Heartland Immigration is proud to offer the content of its e-book, How to Get a Visa for the United States, for free on this blog. Below is installment 17 from the e-book. Contact a Heartland Immigration lawyer today for assistance with your US immigration law matter: 1-855-USA-IMMIGRATE
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V. WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR VISA INTERVIEW DOESN'T GO YOUR WAY
(Read this before your visa interview!)
"I'm sorry Mr./Ms. (insert last name here), you don't qualify today under U.S. immigration law for a visa." Those words (or others very much like them) are dreaded by applicants for a nonimmigrant (meaning temporary) U.S. visa around the world. It's exactly what you don't want to hear after you've undertaken the long, painstaking and expensive visa application process. You may have traveled far from your home to the U.S. embassy or consulate for your interview (it's not uncommon in some countries for applicants to have to travel over night), and you probably feel like you didn't get a fair shake - after all, the decision that you're not fit to travel to the U.S. was made after only around three minutes of chatting with you; hardly enough time to really get to know someone, right?
But don't lose heart. There's a chance you might be able to get that visa after all, either right away or possibly a bit further down the road. Be prepared to follow these steps in the event that you're turned down at your visa interview. Read this section carefully before your visa interview.
An Eleven Point Plan for Overcoming A Refusal
1. Ask why you were refused
You should politely (seriously - remember to be polite; this may be tough, given that you're probably severely disappointed and may be shocked, but it's important) ask why you were refused. The consular officer will likely give you a sheet of paper, probably both in English and the language of the country in which you're applying, that purports to explain why you were rejected. In reality, it's a bunch of obscure-sounding legalese that cites the provision of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act under which you were refused. Nine times out of ten, the reason for a nonimmigrant visa refusal is a provision of the law that requires the consular officer to refuse your application if you don't demonstrate that you have the kind of ties to your country that make it very likely you'll return upon the end of your visit to the U.S. But don't settle for just the letter - you need to actually ask, "can you please explain in as much detail as possible why I am not qualified?"
Remember that consular officers are normally very, very busy. They may, depending on the country, be doing well over 100 visa interviews a day, and that's in addition to paperwork and various other aspects of the job. So they're not going to take a ton of time to tell you why you were rejected, but they are instructed by their superiors to practice good customer service, meaning you should be able to get something meaningful from them. It's true that they sometimes just give you a non-answer, saying you're simply not qualified, but my experience as a consular officer shows that most of the time, these folks are willing to engage you and shoot straight with you.
About the Author
By Brad Menzer - Brad blogs regularly for Heartland Immigration. You can contact him at: info@heartlandimmigration.com