Question on behalf of a friend

[Divine 0]

As if I didn't have enough to worry about, i have to worry about my friend now.... She asked me this question yesterday when I called back home and i didn't have any answer but I am sure someone here will. She applied for a tourist visa last October and the process was "suspended" (not denied) pending more proof that she will return to the Ivory Coast. She wasn't able to find anymore than what she submitted so never returned to the embassy. Since then, she got married and her husband is about to file K3. Her question is will they know that she applied before because they took her fingerprints? Are those fingerprints only stored in the system if the visa is approved and used? Since she got married, she had a name change and also lost her passport and got a new one, which doesn't contain any information about the tourist visa delay. I think those fingerprints would've only been saved if the visa was granted and she had come to the states. Am i wrong? Let me know. thank you guys for your help.

[meddykomp 0]

She should be honest about her suspended visa. Since a K-3 isn't designed for her to actually return to her country, the fact that she couldn't prove strong ties for the other visa would not apply. Lying about the suspended visa however could give them reason to deny the K-3.

[meauxna 15]

Agree.. the failed B visa application isn't a problem unless she lies about it. She should declare it and assume that they do know that she had it even if she doesn't declare it.

[Divine 0]

That's true. I totally forgot about it. It shouldn't matter that she was denied a tourist visa before. Thank you guys for your help! I knew I could count on you. Calling her right now...she will be relieved.

Thanks,

Divine.

oh by the way, for my own curiosity, are those fingerprints only stored in the system if the visa is approved and used?

[Kajikit 65]

I don't think the fingerprints are STORED at all - they use them to check on them once and then discard them - that's why you have to have your prints taken again and again and again... the chopf@cks don't actually have any facility to store the fingerprint files longterm.

As for the visa, a denied tourist visa is irrelevant to a K visa... she just has to tell them that it happened because otherwise they might think she was trying to conceal it.

[iceyspots 0]

Since these are two different visas, there are two different arrays of information they will need. It is very common to be denied/suspended a visitors visa, it probably happens more often than not. Just tell her to be honest.