Most rejected Irish visa applications from the UAE don't fail because of anything dramatic. It's usually something small — a bank statement that stops one month short, a cover letter that doesn't quite match the flight dates, photos printed to the wrong spec.

South Africa sits in an odd spot for UAE-based travelers — closer than most people assume flight-time wise, but the visa process still catches out anyone expecting something as light as Georgia or Armenia.

One of the most common questions people ask before applying for a USA visa is how much money needs to sit in the bank to actually get approved. The honest answer is a bit unsatisfying, there's no official minimum figure published anywhere.