Kamal Ghorui
Visa officers deny applications because they are trained to spot inconsistencies, an immigration lawyer explained.
As US visas are getting difficult to get even for tourism purpose, immigration lawyer Andrea Szew said the approval process does not work the way people think it works. Applicants think they were not given enough time to explain their case and they got rejected, but visa officers are trained to spot inconsistency and they have to make a quick decision as they don’t have the time to read the intention of an application, Szew explained in her YouTube video.Here are 5 things to know:
Decision is already made but it’s not final
Andrea explained that people think their case begins when they reach the interview window. But by that time, the visa officer has checked the DS-160, travel history, prior visa applications, prior visa notes of the person. They have already formed a decision but it’s not final. Their questions are to confirm what they see in the application. Even if the case is simple, they are trained to ask if the person has any reason to come back to their country.
There is no benefit of doubt
The visa officers are trained to look for patterns, consistency, credibility, logic and risk, If something is unclear, it does not get a benefit of doubt, it gets treated as a concern. The visa officers do not have the time to investigate every single case, as they are interviewing even 100 applicants a day. They ask targeted questions to get key information.
Rambling, over-explaining hurt a case
Andrea explained that many people think they did not get a chance to explain their case as the visa officer asked only one question. The visa officers are not looking for long answers. In fact, rambling and over-explaining hurt a case. They are looking for short, direct and aligned answer.
One reason why visa applications get denied
Andrea said that it is not that applicants are denied visa because they were lying. One reason why visa applications get denied is inconsistency or mismatch between the answer and the application. The visa officer is not looking for a perfect answer. The decision is made on overall impression, Andrea explained.
Sound credible not rehearsed
The applicant must know the application properly but they need to sound credible and confident, not rehearsed. Anticipate key questions and answer confidently, Andrea advised.
