Polish girl's tourist visa refused

[Asia 2,491]

I got the info from this link: http://www.travel.state.gov/pdf/FY09.pdf

Thank you.

Last year it was around 10%, so a little better.

[Keebleman 9]

The question that has been hanging in the air.

What is it to you?

Well, don't tell anyone, but...

...she's a friend and I'm trying to help her out.

[bigdog 376]

Good Luck with your issues.

[firecrew1 2]

Please let us know what happens in Belfast.

[SmilesAbroad 27]

Good luck. I hope she can get her visa, but CO is more likely to deny her because she was denied by another CO just a few weeks ago and they seem to not like giving a visa after a recent denial by another worker...

[JohnR! 5,495]

I've a query on behalf of a friend of mine, a Polish national who is planning a three-week road trip in the USA in September together with half-a-dozen or so others (a mix of UK and US nationals). A couple of weeks ago she had her visa application refused by the consulate in London, a development that came as a complete - and extremely distressing - surprise to her: she has been resident in the UK for 8 years, has a permanent job, a large social circle and ample financial means to support herself for the duration of the holiday.

She went to the interview armed with many documents to support her application, but it seems the consular officer she saw didn't even ask to see them. The officer asked my friend why, once she had separated from her British boyfriend (the reason she had come to Britain in the first place), she hadn't returned to Poland. My friend told her about the job and her friends, and that her life is in Britain now, but the application was promptly and curtly turned down on the grounds that she has left one country once so may well do so again. Her hopes now lie with another interview (in Belfast this time) later this week.

Do you think she simply came up against the wrong official on the wrong day, or is her application fundmentally flawed? She has been planning for and looking forward to this holiday for months and months. Any advice anyome can offer to make the second interview a success would be very gratefully received.

Reapplying for a visa, without knowing precisely why she was denied in the first place will not change the outcome. In order to apply again and hope for success she needs to be able to mitigate the circumstances under which her visa was denied in the first place.

The consulate in London should have given her a letter explaining the reasons for the denial and that should be her starting point, to present evidence that may satisfy the requirements.

She needs not go to Belfast for that. She can reapply in London.

[JoannaV 173]

The CO sounds a little silly. The analysis of her previous move from Poland to UK is crazy. If she had illegally immigrated to the UK that would be a different matter, but wow.

[Keebleman 9]

Reapplying for a visa, without knowing precisely why she was denied in the first place will not change the outcome. In order to apply again and hope for success she needs to be able to mitigate the circumstances under which her visa was denied in the first place.

The consulate in London should have given her a letter explaining the reasons for the denial and that should be her starting point, to present evidence that may satisfy the requirements.

She needs not go to Belfast for that. She can reapply in London.

She would have done, but time is an issue, and they couldn't offer her an appointment soon enough. And in a few months, or even weeks, it wouldn't be relevant anyway cos she'll be a Brit!

As I mentioned in one of the earlier posts, the very first thing she'll mention will be her UK citizenship application-in-process.

At least this time round she is prepared for disappointment! It was a total shock the first time.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

She would have done, but time is an issue, and they couldn't offer her an appointment soon enough. And in a few months, or even weeks, it wouldn't be relevant anyway cos she'll be a Brit!

When she gets her UK passport she will have to apply for ESTA and there she must disclose the previous visa denial, which may cause her ESTA to be denied too. So she's not necessarily in the clear once she gets citizenship.

[Operator 1,927]

Well, don't tell anyone, but...

...she's a friend and I'm trying to help her out.

Well played!

[FastTrack 3]

My Polish Fiancee applied 8 months ago for tourist visa to the US... at that time she was solely intending to visit her sister who is a doctor in New york for 2 weeks and to come visit me which wasnt even mentioned in her application and so wasnt an issue to the CO... She has been in London for 6 years and has a GREAT job she has held for over 2 years.... She has no strong family ties here in London because they are in Poland , and owns no property....but at the time had every intention of returning... she had a detailed letter from her work that stated her income and that they fully believed that she would return.... she had a letter from her sister stating her intentions to stay for 2 weeks with her in her flat in new york and that she would pay for her return home if money became an issue... so basically I am saying she was fully prepared for the interview and felt the same way as your friend...meaning that she was sure that she had no issues..... so when she went to her interview the officer asked her a couple questions and cut her off within 3 minutes into the interview by saying your application has been denied.... you do not have strong enough ties to this country or Poland and I do not believe you intend to return..... That was that.... I believe like the person above said, that if she is young there is way to big of a chance of her finding a US citizen to marry and never returning.... not that they think she is, but rather that it is extremely possible... I contacted Lawyers and did research and all that I found was that this is what you should expect as a polish citizen.... there is ongoing efforts in the states to get Poland into the Visa Waiver program, but it is far from happening....

I hate to say it, but I do not believe your friend is going to be accepted the second time around..... especially if nothing has changed..... one lawyer I spoke to stated that she shouldnt even try again for at least a year.... So basically I came here to London instead and 5 months later we applied for a Fiance visa after we decided to get married..... even this process takes a long time..... sorry to hear this happened... I know the frustration is huge, and she must be pretty pissed and disappointed...... good luck though.... I did hear that the us embassy in warsaw is the best bet!

[Vicomi 31]

The same thing happened to a friend despite having all the evidence required. She was told that she does not have strong enough ties to the UK eg no family, no mortgage or children who attends school here. Having a permanent job and a tenancy agreement were apparantly not enough evidence to show that she had strong ties in the UK. Your friend is in the same position.

[NotworkSte 19]

The CO sounds a little silly. The analysis of her previous move from Poland to UK is crazy. If she had illegally immigrated to the UK that would be a different matter, but wow.

I can see why this may have sparked the CO, but in this instance I am left wondering why a decision was based solely on moving from Poland to the UK. Especially when there are so many Polish in the UK. The CO must be aware of that fact. Being in the UK and from Poland is not an unusual occurance, and Polish people that live in the UK and go on vacation are equally not unusual.

Unless there is something else missing, the CO seems to be to be overly hasty when she at least deserves a fair crack before being told yes or no.

[Nanusia & Lukaszek 0]

Re-applying a few weeks after a denial is a waste of time and money, its going to be another denial. It is recommended that you wait a year, or have a significantly different case then when you first applied...seems in the few weeks, your friend doesn't have either. I too believe entering in the visa waiver program with 2 very recent denials is going to cause for concern at POE.

Interviews are more psychological than anything. The CO can hear a word i.e. "boyfriend" that sparks an interest and perhaps have pre-concieved thoughts/bias, which will lead to a denial. How/why was the BF brought up anyway?

I had a cousin recently apply, she's single, no property besides a car, she did have a work contract. The CO asked her why she wanted to go to the US, her response "vacation, to see family". He never asked for any paperwork, smiled and said "have a nice time there", and bam she was approved.

Sometimes there is just no logic in why people get denied.

[Keebleman 9]

My Polish Fiancee applied 8 months ago for tourist visa to the US... at that time she was solely intending to visit her sister who is a doctor in New york for 2 weeks and to come visit me which wasnt even mentioned in her application and so wasnt an issue to the CO... She has been in London for 6 years and has a GREAT job she has held for over 2 years.... She has no strong family ties here in London because they are in Poland , and owns no property....but at the time had every intention of returning... she had a detailed letter from her work that stated her income and that they fully believed that she would return.... she had a letter from her sister stating her intentions to stay for 2 weeks with her in her flat in new york and that she would pay for her return home if money became an issue... so basically I am saying she was fully prepared for the interview and felt the same way as your friend...meaning that she was sure that she had no issues..... so when she went to her interview the officer asked her a couple questions and cut her off within 3 minutes into the interview by saying your application has been denied.... you do not have strong enough ties to this country or Poland and I do not believe you intend to return..... That was that.... I believe like the person above said, that if she is young there is way to big of a chance of her finding a US citizen to marry and never returning.... not that they think she is, but rather that it is extremely possible... I contacted Lawyers and did research and all that I found was that this is what you should expect as a polish citizen.... there is ongoing efforts in the states to get Poland into the Visa Waiver program, but it is far from happening....

I hate to say it, but I do not believe your friend is going to be accepted the second time around..... especially if nothing has changed..... one lawyer I spoke to stated that she shouldnt even try again for at least a year.... So basically I came here to London instead and 5 months later we applied for a Fiance visa after we decided to get married..... even this process takes a long time..... sorry to hear this happened... I know the frustration is huge, and she must be pretty pissed and disappointed...... good luck though.... I did hear that the us embassy in warsaw is the best bet!

That's very close to my friend's situation, even to the 3 minutes it took for the application to be turned down (I know it's not my friend though: she would never describe her job as great, let alone GREAT). Certainly isn't promising, but thanks for the Warsaw suggestion; I'll put it to her should the Belfast visit not work out (assuming she has the stomach and/or funding for another go).