E2 Investor Visa
Oct 12th 2002, 8:11 pm
#1
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 5
E2 Investor Visa
Hello,
I recently applied for an E-2 visa through the Romanian U.S. embassy in Bucharest as I have British and Romanian nationality.
Before applying I did very detailed research to check that I fufilled the E-2 visa's criteria, and was happy that I met all the requirements.
A few weeks after applying I was given an appointment for an interview. On attending the interview I found myself being shouted at, verbally abused, and being treated very unfairly by the visa officer. As I had done absolutely nothing to provoke this behaviour, I find myself feeling very confused and disturbed by what happened.
It was fairly obvious by the statements made by the visa officer that he had not read any of the documentation (including a comprehensive business plan, as required by the E-2) I had submitted.
When the guy refused my application, he put a stamp in both my British, and Romanian passport. Now, as I applied as a Romanian, to the Romanian U.S. embassy, I am unsure as to whether the guy had a right to put a stamp in my Bristish passport or not. Does anybody know what the standing is on this?
Also, does anyone know of a way to appeal the decision, as I am disatisfied that the decision was made fairly. and is there a complains procedure against U.S. embassy staff? Finally, are procedures identical though-out U.S. embassies around the world, or are they different in each country (not taking into account places where U.S. relations are sensitive).
Thanks for any help/advice,
Matt.
I recently applied for an E-2 visa through the Romanian U.S. embassy in Bucharest as I have British and Romanian nationality.
Before applying I did very detailed research to check that I fufilled the E-2 visa's criteria, and was happy that I met all the requirements.
A few weeks after applying I was given an appointment for an interview. On attending the interview I found myself being shouted at, verbally abused, and being treated very unfairly by the visa officer. As I had done absolutely nothing to provoke this behaviour, I find myself feeling very confused and disturbed by what happened.
It was fairly obvious by the statements made by the visa officer that he had not read any of the documentation (including a comprehensive business plan, as required by the E-2) I had submitted.
When the guy refused my application, he put a stamp in both my British, and Romanian passport. Now, as I applied as a Romanian, to the Romanian U.S. embassy, I am unsure as to whether the guy had a right to put a stamp in my Bristish passport or not. Does anybody know what the standing is on this?
Also, does anyone know of a way to appeal the decision, as I am disatisfied that the decision was made fairly. and is there a complains procedure against U.S. embassy staff? Finally, are procedures identical though-out U.S. embassies around the world, or are they different in each country (not taking into account places where U.S. relations are sensitive).
Thanks for any help/advice,
Matt.
Oct 13th 2002, 7:04 am
#2
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Posts: n/a
Re: E2 Investor Visa
On Sat, 12 Oct 2002 13:11:25 -0700, matt9741399 wrote:
> Hello,
> I recently applied for an E-2 visa through the Romanian U.S. embassy in
> Bucharest as I have British and Romanian nationality.
> Before applying I did very detailed research to check that I fufilled
> the E-2 visa's criteria, and was happy that I met all the requirements.
> A few weeks after applying I was given an appointment for an interview.
> On attending the interview I found myself being shouted at, verbally
> abused, and being treated very unfairly by the visa officer. As I had
> done absolutely nothing to provoke this behaviour, I find myself feeling
> very confused and disturbed by what happened.
> It was fairly obvious by the statements made by the visa officer that he
> had not read any of the documentation (including a comprehensive
> business plan, as required by the E-2) I had submitted.
> When the guy refused my application, he put a stamp in both my British,
> and Romanian passport. Now, as I applied as a Romanian, to the Romanian
> U.S. embassy, I am unsure as to whether the guy had a right to put a
> stamp in my Bristish passport or not. Does anybody know what the
> standing is on this?
> Also, does anyone know of a way to appeal the decision, as I am
> disatisfied that the decision was made fairly. and is there a complains
> procedure against U.S. embassy staff? Finally, are procedures identical
> though-out U.S. embassies around the world, or are they different in
> each country (not taking into account places where U.S. relations are
> sensitive).
> Thanks for any help/advice,
> Matt.
> --
> Posted via http://britishexpats.com
First, did you use an immigration lawyer? That is always a good idea in
such cases.
Next, decisions by consulates are final. There is no appeal whatsoever
against it. You could request that the consulate reconsider, but that is
strictly at their discretion. You can also reapply in six months, or
earlier if you can present substantial new evidence.
Also, it is important that you figure out exactly what set off the
officer and correct that problem when you reapply.
It is important to be aware of one thing: no matter how carefully you
prepare your case, the officer won't spend more than a few minutes looking
at it (I read somewhere that the average is between less than one minute
and five minutes before they decide!). It is not surprising that he did
not memorize your business plan. So when reapplying, be sure to have a
summary that lists ALL pertinent facts on a single page. Don't expect the
officer to read the rest of the documentation.
In your case, you may want to consider filing a complaint with the
consulate (I'm not sure exactly whom to contact) because of the officer's
behavior. If you have ties into the US, then you could also consider
contacting a Congressperson - this is difficult if you leave abroad,
though.
As for whether or not he had a right to stamp into your British passport:
yes, he did. You didn't apply as a "Romanian citizen" but rather you
applied as the individual "Matt". Being a Romanian citizen entitled you to
use this particular consulate - but that's about all it did for you.
> Hello,
> I recently applied for an E-2 visa through the Romanian U.S. embassy in
> Bucharest as I have British and Romanian nationality.
> Before applying I did very detailed research to check that I fufilled
> the E-2 visa's criteria, and was happy that I met all the requirements.
> A few weeks after applying I was given an appointment for an interview.
> On attending the interview I found myself being shouted at, verbally
> abused, and being treated very unfairly by the visa officer. As I had
> done absolutely nothing to provoke this behaviour, I find myself feeling
> very confused and disturbed by what happened.
> It was fairly obvious by the statements made by the visa officer that he
> had not read any of the documentation (including a comprehensive
> business plan, as required by the E-2) I had submitted.
> When the guy refused my application, he put a stamp in both my British,
> and Romanian passport. Now, as I applied as a Romanian, to the Romanian
> U.S. embassy, I am unsure as to whether the guy had a right to put a
> stamp in my Bristish passport or not. Does anybody know what the
> standing is on this?
> Also, does anyone know of a way to appeal the decision, as I am
> disatisfied that the decision was made fairly. and is there a complains
> procedure against U.S. embassy staff? Finally, are procedures identical
> though-out U.S. embassies around the world, or are they different in
> each country (not taking into account places where U.S. relations are
> sensitive).
> Thanks for any help/advice,
> Matt.
> --
> Posted via http://britishexpats.com
First, did you use an immigration lawyer? That is always a good idea in
such cases.
Next, decisions by consulates are final. There is no appeal whatsoever
against it. You could request that the consulate reconsider, but that is
strictly at their discretion. You can also reapply in six months, or
earlier if you can present substantial new evidence.
Also, it is important that you figure out exactly what set off the
officer and correct that problem when you reapply.
It is important to be aware of one thing: no matter how carefully you
prepare your case, the officer won't spend more than a few minutes looking
at it (I read somewhere that the average is between less than one minute
and five minutes before they decide!). It is not surprising that he did
not memorize your business plan. So when reapplying, be sure to have a
summary that lists ALL pertinent facts on a single page. Don't expect the
officer to read the rest of the documentation.
In your case, you may want to consider filing a complaint with the
consulate (I'm not sure exactly whom to contact) because of the officer's
behavior. If you have ties into the US, then you could also consider
contacting a Congressperson - this is difficult if you leave abroad,
though.
As for whether or not he had a right to stamp into your British passport:
yes, he did. You didn't apply as a "Romanian citizen" but rather you
applied as the individual "Matt". Being a Romanian citizen entitled you to
use this particular consulate - but that's about all it did for you.
