Oh, thanks! I understand it now. I thought you meant something different but thatnks for explaning it to me. Where do you live in the US? I was there for a while but since I couldn't speak a word of English at the time I didn't enjoy it at all. Is it a nice place to live?
"the estimated 20 million illegal immigrants already living in the US illegally"
Have you ever seen an illegal immigrant living anywhere legally? ;)
Yes I have, like after the amnesty declared by president Ronald Reagan in 1985.
They were illegal immigrants until they were pardoned for breaking the law and they had been offered a chance to become legals then citizens eventually.
This is how the media refer to these people who broke the law by sneaking across the border. That is infraction number 1.
Some of these people decide to return i.e. leave after a short time when they find it very difficult to establish themselves.
Number 2 is when the overwhelming majority stay behind and establish themselves under assumed names, fake ids and/or duplicate ss numbers.
That is also against the law.
That is how you can be an illegal living in the US illegally.
I hope this was good enough of an explanation for your education.
Dear Riceruca, I had a very similar experience when I first applied for a US visa in the early 1990s. It was just after the wall came down. So you can imagine that they thought that every Hungarian wanted to leave the country now that we could travel freely. I didn't have anything, was a student, a young female with no family or husband to return to. It is probably the case that you were rejected for the same reason. I mean you were rejected because you are not married and you don't have real 'roots' in Hungary. (Whatever that means - loving your own country and wanting to retun is not enough ...) So I had to go through these really humiliating interviews where I was asked the most personal questions. Like why do I want to leave my widowed mother behind? Don't I love her enough? I was like ... eh ... ?!?! But after three rounds, and two days before my flight was booked, I got the visa. You just have to go back again and again. At least that's what I did.
Take it easy, Gyöngyös. I think you've made your point :) Why make such a great drama out of someone probably not telling the truth on a message board? Get over it. Why care who he claims to be, we've talked about this enough, can we just have a simple and friendly chat?
As for American visas, I've only heard bad things from friends so I'm not really interested in going to the US, I must admit. It's a shame because I've got a very good friend in Las Vegas and I've been invited every year for nearly 10 years! Two of my friends' visa applications were refused and they both complained about the way they had been treated at the embassy -- and one of them was a British person applying for a student visa.
Her aplication was refused because, she had not been running her business long enough since one year is just not enough.
Says who? You?? Thats a crock of crap. Bull crap.
You dont have any clue about US visa applicant screenings or consular affairs.
That is pretty evident. Much less do I believe that you are an American.
Look, you may fool around here trying pass yourself up as who you claim to be but I know that most of us here wont fall for your b.s.
Youll never fool me thats for sure.
If you aspire to become an actor I have an advice for you: dont quit your daytime job because you are a lousy actor, youll never make it.
You had tried to pull this crap on us before, it didnt work back then so what makes you think that it will work now?
Come on now, who are you kidding?
Gyöngyös, You are not normal. I was the first one to responed to riceruca. Her aplication was refused because, she had not been running her business long enough since one year is just not enough. Can you read????? Take a look at my last comment and you will see the answer for the reasons why her applicatoin was denied was betwen my guesses. So, Shut up right away. You definetaly lost the game with me a lon g, long time ago.
visab1b2, I am somewhat surprised at the position you've taken on this issue.
Here's your golden opportunity to shine, given the fact that your daddy is a diplomat at the US Embassy and yet when it comes to stepping up to the plate you show no interest in helping a poor bro' and try to pull some strings for him. I thought brothers help brothers in need but I guess this does not hold true for you in this particular case. Maybe this proverbial saying will:...liar liar, your pants on fire.. (?)
Or maybe you can help him model his business after your successful "fabrik" -as you put it before when you said that you are the president of your company that supplies office products or something like that to the US Embassy in Budapest, so with your wits and business management experience at hand, you can help him increase his business revenues exponentially and widen his profit margin such that his risk factor for not returning will be diminished greatly and get his visa application approved right away as direct result of your precious guidance.
A small favor on your part could go a long way for someone whose application was denied for no apparent reason.
Talking seriuosly: nobody can ever tell why your application was rejected, except the one who rejected it. Maybe he/she just had a bad day. Maybe he/she disliked your face, your smell, your makeup, or whatever.
I myself got a 10 year visa in 2002 working self employed in Hungary, living in rented apartment, no family, no savings. I had no invitation letter, no hotel reservation in US, no airplane reservation. And of course I had no friends at embassy. After I got the visa I couldn't believe it for at least an hour, because when I went there I was convinced that my application will be rejected.
In fact friends can't do too much. The employees of the company where I work now applies very often for US visa (we have most of our clients in US). The company has an insider at the embassy, who can help in speeding up the process, but not in final decision. And even though this insider helps the company prepare the applications, some of them are still rejected.
I think the real reason behind their decision is the huge illegal immigration problem the country is facing right now.
The US is being overrun by illegal aliens from Mexico and Latin-America.
Some experts estimate their numbers to be around 11 million while others put the numbers even higher at around 20 million.
They cross the US-Mexican border illegally, sometimes by paying coyotes
$ 3,000.00 per each wetback, then they fan out across the country and lose themselves in the crowd anywhere from big cities to rural small town America.
Illegal immigration advocates say these illegal aliens come to America to work but opponents charge that they only come here to work the system.
These people are poorly educated and most never learn English.
They take any jobs they can find, work for next to nothing , drive down wages and undermine union jobs.
They come across the border unchecked bringing many diseases with them and spreading them around among the general public. They bankrupt social services of towns, villages and even counties across America. They put an enormous strain on public schools and financially drain the educational system.
They buy fake id and social security cards creating a huge problem for the Social Security Administration and the government.
They flood hospital emergency rooms, collect unemployment benefits that they are not even entitled too. They don't pay federal and state income taxes. Many of them commit serious crimes, join street gangs and sell drugs/narcotics.
29% of the total US prison population are illegal aliens.
This has become such a big issue that last month Bush decided to send National Guard troops to the US-Mexican border to beef up border security and help the US Border Patrol stop the influx of illegal aliens. Now you can see why the US Embassy is scrutinizing each visa application in great details making sure that the applicant will leave the US before his or her visa expires.
Don't let it get to you, wait a while and apply again.
Thanks for your reply (and for yours, too, Gy)! According to your remarks the problem was probably that I was not running my business long enough (I've been doing it for about a year when I went to embassy), it's a little store with clothes+jewel and accessories. But, to answer your questions: I wanted to visit my friend who is a US citizen and I had an invitation letter from her. In Hungary, I live alone. I don't want to reject the possibility that the money was the problem (my income), but like I said, I had a very nice amount on my credit card. By the way (I can see you are an expert), is there a concrete amount, or a kind of a limit that is required? For instance, if I want to go there for a month to visit my friend, like for a long vacation, and I have already booked my accomodation how much money do I need to have in the bank? Or is there an income-limit (what is the lowest possible border?)
Of course, I went to an agency that does visas for students and asked them a few questions, even though I did not plan to travel as a student (I've got this confidental information that this particular agency "helps" to all kind of people with personal advice and that the visa applications of those who had their help are never rejected). The truth is I was shocked because the first thing the guy who was there said was: "All right, I know that you want to move to US, and settle there, so let us see what we can do for you and how are we gonna get a nice little visa for you." No kidding. I told him that I just want to visit my friend and then come back, and I would only like to know what kind of papers do I need to have in order to get the visa, but he looked at me and said "Yeah, right!" So, what I am trying to say is that there are some huge problems here. Why can't honest people get visa to US? Anyway, I am over it now, I did not get it, and yes, I was sad, especially because I really wanted to do everything right and it cost me a lot of money, and I do not plan to ask for it nowadays. But thanks for your answer again, I really haven't thought about few things you wrote. Like what kind of business I have or for how long have I been running it. I didn't think these can also matter.
Hi Riceruca How long have you been running your small business?? What kind of business do you have?? From what did you get your invitation letter?? Did you want to visit someone?? I think, the problem was that you had not been running that business for long enough, or you do not make that much money a month. If you wanted to visit someone and he or she was illegally in the US that is why your appication was refused. Who do you live with?? It is difficult to tell you why you did not get a visa since your writting to this forum is just not enough to determine the real reason. If you answer for the questions , probalbly we'll get the answer for the reason why your application was refused.
I don't know what to tell you. Talk to mud when she shows up here next time, she's been living in the USA since 1978. She is the resident expert on issues like this and she might have an answer for you as to why your visa application was denied.
There is already enough influence peddling in Washington as is by an army of turncoats (ex government employees turned lobbyists, former congressmen and senators) the last thing you need is a foreign born person to make a bid for the presidency.
Hi! My visa application was refused about a year ago when I went to embassy and said the following (while showing them the papers to prove my claims): I have a job (I run a small business, that is, I own a small company) in Hungary, I am also a university student, I have my own flat, I want to stay in US at this particular place for a month where I have already payed for accomodation (I have the bills, naturally), I have an invitation letter, and a bank account with a nice amount of money that I am going to spend in US, and of course, the plane ticket there and back, as well. Still, I was told: "We are sorry, but we cannot give you visa now". I asked why, but again they said "soryy, sorry, sorry..... but we can't...blahblahblah". So, I think (I am definitely convinced) my application was refused because I am not married. I just can't think of anything else. And it was a very negative experience. Going to embassy, I mean. I think that they have this strange kind of attitude to those who they do not want to give visa for this reason or that; they want to make sure that these people don't come back again. Sorry, I really don't want to offend anybody, but this is how I feel.
What, philosophy? Old fashioned, I admit. Outdated perhaps. But I would've enjoyed living in a time when people still had conversations, and had the wits to expound real thoughts in their arguments, instead of single words.
Are we getting philosophic? Change is inevitable; living IS changing. There is nobody who could be more loyal to a land than someone who has seen the rest of the world, been there and suffered through it all.
Yes, you must have been born in America to qualify for the race.
Not to my knowledge and I don't see why anyone would want to change the constitution. Americans want to make sure that their president is loyal to the land of the free and home of the brave. And I agree, it should be left that way, just as the founding fathers of America envisioned it. Why change it now?
The highest office of the land must not be compromised in any way, shape or form.
Yes, I know. She applied for the visa last year and got this ten-year one but she's also told me that she won't have problems with visas any more because for a few months now her mother has been an American citizen.
" Her parents live there and she visits them every Christmas."
If they live there (legally), under the family reunification act, she has the right to visit her parents. Her parents could also file a petition on her behalf to obtain permanent residency (aka Green Card).
What if I say I want to be the next President? They should be happy to find an eligible candidate at last. Thanks for the hints. So there's a fairy at the forums, visa1b2, the secret inner opposition of American Immigration? (Not so secret any more though...)
I think the real reason is that she had been there and had returned in the two previous years. Maybe it was enough proof for them that she would return that time as well. She could already have stayed in the US if she had wanted to.
Yeah, like try telling an American you love living outside of America... Must be some policy or something that they gave her the visa, 'cause no way they're going to believe that reason.
