Revocation of Tourist Visa - Informed by Airline at Airport

[gamm3 13]

Yes.. This is true.. I worked as a CSA at the airport for 6 years and what we do usually if there is something wrong with the passenger is we always contact CBP and they will tell you why it has been revoked.. Even a passenger can talk to the CBP officer for him/her to be enlighten and suggest what to do.. I hope the airline called the CBP first before they denied the passenger..

[gamm3 13]

Have they also made similar trips to the US alongside you MIL? ..I'm wondering what stood out specifically about her.

Husband and adult daughter have been together on all previous trips.

Exactly. Airline check in staff are not government representatives. They can refuse you travel for an expired visa or passport but they shouldn't be making the decisions where there is a valid visa in place. As is often said here, a visa enables the holder to "knock at the door" and ask to come in. They can't do that if they want even get to the door. Quite frankly it's none of their business whether your in laws have visited another country too many times.

I used to work in check in and that sort of decision was not mine to make. My primary responsibility was the safety of the aircraft and that the passengers had passports in the same name as the tickets and that tickets had not been reported to have been purchased fraudulently.

They check all VISAs against a list and that list said it was revoked.

Has your MIL overstayed her I-94 on any of her visits?

No.

[gamm3 13]

So she just accepted what they said, without demanding an explanation or to speak to someone that knows? I would have kicked up a BIG fuss.

No they spoke with the Airline Superintendant who called someone in Washington (unsure if airline or Dept of State related) who confirmed the revocation.

Is there anyway to check on the validity of an existing Tourist Visa through Freedom of Information Act, Senator, etc....or inquire about the reasons why it would have been revoked.

Edited May 28, 2016 by gamm3

[gamm3 13]

If the visa has been revoked then she should be told this by the authority that revoked the visa, not a representative of the airline. How did the embassy know she was travelling with Avianca? How did they know she was traveling at all? Had they contacted all airlines at all airports just in case she decided to travel? Surely if the visa has been revoked they would contact her to advise her of this. We know that embassies are not particularly bothered about our human emotions and feelings but to have people finding out verbally at the check in counter once they've purchased their tickets and made arrangements is a bit much. And isn't very professional.

It says that you actually do not have to be notified in person of a VISA revocation. Fun Fun Fun

Revocation Process

Before revoking the visa, the US consular officer usually is obliged to invite the visa holder to the consulate for an interview, and give him a chance to show why the visa should not be revoked. A qualified attorney can help you through this step. However, if it is determined that you or a family member are unqualified to hold the previously issued visa, it will be revoked.

When revoking the visa, the officer will write or stamp “REVOKED” across the face of the visa; notify the person on what legal grounds the visa was revoked; make an entry into the visa system; and complete a Certificate of Revocation of Visa.

If the visa holder cannot be found, the officer will notify airlines of the revocation. If the person is already en route to the US, he will be detained and have his visa revoked at the port of entry.

It is important to note that occasionally visa revocations may occur without notice to the visa holder. Whether or not the visa holder gets actual notice, the revoked visa is no longer valid for travel to the US once the revocation is entered into the visa system.

[Penguin_ie 5,996]

That seems very unusual.

If there were no issues at her last visit (was she asked any questions last time she entered the USA for example?), then my best guess is that she ended up on a no-fly list, perhaps due to someone with the same name having a criminal past, but I agree the best thing to do is contact the embassy and ask them.

[Unlockable 7,315]

Very unusual indeed.

Call the embassy, USCIS, and whoever else you can think of. It is a holiday weekend so you might not get any real answers from US immigration until middle of next week.

[Boiler 45,948]

I have seen it happen before, a guessing game why.

[mallafri76 1,012]

How long was she planning on staying in the US? If the visa expires on June 26th 2016, that might have been too close for the US immigration to allow her to travel, especially with family already living in the US.

What about her passport, when does that expiry? It has to be valid for at least six months after entering the US.

Edited May 28, 2016 by mallafri76

[Boiler 45,948]

That's not related relevant something else.

[Shiobhan 235]

She can be told by the airlines she's unable to fly to the US/The embassy sends a lists of revoked visas;

Homeland Security gets the manifests, that's part of giving passport # with reservations, it could be a minor

thing but it concerns the US. I've seen people removed from planes after boarding (it happens a few times well)

Was she ever a politician , Gov employee, police officer etc if linked to any corruption, they will get visas

revoked. The airline has no answers, maybe a family resident in the US can check via their Senator why, the

denial cant be appealed, but if there's a mistake it can get fixed by the right agency

[Dakine10 5,452]

They check all VISAs against a list and that list said it was revoked.

Has she applied for any other visa? Also has she ever lost her passport or had the visa removed from the passport? There are many benign reasons this could have happened and also some serious ones. Unfortunately it does sound like it could be the no fly list. People have ended up on the list even due to clerical error.

Ultimately, someone will have to contact the embassy and find out the reason. You can also try the DHS traveler redress inquiry program. There are forms to fill out so you can act on behalf of a relative. It can take a while (several months) and you might not get an answer that resolves the issue, but it is one way to find out specifically if it's related to the no fly list.

[gamm3 13]

How long was she planning on staying in the US? If the visa expires on June 26th 2016, that might have been too close for the US immigration to allow her to travel, especially with family already living in the US.

What about her passport, when does that expiry? It has to be valid for at least six months after entering the US.

3 days - memorial day weekend and no her passport was not going to expire.

Has she applied for any other visa? Also has she ever lost her passport or had the visa removed from the passport? There are many benign reasons this could have happened and also some serious ones. Unfortunately it does sound like it could be the no fly list. People have ended up on the list even due to clerical error.

Ultimately, someone will have to contact the embassy and find out the reason. You can also try the DHS traveler redress inquiry program. There are forms to fill out so you can act on behalf of a relative. It can take a while (several months) and you might not get an answer that resolves the issue, but it is one way to find out specifically if it's related to the no fly list.

[gamm3 13]

Yeah - that is what we will have to do. The others in the family are able to renew their visas through mail, but we want to know why my mil visa was revoked before going to the embassy for an appointment. Hopefully calling will give us the answers. This is all very sad because I am pregnant due in August and we really thought Colombian tourist visas were no issue anymore like they were 10 years ago! I am only thankful this didn't happen at our wedding 4 years ago where my husband came on a tourist visa and told them I'm going to get married and then going back to Colombia where we live. They took him to secondary and that was all!

[Transborderwife 4,666]

3 days - memorial day weekend and no her passport was not going to expire.

3 days would possibly be suspicious sounding to cbp. That's an expensive trip for someone from Columbia for 3 days.

[gamm3 13]

3 days would possibly be suspicious sounding to cbp. That's an expensive trip for someone from Columbia for 3 days.

Please read the thread before commenting - and learn how to spell Colombia.... (Sorry the constant "somone from Colombia" stereotypes can get annoying.)

It was not CBP deciding whether to let her enter or not - it was at the airline - she was already on a list. Plus three other family members accompanying her to do the same thing would have been fine.

That's what really pisses us off - begging to be let into the United States to spend a bunch of money on your future grandchild.