So you applied for a tourist Visa to the USA for your spouse, paid the fee, filled out the application and did the interview. Then you are told the Visa application was denied. Most likely cause is the interviewer determined there was insufficient reasons to determine the applicant would return to the Philippines.

What do you do now?

  1. Contact an Immigration Attorney – They can review your application and analyze your interview and assist you in providing truthful and credible justification of the ties that were missed the first time
  2. Re-apply – Yes fill out a new application and pay your fee. There is no limitation on when, but your immigration attorney should help you, to avoid possible mistakes in the first application and interview preparation.
  3. Prepare for the interview – do NOT think you need to embellish or exaggerate. It may or may not be the same person to interview you, and the danger is that they may get suspicious if your story is radically different. Remember this is subjective so your job is to provide additional ties you may have missed the first time. Check the list of well known ties interviews are looking for.

The ties that bind

  1. Business Ties – do you run a business, have employees or have operational control over some part of an ongoing business where your return is necessary?
  2. Family Ties – do you have family members here that need you? Children alone may not be enough but dependents are a factor. Remember it is subjective and therefore it is the total impression.
  3. Home Ties – Are you an active member of the community or church? These ties may be the most influential but they also may not have come up in the first interview when asked,”Why do you think you will return?”
  4. Political Ties – Are you active in politics at any level? You may not want to tell others how active you are, you may not want it public. But if you are, that may be something you share with the interviewer.

Remember the interview is subjective, it is your job to convince the interviewer. Clearly if you did the first application on your own, this time do it better with the assistance of an Immigration Attorney!

Good luck!

Ryan Barshop