I am so disappointed. I just came from the US Embassy in Nairobi for my visa interview. I had applied for a B1/B2 visa and have been denied. Can somebody tell me why I was only asked two questions and handed the denial pink paper? The questions were:

1). Why do you want to go to the US

2).Have you ever travelled before

I have seen more than 20 people walking away with pink papers!

When one Kenyan shared this experience in a traveling social group, Kenyans who have tried their luck with the highly sought-after US visa and failed came out to offer their experiences.

One Kenyan lady who identified as Berny said that she had also been asked the same two questions before she was handed the denial pink paper.

“I was asked the same and denied, at that time, the kids and I were going to visit their father,” she said.

In response, Kenia Esther Situma, a Kenyan who provides visa application services, said that in Berny’s situation, the visa officer had a reason to believe that she and the kids would not return.

“They definitely had reason to believe you wouldn’t return. I mean, you were going with your kids, their father was already there. What would have shown them you would return?” said Kenia.

“You must convince them beyond reasonable doubt. I have been denied, twice, and looking back after many years, I know why I was denied. It is called a balance of probabilities.”

Kenia went ahead to explain that there are various reasons why you may get denied at the Embassy.

“They can even deny just because they can, or because their visa quota for the day is over, or they simply don’t like you!” she explained.

“They don’t want to be the first ones to give you their visa. They want you to try other countries first and prove that you will return. Very few people have gotten the US visa without travel history to countries like the UK, Canada, Australia, Schengen area,” she said.

Ex-US Visa Officer: Why visa officer won’t look at your documents during interview

Kenia explained that she had also previously been denied the US visa before she figured out what boxes she needed to tick.

“I tried twice in 2005 and was denied. I returned in 2020 armed with Turkey, South Africa, UK, and Germany. Yes, I was grilled like a thief. But as soon as I mentioned where I’d been, the visa was granted without further ado. I was still single and minus children,” she said.