ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! I've got a business partner who is Chinese; she had applied for - and been denied - US visas multiple times in the past, severely hampering her ability to do business with the US (she actually IMPORTS US products to China). Speaks great English, has plenty of wealth, strong family connections (reasons to return to China).
For her first visa attempt with our business, I told her we need to present the paperwork in the EXACT ORDER in which it was asked for by the Embassy. Put every sheet in the exact order they list, even though they state you do not need to worry about order.
Sailed right through, got her visa. Not because the information on the application had changed, just because we made it "easy" for the visa examiner to thumb through and check the papers were there.
My partner said the examiner spent about 30 seconds looking over all 9 pages of documents, asked 3 questions in the span of 1 minute, then stamped "approved". In other words, the reason she had been denied in the past wasn't because of a problem with her answers or status - it was some dumb visa examiner being too lazy to look at forms that may be out of some pre-set order that is not required.
Compared to what it's been like to get visas anywhere else for me (or for her), it's insanely difficult. Heck, for most countries where I need a visa and an invitation letter, I just write one to myself and include it! Invite myself as a company owner to visit the foreign country to do business, never had a problem with it, ever.
My significant other is Brazilian, and the quasi-Soviet process for her family to get a visa to visit causes considerable headaches for all involved. It doesn’t help, however, that Brazilians seem to have a habit of “overstaying” their visa once they arrive.
My significant other is Brazilian, and the quasi-Soviet process for her family to get a visa to visit causes considerable headaches for all involved. It doesn’t help, however, that Brazilians seem to have a habit of “overstaying” their visa once they arrive.