A student headed to Northeastern University for her master’s program has shared her experience of being denied student visa, despite holding a legitimate admit, financial backing, and a clear academic and career plan. “I had my interview on July 1st, 9:20 AM slot, but went in early around 8:45,” the student, based in New Delhi, wrote in a post recounting the events of that morning. She described a smooth start to the visa interview. After greeting the consular officer and handing over her I-20 and passport, she was asked about the universities she had applied to. Her list included Northeastern, NYU, UIUC, Duke, Purdue, and Northwestern, with admits from two.
What happened during the visa interview?
“I’ve been working at a real estate firm for 2.5 years. During that time, I had the chance to work on supply chain and logistics assignments, which I found aligned with my interests. I want to pivot into logistics and supply chain management in the longer run.” She was then asked whether she had friends or relatives in the US, to which she replied that she had no relatives but had a friend currently studying the same course at Northeastern, who would be graduating this year.
On funding, she explained that her father, a retired professional who currently runs a business, would be covering her expenses. She also mentioned that she had secured an education loan, and that the family had sufficient savings and investments to support her education. Despite this, the officer handed her a 214(b) refusal notice, a section typically issued when the applicant fails to convince the consular officer of their intent to return to India post-studies. “The same VO had rejected like 10 to 12 visas before me. While I was in the queue, I observed him reject four F-1 visas right in front of me and also a few tourist visas as well.” Now planning to reapply, she is struggling to find new visa slots. “I don’t think my answers were that off,” she wrote.
Netizens react….
Netizens poured their opinion on the post. A user said, “Only thing I can think of is that your career aspirations did not indicate anything about returning to India after completion of your degree. You are welcome to try again but it’s difficult to overcome refusals typically.” “It maybe a blessing in disguise. I say this because I have two close friends who graduated from Northeastern last year and had to return home because they didn’t find a job,” added another.
“Next time try to be precise, state how much your father’s business generates annually and the kind of business, they like to hear that,” recommended a netizen. “Your dad is retired and spending his saving on your masters now ..story is not making up. If he is retired he should be spending it wisely and not on northeastern,” claimed another user. “I think sometimes a good way to do the interview is to connect the questions with other details. I have a feeling you didn’t craft a compelling narrative and it’s often fragmented. Sure, it might be the school or officer’s choice, but I think you should definitely not try to sound robotic or “answer what was asked only,” said another user.
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