Parents B1/B2 Visa got Denied

[VB-100 3]

10 hours ago, NovaDC said:

Please let us know what the second interview's result. I wish your family the best

I will. Thanks

[ms_bobdog 501]

Been reading this, and also keen to know how the second application goes. Reason being my father's girlfriend, who is a Malaysian, wants to visit me together with him in August. My father is Singaporean, so no problems there, being a VWP country. I helped his girlfriend through the DS-160 for her B1/B2 visa. Before that, we had already confirmed their travel dates, and I got both of them air tickets and the dates were the same as what was entered into the DS-160. I also put my husband as the US contact person, relationship being friend (they had met in Singapore last year when my husband visited). At the interview, she was asked why she wanted to visit, where she was staying, whether she had travelled out of Malaysia before. She answered everything truthfully, but was simply told that she could not be approved for the visa and given a 214B refusal. She had brought along papers to prove that she owns property in Malaysia and the air tickets to show confirmed travel plans. The CO refused to look at them. 

 

She was pretty upset about it and went to a travel agency, who told her that she should have submitted the papers to prove property ownership before the interview. I got quite mad at that, because I helped her with the DS-160 and I am pretty damn sure there was no such option. Sounds like they would say anything to get people to pay them some money to re-apply. 

[Jojo92122 1,924]

6 minutes ago, ms_bobdog said:

Been reading this, and also keen to know how the second application goes. Reason being my father's girlfriend, who is a Malaysian, wants to visit me together with him in August. My father is Singaporean, so no problems there, being a VWP country. I helped his girlfriend through the DS-160 for her B1/B2 visa. Before that, we had already confirmed their travel dates, and I got both of them air tickets and the dates were the same as what was entered into the DS-160. I also put my husband as the US contact person, relationship being friend (they had met in Singapore last year when my husband visited). At the interview, she was asked why she wanted to visit, where she was staying, whether she had travelled out of Malaysia before. She answered everything truthfully, but was simply told that she could not be approved for the visa and given a 214B refusal. She had brought along papers to prove that she owns property in Malaysia and the air tickets to show confirmed travel plans. The CO refused to look at them. 

 

She was pretty upset about it and went to a travel agency, who told her that she should have submitted the papers to prove property ownership before the interview. I got quite mad at that, because I helped her with the DS-160 and I am pretty damn sure there was no such option. Sounds like they would say anything to get people to pay them some money to re-apply. 

The CO is not required to look at anything that an applicant brings into the interview.  

 

There is no way to submit proof of property ownership before the interview.  

 

You should not have ignored the US Embassy's advice not to buy air tickets without a visitor visa in hand.  Have air tickets does not improve the chances of getting a visa.  

[ms_bobdog 501]

Just now, Jojo92122 said:

The CO is not required to look at anything that an applicant brings into the interview.  

 

There is no way to submit proof of property ownership before the interview.  

 

You should not have ignored the US Embassy's advice not to buy air tickets without a visitor visa in hand.  Have air tickets does not improve the chances of getting a visa.  

I am not upset about the air tickets. I just felt it would have been a better proof of confirmed travel plans. In any case, the 3 people who were before her all got refused too, so I really don't know what is going on.

 

Thanks for the confirmation that there is no way to submit any kind of evidence before the interview.

[Jojo92122 1,924]

Confirmed travel plans does not help them establish strong ties to home to overcome the legal presumption that all visitor visa applicants plan to illegally immigrate to the US.  Confirmed travel plans are not considered in granting a visitor visa.  

[geowrian 22,338]

39 minutes ago, ms_bobdog said:

I got quite mad at that, because I helped her with the DS-160 and I am pretty damn sure there was no such option.

Correct. There's no way to submit supporting information with the visa application or prior to the interview for a tourist visa.

[Going through 5,671]

31 minutes ago, ms_bobdog said:

I am not upset about the air tickets. I just felt it would have been a better proof of confirmed travel plans.

Booked tickets really don't make much of a difference---many people just cancel the return part of their trip later on once in the States, or just don't show up to board the plane (not saying this is the case with your relatives).  COs know that happens often.

Edited June 29, 2018 by Going through

[ms_bobdog 501]

Just now, geowrian said:

Correct. There's no way to submit supporting information with the visa application or prior to the interview for a tourist visa.

That being the case, she has no way to convince the CO that she is only going to be there for a temporary visit? I believe a major issue is that she is unemployed (she is 60 years old and my father supports her financially). She does have children who all live in this region, but again, there is no way for her to offer that information if the CO doesn't want to hear it or see it?

[ms_bobdog 501]

3 minutes ago, Going through said:

Booked tickets really don't make much of a difference---many people just cancel the return part of their trip later on once in the States, or just don't show up to board the plane (not saying this is the case with your relatives).  COs know that happens often.

If she didn't have any travel arrangements made, it could have been viewed negatively as well. By having travel arrangements made, it also doesn't add any weight to the visa application. I thought an immigrant visa application was a nightmare, but I think I had it much easier then, albeit a lengthier process!

[geowrian 22,338]

18 minutes ago, ms_bobdog said:

That being the case, she has no way to convince the CO that she is only going to be there for a temporary visit? I believe a major issue is that she is unemployed (she is 60 years old and my father supports her financially). She does have children who all live in this region, but again, there is no way for her to offer that information if the CO doesn't want to hear it or see it?

Correct. The CO does not have to consider any documents presented by the individual. The CO typically has all the information they consider within the DS-160 + via any questioning. In borderline cases, they may want to see additional documents.

 

Elderly individuals do tend to have stronger ties inherently (people get set in their ways, and aren't jumping for a chance to uproot their long-established lives locally, or work in the US). But that alone is just one factor.

 

Edit:

13 minutes ago, ms_bobdog said:

If she didn't have any travel arrangements made, it could have been viewed negatively as well. By having travel arrangements made, it also doesn't add any weight to the visa application. I thought an immigrant visa application was a nightmare, but I think I had it much easier then, albeit a lengthier process!

You can have travel plans, although no ticket is needed. The main issue is showing why you plan to go home, not why you want to visit.

An immigrant visa doesn't have the immigrant intent issue, so it does tend to be easier to qualify for many, although certainly not faster or cheaper.

Edited June 29, 2018 by geowrian

[Boiler 45,931]

Begs the question what documents she could have had that would prove her return?

[ms_bobdog 501]

18 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Begs the question what documents she could have had that would prove her return?

That’s my biggest question mark, since she couldn’t submit any documents with the DS-160 nor was she given the chance to present any at the interview 🤷‍♀️

[WeGuyGal 1,052]

29 minutes ago, ms_bobdog said:

That’s my biggest question mark, since she couldn’t submit any documents with the DS-160 nor was she given the chance to present any at the interview 🤷‍♀️

Documents hardly prove anything about plans to exit the US after a visit. Not saying the case here, but documents can be forged or altered, and other ties to home such as property/bank balances/job/kids/family etc are uprooted all the time. 

 

The number of B2 visa applications are large at most Embassies (have you seen the lines outside US embassies?), and COs have a very small time window to interact with an applicant. Documents are thus not looked at. 

[Jojo92122 1,924]

1 hour ago, ms_bobdog said:

If she didn't have any travel arrangements made, it could have been viewed negatively as well. By having travel arrangements made, it also doesn't add any weight to the visa application. I thought an immigrant visa application was a nightmare, but I think I had it much easier then, albeit a lengthier process!

The US Embassy advises not to make travel arrangements before having a visa in hand, so how would it be viewed negatively as well when it's following the exact advice from the embassy?  Your logic is flawed.  

[Unidentified 2,930]

2 hours ago, ms_bobdog said:

I am not upset about the air tickets. I just felt it would have been a better proof of confirmed travel plans. In any case, the 3 people who were before her all got refused too, so I really don't know what is going on.

 

Thanks for the confirmation that there is no way to submit any kind of evidence before the interview.

Plane tickets doesn't prove anything and it even says on the embassy website to not make any travel plans until you have the visa in your hand.