18 February 2024 , 07:00
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A former visa officer has revealed the common reason why holidaymakers are denied entry into the United States. It comes as a hopeful traveller shared how their application was denied after being asked whether they have friends or family in the country.
After answering 'no' to the simple question, their application was thrown out, leaving them to question whether they should have lied. Taking to Quora, the traveller asked users what their answer should have been - and users explained that, while they were focusing on just one question, it could have been for other reasons. Answering the original query, a former visa officer offered some other scenarios where they could be refused.
Former visa officer Jack Runkle said: "Here are some possibilities. The way you said 'no' was with hesitation and the officer believes you secretly have a US contact that you are not divulging. Given your age, travel history, or other factors, it seemed strange to her that you want to travel alone to the US where you don’t know anyone.
She was basing the decision on other information from your DS160 or interview answers and that just happened to be the last question. If she immediately handed you your passport at the same time that you answered, then the most likely reason is the third because it takes a few seconds to finish writing notes and refuse you on the computer."
And other posters joined the debate and tried to give their own advice to the unlucky person. One poster said that people should understand that the last question asked before refusal is often not the actual reason no visa will be issued, adding: "The last question is very often not about the applicant but about something external. Who do you know, who is your sponsor, do you have any relatives, what are you planning to do?
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"People get mad when the only questions are about them and they get refused. They hate to think they are a terrible applicant who deserves to be refused and waste money believing in themselves. Those who are asked about external things just before they are refused instead wonder 'What should I have said?' or 'Oh, is there some rule?' It no longer feels personal. If you want to understand your refusal, don't overemphasise the final question. It's a brilliant trick."
And another user praised the person who posted the question for their honesty in admitting they didn't know anyone in the country. They said: "You gave the right answer. If you had answered yes, you probably might not be able to answer the next line of questions which may eventually affect your chance of being approved. The rejection might be attributed to other factors the consular might have noticed about you which you may not be conscious of. The bottom line: The fact that you were honest is the right thing to do. Don’t ever feel bad about being honest."