In this week’s Tip of the Week, I’m going to talk about the top 5 reasons why your visa may be denied.
You all know how slow visa processing times are. You may be waiting for your application or a family member’s to be approved.
Keep reading to find out what you do that might cause your visa to be denied so you can avoid those issues and get the approval you want.
I’m an immigration attorney, Andres Mejer, and I help immigrants throughout the US and the world get immigration status.
I became an immigration attorney after having to figure out the immigration system myself. I came to the US as a child, and I didn’t have legal status for a long time. Because of my experience, I like to help people who need a legal status – get one.
Why Your Visa Might Be Denied
We all know consular and embassies are slower than slow in their immigration service especially in processing visas. Since they are slow, you don’t want to do anything that might get you denied, right? So, let’s talk about what might get your visa denied when processing your visa application.
If you’re not entirely ready when you go to your interview.
This probably sounds like a no-brainer. Who would go to an interview and not be ready, right? But it happens. I’ve said this before and will keep saying it, when you apply for any immigrant application, start a file. Keep a copy of everything you submit and all your proof or evidence in this file. Then when you go in for your interview, take that file with you.
Don’t give the government originals – only copies.
They will review your originals in person, but make sure they take any copies they need and return the original to you. If you leave an original with them, make sure you have another one for yourself. Especially if you are coming to the US and the original document is from another country, it is much harder to get an original again when you are not in the country.
Let me give you a few examples of things people don’t realize they need to bring when they are applying for a visa:
- A student visa applicant needs all the information about the school and study program.
- A visitor visa applicant needs to show their ties to their home country, so the officer doesn’t think you’re trying to immigrate to the US.
- An immigrant visa applicant needs to show financial proof that they can support themselves and the sponsor or petitioner can support them.
Applying for the wrong type of visa.
If you apply for the wrong type of visa, you will probably be denied. You might be wondering what I mean by applying for the wrong type of visa. It will probably help to hear some examples again.
We’ve had people marrying US citizens and thought it was ok to visit them on a visitor visa. An immigration officer will often deny this because of “immigrant intent.” The officer thinks (probably correctly) that you want to go and stay in the US.
What you should do is apply for a fiancee visa. Yes, it might take a little longer, but in the long run, it will save you time, money and help your green card application process faster, so do it right the first time.
Don’t be disrespectful or lie to the interviewing officer.
We get it. Sometimes the officers are rude and impatient. But if you respond the same way, you may be setting yourself up to be denied.
Honestly, we have so many people that tell us, “that officer was so mean.” Ok, the officer is mean. But this is only for a few minutes of interacting with someone mean. Try not to take it personally.
This is the rest of your life that may be impacted by how you treat someone. Sure, we’d love it if immigration officers only decided cases on the evidence offered, but the officers are human. They have a bad day, too, and if you make that day worse, you may cause yourself to get the bad news of a denial.
We’ve had people ask us on our channels things like “should I tell them I ate a marijuana gummy” or “should I hide my illegal entries.” No and No. Anytime you do this, you set yourself up to be denied and kept from ever being approved.
Always be honest.
If you have something that you’ve done that you think might keep you from being approved, talk to an immigration attorney. If you lie, and it’s discovered, you committed fraud. This could get you deported if you were allowed entry, even after you become a citizen. I talked a few months ago about a man who was deported when he was in his 90s for having been a Nazi officer during WW2, and he never disclosed that. Be honest. Be kind even if the officer is not.
Not communicating well.
What do I mean by this? You know I speak Spanish, right? It was my native language, but I didn’t speak it for a long time…and sometimes I use the wrong word in Spanish when I do these videos, and my staff will tell me afterward. I’d like to remind everyone that you should only answer the questions you are asked. Sometimes we think the more we talk. The more people will like us. When you are an overwhelmed consulate worker, trying to process as many applications as possible each day, you want people who answer ONLY the question asked and are short and to the point with their answers.
We’ve had people give the wrong answer because they didn’t understand the question, and this has jeopardized their approval. If you don’t understand what the officer is asking, ask them to repeat the question. They will answer/rephrase the question.
Providing too little or the wrong information with your application.
Providing too little or the wrong information with your application will get you denied, too. Don’t do that. I’m sure you say this won’t happen to you. You would never do this. But it does happen.
Let’s talk about some examples again. If you’re applying for an immigrant visa, you may need to provide tax documents to prove sufficient income, but maybe you don’t have copies, or it’s taking too long to get them. The officer isn’t going to say, “oh no, it’s fine, you don’t need them.” You DO need them.
Look, the workers are overwhelmed. Not only are they coming out of 4 years of a presidential administration that wanted to stop immigration, but then they had a pandemic, and now they have people angry that there is such a backlog. Make their job easy. Prove your case with all your documents. More information will not hurt you (unless it’s not the right kind of evidence), but too little certainly will.
Your goal is getting an approval, right? Follow these tips, and your chances of approval increase.
Talk to a New Jersey Immigration Lawyer
If you need help with your immigration case, call our New Jersey immigration law firm. If we can’t help you, we won’t take your money.
If there’s something you want to know about US immigration, don’t hesitate to leave a message. We’ll try to answer it on our page or in a future video.
If you have a question about immigration laws and processes, please send us a message. I am here to help you make your immigration journey as smooth as possible. Call our New Jersey immigration law firm at (888) 695-6169.
Stay healthy and be well.
