If you file your visa petition, even if it’s done perfectly, there’s a chance you could get the dreaded “RFE”, or request for evidence. This is when an adjudicating officer requests additional evidence for your pending USCIS petition. It could be something major, or something benign. Oftentimes, the item requested isn’t on the USCIS’s list of required items. The important thing to remember is this:
An RFE is not a denial… yet.
Jacob Javits Federal Building (Home of some USCIS offices) CC courtesy of Ken Lund on Flickr.
If you don’t deal with the RFE in time, and correctly the first time, you might face denial or rejection of your case. However, avoid sending an unprepared reply, and instead send a reply to the RFE that follows USCIS’ instructions.
No matter what… DON’T:
Just ignore it.
If an RFE goes unanswered, generally it results in a denial. Don’t make this mistake.
Send something they didn’t ask for.
If you don’t respond to the RFE exactly as instructed, you may be denied. For example, you’re requested to submit a certain document with a signature, but you send a page with a photocopy (not original) signature.
How to respond to an RFE
If you are a RapidVisa customer, before responding to an RFE, we recommend you upload a scanned copy to your account’s dropbox and notify us via chat, support mail, or phone. If you respond to your RFE without notifying us, and you are denied, your money is lost, as you no longer qualify for our guarantee.
Make a duplicate copy of anything you send to the government for your own records.
Remember to stay calm and don’t panic. It’s more common than you think to receive an RFE, and even so, a denial is rare, if you follow instructions precisely. Even the most pristine cases can trigger an RFE. It’s not necessarily an indicator that your case is in danger of denial. It’s akin to going to the DMV and forgetting to bring a certain document along with you. Just follow instructions and you should be fine. We do the best we can to avoid delays, and an RFE is definitely a delay. But rather than changing your whole life, like denial, it will likely cause you a couple of weeks of delay.
