A 28-year-old data analyst recently took to the Internet to share his experience of getting a B1/B2 visa rejected. The trip to the US was fully sponsored by his company to meet global leaders and plan for the year ahead. The applicant clarified during the consular interview that the meeting required mandatory in-person participation from employees worldwide. However, the visa officer asked repeatedly about the need to be physically present and why he cannot attend the same online.
The officer enquired about the applicant’s educational background. He said that he holds a degree in mechanical engineering. The applicant also explained that he had moved from another stream into data analytics and had been with his current employer for nearly nine months. Other questions included whether he had travelled internationally before. For which, he spoke briefly about his trip to Malaysia in 2017.
The officer was keen to understand if he had any friends or relatives in the US. To which he said there were no close ones or even relatives of him in the US. In the end, the visa was denied under Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This section typically indicates that the applicant did not convince the officer of strong ties to their home country or the temporary nature of their visit. Meanwhile, he also claimed that no one in his queue got the visa and the officer was visibly frustrated and not in a good mood.
“They are rejecting for the sake of it”
The Internet swiftly responded to the post. A user said, “Damn man, this is incredibly weird. Ig most VOs are simple rejecting for the sake of it nowadays.” Another noted, In 6 months, you will still have business meeting ? If they can do last one without you, they can surely do next couple of them too. Your experience level is too low for a strategic meeting. Letter has nothing to do with it. It doesn’t show your ties to India. It just says you are employed. What is your current CTC? You may have better chance with tourist visa.”
“So from the repeated questions about your current role what I am making is he saw that you are very new to the current role you are in which is less than a year and considering you already live away from parents he was not convinced enough that you are going solely for this business meet and not stay there illegally,” noted a netizen. “why would a company send data analyst for a business meeting in the US?,” questioned another.