I’ve been trying to reschedule my parent US Visa interview in MNL Embassy but systems says no slot available. I tried different times and even every 1 hr but no luck. Does anybody have same experience like mine and when did you able to book a slot? I appreciate your information

I applied for an F-1 emergency appointment because there are no interview slots before my program start date. I didn’t upload my I-20, but I submitted another official university document showing my start date.

Will this hurt my chances of approval? What should I do if it gets denied?

Stuck with a September 14 appointment and trying to figure out if earlier slots have been appearing at all. Has anyone seen any July or August dates pop up in Madrid recently, even briefly? Trying to get a sense of whether it's worth refreshing constantly or if nothing has been showing up.

Any intel appreciated 🙏

**[Visa Experience] F1 REFUSED (214b) | New Delhi | July 1 | Stevens Institute of Technology MS CS | Detailed 2-round experience with interrogation room**

**Profile:**
- MS in Computer Science, Stevens Institute of Technology (Fall 2026)
- GRE: 330 (Q170/V160) | Bachelor's in Computer Science & engineering (graduated Dec 2025)
- Funding: $14K Stevens scholarship + ₹62L sanctioned InCred loan + $10K from uncle (legal guardian)
- Background: DevOps + MLOps internships & certifications

**Slot details:**
- Consulate: New Delhi
- Slot: 8:10 AM, July 1
- Reached at 6:30 AM — already ~50 people in line
- Guards called people slot-wise at 7:30 AM, security check done
- Biometrics at 8:00 AM, then joined interview queue (~1 hour wait)
- Turn came at 9:00 AM sharp, Counter 9

**Round 1 — Main interview (Counter 9):**

VO: Female, 30s, friendly but observant.

**Me:** Hello! How are you doing, officer!
**VO:** Good! What about you?
**Me:** I'm great, thank you.
**VO:** Pass me your passport and I-20.
**Me:** Certainly, here they are.
**VO:** So you're going to Stevens Institute of Technology for your MS in CS.
**Me:** Yes officer.
**VO:** They have online and offline options for this course. Why did you choose offline? *(smiling, watching my reaction — this question caught me off guard)*
**Me:** They're starting a new School of Computing in Fall '26, when I start. It has direct industry projects and a research and innovation lab, specifically for AI industry readiness — which builds directly on top of the DevOps and MLOps internships I did during and after my bachelor's. These aren't available online, so I picked it as my best choice for my career.
**VO:** Why not other universities?
**Me:** The other universities have good courses too, but they lean mostly into the research side. I needed a balance of research and industry-readiness subjects.
**VO:** When did you graduate?
**Me:** December 2025.
**VO:** OK. How are you going to fund your education?
**Me:** I got a $14K scholarship, plus a ₹60L sanctioned loan from InCred, and my uncle is sponsoring me with $10K. I don't have my father — my uncle is my legal guardian. Since I was 6 years old, he's taken care of my living and educational expenses.
**VO:** Sorry — are you saying your father or your uncle is the sponsor? Because *(showing my I-20)* here the funds say "loan and family." What does that mean?
**Me:** Not my father — my uncle. He is my legal guardian.
**VO:** Does your uncle have kids?
**Me:** Yes, two — one in 9th class, one in 11th.

*(She seemed visibly confused about why my uncle would pay for me when he has his own kids.)*

**VO:** Please pass me your financial documents.
**Me:** Only financials?
**VO:** Pass me all the documents you have.
**Me:** OK ma'am.
**VO:** Please wait at the end of the room, I'll call you back soon.

*(All my documents are 100% legitimate, so I was confident.)*

**Round 2 — Interrogation room (~45 minutes):**

After waiting ~1.5 hours, an assistant called me into a separate room. A Punjabi female officer came in with my documents.

She went deep into my background — how my uncle and aunt treat me, his business, how much he makes, my academics, internships, projects, future goals, why USA, how the degree helps back in India. She seemed genuinely convinced by my responses.

Then she said something that stuck with me: *"You have to be on the safe side — like there is no uncle in your life. Though he's there to support you, and I believe he will — without him, there's nothing left to support you."*

**Assistant:** All I'm saying is, if your visa gets approved today, please be cautious about the situation in the USA. Many students went there and are stuck because of no support.
**Me:** So is it approved?
**Assistant:** I'm here to tell your situation to the officer. Approval or refusal is up to the officer's discretion. But let's hope you get it.
**Me:** Hoping the same, officer.

**Final verdict (back at Counter 9, after 15 more minutes):**

**VO:** *(picking up my uncle's ITR)* So you tell me your uncle supports you, and he has 2 kids, but the income is less. Why will he pay you if he has his own kids to look after?
**Me:** Officer, firstly, he is the only one I have as my legal guardian. He has a dynamic salary every year, multiple businesses, and immovable assets worth over a million dollars. And he promised me he would support me.
**VO:** *(typing, scanned my passport)* I'm sorry, your visa is refused today. Try next time. Your reason is in this slip. *(214b)*

**Total time:** ~3.5 hours from biometrics to refusal.

**My takeaways:**

1. The refusal came down to ONE thing: my uncle's ITR income (~₹8L) vs. his obligation to his own 2 kids. The officer couldn't reconcile why he'd fund me over them.
2. The interrogation officer's words were the real signal: they wanted to see financial standing *as if the uncle didn't exist*. My loan covered the costs, but my framing leaned on "uncle supports me" — and that's where it broke.
3. Being an orphan with a guardian-sponsor gets EXTRA scrutiny, not sympathy. Be prepared for a second-round deep-dive if your family structure is non-standard.
4. Every document being legitimate doesn't save you if the *story framing* has a logical gap. Lead with the loan, not the sponsor.
5. Delhi does conduct detailed second-round interviews in a separate room — hadn't seen this mentioned in many posts, so posting for awareness.

Reapplying with a restructured financial narrative. Questions welcome.

---

Is it Advisable to do Online marriage and bring spouse on B1/B2 and convert to H4? -Or get H1B Approved >DS160> get visa slot > get married get H1B Stamped > then start H4 Processing get it finished and then bring spouse?? Time taking + Uncertainity.

Background:

• Previous B1/B2 refused under 214(b) on April 6th
• Since then I've now completed almost 11 months at <US Startup> India Subsidiary
• I've been promoted to Senior Software Engineer. Was hired last year, Sep'25 - Feb '26 Contractor (but still FTE) and then transitioned to Indian subsidiary March '26 to present
• I'm invited for a two-week business trip to <US Startup> HQ in San Francisco.
• Purpose is an internal customer support automation project before a planned scale-up.

I'd appreciate feedback specifically on these new answers I have prepared.

1. What has changed since your previous refusal?

>"Quite a bit has changed. I've now completed almost a year with <US Startup> India, I've been promoted to Senior Software Engineer, and I'm now leading the customer support automation work from our Delhi office. This trip is for a specific two-week internal project."

2. Why do you need to go to the U.S.? Why can't this be done remotely?

>"We've already been working remotely, but this project is a two-week sprint involving engineers and leadership based in the U.S. Working across the time difference slows down reviews and approvals. Being together for those two weeks lets us finalize the product before launch, after which I'll return to Delhi to deploy it."

3. Why were you selected?

>"Only two engineers are traveling—my colleague <XYZ> and I. We built the first version of this customer support platform for the India operations, so we have the most context and were selected for this project."

4. What makes you confident you'll return to India?

>"My role is based in the Delhi office, and after the two-week trip I'll return there to deploy the software with the India team and continue my responsibilities as a Senior Software Engineer."

Previous Interview Summary:

Officer: What is the purpose of your visit to the United States?
Me: Hey, I will be visiting my Company <US Startup>'s HQ in San Francisco for 2 weeks from 3 May to 16 May

Officer: Do you have any prior travel history ?
Me: Yes I visited Thailand for a week in Dec '25

Officer: What work does your company do?
Me: My company is an AI Hiring Platform, where companies can hire talent via ai interviews

Officer: So, are you an HR?
Me: No, I'm the engineer, I have built and manage the technology behind the AI Interview

Officer: What's your purpose of visit, what will you be doing there? (She didn't seem to be convinced much here)
Me: I will be meeting my manager & founders there who are all based out of the US. I will be going there to attend some key stakeholder meetings

Officer: How long have you been working with this company?
Me: I have been working with this company for past 8 months, first 6 months as a contractor for the US entity remotely and now as an Indian employee in the Indian entity

Officer: (Kind of gasp/corrective face) Ohh so that whole full 8 months is not *gibberish*
Me: Yes, (repeated) first 6 months as a contractor for the US entity remotely and now as an Indian employee in the Indian entity

Officer: Isn't it too early for them to invite you to the US within 6 months?
Me: (Confidently) I guess I am good at my work

Officer: Do you have any previous work history before this ?
Me: No, before this I completed my MBA from Delhi, India itself.

Guys, my f1 visa got rejected. I got into NC State University and the officer asked me 2 questions and then she rejected my visa abruptly. I am from india, Can i get any refused slots anytime soon ? Is this true about cooling period to book another visa slot ?

Hello,

I have been looking for F2 visa slots for two months now but to no avail.

I am thinking of applying for B1/B2 visitor visa for my spouse for the time. I am looking for advice if there is a possibility of visitor visa going through. 

Context to show ties in India: My spouse was working for a couple of years in India. After marriage, a couple of months ago, they've joined our own business.

I’m an Irish citizen travelling to Canada in two days. I’ve applied twice now for my ETA and received no email, no confirmation no refusal, nothing.
I’ve no reason to be denied (not that I think this is the case). Does anyone know if this just happens or has happened before and is there anything I can do

I have made my payment but cannot schedule OFC appointment as it shows "no slots available". Even the calendar is not appearing.

Hi, M(25) here. I'm from India and am headed for my Master's at CMU and just got my passport delivered to me. However, the expiry date of the visa is shown as 15 December 2027 for me which is exactly when my program ends as per my I-20. Everyone else I know had theirs issued for 5 years (i.e. 2031). I wanted to know what exactly this implies.

1. I'm assuming that I'll only be allowed to enter the US till December 2027.

2. Does the visa expiring exactly with the end of my program mean that I won't be able to work on OPT?

3. Would I have to do a process that's different from the 5 year validity people to have the authorisation to work on OPT?

Guys i got my admit from neu a few weeks back, and with all documents sorting and gathering, it took me a while to apply loan and get my I20. I’m supposed to get it within this week, and then im gonna apply for a slot. Is there any hope to get a slot in July/august? Will i be able to get my visa in time for classes starting in September?

Hi everyone,

I've been trying to book an H-1B visa stamping appointment at any of the Indian consulates, but I haven't seen any available slots for the past two months.

I wanted to check if anyone has any insights into how appointments are being released, the best way to secure one, or what the chances are of more slots opening up in the coming weeks or months.

I need to travel in the next few months due to an important family matter, so the lack of appointment availability has become a major concern. If anyone has any tips, recent experiences, or suggestions, I'd really appreciate your help.
Thank you!

Hello everyone. Has anyone recently applied US tourist visa in japan? If so how's the schedule to get appointment? I've read that to get appointment it takes months. Now i wonder if i should start the DS160 form first then gather the documents after i schedule my appointment. Cuz my husband said gather the documents first then fill out the DS160. Thank you.

Hey guys! I am an aspiring Phd applicant from India and I have been looking for slots since the start of May and I got my slots in the end of August however thats after my course starts. I havent been able to reschedule and I am worried if they are going to release any slots whatsoever. Is anyone else in the same boat? Are we supposed to give up?

Hi everyone,

Looking for some opinions on what may have led to my recent B1/B2 refusal and whether I should apply again for another business trip.

Background:
- Indian citizen
- Applied from Delhi, India
- B1/B2 Visa
- Went to the U.S. in 2018 for my Master’s, Completed my Master’s and Worked on OPT and STEM OPT and moved back in Feb 2024
- Never applied for H1B (I know it is weird)
- Enrolled in a PhD program at the University of the Cumberlands and worked under CPT while enrolled
After about a year, I decided not to continue the PhD and voluntarily returned to India in 2024
- I informed my university that I wasn’t planning to return, requested my SEVIS to be terminated, and moved back because I genuinely wanted to continue my career in India

I’ve been working in India ever since and currently work as a Senior Product Manager for a U.S.-based company

Purpose of travel:
My company sponsored me to attend the AI4 Conference in Las Vegas, where I was also scheduled to speak about the technical aspects of one of our products.
The visa officer never looked at my employer letter or conference invitation.

These were almost all the questions asked:
Officer: Why are you going to the USA?
Me: To attend the AI4 Conference in Las Vegas sponsored by my company.
Officer: What is this conference?
Me: I started explaining that it’s an enterprise AI conference, but he stopped me midway.
Officer: Why are you being sent by your company?
Me: I’m the only technical Product Manager on my team, and I have a speaker session where I need to talk about the technical aspects of our product.
Officer: Have you ever traveled abroad?
Me: Yes, I have stayed in the U.S. before.
Officer: You did a PhD?
Me: Yes.
Officer: From the University of the Cumberlands? Because of Day 1 CPT?
Me: No, because of the coursework flexibility.
Officer: Why are you being sent by your company?
Me: I repeated the same answer.
He then asked for my old passport, looked at my previous U.S. visa, typed for a while, took my fingerprints, and finally said:
“Sorry, I can’t approve your visa.”
I received a 214(b) refusal.

After thinking about it, I realized my answer to “You did a PhD?” may not have been clear. What I meant was that I had enrolled in a PhD program but did not complete it. I dropped out after about a year and voluntarily returned to India. Since the officer didn’t ask any follow-up question, I simply answered “Yes,” and now I’m wondering whether he interpreted that as me saying I had completed the PhD.

I genuinely returned to India of my own choice, withdrew from the program, and have been working here since 2024.

Now my company has another team offsite coming up in Portland, and they’re asking me to apply for a B1/B2 visa again.

I’d really appreciate thoughts from people who’ve been through something similar.

- If you were in my situation, would you apply again for the Portland offsite, or wait longer before reapplying?
- Has anyone with a similar background eventually been approved for a B1/B2 visa?

Looking for constructive feedback and similar experiences. Thanks!

Hi everyone! I'm filling out my DS-160 for an upcoming O-1 visa interview in India and have a few doubts I'd really appreciate help with from anyone who's been through this recently:

1) National Identification Number — What should I enter here? "Does Not Apply" or my Aadhaar number? I've seen conflicting answers on this.

2) Home Address — Should this be my US address or my India address? I understand the mailing address is where the passport will be delivered after the interview, but I'm unsure what to put as the home address.

3) Phone Number — US number or India number? Does it matter which one goes as primary?

4) Social Media — I have 3 Instagram accounts: a photography account, my main account, and a private account for close friends (~20 people) that I deactivated a while ago. Do I need to disclose all three, including the deactivated one? And does Reddit need to be disclosed too?

Separately - for anyone who recently had their O-1 interview at the New Delhi embassy: what questions were you asked? would be very helpful to learn from recent interviews

Also:

• What documents should I carry to the interview? (beyond the obvious DS-160 confirmation, appointment letter, passport, I-129/I-797)
• How far in advance do interview slots open up online? Trying to plan my timeline.

Thanks in advance !! happy to pay it forward with my own experience once I'm done! 🙏

I have been trying to book a slot for 3 weeks now.

First week I tried myself and all i could see were 1-2 consular slots released sometimes but they were gone in milliseconds. I was mostly looking at night as I have office in day time.

Then I hired an agent through which my office colleagues have booked a slot last year in August and they got appointment within a week.

I am following up with the agent and he is not able to book a slot for me even after 2 weeks. Me and my wife will be travelling so 2 slots are required. When I ask him he says that there is some issue with the portal and he is not able to submit the slots.

Now already three weeks have passed and I don't know if the agent will be able to book a slot or not. I am also looking at the alternatives and checkvisaslots looks like they are offering slot booking service for 12K per person. Are they good ? I have checked the reviews and see rebiews like got appointment in few days etc. Need help here as time is running out for me and I have to travel my August end by max.