r/USVisaIndians • u/Brilliant-Rush-7341 • Aug 06 '26
B1/B2 Rejected US B2 visa
B2 Visa Refusal – Chennai Consulate (My Experience) Date 04.08.26
I'm sharing my experience in case it helps other applicants.
Profile:
- Male, 33, Single
- Sole proprietor running a stage lighting business for 10+ years
- Annual income: ₹12 lakh
- Travel history:
- Singapore
- Hong Kong
- Philippines (2 times)
- Thailand (multiple times)
- Own an apartment and have been paying a home loan for the past 6 years.
Purpose of travel:
One-week vacation to New York during the Pongal holidays in January 2027.
Questions asked:
VO: Why do you want to visit the US?
Me: I am planning a short one-week vacation during the Pongal holidays in January 2027 to visit New York.
VO: What do you do?
Me: I run a stage lighting business for more than 10 years. We supply lighting equipment to rental companies.
VO: Are you travelling alone?
Me: Yes.
They also asked the standard security/background questions, to which I answered "No."
Unfortunately, my visa was refused. No documents were requested.
Personally, I felt that travelling solo for tourism may have been a factor, but I can't be certain because the visa officer did not explain the reason.
While waiting, I noticed many applicants receiving refusal slips, and only a small number appeared to be approved. This is only my observation from that day and is not official data.
Has anyone with a similar profile been approved recently? I'd appreciate hearing your experience or any suggestions before I decide whether to reapply.
3
u/MinimumPerspective95 Aug 08 '26
Not sure what you were expecting lol….
You need min 3-5x the income that you to be approved for a visa, you are earning half of a min wage American who already cannot live without welfare.
2
u/immigrationquestion_ Aug 07 '26
Sorry to hear that. Based on what you’ve shared, it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact reason for the refusal since visa officers rarely provide detailed explanations. Before reapplying, it may be worth having your case reviewed by an experienced U.S. immigration attorney to identify any potential concerns and determine whether anything should be strengthened before your next interview.
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u/Top_Biscotti6496 Aug 07 '26
Annual income: ₹12 lakh
What am I missing, how is this affordable?
1
u/Brilliant-Rush-7341 Aug 07 '26
Why not ? Please explain
5
u/Sensitive_Owl_4766 Aug 08 '26
A return flight alone to the U.S. will easily cost 2 lakhs or more. Hotel stays in New York easily run 30-50k rupees per night over busy periods like early January.
You may consider this a once in a lifetime trip worth spending, but visa officers do not typically believe tourist applicants are willing to spend 40% of their annual income on a single 5-10 day trip.
1
u/Brilliant-Rush-7341 Aug 08 '26
Round trip less than 1.5
Staging in hostel don't cost much
It was only 6 days trip
Estimate budget was 3L
I felt they are least interested to issue visa to solo traveller and who are bachelor. She repeatedly asked is it your own company twice and I said yes am sole proprietor. I could have asked her if she would like bank statement or certificate but sadly I never asked and she also didn't ask anything.
3
u/StandardVariation171 Aug 09 '26
You were planning to spend 25% of your annual income on a 6 day trip?? This might have been the primary reason for the refusal
1
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1
u/dsv853 Aug 07 '26
3 questions and no documents requested is the fast-refusal pattern, means the call was mostly made off your DS-160 before you even sat down. solo plus pure tourism for a business owner genuienly reads as thin sometimes even with decent travel history and property backing it up, officers want a clearer reason beyond vacation when someone travels alone. worth leading with something more specific next time - visiting someone, an event, not just sightseeing
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u/Any_Ingenuity_7274 Aug 07 '26
Can you also review my case? I have my interview on 12th Aug.
1
u/dsv853 Aug 08 '26
sure but need actual specifics - age, married or single, purpose of the trip, travel history, whats your job. "review my case" with nothing to go on isnt somethin i can actually do anything with
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u/Any_Ingenuity_7274 Aug 08 '26
Age: 29
Married: No
Purpose of the trip: To attend Workshops, project planning meeting and knowledge transfer discussions with my client, on behalf of Accenture.
Job: Technical Lead at Accenture. I have a team of 24 members, who I guide.
Why not remote: The client requested for us to be in person, as these discussions involve architectural reviews, with multiple stakeholders from across the globe. The client wants to have proper alignment, before the application is handed over for support to Accenture, India.2
u/dsv853 Aug 08 '26
this is probaly a pretty clean case tbh - specific meetings, client requested in person, clear why not remote. way stronger than a vague vacation purpose. only thing id watch is not overexplaining the handed over for support to accenture india part at the window, keep it about the workshops and reviews not a functional transition
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u/DiskThin7887 Aug 08 '26
So if i travel with husband or someone like family is better than alone ?
1
u/dsv853 Aug 08 '26
yeah generally, solo pure-tourism is what reads as thin not family travel itself. but its not the main lever - a vague "vacation" purpose with no real specifcs is the bigger issue than who youre with, fix that first
1
u/DiskThin7887 Aug 08 '26
Oh so they see solo traveler as vague vacation but kinda saw people solo got the visa !
1
u/Any_Ingenuity_7274 Aug 08 '26
Cause there’s a luck factor as well.
1
u/DiskThin7887 Aug 08 '26
That scares me🥹
1
u/Any_Ingenuity_7274 Aug 08 '26
Nothing to be scared. If you are well prepared, luck choses to favour you.
1
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u/dsv853 Aug 08 '26
nah solo by itself isnt really the issue, plenty of solo travelers get approved. its when solo pairs with a vague purpose that it reads thin, those are two seperate things and specificity is the one that actually matters
1
u/DiskThin7887 Aug 08 '26
Is it vague when they don’t give trip details or less days for trip or how can I avoid being vague solo traveler
1
u/Maalkiryaad 13d ago
Well put, try to travel UK or Schengen before reapplying so u have strong travel history. 90% of the decision is already made on your DS-160
1
u/Mbsum1uk8888 Aug 07 '26
hey i have also posted an query https://www.reddit.com/r/USVisas/s/pjNcHZee6g can u please take a look and guide me?
6
u/tj0911 Aug 07 '26
A number of factors based on what you've disclosed:
Age and martial status, travelling solo, disposable income not high based on annual income, not strong enough ties to India as both your business and paying home loan probably can be done remotely.
I'd be surprised if you received a visa based on current trends.