What do you do in Boston on a Saturday night? Former US diplomat says F-1 visas may be denied due to this issue

An F-1 visa applicant said he was asked during his visa interview what he was going to do in Boston on Saturday, only to have his visa denied.

Amid a sharp rise in student visa rejections in India, former US diplomat Yvette Bansal says it’s possible your visa could be rejected due to an unexpected informal question for which you are not prepared. Bansal was speaking to YouTuber Pritesh Jagani, who said he received a message from a student who applied for an F1 visa at the consulate in Kolkata. The applicant was asked “What would you do in Boston on a Saturday night?” after the applicant said he had chosen a college in Boston. He was also asked how well he knew Boston.Basically, an F-1 visa applicant is asked three questions: the name of the college to which he is applying, how much he knows about Boston, and what he will be doing in Boston on Saturday night. The applicant said he applied to Northeastern University in Boston; he knew Boston well and it was around New Year’s when his classes started. The third question made him a little nervous, and he thought of a few things, and then he said he was going to the library, hanging out on campus, and probably studying.Yvette Bansal said that if a visa officer asks such a question, then he or she wants the applicant to come off their script. Bansal said they want to check whether applicants have researched their city because serious students do. It also checks whether applicants are being thrown off and whether they maintain their ability to express themselves clearly. It’s a tough and smart question with no right or wrong answer, Bansal said. “There’s no wrong answer. It should just show that you are a student and have done basic research about the city you are going to,” said the former visa officer.Regarding the overall increase in rejection of F-1 visa applications in India, Bansal said, “The government is not keen on immigration, so there has been a tightening of policies on the part of the country and that has affected consulates and embassies in India. There is no big push from the US to approve more visas. There is no pressure on the ambassador to instruct the consulates in the embassy to approve more F-1 visas.” They may be told that these applications require a higher level of review. “