Probably the question that some are asking is why I, as a German, am applying for a USA visa. Simply it is because I don’t just want to cross the country from West to East in 3 months. My plan was first to stop off at Hawaii, then to go on to California. In Summer to go along the West coast through Canada to Alaska, then back in a loop through Canada and through the US National Parks, then from West to East through the South of the USA. A year was planned for that, for which I needed a visa.
Yes, that was the plan, if everything had gone to plan, which actually never happens.
I don’t know any more how many visas I’ve applied for and received on my travels. In any case, my passport is almost full. Right from the start of the application for the USA, everything went completely differently.
My first attempt, in the US Embassy in Melbourne failed because I didn’t have an appointment. Immediately from the not-so–friendly reception staff you get a card where you find the Internet address where you can get an appointment.
So, back again and on the Internet. To help, there are two phone numbers on the card. For the first one you see straight away that the charge for the call costs 1.90 AUD (1.16 Euro). For the second you are connected with a member of the Consulate staff that costs 20 AUD (12.28 Euro), no matter how long the call is. So preferably don’t call here either.
In the end I muddled my way through the program myself, entered all the details correctly, even managing to charge the fee for the appointment of 14 AUD (8.60 Euro) to my VISA card.
Sue helped me with a passport photo that met the US Government specifications exactly and had to be attached to the application.
As well as that I needed a statement of relationships/links outside the USA to guarantee I would leave the country again.
It could be relating to my job, studies, family or property that I own. As the first two didn’t apply, my siblings and mother probably not important enough, only my own apartment would serve. My sister had just looked for the document for that and sent it. Many thanks again for that.
So I went well prepared (to the best of my belief) on my way to the US Embassy again. This time an entry was granted as I had an appointment. Several others did as well so despite this I didn’t avoid waiting an hour. At last my number was called and I went to the counter of a nice lady who had nothing else to do other than check that I had everything with me. That was unfortunately not the case as I hadn’t paid the fee for the visa, 170 AUD (104.3 Euro). The USA is the first country that requires the fee before the visa. There was nothing for it, I would have gone not a single step further unless I had gone to the Post Office straight away and paid up.
With the receipt I could go once again through all the security controls of the US Embassy. It was like being at an airport, all bags were X-rayed, I myself had a wand waved over me. The only things I was allowed to take up with me were my purse and the papers for the application. The things you have to endure.
This time I could go directly to the counter of the nice lady, but unfortunately this time she couldn’t find my application in the computer. I was informed that I would have to fill in the application on-line again. For that there were computers available in the room, but I needed data that I didn’t have to hand. I had my laptop there, i.e. downstairs in Reception, but I wasn’t allowed to bring it up. The lady thought there would be an Internet cafe on the other side of the street and I could go there. So I looked for half an hour in the rain for this but didn’t find anything. In the meantime it was almost mid-day and the embassy was only open until 12:30. So I decided to go back and get myself a new appointment.
At first at Reception they didn’t want to let me in any more. They wanted to know why you went out, why you came back etc. They said I could only get a new appointment over the Internet. Somehow I managed to get them to let me in. Over the Internet I would have had to pay 14 AUD again. The nice lady had an understanding and gave me an appointment for Friday.
I could fill out the application much quicker the second time. But I then got an e-mail from the US Embassy that I should come with the certificate of my first application, as apparently they had found the application in their computer after all.
On Friday I went early to the US Embassy again. After waiting an hour I was again allowed in front of the counter where it was checked that I had all my documents with me. As my application was in the computer as well all my finger-prints were taken and could wait for an hour again until I was allowed to have an interview. In the meantime it was 12:15 already, and because of that it went really quickly. The interview didn’t even last 5 minutes. I tried to explain what I was doing, and had as before for the Australian Embassy, put reports together of my travels. That didn’t impress them. As they couldn’t get to grips with the document stating that I owned an apartment in Germany, they eventually decided I needed links to Australia, the country I would go back to, where I applied for the visa. And why I hadn’t applied for a visa in Germany. To the first I said, it was new to me, because all would understand I would need links outside the USA no matter where they were, and to the second, I left Germany 1 year and 8 months ago, and didn’t know whether and when I would travel in the USA.
That was all the same to them however, and they only said that I should travel to Canada, they could give me no visa, signed a letter, gave it to me and said I had to go, there were other applicants waiting. I only asked about the money that I had already paid, to which they replied it was the handling fee and for the finger prints. No thanks, for that I had paid 112 Euro so that the US government had my finger prints and could turn me away the same the next time I appeared at its gates.
I stood there, but not long as there was nothing else for me to do but go. On the way out, I thought I should see it not as the end but as a new challenge.
At home I read the note that I got again, that stated I had to show links outside the USA. Now it was clear why I was sent away directly – if only I had read it earlier...
Apart from that it was stated that it was not permitted to appeal against the judgement.
As I felt I had been handled unfairly and wanted an explanation of the situation, I wrote an e-mail to the US embassy asking where my links had to be, and that the ownership of an apartment was not accepted. That was 2 weeks ago but since then I have had no answer. I will go into it again.
With that, USA was not only the first country that asked for all fees in advance but also the first country that wouldn’t let me in. I have been in the USA so often already and it had never felt compelled to stay.
Apart from annoyance at having spent so much for nothing, I had in the meantime got around to the idea of flying from Australia to Chile and to go through South and Central America.
After Australia, where I was very spoiled, back in the poor countries, where you only got necessary everyday things and only spoke a little of the language, would certainly not be easy, but much more interesting for it. I have become knowledgeable about it, am totally fascinated, and am really enjoying the thought of it.
Probably at the end of it I would be thankful to the USA that they didn’t let me in.
In the meantime I had actually got an answer from the US Embassy. It stated that as they could not verify the document of my apartment I had to get the visa in Germany. I didn’t want it any more, I was looking forward to South America.
Despite this I demand a World Wide Visa for Cyclists!!!
