#appointmentwithgod

Applicants must:

Fill out 40 pages of an application (DS-160, available at travel.state.gov)

Take a picture with the following specifications:

Taken within the last 6 months.

In color, with no shadows, on a plain white background.

Without any worn electronic devices. Except for essential devices such as hearing aids.

The US visa photo size must be 2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm).

One must be facing the camera, with a neutral expression and both eyes open.

One cannot wear a uniform. Religious clothing worn daily is allowed. The head must not be covered, unless the person wears a headdress for religious purposes. The full face must be visible.

One must not wear eyeglasses. If there is a medical necessity (for example, the person has had an eye surgery lately), a statement from a doctor must be provided.

Sized in a way that the head is between 1 and 1 3/8 inches (22 mm and 35 mm) or 50% and 69% of the image’s total height from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head.

Pay a non-refundable visa fee (in the case of a B1/2 category, visitor non-immigrant visa, $160) regardless of the outcome of the application.

Convince the consular officer that they are not traveling to the US with ill intentions or to live there illegally. The applicant has to provide other supporting documents including but not limited to:

Invitation Letter

Financial documents like bank statements for last 3-6 months, salary slips for last 3 months (if employed), Company/Organization returns if self-employed

Proof of strong ties to home country. For example, proof of ownership of property, marriage certificate if married, children’s birth certificates if any.

Proof of where they are going to stay (Hotel, or physical address of host)

After going through the entire process and gathering all these materials, many applicants are still denied a non-immigrant US Visa. Typically, applicants who are denied a Visa can try applying again, but they cannot appeal; they must start the process over with new paperwork and a new application fee.  

In many parts of the “developing” world, the number of US non-immigrant visas issued is minuscule. For example, in Togo, Senegal, and The Central African Republic, the refusal rate for visa applicants in 2017 were all above 50%3. In total for those four countries in 2017, only 7,453 people were given Visas4.

In contrast, Americans have a very different interaction with these foreign countries; they don’t have to set foot in an embassy or even apply for a visa. They just book their flights and arrive secure in the knowledge that they are welcome. Sources:

1“Here Are the Countries U.S. Citizens Can Visit Without a Visa” (lifehacker.com)

2“Visa requirements for United States citizens” (en.wikipedia.org)

3“Adjusted Refusal Rate - B-Visas Only By Nationality - Fiscal Year 2017” (travel.state.gov)

After September 11th the world changed tremendously. The way we move changed. The way we pack our luggage changed. The way we present ourselves publicly changed. What we once considered private has become public. In our daily interactions, we are suspicious of the other. We harden ourselves and close off any avenues for empathy and compassion. We are afraid and even resentful of anyone who looks different from us. We don’t see us in the other. We see past the other. Fear.

At a United States Embassy in a “developing country,” fear and anxiety cut the air. Silent prayers are too loud for unwilling ears. Breaths–deep, loud and soft–disappear in the wind. The unseen presence of a powerful being, a being that holds visa applicants’ futures in their hands makes the place feel sacred, holy and set apart. It is a temple. Are the visa applicants here to meet god? Are their lives going to be any better after this appointment with god?