Do “high fraud risk” countries have hard fiance visa interviews?

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Most third-world countries are labeled “high fraud risk” where denials rates are high. But this doesn’t predict if your K-1 visa will be denied.

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Stories of heartbroken couples are everywhere — how some are left holding a denial slip from the “stubborn” officer who didn’t even look up. Some even leave the Embassy in tears. They’re shocked because, to them, their case is genuine.

In the aftermath, nothing makes sense. They check details again and everything looks in order. So they feel victimized being from a “high fraud risk” country where Officers quickly suspect a fraud K-1 visa relationship.

Samantha reads one of these stories and panics about her fiance’s upcoming visa interview in such a “high fraud country”. She doesn’t have any red flags but still worries they need to try extra hard:

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After reading this, do you know what I told her?

The same thing I’ll tell you: it’s no use worrying over a “high fraud risk” country because it doesn’t predict K-1 visa denial. In fact, the statistics and numbers agree – nothing like this actually can be predicted.

Do you know what does predict approval regardless of your country? Stuff like proper paperwork / documentation, Solid Proof of relationship, and more. We’ll talk about that later below.

But first, what is a high fraud risk country? Should you be worried? And do you need to “try harder” for approval especially if you have ‘red flags’?

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What’s a “high fraud risk” country for Fiance K visas?

Since it’s a made-up title, there’s no definition, but it goes something like this: this country has high fraud-related denials — where many applicants use phony relationships, false documents, or other scams/illegal ways to try to get a visa. (read “fiance k-1 visa fraud: is my fiance scamming me?“)

This forces Embassy Officers to see everyone suspiciously — even if your individual case is legitimate– because they’ve seen so many fraud cases come through the door. Sounds unfair right? How some selfish people ruin it for others.

Here’s what people claim a high fraud risk country has
(notice I don’t necessarily agree with these):

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1. Higher percent of K visa denials

Where officers are generally seen to be strict and unforgiving. They will refuse cases swiftly if something is suspicious (I don’t agree with this idea, but many people are convinced it’s true). Does this mean you have to be extra careful every step of the way?

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2. Genuine cases are scrutinized

Since everyone is presumed suspicious, you may feel like you’re interrogated. Some people say it feels like a “brain scan”. In any case, you’ll feel the urge to differentiate yourself from fraud cases. The problem is … how do you do that?

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3. It’s generally an unpleasant experience

(lots of anxiety and fear) leading up to the big day of the K-1 visa interview. This includes getting paperwork done (from corrupt local government officials, or medical exams performed by incompetent staff, and more). This also includes the horror stories you hear from others.

But I remind you again: a country labeled “high fraud risk” doesn’t predict your chances of approval / denial (I’ll prove this in a little bit). So with that, let’s first figure out…

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Which countries are considered high fraud risk?

I can’t give you a list because there is no list. And there aren’t any visa statistics from the Department of State based on suspected fraud for K visas to pinpoint the exact countries.

In fact, very few statistics are available for fiance visas. So, we’ll have to get a bit resourceful and figure it out on our own. In the end, however, I’m going to prove that

✸ There’s no real way to determine which is “high fraud risk” (meaning you shouldn’t worry prematurely)

✸ “high fraud risk” doesn’t predict fiance visa denial chances because each case is treated individually

As a rule of thumb: most third-world countries or undeveloped countries are on this list. Regions like North Africa, Middle East, Asia, Oceania, and South America.

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VWP Countries are low fraud risk for Fiance K visas

Let’s take a look at the first and probably the most accurate way of telling if a country is high fraud risk or not: Any country listed under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and with ESTA is a low fraud risk country.

Let me explain – VWP countries don’t need a visitor visa to the US. They simply apply online for an ESTA and come for a 90-day trip. There’s virtually no immigration hassle.

Now, think about how strict the US immigration system is. Everything’s got to be safe and secure before we allow foreigners in. So, for some people to be able to come to the US without a visa means A LOT in terms of trust, right?

European Union countries make up most of the 39 countries in the VWP. Nations like the UK, France, Germany, and Australia are VWP countries (see the full list of VWP).

To be on this list, they must maintain a low percentage (<3%) of non-immigrant visa refusals. So, for example, tourist visa denials are less than 3%. Which means these countries probably have very little visa fraud.

My point — if they have low fraud, then it’s likely they have low K-1 visa denials. Less denials from one type of visa means less denials from other types. Makes sense, right?

But does this mean K visa interviews in VWP countries are easier? No – not even close because as I’ve mentioned before, all cases are treated individually to the same standards.

But it’s still safe to agree that VWP countries are low fraud. However, this only accounts for 39 countries. How about the remaining world? Here’s my second way of figuring it out.

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Do high tourist visa denials mean high K-1 visa denials?

If VWP countries stays on the list by maintaining low non-immigrant visa denials, then the opposite must also be true, right? That countries with high denials must have high fraud.

So, here’s my second way to determine a high fraud risk country and fortunately this time we have statistics. Let’s compare tourist visa approvals to K visa approvals. Why? Simple – we’re comparing it just like the VWP countries.

Here’s the 2017 visitor B visa denial rate for each country from the US DOS website.

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The Non-immigrant B Visa Adjusted Refusal Rates by Nationality lists nations with their B visa refusal rates (tourist/visitor visa). Where applicants go to the consulate, apply for a tourist visa, and get turned away.

It’s obvious as you scroll through that “poorer” countries are often refused. Regions of Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, Oceania, etc. are among the biggest. These regions are also the ones who generally fall in the high fraud risk umbrella.

At first I thought if these countries should also have high fiance visas denials. But after looking through the numbers, this theory was clearly wrong.

First – some countries actually do fit my theory: where high tourist visa denials and high K visa denials (Nigeria, for example). Then I saw the complete opposite — high tourist visa denials but low K visa denials (the Philippines, for instance).

Nothing was consistent — which is why I’ve said in the beginning: high-fraud country labels are just titles people made up. They don’t predict your K visa chances of approval. Because the numbers say exactly that.

Let’s take the example that fits my first (and wrong) theory: Nigeria. Nigeria is a thriving African nation and sees high tourist refusals. Check the statistics for 2017.

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Nearly 45% of Nigerians step into the Embassy for a B1/B2 visitor visa get turned back empty handed. And this fits with the low number of K-1 visa approvals. Look here at the approval number for fiance visa cases in Nigeria:

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Ironically, Nigeria is the biggest recipient of K visas in Africa with 744 in 2017. However, approvals probably account for a small percent compared to the number of applicants.

Keep in mind, there’s no way of telling (statistics aren’t available), but it’s an educated guess because many people apply for K visas from in Nigeria.

So, this is an example where high tourist visa denials probably means high fiance K-1 visa denial.

But let me give you the complete opposite example, now. And it’s the reason why my theory was wrong. It’s where tourist visas refusals are high but there are also incredibly high K visa approvals.

Let’s compare the Philippines.

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B1/B2 Tourist visa denial for the Philippines is nearly 26%. That’s relatively high (remember that VWP countries have lower than 3% refusal rates), so the Philippines won’t qualify for the VWP anytime soon.

But let’s look at K visa issuance for the Philippines.

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The Philippines got 8,432 K visas issued in 2017. That’s almost 25 people per day who get K visas from the Philippines. Which makes up an incredible 20% of the worldwide total. I don’t know about you, but this blows my mind. How one country dominates the K-1 visa approvals.

Again, that’s not to say that the approval percent is high (we don’t know for individual countries) but if this approval number has something to do with it, then it’s likely the Philippines sees a high rate of approval for K-1 visas. And from my experience, most Filipinos usually see approvals.

(We can’t compare apples to apples here because the US Dep’t of State doesn’t give us all the information on approval/refusal rates for K visas by country.)

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Statistics prove there’s no telling which country is high fraud risk

So, think about what you just saw. One the one hand, tourist visa denials for the Philippines are high, yet the K visa issuance is likely high, too.

Is the Philippines a high fraud risk country? Who knows; but the numbers contradict each other. And remember the Nigerian example? How they have high visitor visa denials and high K visa denials. There the numbers did make sense.

So, to me it’s clear that

(1) it’s difficult to say if a country is high fraud risk

(2) high-fraud risk countries don’t predict your K-1 visa approval chances

The only thing I can admit is that a VWP country is an indicator of low fraud country. Besides that, we can’t be sure for other nations. Which is why I tell you to not be obsessed or worry about the label of a “high fraud risk” country.

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Will you have a hard time at your K-1 visa interview in a “high fraud risk” country?

Well, if you’ve read this far, then you know my answer: Yes and No. It depends on your case.

It’s interesting, all US Embassies use the same Foreign Affairs Manuals and procedures. It’s true–they’re given a manual to follow on how to process visa cases. So, in theory everyone has the same chance of approval regardless of country at their K-1 visa interview.

So, should some be considered harder than others? I don’t think so.

The idea of a “high fraud risk” country doesn’t mean much. The numbers from the Philippines and Nigeria agree with me on this. They also agree that certain nations are likely low-risk fraud (like Canada, VWP, etc.)

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What can you do if your fiance is from a “high fraud risk country”?

Look, I admit that in certain parts of the world, denials get rampant for K visas. But, I’m a firm believer that if you have a strong case then nothing else matters. I speak from experience and the statistics.

Don’t stress over things you can’t control. Instead, focus on things you can control. Fiance K-1 visa approval depends on

✸ good paperwork

✸ supporting evidence

✸ a genuine relationship

✸ no glaring red flags left unfixed

These are the things officers look for regardless of which country you apply from. So, now, let’s come to some sort of conclusion here:

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(1) If you have a strong case then your approval chances depend more on your particular case rather than statistics or labels of high fraud risk. Regardless of the country you’re applying from, a strong case will be approved everywhere.
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(2) If you have a weak case, then your chances of approval are swayed by the general attitude of the Embassy there — whether or not they’re “harder” than others.

In a low-fraud risk country, you might get away with a weak case. In a high fraud risk country, a weak case will fail especially without the right documentation, too many red flags, or not enough proof.
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(3) Red flags are difficult in any Consulate — whether low-fraud or high-fraud. A genuine case will have an easy time in any Consulate.
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(4) Don’t “try harder”. Because if you “try harder” it means you left room for improvement. And if there’s room for improvement, well then, you should’ve done better already regardless of the country you’re from. 

Besides, most people who “try harder” actually do more harm than good because they’re tempted to overcompensate with weak evidence (like stuffing your paperwork with 1,000 pages of Whatsapp message screenshots). Don’t do that.
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(5) Follow good advice. People who’ve been denied visas are ironically the first to give hindsight “tactics” to get approved. Usually by fraud or hiding facts – which further puts you in the path of denial. Don’t listen to them.

For example, friends sometimes tell you not to tell the officer that you’ve got a fiance in the US, otherwise they’ll reject your tourist visa. That’s a big mistake because it’s comes to bite you later on.

So, rather than follow advice of those denied, follow advice from those approved. In fact, go one step ahead and improve on what they did right.
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Let’s close with this in mind: Don’t stress out with these “labels” of low-fraud or high-fraud. Focus on your case. We’ve seen that the statistics agree with this. And now, I want to hear from you…

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What do you think? Are these just labels or is there more truth in high-fraud or low-fraud risk country interviews?