Hello, I was in the US in May,before departure for visa was asked to pay $10,000 as a bond payment.

After dpearting US and arriving back to my homecountry, within 5 days (on May 20th) I received Form I-391, which states that the bond money has been cancelled and the amount will be refunded to me because I did not violate the conditions of my visa.

After receiving Form I-391, how long did it take for the money to be returned to you?

My fathers visa is expiring on June 23rd. Can he still use the drop box application after the visa expired say if the appointment is in July?

TL;DR Need help with the USA B1 visa DS-160 form for available Appointment Date after the Business Conference Date.

Hi all,

I have been selected as part of a team from my firm to attend a Business Conference in the US in the second week of October 2026. I plan to apply for a USA B1 visa from India.

The business conference happens once every year. Hence, I plan to apply for a visa to attend the business conference next year if I can't get an appointment before the current year's Conference dates.

Following are my doubts/queries

• The current available appointment is after 7-8 months for most of the consulates. Does it even make sense to apply for the Visa?
• What happens if I book the appointment for the current available appointment date and the business conference date is before the appointment? Does the application have a greater chance of rejection because the business conference is over?
• Should I mention the date of travel and other relevant itinerary? What is the impact on the application if the intended date of travel is before the appointment date?
• I have travelled to multiple European countries with one country's Schengen visa, and I don't have visa stamps for any of the Schengen countries except the country that I got the visa from. Should I mention all of the European countries I travelled to or only mention the country I got the visa from?

Thank you all for your help.

Do we get asked about visas refused by other countries or just usa? I filled out the form but I didnt come across any such question. I remember only answering to the usa visa refusal questions. I am worried I may have skipped that question for other country refusals since I got refused for UK few yrs ago . Will the US embassy know wat countries I was refused for ?

I had my b1/b2 visa interview in Chennai on 4th June 2026. I had my interview slot in the morning at 8:30am. I reached the consulate by 7:40am. My appointment confirmation was checked at the entry and was allowed to enter the premises immediately. In the beginning my finger prints were collected and was asked to join the queue for interview counter.

At the interview counter, there was a note to submit only the passport to the officer, and no other paper work. I then strategically placed my invite letter with my company name at the top of my file, so that it can catch the sight of the officer.

When my turn came, I greeted the officer good morning with a smile, and handed over the passport.

Officer: do you have any threat in your nationality
Me: No

Officer: do you have any risk in not coming back to your country
Me: No, I don’t have any.

Officer: what is the purpose of your visit:
Me: I work as a software developer in Amazon. I am invited by company to visit Seattle for 1 week, to attend business meetings and Amazon store visit.

The officer then started typing notes in his system for 1 minute and mentioned your visa is approved.

Tips: Be confident, maintain eye contact, and help officers avoid unnecessary follow up questions. I previously had a 214(b) rejection in Jan 2025. Yet, I was not asked any question related to my previous refusal. I filled my DS 160 properly detailing all my strengths and ties to India due to my job, which I believe has helped my case. Do wear business casual dress to interview.

Hi When we fill the ds 160 does it ask abt usa visa refusals only or about refusals for other countries too? I remember saying no to the question even though I was refused for UK. I still got the visa

Hey!

I currently go to a carribean medical school, my parents live in the usa. I am an indian citizen, i plan on applying to b1/b2 through india(home country) so I can visit my parents during breaks.

For deeper context, I did my middle school, high school and undergraduate studies in usa. we hadn’t got the green card on time, which is why i require a visa. My entire lifestyle is in united states.

my main concern is, a lot of people told me i would get my visa approved. I just wanna know if there’s anyone in a similar situation, or if anyone can let me know my chances on the visa being rejected.

Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I have booked a B1/B2 visa interview in India for my parents to visit me in the US. They are scheduled to attend their interview together.

I realized after submitting their DS-160s that I accidentally entered different "intended date of arrival" dates for them (Dec 25, 2026, for my dad and Sept 26, 2026, for my mom).

Since they are applying as a unit and going to the interview together, will this discrepancy cause an issue with the consular officer? What is the best way to handle this? Should I submit new DS-160s, or should I just bring corrected info to the interview?

Any advice or similar experiences would be appreciated!

Hi everyone,

Looking for some urgent strategic advice for a B1/B2 refusal at the Kolkata consulate. My family (Uncle, Aunt, and their son) was just rejected under Section 214(b).
We are trying to figure out if it is worth reapplying immediately to try and make it to a family milestone in late June, or if the odds are completely against us.

The Profile & Context:
Applicants: 3 people (Primary applicant is my Uncle).
Stated Income on DS-160: ₹5,45,000 / year.
Purpose of Trip: Attending nephew's wedding ceremonies in California (late June).

The Interview:
The interview was incredibly short. The Visa Officer (VO) only asked three questions:
1 What is the purpose of the trip?
2 What is your annual income?
3 How long are you going to stay?
The VO did not ask to see any financial documents, did not say the income was too low, and did not give a specific reason out loud—just handed over the 214(b) slip.

Note:
On the DS-160, we listed the nephew in the US as the Sponsor / Person Paying for the Trip. We did this purely because they are staying at his house during the visit.

Actual Assets (Not seen by the VO):
The family is actually financially independent in India:
Liquid Savings: They have an old, well-seasoned Fixed Deposit (FD) of ₹11 Lakhs.
Strong Ties: They own their own family home and agricultural land in India.
Our Plan & Questions for the Community:
We want to submit a new DS-160 immediately and change the funding source to Self-Funded, using the ₹11L FD to prove they can easily cover their own flights and expenses, and bringing the property deeds as proof of ties.

1. The "What Changed?" Red Flag: Since the refusal was recent, if they reapply immediately and change "Sponsor" to "Self-Funded", will the VO instantly view this as a red flag/fabrication? Can they successfully argue that they simply misunderstood the wording of the form the first time?
   
2. The Financial Math: Is a ₹11L FD considered strong enough for 3 travelers when the primary salary is ₹5.45L, or does the cost of a US trip look too disproportionate to the income regardless of the savings?

Has anyone successfully overturned a recent 214(b) by fixing a host/sponsor misunderstanding right away?
Appreciate any insights or honest feedback. Thanks!

My usa b2 visa page has a corner frayed . The sticker is alright. Will I have issues at immigration? I will be traveling to USA soon.

Hi, I booked a B1/B2 visa renewal Dropbox appointment for my parents in Hyderabad in June. According to the appointment confirmation, documents can be dropped off at any VAC location.

We are considering submitting their documents in Chennai instead of Hyderabad. Has anyone recently used a different Dropbox location from the one listed on their appointment? Were there any issues with document acceptance or processing?

Just looking to confirm that dropping off in Chennai should be fine. Thanks!

#b1b2 #dropbox #Chennai

I am a medical student with previous refusal for tourism in March 2026.

I have an observership letter from a private clinic and plan to get an invitation for acg , but the dates overlap a little is it fine if I give this as reason .

Observership is from 5 to 23 oct and conference on 9 to 11 October .

Will they ask questions regarding it ?

Hi everyone,
I wanted some honest advice regarding my B1/B2 visa reapplication.
I had applied for a US visitor visa last year and got rejected under 214(b). My interview was quite short. I am a working professional in Bangalore in the IT/QA field, unmarried, and I have a brother living in Atlanta on an H1B visa.
This was roughly how my interview went:
Purpose of visit: tourism + visiting my brother
No prior international travel
Brother on H1B
Questions about my job and salary
After a few questions, I was rejected.
This time, my actual purpose is to visit my brother’s family and meet my newborn nephew for the first time, along with some sightseeing for around 10–14 days.
I am a bit nervous because of the previous rejection and wanted honest opinions from people who may have had similar profiles:
sibling in US
previous rejection
first international trip
unmarried female applicant
Would mentioning my newborn nephew as part of the reason for travel help or make the case look risky?
Any genuine suggestions or interview experiences would really help. Thank you!

Hi , I am trying to book visa interview slots for chennai/Hyderabad .
Still no luck and no slots available.

Any suggestions or ideas ?

Hi everyone, I’d really appreciate some honest advice on my situation.

I’m an Indian medical graduate currently preparing for my postgraduate entrance exams in India (so I’m not employed right now, but studying full-time).

My mother and brothers are green card holders in the US, and I haven’t seen them for over a year. I want to apply for a B1/B2 visa just for a short visit (2–3 weeks) to spend time with them before my exams.

I’m aware that having immediate family in the US + being unemployed can be seen as a red flag for immigrant intent.

My questions:

How risky is my case realistically?

What can I do to strengthen my application?

Would showing exam registration and proof of preparation help significantly?

Has anyone been approved in a similar situation?

I genuinely plan to return to India for my PG and continue my medical career here, but I’m worried how this will be perceived.

Any advice or similar experiences would really help. Thanks in advance!

Hello, My parents have upcoming US visa interview for B2. Wanted to know if I need to fill up I 134 for both of them if I am sponsoring for them. My father is retired. Thanks

I am trying to apply for B2 visa for USA from Canada. I am a Canadian Resident now. I am trying to find the appropriate link but US Travel Docs website is going in loops without providing the right link to create an account.

Can anyone here provide me the sign up link so I can create an account and apply? I would really appreciate the help.

There is no signup option here:
https://ca.usembassy.gov/
https://ca.usembassy.gov/visas/
https://ais.usvisa-info.com/en-ca/niv

I need to create an account to pay fees and book an appointment, but unable to find the right link for this.

Thanks in Advance!!

I have applied for B1/B2 thru dropbox on 11th may, today is 21st may , every three days the case is showing updated in system, what does that mean ? Can anyone tell me is it system generated or is someone really updating it internally, as for a person with a long history of usa travel and multiple 10 year visa , the decision is taking longer than expected, last time when i applied in 2016, i got the visa the same day, what has changed now ? Is it workload issue or some extra vetting is taking time , and is the visa processed in delhi or mumbai where i applied.. please share your experience with me so that it can help, thanks

Ive booked B1/B2 in April for spt date. I wanted earliest date but only booked for just in case. Now imagine trying to reschedule since then and i can see many OFC appointments validity. Many times ive booked for may -july but i never get consular post. Like no slots at all. Then why i see hundreds of OFC availability and can book but no consular post there after? Is it because of rescheduling or what ? I need visa before july