Reasons Why You May Be Denied a Travel Visa

A visa is typically a stamp or sticker (posted inside of your passport) that authorizes a travelers to enter into a specific country, for a specified period of time and for a specific purpose.

Receiving a denial or refusal stamp in your passport can make it exceedingly difficult to secure a visa to that country in the future. So its best to get it right the first time. This is not to mention the forfeiture of hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars in consular application fees. 

Our staff of visa experts at Without The Stress were formally employed as Entry Clearance Officers (ECOs) at various consulates. An ECO’s job consists of reviewing applications for visas and issuing approvals or denials based on the details of each individual “case”. This level of front line experience can prove very valuable to a busy traveler in need of a visa.

We’ve become intimately familiar with the reasons some visa applications are denied by consulates and immigration authorities, so we compiled the following list of reasons why you may be denied a visa.

If you can honestly answer “yes” to ALL of the following questions, you should have no problem securing a visa. This does not mean that the application process is easy. Far from it. It just means that the processing of your visa application should go smoothly once all forms and materials have been completed successfully.

• does your passport have at least 6 months of validity past the intended departure date of your upcoming trip?
• are you applying far enough in advance for the visa (eg you have at least several days between now and when you intend to depart for your trip)?
• can you provide a legitimate reason for your visit to this country?
• are you a person of good moral character?
• have you completed the application forms in their entirety?
• have you included only truthful information on your visa application form(s)?
• have you included ALL of the required supporting documents in the EXACT format in which they were requested by the consulate?
• do you have travel arrangements for your upcoming trip?
• can you prove your intent to return to your country of origin after your trip?
• is your criminal record clean?
• can you prove that you have a viable means of sustaining yourself? (eg enough income so as not to be a perceived threat for drawing down upon that country’s welfare programs)
• would you say authorities have no reason to consider you a security risk?
• can you provide proof that you actually have roots (eg apartment, home, utility bills) in your country of residence?
• do you have health or travel insurance that covers the duration of your trip?
• can you prove that you have no intention of living or working permanently in the country you will be visiting (assuming you are not applying for a work or settlement visa)?
• can you prove you have never had a previous visa application to that country denied?
• if no, can you prove that the reason for the denials no longer exist?
• does your country of origin have good political relations with the country you intend to visit?
• are you free of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV, Hepatitis C etc?
• are you free of prior visa violations?
• have you always used the visas you were issued previously? (previously issued visas that were not used typically raise a red flag at the consulates). If no, can you provide a valid reason why a previously issued visa was not used?

If you answered “no” to any of the aforementioned questions, don't fret. You may still have a valid case. But you may need assistance with building your case. If this is you, feel free to contact us “here” with any questions. You can expect a reply in less than 24 hours.