Indian customs officer’s US tourist visa dream shattered in 3-minute interview: ‘ ₹50 lakh savings, own home’
Reddit users tried sharing their assumptions about why the man’s US visa was rejected despite his stable job and finances.
A 40-year-old Indian who says he works as a customs officer claimed his US tourist visa was rejected despite his stable government job, home ownership, and substantial savings.

In a Reddit post, he alleged that the swift rejection came only after three minutes of conversation, in which he was asked just about his travel plans and nothing else. The Redditor said he only fumbled in one of the answers when he accidentally said he would take his flight back to India from San Francisco instead of Los Angeles. He elaborated that he had previously visited Dubai and Thailand and plans to visit Japan this year.
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“I am 40M, have my own house, more than 50 lakh in savings and Investments, a stable career which I am glad to have, friends and relatives here and I am in no mood for a fresh start. Just wanted to travel and enjoy life. Have no relatives in USA,” he added.
What did social media say?
An individual wrote, “I have known cases where 214 B was given to people who earn less than a lakh a month.” The OP replied, “I have read about people with great travel histories and good salaries getting rejected. And they say a lot of Indians overstay, go missing there and start working blah blah blah - that means you are not vetting properly, you are granting visas to the wrong people and your selection is flawed!!!”
Also Read: Indian misjudges H-1B 60-day grace period as 'soft deadline', faces immigration trouble
Another expressed, “If you really want to go to the US, re-apply. I'm sure you will prevail.” The OP replied, “I will re-apply next year for a 2027 visit. I spent last night planning my 2026 trips since the US plan got cancelled. I had to start planning a new trip immediately, as I was sad and disappointed. Now we're gonna visit Japan in January instead of the US!!! I am happy and excited!!”
A third remarked, “DUNKI assumptions about us," referencing an illicit migration method called “the Donkey route.” The OP said, “Man, I understand that people just want to leave India, but why would I? I'm happy here!!! I'm not really desperate to go to the US, but I would love to visit NY and Vegas to experience it!!!”
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
ABOUT THE AUTHORTrisha SenguptaTrisha Sengupta is a Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over six years of digital newsroom experience. Specialising in high-engagement storytelling, she blends viral trends with traditional journalism to cover the intersection of technology, finance, and human emotion. Her reporting spans real estate and personal finance struggles in hubs like Bengaluru and Gurgaon, the NRI experience, and corporate shifts like tech layoffs. Trisha also frequently tracks global figures and writes human interest stories. Offline, Trisha is an avid reader, history enthusiast and solo traveler. She balances her journalism career with family life while actively integrating AI tools into her modern storytelling approach.Read More

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