Denied Denied Denied..... Disappointed In Laws & Sad Wife

[dleeg 2]

My wife's parents (her mother and step father) had their interview last week in Bogota for B2 visas. After being with my wife for 6 years (and married for 5 of those years) we thought it would be nice if the in laws applied for tourists visas so they can visit us here in states. We are always visiting them so it would have been a nice change. They were denied the visas. Thought I'd share how the interview went.

Some background info before you read the questions and answers. My wife's parents have been together for 20 years and married for the last five years. They are 18 years apart in age, my mother in law is the older one (she's 64 and he's 46). They are five years into making house payments and also own a car. Though the VO didn't ask for my or my wife's information, my mother and father in law had a packet we sent to them which contained a letter of invitation, 2015 copy of our taxes, bank account statements, affidavit of support form, etc. My wife and I paid for the visa applications, their trip to Bogota (from Cali). We had also intended to pay for the entire trip to the United States and back to Colombia and everything in between.

The interview was in the morning, at 9am. There were 13 questions total, ALL of them directed to my father in law. The VO was an Asian American male. According to my father in law the VO was very stern and at times seemed rude in the way he was asking questions.

1. What is your reason to visit the United States?

He responds: We want to visit our daughter and her husband this Christmas and New Year in San Diego and see the city they live in.

VO then asks to see a copy of my wife's passport, father in law produces it.

2. Is your "daughter" your birth daughter?

He responds: She is my wife's daughter.

3. What is your daughter's name?

He responds her name (including her maiden name) but fails to add her married name.

4. What line of work does your daughter do in the United States?

He responds: She is a nanny.

5. What is the name of the company you work for?

He responds the name of the company he works for

6. How many years have you been at this job?

He responds: 12 years.

7. What do you do at your job?
He responds what he does at his job

8. What kind of products do you sell at your company?

He responds what the company sells

9. How much do you earn per month?

He responds how much he earns per month but he inflated the number thus not matching the number on the visa application.

10. How long have you been married?

He responds: Five years

Vo then asks to see their marriage certificate, father in law produces it.

11. When is your wife's birthday?

He responds the date of her birthday.

12. What is your wife's job?

He responds: She doesn't work, she is a house wife.

13. Do you own a house?

He responds: Yes, we are five years into making house payments.

That's it. After the last question the VO informed my father in law that they didn't qualify for the visa.

Of course they would like to apply again so we'll see how much time passes before they attempt it.

If you want to comment with advice for next time thanks in advance. Would be great to hear from those who's family had to apply twice or more.

Good luck to those going through the process!!

Edited May 30, 2016 by dleeg

[HFM181818 750]

exaggerating one's salary was a critical mistake (i.e., 'lying')....also, many Colombians still request asylum (usually for bogus reasons) upon arriving in the US....however, one lie = instant lack of credibility....

Also, YOUR bank account, YOUR job, YOUR whatever opinion you have of yourself is, at the end of the day, totally meaningless, as you (and the in-laws) discovered.

My advice (as having served in Bogota!!), 'do not lie, do not exaggerate anything about one's current situation, do not make up stories, numbers nor hopes of being promoted to some important job, nor anything that attempts to portray oneself as being 'worthy' of getting a tourist visa on merits that do not exist....

Trying to outwit a CO is a mistake.....

[Mollie09 1,543]

Also, your "letter of invitation" and affidavit of support were meaningless, as we keep telling people over and over.

They need to qualify on their own, independent of you.

[dleeg 2]

exaggerating one's salary was a critical mistake (i.e., 'lying')....also, many Colombians still request asylum (usually for bogus reasons) upon arriving in the US....however, one lie = instant lack of credibility....

Also, YOUR bank account, YOUR job, YOUR whatever opinion you have of yourself is, at the end of the day, totally meaningless, as you (and the in-laws) discovered.

My advice (as having served in Bogota!!), 'do not lie, do not exaggerate anything about one's current situation, do not make up stories, numbers nor hopes of being promoted to some important job, nor anything that attempts to portray oneself as being 'worthy' of getting a tourist visa on merits that do not exist....

Trying to outwit a CO is a mistake.....

Hey thanks for your response. I agree with everything you said. Believe me, even though I told my father in law to respond to the questions directly and truthfully, he feels pretty bad for what "slipped out" in the heat of the moment. We sent our packet info to them to make them feel more confident in their quest. We knew it wouldn't be a factor, but if it made them more confident so be it. Hopefully the result will be different next time.

[HFM181818 750]

realistically, in the world of visas, re-establishing one's credibility after having damaged it, will likely be a long process, because COs are slow to forgive (with good reason)....just saying, 'gee, I'm sorry I lied, now gimme a visa..'...will fail....lying just ruins a case when the applicant is caught in the lie....better to tell the truth and be denied than being caught in a lie.....because trust will now be slow to establish....and only the applicant can be blamed....not the CO, nor our laws....somebody lied....who was it?.....and again, your bank account(s), job status, etc, do not transfer to the applicant by sleight of hand nor osmosis nor by any other process....all of the papers you might supply are nothing more than window dressing...

[Unlockable 7,314]

I agree, the FIL inflating his salary where it didn't match what he stated on the application was a HUGE mistake.

Also, he is claiming to make all this money but you provided evidence where YOU are footing the bill for everything.

Edited May 31, 2016 by NuestraUnion

[HFM181818 750]

Credibility is everything; documents are largely meaningless....documents cannot make a weak case stronger, but fake documents can quickly turn what might have seemed like a reasonable case into a denial that will be nearly impossible to overcome in the future...the same for making up salaries....now that one person has fudged the truth once, why would a CO believe anything he says in the future?

[gamm3 13]

God - what is going on in Bogota? A couple of years ago - it seemed like everyone was getting a tourist VISA. Visas have also been lifted for Europe for Colombians. My Colombian husband just went to Germany WITH NO VISA. I'm really sorry that happened - just remember the most important thing for them is to show ties to Colombia, so there would be no way they would want to over stay their VISA. However, I think something weird is going on in BOgota right now.

[ryna 132]

Sorry to hear this, man...

Edited June 2, 2016 by ryna

[Russ&Caro 1,549]

Thanks for relating your story. My own mother in law will be applying within the next year for a tourist visa to the US. My wife and I are cautiously optimistic.

[Shiobhan 235]

That lie caused him to be denied....why send tax paper

for tourist visa? sends a desperation to get in message