MIL visa denied :(

[southernman 29]

Some people say being the operative phrase.

So please explain the decision making process to all of us who don't understand. Again, my MIL had no ties and no other family members in Belarus. No job, no passport stamps, NO REASON TO RETURN TO BELARUS but yet she was given a tourist visa without the officer asking for an invitation letter that I had written. Didn't ask for her home deed papers or anything. Interview lasted 2 minutes. Yes I was suprized but very grateful but I have read and talked to many that had lots of ties and proof yet were denied for no apparent reason or explanation. So please help me and others understand this process and the reasons why some are granted and others are denied.

[Boiler 46,270]

It is easy to talk in generalities, specific cases well the CO has a full application on front of them, on here you have mainly limited second hand comments.

[Dave&Roza 748]

It is easy to talk in generalities, specific cases well the CO has a full application on front of them, on here you have mainly limited second hand comments.

Here is a specific case that might sway you to think that the process is a toss of the coin. My then girlfriend applies for a tourist visa at the Consulate in Almaty. A young woman interviews her and denies her. Two weeks later she applies for a tourist visa. Has an interview with a middle aged man who approves her. Difference was the IO's age, sex, and knowledge of the local employment scene. The man knew my wife had a better than average paying job even if it was the equivalent to $6500. The young woman was most likely new to the position and strictly following the rules IMHO. No other difference other than the willingness on our part to spend $160 to apply again.

Move forward to 2011 and my MIL applies for a tourist visa. She has a son, daughter-in-law, and grandson in Kazakhstan. She owns property and has a pension. She is 66 years old with a son-in-law and daughter in the US. She speaks no English. She has not travelled outside the FSU or Turkey in many years. She was thankfully approved.

Since your experience is with what would be considered a First World country that is a member of the VWP, your family and friends do not have the issue of getting a tourist visa to the US. Those of us with family and friends in a Second World country see the process as a roll of the dice as some people are approved and others are not and the reasons do not make sense to us--it might make sense to the IO, but we do not have their playbook. Of course those in Third World counties have almost no chance of getting a tourist visa, so I wil take a toss of the dice over that any day.

Dave

Edited October 27, 2013 by Dave&Roza

[Boiler 46,270]

Some years back I applied for a B and was denied, unlike your relations who were approved.

Not so much info available then, so I was interested to understand the process.

[vbtwo 54]

It's all very subjective as to how the CO feels about your case. That's the whole point of it! It might not be a 50/50 chance and there are certain factors that will improve your chances, but there is absolutely nothing that you can do to guarantee getting a visa. If it weren't subjective, they could give out clear rules that must be met to ensure that you get approved (such as "you must make $X per month, you must first visit X other countries", etc). They never have and never will give out clear rules. In all documentation about the tourist visa process it always says that you must convince the CO interviewing you that you will return and there are no specific things that will convince him/her. Every CO takes different amounts of convincing. This is main reason the process is so frustrating to people - there are no rules and people with very similar circumstances can have a radically different result (even the same person can get denied and then a while later reapply with nothing having changed and be approved).

[james&olya 1,121]

I agree that this is too much like a game. My MIL was one of the lucky ones who got approved in spite of no prior travel to western countries and relatively minimal evidence of ties to home. But a much more extreme example I know about directly involves a friend of mine here who has been dating young ladies from Ukraine. He has met some on 'tours' and some on the commercial dating websites. His current girl-friend applied for a tourist visa and was approved, much to his surprise! She has been here once for 2 weeks and now is returning to spend several months with him. She was smart, even cunning if you wish, in how she did this. No mention, of course, about the fact she had met and was going to be seeing a man she had met through a dating agency. She was coached by a woman at an agency there in Kiev on what to say in her application and interview. I know these facts to be true as I have met and discussed all this directly with them. So it can be done if you play the game right and, as with many games, also have a bit of luck! Stacking the deck helps too.

[BatmanUSA 105]

so please tell us how to play the game and stack the deck.

[james&olya 1,121]

so please tell us how to play the game and stack the deck.

I think a lot of it had to do with getting coached there in Kiev. I didn't get the name of the agency or the woman there but I can ask when I see my friend next. We should be getting together in the new year when his girl-friend arrives again. I am assuming there was a bit of deception involved, not outright dishonesty I am guessing but emphasizing certain details while conveniently 'forgetting' to mention others. In particular the little detail about meeting a man on a dating site and then going to spend time with him in the US! I am sure that she also was interested in visiting here as a tourist so it would not have been overtly dishonest to offer that as the reason for wanting the visa. Beyond those obvious points I am not sure what the coaching consisted of but it apparently worked. I will post more when I get details.

[BatmanUSA 105]

thanks

[james&olya 1,121]

Speaking of MIL's and visas, we just picked up mine from our local airport. I felt bad for her, she had flown in the evening 2 days ago to Moscow, spent the night in the airport, got to Chicago by last night and had to stay overnight there to catch her flight up here at noon. She was happy though, she had gotten a good deal on the airfare.

[AmyWrites 593]

IMO a good rule of thumb is to avoid providing too many details about people you know in the US.

[vbtwo 54]

Speaking of MIL's and visas, we just picked up mine from our local airport. I felt bad for her, she had flown in the evening 2 days ago to Moscow, spent the night in the airport, got to Chicago by last night and had to stay overnight there to catch her flight up here at noon. She was happy though, she had gotten a good deal on the airfare.

I feel sorry for her. Moscow airport (at least SVO) is a horrible horrible place to spend the night with the most uncomfortable seating they could make and really bright lights shining at you and a billion really really expensive shops and cafes that make it seem like a shopping mall with airplane gates attached to it more than an airport.

[BatmanUSA 105]

That's exactly what I thought about Charles Degaul (spelling?) airport in Paris...

[BastillaShan 30]

In particular the little detail about meeting a man on a dating site

At my interview in Moscow (Where you can actually hear and see everyone else's interviews) there were two people who were approved who met on dating sites.

I don't know that it's any kind of a red flag now that 1 in 5 married couples begin their relationships begin online.

[james&olya 1,121]

At my interview in Moscow (Where you can actually hear and see everyone else's interviews) there were two people who were approved who met on dating sites.

I don't know that it's any kind of a red flag now that 1 in 5 married couples begin their relationships begin online.

Were they getting approved for a K-1 visa (easy) or getting approved for a tourist visa? It has in the past been exceedingly difficult to get a tourist visa if you gave them any reason to think you might have a love interest motivating your trip.