USA Tourist Visa Denied - any thoughts?

[JohnMI]

First update:  As mentioned by Doug and Billy upthread, I received a message from Sen. Toomey's office today explaining they were preparing a letter for MIL to present to the Embassy interviewer. The request asked me to again summarize MIL's contacts with Ukraine and to scan any supporting documentation we have to the Senator's office. I just did that and am hopeful somehow those documents will find their way to the Embassy in advance of the interview date.


I expect to receive a similar request from Rep. Thompson in the next day or two.


Other than praying, it seems we have done everything possible now to avoid being in that 26% rejection pool again.

[calmissile]

First update:  As mentioned by Doug and Billy upthread, I received a message from Sen. Toomey's office today explaining they were preparing a letter for MIL to present to the Embassy interviewer. The request asked me to again summarize MIL's contacts with Ukraine and to scan any supporting documentation we have to the Senator's office. I just did that and am hopeful somehow those documents will find their way to the Embassy in advance of the interview date.


I expect to receive a similar request from Rep. Thompson in the next day or two.


Other than praying, it seems we have done everything possible now to avoid being in that 26% rejection pool again.

My guess is that you have a good chance this time.

[Faux Pas]

Wayne
Even second grade math teaches us that 11% of 145,000,000 is more than 26% of 40,000,000. If those rejection rates claimed by GQ are correct that would mean there are more rejections in Moscow than there are in Kiev and that your knee jerk reactionary statement is false. In fact about 33% more Moscow rejections than in Kiev if my math is correct

[ML]

Way back when . . . in my very first undergrad stat course; we were assigned to read the short book "How to Lie with Statistics."

Stats can be produced to support virtually any position.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Lie_with_Statistics

[BillyB]

26% is much higher than 11%.

You are correct Wayne. Regardless of how many people apply for tourist visas in Russian and Ukraine, Russians have a 89% chance they'll get a tourist visa and Ukrainians will have a 74% chance to get a visa. If I were applying for a tourist visa in America, I'd rather be Russian than Ukrainian.

[GQBlues]

You are correct Wayne. Regardless of how many people apply for tourist visas in Russian and Ukraine, Russians have a 89% chance they'll get a tourist visa and Ukrainians will have a 74% chance to get a visa. If I were applying for a tourist visa in America, I'd rather be Russian than Ukrainian.

A perfect example why some of us skate through life unimpeded, while some need quite a bit of help. 

[Wayne]

I agree with Billy's thinking. But even with a 74% chance, that is almost a 3 to 1 bet in your favor!
 
To get approved, you need to prove that your reasons for returning to Ukraine and much greater than your reasons to stay in USA. It is up to you to provide the evidence and to fill out the form proving it.
 
I don't see how your Senator or Representative can do much if you don't qualify in the first place.

[ML]

It is up to you to provide the evidence and to fill out the form proving it.

'Proving' is never the appropriate word to use in this regard.

One can NEVER prove they will do such and such in the future.

[ML]

I don't see how your Senator or Representative can do much if you don't qualify in the first place.

But 'qualify' is the key word here.

Qualify is very subjective in the visa granting process.

It's like a beauty contest.

One judge says you are the winner (qualify for visa), while another judge views same evidence and determines you do not qualify.

This is where a congressman can help . . . but I strongly feel that congressmen should not be getting involved with this.

It is just one step away from a congressman being able to sway the judge in civil and criminal court cases.

How would 'yall' feel if you were on the losing end of a court case because a congressman had influenced the judge on behalf of one of his constituents?

[JohnMI]

Final update ... MIL is now riding the train from Nikolaev to Kiev for her interview at 9:30 AM, local time. Sen. Toomey's office did prepare a letter for the Embassy staff seeking all due consideration for our tourist visa application. The letter was faxed to the Embassy today, and a copy is also in MIL's hands for presentation to the Embassy interviewer.


Rep. Thompson's office does not appear to have done anything in response to my request for assistance, notwithstanding his staff promised to write a letter and fax the same to myself and to the Embassy. I'm hoping his staff sent a fax to the Embassy, but I have no way to know whether that happened.


We've done everything possible from our end, and the rest is out of our hands. Hopefully we'll hear some good news within the next 9-11 hours.

[calmissile]

Final update ... MIL is now riding the train from Nikolaev to Kiev for her interview at 9:30 AM, local time. Sen. Toomey's office did prepare a letter for the Embassy staff seeking all due consideration for our tourist visa application. The letter was faxed to the Embassy today, and a copy is also in MIL's hands for presentation to the Embassy interviewer.


Rep. Thompson's office does not appear to have done anything in response to my request for assistance, notwithstanding his staff promised to write a letter and fax the same to myself and to the Embassy. I'm hoping his staff sent a fax to the Embassy, but I have no way to know whether that happened.


We've done everything possible from our end, and the rest is out of our hands. Hopefully we'll hear some good news within the next 9-11 hours.

Good luck.  The Congressman's letter might have helped.  It certainly did in our case after two previous denials.   Good luck.

I have to disagree with ML on this.   The visa decision is very subjective like someone upthread posted.  Sometimes it is necessary to get the help of a congressman to grease the wheels to get things done.  I don't think the judge analogy is accurate.  It would be if it were between two litigants.  In this case it is to help some civil servant making the 'subjective decision'.

[JohnMI]

Strike Three, and MIL is out. 


I don’t yet have all the details about her “interview” because MIL did not want to speak on the phone long. It was obvious she had been crying and was continuing to fight back her tears. I do not know, for instance, if this time, the third time, the interviewer actually pushed the intercom button so my MIL could speak to her through the heavy glass window separating the two of them. I do not know if this time the interviewer actually opened the sliding drawer below the window so MIL could place copies of deeds, bank records and other documents into the drawer for inspection. The drawer was not opened even once during the first two interviews. I do not know whether today’s interviewer was an American or a Ukrainian worker, though the prior two meetings were with Ukrainian nationals. I do not know if my US Representative ever contacted the Embassy (as his staff promised he would) because I never received a copy of the correspondence he intended to prepare and submit to the Embassy.


What I do know is the Senator’s help was not enough to carry the day, and if that were the only thing going for MIL in her quest I could accept the result. What I cannot understand, however, is how my inlaws are, apparently, unable to demonstrate sufficient contacts with Ukraine such that MIL would return after her visit here. She has brothers and sisters in and around Nikolaev that she visits with weekly (daily with her sister). She has an elderly mother who she helps care for (taking turns with her siblings). She has another child who is married and has a 3 year old daughter who also lives in Nikolaev, and she babysits for her son and his wife several days each week. She has a husband of 38 years who agreed to remain in Ukraine as additional insurance she would leave the US at the conclusion of her visit. Her passport shows air travel to France, Georgia, Armenia and Russia to visit extended family in those countries. She and her husband own commercial buildings they rent out - one as a window factory and another as a restaurant. They own residential properties, including a rental. They own a two story dacha on a hill outside Nikolaev overlooking the Bug River. Multiple vehicles, bank accounts, etc. I don’t think anyone could successfully argue that MIL is not qualified to receive a tourist visa. And I won’t buy into any argument that the government is exercising an abundance of precaution in order to prevent people from entering the USA with a hidden agenda to immigrate illegally. The circus on our southern border is ample proof the government doesn’t give a damn about our security, our laws or ensuring our tax dollars are not inappropriately spent on those who are not here legally.


Perhaps this is all on me? Maybe if my voter registration showed I am in the same political party as the current administration things would have turned out differently? Maybe had I contacted my state’s other Senator the result may have been favorable? Perhaps someone is aware that I have contributed to tea party candidates and groups, when I should have contributed to People for the American Way? I guess it doesn’t matter why because the result won’t change anyway.


To those of you who wished us well in this endeavor, thank you. 


Maybe we'll try again in 2016.

[Wayne]

On the visa application that you must complete on-line, there are a series of questions with "yes" or "no" answers.
If you answer yes to any of those questions, it could trigger an automatic rejection. Did you MIL print out all the input? Note, the final form does not include everything.
 
One bad response can cancel out every good response.
 
It is too bad that the embassy does not tell you why the rejection. The clue might be in the official instructions that are given to the embassy personnel.
 
It does seem like the decision was made prior to the interview.

[pokerintherear]

I would say there are some instances where a Senator or Congressman can have influence.  I would venture to say most do not take the time to stick their neck out for someone on the other end of a phone.

You must think about this from their perspective. Imagine what would happen if they lobbied an Embassy for the issuance of a Visitors Visa for a constituent who they don't know and the individual who would receive the Visa is unknown and commits some type of terrorist act?

That being said a congressional office that has a clear picture of who they are vouching for would contact the Embassy knowing they are safe to lobby for the Visa. Its who you know and blow.

My thoughts are most congressional offices never contact Embassies but will make the constituent feel like they are trying to lower the sea levels to help and to keep a vote.

Also overkill and a sense of desperation in helping to snag a Visa could be seen as a red flag

[GQBlues]

Strike Three, and MIL is out.  ...

JohnMI-

Sorry to hear about your tribulations...

Maybe once you're able to get some additional information from your MIL, it'll shed some clarity as to why she once again got denied.

I'd like to make a suggestion.

First and foremost, it'll be nice to have her send you a copy of her application. This may help you to determine why the denials. She may be filling in the questionnaire incorrectly, or checking things she shouldn't for the sole reason of being lost in translation.

Secondly, and I'm only sharing this with you because this is what I've done with our family and certainly not saying this is the *answer* to everyone's woes. Before any application were filed by my in-laws, I wrote a letter addressed to the embassy stating clearly who I was (all personal information - as much as I could - photo-copy of my driver's license & passport), my relations with the applicants and attached a copy of the letter of invitation that was addressed to each of them. In my letter, I stated *I* am taking full responsibility for the welfare and state during their stay in the United States, which means I will be providing travel expenses, room & board and appropriate medical insurances, etc..and lastly, I stated taking on the responsibility on ensuring their 'safe return'. I stated approximately when they will be filing for their application/s.

I Fed-Ex'd them to the embassy. I batted 100% for each one of my in-laws, and a couple of her young friends so far. With this travel history and visa on their passports, they have been doing it themselves since.

I never bothered any of our politicians.

For what its worth, your mileage may vary and all that good stuff. Accountability may be the name of this game.

[ML]

Regarding filling out the on-line visa application.

People are asking about what entries were made in the various blocks, etc.

My advice and what I do.

NEVER let the relative or friend in the foreign country fill out the application.

The USA citizen should fill out the application completely . . . except for the last step . . . which is a click on the button that gives the electronic signature and send.

I have filled out several applications for those seeking a visa to enter USA . . . and the applicant only clicks on the button for electronic signature and send.

These visa applications are all done on-line and various persons can access the same application by knowing the Application ID, password, answer to the security questions (first five letters of last name, date of birth, and another question that is chosen by each applicant), etc.
 
So all you USA people . . . fill the focking form out yourself.  Then you know exactly what it says in each line and block.

[Wayne]

I did exactly what ML said in his last post when my Wife and Step Daughter were doing the form for their immigrant visas. I think the state department form is the same for both K-1 and CR or IR visas or B.
 
You file out the form, save it and email the information to your relative. They complete the process.
 
A bar code is printed on the final form. The embassy can scan this bar code and see all the entries that were made.
 
It could be that a certain answer on the form or combination of answers produces an automatic rejection.
 
I think everyone should do a practice run with a make believe person to see how the process works. Try all the "yes" answers! Like if it asks "Have you ever been a member of the Communist Part?"  Answer "yes" then see what the next question is that pops up. The next question depends upon the answer to the previous question. The questions are not the same for everyone.