S Folinsky

On the pedantic side of things: The Department of State has a Bureau of Consular Affairs. There website is "travel.state.gov" [note that there is no "www"].

The main diplomatic post in any one country will be known as the "Embassy." Many, but not all embassies will have a "consular section" which handles passports and visas. Quite often, the U.S. will have multiple diplomatic posts in a particular country. With one exception that I am aware of, the Embassy will be located in the capital city. Outside of the embassy there will be "Consulates." Some consulates can be bigger than the main embassy.

The Department of State employs diplomats in the United Foreign Service. Foreign Service Officers generally serve in one of five career tracks, which traditionally were called "cones" for some reason. Consular Officers are usually FSO's serving in the consular cone. However, it is not unknown for smaller diplomatic posts to have consular work performed by FSO's in other cones -- this is particularly true in smaller diplomatic posts.

Quite often, the FSO's with visa duties are quite junior in a particular Embassy. I have been told that in the case of a coup or other violent overthrow of a local government, the senior diplomats lose all their contacts in the local power structure, but since visas were usually much in demand, the visa officers will actually know the new power people.

S Folinsky

Also, the US will often employ what are called "FSN" or Foreign Service Nationals who are local employees. Quite often, a visa applicant will deal mostly with an FSN and then see the ConOff for three minutes. And the FSN's stay for a long time while ConOffs are rotated out with regularity.

Also, it can be presumed that many of the FSN also report to their country's intelligence agencies. When I was in practice, there occasions we would worry about that and would try to get a visa in a third country.

ian-mstm

I'm guessing that the leaders were known as coneheads!

Ian

henryh

The Mexican and Nicaraguan consulates almost certainly have a much greater denial rate than the London consulate. Theoretically, they are supposed to be impartial and treat all applicants equally, and with uniform policies from one consulate to another. In practice, it's possible that they might be human.
I would (and did) renew my visa in London.

FNDLND

Gotcha Henry, good to know.. thanks for that.

S Folinsky

Overall denial rates are not really indicative of how TCN's are handled. Quite often if a visa had been previously granted in the "home" consulate in the same category, Consular Officers are lot more comfortable in issuing a visa.

FNDLND

I'm curious about this, not sure what you mean by home consulate. In my case I've had the O-1 approved in London once and twice in Madrid. I'm guessing you'd say this doesn't affect the approval rate of applying in Nicaragua, meaning it's still riskier than getting it done in London?

S Folinsky

A person from the UK, their "home" consulate is a post in the UK. So home country is first country, second country is the US and therefore there is a "third country" for "TCN."

So, you applied in your "home" country and then renewed as a TCN.