US rejects B1/B2 visa for Indian techie earning ₹1 crore — what happened at the consulate?

AN Indian tech worker's plan to attend an industry conference in the United States was crushed in less than a minute when the US Embassy in New Delhi denied his B1/B2 visa after asking the applicant just three questions.

The senior technical lead, who focuses on Cloud Native platforms, turned to Reddit to share his experience and seek advice to avoid a similar situation in the future. The post immediately caught the eye of other IT community members, all keen to understand the cause of the immediate denial, HT reported.

In the Reddit post, the tech professional wrote, “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.”

What happened in the consulate?

The applicant described the interview process and the swift denial. According to him, the officer asked him just three questions, including his reason for traveling, his prior international travels, and whether he had any family or acquaintances in the US.

He further revealed that he was interested in traveling to the US to participate in the Kubecon + CloudNative Con 2025 conference 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 told the officer, according to his post.

He also confirmed his travel history to Lithuania, the Maldives, and Indonesia, but stated “No,” when asked if he had any family or friends in America. He received a 214(b) refusal slip shortly after the interview.

The applicant's background

The tech lead expressed his surprise at the quick denial, citing his solid professional and personal background, which gave him strong reasons to return to India. “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 was quoted as saying by HT.

He also mentioned that he had already prepared for the event well in advance as it was not available for live streaming. The conference wasn’t available for live streaming, so I had planned everything to attend it in person,” he stated, adding that reservations for the Atlanta conference, hotel rooms an extensive schedule were all in place.

In conclusion, he asked other Reddit users on the forum about the possible reason of his rejection, seeking suggestions regarding what steps he should follow before reapplying for the visa, HT reported.

What is B1/B2 visa?

The B1 visa is meant for short business trips, such as conferences, meetings and contract negotiations. Those with B1 visas cannot work in the US in the traditional sense; however, holders can apply for jobs in the US and attend interviews.

Whereas, the B2 or tourist visa is for purposes such as tourism, vacation, or visiting friends and family. It also covers certain medical treatments and participation in social events. In most cases, a B1/B2 visa is issued together, allowing the holder to travel for both business and tourism.

The US Department of State firmly states that a visa is a privilege, not a right, and can be refused or cancelled if the officer has reason to believe that the applicant is dishonest or unreliable. Under this clause, an application may be rejected due to even minor discrepancies or alleged lapses in ties to the nation of origin.