Questions about the F-1 Student Visa for My Sister

[hope2018 25]

Hello everyone,

I want to update some information about the student visa for my sister.

She got rejected in her first interview. The male CO only asked her a couple questions and denied her visa. He did not look at her transcripts, I-20, or any financial evidence. He told her to wait till 6 more years to come to the US on F2B visa. The interview was quick. My sister had no opportunity to present her case.

My sister wanted to try again. Her intention to go to America to study is real. She went to the interview the second times. Nothing was changed in her application. The I-20 and everything else were the same.

The second CO asked to see my sister's transcripts.The CO and the translator were impressed with her good grades. My sister was asked to provide reasons for her to come back to Vietnam. She was being very honest. The CO believed her. At one point, the CO was shaking her head and was about to deny my sister visa; luckily, my sister was able to pick up the CO's body language cues. She quickly requested "Please give me one more minute to explain". She gave the CO her clear study plan on a piece of paper and explained it.

The CO changed her mind. She reminded my sister twice about going back to Vietnam to prepare for her immigrant visa interview after she is done with school. The word "congratulation" from the CO was a real surprise for my sister. She tried to leave the consulate fast because she afraid they would change their mind . The CO never asked anything related to financial evidence.

Her disadvantages:

-Two pending immigrant petitions

-Parents, sister, and uncle in the US

-Having a Master's degree, but go to the US for a Bachelor's degree

-No financial evidence from Vietnam

-No strong ties to home country

-No proof of English (She does not take the TOEFL or IELTS test)

Her advantages:

-Nice transcripts

-Speaks English to the CO

-Well-prepared when it comes to academic subjects

-Confident during the interview (She thought she would not be able to obtain the visa anyway, therefore she did not feel nervous talking to the CO. The first interview was a valuable experience for her )

Edited September 25, 2014 by family741