The USA Rejected My Visa

Years ago when I was at university in London I travelled to the USA as part of a university sports team to play some matches we had arranged there. We were all on the same flight and travelling together but for some reason an immigration official decided to pick me out and question me for 2 hours while my team mates had to wait. It was obvious who I was and obvious why I was there. At one point another immigration official come over to me and asked me if anything was wrong and I told him what was happening, he told me the guy who questioned me was a well known jerk and he waived me through. Some people just like abusing the small amount of power they have.

I have lived in Germany for more than 3 decades. A friend who's parents were German immigrants to the US returned to Germany as a US Soldier. He spoke German like a native, met a woman got married, and decided to live in Germany. He was offered a German government job but had to renounce his US citizenship. He figured no problem he didn't intend to leave Germany and he could easily apply for ESTA as a German and visit any time. About a year later his mother fell terminally ill, and he wanted to visit her before she died. His ESTA application was denied. He went to the consulate the next day and was denied entry without an appointment. He asked to speak to a consular officer. A woman came out and callously told him this wouldn't be happening if you stayed American. He didn't see his mother before she died. He couldn't get a visa appointment before her funeral. That's American bureaucracy.

"The more numerous the laws, the more corrupt the state." - Tacitus

I was born a US citizen and also renounced my citizenship. I was initially denied a visa to go back, but I cited the UN Human Rights declaration that all people can return to their birthland and they automatically gave one to me.

The easiest way to get B1 is not to apply for it. 12 years ago I wanted to go to Bahamas. Booked a hotel, booked a flight. Then I realized the interlarding was in Miami. I panicked as I realized I'd need a transit visa. So I booked a meeting at an embassy, prepared all possible paperwork and handed it to the guy. He asked what was the reason I was applying and I said shots: "Transfer to Bahamas" . He said "That's great!" with his thumb up. A week later I've received not a transit visa but B1 for 10 years. And I've never used it, just for that 1 transit.

The “I hope you suffer” statement tells you the current mentality we are dealing with now in the US.

If an officer in uniform starts a casual conversation with you, it usually means they're trying to get information out of you. I also learned that in 2017, after being pulled over for speeding.

There is more chance to be denied a US Tourist Visa if you have relatives living in the US. It is always in the back of the US Consul's mind that you already have a 'support' system there so you may decide to live and work there.

I have a story from way back in the 1990’s. A classmate in college at the University of Arizona told me her older sister worked for the U.S. government to approve or reject visas. She described how her sister gleefully rejected visas and made it sound like there was some arbitrary whimsical leeway in her decisions. I remember my classmate mimicking her sister because her sister always laughed and proclaimed “I LOVE this job!!” as she refused another applicant. This is all I know about the subject.

I’m a retired American living abroad for over 3 years now, I’m going back soon for about a week and I’m dreading it and I’m still a citizen…