With the continuing slide of the peso against the dollar, maybe this is a good time as any to apply for a U.S. visitors visa. Less people likely to travel abroad, less people crowding the American embassy in Manila. I got mine in January this year -- six months, good for a single entry. Going through the whole tedious and confusing process debunked many notions about that elusive stamp.
First is about timing. Some people say the embassy sets a quota for the number of approved applications. I've been told to apply early in the year, early in the week, and early in the morning. It does make sense to apply early in the year, well ahead of everybody else planning to take their summer vacations abroad. Early in the week, because the paperwork for approved applications takes about three days. And early in the morning, well, so you can start your day feeling and looking fresh.
How early is early? Between 3:00 - 5:00 a.m. they say. My advise to you is to get a good nights' sleep and get there between six and seven before the traffic along Roxas Blvd. Builds up. I got there at past five and found close to 50 mosquito-bitten sleepy-eyed people quietly standing or sitting in a long line that snakes around the trees and benches outside the embassy. One woman said she and her husband have been there since 11:00 p.m. "So how come you're standing here so far back?" I wondered. These vendors and other bystanders have been here long before that, she explained. They reserve several spots with an empty tetra brik, or cardboard, and sell this space to latecomers who don't want to stand at the end of the line. There are many of them, some operate alone, others work in pairs and teams. They come in at 8:00 p.m. and leave at around 6:00 the next morning. Towards sunrise the prices go down from P200 to P100. This is because the embassy guards come out at six and start admonishing everyone not to pay.
Mind that there is usually more than one line. Like a line for the immigrants' visa, the line for non-immigrants' visa, and still another line for workers' visa. A mistake could set you far far back at the end of a longer line. Aside from the professional bystanders, there are vendors selling food and drinks, envelopes and folders for your documents, even jackets for passports. There are also touts for photo studios. They would look at your I.D. photos, make a disapproving tsk-tsk, then solemnly tell you they're of the wrong color or size, but they can escort you to a studio nearby and have your photo taken post haste. My passport photos were exactly 2 x 2 inches, too big for the 1.75 x 1.75" box in the application form, and these wiseguys insisted the embassy is very particular about that. I simply borrowed somebody's scissors and snipped it to the right size.
As soon as the gates open at 7:00 a.m. everything moves fast. By eight I didn't see any more lines outside the embassy. You can easily walk up straight to the cashier and pay, just be ready with the exact change. Inside though we're as tight as a can of sardines but at least the line is moving. At that point the waiting becomes nerve-wracking, hilarious, and confusing. Everybody looked tense, nervous, hopeful and some would crack a few jokes and stories. It didn't take long for us to mingle elbow to elbow with the other applicants as the line snaked, winding tighter into the inner offices.
The men attired in business suit or Barong Tagalog are already drenched in sweat. The women wearing high heels are already wincing from aching leg muscles and backs after standing for hours. 'Tis really better to don clean, cool, presentable clothes and comfortable shoes.
Some 30 anxious minutes since the line started moving we found ourselves nearing our "moment of truth," -- the wood-paneled counter with five to six windowed cubicles of the interviewers who will decide if we deserve a US visa or not. We tried to read the faces behind the glass windows to identify the "mukhang masungit, suplado, at mainit ang ulo."
Which brings us to the crucial question, "is the granting of a US visitor's visas arbitrary or not?
The first time I applied, I was turned down because I "fit the profile of someone who has no reason to return to the Philippines."
Young, single, independent and educated, I had never been abroad. I had changed jobs four times and was "only" in my fifth year at my present job. I didn't have any substantial assets like a fat bank account, real estate, car, or business.
Days later, my friends, a couple with two kids, ages five and four, also applied. She had been to Hong Kong and Taiwan. Both were working in the same companies they'd joined since graduating from college. He, 10 years ago; she, seven years.
They just had their newly-built house blessed and they own a double-cab pick-up. Their application was denied. Why? The consular officer disapproved of them leaving the kids with the grandparents while they travel to the States.
Another acquaintance was almost denied because she also fit "the profile." But after pointing out that as the wife and mother of American citizens, she could have lived in America a long time ago. She got what she requested_a visitors' visa.
The truth is, there are no hard and fast rules except that it's presumed every applicant intends to immigrate. Yep, presumed guilty until proven otherwise. So the interview is like a trial where the applicant is given no more than two minutes to establish he or she is not a potential TNT. How do you convince the consular officer under such time constraints?
I'd advise you to properly fill out your application form, the only document they usually review. Practice filling out a photocopy of the form first and have it checked by someone who works at a travel agency. Have the pertinent supporting documents ready - certificate of employment, bank statements, land titles, etc. - but don't lug around volumes of documents as it comes across as "trying hard" or TH.
Which brings me to my second advice. Don't look TH, too desperate, or too eager. Many applicants go through the interview looking like they're about to fall on their knees as if the visa was a life-and-death issue. Some even wear all their gold jewelry, designer clothes, entire bottle of perfume, and Swiss watches. It doesn't always work.
Just relax and be yourself. You'll learn that a good night's sleep and cool, comfortable clothes and footwear will help you maintain your composure during the interview.
The most critical question is usually the first: "Why do you want to go to America?" "To visit friends and relatives," "to attend a wedding," "to attend to a sick/dying member of the family" are more gasgas than a broken record. "To see America" is one of the worst because they'll wonder whether you'd opt to stay there indefinitely once you find you like it abroad.
The US Embassy in Manila receives over 170,000 applications for non-immigrants visa each year. They have probably heard all excuses and reasons under the sun and then some. Chances are they can easily tell if you're lying, so don't. Your answer must be interest-ing yet truthful and credible.
Here are some answers that produced positive results:
"I want to watch the Chicago Bulls play. You see this? (he's wearing an MJ t-shirt) I'm Michael Jordan's biggest fan in Cebu."
"I want to prove to myself that America is not the bastion of democracy it claims to be."
"I want to go to Las Vegas, have a video taken of me making out with prostitutes so I can show it to my friends back home."
If your application was disapproved, take heart and try again after six months. One friend got hers on the third attempt; another one got lucky on her fourth try. We have another friend who applied and was denied in Manila, Hong Kong, China and Canada. The US visitor's visa? Patsamba-tsamba ra gyud na.