German Visa Refusal [duplicate]

Question

I applied for a visa at the German consulate but was refused for the following reasons, but I am not sure what they mean:

1. The information submitted regarding the purpose and conditions of the intended stay was not reliable.

2. Their intention to travel outside the territory of the Member States before the expiration of the visa could not be determined.

Answer 1

The information submitted regarding the purpose and conditions of the intended stay was not reliable.

This means the stated objective of your visit required supporting documentation, and the supporting documentation you provided relied upon assumptions that were not visibly certain or were, in some other way, doubtful. Common examples are

• the resources needed to accomplish the visit are wholly disproportionate to the applicant's income and capacity (for example a visit requiring half the applicant's annual income)

• the applicant showed sufficient resources, but it is not clear that the resources are actually available to the applicant or that the applicant intends to use the resources as stated (for example, a funds parking arrangement).

• the applicant did not satisfactorily explain why a visit to that particular country is being arranged at this particular point in time. This is especially true for first-time applicants because while they are willing to accept that everyone must begin travelling at some point, a first-time applicant needs to be careful to assure that these conditions are adequately and transparently reconciled.

• the applicant has not provided realistic or concrete plans. This could suggest a secondary motivation for seeking a visa and hence the purpose is 'not reliable'.

• the stated purpose is not consistent with the applicant's life-style or interests. For example someone with no prior involvement in archaeology wanting to participate in a digging project; or someone wanting to take a language course with no ostensible reason for doing so.

Their intention to travel outside the territory of the Member States before the expiration of the visa could not be determined.

This means that the applicant did not successfully mitigate their performance risk. Common examples of this are...

• the applicant does not have a history of travel to countries that require visas and therefore the decision-maker cannot rely upon performance history to mitigate risk.

• the applicant does not show an economic standing that is significantly better than the target country's income support, housing benefit, and comparable welfare programme.

• the applicant does not show strong and permanent ties to his own economy such that his presence is needed in his own country in order to maintain a viable economic standing (or more simply, a satisfactory employment history in a reputable job).

• the applicant does not show strong and permanent ties to his family or community such that the decision-maker can see bonds and commitments that would compel the applicant to return to his own country.

This is not an exhaustive list and your question did not include substantive detail about what was stated in your application, but these items do show the kinds of criteria that decision-makers use to select which grounds for refusal are relevant to your application.

Answer 2

The reasons for refusal are:

1. It was not obvious why you are traveling. It could be that you applied for the wrong visa type; for example, if you are applying for a business visa and don't have an invitation letter - but you are actually only going to a tour, then this could be a reason.

2. For the second reason, what they are trying to say is that there wasn't enough sufficient/convincing evidence of home ties to indicate that you would leave before your visa expires. Usually, counselors are looking for evidences of home ties (for example, your kids are attending school, a letter from am employer showing you hold a steady job and are going on leave, spouse working, your own business, etc.) These all indicate a strong possibility that the applicant intends to return. This is important because the number one concern is people migrating under false pretenses - in other words, people going for a visit and then never return. These kinds of individuals raise a lot of concerns (security being the prime one). If the counselor feels the slightest hint of this, they will refuse your application.

So it seems your intention to go (why are you traveling?) and your intention to leave (assurances that you will return) were not sufficient for the application.