The most difficult challenge on our way to the USA was getting a visa. You might think, what's the big deal?

But obtaining an American visa turned out to be completely different from, for example, a Lithuanian or Polish one.

We had an interview ahead of us, and based on its results, we would know whether we would make it to the USA or not. The difficulty lies primarily in the American embassy's attitude toward Russian-speaking citizens. In Belarus, the refusal rate is about 23%.

Common reasons for refusal:

Lying. The fact is that embassy representatives, thanks to their many years of experience, see right through people. And if you start talking about how much you love your country, but your face says, "how can I get out of here as fast as possible" – naturally, it's a refusal. This also includes discrepancies between your interview answers and the answers in your application.

Close relatives who are US citizens. No need to explain why. If you have relatives, it's easy to stay and work illegally, which is a violation of immigration law.

A clean passport. If you haven't traveled abroad, or have only been to visa-free countries like Egypt. In this case, the visa officer's logic is clear – a complete lack of travel abroad, and suddenly, the first trip is to the USA, flying across the ocean for 2 months.

Students who are too independent. Paradoxically, students who are 20-23 years old, work, and pay for the trip themselves might not appeal to visa officers. If a student is that independent at home, then upon arriving in America, they might find an interesting offer, "latch onto" that option, and stay in America. If you are still young and studying, it is better to have a parent sponsor the trip. In that case, a certificate from the parent-sponsor's workplace is provided.

Final-year students and graduates. If your studies are ending soon, they no longer hold you to your home country. In that case, prepare documents confirming your enrollment or admission to a university for your embassy visit.

Previous visa refusals. The American embassy has a concept of "change of life circumstances." If these circumstances haven't changed since your previous US visa refusal, you should stop applying and wait. Wait for your situation to change as a whole and consult with professionals.

Also, before applying for the visa, we were told that we might be refused because we were applying together with Matvey (as a couple). They explained that the embassy might think it's much easier and more realistic for two people to "latch on" than for one.

But I want to dispel this myth.

When we were at the embassy, I was first in line, and Matvey was a person behind. And when they asked me who I was going with, I named Matvey without hesitation. Hearing this, he started waving his hand from behind and said hello. The consul changed her stern face to a 32-tooth smile, made me promise that we would both return, and wished us a good trip. As for Matvey's visa approval, there was no doubt :)

So, the most practical and simple advice: the more sincere you are, the higher the probability that they will grant you a visa.

And it's worth it, believe me :)