B2 Rejection - Reapply with application changes

[slavaskiiii]

Dear forum,

On Tuesday, my girlfriend (Belarusian citizen) was rejected in Minsk after applying for a B2 visa. We had hoped she could visit my family and me for a month and a half before returning to university. I am 19, she is 18; we are both students at our respective universities and have been together for 2-3 years. During this time I have visited her twice in Belarus.

Her reason for rejection was ?likely to immigrate?, though she needs to return to school immediately after leaving me, and her entire family lives in Belarus. Obviously, the rejection was really upsetting to us, as the interview lasted for only two minutes and didn't consider the documents she had with her. Therefore, we are seeking to reapply in a little over a month, but change our application form significantly to give her a better chance.

In her reapplication, I think it would be beneficial to focus on reasons (medical) why it would be very difficult for my family to visit her, events (such as my mother's birthday) we wished to invite her to, and tickets to theme parks in Florida, where we live. I also think lowering her application from 2 months would be helpful, as I saw anything over a month raises extreme suspicion among young people. In our original application, we simply mentioned me as the visiting reason, which was, in honest retrospect, not the best decision, considering we had so much more we assumed would be asked in the interview. I would still be referred to as her boyfriend on her application.

Would these changes be helpful? Her original was considerably 'bare' compared to what we are planning now. She also has events/commitments in Belarus she must attend upon return. As they only considered her DS-160, we know that all this information must be placed there. Are there any other changes that may be beneficial to her?

Sincerest thanks.

[krypton9591]

Dear forum,

On Tuesday, my girlfriend (Belarusian citizen) was rejected in Minsk after applying for a B2 visa. We had hoped she could visit my family and me for a month and a half before returning to university. I am 19, she is 18; we are both students at our respective universities and have been together for 2-3 years. During this time I have visited her twice in Belarus.

Her reason for rejection was ?likely to immigrate?, though she needs to return to school immediately after leaving me, and her entire family lives in Belarus. Obviously, the rejection was really upsetting to us, as the interview lasted for only two minutes and didn't consider the documents she had with her. Therefore, we are seeking to reapply in a little over a month, but change our application form significantly to give her a better chance.

In her reapplication, I think it would be beneficial to focus on reasons (medical) why it would be very difficult for my family to visit her, events (such as my mother's birthday) we wished to invite her to, and tickets to theme parks in Florida, where we live. I also think lowering her application from 2 months would be helpful, as I saw anything over a month raises extreme suspicion among young people. In our original application, we simply mentioned me as the visiting reason, which was, in honest retrospect, not the best decision, considering we had so much more we assumed would be asked in the interview. I would still be referred to as her boyfriend on her application.

Would these changes be helpful? Her original was considerably 'bare' compared to what we are planning now. She also has events/commitments in Belarus she must attend upon return. As they only considered her DS-160, we know that all this information must be placed there. Are there any other changes that may be beneficial to her?

Sincerest thanks.

1. her need to return to school does not constitute strong ties to her home country, it still makes her an immigration risk because she could choose to stay apply for AOS and go to school here.

2. parents are back home so she will return: again does not lower immigration risk due to the fact that children move away from their families all the time even to other countries and if she chose to apply for AOS once approved she can can petition for her family to immigrate as well.

3. her boyfriend lives in the US: BIG OL' RED FLAG

now to answer your questions about tweaking the new application

1. medical reasons: do not constitute reason for her to come here only reasons why it would be difficult for your family to travel to her. she is still perfectly capable of traveling and immigrating once she arrives via marriage to you.
2. your mother's birthday: birthdays happen all the time that is not going to be a valid reason for travel

3. changing her application to less that a month: still doesn't improve or lower your chances. she's still an immigration risk.

Summary:

There's never any harm in reapplying, but until she has a well paying job(and this doesn't even always improve your chances of visa approval) and can guarantee strong ties to her home country in other ways besides family and school, the chances of her being approved are very low because whether you want to accept it or not she is an immigration risk. Best of Luck.

[4EVER]

Dear forum,

On Tuesday, my girlfriend (Belarusian citizen) was rejected in Minsk after applying for a B2 visa. We had hoped she could visit my family and me for a month and a half before returning to university. I am 19, she is 18; we are both students at our respective universities and have been together for 2-3 years. During this time I have visited her twice in Belarus.

Her reason for rejection was ?likely to immigrate?, though she needs to return to school immediately after leaving me, and her entire family lives in Belarus. Obviously, the rejection was really upsetting to us, as the interview lasted for only two minutes and didn't consider the documents she had with her. Therefore, we are seeking to reapply in a little over a month, but change our application form significantly to give her a better chance.

In her reapplication, I think it would be beneficial to focus on reasons (medical) why it would be very difficult for my family to visit her, events (such as my mother's birthday) we wished to invite her to, and tickets to theme parks in Florida, where we live. I also think lowering her application from 2 months would be helpful, as I saw anything over a month raises extreme suspicion among young people. In our original application, we simply mentioned me as the visiting reason, which was, in honest retrospect, not the best decision, considering we had so much more we assumed would be asked in the interview. I would still be referred to as her boyfriend on her application.

Would these changes be helpful? Her original was considerably 'bare' compared to what we are planning now. She also has events/commitments in Belarus she must attend upon return. As they only considered her DS-160, we know that all this information must be placed there. Are there any other changes that may be beneficial to her?

Sincerest thanks.

Is she paying for the trip? Is she financially tied to her home country? I think, it would be better for your girlfriend to be financially stable first before she tries again for a US tourist visa. Although a job or a fat bank account does not guarantee an approval, it would at least answer 'No' to the question on the VO's mind, "Will he/she become a public charge once in the US"? The next question on the VO's mind, "Will he/she return to his/her home country?", the VO already has an answer, which is a 'No'; this is where the applicant has to strongly convince the VO that he/she has no immigrant intent. But it's the hardest obstacle to overcome because, even if your evidence/documents are screaming 'I am a genuine tourist', if the VO thinks and feels otherwise, you'll still get denied...and try again.

When I applied for my US tourist visa in 2009, the VO didn't even ask for my documents (employment letter, payslips, bank certificate). Upon reaching the window, I handed my passport, visa application form and queue number. A few seconds after, he started asking questions:

VO: What's the purpose of your trip?
Me: Vacation.
VO: How long do you plan on staying?
Me: 3 weeks.
VO: Where are you staying?
Me: My sister's place.
VO: What's the address?
Me: [gave sister's address]
VO: What's her status?
Me: She's a citizen.
VO: How did she become a citizen?
Me: Through naturalization. Her husband is a US citizen.
VO: What does her husband do?
Me: He's a merchant marine.
VO: What's your work?
Me: I'm a secretary.
VO: What company?
Me: [gave company name]
VO: How long have you been working there?
Me: Almost 13 years. [at this point, I was thinking he was going to ask for my employment letter to verify, but still didn't, so I volunteered] Would you like to see my employment letter?
VO: Why? Are you lying to me? [I was taken so aback, my eyes grew, my head fell back a little lol. At this point, too, he looked at me directly for the first time, because he was busy typing away while interviewing me, he wasn't really looking at me while doing the Q&A, which I found strange.]
Me: No, sir, I'm not.
VO: Convince me that you're returning here.
Me: [at this point, I was already quaking with fear, I couldn't get over the "Why, are you lying to me?" lol) One, I wouldn't want to jeopardize my sister's status in the US by doing something illegal, like overstaying.
VO: [he kinda chuckled] Your sister's status has nothing to do with you. Whatever you do, will have no impact on her.
Me: [I honestly thought otherwise, so I said] Really?
VO: Yes. Anything else that would make you come back here?
Me: My elderly parents. They need me. I'm the breadwinner and their chaperone to doctor appointments. [At this point, I felt the Q&A was coming to an end 'coz the VO was already shuffling my papers. I felt deflated.]
VO: Make sure you come back for them.
Me: I will.
VO: [He handed me a small paper which meant meant I'm through; approved!]
Me: [I had the strong urge to hug him but I could only thank him.]

Looking back and reading at other members' experiences here, I still don't know what made the VO approve my application, 'coz he never saw my documents, except for the passport and application form. So I believe that it all boils down to the VO's mood that day. I just got lucky, I guess.