Friday, March 02, 2007 Velasco: How to Get a US visa By Diana B. Velasco
(Part 4)
IN MY last three columns, I tried to simplify the visa application process by breaking it down into the four basic questions that a consul will definitely ask during the interview: what are you going to do in the US? How long are you going to stay there? Who is going to pay for your trip? And why are you coming back? This will tackle question number four, which is probably the make-or-break portion of your visa interview.
Suppose that you have a valid reason for needing to go to the United States and you have the resources to make the trip. The thing that you have to establish to consul, then, would be your reasons for coming back to our beloved Philippines.
This is extremely important for those who seek to secure a tourist/business visa and those who state that they have no intention of migrating to the US.
Among the most compelling reasons you may invoke for returning to the country are the following: a stable, steady and satisfying professional career, strong family ties, an established business that needs your presence and (surprise!) love for your homeland.
Establishing your career base may be ascertained by providing a certificate of employment with your remuneration. If the position you hold is a permanent one (as with civil servants), then so much the better. This establishes your sense of purpose here in the Philippines, and if you come across the interview as being genuinely and sincerely passionate about your job, then this will definitely work to your advantage.
Strong family ties would be another factor that consuls scrutinize and consider in their decision whether to grant you a visa or not. If the purpose of your trip is to visit family members in the US, then you have the burden of proving that the ties that bind you here in the Philippines are stronger than those that bind you to the US. Simple arithmetic may be used.
Three children and seven grandchildren in the States will cast doubts on your intention to return if you have just one unmarried child in the country. Pictures of your loved ones here may be of use, just in case the interviewer wants to take a peek at your version of Pinoy domestic bliss.
A business here in the Philippines could also be a good is an indicator of your intention to go back after your travel, because it is no laughing matter to invest your time, effort and resources to nurturing your entrepreneurial spirit in your very own country.
If you have bravely taken the plunge and run your own business, then use this to answer, "how are you going to pay for your trip?" Bring your business documents, just in case the interviewer asks for them. And while we're at the topic, make sure you're properly registered and that you pay your taxes too.
I know of one person who has two multicabs running the downtown route here in the city. She only had ten thousand pesos in her account, which seems paltry compared to the cost of a self-financed US trip, but she had her own business. She got a visa.
A lot of people want to go to the States to escape, maybe permanently, from what they feel is a hopeless Philippine situation. They may claim to love our country, but then they are absolutely itching to leave it behind. Not good. My unsolicited advice in this situation is to try to get an immigrant visa instead. At least, there will be no pretenses about your reasons for leaving at the outset.
As I have stated in a previous column, the consuls are trained psychologists and know how to analyze every single gesture, tone and facial expression. If you do truly love the Philippines and therefore intend to return, it will be manifested during your interview.
If it is difficult to find even just a smidgen of nationalistic fervor in your body, may I recommend this little exercise? At least two weeks before your interview, say this little mantra twenty times upon waking and before going to sleep: "Babalik ako ng Pilipinas, babalik ako ng Pilipinas!" Who knows? Even if you don't convince yourself, you just might convince the consul to give you a way out.
To be concluded in the next column. You may email you comments and reactions to missabsinthe@yahoo.com.
