A recent B1/B2 visa applicant was shocked as his visa was unexpectedly denied within a minute during an interview at the Delhi consulate, leaving him puzzled given his strong travel background and clear ties to their home country.
The applicant, who has travelled extensively across Europe, visiting countries such as the Czech Republic, Germany, France, and Austria, as well as Thailand, was seeking a visa to attend a team meeting for work in the United States.
With a solid professional reason for the trip and personal ties, including a recent marriage and investments in stocks and mutual funds, the rejection came as a surprise.
During the interview, the consular officer asked about the purpose of the visit. Despite providing a straightforward explanation of attending a team meeting, the visa was refused swiftly, without further questioning or discussion.
‘A walking red flag’
Netizens posted their opinion on the possible reasons behind the rejection. A user noted, “Team meeting? Can you explain more? Because you can meet your team online, why do you need to be physically present?” Another wrote, “IBM, Accenture, and Infosys have a history of abusing ‘team meeting and discussion’ as a reason for ‘B1/B2’ visas for decades.”
“It is my assumption that visas are getting rejected more from the Delhi centre,” claimed another. “More denials all round for Indians, due to high fraud and overstays,” stated another. “Professional reason for B1/B2. Automatic reject. Please think things through and do research on what to say in the future,” wrote a netizen.
“I think they made a right decision; travelling history might matter for a B2 visa, not for a B1. “You need to justify the need for physical presence on-site; unfortunately, many companies, including Infosys, have misused this visa and used this for temporary work on-site,” added another.
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