Rejected Twice for US B1-B2 Visa

Question

My US visa b1/b2 got rejected for the second time under 214 (b). I hold Indian passport, living in KSA for 3 years as resident (Doctor). Since i want to attend a conference in US which will be held in every year in any one of the states , i decided to attended interview in KSA and was rejected. can you please suggest what could be the possibilities and how i can improve my chances for next time? how long I should wait before applying for a next chance?

Both interview, I was prepared with invitation letter from organizers of conference, salary certificate from employer, evidence of family ties in KSA, asset documents. Unfortunately consul officer not asked for any of documents and he clearly told that he need only the passport when I tried to give all the documents.

First interview was:

me- good morning
officer: good morning
me: when i was trying to submit passport and other documents

officer : give only your passport
officer: first time to us?
me : yes
officer : why you are going to us ?
me : to attend conference 
officer : who sponsoring?
me : myself
officer: what your job in ksa, how long, salary?
me; bla..bla..bla 
officer : are you traveling alone ?
me : yes
officer:are you married? 
me : yes, staying here with family  in KSA, have 2 kids.
officer:have you traveled to any other country during last 5 years?
me : UAE once
officer: relative in us ?
me : no
officer: any relative in canada ?
me: no
officer: show your bank statement?
me : shown
officer: cannot issue a visa under 214(b).

Since conference is hardly 2 weeks away, Second attempt was done exactly a week later after submitting a new application. This time I included more documents to prove more ties such as family photo with date, my first kid's school fee receipts, bonafide certificate from school , second child's vaccination card, my car documents etc..and all documents organized well. on the day of second interview :

me : good morning ( same officer interviewed for the first time )
officer: good morning
me : i was trying to give all documents including passport on top in a transparent file.
officer: give only the passport
officer: travelling first  time to us ?
me : yes
officer: purpose? 
me ; to attend conference
officer:you have been here before? smiling
me : yes, last week
officer : give your token number, you have to wait  wait until Some one calls you.
after a minute i was called for interview by  another officer.
officer 2 : hi good morning
me : good morning
officer 2 : what you doing here
me : im working as bla bla 
officer 2 : how long in KSA 
me:3 YEARS
officer 2 : WHERE YOU GOING TO US ?
ME :  bla bla to attent conference
officer 2 : your salary
me : bla bla
officer 2 : travelling alone
me : yes
officer 2 : dates of your conference?
me : bla bla
officer 2 : have you traveled TO ANY COUNTRY DURING PAST 5 YEARS ?
ME : UAE 
officer 2 : with in  past 3 years have you traveled to any country other than India ?
me : no
officer 2 :  sorry, your visa got denied under section 214(b).

Both officers not asked for any other documents/ ties and so i didn't gt a chance to show/ explain the ties.

what could be the possible reason for rejection? how can i improve my chance if iam applying for nex time either for conference / for sight seing with my family ?

Does this answer your question? Why my U.S. B1 Visa got refused under 214 (b)? — Mikael Dúi Bolinder, Feb 18 '20 at 18:07
You have no prior travel history to speak of. Forget about the US for the time being and build up a history of adherence to immigration rules through visiting other countries over a period of several years, this will help you to overcome the US presumption of immigrant intent when you eventually reapply. Do not keep reapplying - it makes you look desperate to get to the US, and bombarding them with more and more paperwork wont affect their decision. — Traveller, Feb 18 '20 at 18:33
It is very rare to be asked for documents at the interview stage, or at all. The US judges your visa application based on the information you submitted in the visa application. — Michael Hampton, Feb 18 '20 at 23:05
Applying for USA visitor visas are the ultimate lottery. Trying to make sense of the reasoning can lead to mental health issues. — Augustine of Hippo, Feb 20 '20 at 10:35

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Feb 18 '20 at 22:20

First rule: you need to convince him/her that you’re going for a visit and you’re not desperate(you won’t overstay your visa). Major mistake I see people making is they act like it’s an interview for something which is out of their reach. It really isn’t.

It seems your first mistake was being proactive about your documents - why do you want to prove something you’re not asked? Don’t give him/her your documents unless you’re asked.

Second thing, be casual in your behavior. You really need to make him/her believe that it really doesn’t matter whether you get visa or not. Your language should be as if your close colleague was asking you these questions. Also, make sure you show your salary/funds are enough that you can casually visit USA or get someone from US just to show them as your sponsor.

And lastly I’d say, wait for a year now or at least 6-8 months, apply next year for the same conference and don’t make same mistakes.

It still needs a little bit of luck. I hope you get it. Best of luck.

Be happy even if you don’t get it, it’s not end of the world, just a bit tricky system.

Rejected Twice for US B1-B2 Visa

1 Answers1