Q: I recently applied for my visiting visa and was not approved. How long must I wait before I reapply?

A: Thank you for your question. There is no required time for which you must wait after having your visa application denied. However, we strongly recommend to anyone thinking about applying after a refusal that you carefully consider what has changed since your last interview.

What is different in your world today? If you cannot call to mind specific circumstances that make you more qualified for a visa, it is not the time to reapply.

US immigration laws require you, as the applicant, to demonstrate to the consular officer that you would both use the visiting visa appropriately and depart the US at the end of your stay.

Officers’ decisions are not based on chance. The embassy’s consular officers are highly trained interviewers who work hard to apply the same standards when reviewing visa applications. Officers try to be consistent as a group and will almost always reach the same conclusion when presented with the same set of facts.

Officers consider your unique personal circumstances when evaluating your case. Strong, stable ties to Jamaica as demonstrated by your work history, family situation and prior travel are particularly important. If your circumstances haven’t changed since your original denial, it’s unlikely the visa decision will change. A different officer will conduct the new interview, but remember that all officers apply the same laws when making their decisions.

If, on the other hand, your life circumstances have changed — you have a more stable professional or personal situation for example, you may be better equipped to demonstrate you are a qualified applicant. Let’s come back to your question: How long to wait until you reapply. Each case is distinct, of course. But it can take time to demonstrate strong and stable ties. In some cases, new personal or professional stability becomes clear in, say, six months. In other cases, a year or two under the improved circumstances would be more helpful. Your question is a thoughtful one for which there is no single answer.

You can find more information about how to travel to the US on our website, www.kingston.usembassy.gov Keep on top of Embassy news on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/pages/US-Embassy-Jamaica and by following @USEmbassyJA on Twitter. We also answer general visa questions on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

For safety and security reasons, the US Embassy asks that all individuals arrive at the Embassy no more than 15 minutes before their designated appointment time.