41% K 1 Fiance Visas Denied?

[jroc 0]

I was just reading an Attorneys Website.....he states that "41% of all K-1 Visas are denied....seems like a high figure to me.....is this correct???

[b_weeks 6]

There are alot of factors to consider when dealing with these percentages. Just take a look at the timelines search page and feed in your own info to search. By Country, by Visa type, by date, and you can determine the stats based on your own situation.

I did Vietnam K1's (one of the toughest Consulates to get a visa) based on Interviews in 2008. 31 out of 41 approved.

Timeline Search

Good luck

[Leenie 15]

Seems high to me, too. That sounds like some attorney propaganda to get people nervous and waste their money on his services!

[Y's_habibitk 2]

Seems high to me, too. That sounds like some attorney propaganda to get people nervous and waste their money on his services!

that was my first reaction too

[rsn 135]

I was just reading an Attorneys Website.....he states that "41% of all K-1 Visas are denied....seems like a high figure to me.....is this correct???

41% outright denied? No way. I just looked at some numbers from 2004, and overall, the denial rate is nowhere near 41%.

[b_weeks 6]

Some more interesting facts.

HCMC 2008 (based on VJ timelines which may or may not have been updated)

41 submitted

40 had interviews

31 received visas

117 days avg to recv NOA2

262 days avg to visa rec'd

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

The lawyer is full of #######. There were 31,692 K1 visa applications processed in 2008. 30,288 were approved, while 1404 were denied. That's an overall worldwide approval rate of more than 95%. Individual consulates can be significantly higher or lower than the average.

http://www.travel.state.gov/pdf/FY2008.pdf

[jroc 0]

The lawyer is full of #######. There were 31,692 K1 visa applications processed in 2008. 30,288 were approved, while 1404 were denied. That's an overall worldwide approval rate of more than 95%. Individual consulates can be significantly higher or lower than the average.

http://www.travel.state.gov/pdf/FY2008.pdf

Here is the link...really trying to sell their services through fear.....also trying to dissuade against forums...

http://www.apexvisa.us/mistakes.html

Edited October 17, 2009 by jroc

[thongd4me 69]

The lawyer is full of #######. There were 31,692 K1 visa applications processed in 2008. 30,288 were approved, while 1404 were denied. That's an overall worldwide approval rate of more than 95%. Individual consulates can be significantly higher or lower than the average.

http://www.travel.state.gov/pdf/FY2008.pdf

Lawer is NOT full of #######. That's the percentage of denials for people who used lawyers!

[DeniseBill 4]

That is absolutely ridicilous. Doing it yourself is wrong? Forums are wrong? Because of this forum my fiance and I just got approved and I'm flying home in 34 days.

That website should be shut down. There are many people on this forum who know a lot about the immigration. Or better to say, they know Everything, and if there's something they don't know there's always someone else who does.

Seriously, please don't fall for that, it's BS

Edited October 17, 2009 by DeniseBill

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I was just reading an Attorneys Website.....he states that "41% of all K-1 Visas are denied....seems like a high figure to me.....is this correct???

I have no clue what he uses for his figures and at what level and which consulates. A large number of petitions are rejected because they are not signed or did not include a check, they are accpeted once they have been signed. Is that in his figure? The most common reason for denial of a petition is not meeting within the past two years, some people just do NOT get it...that is a requirement, not a suggestion. Are those in his figures? At the consulate level lots of people fail because they are not prepared, and an ATTORNEY can do nothing to prepare you for the interview at a foreign consulate...that is your fiancee that must be prepared. Some consulates are easy, I would guess Kiev's approval rate is in the high 90s % wise. HCMC in VietNam may be well under 50%, likewise several others. Is his figure regional, global? I mean I could throw aout a figure...."55% of K-1s are rejected or denied", give me a few hours and I can back those figures up. It does NOT mean that 55% of people filing petitions do not get visas. Some 18% are rejected the minute they open the envelope because their is no check, the form isn't signed or the check isn't signed (based on what was told to me directly by a director at VSC) so heck, I am one third of the way there in my figures. Do we count 221g's the notes fiancees get requesting more information at their interviews? Why not? This is BS! It is a scare tactic that is used to for you employ their service.

If the attorney cannot promote his services without scare tactics (and he CAN'T because attorneys can do so little) then RUN

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I was just reading an Attorneys Website.....he states that "41% of all K-1 Visas are denied....seems like a high figure to me.....is this correct???

41% outright denied? No way. I just looked at some numbers from 2004, and overall, the denial rate is nowhere near 41%.

There is no telling what he used for figures. Petitions? 18% are rejected by VSC (according to the a director there) for no check or signature. what percent get 221g's at the consulate? I know two successful VN applicants and BOTH got 221g's and then got their visa. Are they in that figure?

At any rate, it is BS, let him sell his service for what it is, scaring someone into it is reprehensible.

Oh, and if I throw people that can't swim into a deep pool, 41% of the drown. And what? Can YOU swim?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

The lawyer is full of #######. There were 31,692 K1 visa applications processed in 2008. 30,288 were approved, while 1404 were denied. That's an overall worldwide approval rate of more than 95%. Individual consulates can be significantly higher or lower than the average.

http://www.travel.state.gov/pdf/FY2008.pdf

These are reasonable figures which use total applicants vs. total recipients. I am sure a number got an initial rejection or a 221g but were ultimately successful. Worldwide the vast majority of K visas are ultimately approved.

[jimnlena 8]

Don't you feel bad now about giving so much information? The lawyers are having to stoop to these levels to make that Lexus payment!!

I was just reading an Attorneys Website.....he states that "41% of all K-1 Visas are denied....seems like a high figure to me.....is this correct???

41% outright denied? No way. I just looked at some numbers from 2004, and overall, the denial rate is nowhere near 41%.

There is no telling what he used for figures. Petitions? 18% are rejected by VSC (according to the a director there) for no check or signature. what percent get 221g's at the consulate? I know two successful VN applicants and BOTH got 221g's and then got their visa. Are they in that figure?

At any rate, it is BS, let him sell his service for what it is, scaring someone into it is reprehensible.

Oh, and if I throw people that can't swim into a deep pool, 41% of the drown. And what? Can YOU swim?

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

On further study, the owner of the site is Gerry Gannon. He's a law school graduate, but he's not a member of the Bar Association nor the AILA, and he's got some choice comments about both groups which he calls "self serving" (aren't all trade associations self serving?). He got started dealing with immigration law when acting as a translator for Vietnamese resettlement programs, which may explain where he go his 41% denial figures. Aside from some nebulous claims, his site is pretty interesting reading.

He does take one position that I find particularly interesting - he says it doesn't matter what the policies, procedures, or practices of a government agency are - it only matters what the law says. He goes on to say that government agencies routinely implement policies that are in direct conflict with the law (like we didn't already know that), and says that such policies constitute a crime (I wouldn't go that far). He's pragmatic about this, and realizes that you ultimately have to deal with consular officers in the foreign country (he calls them "visa adjudicators"), so you do what you have to do in order to get the visa. But the premise can be a dangerous one for a reader who takes his position to heart without also applying the pragmatic side of his approach. It's all well and good to say that a particular question on a particular form technically does not need to be answered because there is no requirement for it in law. However, if not answering the question results in a denied visa then you haven't done yourself any favors by butting heads with the consulate. In all fairness, he doesn't advocate that anyone do this. He's mostly just ranting about the inconsistency between the actual codified law and the way it's implemented by government agencies. He's welcome to tilt at windmills, but I think most people are more concerned about getting that one particular visa for their fiancee or spouse.

I do think that his position against forums and immigration attorneys is a bit pompous. It almost comes across as implying that he alone is wise and experienced enough to do this process right, and that average people (like the members of this forum) aren't capable of understanding the law, following instructions, and learning from the collective experience of others. He also makes the blatantly false accusation that forums are "support groups" where people don't share their bad experiences, and therefore have the benefit of helping others learn from them. I've found the opposite to be true of VJ - many people end up here precisely because things have gone wrong and they're looking for assistance and advice.

To his credit, he offers a money back guarantee if your SO doesn't get a visa. Most attorneys only guarantee you'll get the petition approved.