Indian student shares F-1 visa rejection experience.
An Indian student recently shared his F-1 visa denial experience in a two-minute interview, while the case has no obvious holes. The student has applied for a visa to study a master’s in computer science at the University of Maryland and the program begins on August 31.
The student, sponsored by the father, took an education loan worth Rs 50 lakh – and showed no problem at all.During the interview, applicants were asked regular questions about whether they had any threats in India that might prevent them from returning to India and also about choosing a university. The student answered: “I chose UMD because it closely aligns with my research interests in the field of computer vision. The program offers specialized elective courses in artificial intelligence and computer vision, and its research laboratories align with the areas I want to explore during my master’s period.”Another important detail is that the applicant was working as a remote software engineer from India for a company headquartered in San Francisco. “My employment ends on July 17 before I start my master’s degree. I have a letter from my employer stating that they have no intention of hiring me during or after my studies,” the applicant wrote on Reddit, trying to understand the reason for the rejection.
“Remote work is a major red flag.”
Redditors were quick to spot the red flag, though, as the applicant’s company issued a letter stating they had no intention of hiring the student in the future.
“Your remote work arrangement with a US employer is a red flag for the consulate. It shows two things: one, that you have contacts in the US who can offer you work with the right skills; and two, that you are still working for them and only recently started. As others here have said, what if you continue to work for them while receiving your salary in an Indian account? It also comes as a way to bypass the $100,000 fee charged by your US company.”
A consular officer need only have a reasonable belief one way or the other. Honestly, I don’t see that your profile has been approved. If I were you, I would simply get my master’s degree in India and keep my job,” suggested one Redditor.“I think it’s a question of trust. Do they trust that your current employer will not become your future employer – and that’s also when you’re in the USA. They want to be careful and maybe not take a chance.
Hence the rejection,” said another.“Your remote work for a tech company in San Francisco was a huge red flag that would likely result in an immediate presumption of intent to immigrate on your DS-160 form even before you spoke. To a visa officer, a software engineer with an active, direct relationship with a US employer has an incredibly high ability and incentive to seamlessly transition into the local job market. Even with your employer’s letter, the system assumes that you can easily continue working remotely or use that network to bypass standard work visa channels.
Moreover, your highly portable major in computer vision and artificial intelligence as well as a general written answer about UMD did nothing to establish a mandatory return to India. On your next attempt, you should rewrite your DS-160 to emphasize local career anchors and change your interview narrative to clarify the precise, high-value corporate opportunities that await you back home,” a third Redditor suggested.