This video I'd like to discuss with you a topic that we have received questions on quite
frequently lately about visa refusals and what to do if you receive notification of a visa refusal
For those of you who are new to our channel, I'd like to quickly introduce myself
and our firm. I'm Attorney Megan Pastrana of Corado-Pastrana, the immigration firm for couples.
We are dedicated exclusively to assisting couples navigate the immigration process. We regularly post
updates on our YouTube channel. If you haven't already subscribed, please do so now. We have lots
of educational information and updates about what's going on in the world of immigration as it
relates to couples. We also have a Facebook group, Immigration for Couples, and the link is below
Last but not least, if you like this video and the information that I'm sharing, please give
it a thumbs up so YouTube can share it with other individuals who can benefit from this information.
Alright, the question we're receiving is, "I've checked the status of my case online and it shows
visa refused. What does this mean? Is my case over? What can I do?" To back up
just a little bit when I talk about visa refusals, I want to make sure it's clear that I'm discussing
cases as it relates to couples because that's what our firm focuses on exclusively is helping couples
Usually, when a visa refusal would show up, it's for individuals who are going through
something called consular processing or a fiancé visa. Part of the process after a petition
has been filed and approved, there's an interview abroad at a US embassy or consulate at
the immigrants country of origin. After the interview or at the end of the interview rather
the officer will let you know if they've decided to approve your case or if they need to review it
and if they'll need additional documents and that they'll let you know if they do.
If immigration decides that they need to hold your case for review or that they'll
need to request additional documents at that US embassy or consular interview,
they'll either give you a letter that day of what they need or they will reach out to you
There's also an online portal, an online case status check for your US visa and we can provide
that link below. But what people are seeing on that profile when they check the status of
their visa for their spousal visa or their fiancé visa, it shows on there "refused".
We know that's extremely scary and immigration likes to do things in a way that's complicated
That's what they're notorious for. Immigration used to write on that portal when you
would check the status of your case administrative processing. That was a fancy way of saying
after your interview, the immigration officer decided they needed more documents and
they asked you to submit more documents. They used to call that administrative processing
when the immigration officer needed to review your case further or have you submit documents
Immigration eliminated that language. They no longer put administrative processing. Now, after
the interview, if the officer hasn't approved your case they just write refused for everyone.
Again, extremely confusing. Immigration is notorious for that but the sad thing is that everybody
has seen if their case is in administrative processing, they're seen refused. Visa
refused. That's extremely scary, anxiety and stress-inducing. We want you to know if you
see that online, first off, take a deep breath and the next thing you'll want to do is either
if you received a notification in your interview and you know that immigration was asking you
for more documents and you submitted those documents and they're reviewing your case
know that likely your visa wasn't refused. You're actually in administrative processing and
they're reviewing your documents. What you can do to give yourself peace of mind and clarity
because that's extremely important, would be to reach out to that US embassy or consulate where
your interview occurred and ask them for clarification. Was my visa actually refused
or is my case in administrative processing? Are there still documents that you need
or are you just reviewing my case? Sometimes the embassies and consulates might take a while
or a long time to respond. You can send follow-up emails to get an inquiry, to get a status
Most of the time though, the US embassies and consulates will respond, we're reviewing your case
we'll let you know when we make a final decision. They will typically let you know by
email of their final decision. If you see that on your profile, if you see that on your status
my main point is that I just want everyone to know don't panic if you see that. Take a deep breath
know that hopefully your case is an administrative processing and not actually refused and that you
can reach out to the US embassy or consulate for clarification about if whether or not you're just
in administrative processing and waiting on a decision or whether or not the case was refused.
If the case was refused, that's a topic for another video, but if that occurs, they should
give you clarification about the reason for the refusal. Oftentimes, you'll have an opportunity
to either apply for a waiver or have some clarity about whether or not you have options available
to you. If you need help understanding that, don't hesitate to reach out to our office.
We'd be happy to help you get clarity. Again, I hope that gives you peace of mind knowing that
that's immigration's new thing to write, refused. Hopefully, that is not bad news for you
and that you're actually just an administrative processing. Hope that helps. Have a great day!