How to File Complaint

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

Send the complaint. Feel better about it. Voice your opinion. End of story.

[HFM181818 750]

It is quite possible that a further investigation of his ties and answers was done, and based on that information, the consular official changed the decision....not much to be done...until a visa is actually placed in a passport, nothing said nor promised will matter.

As to third parties 'vouching' for a visa applicant's actions or bona fides, well, no one can realistically vouch for the behavior or actions of anyone, and thus such letters mean little to nothing. A letter from a congressman or senator carries no weight whatsoever, as they have no power over consular officials.

At the end of the day, it is unwise to buy an airline ticket, etc, until the visa is in hand.

The other thing to note is that generally speaking, the consular officials do not care why a person wants to GO to the US - they are more interested in why they would LEAVE the US...and no one can vouch or guarantee that an individual will comply with the terms of the visa they are seeking. No one.

While writing a letter of complaint might feel good, it will not likely accomplish anything, except bring any future application under even more scrutiny to make sure that every 'i' is dotted and every 't' crossed.

[Boiler 45,967]

I'm assuming that it would be something related to the average GDP per capita being under $250/year.....

Even with a good, stable job and a high standard of living in Malawi (enough to qualify for a tourist visa), $2000 is a whole lot quicker and easier to make in the US than in Malawi and is a less overall hardship for the person spending it. I'd see it as part of the overall cost of my wedding to make sure my husband's family could be there, if the choice came down to it.

My future in-laws enjoy a very nice standard of living in Costa Rica (not quite as good as the wealthy North American retirees do there, but more than comfortable) but still their tickets to join us for our wedding would be a significant burden, to the point that it may be cost prohibitive. Me though? Easy as cake to make up that amount of money. I'd just keep my second job a little longer than planned. I'd barely even notice it, I work so few hours per week (I work there Fridays after work, but get out still early enough to socialize if I want to,and Sunday mornings or afternoons), direct-deposited into a savings account and by the time I think to check on the account, there's another thousand dollars in there. That simply can't happen in a place like Malawi.

We have an answer if this is the case, not quite how the OP put it.

[Chime19 3]

The letter was not part of the application.

Still do not understand why he did not pay his own way.

Because he lives in one of the poorest countries in the world, where a working man can expect to make roughly the equivalent of $2/day. I didn't really expect him to save all of his money for 3-4 years on the off chance he would need to buy a plane ticket to the US for his brother's wedding. He's family, and family makes sacrifices for each other where I am from. Fortunately some agents with airlines were more sympathetic to our plight than most folks commenting here and wound up refunding us a decent amount of the ticket prices. I do still regret that we lost some money, but I stand by my conviction that the consular should not have acted in the way that he did. The final story we got was that because my brother in law was not married with children, he was considered too much of a risk and they wouldn't let him travel. A friend of ours who is employed at the embassy also related that the consular did not believe I had written the original letter or invitation, although he admitted he had no real reason for thinking so.

I'm assuming that it would be something related to the average GDP per capita being under $250/year.....

Even with a good, stable job and a high standard of living in Malawi (enough to qualify for a tourist visa), $2000 is a whole lot quicker and easier to make in the US than in Malawi and is a less overall hardship for the person spending it. I'd see it as part of the overall cost of my wedding to make sure my husband's family could be there, if the choice came down to it.

My future in-laws enjoy a very nice standard of living in Costa Rica (not quite as good as the wealthy North American retirees do there, but more than comfortable) but still their tickets to join us for our wedding would be a significant burden, to the point that it may be cost prohibitive. Me though? Easy as cake to make up that amount of money. I'd just keep my second job a little longer than planned. I'd barely even notice it, I work so few hours per week (I work there Fridays after work, but get out still early enough to socialize if I want to,and Sunday mornings or afternoons), direct-deposited into a savings account and by the time I think to check on the account, there's another thousand dollars in there. That simply can't happen in a place like Malawi.

Thanks for your understanding

Edited October 5, 2015 by Chime19

[Boiler 45,967]

Not sure what a consular is but you seem to be focussing on why he wanted to come. They want to know why he would want to return.

Obviously people save up for the holiday of a life time, 2 years disposable income seems a lot but we all have different priorities.

[Unidentified 2,930]

Not sure what a consular is but you seem to be focussing on why he wanted to come. They want to know why he would want to return.

Obviously people save up for the holiday of a life time, 2 years disposable income seems a lot but we all have different priorities.

A consular officer is a person working at an embassy...