An Indian entrepreneur shared his brief but surprising B1/B2 visa experience at the Hyderabad Consulate on August 29, revealing how his application was refused within two minutes. The founder of a startup in a tier-3 city, running a team of 10 first-generation engineers, was planning to attend a conference in Austin, Texas. He also owns personal and family properties and works with a few clients from California.
Reddit User Details Interview Questions and Responses
On Reddit, the applicant described his interaction with the consular officer (VO). “VO: Passport please. Me: Good morning. Handed over the passport. VO: Purpose of the visit? Me: Going to attend the conference in Austin, Texas. VO: What is the conference about, and why do you need to attend? Me: The conference focuses on AI/ML, with key areas of interest including AI agents, Agentic workflow, MLOps, and the organization’s goals, as well as LLM infrastructure. I’m the founder of XYZ. I have been running this company for 4 years. We specialize in (…..). We are a team of 10 first-generation engineers like myself. I’d like to expand my business, and we are already working with clients from CA, USA. VO: Sprechen Sie Deutsch? (Do you speak German?) Me: Ich kann Deutsch sprechen, aber meine Grammatik ist nicht sehr klar. (I can speak German, but my grammar is not very clear.) VO: Are you traveling for conference purposes only? Me: Yes, if I have time, I’ll plan a few sightseeing. VO: You are not qualified at this time. Thank you. Me: Thank you.”
Experts Suggest Concise Answers
Several Reddit users weighed in on the incident. One noted, “I ll be honest. Nobody here knows why you got rejected- people are just making random guesses. Ultimately, it is VO decision. You can speak to an american immigration lawyer if you are interested. Even they may not know the answer- but can give you some advice. Otherwise, forget about it.” Another added, “The issue was that you mentioned you had clients there. So it looked like the conference was a front for business work. As a rule to everyone, only answer what is asked. Nothing more. Nothing less. It doesn’t have to be a paragraph long answer. Just 3 sentences is fine.”
The entrepreneur is now considering when to reapply and how to better prepare for a future interview, while experts advise focusing on concise, factual answers and avoiding additional details that could be misinterpreted as intent to work in the U.S.
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