I was rejected for F-1 visa

Student Lounge International Students
1

<p>Hello everyone,</p>

<p>I scheduled my visa interview a few days back and was unfortunately rejected. Upon asking the visa officer, he gave me a sheet containing the specific reason for which I was rejected.</p>

<p>You have not shown that you have sufficiently strong family, social, or economic ties outside the U.S. Such ties can include employment, professional, educational, family or social links to a foreign country. You have not demonstrated that you have the ties that will compel you to return to your home country after your travel to the United States.</p>

<p>I was asked the following things in my interview:</p>

<ol>
<li>Why do you want to travel to the United States? I replied: Undergraduate Study</li>
<li>How long have you stayed in this country? I replied: 18 years, I was actually born here. (Actually I live in a foreign country for which this was asked)</li>
<li>What does your father do? I replied: He was as an..........in.............company</li>
<li>Do you have any salary statements showing your father's income? I replied: Yes (and after that, I showed him my Dad's salary statement and even bank statements even though he did not ask for it)</li>
<li>Who will support for your education? I replied: My Dad, for everything</li>
<li>Have you graduated from high school? I replied: No, I will in June</li>
<li>Which school do you study in? I replied to that question too.</li>
<li>Have you ever travelled to the U.S. I replied: No</li>
</ol>

<p>The man then said, sorry we cannot provide you with the visa today. I asked why, he gave me the reason (2nd paragraph) and told that: 'You couldn't show strong ties like employment with your home country. After you graduate, you don't have means of support'
I purposely did not go into further argument with the visa officer fearing that he possessed the ability to cancel my status permanently.</p>

<p>Things to note:</p>

<ol>
<li>I applied for visa very early because I received my I-20 early. Normal visa interviews are in June-July-August</li>
<li>The visa officer did not ask for my I-20 at all.</li>
<li>The etiquette I always knew was to have a good and straight posture, looking directly into the eyes and replying to whatever he says ONLY. I did everything as said.</li>
<li>Based on points 2 and 3, I did not myself willingly hand over the I-20, transcripts and many other such documents because they were not asked for.</li>
<li>The visa officer, therefore doesn’t know that I received a college grant of very high amount (45k)</li>
</ol>

<p>Mistakes I made (probably):</p>

<ol>
<li>I gave short concise answers (someone told me they have very little time allotted for each applicant), but it backfired at me. I couldn’t explain my situation assuming throughout the interview that I would be asked for the documents when necessary.</li>
<li>I did not understand the concept of ‘strong ties’ probably and was unsuccessful in this case.</li>
<li>I did not make them aware that I received grants from my college</li>
<li>I should have given all my documents to them for review before anything.</li>
</ol>

<p>My understanding of the concept of ‘STRONG TIES’:</p>

<ol>
<li>You must prove that you will return to your home country after intended period of stay.</li>
<li>This can be achieved through ECONOMIC and SOCIAL & FAMILY ties
ECONOMIC ties: Can be demonstrated through propriety of Land, Stocks & Bonds, Gold and Real estate holdings. Documentation can provided in this case
SOCIAL & FAMILY: Can be demonstrated (????)</li>
</ol>

<p>What is the proper concept of ‘strong ties’? Please explain in detail</p>

<p>How do I show proof of SOCIAL & FAMILY ties? This is ripping me off. Is it possible through documentation or verbally only? (And should I say something showing proof, verbally, considering Point 3 under ‘Things to Note’?)</p>

<p>I did not understand what the visa interviewer meant by: 'You couldn't show strong ties like employment with your home country. After you graduate, you don't have means of support'</p>

<p>Please comment on my situation and please suggest me something honest and detailed.
What should I do for my next interview? How do I prepare myself?</p>

<p>The next Visa form I fill will ask me whether I was refused a U.S. visa or not and will ask for a subsequent explanation. What should I explain and will this affect me in my next visa interview?</p>

<p>Thank you for taking your time in reading the whole story. Responses will be highly appreciated.</p>

2

<p>Bump…</p>

3

<p>I guess you should have shown the scholarship amount you got. That could have helped your cause, but what they basically need is a reason why you would return.</p>

4

<p>ah, you’re in a pretty bad situation. Once rejected, lots of rejections wait ahead.</p>

<p>May I ask which school you were admitted to?</p>

<p>Next time, try to be more iniative. Like when asking about your father’s salary income statement, hand out the I20 and clearly point out you also have scholarship from school.</p>

5

<p>I can honestly say that I have no idea why you were rejected. You showed financial support, you showed ties (your father), and it was also evident that your father would be supporting you after you graduated. And there is no way they should have been able to claims your didn’t have financial ties when they didn’t even look at your documentation!</p>

<p>I’ll give you some advice from my situation for your next time.
Maybe get a part-time job, I don’t remember if there was a question on the form that asked if you had one, but if there is you should definitely get one. I had one and it shows ties that you will go back home to work and also that you have a financial means of supporting yourself if they think your father isn’t enough.</p>

<p>Take your father with you if its possible. My mother stood right behind me the whole time during my interview. Maybe that shows “strong” bonds.</p>

<p>Hand everything like your I-20 etc. over immediately. If you’re sitting at a desk, place them on the desk within the officers reach. If you’re standing behind a counter/behind a window do the same. Just make sure the officer can take them whenever they choose.</p>

<p>But there is no definitive way of proving familial ties. At least no that I could think of, and I was never asked to show this during my interview.</p>

<p>And in terms of the way you answer your questions, maybe be a little more personable . Instead of the short and concise answers you gave, make the interview seem a bit more like a conversation.</p>

6

<p>@Punkchique: thanks for the detailed response :smiley: </p>

<p>The next Visa form I fill will ask me whether I was refused a U.S. visa or not and will ask for a subsequent explanation. What should I explain and will this affect me in my next visa interview?</p>

<p>Further suggestions will surely be appreciated :)</p>

7

<p>bump…</p>

8

<p>I definitely need more suggestions :frowning: Sorry for bugging everyone too much :p</p>

<p>Ok…I had more questions

  1. Will it be supportive if I bring statements from my school GC, Prinicpal, my Dad’s employer and my home country’s embassy that I will return back after my stay in the U.S.?
  2. Are my chances for getting a visa reduced due to a refusal? Or will my application be further scrutinized?
  3. This is my game plan for the next interview: I go to the VO and just right after saying ‘Good Morning’, I hand over my documents one after the other giving an explanation of what they contain (Assume that the VO did not ask for them). Will that be a good idea? (Also remember that they did not check all my documents in the first interview, READ FIRST POST)</p>

<p>Thanks for your answers everyone :)</p>

9

<p>Why didn’t the Consular Officer look at my documents?</p>

<p>Applying for a non-immigrant visa is not a documentary process. Consular Officers never rely only on documents. Documents alone do not establish an applicant’s intentions. Documents that demonstrate that an applicant is well established in his/her own country can in some circumstances help to show an individual’s intent to return to his/her own country after a temporary stay in the United States. Depending on the specifics of your case, the Consular Officer may or may not have needed to examine your documents closely to make a decision about your eligibility for a visa. You were correct to bring documents with you, in case the Consular Officer needed to refer to them. If the Consular Officer made a decision in your case without a detailed scrutiny of your documents, it was because other circumstances of your case were clear. If your visa was refused, it is highly unlikely that any document you could provide would significantly alter the Consular Officer’s decision about your case.</p>

10

<p>Awww., that is so sad. </p>

<p>The previous answer is correct. It’s not about documents. The Consular Officer who interviewed me only asked for my I-20. He asked me the same questions as you, but he didn’t even ask for my bank statements or anything. Maybe he was having a good day, and maybe yours was having a bad day. </p>

<p>I’ve read somewhere that if the Officer actually looks at your documents, that’s a sign that they’re looking for a reason to reject you. So, your case doesn’t make much sense to me. I guess you should have been forceful, but not too forceful and overly emphasized your grant.</p>

<p>My school has in-state tuition for all so I emphasized that a lot. Like when he asked you, have you ever been to the U.S., you could have said something like “no, but I really like this school and the … program. I intend coming back and the knowledge gained will be very beneficial to my country. I also got a grant and this will make studying in the U.S. easier cos I don’t have to worry about finances.” or something like. Always elaborate, you will look less shady. </p>

<p>Also, whenever possible, show that you researched all options. Talk about the schools you applied to, why they didn’t make the cut and why you chose this particular school. </p>

<p>Also, if you’ve started emailing professors, bring proof. This will show how serious and motivated and excited you are about studying. You could always ask the person you communicate with if you can have the email address of any professor in your major that you could talk to. </p>

<p>Also, although you should look excited. You shouldn’t look desperate. Don’t look/sound like you have to get the visa at all costs.</p>

<p>I’m sure you know this - but don’t dress shabby.</p>

<p>Smile, do not be in a hurry. </p>

<p>When you reapply, make a case against the reasons of your first denial. Don’t be rude, just be honest.</p>

<p>What’s your major? Research your major in your country. What are prospects? Tell him about opening a business or something like that.</p>

<p>Emphasize your grant. You don’t only have to answer what he asks. Always give additional information.</p>

<p>Read this:
[Study</a> in the USA, Step 5 (Visa interview) | So You Want To Be Homesick](<a href=“http://wannabehomesick.blogspot.com/2010/05/study-in-usa-step-5-visa-interview.html]Study”>http://wannabehomesick.blogspot.com/2010/05/study-in-usa-step-5-visa-interview.html)</p>

<p>Good luck, tell us how it goes.</p>