 204© of the Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA) says that if marriage fraud was confirmed by a competent authority (like an immigration judge or a petition revoked by USCIS), the beneficiary is ineligible for any future petition-based visas. In other words, if a CR-1 was revoked because of fraud, a new petition for the same beneficiary would be refused under INA section 204© as they can never be the beneficiary of any future petition-based visas. It’s hard to say what the chances are of visas being issued a third time around. In general terms, it is rare, but it does happen. For example, if we recommended a K-1 visa for revocation, and then the CR-1 visa for revocation, which was subsequently reaffirmed, we would ordinarily issue the visa. However, each case is unique, and only a new interview cand determine the outcome.

[Jenn! 918]

It sounds like they think, "we are not approving because we don't think the relationship is genuine" counts as explaining the reason for the denial. I don't believe they get into WHY they don't think the relationship is genuine.

Edited April 6, 2011 by Jenn!

[tany1157 161]

tonia (privately): (10:43) I understand. If USCIS revokes the petition, then the law states that fraud was founded, and the beneficiary can no longer be petitioned in the future.

Paul, Consular Officer (privately): (10:43) exactly

tonia (Submitted question): (10:43) Thank you sir!

It sounds like they count, "we are not approving because we don't think the relationship is genuine" counts as explaining the reason for the denial. I don't believe they get into WHY they don't think the relationship is genuine.

That's correct. But they won't go into further details

[tany1157 161]

I'm done with my questions, but there is still some more time. Any other questions anyone wants asked?

[kristen_maroc 126]

This chat is AMAZING.

OMG. For all the ####### we hear about Casablanca, they have been so good with my questions, beyond helpful... WOW.

And no minimum income requirement for the I-134??? WHAT?! I DON'T NEED A CO-SPONSOR?!! As long as I have paid taxes, I'm good?! ?!?!?!?!!!?!?!?!?!?!

I mean, this chat has flooded me with relief. We just do our best and God will provide the rest.

WOW. I am SO GLAD I went!

(and the celibacy certificate requirement made me giggle, for real.)

(That isn't to diminish the pain of people who have been treated poorly by them).

[tany1157 161]

KKB: (10:52) You mentioned above that the beneficiary is informed at the time of interview, but in cases of marriage fraud, etc if the petitioner can be given specific information that the consulate has uncovered about fraud, it seems that would be helpful if they heard directly from the consulate what has been uncovered that denotes fraud.

Paul, Consular Officer: (10:52) In our experience, even when we give specific reasons, the petitioner disagrees with our judgment and often gets belligerent and defensive. Certainly some of this kind of reaction is normal. I know that if someone told me that the relationship with my wife was not real that I would disagree and want to respond accordingly. However, once the decision has been made to return a case, there is typically very little that will change that outcome. Given the fact that a petitioner will have an ample opportunity to answer all of the questions raised from the interview when responding to the notice of intent to revoke, we do not find it productive to go into long discussions for each case.

This chat is AMAZING.

OMG. For all the ####### we hear about Casablanca, they have been so good with my questions, beyond helpful... WOW.

And no minimum income requirement for the I-134??? WHAT?! I DON'T NEED A CO-SPONSOR?!! As long as I have paid taxes, I'm good?! ?!?!?!?!!!?!?!?!?!?!

I mean, this chat has flooded me with relief. We just do our best and God will provide the rest.

WOW. I am SO GLAD I went!

(and the celibacy certificate requirement made me giggle, for real.)

(That isn't to diminish the pain of people who have been treated poorly by them).

I agree Kristen....my hubby (fiance then) was treated poorly last year, and in my letter sent with my cr1, I did state that I hoped my husband could walk out of the consulate with his dignity in tact. This interview, they treated him very good, even though the decision was still a denial. And I do appreciate that they treated him like a human being this time! And really, some great info was given to us!

Edited April 6, 2011 by tany1157

[msheesha 548]

This chat is AMAZING.

OMG. For all the ####### we hear about Casablanca, they have been so good with my questions, beyond helpful... WOW.

And no minimum income requirement for the I-134??? WHAT?! I DON'T NEED A CO-SPONSOR?!! As long as I have paid taxes, I'm good?! ?!?!?!?!!!?!?!?!?!?!

I mean, this chat has flooded me with relief. We just do our best and God will provide the rest.

WOW. I am SO GLAD I went!

(and the celibacy certificate requirement made me giggle, for real.)

(That isn't to diminish the pain of people who have been treated poorly by them).

If you can print out that portion of the chat, print it so if there is any trouble later, you will have that as proof of what you were advised by the consulate.