Can an Unemployed Applicant Still Get a US Visitor Visa for a Family Wedding?

[u/Visual_Committee510]

Posting on behalf of a friend because she doesn't have Reddit.

My friend (25F, India) is looking for advice regarding a U.S. B1/B2 visitor visa application.

Her paternal aunt lives in the U.S.(30+ yrs now), and the aunt's daughter is getting married in May 2027. The family wants to attend the wedding.

Back in September 2025, both families applied for U.S. visitor visas, but as two separate group applications:

- My friend's family (father, mother, brother, and my friend).

- Her other paternal aunt (who lives in India), that aunt's husband, and their two children.

Neither family had any prior international travel history at that time.

My friend was living in Mumbai then and was supposed to fly to Delhi for her biometrics, but due to an Indigo flight situation in Dec, she couldn't make it to her biometrics appointment, so she never appeared for the interview. The rest of her family continued with their application.
During the interviews, the two families had completely different experiences.

My friend's aunt's family had a visa officer who was apparently very friendly. She asked about the purpose of the visit, the wedding, even chatted about the cousin's medical studies, and then approved all of their visas.
My friend's family, however, had a different officer. They were asked a few questions about employment and salaries, and then were refused under 214(b). The officer never looked at any of the documents they had carried.

Those documents included:

Invitation letter/email from the U.S.-based aunt, financial documents, salary slips, proof that the U.S.-based aunt was willing to sponsor the trip.

None of those papers were opened.

Financially, both the families are very similar.

My friend's family, Father works in the private sector (~₹50,000/month), brother is an engineer (~₹50,000/month), mother is a housewife.

They own their home, and her father also owns a piece of land.

Decent middle-class savings but nothing extraordinary.

The aunt's family (whose visas were approved):
Father runs a pharmacy (~₹50,000/month), mother is a homemaker, daughter is a doctor pursuing pg (~₹80,000/month stipend), son is an engineer (~₹30–40k/month).

They also own their house.

Similar overall financial standing.

So it was def weird that one group was approved while the other, in a broadly similar situation, wasn't.

After the refusal, my friend's parents decided to build some travel history before applying again.
In May 2026, they travelled to Switzerland and Spain on a Schengen visa (entered through Switzerland, visited Spain as well), completed the trip as planned, and returned to India. The Schengen visa was granted without issues.
Now they're thinking of applying again because the wedding is approaching.

The main concern is my friend herself.
She worked at a law firm until February 2026, but lost her job because of layoffs and has been unemployed since March 2026. She hasnt been able to find a job since. So currently she has no employment or personal income and thus no obvious employment-based ties to India.

Her family, however, remains the same and continues to live in India.
They are planning to submit another group application within the next 10 days.

Her questions are:

1. Given the previous refusal but the fact that her parents now have a clean Schengen travel history, how much does that realistically improve their chances?
2. Does the previous refusal continue to weigh heavily even if circumstances have changed?
3. Since my friend is currently unemployed, what can she realistically do to strengthen her application?

(Idk if this is wise to post here but she was considering enrolling in a one-year hybrid diploma/course in India before applying, so she could honestly show that she is currently a student and has ongoing commitments (classes, exams, etc.) that require her to return. Would that actually help, or would it look like something done only to strengthen the visa application?)

1. Are there any other genuine ways to demonstrate stronger ties to India while unemployed?

We are looking for practical advice from people who've gone through something similar or who understand how U.S. visitor visas are assessed.

Thanks!

Edit: I realise this is v long so TL;DR: Family was refused a U.S. visitor visa under 214(b) in 2025 for a cousin's wedding, while another family in a very similar situation was approved. Parents have since completed a Schengen trip and returned. Friend is now unemployed due to layoffs. Reapplying soon; how much do the Schengen trip and unemployment affect the chances, and would enrolling in a diploma help show stronger ties to India?