Studying in the U.S is like a dream for every aspiring student internationally and it’s easy to apply for a U.S Visa but is very confusing at the time of processing and can face rejection for many reasons. Students who are preparing for years to study in the U.S get disheartened when an unexpectedly long delay happened while processing the Visa application.
The F1 student visa is applied to get a student visa for their Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in the USA. The validity of the visa depends on the duration of the course or program and after the program is completed you will have 60 days to leave from the U.S. Post this if you have applied for optional practical training (OPT) which permits students to gain practical knowledge in their field of study and which allow staying in the U.S for another 12 months.
After this either you can apply for a work visa or can go back to your home country. Unfortunately, this will happen only when the Visa application is accepted by the department, which is happening less these days. These days there is more rejection on Visa application for International students.
Rejection due to no intent to return home country
The consular officer, while doing further investigation on the Visa application, checks many things of the applicant and the major one is the intent to go back to their home country. They are advised to check on many factors while doing this termination of visa application. Students applying for Visa must have a written letter or statement by family mentioning their plans to return.
214(b)
U.S. Embassy provides two kinds of slip while interviewing according to the application received and they are 221(g) and 214(b).
221(g) slip is issued when the candidate application is put on hold and during the interview, they enquire many things like having sufficient funds, no home ties and many more. 214(b) slip is issued when the application is rejected and the reason is mentioned on the slip. There can be more than one reason:
- Possible Immigrant
- Insufficient fund
- No Home return justified in an interview.
U.S. Government is becoming very strict on punishing the international students who overstay their visa and fine them with penalties. University officials say that the number of rejection of visa applications is getting high because of the extended security checks.
The government says that they want to provide legal travelers in the country and international students are the priority. They are rejecting disputed visa applications for national security and that’s the reason why this tough investigation is done. Colleges are getting disappointed because of these rejections as they invest in the students to join their college and student morale and confidence go down when the request for a visa is canceled.
Students and Universities are stressed due to this time taking procedure and rejection of visa applications. Universities are getting petitions and letters from students as they are afraid of missing the dates of college start. In February, the time of processing was increased to 180 days from 60 days. In the U.S., millions of international students are studying and colleges see their existence as a strong selling point.
Things to do after a Visa is denied
As per the mentioned reason on rejection slip, review and work on fulfilling the request. Once all documentation is collected, seek help from the immigration attorney. Reapply for the visa when all requirements are made available. There is no waiting period for re-application. Be double-sure before reapplying with all required documentation. Be clear and precise at the time of the interview on clarifying your stay in the states only for studies and will be returning to the home country.
