Opinions on Officer Decisions

[Laura and Taha 13]

Hey Everyone!

 

Just curious on what your opinion is. I've been wondering usually the counselor officer has already made their decision even prior to the interview? Like if they look over the case and then go into the interview already feeling a certain way 🤔

[Adventine 3,196]

I'd say the consular officer leans a certain way BEFORE the interview, but doesn't make a final decision until AFTER the interview. 

 

They have access to all the info the applicant submitted before the interview. Of course they look at all that.

 

Interviews are designed to gauge applicants through their body language, consistency/sincerity of answers, and all those in-person cues that can't be put down on paper.

 

[SalishSea 17,786]

24 minutes ago, Laura and Taha said:

Hey Everyone!

 

Just curious on what your opinion is. I've been wondering usually the counselor officer has already made their decision even prior to the interview? Like if they look over the case and then go into the interview already feeling a certain way 🤔

Also very much depends on the consulate, which is why for high-fraud, high-risk ones, the recommendation is to have a lot of in-person time together.

[kirilllazebnik 5]

Probably you can't help your case much at the interview, but you can certainly hurt it (i.e. raise red flags which were previously not there by not being able to answer basic questions about your relationship, although I doubt this happens often). If you are in a genuine relationship I don't think there is much to worry about.  

[Crazy Cat 41,761]

I've seen OPINIONS, but I haven't seen anything which convinces me.....but I guess they have already done their home work before the interview.  I guess I lean toward the decision being made prior.

Edited December 31, 2021 by Crazy Cat

[JeanneAdil 6,483]

Officers review the packet before the interview

Red flag petitions are also suspect as are high fraud countries 

Weak petitions are just that -weak 

CO will look thru the packet to note red flags such as

1.  big age difference

2. time spent together

3. USC sending money to foreign national

4. cultural norms 

5. photos do not depict family approval 

6. Former visa applications of either 

7. even how they met and if in the beginning of a relationship the foreigner says "i love u"  

8. religious differences

and all the other warning signs mentioned on DHS site about getting into a international relationship

 

it is up to the person at an interview to convince the CO that any petition is completely honest (whether fiancee,  spouse,  student,  tourist, etc)

 

My MIL went for tourist visa and was denied (no strong ties to her country as no job and is a widow)

the denial letter (and it was a completed letter Arabic on one side with English on the other ) was dated the day before her interview

so, in that case it was decided ahead 

[Mike E 11,739]

10 hours ago, Laura and Taha said:

Hey Everyone!

 

Just curious on what your opinion is. I've been wondering usually the counselor officer has already made their decision even prior to the interview? Like if they look over the case and then go into the interview already feeling a certain way 🤔

For an immigration visa, the CO has all the evidence as cases must be document qualified before the consular phase. So I agree that the decision is mostly predetermined and the beneficiary  has the opportunity to turn a yes into a no.  
 

For a K-1 case, depending on the embassy and whether the petitioner front loaded the case, most evidence is showing up for first time during the interview. The outcome is perhaps less predictable.  

[jan22 3,048]

2 hours ago, JeanneAdil said:

...the denial letter (and it was a completed letter Arabic on one side with English on the other ) was dated the day before her interview

so, in that case it was decided ahead 

Or the officer didn't know what date it was...or used a form letter that someone had dated the day before so it wouldnt be wasted.  Non-immigrant visa applications are almost never reviewed the day before the interview -- there just isn't time, plus the online security check are not completed by then.  They may be reviewed the morning of the interview or before the person is called up to the interview window.

[iwannaplay54 985]

Years ago my wife applied for tourist visa. They had her denial ready when she walked up to the counter.

We were between marriage and petition filing, I was there, and based on what she told me (the IO was sort of laughing) my call is yes, that decision was made before she walked in

He never checked that she owned a home, was employed, and had to come back.  Ties to US were enough to ensure denial.

Edited December 31, 2021 by iwannaplay54

[JeanneAdil 6,483]

1 hour ago, jan22 said:

Or the officer didn't know what date it was...or used a form letter that someone had dated the day before so it wouldnt be wasted.  Non-immigrant visa applications are almost never reviewed the day before the interview -- there just isn't time, plus the online security check are not completed by then. online security checks are not done during the interview and she was given the letter at interview They may be reviewed the morning of the interview or before the person is called up to the interview window.

it was not a form letter 

it was all very personal and both sides of the letter dated the day before

like i said "weak ties to home country " and Adil was only LPR at that time 

 

 

 

[JeanneAdil 6,483]

57 minutes ago, iwannaplay54 said:

Years ago my wife applied for tourist visa. They had her denial ready when she walked up to the counter.

We were between marriage and petition filing, I was there, and based on what she told me (the IO was sort of laughing) my call is yes, that decision was made before she walked in

He never checked that she owned a home, was employed, and had to come back.  Ties to US were enough to ensure denial.

yep,  same here 

basically she told us they didn't ask her any questions 

she took an oath,  did fingerprints and they handed her a letter telling her she was denied 

[jan22 3,048]

36 minutes ago, JeanneAdil said:

it was not a form letter 

it was all very personal and both sides of the letter dated the day before

like i said "weak ties to home country " and Adil was only LPR at that time 

 

 

 

Don't want to argue about the letter, but do want to comment on your bolded comment inserted into my quoted post "online security checks are not done during the interview..." -- this is incorrect.  Some of the checks are not even begun until the fingerprints are taken at the interview (or verified at the beginning of the interview if taken at an off-site fingerprint facility).  Some of the results are returned just prior to the interview, some during the interview, and others sometimes within about 24 hours of the interview.  

[jlc201 47]

1 hour ago, jan22 said:

Don't want to argue about the letter, but do want to comment on your bolded comment inserted into my quoted post "online security checks are not done during the interview..." -- this is incorrect.  Some of the checks are not even begun until the fingerprints are taken at the interview (or verified at the beginning of the interview if taken at an off-site fingerprint facility).  Some of the results are returned just prior to the interview, some during the interview, and others sometimes within about 24 hours of the interview.  

Which is entirely consistent with JeanneAdil's experience. In many cases, the officers are able to issue a denial even before they have all of the information for the applicant. There is basically nothing an applicant from a high-risk country with few local ties can say that will change that "No" to a "Yes", regardless of the findings of the background check. For other applicants, who meet the initial screening criteria, issues like behavior and body language at the interview, as well as information from a background check, become the deciding factor in whether or not to issue the visa.

[Boiler 45,427]

If we are talking about a Visitor visa then the information in the vast majority of cases is all on the application you fill out. If there were common questions they needed answered, well they would be on the application form.

 

So yes there will be a few odd situations where specific extra information is needed but that can by definition not be common.

 

It would seem logical that those obvious refusals did not need to be interviewed but seems the law does not allow that.