TOURIST VISA DENIED! HELP!

[MissAAA 9]

Unless something in your status changes to indicate more ties to your home country, re-applying immediately would be a waste of time. AND money.

[Adriene H 89]

Of course, she is desperate to get here by summer no matter what. Changing the story will not help at all, it's still a big NO. We're already told the OP that there are laws here which cannot be bent just to satisfy her desire to enter.

She might not understand exactly why not, since I guess things are dealt with slightly differenty in Russia and she has no prior experience with the US government agencies.

Nothing wrong with exploring other possibilities to get US visa, as long as the process is legal. You unnecesarily mix her parents and boyfriend/fiancee into that discussion doesn't help and IS personal.

But the OP is the one who mentioned a fiance and parents in the first place,

so where else was the response going to go besides personal?

[Shenzhen 34]

I am a 21 year old female from St. Petersburg, Russia.I went to the embassy and the man seemed so nice, but then I was denied for having a lack of ties to my country. However, I don't understand what else I may have! I was going for 2 months to visit a friend whom had traveled to my country a couple years earlier. I own half of an apartment, have had my job for 8 months, have 125,000 rubles in my bank account, plan on continuing education in the fall (I have 2 more years of school), and am engaged. To top it off is my parents are old and I am the only child to take care of them. Here are the questions they asked me and my answers:

What is the purpose of visit? Visiting a friend

How long have you known her and did you meet here? I have known her for almost three years and we met here.

He then asked for my traveling passport and when he saw a previous visa to the UK, he inquired about it. I replied "I went to London to stay with my mother's friend. I would like to go to America as well to help with my English."

He asked what my company did, I replied that it was a crewing agency.

He asked how long I worked there, I said I started September first.

I then also mentioned that I am a student, but have taken a gap year. He asked how long I have left and I told hi 2 years and then one for my Magistrate.

Then he asked the name of the school, which I told him.

He then told me to wait, and then left. He returned with a document of refusal for my visa and said "Im sorry, but at the moment we cannot give you a visa." He tried to comfort me by saying that many young girls don't receive visas and that SOME day I may get one. He then said that I couldn't prove my my ties were strong enough and then the interview was over.

Can someone help me out? I don't know what went wrong! I'm hoping to be in the US around the 6th of June.

You could get approved if you had a husband, a house, a job, money in the bank, and a few younger children. Then you might have a chance.

[Dave&Roza 748]

You are guilty of immigrating on a tourist visa until you can prove that you will return to your home country. The proof is on YOU and your proof is very, very thin. You are a single, young woman with no long term job, a small amount of property--how much is your share worth? Think of it this way: If you were to travel to the US and not return, what would be the cost to you financially and emotionally? You can apply again for a tourist visa and hope you get someone who believes you will return, but I think your chances are slim.

My MIL had her tourist visa interview this past Friday--the 13th is a luck day--at the Consulate in Almaty. She had to pay a tourist company 2000 tenge to fill out the forms and submit them to the Consulate electonically and help her schedule her interview appointment as she speaks no English. She then went to the inteview with evidence like an employment letter, her pension, her properities, her relatives like a son, daughter-in-law, two grandchildren, and other relatives--no husband as he died in 2005. It must have been enough as she was approved. The fact that she is 65, almost 66, instead of 21 might have something to do with it as older people do not like to change especially Kazakhs.

My wife was denied her first time in applying for a tourist visa. She was 40 and single and had not travelled outside of Kazakhstan very much. We reapplied after my friends contacted their congressman and she was approved--no new evidence just a different IO at the Consulate. So I am not sure what happened there other than she did get a visa after applying again. If you can afford to risk another $140 or so (I do not know what the visa fee is in Moscow) go ahead and try. Otherwise I would suggest you travel to other first world countries like Canada, the EU, Australia and after going and returning (assuming you get a visa for them) you can show that as evidence that you just want to travel and see the world.

I realize this is an emotional issue with you, but the IO is only looking at the evidence in front of him/her and your body language during the interview. They are very, very good at determining a person's intent just by the way they act and your lack of strong ties along with your desperation to get a visa to the US must have be evident to the IO.

I wish you well,

Dave

Edited April 14, 2012 by Dave&Roza

[sofya 10]

'Playing god'? How about obeying our laws? that is what they are there to do...do you suppose that no young, single Russian woman has ever overstayed in the US?

The OP has short term employment (less than one year) and thus such employment is relatively easy to walk away from compared to a job in which one might have more equity.

Our laws state that EVERY applicant seeking a tourist visa is presumed to be an intending immigrant until they (and they alone) convince a VO otherwise.

A congressman cannot change the decision nor make any attempt to influence their decision.

And trying to use older parents as an excuse is really not much...why? The OP wants to visit for 2 months....(a) no one in Russia gets 2 months paid vacation after 8 months on the job and (b) who is going to take care of those older parents in her absence? And if there is care for 2 months, why not for more?

These are valid points, especially on the 2-month vacation after just 8 months of employment. I've been denied a B1/B2 once exactly on the grounds that my employment was less than a year long, even though I applied only to visit the U.S. for 2 weeks! Moreover, the 2 weeks would've been over Christmas/New Year, when Russians have 10 paid holidays disregarding their employment duration! The consular officer told me that I had weak ties with Russia (although I also own a portion of property, am an only child, had money in the bank and worked a good, steady job). I was told to reapply when I've held the job for at least a year. I actually did get a B1/B2 visa later on - albeit it was only for 4 months (not the standard 1 or 2 years) because of the previous denial. I believe what helped the second time was the fact that the trip was job-related. In that case, my prior history of visa denial did not affect my ability to get a new one.