advice for visit visa

[hsn22]

hello
my cousin sister married and has been living in the us for the past 10 years approx. now, i want to visit her. also, since in a few years i will also be applying to study in the us, i want to visit a few universities.
i suppose a little background will be helpful. my parents live in the gulf and i've been living with my grandparents for the past 4 years. my father will provide the finances for the trip.
the wrench in the whole deal is that i want to apply and visit as soon as possible. as in, if i travel for the interview around end of this month, what are my chances for getting a visa so that i can travel by next month?

another question i want to know is, do i have to give my passport when i go for the interview? and will it be returned then and there if my application is rejected? id like to know how they deal with the passport so that if my application is denied, i might atleast travel to visit my parents in the gulf.

i know this is irresponsible of me to try so late, but i would really appreciate any/all help that you guys can give.

thanks

[waitin_toolong]

they keep the passport only for two reasons,

1) if you are approved and they need to stamp it.
2) they approve you but need further information/database check

if they reject it they return the passport.

if you get the appointment go ahead apply it does not matter.

[hsn22]

i know this might seem far fetched, but this concern was sparked off by someone i know.
if for some reason, my tourist visa application gets rejected, that apparently puts a mark on my record, right? so if i apply two years down the line for a student visa, will this rejection influence their decision then?

thanks for the help guys

[smohanty]

Your chances of getting a visitor's visa range from slim to none.

Firstly, you want to visit a cousin. That may be considered as a close relation in India but not by American standards. So any promise that your cousin makes about sponsoring you or ensuring your return to India at the end of your stay will not be taken seriously by the consulate.

Secondly, you are probably in the 18-25 age group with your parents in the Gulf. So your ties to India are not strong enough for you to want to return to India. Even a letter from your college would not be proof of your intention to return.

The consulate is bound to assume that you will get to the US and decide to stick around.

The best way for a person in your age group to get to the US is as a student (F1), a working professional (H1, L1), or a spouse to a working professional (H4, L2).

Thousands of Indian students join courses at US universities each year without visiting the universities in person so the consulate will not accept that as a valid reason for your tourist visa application. After all, there is no real need for you to first visit the universities before you apply for admissions. Any information you want about prospective universities can be found online and information about courses can be got by emailing faculty members in the particular departments.

Finally, even when you apply for a student visa you will have to prove your intention to return. So if and when you apply for a student visa, an earlier visitor visa rejection might make it more difficult for you to prove that you are a genuine student interested only in studying in the US. Your student visa application may be looked upon with more suspicion than usual and you may be asked very tough questions.

[hsn22]

hey
thanks for the advice. guess it was worth a shot.
not to sound arrogant or ungrateful but can anyone second that opinion? im just too psyched to go.
again, thanks smohanty for your advice.

[tushar014]

No i believe it s not a problem. I visited the us after my 10th grade on tourist visa to visit relatives and travel to differnt universities and then after my 12th grade I applied and recieved the F-1 visa. So dont worry abt that.
Home ties in your case will be the gulf and not india as your entire family lives there. The us consul cares abt you leaving the us and not where u will return too i.e. india/ gulf.

[smohanty]

No i believe it s not a problem. I visited the us after my 10th grade on tourist visa to visit relatives and travel to differnt universities and then after my 12th grade I applied and recieved the F-1 visa. So dont worry abt that.
Home ties in your case will be the gulf and not india as your entire family lives there. The us consul cares abt you leaving the us and not where u will return too i.e. india/ gulf.

In the 10th grade one is around 14 years old and still considered as a minor. It is easier for a minor to get a visitors visa because they don't consider a minor to be able to make a decision to stay back in the US or to live without one's parents. In fact at that age one needs to be accompanied to the consulate by at least one parent and needs signed letters from both. At this age one's social ties to one's parents/ immediate family are considered as strong enough to act as evidence of one's intention to return.

The situation changes when you get to the 18-25 age group because those in this age group are considered as young adults. The purpose of the visitor visa is to primarily have a good time/a relaxing, pleasurable holiday in the US. The US consulate seems to believe that once a young adults come to the US with the intention of pleasure and having a good time (rather than a serious intention like study, work, marriage) and once they taste life in the US they will not be able to resist it and will definitely stay back - young males to make money, young females to make money or get married.

Also, at this age, young adults are capable of living independently without any support from their parents. They also often don't have extremely well paying jobs in their home country which can be used as economic ties to their home country. So their intention to return is suspect.

Also, unlike in Tushar's case, it is when your visitors visa has been rejected because you cannot prove your intention to return that your next application is looked upon by the consulate with more suspicion.

If like in Tushar's case, your visa has been approved once, and you have not overstayed in the US your chances of getting a visa the next time are much stronger.

However, if you are "too psyched to go", then take a chance. It would feel good if you ended up being the one person to slip through the incredibly small cracks of the consulate and getting a visa.

And if you decide to try, then regardless of the outcome please do send us all the details of the interview.

The only reason one warns others of possible rejection and asks them to be careful of applying for a visa when the case is not strong, is because of the sense of humiliation that a rejection brings after one has gone through such a long and physically/mentally exhausting process. Thankfully, I have not had to face rejection myself but have seen close friends go through it to understand how terrible it feels and how it breaks people's spirits.

And rejection happens so often to people (usually older people) whose cases are strong and who have concrete proof of their intention to return. In that case there's nothing that can be done.

But if one's case is weak then why not wait a while until you are better able to prove your economic and social ties to your home country and thus have concrete evidence of your intention to return?

[hsn22]

thanks s mohanty for your advice. after corroborating with a few other people ive decided that perhaps this is not the best time for me.
its too risky and might impact my future application for a student visa, which is much more important than a visit visa.
you seem like a knowledgeable person and id like to discuss a little with you if you wouldnt mind.
you guys have been really helpful.
thanks a ton.