Guide On How To Write An Appeal Letter For Visa Refusal

The visa application process takes a significant amount of time and work. To obtain a visa to their destination country, the candidate must first collect the necessary documents, attend an interview, and pay the fee, among other things.

However, submitting a visa application does not guarantee that you will receive a visa. You may be rejected at any embassy, regardless of which country you are applying to or the reason of your travel. Sometimes even incorrectly, but inadvertently.

This is why several nations have allowed rejected visa applicants to appeal the decision to deny their application. The procedure of appealing a denial is not easy, but if you understand what you need to do, it will become easier for you.

This page contains a step-by-step explanation of everything you need to know and do to appeal a visa application rejection decision.

How to Appeal a Visa Denial?

To appeal a visa denial, you must first ensure that the country you seek to visit provides such a chance to individuals who have been rejected.

When you receive a response to your visa application decision, you will usually be given the reason for rejection as well as whether or not you can appeal the decision.

If you do not receive any information of this nature after receiving a negative response to your application, call the embassy and inquire whether you can appeal their decision. If they answer no, you will need to reapply for a visa. This time, strive to avoid the’mistakes’ you made in your previous application and better your situation to ensure you are not rejected again.

If you can appeal your visa application denial, follow the methods outlined below.

What Is an Appeal Letter for Visa Refusal?

In order to challenge the unfavorable decision made in your case, you must prepare a challenge Letter for Visa Refusal.

Writing this letter is not a simple chore. The letter should provide extremely convincing reasons why you believe the decision to deny you a visa was erroneous and should be overturned. These justifications should be based on facts, laws, and regulations.

Remember, you should only write this letter if you have good reasons for your appeal. On the other hand, do not write a letter unless you have a valid explanation, and the embassy’s decision was correct.

Each country has its own set of rules regarding visa refusal appeals. That is why you must call the embassy of that country to determine where you must file this letter, the time frame within which you must do so, and other details.

How to Write an Appeal Letter for Visa Rejection

If you believe the ruling in your case was unjust and you urgently need that visa, you should file an appeal. How you compose the appeal letter is critical. Your letter should be argumentative and persuasive. Do not compose an emotional letter in the hopes of touching the heart of the official handling your case. This will not work!

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to writing an appeal letter. However, there are several requirements that must be met in order for your appeal to be considered.

Firstly, you should include information about you in the letter, including your:

• Name & Surname
• Passport Number
• Full address
• Date of Birth
• Place of Birth
• Email
• Phone Number

Aside of this information, further in the text you should:

• State when you filed your application as well as the purpose of your trip
• State the date when received the visa denial decision.
• Explain the reasons why your visa was refused, as given in the rejection letter you got from the embassy (if you did)
• List and explain the reasons why you believe the rejection was incorrect, showing arguments
• Do not forget to put your signature at the end of the letter, after you print it

Sample of a Visa Denial Appeal Letter

As previously indicated, there is no established technique or framework for writing an appeal letter. However, there are some general guidelines that you must follow in order for your letter to be valid. If, after reading this article, you are still unsure how to write a letter of this nature, the sample provided below will help you understand it better.

Date:

Embassy Address:

To whom it may concern,

Paragraph 1:

This is the introduction of the letter. Here you should present yourself as well as the reason why you are writing the letter. Include your full name, home address, place and date of birth and passport number. After clearing up the reason for writing the letter, mention the date when you applied for the visa and why you wish to visit this particular country.

Paragraph 2:

Go on with revealing why your visa was rejected by the embassy of this country, and assert the reasons why you believe the decision was wrongful. List the reasons in simple sentences since it is better to expand them later.

Paragraph 3:

Here you can go on explaining why you believe that the decision on your visa application should be reversed. Elaborate the reasons why you have come to such conclusion. Try to argument these reasons in a convincing way. You can use references, so you prove your assertion is not wrong. Remember that your application depends on how strong are the grounds you base your appeal, and how convincing you sound.

End the appeal with the date of your planned trip to create a sense of urgency especially if you really do not have much time left to wait. Tell them that they can contact you for any further details, adding that you have attached to the letter the supporting documents.

Sincerely,

Hand signature

Your full name
Your email
Your phone number

Appeal Letter Supporting Documents

An appeal letter is always stronger, when submitted alongside with supporting documents. What these documents are depends a lot on why you were rejected. You have to collect or re-collect some documents which prove that you are not in that situation based on which the embassy has denied you entry to their country.

Below find a list of the most frequent reasons for visa denials, and the supporting documents you will have to submit in that case.

Unclear purpose of visit

• Proof of booked flight tickets – if you have not submitted it during your application. If yes submit a new, clearer and more detailed itinerary. Here you can learn how to book a dummy flight ticket for visa application.
• Letter of invitation – written by a friend, an institution or organization etc., in which they clearly explain why they wish you to go over, and what you will be doing there
• Cover letter – in which you explain further why you wish to visit that country, what you will be doing there, and why

Suspicion you may not return to your home country

• Student enrollment – in case you did not submit it previously, alongside with a letter written by the school/university director where he or she confirms you are permitted to be absent during the period you have applied to get a visa for
• Employment contract – if you submitted that during you application, obtain a letter by your employer in which they claim you are obliged to return to work, upon the end of your planned trip
• Documents that show you have property, i.e. business, house etc.
• Certificates that prove you have family members in your home country to whom you have to go back, i.e. marriage certificate, child birth certificate etc.

Not demonstrating proof of funds

• Current bank statements – adding extra money, if you can, since the former amount of money may have seemed not enough for the embassy
• Letter of support – by another person who claims that they will support you financially during your stay in the country you wish to visit, accompanied by their current bank account statement

Insufficient travel insurance coverage

• In cases like this you will have to purchase travel insurance from another company, or just update your current and submit a document that proves it, alongside with your appeal letter

Where to Submit an Appeal Letter

• In case you do not know where to submit your appeal letter, you should contact the embassy of the country you wish to visit for explanation in this regard. In general, the embassy itself receives the appeals.

Visa Appeal Processing

Once you submit your visa refusal appeal letter, the embassy will forward it to the appropriate appeal processing body in that nation. A higher-ranked officer in charge of dealing with visa appeals will review your letter and decide whether or not to reverse your visa application refusal.

The period required for the responsible body to make a decision on your appeal varies. It is their responsibility to inform you of this decision and any additional procedures you may need to take.