₹1 Crore Salary, Yet US Visa Denied in 60 Seconds, Indian Engineer’s Story Sparks Debate
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): An Indian senior technology engineer preparing to attend a major tech conference in the United States faced a major setback when his visa interview ended in just 60 seconds, resulting in instant rejection.
The engineer, who earns an annual salary of around ₹1 crore, shared his experience online and it has since gone viral on social media, sparking debate about the fairness of the US visa process.
Without revealing his identity, the engineer explained that he works as a Senior Tech Lead at a major Indian technology firm. He had planned to attend the prestigious “KubeCon + CloudNativeCon 2025” conference in Atlanta, USA, and had applied for a B1/B2 (business/tourist) visa.
All his documents were in order, but the interview experience turned out to be surprisingly brief.
Sharing his ordeal on Reddit, the engineer said that during his interview at the US Embassy in New Delhi, the visa officer asked him only three short questions:
“What is the purpose of your visit?”
“Which countries have you traveled to before?”
“Do you have any relatives or friends in the US?”
Immediately after answering these questions, his visa was denied. The entire process, he said, was over within a minute.
Expressing shock, the tech professional mentioned that he has 11 years of stable employment and has previously traveled to Lithuania, Maldives, and Indonesia. He also has an eight-month-old child in India — a strong “tie to home country.” Despite these factors, his visa was still rejected under Section 214(b) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act.
The story quickly went viral on Reddit, with thousands of users reacting. Many expressed disbelief that even someone with a high income, stable career, and family ties could face such swift rejection raising concerns about how difficult the process must be for ordinary applicants.
According to US Embassy guidelines, visa approvals depend entirely on the discretion of the interviewing officer. If the officer feels that the applicant’s ties to their home country are not strong enough, the visa can be refused under Section 214(b).
This case highlights that high salaries or stable jobs alone do not guarantee a visa proving that convincing the officer about one’s intent to return home after travel is equally important.