In this video, we'll talk about the top five reasons why your US visa may be rejected and
what you can do about it. The visa interview backlog continues to grow at US embassies and
consulates worldwide. As embassies are going to reopen, they're still going to be short-staffed,
and consular officers are going to become stricter and less patient with applicants. Therefore,
understanding how the visa interview works, and what you have to do to get your visa approved
is crucial. In this video, I'm going to give you five tips on how not to get your visa denied at
any visa interview in any consulates all over the world. So, what are you waiting for? I'll see you
on the other side. Hello, everybody. And welcome back to our Immigration channel. This is a place
where you get the most up-to-date information, the recent news, and everything else you need
to make your immigration journey less stressful. My name is Jacob Sapochnik. And I'm an immigration
attorney located in San Diego, California, and I help clients in all 50 states. If you're here for
the first time, don't forget to subscribe to our channel, click the notification bell so you don't
miss any of our videos. And also, give us a big like so YouTube will be able to share this video
with more people just like you. Remember, as I mentioned at the beginning of this video,
as they're going to start reopening, it's going to get very, very tough. They're going to have
limited resources, officers are going to try to see more people, but they're going to have less
time to interview them. And therefore, it's super important for you to understand what you have to
do to get their attention and get your visa approved. Let's talk about reason number one,
why visas get rejected. You'll be surprised how many applicants show up for the visa interview
and they’re not ready, either you don't have your documents in order, sometimes to make
it easier for the officer to review it. If it's a non-immigrant visa, you don't have much time. You
have to provide exactly what they need. If you're applying for a tourist visa, make sure your ties
to your home country are ready to submit to the officer. If it's a student visa, get the school
information, the financial support ready. If you apply for an immigrant visa, make sure
you have all the documents they need, financial documents, or whatever it is that they need to
be able to make the decision. But preparation, being organized, and understanding what exactly
you're doing on that day are crucial. If you're not ready, if you're not prepared, the officer is
not going to give you a second chance. He made the decision right there on the spot, and you're going
to lose. So, being prepared is really important. And I can't stress enough what you have to do,
not only on the day of the interview but also on the days before the interview.
Prepare yourself mentally, be relaxed, don't be stressed, and really understand exactly
what's going to happen on the day of the interview. Therefore, do your research. If
you have an attorney, prepare with your attorney, whatever it is, make sure that you come prepared
on the day of your interview. A recent example of a DV applicant was going for his interview, you're
supposed to bring two identical photos to your interview for the officer to take. And he didn't
bring identical photos, he had photos, the same size, they were not identical. And the officer
refused to take his photos. And that resulted in a severe delay in his process. So, remember,
it's easy, there’s a checklist, follow the checklist, be prepared. Reason number two,
applying for the wrong visa. If you're applying for a tourist visa, but your intention is really
not just to be a tourist, you may want to study something or you want to come for work.
If the officer is going to question you in the interview, and you don't have the evidence
to prove that you're going to be a bona fide tourist, you're not going to get the tourist visa.
You have to apply for the correct visa. So, if your intention is to go there,
and explore schools and maybe become a student, apply for the student visa from the beginning,
just go for the student visa. Don't apply for something that is not the right category,
then the officer rejects you, and then you're not going to be able to apply for the correct visa
when the time is right. And also, remember, when you actually attend the visa interview,
make sure that you’re still qualified at the time of the interview. So, if somebody
is applying for a fiancee visa, but then somehow they got married before the interview,
then you're not going to qualify for the Fiancee Visa anymore because you're now married. These are
just examples of things that I've seen happen to people that came to me for consultations,
and I realized that at the time of the interview, they actually didn't qualify,
they didn't have enough ties for a tourist visa. They didn't show sufficient financial support
for a student visa. They didn't qualify for a K1 visa for whatever reasons. So, remember, make sure
that you apply for the right visa, otherwise, you'll get rejected. Reason number three,
providing insufficient or incorrect information to the government. So, many cases where applicants
show up at the interview. And they're missing documents. For example, if they're applying for
an immigrant visa, their Affidavit of Support is not complete. They don't have all the tax
information. They don't have enough documents to prove that they are eligible for the visa.
Sometimes, they show up at the interview and there’s wrong information on the DS-260.
If you apply for the visa, there's wrong information on the DS-260, remember,
it is super important to provide the correct and sufficient information so the consular officer is
going to be able to issue the visa in a quick and efficient manner. Remember, if they have so many
applicants that they have to interview on that same day, and they have only two officers doing
the interview, if you don't have the information they need, they're not going to give you the visa.
They're going to send you away. They're going to... they may reschedule, or they may deny your
case. Remember, these are not regular times we are dealing here. With embassies, they're understaffed
that they don't have the resources to do their job. So, your job as the applicant is
to make sure you provide correct and sufficient information so when you go to the interview,
it's going to be done right there, you get your visa. There will be no question asked. So,
always remember, prepare, and always bring additional evidence just in case the officer needs
something else to review to be able to give you that visa approved right there on the
spot. Number four, being disrespectful to the officer or lying to the officer.
If you're going to be rude to the officer, if it's a non-immigrant visa, for example,
trust me, they’re not going to make an effort to help you get your visa. Always be polite,
always let them speak, and then answer. And most importantly, never lie to the officer, whether
it's a non-immigrant visa an immigrant visa. If they catch you in one lie, or misrepresentation,
your interview is over on that spot. And that may impact your ability to apply for future visas. So,
remember, always be respectful, and never lie to the officer. I remember there was a case where the
officer asked the applicant a civil question. Have you ever been to the United States before? And
the applicant for whatever reason said no, when in fact, the officer had records that five years ago,
the applicant actually visited the United States with a different passport. So, again, it was just
a stupid thing to do. But that fact that he lied to the officer about something that is so trivial,
caused him not to get the visa. So, remember, always be truthful. And always be polite. And
that's going to help you a lot in your interview, especially these days when they're so stressed.
And they want to go through the interview. If you start aggravating them and irritating them,
the chances of getting a visa are going to go down well. Number five, break of communication
or ineffective communication. Sometimes, there are language barriers, sometimes they're breaking
communication. It is very important for you to understand what the officer is asking you. So,
whether it's an immigrant visa or a non-immigrant visa, it is very important for you to...
if you don't understand what they say, you can ask them politely,
“Can you please repeat the question slowly? Can you please say it again? I don't understand.”
And the officer will rephrase the question, the officer repeated. But it's very important
for you not to confirm a question if you don't understand it. There’s an example of an immigrant
visa interview where the officer is trying to ask the client about the names of his wife's parents.
And the client just didn't understand what the officer was asking him. Instead of asking the
officer to repeat the question. He said he doesn't know. And the officer was upset because he was now
questioning whether there was a real marriage, and the interview went in a different direction,
trying to further investigate if it's a bona fide marriage or not. So, it could have been avoided if
the client just asked the officer, please repeat the question. I don't understand. So, make sure
that you don't fall into this trap. Effective communication is key. And if you don't understand
something, always ask them to clarify. So, yeah, these are some of the tips I can give you to try
to pass almost any visa interview, whether it's a non-immigrant visa, or immigrant visa, at any US
Embassy or consulates in the world. Remember, now, as things are going to get a little bit tough,
more people are going to be interviewed, less officers,
short-staffed, more stress, please, please follow these steps. And I wish you all the
best in your visa interview. Once again, if you have any questions, make sure you drop them in
the comments below. Let me know about your visa interview experience. I'd love to know that as
well. And if you’re here for the first time, do not forget to subscribe to our channel. Click
the notification bell so you don't miss any of our videos and give us a big like so YouTube will be
able to share this video with more people just like you. If you need help with your interview,
or any other immigration matter, make sure you give us a text at 619-483-4549. I look forward
to helping you with your case as well. Thanks for watching. I'll see you in our next video.