F-1 visa rejected despite Rs 50 lakh education loan approved: Reddit user points out ‘huge red flags’ in application
An Indian student recently shared his experience of being denied an F-1 visa in a two-minute interview, and there were no obvious flaws in the case. The student applied for a visa to pursue a master’s degree in computer science at the University of Maryland, a program that will begin on August 31. The student – who took an education loan of Rs 50 lakh with the help of his father – showed no problem at all.During the interview process, applicants are regularly asked questions about whether they have faced any threats in India that may prevent them from returning to India, and about university options. “I chose UMD because it is closely related to my research interests in computer vision. The program offers specialized electives in artificial intelligence and computer vision, and its research labs match the areas I want to explore during my master’s degree,” the student responded.Another key detail is that the applicant works as a remote software engineer for a San Francisco-based company in India. “My employment ends on July 17th before I start my master’s degree. I have a letter from my employer stating that they have no intention of hiring me while I’m studying or after I graduate,” the applicant wrote on Reddit, trying to understand the reason for the rejection.
‘Remote working is a major red flag’
Although the applicant’s company sent a letter stating that they did not plan to hire the student in the future, Reddit users were quick to spot the red flags. “Your remote work arrangement with a US employer is a red flag to the consulate. It indicates two things: first, you have contacts in the US who can provide you with employment opportunities with the right skills; second, you are still working for them and have only recently started. As others have said, what happens if you continue to work for them while being paid on an Indian account? This is also considered a way to get around the $100,000 fee from a US company. Consular officers only require some degree of reasonable belief. To be honest, I don’t see your profile being approved. If I were you, I would just get my master’s degree in India and keep my current job,” said one Reddit user.“I think it’s a question of trust. Do they trust that your current employer is not going to be your future employer – and that’s the same when you’re in the United States. They’d rather err on the side of caution and maybe not take the risk. Hence the denial,” said another.“Your remote employment at a San Francisco tech company is a huge red flag that may immediately trigger the presumption of immigration intent on your DS-160 before you even speak. To visa officers, software engineers with active, direct ties to U.S. employers have an incredibly high ability and motivation to seamlessly transition into the domestic job market. Even with your employer letter, the system will assume you could easily continue working remotely or use the network to bypass the standard employment visa channel. Furthermore, your highly transferable expertise in Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence coupled with generic textbook answers on UMD does not compel you to return to India. For your next attempt, you must rewrite your DS-160 to emphasize local career anchors and change your interview narrative to articulate the precise, high-value corporate opportunities waiting for you back home,” suggested a third Reddit user.
