Unexpectedly refused a visa
Nov 11th 2009, 9:09 am
#16
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 35,082
Re: Unexpectedly refused a visa
Another poster had this same problem, for the same program, maybe there's something useful for you there?
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=634636
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=634636
Nov 11th 2009, 9:11 am
#17
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 593
Re: Unexpectedly refused a visa
Hi!
I have been granted a year of leave from my work as a high school teacher in Sweden, to participate in a national government sponsored education program for teachers. This means that I will be studying courses offered online at a Swedish university, while living in an English speaking country. The purpose is to improve my verbal English (I teach in English) and learn about other cultures. For this reason, I would like to spend next year in the United States (Boulder, Colorado to be more specific).
I applied for a one-year tourist visa, and yesterday I was at the US-embassy in Stockholm for an interview. Naive as I am, I thought it would only be a formality, since I had all the necessary documents, no criminal record, several previous visits to the country, and letters from my employer explaining the purpose of my trip and a financial guarantee, in addition to being super-nice and cooperative. The only countries of interest from a security perspective that I´ve visited is Venezuela, Nepal and Indonesia, and all of these are common tourist destinations.
Not only did I not get the visa even for a shorter period of time, but I am no longer allowed to travel to the US as a tourist for even a weekend, unless I each time pay 1000:- and travel to Stockholm for an interview and manage to convince them I´m not a threat to the country this time. I used to be able to go there for 90 days without a visa on the visa waiver program....
They said they did not have any problem with me intending to study swedish online courses while staying in the us (this was apparently quite common), but they told me they were not convinced by my story that studying and enjoying the climbing and skiing opportunities was my only reason for going to Boulder. I was informed they suspected there was something I wasn´t telling them (they didn´t say what that would be though). They seemed to find it particularly hard to understand how anyone could posibly want to travel to a place for an entire year without having friends or family there.
There was no way of appealing. I can apply again, and my case will then be handled by another officer, but off course he will take the previous verdict into account, so I doubt that it will change anything. The "experienced" immigration officer who interviewed me also asked a colleague to help her with my hard case, and he more or less took over the interview and seemed to have come to the same conclusion as her.
Does anyone have a clue as to why my application was rejected?
I´ve heard two possible reasons from people I´ve talked to:
1. They were afraid I was going to stay in the country. In that case, how do I show that I have strong ties to my home country?
2. They were afraid I was going to work illegally as a skiing- or climbing instructor. How can I prove that this is not the case? How can I possibly prove that I´m a beginner climber and a lousy skier?
How important are letters of invitation from distant relatives and friends?
From what I´ve heard, taking a light course load at a an American university will not make me elligible for a student visa (has to be full time studies).
I´m also not sure if changing the destination to some place where I know people will make any difference. It may just seem like a desperate way to try to get a visa, and they could never be sure that I did not travel to Colorado straight away. What do you think?
Does the US immigration authorities cooperate with authorities in other countries, so that my american rejection will be known to for example the Canadian authorities if I decide to go to that country instead (Canada, New Zealand and Australia are my plan B if I don´t get an American visa)?
Does anyone know a good website about how to pass a visa interview? What misstakes to avoid, what to bring up, and what not to bring up, what the officers are looking for etc. Anyone who has worked with visa issuing, and knows how these people think?
I would really appreciate any kind of advice
P
I have been granted a year of leave from my work as a high school teacher in Sweden, to participate in a national government sponsored education program for teachers. This means that I will be studying courses offered online at a Swedish university, while living in an English speaking country. The purpose is to improve my verbal English (I teach in English) and learn about other cultures. For this reason, I would like to spend next year in the United States (Boulder, Colorado to be more specific).
I applied for a one-year tourist visa, and yesterday I was at the US-embassy in Stockholm for an interview. Naive as I am, I thought it would only be a formality, since I had all the necessary documents, no criminal record, several previous visits to the country, and letters from my employer explaining the purpose of my trip and a financial guarantee, in addition to being super-nice and cooperative. The only countries of interest from a security perspective that I´ve visited is Venezuela, Nepal and Indonesia, and all of these are common tourist destinations.
Not only did I not get the visa even for a shorter period of time, but I am no longer allowed to travel to the US as a tourist for even a weekend, unless I each time pay 1000:- and travel to Stockholm for an interview and manage to convince them I´m not a threat to the country this time. I used to be able to go there for 90 days without a visa on the visa waiver program....
They said they did not have any problem with me intending to study swedish online courses while staying in the us (this was apparently quite common), but they told me they were not convinced by my story that studying and enjoying the climbing and skiing opportunities was my only reason for going to Boulder. I was informed they suspected there was something I wasn´t telling them (they didn´t say what that would be though). They seemed to find it particularly hard to understand how anyone could posibly want to travel to a place for an entire year without having friends or family there.
There was no way of appealing. I can apply again, and my case will then be handled by another officer, but off course he will take the previous verdict into account, so I doubt that it will change anything. The "experienced" immigration officer who interviewed me also asked a colleague to help her with my hard case, and he more or less took over the interview and seemed to have come to the same conclusion as her.
Does anyone have a clue as to why my application was rejected?
I´ve heard two possible reasons from people I´ve talked to:
1. They were afraid I was going to stay in the country. In that case, how do I show that I have strong ties to my home country?
2. They were afraid I was going to work illegally as a skiing- or climbing instructor. How can I prove that this is not the case? How can I possibly prove that I´m a beginner climber and a lousy skier?
How important are letters of invitation from distant relatives and friends?
From what I´ve heard, taking a light course load at a an American university will not make me elligible for a student visa (has to be full time studies).
I´m also not sure if changing the destination to some place where I know people will make any difference. It may just seem like a desperate way to try to get a visa, and they could never be sure that I did not travel to Colorado straight away. What do you think?
Does the US immigration authorities cooperate with authorities in other countries, so that my american rejection will be known to for example the Canadian authorities if I decide to go to that country instead (Canada, New Zealand and Australia are my plan B if I don´t get an American visa)?
Does anyone know a good website about how to pass a visa interview? What misstakes to avoid, what to bring up, and what not to bring up, what the officers are looking for etc. Anyone who has worked with visa issuing, and knows how these people think?
I would really appreciate any kind of advice
P
Meanwhile lots of great locations speak English, so go there instead. Australia and Canada value educated people and you would be made much more welcome. These nations have less crime, less pollution, much more solid economies, four times as much annual leave in Australia's case, and better healthcare programs. The UN ranks Australia as the second best place to live in the world and Canada as the fourth. Sweden is seventh and the US is thirteenth. In other words a person coming from Sweden is going downhill moving to the US but up in the world when he or she goes to Canada or Australia.
So why is the US so popular? The answer is Hollywood. No other country has such a massive propaganda machine constantly pumping out such great images and lifestyles. Anyone living in the US will tell you real life there is nothing like Hollywood. Even being in Hollywood is nothing like Hollywood - trust me. Real life in the US is very different. I feel sorry for what you went through and I would suggest if your heart is still set on the US then you try again and again until you crack it, but I would also ask you to consider alternatives. And no I do not think Australia would be too concerned about you being rejected by the US for absolutely no good reason other than paranoia and stiflingly oppressive US bureaucracy.
Last edited by hereandthere; Nov 11th 2009 at 9:15 am.
Nov 11th 2009, 10:25 am
#18
American Expat
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 7,598
Re: Unexpectedly refused a visa
I think you're using a narrow case to cast aspersions on an entire country. With 40% of the undocumented population being made up by visa violators, I'm not surprised that it is being made more difficult to get. Also, how can you be so sure as to what this person's motives are?
Nov 11th 2009, 10:55 pm
#19
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 367
Re: Unexpectedly refused a visa
Go try to get a Japanese, Iranian, or Saudi passport for yourself. See how hard it is to naturalize there. Find me a country in the EU that passes out citizenship at birth as easily as the US does. Find one who accepts more refugees each year. If you want to visit Russia for more than 3 months, you need an HIV test. New Zealand requires visitors from some countries to take a pregnancy test prior to visa issuance. Illegal immigrants in Malaysia get to choose between six months in prison, or getting six strokes of the cane. I wouldn't say the US is treating people badly by comparison.
I think you're using a narrow case to cast aspersions on an entire country. With 40% of the undocumented population being made up by visa violators, I'm not surprised that it is being made more difficult to get. Also, how can you be so sure as to what this person's motives are?
I think you're using a narrow case to cast aspersions on an entire country. With 40% of the undocumented population being made up by visa violators, I'm not surprised that it is being made more difficult to get. Also, how can you be so sure as to what this person's motives are?
It is also upsetting when I hear then that they will offer amnesty to illegals. It's like a slap in the face after all the efforts people make to stay there legally.
Really - I love the US, but this bureaucracy could use an overhaul.
Nov 11th 2009, 11:26 pm
#20
American Expat
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 7,598
Re: Unexpectedly refused a visa
I guess the US immigration is doing what it feels it needs to do. It just always irked me somewhat that I, as an H1B holder, had to go through so much trouble and expense to stay legal in the country. I do feel they could cut the red tape somewhat for those who have credentials to stay in the US legally. The total process cost me thousands of dollars, and then there was a screw up by my employer with the labor application so that I could apply for my green card, so I had to leave after 6 years. I just wish immigration could be more flexible in certain matters.
It is also upsetting when I hear then that they will offer amnesty to illegals. It's like a slap in the face after all the efforts people make to stay there legally.
Really - I love the US, but this bureaucracy could use an overhaul.
It is also upsetting when I hear then that they will offer amnesty to illegals. It's like a slap in the face after all the efforts people make to stay there legally.
Really - I love the US, but this bureaucracy could use an overhaul.
Last year they released a report about an audit of H1B applications. They found that over 20% were fraudulent, abuse or had technical violations. That's more than 20,000 applications if you extrapolate.
If you increase flexibility and speed the process you may end up with unintended consequences. An even larger percentage of approved applications will go to the cheaters.
http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/report...1BFraudRpt.pdf
Nov 12th 2009, 1:31 am
#21
Account Closed
Joined: Aug 2002
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 38,865
Re: Unexpectedly refused a visa
The total process cost me thousands of dollars...
I just wish immigration could be more flexible in certain matters.
It is also upsetting when I hear then that they will offer amnesty to illegals. It's like a slap in the face after all the efforts people make to stay there legally.
Ian
Nov 12th 2009, 2:11 am
#22
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 134
Re: Unexpectedly refused a visa
Hello,
Quite frankly, I get the very distinct impression that some contributors to this board are acting as a kind of public relations agents for US officialdom and its bureaucratic appendixes.
Any kind of perceived criticism voiced against the US immigration procedures is quite apparently being frowned upon and ridiculed by these same people.
Why this absurd sensitivity?
Make no mistake about it:
I sincerely love the American people and the United States as a country.
However, I do have some misgivings as for the way that certain aspects of US immigration policy is being applied.
These misgivings can, I´m sure, be voiced in various ways for a multitude of different countries, but this particular forum deals with the United States in this regard.
My question is:
Is an honest and open debate being allowed on that subject on this forum or are we in fact being asked to apply a measure of self-censorship here?
Thank you.
Quite frankly, I get the very distinct impression that some contributors to this board are acting as a kind of public relations agents for US officialdom and its bureaucratic appendixes.
Any kind of perceived criticism voiced against the US immigration procedures is quite apparently being frowned upon and ridiculed by these same people.
Why this absurd sensitivity?
Make no mistake about it:
I sincerely love the American people and the United States as a country.
However, I do have some misgivings as for the way that certain aspects of US immigration policy is being applied.
These misgivings can, I´m sure, be voiced in various ways for a multitude of different countries, but this particular forum deals with the United States in this regard.
My question is:
Is an honest and open debate being allowed on that subject on this forum or are we in fact being asked to apply a measure of self-censorship here?
Thank you.
Nov 12th 2009, 2:28 am
#23
Account Closed
Joined: Aug 2002
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 38,865
Re: Unexpectedly refused a visa
Why this absurd sensitivity?
I do have some misgivings as for the way that certain aspects of US immigration policy is being applied.
Is an honest and open debate being allowed on that subject on this forum or are we in fact being asked to apply a measure of self-censorship here?
Ian
Nov 12th 2009, 3:07 am
#24
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 16,266
Re: Unexpectedly refused a visa
I am getting less and less shocked at how badly the US Government treats foreigners. Here they take a perfectly innocent, educated keen young person and almost criminalise them for no good reason. I can't believe you might have to go to secondary grilling every time you go for the VWP!
I find this post puzzling in that your use of the "quote" function would lead one to believe that you were responding to the OP.
Nov 12th 2009, 3:46 am
#25
Account Closed
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 760
Re: Unexpectedly refused a visa
[QUOTE=ian-mstm;8093660]Au contraire! Once you've been here longer (as I note you're a relative newcomer to this forum), you'll discover how tiring it is to hear, from a bunch of would-be immigrants..........
Not just would-be immigrants, Ian even immigrants on the other expats forum, I have noticed various E2 holders, trying for E2 reform, so their kids dont age out, green card entitlement etc etc etc.
I think certain people once in the US realise they want to stay.... and various folks who are trying out for visas etc, realise that there is a lot of controversy surrounding US immigration.
But as the old saying goes, if the rules are made... then they have to be adhered to.
In a nutshell, the same people who are trying to change the rules, are also the ones living by them. (imho)
Not just would-be immigrants, Ian even immigrants on the other expats forum, I have noticed various E2 holders, trying for E2 reform, so their kids dont age out, green card entitlement etc etc etc.
I think certain people once in the US realise they want to stay.... and various folks who are trying out for visas etc, realise that there is a lot of controversy surrounding US immigration.
But as the old saying goes, if the rules are made... then they have to be adhered to.
In a nutshell, the same people who are trying to change the rules, are also the ones living by them. (imho)
Nov 12th 2009, 4:02 am
#26
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 436
Re: Unexpectedly refused a visa
Nov 12th 2009, 4:57 am
#27
Account Closed
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: Unexpectedly refused a visa
I doubt anybody would remotely suggest the US should look for guidance from the UK system.
Nov 12th 2009, 5:16 am
#28
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 436
Re: Unexpectedly refused a visa
The link is titled "PM to 'tighten' migration rules". It is about the UK government trying to make it more difficult for non EU citizens to immigrate to the UK. What you are referring to is the predictable comments of the opposition.
Like I said it’s a government thing and not restricted to any particular country.
Last edited by Zonie; Nov 12th 2009 at 6:02 am.
Nov 12th 2009, 6:32 am
#30
Account Closed
Joined: Aug 2002
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 38,865
Re: Unexpectedly refused a visa
Ian
