According to Yerlan Zhetybayev, the official spokesperson for Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the frequent denial of U.S. visas to Kazakhstani citizens is primarily due to technical errors in their documents, rather than to political or other restrictions.
As the official explained, visa decisions are made by foreign countries based on a strict set of requirements. When application forms and supporting documents fully comply with those requirements, applications are approved in most cases.
«If something is wrong with the documents, the applicant is usually asked clarifying questions or requested to provide additional materials. As far as I’m aware, approval is generally obtained once those are submitted,» Zhetybayev said.
Technical errors and incorrect application forms
During a media briefing, the spokesperson also addressed questions about whether incorrectly submitted documents are the main driver behind the growing number of visa denials for Kazakhstani citizens.
Zhetybayev confirmed this, noting that even minor inaccuracies in visa applications can result in a rejection from the consulate.
«These are technical issues — requirements and compliance with the documents a given country asks for. Some countries have a long list of them, others a shorter one. But even with a short list, it’s not uncommon for documents to be submitted incorrectly — whether that’s the visa application itself, insurance, or flight tickets. Every situation is different, so each case is considered individually,» the official said.
Statistics on visa issuance to Russian citizens
At the same briefing, Zhetybayev was asked about reports that Russian citizens are allegedly approved for U.S. visas at a higher rate than applicants from Kazakhstan.
The spokesperson declined to confirm this, citing a lack of any official information from U.S. diplomats.
«As for the claim about higher approval rates for Russians — I have no such information, and the U.S. Embassy has not provided any official statements or published statistics on this,» he said.
