(MENAFN- Live Mint) A Reddit user has shared that his US B1/B2 visa was rejected at the Kolkata consulate. The final-year student, who got selected for a medical observership in the US, has shared what happened during the interview. The B1 visa is issued for temporary business purposes while the B2 visa is issued for temporary tourism.

The visa officer asked routine questions about the purpose of travel, hospital details, student status and duration of stay. The applicant explained they had been selected for a four-week medical observership. The student also informed the officer of his parents' occupation.

“They own an IT solutions company that provides software and hardware support for other tech companies,” he said.

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Then, without asking for any documents, the officer said the visa was not approved.

Fellow Reddit users tried to decode what might have gone wrong during the interview.

“Officer knows there's a 100% chance you'll be looking for a job in the US during this observership. Zero reason why you can't do an observership in India,” one of them posted.

“I am a current US medical residency applicant this year, and USCE is absolutely necessary for a doctor to match into residency in the United States; it demonstrates that the individual understands and has worked in the US healthcare system,” commented another user.

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According to another Reddit user, medical observerships are commonly used by foreign doctors as a pathway to medical residency in the United States. The user adds that, while there is nothing wrong with having that goal, immigration officers are aware of this pathway.

“In the current political climate, visas get denied for that exact reason... The fact that you have a visa denial on your record now will also make it considerably harder to overcome the hurdle to get a visa,” the user added.

Another user wrote,“I don't think you answered anything incorrectly at the interview. You answered concisely and specifically... A lot of times, it's the officer's 'gut feeling' and not something explicitly articulable.”

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In recent times, Indian applicants with strong travel histories have reported sudden refusals and stricter questioning. Earlier in November, an Indian techie earning a CTC of ₹1 crore was denied US visa in under a minute. He was asked only three questions.

The US State Department now requires all visa applicants to attend interviews only in their home country or country of legal residence. This means Indians can no longer apply from third countries to get faster appointments.

As a result, wait times in India have become longer. It takes around 3.5 months in Mumbai and Hyderabad to nearly nine months in Chennai.

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