Visa Denial
If you applied for a visa and got a denial letter, you may be wondering what caused your case to be denied. Often the consular officer will not tell you explicitly why your visa was denied. In this article, we will discuss some potential reasons why your visa was denied and how to work out the most likely cause.
If your visa was denied, it’s important to take action now to find out the likely reason for the denial. This can save you from getting another denial. It can also help you decide which course of action to take for example requesting a different visa type next time. It is highly recommended to have a US immigration lawyer handle your case. They will first go through your immigration history and then present to you your options moving forward. Once you have decided the path you would like to take, your US immigration lawyer will handle your case and prepare you for your visa application. This includes assisting you with preparation of the relevant forms and holding a interview rehearsal meeting.
What questions did you get asked?
If the consular officer didn’t tell you the reason for the denial, what questions did they ask you in the interview? Was there a certain topic they focused on? As an example, let’s say the consular officer starts asking you a lot of questions about what you did in your previous visits to the US under a B1/B2 visa and how you had enough funds to stay in the US. If you weren’t able to give good explanations, the consular officer may have suspected that you previously worked in the US illegally.
Immigration Violations
If you previously violated your visa such as overstaying your visa or worked illegally, this may have been the grounds for your denial. Even if you think there is no record of this immigration violation, the consular office may know about it. In Israel, there are many people who have this issue due to working on the “agalot” illegally in the US after their army service.
In the interview, the consular officer may not tell you what they see on their system so it’s hard to know what they are aware of. There is a process called FOIA which our office can handle for you. This allows you to receive certain immigration records from multiple US authorities so that you know what you are facing when you go in for an interview.
Criminal Background
If you have any criminal record in Israel, the US or anywhere in the world, this may be grounds for denying your visa application. Certain more serious crimes can even permanently bar you. You may not realize that even if a case was dropped or your criminal record comes up with no information, there may still be a need to declare this information on your application.
In our office, we have Israeli lawyers who will work on your case alongside the US immigration lawyer. The Israeli lawyer will analyze your case in terms of Israeli law and will work in collaboration with the US immigration lawyer to “translate” the case to help the US authorities understand the criminal background. Crimes in the US and Israel can have vastly different sentences so our unique service allows you to have two experts collaborating on your case.
No reason to come back – not enough roots
One of the reasons that you can be denied a visa is having no roots in your home country. This is especially common with the B1/B2 tourist visa. This happens more often if you are a young person who don’t have fixed employment. If this is the case for you, you would want to show proof of a change in circumstances before you apply again for a visa. This could be in the form of pay slips for employment in the US. It is best to wait some months before reapplying to give you the best chance of getting your visa. Alternatively, a US immigration lawyer can check if a different visa or Green Card would be a fit for you.
Our Services
Our offices have expertise in visa denials and criminal background. We have a great team who will collaborate together in order to assist you following your visa denial. We will analyze the documents and information you provide us with. Using this and our knowledge, we will come up with a plan with what we recommend that you do moving forward.
You can contact us now to arrange a consultation on 03-372-4722.
