Africa-Press – Uganda. <\/strong><\/span>Every year the United States (US) government makes about Shs12b from Ugandans who apply for visas to go to the US, with half of them denied the travel authorization.<\/p>\nAt the beginning of this month, the consular officer at the US embassy in Uganda Ms. Sally Sternal revealed that only half of the 20,000 Ugandans who seek visas every year to travel to the US get them. Getting a US visa can be very difficult and there are people that try to take steps illegally to increase their chances of getting one.<\/p>\n
US visa fee collections<\/b><\/p>\n
The minimum non-refundable fee for a US non-immigrant (temporary) visa is USD160 (Shs600,000), which means that the US mission in Uganda collects $3.2m (Shs12b) from the 20,000 applicants.<\/p>\n
Why are some applications denied?<\/b><\/p>\n
String ties- According to Ms. Sternal the high rejection of visa applications from Ugandans is attributed to many applicants failing to demonstrate strong enough ties outside of the US and visa fraud.<\/p>\n
Finances- Some Ugandans who apply for study visas to study in America do not demonstrate that they have finances for tuition and living expenses for the first year of school. Ms. Sternal explained that it is hard for younger people who are just starting out in their career, or in school, to demonstrate that they have the ties for eligibility for the visas.<\/p>\n
Fake documents- The US mission in Uganda also revealed that some Ugandan applicants present forged documents. Almost every week the mission is contacted by Ugandan applicants to confirm the validity of a job offer they received in the US or examine a visa from a third party leading to tighter and more costly scrutiny of the applications, including genuine ones, undermining their chances.<\/p>\n
Cases of visa fraud including presenting counterfeit papers, cooked background stories, or hiring brokers who fleece unsuspecting victims of millions of shillings, are increasing, according to official records.<\/p>\n
Every day thousands of applicants present fake bank statements, birth, death, or marriage certificates, and false employment records, among other documentation, in the hope of increasing their chances of securing a visa. Many applicants have paid millions of shillings for documents that do not belong to them<\/p>\n
How visas are applied<\/b><\/p>\n
The US visa applications are submitted online and each applicant must make a good case just to secure an interview, according to information gleaned on the embassy website, and appear in person for the interview after paying at least $160 (Shs600,000) in official fees is no guarantee for securing the visa.<\/p>\n
Criteria<\/b><\/p>\n
A key eligibility proof is tied — such as permanent jobs, investments, and family — outside the US that will cause an applicant to return home after visiting America. During application and interviews, applicants are sometimes required to present work and salary attestations, property titles, and marriage or family documents, among others, requirements that critics consider dehumanizing or confidential personal information.<\/p>\n
Number of Ugandans living in the US<\/b><\/p>\n
Ugandans started migrating to the United States in the 1960s, According to a survey that was conducted in 2014 there were 20,248 Ugandan Americans in the US and these are American of Uganda descent.<\/p>\n
Why Ugandans struggle to go to America<\/b><\/p>\n
The factors that are attributed to Ugandans leaving their motherlands looking for a green pasture in the US are mainly political and economic issues. Many professionals such as nurses immigrate to the US and other European countries due to high rates of pay. The US is perceived to have better pay.<\/p>\n
The jobs they engage in<\/b><\/p>\n
There are many Ugandans working in the US as medical personnel, legal, computer scientists, workers or engage in civil service, work in blue-collar jobs, or religious professions.<\/p>\n
Uganda a fragile state<\/b><\/p>\n
This year’s United States study conducted by the Fragile State Index (FSI) listed Uganda among the countries whose stability is considered fragile. And the third East African country to be on the top list.<\/p>\n
According to FSI, there are several factors that are attributed to a fragile state whose central governments are so weak or ineffective that n that it has little practical control over much territory, non-provision of public services, widespread corruption and criminality, refugees, and involuntary movement of populations and sharp economic decline.<\/p>\n
Viewpoint<\/b><\/p>\n
Judging by the information America will continue making more money from Ugandans who are seeking for visas to travel to their country due to the fact that the level of unemployment is high in Uganda. Uganda\u2019s stability could be threatened by its exploding population and the growing number of refugees,<\/p>\n
The country’s population is expected to double to 80 million by 2040. The average woman in Uganda gave birth to 5,71 children in 2017, which, although down from an average of 6.8 children in 2002. Uganda is the seventh-highest fertility rate in the whole world.<\/p>\n
The country’s economic challenges plus the low investments it has made in education suggest that it will not benefit from a demographic dividend like many countries in Asia. From about 2000 to 2010, Uganda\u2019s economy grew at an average annual rate of 7 percent. The gross domestic product growth rate dropped to an estimated 4,6 percent in 2016, which is too slow for such a growing population.<\/p>\n
70 percent of Ugandans live on less than USD2.5 per day, a figure that has remained constant for the last 40 years which is attributed to the population growth.<\/p>\n
For More News And Analysis About Uganda<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Faridah N Kulumba Africa-Press – Uganda. Every year the United States (US) government makes about Shs12b from Ugandans who apply for visas to go to the US, with half of them denied the travel authorization. At the beginning of this month, the consular officer at the US embassy in Uganda Ms. Sally Sternal revealed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":41597,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6,7,8],"tags":[233,240,234,1504,1505,1503,1529],"class_list":["post-41598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-files","category-head-lines","category-homepage-english","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-uganda","tag-uganda","tag-ugandan-visa-applicants","tag-ugandans-in-the-us","tag-us-uganda-relations-2","tag-visa"],"yoast_head":"\n
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