A Chartered Accountant from India shared the experience of having their US B1/B2 visa rejected, sparking a discussion about the unpredictability of the visa process.
The applicant, earning Rs 1.25 lakh per month and working as a finance manager in a major Indian conglomerate, had planned a two-week leisure trip to the United States, including cities like New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, the user said in a Reddit post.
Despite a proper and good interview and proper documentation, the visa was refused under section 214(b), the user said.
Pure gamble or luck?
The user wrote, “Hi. I had a visa appointment for B1/B2 visa today. I love travelling and thought a US visa would enable me to travel to some countries like Dubai, Singapore and other 40 countries where I can travel with VOA. So I applied last year. I am unmarried. I earn 1.25 lakh per month. My interview was at 8 AM in BKC today. There were around 100–150 applicants.”
The user pointed out the questions asked by the Visa Officer (VO) and their responses:
VO- Whats the purpose of your visit?
Me- Leisure tourism
VO- How you would be travelling?
Me- Solo
VO-What do you do?
Me- I am a chartered Accountant and i work as Finance Manager in XXXX company( a part of Indian conglomoeate)
VO- How many weeks will you visit in US?
Me- 2 weeks
VO- Which places will you visit?
Me- New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles
VO- Sorry you are ineligible for the Visa.
Me- Thank you
The user added that he/she did not fumble and was confident while answering. They received a 214(b) rejection letter, which cited insufficient proof of ties to their homeland. “2–3 people before me in line were also rejected. This is pure gamble and luck,” the user wrote.
Other Reddit users reacted to the post, calling the visa process unpredictable. One wrote, “The armchair expert analysis in comments is just nonsense & grasping to attribute reasons for a known rejection. You could literally take an approved visa, tell these people it's rejected and they will justify why it was a clear rejection from the get-go.”
Another added, “Most of it is just luck and your VO perception. A couple of cities on east and west coast is simple to do and is just a 5–6 hr flight away. You are not going to walk there, don't understand what this ‘is far away' nonsense is about. People do UK, Iceland and a couple of other countries on the same trip. I personally know 3 people who mentioned both NY and Vegas on the same trip of ≤10 days and got their visas. 1.25L monthly salary is NOT low, annual top 1% earners in India is 22L, no idea what these people are smoking.”
Another user commented, “Some of y'all need to open Google Maps and research just how big the US is before going to these interviews.”
The discussion highlighted that visa approvals are often unpredictable. “True, it is a gamble and luck, people with high salaries and with everything correct also get rejected,” one user said.
Another added, “Low salary? What would be the minimum salary then?” while a fourth commented, “Same here… How much do they expect? 5 lakhs or something per month?”
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