15 Important Reasons for Visa Rejection and Refusal

Immigration protocols play a significant role in a country's safety. Therefore, on failing to adhere to visa rules, your application may get rejected.

The most obvious reason for visa rejection is missing documents or information failing to prove your eligibility to visit the desired country. It will not only spoil your excitement but also sabotage your future visa approval possibilities.

Here we will look into the common reasons for such rejections and how to avoid them to get your visa approval.

Visa refusal is the act of rejecting your appeal by the embassy consulate or high commission for entering another country. They provide the relevant visa rejection reasons, which may help you rectify the mistake in future visa applications. Apart from missing documents or information, there are several other reasons for the same.

There are several reasons for visa refusal. 

However, the most prominent 15 reasons are as follows -

1. Incomplete Application and Data Mismatch

Each and every section of the visa application form should be filled up. You should provide correct information and not leave any section blank. All sections have instructions about what to do in case it does not apply to you. If you do not provide all the correct information, then it can be a visa refusal reason.

Therefore, fill in the details very carefully to avoid any spelling error or data mismatch issue. Any data mismatch will result in application refusal.

2. Violating Visa Rules and Documentation Process

Every immigration department has strict inlaid rules for visa approval along with the documentation process. If you have a discrepancy in any documents or fail to follow the guidelines and set of rules, you will get visa denial.

Therefore, always read the embassy website and the provisions to visiting a specific country before applying for a visa.

All your documents are thoroughly checked by the authority to validate those. In case there are any fake documents, then the visa will be instantly rejected.

The embassy authority cannot verify documents in regional language; therefore, submitting such documents is ineffective.

3. Incomplete Travel Itinerary

Providing an incomplete travel itinerary is one of the most important reasons for visa refusal. Ideally, an itinerary record must-have details of the travel plan, including:

• Plan and time to visit countries and states.
• Flight and other transport tickets.
• Hotel booking receipts.

4. Inapplicable Travel Insurance for Specific Destinations

If you plan to visit any Schengen country, you must have travel insurance of at least 30000 Euros. Insurance should be applicable for Schengen countries and cover up the entire duration of your stay in the country. In case you cannot provide such travel insurance, then the visa will not be granted.

However, some countries do not need travel issuance. Hence, before applying, read the guidelines and know the requirements.

5. Insufficient Reason Explaining the Intent of Travel

You may visit a country for various reasons like business, study, tourism, etc. However, you should have proof supporting your intent. For instance, you want to visit a country to appear for an exam. You should have the admit card and permission letter from the institute approving your necessity to visit the country to appear for the exam.

6. Status of Your Passport

Your passport has expired, is about to expire, or there is no page for a visa in the passport; in that case, visa rejection is possible. Some countries need a passport that is more than six months away from its date of expiry. Therefore, if your passport expiry date is less than six months, you won't get a visa.

7. Time of Visa Application

Different consulates have different visa processing times. Hence, you should apply for a visa before the threshold processing time. Make a visa application at least a month before travelling schedule. If processing time crosses the travelling date, then the visa automatically gets rejected.

8. Shortage of Funds

To visit any country, you should have enough funds in your bank account. The consulate has set some specific amount as the cost of your stay in a particular country. If your account does not reflect the expected amount, then it can be a reason for visa rejection.

For instance, you need to have a bank balance of $5,000 to $10,000 to get a visa for a 15 days stay in the USA. If your bank statement shows that the balance is less than $ 5,000 and you applied for a 20 days stay, your visa will get rejected.

9. Criminal Records

One of the important visa denial reasons is an existing criminal record, or your entry can threaten the destination country. If the criminal record is clear, then it won't affect the visa approval process.

10. Sponsor’s Credibility

If any other person sponsors your visit to the foreign country, then the embassy will check their credibility in terms of -

• Legal status.
• Income.
• Tax obligations.

11. Unfavourable Travel History

Visa may get cancelled with poor history due to the following reasons -

• Cancellation of any previous visa application.
• Overstaying in any country in the past.
• Performing activities violating the visa norms of any specific country during your stay period.

12. Visa Interview Process

Visa interview checks if your explanation, intent, and communication are genuine. If you become nervous or hesitant, your visa application may get cancelled, assuming that you have hidden intentions.

13. Health Status

If you have any infectious disease or do not have a vaccine certificate for any specific disease, your visa is not accepted.

14. Intent of Return

If you cannot provide data or proof that you have ties with the home country and intend to return on a specific date, you may get a visa refusal.

15. Allies With the Destination Country

To avoid visa refusal or rejection, you should generally know the reasons for the visa rejection. While applying for a visa, you have to be very cautious of abiding by all rules and regulations, providing mentioned documents, and keeping no discrepancies. Steps are:

• Read the guideline given on the embassy website.
• Apply online after reading all instructions.
• Do not leave any column or section blank. Follow the instructions mentioned in the specific section to provide the right information.
• Attach valid documents.
• Keep enough funds in your account.
• Give a clear explanation of your intent to visit the country, stay, and return.
• Do not make a typing error or spelling mistake.
• Apply with enough time in hand.
• Complete all the formalities of visa application properly.
• Bank account balance, travel insurance, income tax liabilities, legal status, medical status, health conditions are some major points of considerations.

You can check the status of your visa by browsing the website of the consulate of the particular country. Here you have to give certain details, including –

• Passport number
• Application ID
• The tracking number provided during the visa interview
• Interview location

In case you are clueless about how to know the reason for visa rejection, do not worry!

Upon visa refusal, you will get a letter from the consulate stating the reason for refusal. This will help you reapply after a specific period of time by rectifying the mistake.

Also, some of the consulate websites provide the visa status with the reason for rejection, if any. However, if you are checking through any third-party website, you may not get the reason online.

Avoiding the above reasons for visa rejection and abiding by all instructions provided on the consulate website will ensure your visa approval.

Here, note that providing fake documents or invalid credentials can also affect your visa eligibility not for once but forever.