US visa interview applications have considerably grown in number ever since the Covid-19 pandemic struck; consequentially, the anxiety levels on the premises of the US consulate have grown as well.
There are many reasons why people feel discomfort at the sheer thought of a US visa interview. Stephen Pazan, the founder of MyUSConsul, attorney, and former US Department of State Consular officer shed light on some of the most prominent myths about consular adjudication hoping to alleviate the anxiety in visa applicants.
A very popular myth circulating among many visa applicants is that Consular officers are instructed on what to say in certain situations. This myth revolves around officers being directed by higher-ups to act a certain way and it is untrue. Consular officers review US visa applications on their DS-160 computers. The reviews provide details about prior travels and adjudications, but the officers have the prerogative power to issue a visa on the spot or to decline the application.
The second popular myth states that consular officers are required to deny a certain number of visas. Again, untrue, because no one can prescribe a “quota” to how many visas need to be adjudicated, approved, or denied. An individual officer might be expected to adjudicate a hundred visas daily, based on estimated averages. There are no concrete repercussions to “falling behind” the average daily adjudications.
“The myth that male consular officers favor female applicants is completely untrue”, says Stephen Pazan. The US State Department is very adamant about enforcing objectivity in its officers. Individuals that show gender-based preferences exist, but they are severely reprimanded.
According to Mr. Pazan, “consular officers do sometimes criticize each other by referring to “gene pool visas,” which is the rumored practice whereby male officers allow pretty girls more visas in order to make American men happy, but this is unsubstantiated on the numbers.”
Stephen imparted that there are no secret reasons why certain applications are denied. Stephen Pazan imparted that even though an officer may be a highly educated and intelligent person, “their foreign language skills are sometimes limited, and sometimes the officers just don’t know that much about the country they are serving in.”
Arguably the most widespread myth about US visa applications revolves around younger consular officers being inexperienced. This myth is too far-fetched to be based on any concrete reasoning. Even though it is true that US State Department hires many young officers, Mr. Pazan imparts that “they may actually be the most experienced at the visa adjudication window.”
Older consular officers may have spent more time in the field, it would be wrong to assume that an older officer is a boss by default. It is not uncommon for younger individuals with more consular experience to supervise officers older than them.
More information about MyUSConsul and Mr. Stephen Pazan is available on the company’s official website.
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Company Name: My US Consul
Contact Person: Steve Pazan
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Phone: (609)634-7336
Address:20 Brace Road, Suite 350
City: Cherry Hill
State: NJ 08034
Country: United States
Website: https://myusconsul.com/
