SJ Mobilità – Blog

Many of the applicants have one and the same question when their application is rejected by the consulate. Can I reapply? Or When can I reapply?

The answer is, it depends on which category of visa that you had applied and the reason why it got rejected. Most of the tourist/business visa application gets rejected due to lack of sufficient  documents as per the checklist. If that is the case, then you always can reapply by providing the missing documents along with all the documents that you had submitted earlier. Yes, you have to reapply as fresh application and yes, you need to pay your fees again and your earlier fees are not going to be refunded. Hence ensure that you validate and verify before submitting the application to avoid such rejections.

If the application gets rejected for work permit cases, few can be reapplied immediately and there are few where you have to wait for a certain period (ex: cool off period of 1 year). The cool off period varies from country to country.

The third and final scenario, when your application gets rejected because you have given the false information. There are times it may be intentional or sometimes it might have been a overlooked mistake. Irrespective of that, if the rejection is due to false details, whether it’s intentional or not, Sorry you cannot reapply as you might have got banned. The ban period depends on the country, for example UK bans for 10 years. Yes, 10 YEARS.

Hence my advice, ensure NEVER, EVER submit a fraudulent application or provide any false details. Please don’t think you will escape the eyes of the consular officers. They are trained well enough to pick up those.

Be honest with your application, that’s going to help you with a good track record for your future visa applications with a positive outcome

Best of luck

If you need any help, am just an e-mail away, I can be reached at jani.jermans@sjmobilita.com

Consulate requires different documents for different categories of visas. There are some countries where  the consulate checklist differs with the jurisdiction. Hence it’s important to ensure to comply by the consular checklist as per the respective jurisdiction.

There are multiple concerns raised by the applicants in terms of sharing the documents

• Why does the consulate need these many documents?
• I am a corporate honcho and I don’t want to share my financial documents
• Sense of entitlement that the consulate has to approve
• Celebrities from different fields refusing to share any documents thinking they are entitled for a blanket approval

You might be a VVIP in your country, but remember consular officers do not know who you are as they are from different country, don’t expect everyone to know about you even in your own country

To make it simpler, no matter who you are, share all the documents requested by the consulate as you do not want to get a rejection due to that

You are not entitled for any visas unless you comply with the country guidelines and consular requirements, hence ensure to share as much as relevant detail possible to get the positive outcome

The officer has every right to reject an application if you have not provided the documents as per the required checklist

If you need help in terms of the right document , do reach out to jani.jermans@sjmobilita.com

The common thing that I notice with most of the applicants are the fear of rejection when applying and then anger if the application is rejected.

Usually people are more worried/fearful when applying for a visa to US/UK & Europe rather than Asian countries.

But you need not fear if your application is genuine. If it’s not genuine then don’t even bother to apply for the visa. If you think you will get away with it, you are mistaken. The consular officers are trained to identify such fradulent applications.

There are times however when the documents may not be able to give a clear picture to them to justify why the application should be approved. That’s why it helps if you can add more details in a self supporting letter that gives a clear picture of why the application should be approved.

The self supporting letter should include the below details:

• Passport details
• Employment details Evidence (Employment id/HR letter)
• Financial Supporting Documents (Pay slips/bank statement where salary is credited)
• Day wise itinerary (from the day you land till the day you depart at the destination)
• Flight booking confirmation
• Hotel booking confirmation for all the days
• Medical Insurance for the entire duration (Recommended)
• If you are invited by someone locally, then share their passport/visa details and their credentials along with their contact number
• Sponsorship letter if the local sponsor is sponsoring your trips.

Please note that the supporting letter should only include relevant details and not become too long and unreadable. There are also people who are hesitant to share the flight/hotel confirmation as they don’t want to book before the visa issuance. My advice is that if you are actually planning to travel then please go ahead and book but ensure you apply for a visa at least before 90 days, so that you have time to react in case of delays etc or reapply in case your application gets rejected. It is always recommended that you book flights that allow schedule changes or cancellation in case you need to make changes.

If you need help to prepare the supporting letter , do reach out to jani.jermans@sjmobilita.com

Many of us are petrified to go to the US consulate for a visa interview as there are many horror stories about the questions asked and how difficult the whole process is. But that is not the case, as long as you are applying for a genuine reason and are not falsifying any data then you have a good chance.

The criteria of approval is actually very simple, basically they check if you are going to the US for the reason you gave and can support yourself while you are interviewed by the consular officer. For non-immigrant visa’s they also look at how likely you are to return and not overstay your visa.

You should be prepared to answer the following questions about your trip and yourself before you visit the consulate:

• Employer name
• Your designation
• Purpose of travel
• Annual Salary
• Which visa category you are applying under?
• Where are you going? (City & State not USA, the officer knows you are going to US that’s the  reason you are at the US consulate)
• Duration – Be precise with the dates
• Why is it important for you to travel?
• Will you be getting paid in US?
• If you are visiting the client, then their details
• Who is sponsoring the trip and their details

Important notes to keep in mind during the interview:

• Concentrate on the questions asked.
•  Answer the questions clearly.
•  Keep it short & to the point while ensuring you provide all relevant details
•  Respect their time
•  Be genuine
•  Be transparent
•  Be honest

Being prepared with the above details will help you to get a positive outcome

Best of luck.

If you need help how to help the employees for the consular interview, do reach out to jani.jermans@sjmobilita.com

When you apply for a visa for countries other than the US, their consulates can ask you to visit them in person for an interview. There is no need to worry if you are called for a personal interview as this could be for various reasons. For example it’s mandatory to have a personal interview in person or through video calling if you are applying for a visa to Argentina. In the same way, Other consulates do the same based on various internal criteria (including but not limited to random selection).

It’s imperative that the employee prepares himself/herself on the below questions before you visit/have a call with the consulate:

Employer name

Your designation

Annual Salary

Which visa category you are applying

Where are you going? (Exact location in the destination country)

Purpose of travel

Duration (Dates)

Important notes to keep in mind:

Respect their time

Concentrate on the questions asked

Answer the questions clearly

Keep it short, however ensure to answer all the details required for the officer to make a decision

Be genuine / Transparent & Honest

If you need help on how to prepare the employees for the consular interview, do reach out to jani.jermans@sjmobilita.com

NOC is a document which is shared to the consulate by the employer while filing the personal visa application of the employee. The sole purpose of this letter is to provide no objection for the employee’s travel as it’s personal. Some of the consulates do require this document.

Do keep the below pointers while issuing the NOC:

• Employee Details (Name {As per the Passport}, Date of Joining and Current Designation)
• Work Address (Complete address)
• Approved leave details as per the travel dates
• Local HR SPOC details (A person who can verify the details mentioned in the documents provided to the consulate)

It always helps to give as much detail as possible to the consular officers and be transparent with the application details

If you need any further support in preparing the right consular documents, reach out to jani.jermans@sjmobilita.com

Address Proof Letter is a document which is submitted to the consulate while filing the visa application. The sole purpose of this letter is  to confirm whether the applicant resides in the city, where the application is filed. This usually happens when the passport is issued outside the city of employee’s residence or if he is new to the city (depending on the respective consulate requirement of minimum stay period in the current city).

In this letter you have to ensure to add most of the points covered in the employment letter and in addition you have to confirm the applicant’s current residential address as per company  records. It is recommended to mention his work address as well. Do keep the below pointers while preparing the same

• Employee Details (Name {As per the Passport}, Date of Joining and Current Designation)
• Local HR SPOC details (A person who can verify the details mentioned in the documents provided to the consulate)
• Work Address (Complete address)
• Current Residential Address (As per company records)

It always helps to give as much detail as possible to the consular officers and be transparent with the application details. If you need any further support in preparing the right consular documents, reach out to jani.jermans@sjmobilita.com

The Employment letter is a document which is submitted to the consulate while filing the visa application. It is a supporting letter given to the consulate in case they need a letter from the employer. The only purpose of the letter is to show the proof of employment.

Do keep the below pointers while preparing the letter:

* Details (Name {As per the Passport}, Date of Joining and Current Designation)

* Salary details (Annual salary can be mentioned)

* Local HR SPOC details (A person who can verify the details mentioned in the documents provided to the consulate)

If the employee has resigned and serving notice, ensure to mention the same in the letter as well. It always helps to give as much detail as possible to the consular officers and be transparent with the application details

If you need any further support in preparing the right consular documents, reach out to jani.jermans@sjmobilita.com

The HR letter is a document which is submitted to the consulate while filing the business application which is sponsored by the employer or personal visa application which is self-sponsored.

It is a supporting letter given to the consulate in case consulate needs a HR letter from the employer.

Do keep in mind the below pointers while preparing the HR letter:

• Employee Details (Name {As per the Passport}, Date of Joining and Designation)

• Salary details (If the Consulate asks for it)

• Local HR SPOC details (A person who can verify the details mentioned in the documents provided to the consulate)

Additional points to note, if the letter is issued for a personal visa application

o            Sponsorship details – Be very clear that the travel is sponsored by the employee and not the employer (sponsorship details are not needed in case of business visa application as this is already covered in the cover letter which I have written about in my earlier posts)

o            Leave Details – Confirm if the leaves are granted for the travel dates and the employee would report back to work after the leave if he continues to be employed.

o            If the employee has resigned and is serving notice, ensure to mention the same in the letter as well and mention the last working day.

It always helps to give as much detail as possible to the consular officers and be transparent with the application details. If you need any further support in preparing the right consular documents, reach out to jani.jermans@sjmobilita.com

The Invite letter is the most important document for the business visa application. You cannot apply for a business visa unless the destination entity (own company branch)/client invites the employee for a purpose which is mostly for a meeting/discussion or anything which doesn’t involve any productive work. This also depends on the country guidelines as some of them might allow productive work for a shorter period on a business visas well. Do check the individual country guidelines for the activities allowed before applying for the visa.

Few pointers while preparing the invite letter

1. Brief details about the destination company, it can include the latest achievements (Many of the consular officers may not know about your company)
2. Employee Details (Name {As per the Passport}, Designation, Travel Start and End Date, Location of Visit, Purpose, Sponsor details & POC (Point of Contact) details at the destination country)
   • In terms of purpose, many of the letters that are submitted to the consulate just mentions business meetings, which is incorrect. Please remember there are millions of business visa applications and no two applicants will have the same purpose. So please give at least a line or two about the actual business meeting (Eg: To attend the annual review meeting to discuss the goals for the next financial year). Be very specific and do not use the generic word which is the ultimate mistake that you can do on an invite letter.
   • POC (Point of contact) details at the destination – The contact details of the POC at the destination is who knows about the employee’s visit in the country. Do include the Name, Designation, official email address, office direct number along with personal contact number. If immigration officer at the destination airport has to verify, most of the time the flight lands at odd hours where the person may not be in the office. Hence it helps to have the direct personal number otherwise, the employee will be detained at the airport till they are able to verify through the local POC.
   • Travel Dates – Please put the exact start and end date, it cannot be approximate timelines like months or weeks, if the travel dates are not finalized please do not travel or apply for a visa.
3. Day wise itinerary – This is a good practice to include it in the invite letter, but if this is more than a week and the letter exceeds a page or two then, would recommend to add this as an addendum to the invite letter. This is another great help to the consular officers to make a quick decision
4. Giving Guarantee – (Taking responsibility) to ensure the employee is repatriated back as per the expected return date and ensuring employee doesn’t overstay in the destination country

Please note there are times employer/employee do not want to give as much details as possible as they think they are entitled to get the visa without providing any adequate details

Do remember the consular officers have a higher responsibility to ensure they allow only the genuine visitors in the country and they cannot afford anyone who tries to enter the country illegally or someone who might have a plan to harm their citizens. You might be the VVIP in your company but it doesn’t matter to them as they are just doing their job to ensure they approve the right ones. All your information provided to the consulate is confidential hence please help them to provide as much as details and in turn that will help them to make a quicker and right decision.

Best wishes for a safe and compliant business trip….

For any further advice, reach out to jani.jermans@sjmobilita.com