Tourist Visa Denial Stories

[Ahegao 3]

Hello. For my Leadership Class Final Project, I am conducting research on United States Visa policy reform and I will need as many case studies as possible. Personal anecdotes or hearsays from friends or family are fine. Being detailed with your accounts will be very much appreciated. Thanks!

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

6 minutes ago, Ahegao said:

Hello. For my Leadership Class Final Project, I am conducting research on United States Visa policy reform and I will need as many case studies as possible. Personal anecdotes or hearsays from friends or family are fine. Being detailed with your accounts will be very much appreciated. Thanks!

What kind of visa policy reform are you looking for in regard to tourist visas? 

[Ahegao 3]

1 minute ago, Cyberfx1024 said:

What kind of visa policy reform are you looking for in regard to tourist visas? 

 

I should've included that, but glad you ask. I am proposing a change in how the United States allows only a select few countries to be able to travel to the US w/o requiring a Visa through its VISA Waiver Program. This means including more countries into the list or revising the program so that it is not so biased towards first world political allies of the US.

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

4 minutes ago, Ahegao said:

 

I should've included that, but glad you ask. I am proposing a change in how the United States allows only a select few countries to be able to travel to the US w/o requiring a Visa through its VISA Waiver Program. This means including more countries into the list or revising the program so that it is not so biased towards first world political allies of the US.

You do understand that the whole reason that people have to go for a tourist visa interview is that they have to prove Non-Immigration intent. Once they are able to prove that then more than likely they will get a tourist visa. The countries that are in the VWP are usually countries where there is less immigration intent to the USA. 

[Ahegao 3]

Just now, Cyberfx1024 said:

You do understand that the whole reason that people have to go for a tourist visa interview is that they have to prove Non-Immigration intent. Once they are able to prove that then more than likely they will get a tourist visa. The countries that are in the VWP are usually countries where there is less immigration intent to the USA. 

Yes, I am aware, but there are individuals that still get denied entry for whatever arbitrary reason despite showing no intent to immigrate to the US. Those are the ones I would like to hear from.

[TM92 527]

Just now, Ahegao said:

there are individuals that still get denied entry for whatever arbitrary reason despite showing no intent to immigrate to the US.

This can also apply to VWP travelers, i.e. CBP can deny entry. Only US Citizens are guaranteed entry.

[Ahegao 3]

Just now, TM92 said:

This can also apply to VWP travelers, i.e. CBP can deny entry. Only US Citizens are guaranteed entry.

In that case, I'd like to hear their circumstances as well.

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

May I respectfully suggest you do some further research so your conclusions will make sense (not coming from an incorrect premise). For example, VWP is not granted “to allies”, it is based on countries having a low percentage of B visa rejections, in other words a (relatively) objective way to assess risk of overstay for travelers from those countries.

[Ahegao 3]

1 minute ago, SusieQQQ said:

May I respectfully suggest you do some further research so your conclusions will make sense (not coming from an incorrect premise). For example, VWP is not granted “to allies”, it is based on countries having a low percentage of B visa rejections, in other words a (relatively) objective way to assess risk of overstay for travelers from those countries.

Sure, I can, but cases of denial from individuals will still help regardless.

[TM92 527]

31 minutes ago, Ahegao said:

In that case, I'd like to hear their circumstances as well.

In August 2004, @jaffar's wife was denied entry by CBP. I assume she was a VWP traveler because she's German and Germany was (and still is) a VWP country at the time: https://web.archive.org/web/20031231213448/http://travel.state.gov/vwp.html For pertinent questions ask @jaffar

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

38 minutes ago, TM92 said:

In August 2004, @jaffar's wife was denied entry by CBP. I assume she was a VWP traveler because she's German and Germany was (and still is) a VWP country at the time: https://web.archive.org/web/20031231213448/http://travel.state.gov/vwp.html For pertinent questions ask @jaffar

She was denied entry because she’d overstayed previously! 

 

But anyway yes that’s a good point OP,  just search this sub-forum, plenty denial stories.

Edited November 28, 2018 by SusieQQQ

[geowrian 22,335]

1 hour ago, Ahegao said:

I am proposing a change in how the United States allows only a select few countries to be able to travel to the US w/o requiring a Visa through its VISA Waiver Program. This means including more countries into the list or revising the program so that it is not so biased towards first world political allies of the US. 

As noted already, the list of countries included in the VWP is based on several factors, primarily revolving around abuse of tourist visas. Countries are added to, and removed from, the list as fraudulent use of tourist visas goes up/down. It's not based on who are allies or not (not that "enemies" of the US should be included IMO...but there are plenty of allies not in the program as well).

 

What are some suggestions of countries that should be added/removed, and why?

 

1 hour ago, Ahegao said:

Yes, I am aware, but there are individuals that still get denied entry for whatever arbitrary reason despite showing no intent to immigrate to the US. Those are the ones I would like to hear from.

The issue is the INA explicitly requires the CO to presume every applicant has immigrant intent. It's not that somebody is denied under 214(b) because they have shown immigrant intent...it's that they haven't overcome that mandatory presumption. Merely not showing immigrant intent is insufficient.

 

Edit: Also, I'd disagree with the characterization that people are refused for "arbitrary" reasons. The CO has full discretion. While not technically incorrect, arbitrary implies there is a randomness involved instead of an evaluation.

For comparison, I would relate it to something like ice skating judging...they have guidelines to go by in which they use their discretion. They don't just pick scores arbitrarily.

Edited November 28, 2018 by geowrian

[Ahegao 3]

Thank you very much for the information and advice. I know my research isn't perfect yet (it is in the research phase after all) and I know that compared to you all, that I'm not as well versed on immigration procedures, but still learning is a process. I'll definitely use your input for my findings.

 

 

 

 

[Mimicherie 142]

I’m no expert on immigration reform but I will say that Tourist visas in Haiti are rarely approved no matter how many ties you show. I’ve had family members/friends who just want to visit to shop/explore the US that have families, houses that they’ve built from the ground up on land they’ve purchased and even businesses up and running that proves, IMO, major ties to their country and they still get denied. Doesn’t matter how much proof they bring to the interview. I think the only visas they actually take time to make decisions on are K1’s/CR1’s and other sponsorship visa’s and such. I wouldn’t consider Haiti a High fraud country, but I’m going to go ahead and guess we don’t have the best percentages when it comes to tourist visa use in the past. Which is why they probably just deny, deny, deny now. That’s just my little 2 cents. 🤷🏾‍♀️

[geowrian 22,335]

Yeah, some countries have massive levels of tourist visa fraud.

FY 2017 Tourist visa refusal rates*: https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Statistics/Non-Immigrant-Statistics/RefusalRates/FY17.pdf

Note that these are "adjusted" refusal rates. What this means is that if - in a single fiscal year - somebody is refused multiple times then they are only counted as one application. If they are refused and later approved on a subsequent application (in the same year), they are only treated as an approval (the refusal is no longer counted).