Visa Application Tips Everyone Should Know

Visa applications don’t have to be the tedious process that they can sometimes be, as long as you have the right information on the things to do to aid a smooth visa application process.

This article, written in partnership with Jumia Travel, one of the leading online travel agencies, shares 5 visa application tips that can aid a smooth and possibly successful visa application process.

1). Ensure Your Documents are Well Organized
Make sure documents are properly arranged and in order, both the original documents and the photocopies. This is so it can be easier for you to retrieve relevant documents on request during submission, which can help to greatly reduce your anxiety during the process and improve your composure.

2). Try to Apply Early
Much like ensuring your documents are well organized, applying early helps eliminate the anxiety and stress that comes with late applications. During your visa application process, an important thing you will be assessed on, especially during the interview, is your level of composure, and eliminating minor things that can interfere with or compromise your ability to remain calm and composed should be top of mind. It is thus best to put in your visa application early, so no matter how long the visa processing takes or the delays that come up, there will be no need for you to panic or be agitated.

3). Visa Agents Cannot Guarantee You a Visa
You would think that most people would know this by now but many of us still fall prey to scammers that erroneously make us believe that they can guarantee us a visa provided we do this and that, or pay so and so amount. Basically, for a successful visa application, you need to be able to show proof of your genuine intent and your financial capacity to sustain yourself for the duration. There is no agent that can do this for you or guarantee you this regardless of how much you pay them, the best they can do is help fill the necessary forms properly and see that you have all the documentation required. At the end of the day, the consul will typically decide on your application based on your documents and your responses to the interview (where it is required, like in the US).

4). Try To Show Proof of Strong Socio-Economic Ties
Try to prove that you have strong socio-economic reasons like a good job, investments, sufficient funds etc., to return to your home country at the end of the specified period for the visa. In fact, being able to prove this is so important that according to the US Embassy, the 214(b) of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) states that “Every alien shall be presumed to be an immigrant until he establishes to the satisfaction of the officer, at the time of the application for a visa . . . that he is entitled to nonimmigrant status . . .” So visa officers really only just want to make sure that after your trip is over, you will return back to your country, and the best way you can do that is to prove that you have strong socio-economic ties in your home country that can encourage you to return. Some evidence of strong socio-economic ties that are considered are business ownership, employment, social and family relationships etc.

5). Avoid Mistakes in Your Visa Application
Avoid slangs, big grammar or ambiguous phrases that can lead to avoidable mistakes on your visa application. During the application and even during the interview (where it applies), you should try to keep your responses ‘short, simple and straight to the point’. It is much easier to avoid mistakes this way. Also, during interviews (in cases it applies), be sure that your answers are in line with what is written on the forms submitted.