Strong ties to home country - meaning ...

[Boiler 45,486]

1 minute ago, Nat&Amy said:

Exactly. Even a small difference in age might put you in a different bracket for risk. I used to work as a visa analyst in my home country and people very often forget that every question they answer in their application gets taken into account. There are not two exactly identical applications, so obviously one should not expect the same outcome no matter how many people in their family apply.

 

And also, you might take a 3 pound folder loaded with evidence to your interview, but if the IO has already made a decision to deny based on DS160, then it will be very rare for them to even ask to see those documents. As many have pointed out, there is no way they can check their authenticity during the interview, for starters.

Time and time again we get comparisons on 2 or 3 factors, and obviously are never given the full story.

 

And the other common theme is Documents, even when the Documents in this case had they been looked at show the exact opposite of what was presumably intended.

[Nat&Amy 623]

12 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Time and time again we get comparisons on 2 or 3 factors, and obviously are never given the full story.

 

And the other common theme is Documents, even when the Documents in this case had they been looked at show the exact opposite of what was presumably intended.

Yes, there is that too. Having a sibling residing in the US does not help a visitor Visa application, if anything it just adds another risk factor to the pile.

 

It is frustrating to have a visa denied (and I should know, because I applied for a visitor Visa to the US when I was 21 and got denied for those exact reasons - insufficient ties to my home country) but once you start looking at this process through the eyes of an IO, it's really not that hard to understand.

 

Many people misuse their visitor Visa, especially when there is family residing in the US. VJ is crawling with stories of relatives that travelled to "visit" and are now applying to adjust status, and the DHS keeps track of where they are from, how old they were, their work history, educational background. It helps them create a profile to look out for and sadly, if you happen to fit into that profile, even if your intentions are legit, it will be very difficult for you to get a temporary visa.

[geowrian 22,337]

5 hours ago, didi&bebe said:

They all did. But there’s not a lot of information in the DS-160 form. Nothing about kids, work, property and financial situation. In my opinion that’s “strong ties” 

Employment is asked on the DS-160.

Presumably the other factors are not requested because they aren’t strong ties. People leave kids behind and bring them later often. Property doesn’t mean much nowadays...you can hold or sell it abroad easily, or get a caretaker. Financial situation is a judgement call but looking at their employment information is generally enough to get an idea if they are a public charge risk or are likely to work abroad.

[Boiler 45,486]

No shortage of kids being left behind, posts on here all the time.

 

I have property and immigrated many years ago.

 

Depends on the work, money can be moved very easily.

 

[Jeanne Adil 1,651]

6 hours ago, didi&bebe said:

By “list” I mean the ones I have listed with * below. There is not an official list of documents you have to present, I know that. I just wonder what is the source of their information. My mom applied for her visa in Bulgaria and literally had a two question interview followed by immediate approval. My dad applied in Bulgaria after he moved to Germany (he traveled back just for the interview) and was working there for almost a year. They didn’t even talk to him and approved him on the spot... 

but he did not show owned property in Germany

too easy to come to the US and meet someone here (or already have a gf/bf) and marry and AOS to stay

people break contracts and change jobs all the time

and a bank account can be closed and money transfered 

owning property would be the tie he needed  

he has already changed countries for work or other reasons 

 

BTW the packet is reviewed before the interview so all his evidence was seen and the CO does not have to look at anything in interview

it is totally up to the person by evidence submitted before interview to proof he/she will return 

[didi&bebe 0]

5 hours ago, Unlockable said:

Can't tell you how many times we have heard this on VJ. This is why the assumption is that the decision is 99% made prior to the interview.

 

Can't help but to be skeptical about this. Not saying it didn't happen, but there has to be more to the story. 

 

One thing I have notice is that the people who get the most upset over visitor visa denials are the ones who have compared visa approvals to others they have heard of or witnessed. They speak about their denials then immediate reference a friend, family member, or someone else that got approved. 

 

There is a lot of talk about how the US government denies visas with no rhyme nor reason. USA issued nearly 6 million new B1/B2 visas last year and is averaging around 6mil per year

https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Statistics/AnnualReports/FY2018AnnualReport/FY18AnnualReport - TableXVIB.pdf

 

Since 2014, the US gave out a total of 32 million new visitor visas. That is almost 10% of our country's population in visas in just 4 years.

 

I akin it to a hot and popular night club in a big city. Everybody wants to get in, but obviously for safety and security reasons the club can't let everyone in all at once. So there will be a few that has to wait outside in line. I see why people get upset at visitor visa denials. They kinda take it personal. But I honestly think that there are just too many people applying and there may be some system or algorithm that keeps the visa issuances at controllable levels. But that is just my theory. (aluminum foil hat off now).

 

@didi&bebe

If you take anything away from this thread the following quote should  give you the most thought...

If you think about it, your family has been successful in getting visas. This is a higher percentage of approvals  for family than most people here on this forum. A person should never expect to get a visa because a visa to the US is a privilege, not a right and it is never guaranteed.

 

Hopefully, he can apply again and be granted a visa. Good luck with your wedding.

Well you might be right but I am not shooting for high approval rate here. I take my family as a whole and one family member missing at my wedding doesn’t seem like a good percentage of attendance in general. Me and my brother are very close and this is one of the most important days of my life! 

 

And yes, I am referencing all the approvals I know of because it makes zero sense. People in the same situation can be approved or denied for no apparent reason. It should be based on people’s situation and the circumstances they are applying under. 

 

And “not everyone wants in” for the same reason! People sometimes just want to travel and visit places and family members. Traveling is a right not a privilege! Tourists gain nothing but experience while traveling and the experience traveling through the US is very similar to a lot of other places. Some people break the rules while traveling  internationally and others suffer the consequences. 

[Crazy Cat 41,845]

2 minutes ago, didi&bebe said:

People in the same situation can be approved or denied for no apparent reason. It should be based on people’s situation and the circumstances they are applying under. 

"People in the same situation"........every case is different, as has been pointed out numerous times in this thread. Job histories, travel backgrounds, and other ties all play a part in the CO decisions.....

[SalishSea 17,827]

11 minutes ago, didi&bebe said:

Traveling is a right not a privilege!

Not as it relates to obtaining a US visa.

[Crazy Cat 41,845]

13 minutes ago, didi&bebe said:

Traveling is a right not a privilege!

If that was true, this thread would not exist.

[nastra30 2,284]

Oh the 'dreaded show strong ties to your country' denial of visa, when refused applicants become denial of the denial of the visa. The CO by law is not obligated to look at any documents at all. Unfortunately, there's nothing the applicant can do because you can't appeal the decision of CO. Senators will not be able to do squat for a foreign national because their visitor's visa was refused.

The only thing one can do is to re-apply if they believe their circumstances have changed. It sucks but that's the nature of the beast.

Edited April 3, 2019 by nastra30

[millefleur 5,046]

Bulgaria had a relatively low B refusal rate in 2018: 11.32%.

Source: https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Statistics/Non-Immigrant-Statistics/RefusalRates/FY18.pdf

 

So....who knows, there might've been something in his case (as others have pointed out in this thread) and triggered a refusal. Maybe he came across as shifty, nervous or desperate during the interview? I spoke to a CO once outside of the Embassy setting, I pointed out to him a case where I knew someone with very little ties to their home country who was approved for a B (this person also had zero prior international travel history). I asked, "Why was this person approved?" The CO's response was "Maybe he just looked trustworthy." So, the interview clearly plays a role here as well. And you were not at the interview, you don't know what transpired and how he came across to the CO...

 

If the interview wasn't a pivotal part of a B application upon which the decision might hinge, they would get rid of it and make it a purely paper application process. I'm not saying I agree with the system as it is currently, but it is what it is and we must deal with it, unhappy outcomes included. There's nothing he can do except apply again if circumstances have changed. Even if circumstances changed soon after the refusal, it's a good idea to wait for a bit before reapplying, otherwise it comes across as desperation to get to the US.

[Music_en 39]

I think it’s probably because of the recent move to Germany. I’m Bulgarian and my sister got her Visa from Germany as well. However she was in college there for 2 years and enrolled at the time of interview. So that might have made the difference. She had no trouble. 2 questions, in and out. I’m sorry this happened to you ☹️

[Daisy.Chain 317]

14 hours ago, didi&bebe said:

She was trying to come and help with childcare for her new granddaughter in the US. Visa was initially denied

Childcare is considered work and is not allowed on a tourist visa. If she was coming for this, she was rightfully denied. I'm curious as to what changes were made to the visa application and if there was anything the senator did for the frandma to be approved. If they changed their minds on a denied B2 application, that is highly irregular. I wonder if there is more to the story?

[didi&bebe 0]

12 minutes ago, Daisy.Chain said:

Childcare is considered work and is not allowed on a tourist visa. If she was coming for this, she was rightfully denied. I'm curious as to what changes were made to the visa application and if there was anything the senator did for the frandma to be approved. If they changed their minds on a denied B2 application, that is highly irregular. I wonder if there is more to the story?

Taking care of a grandchild is not considered work anywhere in the world. That’s what grandparents do...

[Boiler 45,486]

Just now, didi&bebe said:

Taking care of a grandchild is not considered work anywhere in the world. That’s what grandparents do...

Been there, done it and it certainly is.