US Embassy in Armenia tourist for Iranians

[bob zerg 1]

Hello,

I have been trying for three months to schedule an appointment for the Yerevan US embassy for tourist visas for my parents. I have been checking the embassy web site and also calling them directly and they keep telling me that no appointments have opened up. The last guy told us the last appointment was scheduled in mid November back in August. I have paid the applicant fees and the filled the DS160 forms for them and I am losing hope because I need them to visit me in March 2016 for my wedding and this is 5 months away.

Is there a reason this embassy is taking so long to open up appointments? Is it because of the political situation or are they really undermanned this much? How often do they open up appointments and what else can I do to get an appointment besides "check a web site"?

Thanks!

Bob

[MARY1981 3]

No they are very busy but you have a lot of time ahead of you so dont worry

[Boiler 43,391]

Need is probably the wrong word, are you here on a student visa?

[bob zerg 1]

No, I have a green card. Maybe need is a strong word, but I would love for them to be here. I have sent my parents letters addressed to them and the embassy (for which they can provide at the meeting) which declare that I will pay for the trip costs. They will have their documents to show that they can financially support themselves and will return to Iran (they have property and assets there). I have been checking the embassy web site daily and I am waiting for appointments to open up. Travel.state.gov waiting times web site says that the Armenia embassy has 18 day waiting times. I don't know if this is accurate or what the strategy to get an appointment is after waiting 3 months. Also, since they are over 60 years old and have property in Iran, are the chances good that they will be granted a tourist visa?

Thanks!

Edited November 1, 2015 by bob zerg

[Boiler 43,391]

Always think it is better that they show they can pay their own way, especially when they can. You need to overcome any suggestion thay will stay and await for you to naturalise and then adjust.

[bob zerg 1]

I've still been checking the embassy web site daily and calling weekly. The embassy rep on the last call said the same things the others are saying. Keep checking for appointments. When I tell them I've been checking several times a day for 3 months and would like to know when appointments open up, there is no solid answer except to wait for a cancellation. Well, no one is going to cancel if they can't even reschedule --- where are the new appointment slots? There are no appointments for Iranians even in other embassies that they use such as Dubai and Turkey -- the phone rep checked that too, and it would require repaying the fee and submitting new applications if it was even a possible outlet. The DS-160 forms and all fees for two applicants have been paid over 3 months ago and I can't even make an appointment for my parents to get tourist visas.

So what is the real situation and reasoning behind this? Are the appointments all being given to refugees, hence making them overly busy? Or have Iranians simply been eliminated as candidates for tourist visas due to politics? I have no reason to believe anything will change unless I understand why this is happening and no answers are being given by the embassy people who work the phones or on the website. At this point I am losing hope that an appointment will ever be available as this process is quite ridiculous with zero accountability. If anyone knows when appointment slots will ever open up, or why this is happening, it would be wonderful to hear from you.

[bob zerg 1]

There was apparently a glitch in the system for a long time and no appointments would show up for two people. Although this is unusual, they separated them into different appointments and I had to wait a long time to get them both into appointments during the same week. Now my mother had her appointment and was denied! All this money for plane tickets and travel and the consulate officer did not even look at her documents showing ties to her country but denied her before she even walked through the door. Over 85% of the applicants were denied that day. My father will also probably be denied this week. This means they are making decisions based solely on the DS-160.

What kind of process is this? What can they do now? Does appeal to sympathy work? Can I write my congressman? They are both over 50 with retirement and plenty of financial ties to Iran. I believe this to be related to the recent Visa Waiver Changes legislation and they are automatically denying any applicants from Iran.

[Boiler 43,391]

The fee is to have your application considered, not to obtain a visa.

You said over 85% were denied which suggests some were approved. Did you mean 100%, sounds unlikely.

They are free to apply again.

[bob zerg 1]

You don't seem to understand that there is no consulate in Iran. They have to travel to a foreign country to even attend the interview. It is not as simple as applying again and just driving over the local US embassy. 35/40 people were denied in that day.

[HFM181818 748]

As for your statement that your mother was denied before she walked through the door is nothing short of ludicrous....were you physically present at her interview or behind the window next to the CO, and thus had first hand knowledge of this alleged denial? No. Just another attempt to cast baseless aspersions on some COs...and who kept track of the alleged refusal rate that day?Was there an electronic 'scoreboard' showing the approvals and denials, as if at a sporting event? Once again, no. And I doubt that someone at the embassy phoned you up out of the clear blue sky to give you some 'insider' information. Sheesh.

[bob zerg 1]

Three questions were asked in about 2 minutes and the denial occurred immediately afterwards. The supporting documents were not even examined. The last questions related to the ages of her grown children, their ages, and lack of grandchildren. DENIED. People were standing in line in the rain and snow for 2 hours after traveling from a foreign country and paying for a weeks accommodations and travel. Is it too much to ask to examine all documents before denying an applicant considering the travel, resources and expense?

There was not an electronic scoreboard per se, but everyone is there talking about whether they were approved or not. So yes, the people there that day were keeping track. Three out of the five who were approved : one had a relative dying of cancer, one had dual citizenship of a European country, and another group were "well traveled." Everyone else was turned away.

You also weren't there and you are casting baseless aspersions. At least I have a trusted anecdotal account from a family member who WAS there. Perhaps you work for a consulate or you are a CO yourself based on your extremely negative, pro-consulate perspective.

[TBoneTX 43,014]

Perhaps you work for a consulate or you are a CO yourself based on your extremely negative, pro-consulate perspective.

The member spent his career as a CO and adjudicated many thousands of nonimmigrant-visa applications. You're understandably disappointed about the decision in your parents' cases, but search for other posts by this member and learn the underlying factors.

[Boiler 43,391]

Three questions were asked in about 2 minutes and the denial occurred immediately afterwards. The supporting documents were not even examined. The last questions related to the ages of her grown children, their ages, and lack of grandchildren. DENIED. People were standing in line in the rain and snow for 2 hours after traveling from a foreign country and paying for a weeks accommodations and travel. Is it too much to ask to examine all documents before denying an applicant considering the travel, resources and expense?

There was not an electronic scoreboard per se, but everyone is there talking about whether they were approved or not. So yes, the people there that day were keeping track. Three out of the five who were approved : one had a relative dying of cancer, one had dual citizenship of a European country, and another group were "well traveled." Everyone else was turned away.

You also weren't there and you are casting baseless aspersions. At least I have a trusted anecdotal account from a family member who WAS there. Perhaps you work for a consulate or you are a CO yourself based on your extremely negative, pro-consulate perspective.

I am well aware of the situation in Iran, it was not that long ago that the Embassy Siege occurred.

And I used to play Tennis with an Iranian Lady.

I also have gone through the B application process in my ignorant days and know what happens at the London Consulate, sounds pretty similar to all other Consulates.

My interview was also a couple of minutes max, and a couple of questions.

If there was some additional paperwork required it would be logical to obtain it when applying.

Quite why they make clearly non approvable applicants attend an interview I do not know, seems a waste of everybody's time.

A lot of waiting around, but after the 'interview' you just leave.

[bob zerg 1]

I'm a little confused why you would apply for a B visa if you were a UK citizen since you would be part of the visa waiver program, but I don't know your situation. Given that you are European, it is probably not hard to get a US visa. Regardless, they denied based on the information contained in the DS-160 and the two minute "interview." The DS-160 mainly lists personally identifiable information such as name, address, family information, travel information, basic work information, security questions (All answered NO), and who you are visiting. The other thing they would see is how many stamps are in their passports, of which they have none.

Everyone keeps repeating the same mantra about establishing ties to your home country which is not possible to do on a simple form like the DS-160. The information is not very detailed and and without reviewing supporting documents, I don't see how they could establish so called ties to either country. They need to look at EVIDENCE and they DID NOT DO THIS. Therefore, this whole process is completely arbitrary and probably has more with how the CO is feeling that day since he is not using all the facts to make a decision. Either that, or it's a shift in non-immigration policy for Iranians which I am beginning to think is the case based on denying 88% of applicants in one day. So I guess by the pro-consulate logic, they all screwed up their paperwork or have intentions to illegally immigrate? That is ludicrous.

I do agree that they should tell these applicants to just stay home since they are going to deny visas or not even to apply in the first place. Instead, they collect the $160 fees and allow people to spend lots of money on foreign travel expenses and send them away without even a blink of an eye. It's completely unethical and unreasonable.

I am well aware of the situation in Iran, it was not that long ago that the Embassy Siege occurred.

And I used to play Tennis with an Iranian Lady.

I also have gone through the B application process in my ignorant days and know what happens at the London Consulate, sounds pretty similar to all other Consulates.

My interview was also a couple of minutes max, and a couple of questions.

If there was some additional paperwork required it would be logical to obtain it when applying.

Quite why they make clearly non approvable applicants attend an interview I do not know, seems a waste of everybody's time.

A lot of waiting around, but after the 'interview' you just leave.

[Boiler 43,391]

You keep on mentioning evidence, what evidence?