Visa denied...

[CynicalQuixotic]

it is a country where a few have a lot and a lot have a few. there are many poor people in here, and it is a third world country, and i never took offense on that.

But that describes the United States also. Would you call the US a third world country?

[Minerva]

There's a difference between the poor in the United States and the poor in most developing countries. For instance, we don't have shanty towns here. The standard of living is much higher in the USA than any developing country, and that includes the standard of living of our poor. For now at least.

[CynicalQuixotic]

There's a difference between the poor in the United States and the poor in most developing countries. For instance, we don't have shanty towns here. The standard of living is much higher in the USA than any developing country, and that includes the standard of living of our poor. For now at least.

Everything you said is true, what I'm saying is that it makes no sense to use Engel's definition of "a few have a lot and a lot have few" as the definition of what constitutes a "third-world country," outside of the original post Cold War defnition, because that maxim applies to many, if not all, of developed countries.

Basically, I agree with everything books said.

[rhomy]

I hope everything goes well with his Visa thing!
I know what you mean about your mom being worried. I'm 28 but she still cares for her "little girl" and won't let me go for the first time. Moms behave like that all their life! Though I also decided I'm going in August 2012 no matter what lol.
What about all your family going to Peru for vacations and at the same you meet him? They don't need to be with you all the time (hell... no!)
That's my other option. I'm going to Jamaica and Panama on February with my family and he is trying to make all the arrangements to go too. He would go with some friends but then we'll be alone! Besides, that's our middle point. Exactly half way.
Is there any other place you can meet? Any other place where he doesn't need a visa?

[kittyo9]

Did you have skype meetings with your so? saw him on the webcam? i totally understand your moms view.
when i first met my so, i was in switzerland for vacations with my aunt and uncle, they kind of interviewd my so, asking for his adress, work adress, his mothers hone number in germany and i dont know what else, so they would feel it was safe to let me alone with him, and they were still there, half an hour away from where we went to the movies alone on the first day we saw in person, so i can understand she being worried about you going to his country without him going to you first.


i would try and re-apply for the visa as you said, because, even though most of us are pretty lucky in our relationships with our so, there are maniacs out there that want to lure a girl into falling for them and can be phycos.

not saying your SO is, but I dont think your mom is being over protective.

how long is that you two talk online? and how long do you consider yourselves in a relationship?

We talk on Skype frequently and spend our evenings chatting on MSN messenger. He doesn't have a webcam but he takes pics for me with his phone when I ask or he wants to show me something. I keep telling my mom that she's more than welcome to talk to him, but she never takes me up on that offer. They're friends on facebook, too. xD
I do understand where my mom is coming from. She's always been very protective of me and I don't blame her. I still disagree with her, though.

I'm really sorry you're having to deal with this. My SO is from Nicaragua and I pretty much know that marriage is the only way he would ever be able to visit me in the US. It is true that certain countries do have significantly higher refusal rates for tourist visas so I guess the best thing you can do is research and come as prepared as you possibly can. While living in Nicaragua, I met three locals who applied for the tourist visa and only one was granted it (3 months). The two who were denied had good supporting evidence (owned vehicles, bank account, sponsorship letter from US Citizen) but it just wasn't enough. Here is a chart I recently found while researching visas:

https://immigrationroad.com/visa/b1-...by-country.php

Thank you for sharing this with me! That is a very compelling chart and I shared it with my boyfriend. Can you imagine, some countries have such enormous refusal rates (Andorra = 100%!)? I suppose it also has to do with the number of people applying, besides the status of the country and its citizens.

I hope everything goes well with his Visa thing!
I know what you mean about your mom being worried. I'm 28 but she still cares for her "little girl" and won't let me go for the first time. Moms behave like that all their life! Though I also decided I'm going in August 2012 no matter what lol.
What about all your family going to Peru for vacations and at the same you meet him? They don't need to be with you all the time (hell... no!)
That's my other option. I'm going to Jamaica and Panama on February with my family and he is trying to make all the arrangements to go too. He would go with some friends but then we'll be alone! Besides, that's our middle point. Exactly half way.
Is there any other place you can meet? Any other place where he doesn't need a visa?

I wish I could meet him somewhere, but that would end up being more expensive for everyone after you factor in hotel costs and stuff (hotel for three weeks? yikes). He can barely afford the ticket to come here. My family is saving right now for a trip to Greece and Italy in a few years, so they aren't interested in trips outside of driving distance.

[Engel]

Everything you said is true, what I'm saying is that it makes no sense to use Engel's definition of "a few have a lot and a lot have few" as the definition of what constitutes a "third-world country," outside of the original post Cold War defnition, because that maxim applies to many, if not all, of developed countries.

Basically, I agree with everything books said.

ok, a longer reply, I meant by "a few have a lot and a lot have few" that in Brazil there are rich people that concentrate the most ammount to what makes brazil a rich country as you mentioned, and a lot of poor people, that get no unemployment help or anything. they have to go on the streets and find a way to make money, or they will starve.

you arent from a third world country, your so isnt from a third world country, have you ever lived in one? i dont know why you are getting so defensive and hurt by this definition while people that are from or live in said third world countries or 'in development' dont get mad at their country being called like that. i really think that sometimes you just want to say polemic things in the threads not at all related to what the op asked, and this isnt the first time. so yeah.. there, i said it.
you are a smart girl, and make smart comments most of the times, but you are more rude than you should be when giving straight out questions or even stating your opinion. you once mentioned you used to go to a forum with many trolls. here isnt like that, so calm down, cheer up, and dont attack people.


*offers flowers*

btw, im done with the discussion of countries, just wanted to state my opinion to the op that me, coming from a country like that wouldnt be offended, and it seems your so isnt either, so all is good.

[MadMolly]

I just always assumed third-world was defined by the cold war thing... at least that's how you define it here.

[lucybelle]

And just to touch on the "third world country" matter, there is also a movement in the international development circles to move away from that term as it implies a lesser status. I always make a point to use under-developed/developing/developed when describing countries. From what I know of Costa Rica, I would be hard-pressed to say it falls in the developing country bracket. While certainly, it has some characteristics typically found in developing countries, Costa Rica is often hailed with Chile as a model Latin American country and is distinctly different from other, much poorer, Central American countries in that it has a stable democratic government and has never experienced civil war. I mean...it is referred to as the Switzerland of Latin America and is a destination for many poor Central Americans in search of jobs. So, I do believe developing vs. non-developing can be very subjective.

I realize that CR is far more along than lots of Latin American countries, in fact I stated that originally. But honestly, being the least corrupt Central American country is like being the shortest on an NBA team...

Sorry to hijack the thread OP. I'm done for real this time.

[kittyo9]

It's alright, guys. I know the definitions are rather arbitrary and I'm sorry to have sparked such debate.

I feel better about the visa now that I came here, but I'm still worried we won't get it in time for him to visit this winter. That's a really short time frame to get a visa and a plane ticket. I just hope everything works out.

[lucybelle]

I feel better about the visa now that I came here, but I'm still worried we won't get it in time for him to visit this winter. That's a really short time frame to get a visa and a plane ticket. I just hope everything works out.

It is. And what sucks is there's nothing you can do about it. Best of luck!!!

[CynicalQuixotic]

ok, a longer reply, I meant by "a few have a lot and a lot have few" that in Brazil there are rich people that concentrate the most ammount to what makes brazil a rich country as you mentioned, and a lot of poor people, that get no unemployment help or anything. they have to go on the streets and find a way to make money, or they will starve.

you arent from a third world country, your so isnt from a third world country, have you ever lived in one? i dont know why you are getting so defensive and hurt by this definition while people that are from or live in said third world countries or 'in development' dont get mad at their country being called like that. i really think that sometimes you just want to say polemic things in the threads not at all related to what the op asked, and this isnt the first time. so yeah.. there, i said it.
you are a smart girl, and make smart comments most of the times, but you are more rude than you should be when giving straight out questions or even stating your opinion. you once mentioned you used to go to a forum with many trolls. here isnt like that, so calm down, cheer up, and dont attack people.


*offers flowers*

btw, im done with the discussion of countries, just wanted to state my opinion to the op that me, coming from a country like that wouldnt be offended, and it seems your so isnt either, so all is good.

I again apologize to keep derailing the thread, but, I do feel like I need to clear up a few things.

Yes, in the original, post-Cold War definition of "third world," both Brazil and Peru are considered third world countries. This I'm not denying at all. What I've been trying to say is that I think that the term "third world" is outdated and not useful to classify developing countries, a category in which Peru and Brazil both fall. I'm not offended or attacking anyone, and I'm sorry if I've come off that way, I just am easily annoyed by what I perceive as the opinion that countries outside of the US, Europe, and China/Japan are backward and economically stagnant. I might have been a little too quick to jump on the offensive in that regard, and for that I'm sorry.

[floridaellen]

I am not in this situation but I wish you luck!
That chart is quite interesting. It's hard to believe that Canada has a 57% refusal rate. I would think it was way less.

[books]

That chart is quite interesting. It's hard to believe that Canada has a 57% refusal rate. I would think it was way less.

This document gives more info on how the actual rate is calculated (keep in mind, it's adjusted)...

https://travel.state.gov/pdf/refusalratelanguage.pdf

You can also see refusal rate statistics dating back to 2006 to compare how countries have either dropped or increased over time. There are also other factors which come into play when a decision to refuse a visa is made such as the economic/political climate and the average (actual or perceived) rate of overstays from that particular country. That info is tracked and can surely influence an officer's decision. Also a little known fact that I learned from a US Foreign Officer career session I attended- Officers are expected to have a certain percentage of denials amongst received applications, so it just may be the officer has already granted 5 visas that morning and now needs to deny one so it does not look like they are just handing out visas. This is where luck plays in. So, obviously retrying is worth something in many cases.

[floridaellen]

This document gives more info on how the actual rate is calculated (keep in mind, it's adjusted)...

https://travel.state.gov/pdf/refusalratelanguage.pdf

You can also see refusal rate statistics dating back to 2006 to compare how countries have either dropped or increased over time. There are also other factors which come into play when a decision to refuse a visa is made such as the economic/political climate and the average (actual or perceived) rate of overstays from that particular country. That info is tracked and can surely influence an officer's decision. Also a little known fact that I learned from a US Foreign Officer career session I attended- Officers are expected to have a certain percentage of denials amongst received applications, so it just may be the officer has already granted 5 visas that morning and now needs to deny one so it does not look like they are just handing out visas. This is where luck plays in. So, obviously retrying is worth something in many cases.

I see. It's very interesting. I'm glad I don't have to deal with that :/

[kittyo9]

This document gives more info on how the actual rate is calculated (keep in mind, it's adjusted)...

https://travel.state.gov/pdf/refusalratelanguage.pdf

You can also see refusal rate statistics dating back to 2006 to compare how countries have either dropped or increased over time. There are also other factors which come into play when a decision to refuse a visa is made such as the economic/political climate and the average (actual or perceived) rate of overstays from that particular country. That info is tracked and can surely influence an officer's decision. Also a little known fact that I learned from a US Foreign Officer career session I attended- Officers are expected to have a certain percentage of denials amongst received applications, so it just may be the officer has already granted 5 visas that morning and now needs to deny one so it does not look like they are just handing out visas. This is where luck plays in. So, obviously retrying is worth something in many cases.

Argh, my phone deleted my post. Anyway, I respond well to statistics, and thanks to you, I am learning quite a lot about the visa process. The more we know about it, the better we can prepare ourselves for whatever the outcome.