[2015-01-08] Roger Ver Denied US Visa to Attend Miami Bitcoin Conference

[zakoliverz]

http://www.coindesk.com/roger-ver-denied-us-visa-attend-miami-bitcoin-conference/

Famous for his libertarian/anarchist political views, Ver became a citizen of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, a small Caribbean nation, in February 2014 and handed in his US passport a month later.

A frequent attendee and guest speaker at bitcoin conferences worldwide, he makes a point of wearing a 'borders are imaginary lines' T-shirt when going through immigration at airports.

[ABitNut]

http://www.coindesk.com/roger-ver-denied-us-visa-attend-miami-bitcoin-conference/

Famous for his libertarian/anarchist political views, Ver became a citizen of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, a small Caribbean nation, in February 2014 and handed in his US passport a month later.

A frequent attendee and guest speaker at bitcoin conferences worldwide, he makes a point of wearing a 'borders are imaginary lines' T-shirt when going through immigration at airports.

Interesting find. He left and even went so far as to revoke his citizenship last year. Apparently he has not resided in the US for a long time. Yet the US government feels that he is suddenly intend on moving back and (over)staying illegally. Smooth move from the US Embassy in Barbados.

[freedomno1]

That's got to be trolling no matter how you look at it

Facepalm
Effectively, the Immigration Service is concerned that he may try to overstay his visa and become an illegal immigrant in his home country.

[cr1776]

That's got to be trolling no matter how you look at it

Facepalm
Effectively, the Immigration Service is concerned that he may try to overstay his visa and become an illegal immigrant in his home country.

True.

For the first time in a decade or two the US cares about that?

[MemoryDealers]

The part that I don’t think I did a good enough job of conveying over twitter and in the media is that the Barbados embassy was behaving insanely during the interview process.  They were denying my visa, claiming that I hadn’t shown sufficient ties out side of the USA, while I was begging them to let me show them.  I had a whole stack of paperwork proving my 9 year history in Japan, including a business since 2006 with multiple employees.  They literally refused to even look at the paperwork.  They wouldn’t even let me slide it through the slot in their window for them to review.  They had the nerve to claim that I hadn’t proved sufficient ties to a country outside of the USA, while literally refusing to even look at the proof I was offering.
They did this same thing three separate times over eight days. It felt like something out of the Twilight  Zone.

[ABitNut]

The part that I don’t think I did a good enough job of conveying over twitter and in the media is that the Barbados embassy was behaving insanely during the interview process.  They were denying my visa, claiming that I hadn’t shown sufficient ties out side of the USA, while I was begging them to let me show them.  I had a whole stack of paperwork proving my 9 year history in Japan, including a business since 2006 with multiple employees.  They literally refused to even look at the paperwork.  They wouldn’t even let me slide it through the slot in their window for them to review.  They had the nerve to claim that I hadn’t proved sufficient ties to a country outside of the USA, while literally refusing to even look at the proof I was offering.
They did this same thing three separate times over eight days. It felt like something out of the Twilight  Zone.

Slightly off topic, but I'm curious. They have denied you a visa to visit a conference. Does that mean they will also deny you a visa if you wish to visit friends/family? I mean, they implicitly stated your strongest ties are in the USA. Are they going to deny you the right to visit them? That seems backwards to me.

[dwdoc]

Obviously he's been placed on a U.S. persona non grata list.
Those of us in U.S. should each petition our local congress members about this nonsense.