In most cases, once you have left Canada, you will need a new visa to enter Canada again. If you are traveling directly to the United States or St. Pierre and Miquelon, you won’t need a new visitor visa to return to Canada. If found during your visa application, you might be subjected to visa denial and blacklisting. If found at the port of entry (immigration at the airport), you might be subjected to arrest, fine, deportation, or even a permanent ban from entering the country.
A multiple-entry visa allows you to come and go without the need for a new visa each time. After completing the DS-160, the next step in your visa application is to schedule a US visa appointment. This requires paying the visa fee and selecting the location and date for your visa interview.
You will need to go through the entire visa application process each time you apply for a visa, even if your visa is still valid. However, those renewing a previous U.S. visa may not need a visa to visit the UK if they meet the eligibility requirements and only do permitted activities.
Working holiday visas are issued for a year or two, and you can only apply for the visa once (except Australia’s working holiday visa). A single-entry visa lets you travel to Canada only one time. In most cases, once you have left Canada, you will need a new visa to enter Canada again. B1B2 visas are multiple-entry, meaning they can be used to enter the U.S. more than once. There’s no set limit to the number of times you can visit the U.S. in the U.S. Once you are in the U.S., no visa is needed. If you make multiple short trips to France each year, you may be eligible to apply for a multiple-entry visa valid for anywhere from one to five years.
The application process can take a couple of months, depending on the type of visa, and once in Italy, you need to apply for a residence permit.
📹 Why won’t the Visa Officer look at your documents?
The documents you bring to your visa interview are not as important as you think. Find out what is important and how to get the …
How long can you stay in Europe without a visa?
A visa is not required for short trips to the EU or Schengen countries if you stay for 90 days or less in a 180-day period, visit as a tourist, study a short course, receive medical treatment, travel for business, or engage in journalism or media activities. However, you should check the country’s entry requirements to determine what activities are allowed and prohibited during your stay.
Can you get 2 visas?
It is permissible to include multiple valid visas in a passport, provided that the total number of free pages is not exceeded. In such cases, the number of visas should be reduced by one or two, respectively.
How many visas can you have at a time?
The Department of State has not announced any changes to visa requirements at this time. However, information regarding required vaccinations for immigrant visa applicants can be found on the Department of State’s website.
For visa applications, a valid passport is required with a validity date at least six months beyond the intended period of stay in the United States. This includes having two visas for different purposes, such as tourist/business and student visas. If a third-country national living in Saudi Arabia can apply for a nonimmigrant visa, they do not need to go through the entire application process again.
For nonimmigrant visa renewals, the process may require reapplying the entire application process. If a nonimmigrant visa expires, a new visa is needed. Dual citizenship holders should use the appropriate passport for travel to the United States.
However, there are some issues with visa expiration while in the United States, such as not turning in an I-94 when leaving the country. If a person does not turn in their I-94 when leaving the country, they must submit their DS-160 and print the confirmation page.
It is also possible to have two visas at the same time, even if only transiting through the U. S. for a few hours at the airport. A U. S. citizen can sponsor a visitor’s visa application, and American citizens can obtain a visa for their child.
Adequate ties mean that a U. S. citizen can sponsor a visitor’s visa application. Changing names or changing social media information is not necessary to ensure the validity of a U. S. visa.
What is the 2 year rule visa?
The two-year home residency requirement in immigration regulations prevents J-1 status holders from becoming permanent residents, changing status, or obtaining work or family-based visa status until they return to their country of last permanent residence for at least two years cumulatively. Subjects can become subject if the J-1 program receives funding from the U. S. government, home government, or an international organization. This requirement applies to both J-1 and J-2 dependents.
What is the strongest passport in the world?
Singapore has risen to the top of the 2024 Henley Passport Index, granting its citizens visa-free access to 195 countries, a significant shift from last year when Japan held the top position. Japan now ranks second with 192 countries, while South Korea ranks third with 191 countries without a visa. This reshuffling reflects the continued dominance of Asian countries in the Henley Passport Index, which measures the strength of passports based on the number of destinations their holders can enter without a prior visa. The US, which ranks eighth with 186 countries, has seen its global mobility weaken, falling behind Canada, the UK, and several European nations.
Can a Schengen visa be used multiple times?
A multiple-entry visa (MULT) permits the bearer to enter the Schengen Area on an unlimited number of occasions during the period of its validity, provided that the requisite stay duration rules are observed. It is possible for Indian nationals and citizens of other countries with legal residence status to apply for a Schengen visa in India.
Does visa have a limit?
Visa credit limits can range from a few hundred dollars to $50, 000+, depending on the card and applicant’s creditworthiness. However, Visa does not set credit limits, as issuers do. Visa credit limits vary due to factors such as credit score, annual income, outstanding debt, and employment status. Visa cards are issued by various banks and credit unions, each setting its own limits. Credit limits are often not advertised and can only be found if specified in the card terms.
Applicants with good credit or better typically get approved for credit limits between $5, 000 and $15, 000, while those with bad or fair credit are more likely to get a limit in the $300-$5, 000 range.
If the credit limit received on a Visa card is not what you were hoping for, you can work to improve it by checking with the issuer periodically to see if your account warrants an automatic credit line increase. If you don’t want to wait for an automatic increase, you can request a credit limit increase by calling your card’s issuer.
How many times can you use a visa?
The number of times a person can visit the U. S. with a B-1/B-2 visa varies depending on the context. B1B2 visas are multiple-entry, allowing multiple visits to the U. S. in a year. The number of visits depends on the specific circumstances and discretion of CBP officers. The B1/B2 visa is intended for temporary, occasional visits for business, tourism, or medical treatment, not for long-term living or significant time spent in the U. S. Officers may suspect misusing the visa if the person is trying to live in the U. S. through frequent or extended visits or lacks significant ties to their home country.
Can you get a second visa?
A visa does not guarantee entry into the United States, but allows foreign citizens to travel to the US port-of-entry and request permission to enter. The Department of Homeland Security, U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) immigration inspectors have authority to permit or deny admission and determine the duration of stay. At the port of entry, the CBP provides an admission stamp or paper Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record in your passport, which records either a date or “D/S” (duration of status).
If your I-94 contains a specific date, it indicates the date by which you must leave the United States. It is important to keep this form in your passport as it shows your permission to be in the United States. For more information on admission and duration of stay, visit the CBP website.
Can I use my visa twice?
The visa sticker indicates the number of entries permitted, with “1” denoting a single entry and “02” or “MULT” indicating two or multiple entries during the visa’s validity period. This is in accordance with the specifications outlined in the “Number of entries” section.
Do you need a visa every time you travel?
It is a common practice for countries to require visas for American travelers. To ascertain the necessary information for your destination, utilize the U. S. State Department’s “Learn About Your Destination” search tool, which furnishes data regarding entry, exit, visa requirements, travel advisories, and embassy links. Should any queries pertaining to government-related matters arise, it is possible to request assistance from a real person free of charge, who will either provide answers or assist in locating the necessary information.
📹 Does Canada visa processing start after biometrics?
Does Canada Visa Processing Start After Biometrics? ———- James Webb (2022, August 7.) Does Canada visa processing start …
I remember as a teenage exchange student back in 2005, my visa officer asked me, “So you a student, huh? What subject do you like studying at school?” I told them I love everything, but my top picks are science, math and any language subjects… “Is that so, why’d you like languages?” she said. I answered I just love them, perhaps cuz I came from a family that is multicultural… “Alright kiddo. Do great things when you’re in US okay?” That just stuck with. My first visa experience.
I am now a JAmerican (Jamaican with US citizenship). Previously when applied for a visa and went for teh interview I noticed three windows. One did not give a visa to anyone. One gave a visa to every 5th person and the other gave a visa to everyone. I concluded that everything is decided each day even before they start interviewing people. I agree with everything you are saying but why ask people to get all these documents when it makes no difference. In some countries, people have to pay a lot to get all these records and documents. And the funny thing is that in a lot of cases you give visas to criminals, scammers, murderers etc. and innocent people are denied.
My wife had a very different experience. We had prepared adequate (according to us, of course) document as required, but she was asked to furnished a lot more extra documents, like husband’s bank account, husband’s birth cert, husband’s salary slips for last 6 months…. in a very RUDE way. We eventually made another appointment a week later and was approved by a very pleasant lady officer almost immediately without looking at extra documents. I took note of the rude officer and reported to the US visa office. They acknowledged my complaint but no further progress.
Thanks for confirming what I suspected for a long time.. deciding ViSA based on 30sec- 3 min interviews not bothering to check documents. you realize how ridiculous that is and how many legit cases you likely rejected? As for fake docs those can be cross checked and can be asked before interview for background checks. Still I would like to thank you for being so candid about the process.
Took the officer just 3 minutes to deny my son a visa . She cut short his explanation and simply said, “your visa is denied, you can reapply “. He was never ever interested in going to the US but a job offer here in india for which the company was sponsoring his training made him apply . It has only harden his dislike of going to the US . 😅
It is all on the mood of the person taking the interview. I have received UK visas on a regular basis without any glitches ally life BUT the US department asked me to come back with some unrelated documents and I never reapplied for that country. There are so many other beautiful and friendly countries that are cheaper and have a better immigration policy
Excellent insight Mandy. From my time as a visa officer, I can say that I completely agree with this article. Officers don’t have time to look at documents and depending on the country, you can’t trust them either. Another reason that you didn’t mention, when Consular Officers are learning the language they will be working on, more emphasis is put on speaking than reading, and so usually an officer is much better at interviewing than they are reading documents in the local language. This is all excellent advice though and tracts 100% with my experience. I can remember approving applicants’ visas and then they look confused and saying “but you didn’t look at my papers yet? I spent so long preparing everything.”
Hey there, folks! Let’s clear up a common misconception: immigrant and non-immigrant visa processes are actually simpler than you might think! You don’t need fancy lawyers or experts to handle this. Seriously, no one knows your story better than you, so filling out those visa application forms? Piece of cake! The occasional rejection? It’s often due to little errors from miscommunication with application preparers. But guess what? You can totally handle this DIY style, as long as you can read and type. By taking charge, you’re saving time, money, and setting yourself up for success. Trust me, you’ve got this! 🌟
Thank you Mandy. Short and straight to the point👌. Yesterday i had an interview and my visa B1/B2 was approved. From my personal experience, the interview count by 95% and your supporting documents by 5% . The way you explain things really matters and make sure the first two questions are more convincing.
I was sincere when I applied for me and my son. I got denied, broke my son’s heart, so I never went back. I have some friends who lied but they got approved. So, thank you for the advice. But because of how the process is done, it’s really hard to know how applicants should do it and if Visa Officers in general are really being fair.
I was declined 2001 (was honest) but I guess my paper and status is not good enough to convince the visa officer . I went back for my B1/B2 visa interview in 2014 and was granted the visa. I believe that being honest is the key, no show offs, just be yourself. It took me 13 years to build up my paper and status. When I applied last 2014, I again had the slim chance of being approved because I was already petitioned by my sister but I read a lot and watch some blogs from the US Embassy, it was not an automatic denial but you really have to convince the officer that you’ll comeback to your own country. HONESTY is the key, you just have to make good in the interview, just answer what is being asked and don’t over do it! Love the article very straightforward and helpful.
My wife had exactly one thing to show, and that was our wedding picture which showed both her parents and mine, and the officer said “your mother in law is very beautiful.” It was a very quick pass, since extremely seldom are the groom’s parents present in a philippine wedding to a foreigner, but in my case my parents really were present.
My family now lives in the US as PRs but this article really struck a nerve with me. Over a decade ago, my wife, a PR in Canada awaiting Citizenship ceremony (already approved for citizenship), was denied a simple US Visitor Visa by the Calgary Canada location US Immigration Consulate. She came back downstairs from the “interview” in tears. EVERY single Chinese individual in the group (over 30 individuals) had been rubber-stamped in. What didn’t help her horrendous shock and grief was that they all emerged from the elevator jubilant, and giving each other hugs and fist bumps all around us standing there, But she, as a Filipino, was denied entry before she even spoke, not figuratively…LITERALLY. She told me through her heaving sobs (we had prepared METICULOUSLY over six months for that day) that the officer looked her up and down, didn’t even look at her folder, and just as you said, literally TOSSED IT ASIDE. He took one look at her and said I’m not convinced you won’t immigrate, so I’m going to deny you today. To add supreme insult to painful injury, like all immigrants, she was told DO NOT QUESTION WHY the officer made his decision to deny if he denies you. The applicant is literally TERRIFIED that by simply asking why the officer was suspicious, there will be some type of derogatory note placed into the computer, and they will NEVER get an approval!! This is ABUSIVE and INHUMANE. It is almost like prohibiting a patient from asking any questions after being told they have cancer.
I didn’t know that Consular Officers working for the US are allowed to ignore looking at documents. Scandinavian embassies do not make decisions without looking at documents, even if documents are fake. It’s not a thorough decision unless documents have been checked. Discrepancies can only be confirmed by looking at documents and comparing it to the interview. The interview plays an important role in the applicants visa being accepted or rejected.
Visa fees is just another way to rip of people. World wide Visa fees amount to Billions of USD. One of the worst countries for this is the USA. They claim NO visa is needed for example for Swiss citizen’s, however, one needs an ESTA, and this costs the same as a Visa. This sucks, doesn’t it? NB: Swiss passport holders can have the ESTA to enter the country. This multiple-entry document guarantees visa-free travel and is valid for 2 years. With an ESTA, nationals of Switzerland can stay in the United States for up to 90 days without a visa. The US issues an ESTA for tourism, business, and medical purposes.
That’s so true; I have been denied four times and was always sincere and honest. I am not quite sure what it is that they are looking for. I have spoken to them with sincerity, and they sometimes don’t look at you. There was an incident when I applied, and the officer’s head was down, and he reached for the denial sheet without even thoroughly interviewing me. I don’t see the point of going back after being denied four times.
I agree with you 100% I have been denied two times and each time the officer never looked at my documents and I was sincere about my visit to the US and my documents were genuine then one of the officer’s response was “I’m not in the right mood to grant your visa today please try another country” I was so furious to think that they issue visas based on mood
it’s all a scam, they tell you to bring all the documents, but then don’t have the time to look at them? But they have the time to take your money…hmmmm…they already have decided to approve you or deny you from looking at your application BEFORE the interview. They should just tell you to not waste everyone’s time by coming in for the interview, but then they need to justify why they took your money…it’s all a scam
From my experienced, they have already studied and reviewed all your documents and they know exactly what questions to asked their interviewees. All you have to do is listen, listen and listen to what they are asking you. If you do not understand the question, you can ask them to please repeat. Do not be in a hurry to answer immediately, think it over for a few seconds which also gives you a little time to give a good answer. Make your response short and brief. DO NOT offer any information the Visa Officer did not asked. DO NOT mention any Filipino politicians name even if they are your relative, It’s a NO, NO! DO give them the best truthful answers to their questions. They already know the right answer or can easily check it.
Good Day Mandy, Thank you for giving us tips and information in regards with the US Visa Processing, interviews, documents etc … Really these information is very much helpful to the people, especially people like me who are appearing for Visa first time. FYI: My File was been submitted in USCIS at early July and my application has been approved on 4th August and original approval (I-797B etc…) documents are posted to me by USPS (United States Postal Service), New Jersey International Registered Mail on 16th August’ 2023 to me to deliver in Cape Town. The delivery period supposed to me around 15-20 business days, but its already over 40 business days (55 days) since its posted. At least USPS tracking is not available for South Africa, and No Response from South Africa Post Office as well. I need to attend for my “H1B1 Non-Immigrant Work Visa” urgently in ‘US Consulate Office in Cape Town, South Africa’. But original documents are not delivered to me yet and not sure how long that takes further as neither myself nor the USPS not the SAPO could able to track the parcel whereabouts. So not sure whether I get the documents now. My employer submitted application for new copies of approval documents, but it may take further 6-8 weeks to be delivered to them and again it takes another 3-4 weeks to be delivered to me. So, definitely its too long process (+/- 3 months) from now. I have my approval document copies in my mail drive that has been shared by my employer in USA. I can download in colour copies, Can I submit these “colour photocopies of approval documents’ to the Visa Officer” when I appeared for availing my H1B Visa.
Thanks for your articles… Can you explain how I could have got my B1/B2 visa approved even WITHOUT me doing my interview? It was my first US visa application, and I had no recent travel history. I was apparently approved before I even set foot in front of a visa officer. What possible reasons could have caused that to happen? Thanks for any details you can share.
The most important thing is to overcome section 214b of the immigration act. You have to convince the officer that you absolutely have to come back to your home country after visiting the U.S., ie., u have a great job, property, strong family ties, etc. Showing that u have no ties in the U.S. and there’s no way you can stay there is important too!
Well it’s completely wrong and shouldn’t be allowed .. my fiancé was asked questions only about me not about our relationship and then told, “sorry you don’t convince me “. About what ?! You didnt ask anything relevant?!! Almost 5 years together, pictures of years together, letters from family, airplane tickets, call logs, personal messaging back and forth . Gave him a white slip, no additional info needed and kept his passport …. it’s crazy to think that my happiness lies in the hands of someone who doesn’t know me from Adam or my relationship with my fiancé . No criminal background, both hard workers, good families … just crazy 🤦🏻♀️
I agree! Having went thru it personally just last month. Wish I’d seen this article first. My wife’s two kids(age 13 & 15)had their interviews in late March, and believe me that packet was THICK. With everything needed for an immigration interview…times 2! And guess what, one of the kids visa was refused, because they needed an updated copy of my W2 on the CEAC website. Here’s the thing, if they would’ve just looked in the damn packet, IT WAS THERE! Times 2! For multiple years even….all the docs were deemed documentarily qualified in December of 2020, via the NVC website. Didn’t get passed thru for interviews til March of 2023….so some docs on the ceac portal were outdated, but eeeeeeeverything was on point in the packet….only thing they asked for was the kids birth certificates. Not gonna lie, felt some kinda way about that. So yea, she right about this. Go ahead and put her expertise to use. I’m sure the cost will be worth it. Save yourself the hassle I had. And hopefully get your loved ones home quicker. The wife and I started the petition for her kids 07/16/2017…didn’t get them here in the US til 04/19/2023. Save yourself some time. Don’t do it alone. IT CAN BE DONE, but best to find an expert. Some one like this lady here. Sure wish I had of.
Very frustrating!!! I am a USA citizen married to a Thai. I told the USA ambassador of Thailand my wife was rejected last year at a town hall meeting. I told him I am retired USA military and never want to move back to the USA. I hate the process. His second in command told me to reapply. It’s been a year so this time Going to apply this in Laos as only a two day waiting period. We built an amazing life overseas and documents would help show that imo. Playing by the rules as a green card would be fraud if we don’t move to the USA. In almost 3 years have only visited the USA once. An immigration lawyer gave me advice and said to lie that we are moving to the USA and apply for a green card. Makes no sense.
My experience with US consulates and embassies around the world have been great. However I cannot say that about the processes at consulates and embassies of my country of birth (that I won’t name here). My first experience with a US consular officer was when I was applying for a student visa. The lady was very friendly, and provided me advice about what to expect once I landed in the US. I still remember her friendly smile and words of encouragement.
In my country we have to pay to apply for an American Visa, it’s expensive and if a person is rejected they don’t get even part of their money back, we’re also given a list of documents required for the application and sometimes the officer looks at it and sometimes they don’t. I’ve never applied but my son might want to go for study so we may have to in future
My dad’s immigrant visa is refused by the Mumbai consulate. They put the application for administrative review, 221g. They asked for additional information like siblings’ names and what he’s done after his retirement. It’s frustrating, they should have asked this in the application form rather than refusing it at the last minute. Why do they do that?
My Fiancee recently had an interview and the counselor didn’t even look at any documents. Asked a few questions then gave her a refusal letter and told her to send requested additional documents to embassy. One was not on list of required documents, how ever my fiancee had a copy. The other was a request for steps taken to re-establish domicile in states and had they looked at proof of relationship, they would have seen that I secured residence two and half years ago. We have since sent requested documents (which I hope they look at), and awaiting next step/decision. Sorry to hear that I wasted many hours, but it is a necessary on the off chance they will peruse. By the way they didn’t even take or look at I 134 Proof of financial support. Frustrating
Hard work of 4 months:- Scored 7 Bands, Have bachelor’s degree with 6.8 cgpa, 2.2 years of work experience, 48 lakhs of funds, 3.8 crore valuation report, fully confident with loud voice, have a fiance back home in India (strong ties) and here is my visa interview experience: 27 counter Chinese guy at the Mumbai consulate. Good morning officer Good morning Why USA? Explaining( intrupted ) Why this university? Started explaining after 3 seconds slipped the white slip along with the passport like he was just ready to refuse before the interview. As a student I want to ask visa officers. Is this a joke to you guys? Indian students are nothing more than source of income to these countries. Period
Thank you for insights…to be successful in interviews is much necessary …hope these articles will be help me with my visa application as well … 2 minutes so less time minutes dedicated for one application is quite surprising as well … But I read in USCIS website processing time for decision that include stamping on passport submitted during interview could vary from few days to months depending on type of visa one is applying as well …some 😮type of visa same day and few could take one month
How do they decide to refuse only after seeing ds160 application form eventhough applicant has good employment and has no any problem with his profile? Honestly I was rejected in 1.5 minutes by counselor officer in kualalampur last month, he didnt even ask me the supporting documents.. If they decide to refuse, the officers should clearly explain to the applicants why we refuse to give you visa.. My humble request is, officers should give atleast 5 minutes to each applicant for collecting non refundable application fees 160$ otherwise refund the amount.
Î made the experince that the visa officer always had a look at the documents while asking me questions. For sure they didn’t spent a deep look into those documents. Just having them was enough for them. I can confirm that they asked me directly what my purpose was to be in the USA and listen with concentration to my answers.And better be honest, it’s always the best.
I totally agree with you Atty. When my husband & I applied for a non-immigrant visa, the officer did not look at our prepared docs but we answered her questions as honestly as we can. We got our 10 yr visa on 2010 & expired during the covid lockdown on 2020. We didn’t have the chance to renew it then especially there was restrictions on us seniors. Until now, we did not re-applied but still thankful we had the chance to see some states during those 10 yrs that we have our visa. God bless
Hello Mandy, thanks for the amazing information that you drop on your websites. I applied for a visiting Visa to the USA in 2015, an agent convinced me to fill in that i was married with a child as a proof of ties to my home country and i agreed to go along with it. My application was denied that i did not qualify for the visa that i was applying to. How will this affect me if i consider reapplying for a visa to the USA or any other country?
Dear Mandy Feuerbacher, I made a mistake while booking my F-1 visa appointment, where I put my father’s name instead of mine. I have informed the embassy, and they advised me to proceed with the appointment and inform the officials about the mistake during the interview. However, I am concerned that this mistake may impact my chances of getting the visa. Can you please advise me on how to handle this situation during the interview? Thank you in advance for your help.
Since they (NVC) already have all your doc verified and qualified they need not to look your stack, my experience through my wife and children interview, yes the only questioned ask what will you do in the US, wife replied have been married for couple of years can’t wait to be in my home there with the family and get settled and have the kids get ready for school. She said the visa officer smiled and said your visa id approved
Thanks for your insights, Mandy. Please what are your thoughts on the interview waiver option for B1/B2 visas for applicants whose visas have expired for less than 24 months and are still applying for the same category? Is it advantageous choosing the interview waiver or go in person for the interview no matter the fact that you qualify for the interview waiver?
My nephew was declined once. He and his grandparents had visited for almost six months a few years before and we put him in private preschool. When they asked him if he had been in school, he instinctively said “yes” and was denied for that reason. The next time, we got a letter from the preschool and told them to call it “daycare” and not mention the word “school”, and specify that it was fully paid with no government assistance. They did try to make an issue about him staying for such a long time, but his father argued “You allowed him a one year stay and he stayed less than six months”. Before school age is of course the only time when he could stay that long. My wife came over as a student, but before that was denied two or three times because “You intend to emigrate”, which was probably true, or at least a potential goal. I’m not sure why they wouldn’t want a top Ph.D. engineering student moving to the US though.
Hi Mandy, your content is so much helpful to the aspirants, I would like to know my chances of getting a US visitor visa, I am a housewife a Pakistani living in Dubai since 2011 and my husband has a very good job here and we are financially very sound and stable. I worked as a Front desk manager till 2017 but quit my job after my son’s birth. I do have a travel history and traveled to Far East Asia and all Gulf countries for tourism and max stay in each country not more than a week. What are my chances of getting a B1/B2 visa?
My wife recently got denied a B2 visa. I’m American and she’s Chinese. We live together in China and our plan for future is to stay here. We’ve been married for a year but she hasn’t got to meet my family stateside. Her English isn’t bad with me, but with strangers she gets nervous, and at her interview she totally froze. We’ve already prepared everything including the flights to USA and back so we’re trying to get another interview asap. I guess I’m wondering: how unique is our situation? Is it at all possible for me to attend to interview with her? Afterall, we’ll be traveling together & I’ll explain our situation more quickly/confidently to the officer.
They just have bad, trainings and ways. I got ask just 2 questions and they approved my documents, years ago. They asked me why do you want to go to USA. I said I dont want, I have obligatory trainings required by my company. And they also asked me, If I had family or friends living in USA, I said I am not sure, which is true, I had an aunt living there but no idea if she is alive or not.
I am not sure if this is the practice today. When I applied for a US Visa about 20 years ago, the application form stated exactly all the documents that I had to submit along with my application. It stated clearly that failure to do so would automatically result in a rejection. Since I was traveling to US to attend a work training course, among the documents that were required to be submitted were the letter of invitation from my sponsor, letter from employer confirming me as an employee and purpose of visit, travel itinerary including flight schedules and hotel accommodation and a marriage certificate (presumably so that I don’t jump ship in USA and abandon my wife). The consular officer checked that all my documents were there before telling me to wait for the embassy to set the interview date once I get through this screening stage. I noticed that whenever the other applicants failed to provide their documents, the consular officers would reprimand them and tell them that if they don’t do so, their application forms will be returned to them without processing.
My son’s visa to learn flying in the US was rejected twice, even though he already had a 10-year visitor visa. None of the reasons you’ve stated applied. I suspect that getting a visa or not depends arbitrarily on the mood of the officer that day, some quotas that have been set for a particular field and whatever is the latest policy flavour-of-the-month in force. Anyway, now he’s happily pursuing his flying in India, and my wife and I have no intention of ever visiting the US, even for tourism.
Good day Ma’am Mandy,thank you for sharing this article.This is a big help for me because on October 10 this year is my tourist visa interview..I am actually do my research like this,watching a lot of articles on how to answer questions during the interview until i saw your website…Again thank you so much ma’am Godbless
I didn’t bring anything with me except my passport and the interview appointment when I went for the interview. I was banking on my passport being stamped with entry and departure seals from the UK and the us when I went there on business while I was working in Saudi Arabia. And I was right, the agent just leafed through my passport and he just said “it seems all your papers are okay, when are you planning to leave for the US?” I answered with a question, “How long before i really have to leave for the US because I still have to go back to the KSA because of the project I’m handling?” He answered, “officially, a year but I advise you not to make it that long otherwise they will think you don’t want to go, within six months should be good. Tell you what, I ‘ll make a note so that when you’re ready to go, all you have to do is come and present it here.” The white guy officer was really helpful and just wanted to do good service.
Why do they tell you to bring along documents when they know they aren’t going to look at it? I was denied a visa in 2010. All the visa officer asked me was, “What are you planning to do when there, how long are you planning to stay, and how are you going to pay for this trip? Followed by, ” Sorry today we are unable to grant you a visa. I moved to the UK 5 years after and applied again for my visa. I was asked, how long have you been living here, are you travelling alone? Visa granted
I guess the process also depends on your country of citizenship and country where you apply for a visa. And much depends on what kind of visa you’re applying for. For many types of US visas especially for those needed to work in the US your future employer has already done most of the work. You don’t need to provide much info yourself. Even work visas could in my time be obtained simply by coordinating with your future employer and then sending the appropriate documents including your passport to the visa section of the US embassy. It would be returned to you with the visa inside. While it may be true that a visa officer doesn’t much look at your documents during the application process once you have the visa in your passport and all other forms with you and you are at immigration those officers will definitely look at your documents carefully. I had a friend who forgot at home in Spain an accessory document that went togehter with the visa in her passport which allowed her to work in the US. At JFK they would let her enter the country but not for work. She had to fly back to Spain to pick up the missing piece of paper and reenter the US via an international airport.
I remember when I was applying for a F1 study visa in 2016, I really had the intention of studying and not immigrating to America, and I obtained a high school diploma in the same year, and got university admission in America, but I got the visa rejected twice and This is either because that person who filled out the form put that I have a bachelor’s degree and in fact I have a high school diploma because he does not know English or there are other things, but thank God I now have a master’s degree in law from my same country and I have also become an employee. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Morocco
I would like to know whether people with some sort of social anxiety disorder face problems here. Because your antennas are so calibrated to a certain bandwith of “normal”, I imagine that some kind of “alarm” goes of in your brain if someone shows signs of nervosity or feeling uncomfortable speaking to you. How do you handle those suspicions?
😢 my husband’s visa was refused at his interview and he was asked to submit my last trip to Morocco and he did that within 3 hours after his interview; they were delivered to the consulate 3 days after; then after my state senator contacted them we got a response that it was refused because the interviewing officer doesn’t believe our relationship was BONA FIDE; we’ve been together a total of 5 years and married 2! We are completely mortified as to how she changed her reason after the requested proof was provided!!! We need help!!!
My best friend is a permanent resident in Mexico and citizen of Venezuela. I wanted him to come visit me in Atlanta. We had everything prepared and I mean perfectly prepared. The interview was less than two minutes after waiting hours in line. Only one question, where are you staying in Atlanta. He said with a friend. Visa denied. Is staying with me grounds for denial? Is it the kiss of death. It was really truly a two week visit. Can he apply again? And of course, meanwhile thousands pour across the border illegally every day.
What I hate is when US Immigration officer ask me when I arrive in the country as a tourist when am I applying for a US Green Card to permanent resident status. They are presumptuous and assume everybody want to live in the US. My standard reply is that I do not plan to get permanent resident status in the US because I do not want to lower my standard of living.
Exactly why I went ahead and applied for a US visa (and got it) and visited the US instead of a Schengen visa. The US visa process has a more human touch and judge the person (obviously not perfect), meanwhile Schengen wants the fingerprints and bank statement of your late great grandfather who passed back in 1930s and even after all the trouble, they issue visa valid exactly for the duration of the trip (screw you if your plans change). My money was spent in the US and I’ll continue to visit the US.
Those are valid reasons. I get them. My only question is, then why don’t you tell people not to bring documents? If you’re not gonna look at them, then why waste people’s time and money when you can just be upfront that you won’t look at them? Coming from a third world country where a lot of processes are done manually (going to the bank waiting for long ques, waiting for mailed certificates, etc), just getting documents take so much time, only for them not to be looked at. I mean, if you’re not gonna look at them, just tell people not to bring them. Sometimes, the documents are actually listed on the website as things to bring. (Btw, my visas have always been approved in different countries so this is not me being bitter of being rejected).
Having said that before the migration we need to get a skill assessment done(Austrila – ACS), for that we need to produce all our job reference letters, professional qualification certificates, degree certifications which the assessment body will evaluate,and in my case I hand over the documents the visa officer collect them later they review and tell us certain documents needs supporting documents and and we do get feedback on our documents, also they check the IELTS, TOFEL scores as well, so I was confused what you mentiontioned of course during the initial document submission the officer will not review the documents, in visa office we had to submit the application and documents in the morning, they allow only certain no of applications for a day,and we had to wait to get the feedback until in the evening (for visiting Visa) but if that is skill migration or family migration after we submit the documents we get a reference number where we need to check the application procession status online and it will take months, where the visa office review our documents and applications, if there are missing documents they will request us to submit them, if the application and documents are not sufficient they will reject the application and list us the details why it was rejected and we need to resubmit them, so how you say visa office not go through our documents ?
I went trough the interview twice. First time for a B1/B2 and later for an F1. In neither case the officer looked at my documents First time I was questioned about the person I was visiting and was approved in a minute. Second time the officer told me “So… You want to be a Hoosier?”, I said yes and he approved me immediately 😂 Definitely nerve wrecking though, I saw a lot of people getting denied as I waited for my turn!
Then why do the embassy require a lot of paper documents then if they are not going to look at them? They can just approved who they “like” or who “they feel deserve it”. Their judgement depends on their mood and instincts which are not accurate (of course because they are human). 3minutes assessment for a bunch or documents? Definitely a joke.
Please. I, constantly travelled into the US, on business, and went through the process multiple times. They are all about documents. On one occasion, I was refused because I did not have what they wanted. I asked them what I needed and they said ‘bring everything’. When I asked for some kind of clarification, they just repeated ‘bring everything’ . And, to add insult to injury, even when I had a visa, they hassled me, at immigration.
Mandy thank you very much for making this great article. I went for US Visa interview long time back, the only thing I remember from that is the visa office being extremely rude. I got my Visa. I had to get visa for Canada once, and found that visa office was very polite. Wanted to ask someone like you, are consulate officers trained to be rude and sound intimidating. Why is that majority of these individuals extremely rude? Are they trained and mandated to be so. This is just not me, I am sure many others have had the same experience. Just curious to know your views
I think there are biased sonetines because my Niece and Nephew who just want to visit the US and no.plans at all of staying here . They are immediately”:denied.”No questions was asked nor their documents was at least looked at. Now, they’re just traveling / touring back and forth to Asian countries.
What the speaker is talking just goes for those trying to cheat. As for me i travelled around the world – USA, UK, Italy, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea and Japan – with no problem. I got the particulars of documents required from the agents or embassies and got through easily. This is the fact.
Then why are you REQUIRED to submit them? My wife’s visa approved during the embassy interview but then disapproved was later because “there no such thing as a devoice in the Philippines”, despite it being untrue and presenting official original government documents proving It to be so. It took over a year for Immigration to review for us to be told to come for another interview because the were shooting from the hip before. But we had just submitted a new application again $$$$ with the same package got approved in 6 month before they got around to actually looking at the facts of the first application. Fast and lose the procedure equal fast and sloppy, slick talkers win their flying school training visas.
Back in 2019, when I got my US Visa approved, I just said the truth, in one simple sentence, and there we go, quick, fast, no bullshit, down to business. Also, I think the important documents are already analyzed by the system right? if you have anything don’t fit with the rules, the system will flag it for the officer immediately, so looking at documents is not going to help. 🙂
Hello Mam. I have questions in my mind. I have hold b1 b2 visa. I travel 3 time on visa only for less then 6 months Last time because of carona. I was overstay in USA. Almost 3 yrs. now I am in India. And I wanna came back to USA. Is it possible to enter in USA on b1b2 visa. Or. Should I transit to USA to maxico. Or jamika
Mandy : another problem I am having is that I returned to my birth country at 2012 from 2012 to 2016, I have done nothing no job history and so on. Because I was in cultural shock b/w Pakistan and China. At 2016-2017, I started a Consultant company but that was also a failure and after that Covid during Vocid I got a scholarship to study Chinese Language. And from 2018 to 2023 no work record as well just forex trading, crypto investment, so how to deal with it? At 2023 I got a Sales manager job.
Please can you help me with this. Below the ask this question and i mistakenly selected and later find out i was not suppose to select it cause i have never been refused a visa before or been to any visa interview. What do i need to do to get this highlighted removed?👇 Previously refused – If you have been interviewed and/or refused within the last 3 months, please select “previously refused.” Applicants will be denied Visa’s for false misrepresentation.
I am a US citizen and my wife is a Filipino. We have been married for 15 years with an 11-year-old daughter. We are confident that I-130, proving our marriage is legitimate, can be accomplished in 30 secs to 3 mins. Our question turns to the I-864 proving Sponsor’s financial qualifications and residency. Please explain how this investigation can be accomplished in 3 mins. Thanx
Good day! This is my first time seeing your article & i found it very helpful. Thank you. I would like to ask you a question regarding my husband’s B1B2 US visa renewal. I hope you can help. He is applying for an interview waiver. All the 8 questions required were answerable by “No”. But there is one question asked after these 8 questions: “Has anyone ever filed an immigrant petition on your behalf…” He was petitioned as single before, together with his siblings. But since he & I got married before the interview, he opted not to go through with it. The petitioner, his mother, have died more than 5 yrs ago. How would he answer this question? And if he answered “Yes”, would it have an effect on the approval of his application for interview waiver? Would really greatly appreciate an immediate response. Thanks in advance. God bless. 😊
Storytime: One of my Chinese colleagues went for her US visa interview and the question of “How well is your English?” cropped up. She simple said “Pretty good level”. That was enough for her to get rejected. She tried again, but this time she answered “I would say, so-so”. She got accepted. Clown system.
I stay up till midnight to make very nice itinerary I print out every document and license I go to the bank and print out the statement before go interview Once interview the officer didn’t even touch it.. just look and take my passport only 😂 Yes i do agreed, interview is more important than documents, you need to be active and respond their questions with explanations and presentations then you got the visa.
Hi Ms. Mandy, I got denied for a J1 Visa as an intern yesterday and I am still motivated to try again although I am worried since its going to be 1 year after my graduation date next month and my 2nd visa interview attempt would be past that date already. Would I still get approved? 🥺 Thank you so much!
I stayed for 6 months in the US last year but before my visa expired (june) I asked for an extension of stay (B1B2 visa). However the billing address wasn’t the place where I was staying and a letter of rejection was mailed to me because I had paid the wrong amount and it stated that I should resent a new application. The person who got the letter from USCIS didn’t notify me about the letter and in the meantime a month had passed since the expiring date. I decided not to resend a new application and fly back to my country because I was going to start a new job early August. I left the US early july. My doubt is: Can I get a new B1B2 visa? I have the letter from USCIS explaining why my application was reject and that I should resend it. Would I be denied a new visa? Could I still enter the US considering that I asked for a visa extension before it expired? I had a J1 visa before the B1B2 and I was never denied a visa. Please, someone who is sure about it help me.
Good morning miss Mandy,,im sarah from the Philippines,i applied for B1/B2 visa and visa got denied last May 2023, the visa officer didn’t ask me any documentation. And i booked another appointment on December 2023, i just want to ask you for any tip that i can use for in this interview? I really appreciate your article ❤ hope to see you respond thank you and God bless and more power
When I had an interview for my exchange program I had it in a pretty interesting way. I mentioned bring able to speak various languages one of which was Chinese (I’m from a European country and at the time it was pretty rare for a person to speak Chinese). And you know what. The interviewer was a Chinese American. He skimmed through my documents and saw Chinese mentioned there and asked if I could actually speak it. Then he just started interviewing me in Chinese. We juat exchanged a few pleasanties in Chinese and that’s was it. So I guess while most of the info is indeed irrelevant you should be bullshitting about stuff that takes like couple minutes to check. I got my visa btw.
Hello a friend who is a DV2024 selectee was filling the DS-260 form but after she got to some part and saved, she can no longer access the part of the form where she needs to select the languages shes speaks and reads and the additional work and education information. How could this issue be resolved? We need help
Hi Mandy, thank you for this very informative article ❤ I’m from the Philippines and I just recently met my biological father literally 2 weeks ago in my 30 years of existence. I wish to get a tourist visa so at least I can visit him and I want to fill the 30 years we have not been together and not known each other 🥹
I know from my personal knowledge that certain type of people have 99% chance of rejection irrespective of their truthful answer, such as people who are single, young and looking for visitor or business visa; people who have families living abroad (they already have that information, so don’t lie); people who got denied before for whatever reason.
I applied for visas with my kids, and our visas were rejected. I reapplied for myself, and it was accepted. Now, I want to apply for my kids through interview waiver. What should I write in the refusal section on the DS-160 form as the “reason for refusal”? The consular officer gave us a slip mentioning the visa refusal under 214(b).
Hello Mandy. Thank you for the important information that you covered in this article!I have a query, would appreciate your precious opinion on this one. I applied for an exchange visitor visa at one consulate. It was denied. I applied again but due to appointments unavailability, i took date of a different consulate(but same country). I knew my interview was going well but only because of my previous IV being at a different consulate, the VO denied again. Now, should i apply at the consulate i was recently denied or should i look for a date at the consulate i was initially refused? The consulate i applied for at the 2nd time was really smooth and calm, and i want to reapply there on my 3rd time.I know it matters while applying for 2nd time about choice of consulate, but does it matter at 3rd time where the previous two interviews were at different consulates in the same country. Answers would be highly appreciated. Following your website regularly. I hope i get an answer 🙂 Thank you very much! God bless
Why is it my US tourist visa got denied. He only asked me 4 questions. I answered it honestly and correctly. He denied me in just less than a minute with that 4 basic questions without assessing me correctly? If that’s the case, other people who are not legit or not telling the truth have also the chance of entering the US. Knowing also that the consul is not checking the documents. People with bad intentions can always practice their interview and learn confidence so the consul won’t notice that they are not telling the truth. What i am trying to tell is if they could change the process/system on how to approve or deny the applicants. People pay a visa fee from their hard earned money and they are positive that the consul will approve them since they are telling the truth and no bad intentions going to the US but still get denied. While other people got approved even though they were not truthful.
Bureaucrats (including Immigration Officers) love checklists! They also love asking for things NOT on the list. If they are actually rushed to make decisions regardless of documents, shorten the list to essential documents. The “reasons” are actually excuses for a poorly designed immigration review process. The need for an attorney validates the VISA system needs to be updated.
Exactly, this was my experience with my girlfriend. We did a good package, letter of invitation and 2 minutes later came the ‘no’! No wonder people cross the border illegally. They get more time in our system than a girlfriend that just wants to come so I can introduce her to my kids and show her Disney world and Universal Studios! But I know (you didn’t mention but a foreign service officer told me since I was a government employee: ‘…listen we look at every application thinking this person not going to go home. We look for reasons they want to return home!’. It is sad in my opinion. I wish we had some type of ‘bond’ system where you can deposit 10k or something to guarantee the return of the individual. It would be transactional and secure but I realize a lot of rich people could afford that but an illegal overstay would not be worth it!
The most BS answer I have ever heard why US Visa officers don’t peruse the documents. They need not look into the docs, but why can’t the Visa office review the contents beforehand, as they know the appointment schedule and tell the candidates in advance if something is amiss. In this way they can be fair to the aspirants who want to enter the US for work or study and also save the chore for their officers.
Thank you for your service. I came from Canada as a 6 year old. I served the US Army in the mid 70s and became a US Citizen in 83. I get so upset about the US citizen that was born on US soil of their absolute ignorance on VISA’s. America depends on immigration which helps boost our economy yet the average citizen does not realize this and actually tries to say otherwise. I became a US CItizen during Ronald Reagan’s presidency. I have alway wished I could have learned another language like Spanish to help the cause of helping people get their visa and a pathway to citizenship. You were delightful to hear. I am now retired and angry over how so many people are angry about illegals coming here. Biden may have a plan to overt that and since some children make it to the US since they lost parents due to a war south of Mexico. It is shameful on the Americans not helping them and wants them detained and removed from our Country. This is got to end. Why hasn’t anyone come up with a solution to this problem. The Republicans are dragging their feet in Congress because they want their leader (TRUMP) that is heading to prison to have the Save the Day campaign by building a wall on that border. I am all for a way to help them get a legal visa (not for criminals) but legitimate families to be given a visa to help in adding to the economy of this country and a path to citizenship. I believe that is what Biden will do. But the Republicans are in the way of anything that will be good for America as a whole.
It’s all about visa officers being a POWER TRIPPER. If they only do their job properly, then qualified applicants shouldn’t have to worry about being denied. I guess this is based mainly in the Philippine setting and Filipino visa officers attitude towards their jobs acting like they’re in charge and they can do whatever they want to do because no one can question them. It’s pathetic but it’s the true mindset that’s why I never applied visa back home. As an overseas Filipino worker, my documents are the only ones I’ve got to apply for visas in many countries including the US, and I am glad the visa officers have carefully checked my documents in front of me during personal interviews/appearances. I was once denied for a visa to the UK but the officer in charge of my application has mentioned the things I need to add which I did and after I re submitted my application, I eventually got approved. Applied for a visa to Europe ( Schengen ), Australia, Japan, Korea, China and other countries that require visas for Filipino nationals and I was glad to meet visa officers who do their jobs well. Having mentioned on your article that visa officers have only between 30 seconds and 3 minutes to make a decision makes you wonder why qualified applicants more often don’t get fair results. By the way, it’s not only me but friends who applied for visas ( visitor ) from the country where they work and not in the Philippines were always approved and the only thing they provided were their documents.
I remember, after my name was called, she looked at me and said a big “No” and when i asked her if she will look at my documents, she said ” Just by looking at you i cant give you a visa” she never asked any question or take my documents, she just said angrily a big ” No”. Up to now i still dont have the courage to go to US Embassy 😢
For the past 3 years, I have been trying to get an f1 visa second time. Each time, they give 214(b). They don’t look into my documents but ask the same question each time. Was ur passport stolen? Yes it was. Did it have a US visa? No. That’s all, then they hand over the rejection letter. Why ? What’s the reason behind it?
Hi has anyone here got denied of admission or refused of entry in a country for a Tour due to Insufficient Funds. You werent able to enter the country at all and was ask to return to your origin which we did voluntarily. Does this fall as a YES on the question on ds160 “Have you ever been removed or deported from any country?”