US denies business visa to Indian techie earning Rs 1 cr after 3 questions

A senior Indian tech lead was denied a US B1/B2 visa in under a minute at the New Delhi embassy, despite strong ties and plans to attend a major tech conference

An Indian tech professional’s attempt to visit the United States for a major industry event ended abruptly when his B1/B2 visa was refused in under a minute at the US Embassy in New Delhi. The senior technology lead, who works on Cloud Native platforms, shared his experience on Reddit, where it quickly drew attention from others in the tech community.

 

US Visa rejection despite strong credentials

 

“I had my B1/B2 visa interview at the US Embassy today in Delhi, and I was rejected in less than a minute after just three questions. I’m trying to understand what went wrong and how I can improve for next time,” he wrote.

 

He said the officer asked about his purpose of travel, previous international trips, and whether he had family or friends in the United States.

 

“I wanted to visit the US to attend a conference called Kubecon + CloudNative Con 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. I am a senior tech lead at a company and my day-to-day work is on Cloud Native technologies. It is important that I attend this conference to stay up to date on the latest events or movements in this field,” he explained.

 

When asked about travel history, he said, “I answered yes, I have travelled to Lithuania, Maldives and Indonesia,” and added that he said “no” when asked if he had family or friends in the US. Soon after, he was handed a 214(b) refusal slip.

 

Strong ties to India couldn’t prevent refusal

 

The applicant said he was surprised by the quick rejection given his stable professional and personal background. “I’m employed in India with a stable job for the last 11 years. I make close to a crore annually and have an eight-month-old daughter, so I had very strong motivations to come back to India,” he wrote.

 

He added that he had prepared a detailed itinerary and confirmed bookings for the Atlanta conference and hotel accommodation. “The conference wasn’t available for live streaming, so I had planned everything to attend it in person,” he said.

 

He later asked others on the platform, “What do you think triggered the quick rejection? Could I have answered differently while still being honest? What steps would you recommend before reapplying?”

 

Why Section 214(b) matters

 

Section 214(b) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act is the most common reason for tourist visa refusal. It applies when an applicant fails to convince the consular officer that they will return to their home country after visiting the United States.

 

According to the US Department of State, a visa is a privilege, not a guaranteed right, and can be denied or revoked if the officer doubts an applicant’s intent or credibility. Even small inconsistencies or perceived weaknesses in ties to the home country can lead to refusal under this provision.