Overstayed in the US by 4 months and was later refused a B2 visa. How do I increase the chances of succeeding on my next try?
I'm Italian and I wanted to return to the U.S. to meet some friends. The problem is that in 2011 I overstayed my visa by 4 months (so 90 days of regular visa waiver plus 4 months more for health problems). I read that this put me into a 3-year ban.
Now it's 2015 and in March I went to apply for a B2 visa (ESTA was denied), but they refused to give me a visa because I didn't have enough ties in my home country. I took all the proofs so I believe that the denial was actually for the overstay.
I want to reschedule another appointment this month, but I wanted to know if anyone has re-entered the U.S. after an overstay, or if anyone got a B2 visa after an overstay.
Best Answer
An overstay of less than 180 days on an ESTA/VWP entry will not trigger a ban - it's only once you have overstayed by 180 days that a ban will kick in. Your total stay was over 180 days, but only the 4 months counts as an overstay, not the entire stay.
However, once you've overstayed by even a single day you are no longer able to enter the US under the Visa Waiver Program - your existing ESTA will immediately be invalid, and any future attempts to obtain an ESTA will normally be refused as you've already discovered.
Which means you need a visa to enter the US.
To answer your specific question, yes, countless people have been able to obtain a B2 visa after an overstay. And at the same time, countless people have been refused for B2 visas after an overstay.
When determining your eligibility for a US visa, the consulate staff take the approach of presuming that you WILL break the conditions of the visa, and then rely on you to provide sufficient evidence to convince them that you will not. As someone that has already broken the conditions of the VWP, it's going to take a lot more to convince the officials that you will not break the visa conditions than it would for the next person. So your previous refusal almost certainly wasn't directly due to your overstay - but due to that fact that with that in your history, you did not provide sufficient evidence that you would not overstay again.
For your next application, you need to take as much proof as possible of ties to your home country, and of the fact that you will return there within the period of the stay granted. This could include things like proof of ownership of property, a letter from your employer granting leave for a period of X weeks, proof of enrollment in a school/university/etc - or anything else that will act as some form of proof that you will return to your home country in a short period of time.
It is certainly possible that you will simply not be able to provide sufficient documentation to convince the staff, in which case your application will be refused, and there is likely nothing further you can do about it other than to try again in a few years.
Pictures about "Overstayed in the US by 4 months and was later refused a B2 visa. How do I increase the chances of succeeding on my next try?"
Can you come back to the US after overstaying?
Overstays & Unlawful Presence If you enter the United States with a valid visa (for example, a tourist or student visa) and overstay by less than 180 days, your visa will be considered void and you'll need to get a new visa in your home country if you want to come back to the United States.What happens if you overstay your b1 B2 visa?
If you overstay by 180 days or more (but less than one year), after you depart the U.S. you will be barred from reentering for three years. If you overstay by one year or more, after you depart the U.S., you will be barred from reentering the U.S. for ten years.How do I fix an overstayed visa?
How do I fix an overstayed visa? The best course of action is to discuss your case with an immigration lawyer. They will be able to advise you whether you should return to your home country, apply for an adjustment of status within the United States, or another pathway to residency.What happens if b2 extension is denied?
If your extension application is denied, you will receive a written decision by mail explaining the reasons for the denial. There is no way of making a formal appeal to the USCIS for the denial of an extension of stay.What is a Visa Overstay? Consequences and Solutions to Over staying a Visa
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Pixabay, Leah Kelley, Breakingpic, Monstera