According to the US State Department Bureau, almost half of Ukrainians are denied a US visa if they wish to enter the country temporarily (via a B-1/B-2 visa).
As for other countries bordering Ukraine, the statistics of refusals from the United States are as follows:
- for citizens of Belarus this figure is 21,93%;
- Poland – 2,76%;
- Russia – 15,19%;
- Slovakia – 11,99%;
- Romania – 9,11%;
- Hungary – 8,85%,
- in Moldova, people are denied entry to the United States more often – in 58,03% of cases.
- for Ukrainians – 45.06%
According to the Investor Visa website, the percentage of refusals of American visas to Russian citizens is up to 63%.
It is worth noting that a visa is not a guarantee of entry into the country. The final decision is made by immigration inspectors directly at the border.
What will the expert say about this? — commentary by Yuri Mosh, expert in the field of migration and law, founder of the Second Passport company
The reason is very simple: in the above countries in recent years there have been a lot of immigrants who left for the United States on a temporary visa and did not return to their homeland. Including IT specialists. Some remained in the United States illegally, while others legalized their presence immediately upon arrival, without notifying the embassy and relevant services. This is the reason for these statistics. But the fact is this: in subsequent years, the procedure for obtaining a visa and entering the United States for residents of these countries becomes more stringent.
As for the American authorities, they are, of course, concerned that citizens of other countries are not returning to their homeland, but at the same time, they themselves provoke such behavior from immigrants. Any citizen who visited the United States on a temporary visa has the right (in 99,9% of cases) to stay legally in the United States for up to 6 months. During this time, an immigrant who arrived on a tourist visa manages to settle down: finds a job (albeit illegal, because the United States also does not control this point), housing, starts a family (including organizing a fictitious marriage), etc. And only then, the immigrant, with the help of a lawyer, has the right to change his visa to a study visa, for example, and stay in the United States legally.
Therefore, on the part of the United States, a more sensible reaction would be to limit visas for tourist trips to two weeks, one month, without permission to stay in the United States for up to six months. This decision would have a much greater effect than the strict screening of citizens during the visa procedure, the conditions of which suffer many people who want to go to the United States on vacation.
How can you be guaranteed to get a US visa?
According to statistics, US visas are issued to citizens much more often through the American embassies of EU countries. Therefore, if you have a Schengen visa, you are more likely to be allowed to enter the US. For example, through the American embassy in Warsaw.
Also, during the interview, you should under no circumstances conceal any information about yourself. Sooner or later everything will become clear, and entry into the United States will be denied to you for a long time (at least).
And, a very important point, it is important to prove the temporary nature of your stay in the USA. Certificates from work stating that you have a vacation planned, an invitation from a friend to a wedding, etc. are suitable.
Source: habr.com