O

n April 8, I had an interview at the US consular office in Surabaya for completing a visa application relating to my intention to attend a conference on philanthropy for reducing poverty on a global level in New York next May.

An invitation letter from the conference committee in New York was also included, in addition to the confirmation of application (DS-160), visa application payment receipt from Standard Chartered Bank and the appointment confirmation. But I was not given the visa.

I don'€™t know what the criteria are for rejecting visa applications and as far as know I am not a criminal and so far have not done anything that would threaten the US and its people.

All I wanted to do was to contribute ideas (at the conference) on how to bridge cross-culture and interfaith philanthropy practices for self-sustainable community programs and promote independence from government funding based on local experience.

I completed the DS-160 application form and answered the questions honestly. The payment had been made yet my visa application was rejected without a clear reason. The US consular officer just gave me a piece of paper with a general statement about the reasons why my application had been rejected based on the fact that I could not fulfill the requirements based on section 214 (b) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

One of the reasons was that I was unable to demonstrate that I had a domicile in my home country that I did not wish to abandon.

I believe that the officer had not read my full application form in detail. My application clearly showed that I only wanted to visit the US for only a week and was invited by the conference committee in New York, and my expenses would be paid by the Indonesian government and the company where I am employed.

The company had enough funds to pay for a round-trip ticket and my accommodation. The visa application rejection statement said that I failed to demonstrate eligibility due to the lack of ties to my country and the inability to demonstrate that I will return home.

It was a ridiculous answer because I would only have visited for seven days and I don'€™t have any motive to live in the US because I have family and relatives in Indonesia. However, I have a positive view of the situation.

Perhaps my visa was rejected because of my name, my religion, my family and social status, my background or education, my job, my ideas for charity organizations, my friend in the US or perhaps it was because I could not understand.

My suggestion is that the reasons of the visa refusal should be clearly stated as we spent time and money that we do not get back. If the Indonesian government gave a free-visa policy to US citizens, the US government should also do similar to Indonesian citizens. I hope that the US will consistently respect human freedom and human rights, as the US has always promoted these things everywhere.

M Donny Supanra
Surabaya