You might have missed it over the weekend, but last week the State Department denied travel visas to members of the Ugandan baseball team that would have been the first African team to play in the Little League World Series. The denials came after the State Department found discrepancies in the team’s documentation. Such discrepancies are not that surprising as the Ugandan infrastructure is not advanced enough to issue systematic birth certificates. The issue is compounded by a large illiterate sector of population.
Let me be clear, there is no indication that any of the documents were presented with malfeasance – instead, the documents presented were just incomplete or insufficient to meet the standards set out by the consulate. There also seems to be contradicting information about whether the birth certificates were accurate.
The denial highlights many of the problems that applicants face all the time when appearing before the U.S. State Department’s Visa adjudicators. Here are a couple of pointers:
1) Documents and Statements Must Be Accurate and Consistent
The State Department takes great care to make sure there is no inconsistencies in an application. Thus, it is important that all applicants ensure that all of the documents and statements they make to the Consulate are accurate and clearly understood. A consulate interview is no place for exaggerations, modesty, or little white lies. Additionally, it is important to completely and accurately fill out the many forms that need to be completed to schedule an interview.
2) The State Department’s Consular Culture: The Answer Starts At No
The denial also highlights that the State Department starts every visa application review with the meter on No. The State Department does not carry the burden when it comes to issuing a visa. Instead, it is the duty of the applicant to demonstrate that he or she is eligible for the requested visa. Often this is easier said than done. Showing eligibility requires both personal statements and documentation.
State Department employees have no incentive to say Yes. They actually have an incentive to say No. State Department employees are often concerned about letting in the wrong people – therefore they interview all applicants with great care. So, make sure you are ready to present your evidence of eligibility when you go to the consulate.
3) My take on the Denial: Rigid Rules and Idiotic Determinations
Having consistent rules and regulations are important to any bureaucracy. It is better to have rules applied equally throughout the world, than to have rules applied differently at different locations. However, rules must not be so rigid as to require determinations that just do not make sense. It is understandable that the State Department wants to have strong, uniformed standards for identification documents. Such standards protect against fraud. However, in this case, there is no concern about fraud. The kids just want to come and play some baseball, and there is no indication of any harm that could come to the United States if they are allowed in. It would be easy to keep track of the baseball players – and they would be in the United States for only a few weeks.
If allowed to play, the children will grow up to be adults who fondly remember their time in the United States and the hospitality that the American people showed to them. They would know the possibilities of what their county could be if they worked diligently at improving it. They would plant a part of America in Africa. However, with this denial, they are left to only think of America as the country of refusal.