F-1 visa news: An aspiring student’s F-1 visa interview at the US Embassy in New Delhi on August 8 ended in rejection under Section 214B, prompting a conversation on Reddit about the importance of confidence and clarity during funding-related questions.
The applicant, who graduated in 2022 and has since been working as an engineer, shared the full interview exchange online. The visa officer (VO) began by requesting the I-20 and passport, followed by questions about the chosen college, graduation year, and professional background.
Funding Question Becomes a Stumbling Block
The turning point appeared to be when the VO asked how the applicant planned to fund the studies. The applicant initially mentioned a loan, personal savings, and then, when interrupted with a direct question about parental sponsorship, repeated the three sources before answering “yes” that their mother would be sponsoring them. The mother’s profession at a bank was then disclosed, but the application was rejected shortly after.
During the visa interview, the applicant admitted, “I really fumbled with the funding part,” which they believe contributed to the rejection.
On Reddit, one user commented, “Sorry to hear that. But you stuttered & fumbled when asked about the funding. It implied you were not confident about how you were going to fund your education.
The tone, body language, eye contact, confidence etc – play a huge role.
The options seemed like ‘possibilities’ of funding. Additionally, if you haven’t shown enough funds already, as per the requirements, that could be the reason too.”
Time Away from Academia Also Discussed
The applicant suspected that a three-year gap from academia might have played a role in the rejection. However, another Redditor disagreed, stating, “That’s definitely some bad luck man!! UCSD is top notch and loan etc ideally shouldn’t cause much issues.
Time away from academia shouldn’t cause that much issues either since the university is good. I was almost in the same boat and more worried since I completed my bachelors in 2018 and have been working since then
May the current scenario is the reason for rejection, I’ll suggest that you try again as soon as possible.”