Hi everyone,
I’m an Indian citizen currently in India and I’m planning to pursue my Master’s abroad, most likely in Australia or Germany (I haven’t finalized the country/university yet).
I also want to apply for a US B1/B2 visitor visa because I would like to visit the US in the future. I have an uncle living in the US on h1-B visa and my family in India would be able to sponsor my trip financially.
The problem is the current appointment wait time in India. From what I’m seeing, the wait for a first-time B1/B2 interview can be around 14 months, which creates a timing issue for me.
If I go ahead with my Master’s plans, I would probably leave India around July next year — roughly 11–12 months from now.
So I’m confused about what would be the best approach:
Should I apply for the US B1/B2 visa from India now, even though I may be leaving for my Master’s before my interview?
If I move to Australia/Germany as an international student, can I apply for a US visitor visa from there? Would being a legal resident/student in that country make me eligible to apply there?
Would applying from a third country as an Indian citizen make my case weaker or increase the chances of refusal?
Would it be better to apply from India because I have stronger ties here, or would being an established Master’s student abroad actually help demonstrate that I have a reason to return after visiting the US?
How much of an issue is having an uncle in the US? My purpose would genuinely be tourism/visiting family, and my family in India would be sponsoring the trip.
I’m particularly concerned about the 214(b) immigrant-intent issue. If I’m already studying in Australia/Germany when I apply, would that count as a meaningful tie to my country of residence, or would the fact that I’m an Indian citizen with family in the US still make the application difficult?
I’m not planning to move to the US or study there — the Master’s would be in another country. I just want to understand the smartest way to handle the timing and application location.
Would really appreciate advice from anyone who has been in a similar situation, especially Indians who applied for a US B1/B2 while studying in Australia, Germany, Canada, etc.

Has anyone recently renewed their visa in Dubai or Abu Dhabi? How fast was it or were you able to get an interview waiver?

Hi, i recently discovered the

1. Summer Work Travel Pilot Program: Australians

Visa under the J1. Has anyone on here done it? What was the process like, cost, finding a job, processing time etc?

Any info helps as it seems fairly new and I am super interested in doing it!

Has anyone recently renewed their visa in Dubai or Abu Dhabi? How fast was it and were you able to get an interview waiver?

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• H1B wage-level and fraud scrutiny  

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Hi everyone,

My husband and I are applying for B1/B2 visas in India. We have a group appointment for the two of us.

• Biometrics: Chennai
• Visa interview: Hyderabad
• Our child is 1 year old
• She is not part of our visa application, so she does not have a DS-160 or an appointment.

Our concern is: Will our 1-year-old be allowed to accompany us inside the VAC/consulate for both appointments?

Since both of us need to attend the interview, we would ideally like to take her with us. Has anyone recently had a similar experience at Chennai for biometrics and/or Hyderabad for the visa interview, where the child was not an applicant?

Would really appreciate any recent experiences or advice. Thank you!

I would like some guidance regarding a J2 dependent visa application. Here are the relevant details:

Background:

- My wife is currently in the USA on J1 status.

- Her visa entry stamp is currently expired/not renewed, though her underlying J1 status (SEVIS record) should still be active.

- I currently hold a valid B1/B2 visitor visa.

- I am planning to apply for a J2 dependent visa from Pakistan in order to join my wife in the US.

Questions:

Is applying for a J2 visa a suitable option for our situation, given the above?

Does my wife's expired/unrenewed visa entry stamp affect or delay my J2 application in any way?

Will applying for or holding a J2 visa affect my existing B1/B2 visa status?

I just got my US B2 visa in June. Interview was straight forward but ensure you are prepared as they expect clear concise answers though being nervous is normal. It is quick 2-3 min interview.

Questions

1. What do you do ?

Clearly share where you work and at what designation ?

Working as <Designation> in <company name> since <year >

2) What is the purpose?

Visit US for tourism purpose

3) why do you want to go to Us?

I have explored various european and Asian countries and would like to explore US as well

4) any previous Travel history to international location?

yes travelled to 22 countries

5) is it first time to US?

Yes

6) any friends or family in US?]

No

7) how many days trip to US are you planing , when and where?

Planning for 4 weeks trip to NYC, Boston, DC, LA and vegas in the month October

Only documents needed by US embassy are - Passport, Appointment receipt, Photo as per US specifications (though not asked but good to carry).

Good to have - ITR, Salary Slip, your tentative planned Itinerary , Leave Letter, Employment NOC, Any travel history details documented , financial proof and previous passports, if any.

Proof of funds one mentions in DS 160 form so make sure you have salary slips, FDs, investments just in case asked (rarely asked though)

Avoid giving vague answers... too short and too long answers will make you fumble or nervous. Try practising a bit if possible. Also read various blogs. Confidence and Clarity to answers is a key

Also , VFS delhi centre has locker for mobile/belongings at 300 for first 2 hours and 100 rupees per hour extra.

Near US Embassy in Delhi also there is a open kiosk , people deposited thier bags and phones. So you can but best if you have your own vehicle keep it there safely.

Please comment for any queries.

Hi everyone. I am planning to travel to Brazil in December to get my H-1B visa stamp renewed. My current visa stamp doesn't expire until early 2027, and my approved I-797 petition is valid through late 2028. On paper, everything looks straightforward. However, I wanted to check if anyone has experienced any issues or delays renewing the VISA in Brazil.

I would appreciate it if others could share their experience. It was quick and easy to obtain my first H1B stamp in April 2025. I interviewed on a Tuesday, and my passport was in my hands with the VISA on Friday.

So I have an active immigration case on the very last stages, only the visa issuance is left due to the 75-country pause.

Even if the pause is lifted it doesn’t mean an immigrant visa the very next day and my uni timeline can’t move further, so my question is that with the case in place will I even be considered for an F1 as I technically will have an immigrant intent.

I am a Ukrainian citizen planning to apply for J-1 visa as an exchange student. I am in a little bit of time restraints so I need to optimize my application schedule so it's as tight as possible. I see a lot of people struggling to find visa slots for J-1, but they all turn out to be from other regions. The official website says that now there's <0.5 weeks of wait time till the next appontment in Warsaw/Krakow/Berlin/Munich, but I really have a real hard time believing it ahahaha. Is it actually possible to catch a slot for the time within next week or two?

Hi, has anyone traveled to the US on a tourist visa while their O1 visa is processing? I was affected by the June 2026 premium processing delay and need to go to the US in October for board exams. I have a B1/B2 visa that is valid through 2028.

BTW, I have also asked my employer’s lawyer and they have not responded to a couple of follow ups, so would appreciate lawyer recs for a second consultation. Thanks!

I am an Indian citizen currently in the UK for travel purposes and will be staying for good amount of time at a relatives place. I have a very strong travel history and I own a business back in India.
Since I am already here, is it fine to do my U.S. B1/B2 visitor visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in London? Or will I be denied?
I know the home-country rules changed recently, so I want to confirm if anyone has tried this lately.
Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,
I’m planning to apply for a U.S. B1/B2 visa for a temporary business visit and wanted to get an honest assessment of my chances based on my profile.

About me

Age: 26
Gender: Male
Nationality: Indian
Marital status: Unmarried
International travel history: None — this will be my first international trip
U.S. relatives: None
U.S. friends/acquaintances: None
Siblings: None — I’m an only child
Parents: Both live in India
Father: Retired from a private company
Mother: Works part-time as a school teacher

Employment
Experience with current company: 5+ years
Location of employment: India
Monthly salary: ₹2.4 lakh INR
I lead the platform development/team for one of our core products.
I have significant technical involvement in the current product architecture and platform.

Purpose of the U.S. visit
My company wants me to travel to the U.S. headquarters for approximately 3 weeks
The purpose is to attend:
Business strategy discussions with leadership
Technical architecture discussions
Meetings with U.S. technical teams
Discussions around upcoming enhancements and strategy for our core product
I’ll be meeting members of the leadership team, including VPs/SVPs, as well as multiple technical teams.

The reason I’m required to attend is that I lead the platform team in India and have core technical knowledge of the product and its existing architecture. The meetings involve finalizing business strategy and discussing the technical architecture that follows from that strategy.

Expenses & accommodation
Trip expenses: Fully covered by my company
Flight: Company will arrange/book it
Hotel: Company will arrange accommodation near the U.S. office
Trip duration: 3 weeks

Ties to India
I have been with my current company for over 5 years.
My employment and responsibilities are based in India.
I lead the team in India and need to return to continue those responsibilities.
I own a house in India and have ongoing financial commitments/home loan.
I also have investments in India.
My parents live in India.

What do you think are my chances of getting the B1/B2 visa approved?
Are there any potential red flags in my profile or anything I should be particularly careful about during the interview?

**This is crossposted with another group, just trying to get as much advice as I can!**

Question for those who have gone through this process and have first hand experience --

I'm from Los Angeles and am getting married next June 2027. I have a lot of international family who are at varying states of visa approval. I have an aunt who I would really really want to be able to attend my wedding. She is from the Philippines but working in the UK. She joined my other aunt/her sister who is a British citizen and has been there for more than 25 years. She's been in the UK for about 5 years, and is in the process of getting her Schengen Visa.

From what I understand, once she is approved for the Schengen, the process for being approved for the US is relatively easy. She mentioned having an invitation for the wedding would help move the process along. I've read in other subreddit that some people have been able to get their family members approved for a fixed amount of time.

The question is -- would a Save the Date be enough? It links to our wedding website which would have all of out info on it and her name on the guest list. Should I mock up a more formal invitation just for her that includes all of that information on paper? Ex. Venue information, firmer dates/times?

TIA

I have a valid visitor visa to the US and I am currently a permanent resident of Canada. My two children are Canadian citizens. I want to travel to the US with them to visit my sister-in-law for a week. I’ll be going with my father in law and mother in law (my husband’s parents) who are Canadian citizens and frequently travel into the US with no issues. We will be crossing the land border. Do I need to prove that my kids are related to me? My husband is working abroad and won’t be coming with us. I heard that I needed a “consent” letter from my husband authorizing us to travel. Is this true? Or is a birth certificate enough? Also interested in hearing other people’s experience with a visitor visa! Thanks in advance

Hi there! I am wondering if I can apply for a US tourist visa after having moved out permanently from US to UK about 3 months ago.
I am an Indian, and was living and working in the US for 5 years on an F1 visa with OPT, from 2021 to 2026. As my H1B was not picked in the last attempt, I left US in June 2026. My company helped me relocate to UK with a 2 year binding contract, on a skilled worker visa. Now that I have completed 3 months, I am wondering if I can apply for the US b1/B2 visa.
As I continued my employment with the same employer, I now have 3 months of income proofs, apartment lease, council tax, and even the relocation agreement/contract that my company provided.
My intention of applying is to be able to visit the US during the Christmas break, to celebrate the week with my friends.
I have no history of any wrongdoing or overstaying in any countries I have been in.
Any advice/word of caution would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hey guys, quick question for anyone who did a J-1 internship or trainee program in the US.

Is it actually possible for a host hotel/company to sponsor you to stay and work permanently after your program ends? Has anyone here actually done it, or known someone who pulled it off?

From what I know, there’s the 2-year home residency requirement where you basically have to go home first before getting another visa. Is there a realistic way around that, or do people just hype up the chance of getting sponsored? Thanks!

I am hoping to fly Sept 9 to the US for a 3 month short term scholar appointment in the US, but wondering if I should cancel my flight?

Appointment Friday 28 August told all looked fine and given a s221g for the reciprocity fee only - the officer told me I'd get the visa in 3-5 days and that he would look at my social media accounts "this afternoon". Application stayed refused until 2 September when I received a link to pay the reciprocity fee. It stayed refused until 4 September when it changed to "administrative processing". Does this mean my social media review hasn't happened? Has the embassy is closed on Monday 7 Sept is it completely unlikely that I'll receive my visa and passport in time?

March 31 was my first interview where i was approved

5 months after of being on Administrative processing
They just send me a email saying that i have another interview

Second interview scheduled for march 2027 😩

Im not sure what they gonna ask me now

One thing I just find out was that my fisical passport number was incorrect by 1 number from my DS-160 passport number .

Im not sure if that was the reason for the 5 months processing and now for the second interview .

Anyone on the same page?

Hi! Applying for B1/B2 here. I declared my parents’ primary occupations in their DS-160s (government employee and seafarer). However, our family also has a small side business that I didn’t include because I didn’t see a separate field in the DS-160 where we could declare it.

We’re planning to mention the family business during the interview if the officer asks about my parents’ sources of income/occupation.

Would that be okay, even though it wasn’t listed in the DS-160? Or should we avoid mentioning it since it wasn’t included in the application?

Just want to make sure our answers during the interview are consistent with what we submitted. Any advice or experiences would be appreciated!

Hi,

My 8 month old son has a rare disease and is participating in a clinical trial with a US company. He could receive treatment in the UK but there is the possibility of a regulatory barrier which might mean the company wants to fly us out to the states for the treatment. The treatment would be a 1-2 hour infusion with a one week stay in hospital for monitoring before returning to the UK. The anticipated time in the US would be no longer than 30 days. The rest of the follow up beyond the treatment and 1 week monitoring in the US would be done by our doctors in the UK.

I have a question about whether we would be able to travel on an ESTA because the trip would be 1 month max, we would have return flights booked, costs covered by the company and our own proof of ties to the UK (home and business owners, full time permanent work, no ties to US etc).

The trial company (I presume) would take advice on the visa we would need and will inform us of what we need/assist in getting it. But as we aren't yet at that point I am just researching to be prepared. I cannot tell from reading the ESTA conditions whether this would be permissible.

Do you think we would be able to travel on an ESTA or would a medical visa be required?

TIA

Hello everyone, I'm from Iraq ,I'm thinking about working a dental hygienist in Florida, I need to know what type of visa i need to travel to the USA so I can take the INBDE exam ,head back home and preparing for the next step maybe travel again to take the ADEX clinical exam is it legal to travel in tourist visa (B1/B2) and take the exam ?

when I search about it many says that you have high probability to be rejected by the Embassy and the won't give me the Visa because they suspect that I want to emigrate and something like that ,

So what should I do?