It is not possible they didn't ask you your reason for being there. You are saying you were in a queue, stood in front of the VO and they looked at you and just handed you a paper without uttering a sound. Unless you are a recognised terrorist, I cannot fathom the possibility

Vatod:
honest about what? When they don’t even ask any question

Vatod:
honest about what? When they don’t even ask any question

I think the question is, did the V.O speak with you? not necessarily ask you question about your application.

groovychik:
It is not possible they didn't ask you your reason for being there. You are saying you were in a queue, stood in front of the VO and they looked at you and just handed you a paper without uttering a sound. Unless you are a recognised terrorist, I cannot fathom the possibility

You can even tell that the scenario or perception that the applicant is giving does not even relate to U.S visa interview process.

Even a known terrorist will be asked some questions.

Vatod:
honest about what? When they don’t even ask any question

the VO just look u in the eye shook him/her head and deny u??

wuki:
I accompanied my parents to the consulate for their visa interview today. The denial rate was VERY high (much higher than I would’ve thought) — young, old, single, married, entire families: doesn’t matter. In fact, when I went to pay my parents’ reciprocity fee there were only two applicants waiting to pay. Fellas, it’s fierce out there; unless you have a very good reason to travel to the States, it’s probably best to save your money or visit somewhere else. Now is not a good time to go into the dungeon’s den. I thought I’d drop this note for those who may be on the fence about investing quid on applying.

Hmmm...Really?

So they allowed you into the visa interview room with your parents even when you were not scheduled for an interview

Beautyaddy:


Hmmm...Really?

So they allowed you into the visa interview room with your parents even when you were not scheduled for an interview

Yes and Yes to both of your questions.
There are certain situations that allow for company — but that’s besides the point of my original post.

Vatod:
What would’ve wrong, went for my visa interview today the woman doesn’t even ask me any question, she just give a letter that, the letter will explain to me better, imagine!

Please provide us with a little bit of a backdrop to your profile. For example, are you a first-time applicant? What's your background, etc.? It's odd, but not surprising, that you were denied no questions asked (no pun intended!) Keep in mind, the embassy/consulate conducts extensive background checks on candidates long before the interview: that data is right in front of the VO before you walk up to the window. It shouldn't surprise you why interviews last only few minutes (or seconds.) Also, by "letter" do you mean you were handed a slip? It's possible that a combination of the info you filled on your DS160 and the data they have on you may have flagged you. VO may not be obligated to ask questions after all -- just doing their job. I personally don't think you were stereotyped here; but I've never heard of an interview devoid of dialogue; that simply defeats the whole point of an in-person interview.

P.S: If it consoles you, I accompanied my folks to the consulate today and I saw a young chap who was asked just one question and after that his interview was over. At least he was asked *a* question.

jibbson365:


If the Consular Officer did not look at your documents Many people complain that the visa officer did not
even ask any questions nor looked at any
documents and rejected their application which is
not fair at all. Visa officers are experts in their
profession and they are appointed in consulates in
foreign countries after extensive training. Due to their vast experience and training, visa
officers can figure out true intentions of applicants
just by looking at them. They can even figure out
whether information provided in the application
and/or documents may be true or fake. They don't
need to talk to applicants in many cases.

Imagine

ayenikunle:


Really?

You mean NO question(s) was asked? The VO will just look at him/her and give out the letter without asking a question?

I'm Speechless........

iyaaliyah:
Good morning. Pls, sorry to bring this here. Who has flown air Italy before? Must we pay for seat or not compulsory. Is it a good airline? @seyewest, pls help me. Then their checked in baggage fare. Not contained on their website. Who knows? Thanks.

Make sure you are not changing your dates after booking.

yinksob002:
Good day house,

My dropbox renewal interview was unsuccessful. I was interviewed in Lagos (Window 4) See transcript below:

Me: Good morning
VO: Good morning, how are you doing today?
Me: I'm fine, thank you.
VO: Your passport and DS160 confirmation please
Me: (Hands it over to him)
VO: I can see you have previously visited the US in 2017, which city did you go to?
Me: New York
VO: How long did you stay during your visit?
Me: 2 weeks
VO: Okay (nods his head affirmatively). Are you married?
Me: Yes
VO: Did your wife travel with you during your last trip to the US
Me: No, she didn't as we were not married then
VO: (looks at the screen and says okay)
VO: Is she travelling with you on this proposed trip
Me: No
VO: Where do you work and what are your roles?
Me: I work at xyz bank as a financial reporting officer and handles financial and management reporting, tax remittances, performance mgt ....
VO: That's cool. So, where do you intend to visit this time and what will you be be doing?
Me: I will be visiting New Jersey and in the course of my visit, go sight seeing and visit some places of attraction
VO: Ok, have you visited any other country(s) apart from the US in the last 5 years?
Me: Yes, I've visited South africa and UAE.
VO: Any recent trip out of the country?
Me: Yes, I was in Dubai, UAE in September
VO: Did you go alone or with your wife?
Me: I went with my wife
VO: How long did you stay?
Me: 8 days
VO: That's good (looks at my passport to confirm the stamp)
VO: Do you have kids yet
Me: No
VO: Ok, I'm sorry to inform you that you do not qualify for a US visa at this time (Hands over the refusal form). You can reapply some other time.
VO: Do enjoy the rest your day
Me: Thank you (Collected the refusal form and left).

Although, I wasn't too optimistic given the trend of events in the last one year, but i'm still shocked that I could be refused as i did not at anytime abuse the terms of my previous visa nor overstayed. What do you guys advise?

sorry about this. but i think the no kids yet may have played a role here. In any case i pray that you will be more favoured when next you appy.

hello house good to come down heere again after a while, i got my visa last year which expires by May next year , i have travelled to US and came back after 9 days ,would it be advisable for my wife to apply for her own while mine is still valid or wait till when mine expires so that we can both apply together as new applicants.

wuki:


Please provide us with a little bit of a backdrop to your profile. For example, are you a first-time applicant? What's your background, etc.? It's odd, but not surprising, that you were denied no questions asked (no pun intended!) Keep in mind, the embassy/consulate conducts extensive background checks on candidates long before the interview: that data is right in front of the VO before you walk up to the window. It shouldn't surprise you why interviews last only few minutes (or seconds.) Also, by "letter" do you mean you were handed a slip? It's possible that a combination of the info you filled on your DS160 and the data they have on you may have flagged you. VO may not be obligated to ask questions after all -- just doing their job. I personally don't think you were stereotyped here; but I've never heard of an interview devoid of dialogue; that simply defeats the whole point of an in-person interview.

P.S: If it consoles you, I accompanied my folks to the consulate today and I saw a young chap who was asked just one question and after that his interview was over. At least he was asked *a* question.

Extensive background check long before the interview? How?

I thought not until you come in and hand over ur passport. Thousands of people are interviewed daily. How could a vo have conducted a background check on a particular, random individual??

rago:



Extensive background check long before the interview? How?

I thought not until you come in and hand over ur passport. Thousands of people are interviewed daily. How could a vo have conducted a background check on a particular, random individual??

The Vo's are just the front officers, when you go to an eatery to eat, the people serving you the food are not the people that prepared the food, they are people behind the scene.

Mr100Dollars:
The Vo's are just the front officers, when you go to an eatery to eat, the people serving you the food are not the people that prepared the food, they are people behind the scene.

There is nobody behind the scene anywhere. The decision is made based on V.Os discretion during the interview just in few minutes.
These V.O are not magicians or super humans they make big mistakes a lot.

rago:



Extensive background check long before the interview? How?

I thought not until you come in and hand over ur passport. Thousands of people are interviewed daily. How could a vo have conducted a background check on a particular, random individual??

The idea of background check is a lie.
Look at this real life scenario a V.O can interview a successful businessman and still deny the businessman just because the V.O does not believe the businessman’s story meanwhile the same V.O will interview someone else that is broke with NGN0.0 account balance but during the interview the broke applicant presented a story that made a lot of sense then the V.O will proceed to issue the visa to that same broke individual.
They make a lot of mistakes at the U.S embassy.

skdfu747:


The idea of background check is a lie.
Look at this real life scenario a V.O can interview a successful businessman and still deny the businessman just because the V.O does not believe the businessman’s story meanwhile the same V.O will interview someone else that is broke with NGN0.0 account balance but during the interview the broke applicant presented a story that made a lot of sense then the V.O will proceed to issue the visa to that same broke individual.
They make a lot of mistakes at the U.S embassy.

I pray they should make that same mistake during my interview. Mbok

Mr100Dollars:
I pray they should make that same mistake during my interview. Mbok

Yes random mistakes happen daily.
My friend works in Chevron he is a certified big boy.
He was issued a U.S B1/B2 visa in his first application but when his visa expired he tried to re-apply unfortunately he was denied.
Why?
During the interview the V.O just did not believe my friend works in Chevron.
He got pissed off then he applied for a U.K visa instead and the U.K visa was issued.

skdfu747:


Yes random mistakes happen daily.
My friend works in Chevron he is a certified big boy.
He was issued a U.S B1/B2 visa in his first application but when his visa expired he tried to re-apply unfortunately he was denied.
Why?
During the interview the V.O just did not believe my friend works in Chevron.
He got pissed off then he applied for a U.K visa instead and the U.K visa was issued.

Didn't he present any document to them?

Na wah o, Us visa hard o

Mr100Dollars:
Didn't he present any document to them?

Na wah o, Us visa hard o

You can present documents only when a V.O requests for it.
You can not force a V.O to look at your documents. Doing that will be a disaster.
Nigeria is regarded as a high fraud country by the U.S embassy so Nigerian documents are not trusted.

Mr100Dollars:
Didn't he present any document to them?

Na wah o, Us visa hard o

US Visa hard?

skdfu747:


The idea of background check is a lie.
Look at this real life scenario a V.O can interview a successful businessman and still deny the businessman just because the V.O does not believe the businessman’s story meanwhile the same V.O will interview someone else that is broke with NGN0.0 account balance but during the interview the broke applicant presented a story that made a lot of sense then the V.O will proceed to issue the visa to that same broke individual.
They make a lot of mistakes at the U.S embassy.

Why not just show up for a visa interview without filling out DS160 ahead of time? What is the point of filling out a DS160 exactly? You might as well argue that the consulate *solely* relies on what the candidate has to say during the interview. What about other countries, like the U.K, that have no interview process at all? They just take your application, read it and then issue a visa right away. I guess I don’t understand what you mean when you say the idea of a background check is a fallacy. Already, there are minor clues on the form, like asking applicants for social media info. You could rationalize and make yourself feel good about it; but background check is no secret: don’t be misinformed and please don’t mislead others.

Here’s a link to one of the types of background checks they conduct:

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/R43589.pdf

Do your research if you’re interested on this topic

Uriel12:

US Visa hard?

why are you laughing?

wuki:


Why not just show up for a visa interview without filling out DS160 ahead of time? What is the point of filling out a DS160 exactly? You might as well argue that the consulate *solely* relies on what the candidate has to say during the interview. What about other countries, like the U.K, that have no interview process at all? They just take your application, read it and then issue a visa right away. I guess I don’t understand what you mean when you say the idea of a background check is a fallacy. Already, there are minor clues on the form, like asking applicants for social media info. You could rationalize and make yourself feel good about it; but background check is no secret: don’t be misinformed and please don’t mislead others.

Here’s a link to one of the types of background checks they conduct:

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/R43589.pdf

Do your research if you’re interested on this topic

l think l agree with your post, once an applicant fills his / her form, it gets to the system and it is pulled out, I heard from different sources that background checks/ screening/ decision either positive / negative is done on your application prior to your physical appearance before the VO,(but I don't know how true that is) your visa approval is not done the same day you appear for your interview,

Another version l also heard was that 70percent of the visa approval is done before your appearance and the remaining 30percent is for you ( applicant) to demonstrate in line with the 70 percent that has already been done prior to your appearance, well, this is also hearsay and I don't know how true it is..

Lastly, l am of the strongest opinion that your visa application is done and dusted either positive or negative, prior before your physical appearance

I went visa interview today. Here is my story. Before now I have been to the uk twice, the last time was 2015, in addition to this I was issued a u.s visa in August 2015 which I was unable to use due to my busy schedule at work.

My visa appointment was 8 o'clock and the interview went like this:

Me: Good morning (she didn't respond)
Vo: your passport (I passed to her)
Vo: where are you going?
Me: ..... Maryland
Vo: are u going to visit a friend or family?
Me: No, am going for a training seminar.
Vo: what's it about?
Me: management and leadership skills for managers and supervisors
Vo: what leadership
Me: leadership in ...(as I was trying to explain, she just hushed me with her hand to stop.
Vo: Have you been outside Nigeria before?
Me: yes, I have been to the uk
Vo: unfortunately you are not qualified for bla, bla, bla...
Na so the black American woman just wrap my passport with pink paper as if she wrap roasted plantain.

From my observations, lots of rejections. I honestly feel a decision had already been made before the applicants attend the interview. I could read the reaction on the VO's face (while starring at her computer) immediately she scanned my passport. This is not to put fear in anyone that wish to apply but I just want to state it that things have really changed at the U.S embassy and they are working on a strict policy, especially when it comes to Nigerians. Wish those going for interview in this Trump era the best of luck. Cheers!

wuki:


Why not just show up for a visa interview without filling out DS160 ahead of time? What is the point of filling out a DS160 exactly? You might as well argue that the consulate *solely* relies on what the candidate has to say during the interview. What about other countries, like the U.K, that have no interview process at all? They just take your application, read it and then issue a visa right away. I guess I don’t understand what you mean when you say the idea of a background check is a fallacy. Already, there are minor clues on the form, like asking applicants for social media info. You could rationalize and make yourself feel good about it; but background check is no secret: don’t be misinformed and please don’t mislead others.

Here’s a link to one of the types of background checks they conduct:

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/R43589.pdf

Do your research if you’re interested on this topic

Specifically for B1/B2 visa the U.S embassy depends solely on the information an applicant provides in the D.S 160 form the next stage is to defend the application on the day of interview.
There is not background check especially for of B1/B2 visa.

Uro2011:
I went visa interview today. Here is my story. Before now I have been to the uk twice, the last time was 2015, in addition to this I was issued a u.s visa in August 2015 which I was unable to use due to my busy schedule at work.

My visa appointment was 8 o'clock and the interview went like this:

Me: Good morning (she didn't respond)
Vo: your passport (I passed to her)
Vo: where are you going?
Me: ..... Maryland
Vo: are u going to visit a friend or family?
Me: No, am going for a training seminar.
Vo: what's it about?
Me: management and leadership skills for managers and supervisors
Vo: what leadership
Me: leadership in ...(as I was trying to explain, she just hushed me with her hand to stop.
Vo: Have you been outside Nigeria before?
Me: yes, I have been to the uk
Vo: unfortunately you are not qualified for bla, bla, bla...
Na so the black American woman just wrap my passport with pink paper as if she wrap roasted plantain.

From my observations, lots of rejections. I honestly feel a decision had already been made before the applicants attend the interview. I could read the reaction on the VO's face (while starring at her computer) immediately she scanned my passport. This is not to put fear in anyone that wish to apply but I just want to state it that things have really changed at the U.S embassy and they are working on a strict policy, especially when it comes to Nigerians. Wish those going for interview in this Trump era the best of luck. Cheers!

Decision is never made before appearing for interview.
Too many Nigerians have abused their visas using conference and seminars. Unfortunately they no longer trust conference format.

Sorry to disagree with you. Background checks are carried out.

skdfu747:


Specifically for B1/B2 visa the U.S embassy depends solely on the information an applicant provides in the D.S 160 form the next stage is to defend the application on the day of interview.
There is not background check especially for of B1/B2 visa.

skdfu747:


Specifically for B1/B2 visa the U.S embassy depends solely on the information an applicant provides in the D.S 160 form the next stage is to defend the application on the day of interview.
There is not background check especially for of B1/B2 visa.

This is not accurate. Background checks that I know for certain are done include checking that the applicant is not on any US no fly database or flagged terrorist list. In addition, they have the ability to access interpol criminal records to determine if the applicant has a criminal record; if they so desire.

Mancala:


This is not accurate. Background checks that I know for certain are done include checking that the applicant is not on any US no fly database or flagged terrorist list. In addition, they have the ability to access interpol criminal records to determine if the applicant has a criminal record; if they so desire.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab popularly referred to as the "Underwear Bomber", is a Nigerian man who, at the age of 23, confessed to and was convicted of attempting to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear while on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253, en route from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan, on Christmas Day, 2009.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umar_Farouk_Abdulmutallab

Tell me what background check was done on this individual.

Mancala:


This is not accurate. Background checks that I know for certain are done include checking that the applicant is not on any US no fly database or flagged terrorist list. In addition, they have the ability to access interpol criminal records to determine if the applicant has a criminal record; if they so desire.

There’s really no point arguing with him; it only derails the productive conversations people are having here. Let’s move on and he can remain misinformed.

skdfu747:


Decision is never made before appearing for interview.
Too many Nigerians have abused their visas using conference and seminars. Unfortunately they no longer trust conference format.

In my own case I applied for a renewal via drop box and was sent an email to appear at the embassy . On the day of the appointment when it was my turn with the VO I saw on myfile a small note which says payment of reciprocity fee. I already knew my Visa had been approved even before any conversation with the VO. He only asked how my last visit went and approved the Visa and told me to go pay the fee at the cashier.
What I am trying to pinpoint here is that everybody's case is unique and sometimes decisions has already been made before you show up at the embassy just like my own case. Whatever you fill in your Ds160 is very important and a decision can be made with such info.