New Delhi: An Indian techie’s plans to attend a major US tech conference were abruptly halted when the US Embassy in New Delhi denied his B1/B2 visa in under a minute.
According to a media reports, the senior technical lead, specialising in Cloud Native platforms, shared his experience on Reddit, where it quickly attracted attention. He wrote, “I had my B1/B2 visa interview at the US Embassy today in Delhi, and I was rejected in less than a minute after just three questions. I’m trying to understand what went wrong and how I can improve for next time.”
During the brief interview, the officer asked about his purpose of travel, prior international trips, and whether he had family or acquaintances in the US. The applicant explained that he intended to attend the KubeCon + CloudNative Con 2025 conference in Atlanta, Georgia. “I am a senior tech lead at a company and my day-to-day work is on Cloud Native technologies. It is important that I attend this conference to stay up to date on the latest events or movements in this field,” he said.
He provided details of his previous travels to Lithuania, the Maldives, and Indonesia, but responded in the negative when asked about any family or friends in the United States. Shortly afterwards, he received a 214(b) refusal slip.
“The candidate, employed in India for the past 11 years with an annual income of nearly ₹1 crore and an eight-month-old daughter, expressed surprise at the swift visa rejection. ‘I had very strong motivations to return to India,’ he wrote.
He had already made reservations for the conference and hotel, with a detailed itinerary, noting that “the conference wasn’t available for live streaming, so I had planned everything to attend it in person.”
Following the denial, he turned to the forum to seek advice, asking users for guidance on why the rejection may have occurred and what steps he should take before reapplying for the visa.
What is the B1/B2 intended for?
The B1 visa is intended for short-term business travel, such as attending conferences, meetings, or contract negotiations. While B1 visa holders are not permitted to work in the US in the conventional sense, they can apply for jobs and attend interviews.
In contrast, the B2, or tourist visa, is issued for purposes such as tourism, holidays, or visiting friends and family. It also covers certain medical treatments and participation in social events. In most cases, a B1/B2 visa is issued jointly, allowing the holder to travel to the US for both business and leisure.