I have a question about re-applying for a B2 visa after a denial.
I am a Dutch citizen and I applied for the B2 visa back in August. I chose for this visa, instead of an ESTA, because it would give me the freedom to stay in the US for more than 3 months.
My plan was to go travelling for 1 to 2 years, of which about 6 months within the US.
My visa unfortunately got denied because "the ties to my home country weren’t strong enough". I was born in the Netherlands, I have lived there my whole life, have a rental apartment (I don’t own a house, I’m in my early twenties..), have all my family and friends here and have always worked here. During my interview process I didn’t have a job anymore because I quit that week, due to my travelling plans. I think this is what caused them to be cautious.
After the B2 visa denial I tried applying for an ESTA which was automatically denied due to the B2 denial.
Due to this whole issue I changed my travel plans and decided to visit several countries in Asia first. I have been travelling through Asia for almost 4 months now and would still love to visit the US (and Latin America) at some point, before returning back home.
I am thinking about reapplying for the B2 at the US embassy in south east Asia, I’m not sure which country yet because I don’t know where I’ll be at that point. I’m just not sure how to go about it. From what I understood I can’t t apply for an ESTA until the B2 denial is rectified (?). So, I have no choice but to reapply for the B2 visa.
What can I show them to make sure I don’t get denied again? During my last interview I didn’t get the chance to show any of my papers (bank statements, lease contract etc.) which proved that I plan to go back home after my visit.
I’m hoping that if I show them that I have been traveling for a couple months already and my visit to the US is part of my trip, they will approve, but of course it’s never a guarantee..
Also, some people have advised me to get a lawyer, which to me seems a bit extreme and also very expensive for a tourist visa.
It might be important to know that I have visited the US once before on an ESTA without any trouble and returned back to the Netherlands after a one week vacation.
Any advice on how to proceed with this?
