An Indian student shared her ordeal at the US consulate when she applied for a F-1 visa after getting through to Georgetown University for the MBA program. Her visa was rejected, crushing her dream.
The post was put up on the US visa scheduling subreddit, by a friend of the applicant, who wanted feedback on what she could have done to avoid the rejection. HT.com could not independently verify the contents of the Reddit post.
“A friend of mine recently had her F-1 visa interview for a full-time MBA at the U.S. Consulate in New Delhi and received a **214(b)** refusal. She's trying to understand what may have gone wrong and would really appreciate any feedback from people who have been through the process or have experience with F-1 interviews,” the person wrote.
The woman wanted to pursue a full-time MBA at the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, as per the post. A transcript of the entire interview was attached in the Reddit post, but here are the relevant parts.
After exchanging pleasantries, the officer asked for the applicant's passport and I-20. Then, the officer ascertained where the applicant was headed and what she planned to study.
{{/usCountry}}After exchanging pleasantries, the officer asked for the applicant's passport and I-20. Then, the officer ascertained where the applicant was headed and what she planned to study.
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“Have you ever been harmed in your country?,” the applicant was asked. She was also asked if she feared harm in her country if she returned. The applicant answered in the negative for both, according to the post. The woman was also informed that her Facebook account would be screened, part of the new process under President Donald Trump, where social media accounts are checked to ascertain whether applicants will get their visas.
The post further detailed that the applicant had been asked when she graduated, which was, 2017. She was also asked what she'd been doing since graduation.
“I have been working in marketing for nearly 9 years,” the applicant had begun to answer, when she was cut off by the officer, as per the Reddit post.
“I don't want your experience. I want to know exactly what you've been doing,” the visa officer reportedly said, to which the applicant answered that she had been working in marketing ‘across the edtech and agrotech sectors, helping businesses grow revenue and expand into new markets.’
She was also reportedly asked if she'd been to the US before and whether she had a master's degree or another MBA degree. The post noted the applicant had been to the US before, but did not have any of these degrees. She was also asked why she needed an MBA.
“After gaining extensive marketing experience, I now want broader leadership and business skills that will help me build my own venture in India,” the applicant had replied. The post noted that she was then handed a 214(b) refusal slip.
The applicant then shared possible reasons for her F-1 application getting rejected.
Why was the F-1 application rejected? Possible reasons
The applicant herself shared possible reasons for the rejection, as outlined in the post. “Looking back, I do feel I could have been more detailed in some of my answers. At the same time, I had always been told that F-1 interviews should be concise and that you should answer only what is asked unless the officer wants more information,” she wrote.
The applicant also added examples. “When asked if I'd been to the U.S. before, should I have proactively mentioned that I had visited multiple times on a B1/B2 visa and always complied with the terms of my visa?”.
She added “Should I have elaborated more on why Georgetown specifically, my post-MBA career plan, and how an MBA fits into that plan, even though I wasn't asked?”. The woman further questioned “Or is it better to stick to short answers and only expand if the officer asks follow-up questions?”.
People offer suggestions on why visa was rejected
The post drew a lot of reactions. While many felt that Georgetown's reputation was enough that an acceptance to the MBA program there should have ensured a smooth visa granting, others differed in their opinion.
“Why MBA is where she failed I feel. She has 9 years experience in marketing and doing MBA for same field to start a venture in India. The officer might feel it doesnt add up. Perhaps wanting to move to finance or Operations or consulting might have been more convincing. Or perhaps an MBA will help me get to leadership roles faster,” one wrote.
Another added, "The trigger for rejection was this line "build my own venture in India". If your intent is to build your own venture, you are likely to do it in the US if given the opportunity, which means you are likely to have intent to stay there. I faced an F1 rejection 14 years ago with an identical answer for my MS. Cleared it on my second attempt when I simply stated I wanted to come back to India and work. Try to avoid start-up and my own venture answers during F1."
One asked about funding as well. “What about the funding? Sometimes they reject because they think you won’t be able to fund your education," a Redditor wrote.
Meanwhile, there were others who felt the answers lacked a greater human touch. “The answers to what have you been doing and why MBA both feel very chatgpt-coded to me… like it was memorized for an exam. it doesn’t feel like a real person’s answer so they probably might have thought you are not being honest,” one commented. Another added “Answers sound rehearsed and scripted.”