Tourist Visa for close friend DENIED by U.S. Embassy: Is this policy insane???

Question

A very close female friend living in Odessa, Ukraine applied for a TOURIST VISA to visit me in the U.S. for her vacation. After her interview at the U.S. Embassy in Kiev, Ukraine, she was handed a generic "Dear Applicant" letter DENYING her the visa using the standard reason: the applicant has not shown sufficient evidence of returning home after their visit, but may "abandon their home country". It did NOT even have her name on it - it was handed to her from a stack of IDENTICAL letters.

Now, she recently BOUGHT a new apartment (in cash - NO mortgage!) for herself and her son; has a full-time job as a "Head Nurse" at a medical facility in Odessa; owns a part-time dermatology business there; has advanced degrees/medical training there that would NOT be recognized in the U.S.; her parents own their home in full nearby. What more "evidence" do they want?

It turns out that the U.S. DENIES visas to ALL young, attractive, female applicants from certain countries (Russia, Ukraine)...

Answer 1

the US doesn't deny all young, attactive females from eastern europe.  what are you snorting?  just because you are upset that your gf wont be coming to visit you doesn't mean that there is some conspiracy to keep all blond white russian chicks out of the US.

Answer 2

Insane, no; Systematic, yes. Unfortunately, your friend's situation is not unique or uncommon at all. There is just no rationale, methodology or justice to how U.S. embassies operate their consular services. I would liken it to a casino or a whorehouse! You just take your chances and hope that you are satisfied with what you get in return. Let your friend try and try again until she can hopefully get a fair hearing. If after several attempts she fails, you will just have to make up your mind to make the trip yourself and visit her in her native country.

Good luck & God bless.

Answer 3

That's a bureaucratic, one size fits all policy for you.

Answer 4

There are a million scams working out of the Ukraine.  The risk for visa overstay is extremely high.  The embassy is just following the law.  Visit her there.

Answer 5

They use tourist visas as a back door to come and live here as illegal immigrants. Yes. it's good policy. We don't need foreign tourists here, we have enough home made tourism.

Answer 6

I doubt it's all young attractive females, but I really hate visa policies all around the world. My friend Sulian had to go back to China when her visa expired, and she can't get a new one for another two years.

Answer 7

The bad apples spoil the bunch. It's unfortunate but true. Those girls that are smuggled here or come here with false intentions of 'visiting' for a short time then wind up staying here illegally made it difficult for those who have intentions of visiting for a short time to get their tourist visa. Maybe she can appeal the decision showing proof of her permanent residency, job, ties to the Ukraine.

Answer 8

So?  The US does not want to take a chance on her (based on how so many of her fellow countrywomen had abused the priviledge).

Why don't you go visit her?

Answer 9

The only question I can see in this post is "Is this (the US visa policy) insane???" and the answer is, no. US Consular officers are highly intelligent, highly trained Foreign Service Officers who base their decisions on established protocol and prevailing in-country conditions.  The non-immigrant visa refusal rate is as high as it is for the same reason the Ukraine will not be joining the European Union any time soon - rampant fraud and organized crime.

A joint US/Ukrainian study in 2002 showed that:  The average salary in the Ukraine was US$30/month; over 32,000 Ukrainian women were listed in approximately 200 "marriage" agencies; and two thirds of all young women surveyed said that they wished to go abroad and were hoping to marry a Western man to save them from their problems.  

I'm guessing you have never been to the Ukraine and met your close personal friend, so you haven't really seen what it is like in Odessa.   Bear in mind that even a top-ranked doctor in the former Soviet Union only makes about US$500 a month; ask yourself - where did she get the money to buy an apartment for cash (and no, I don't think it's from working in a hospital where patients still have to bribe doctors and nurses with cash and alcohol in order to get treatment, or from treating acne part time)?  Perhaps there is more validity to the visa policy than you think.

Answer 10

I agree with you.  My wife is Thai and is a permanent resident.  She has 2 grown children in Thailand and we visit them every year.  We decided that it might be nice to bring her daughter over here to finish her Master's Degree and helped her apply at a local University.  She was accepted, but her student visa request was denied.  That was that, but then a few years later we sent both kids to the American Embassy in Bangkok to apply for a tourist visa with a letter from myself personally guaranteeing that I would make sure that they got back on the plane for Thailand when their trip was over.  DENIED!!!  Why do we let foreign workers with certain skills come to our country with no questions and steal American jobs while those of us who have family ties abroad are given the cold shoulder, even for a tourist visa.  It is insane, and those who disagree with you have never been through the heartbreak of having a family member or significant other denied a visa by our "benevolent" government.  Another example of our government not caring about the people who live here and want to have a visitor, but caring so much about corporations who bring people in willy-nilly.  The country is now officially upside down in their reasons for letting people in.  --P.S. Don't listen to the person who inferred that there was something wrong with your woman because she's from Ukraine and bought a place to live.  He's talking off the top of his head and doesn't know anything about your girls situaltion.