F1 Visa Rejected for Indian Doctor in Saudi Arabia for A Crazy Reason
F1 Visa interview Rejected for an Indian Doctor in Saudi Arabia.
I am an Indian doctor working in Saudi for about 2 years now.
I got selected for my Doctorate degree in one of the best University in the US. TOEFL 115.
I have visited the US about 8 times on B1/B2 for Conference. I wasn’t sure if I should apply for F1 Visa from New Delhi or Riyadh.
I called up the US embassy and asked about my doubt and they replied that if I am staying at a place for more than 6 months I should apply form that place, so in my c,ase I should apply from F1 Visa from Saudi Arabia.
So this month I went to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for F1 Visa interview. Here is whatever I remember of the interview.
F1 Visa Interview – Indian Doctor
VO : Good Morning
ME: Morning Ma’am
VO: So you are going to US for studies?
ME : Yes Ma’am
VO: Why are you applying from here, you should apply from India?
ME: Ma’am I was uncertain of that and had called up the Embassy in Riyadh and they informed me that since I have been here for more than 6 months I shosuld apply from Saudi Arabia.
VO: Ok.
VO: But when you leave to study in the US you will be no longer a resident of this place, so how can I give you a Visa from here?
ME: I did not think about this as I was instructed to apply from this place by the embassy, otherwise I would have done it from New Delhi.
VO : Why this University?
ME: Its one of the best university for medical education in the US and throughout the word it is ranked among the best 50 schools.
VO : So what will you do after you finish from there.
ME: I will come back to this place and start working again, and if I have an American degree my salary will be 3-4 times higher that what I get currently.
VO: How much is your salary?
ME: this much
VO : Hmm.. so its a good investment
ME: Yeah!
VO: I would love to give you a visa but unfortunately I cannot grant you a visa now.
ME: Zapped !!
VO: Handed me a white slip 214(b)
ME: But why so?
VO: The US immigration law states that you should show ties to your home country or your place of residence, which unfortunately you could not show.
ME: I can show you all my property parents and everything what I have in India.
VO: Thats ok , but you left India to work in Saudi, that means you don’t have ties strong enough which will keep you back in India, and here you do not have any ties, so according to the Law I cannot give you a visa.
Me: So, you think if I apply from Delhi I would get a visa from there?
VO: Maybe , but I cannot guarantee , If you show ties you may.
ME: Ok , any other documents which I can show?
VO: Please leave, cause I have many more people to interview or I would have to call the security.
ME: Well no need for that , have a nice day ahead.
Well, this was my experience.
Please guide me where I went wrong. Now I’m planning to apply from India in June, after completing my job contract here in Saudi Arabia, but I don’t know how would I show ties.
I have all my family there, property and everything.
But I will not be having any Job cause I have already resigned from my job in Saudi cause I was supposed to start School in July in the US.
What are my chances of getting a visa from India , if rejected once.
F1 Visa Interviews in Saudi Arabia
- F1 Visa Interview Experience at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- F1 Visa Interview in Riyad, Saudi Arabia – Approved
- F1 Visa Rejected for Indian Doctor in Saudi Arabia (this article)
I am a Pakistani and I applied Visa from Seoul for PhD in USA. I had my kid and wife going with me and I did not have any typical ties like property etc. I got Visa easily for whole family. I have sent my Experience to happyschool moderator.
Most students in my PhD program apply from outside their home countries as my PhD program prefer cross cultural experience. In ten years, we did not have a single Visa rejection. So, I think applying outside home country is not a problem. The real problem is not applying from Arabia or India but may be interview, luck, Visa officer thinking or US Visa policy at that particular time.
Hello folks / My humble request – Stop being Judgemental / * Calling a doctor as being desperate & Filthy*/
One of our fellow countryman had lost his chance in the first attempt at the Embassy – If you could help him in someway please do so by posting your comments. If not at least save your attitude and stay calm.
One thing I dont understand, he says he has already resigned from the job. Its hard to beleive that someone will resign from the job before getting US visa thinking that he is going to USA. Maybe VO thought that his contract in Saudi Arabia is going to be over and that was his exit strategy. According to the law, any aspirant for F-1 visa has to show ties to the country from where he/she is applying. Property, Family, Parents, Land/House, job, Bank Balance something he has to show.
Hi mate
I had a similar situation. I applied from london as i was a student down in UK. I was denied under 214b. I contacted some lawyers in US regarding my denial and some of them told me to apply from india and some gave me crazy solutions. What I suggest is finish your contract, go back India, start a fake business just to show visa officer that you have got ties. Since you are a doc, start up a clinic. you dont have to actually establish, just manage to get papers done and then apply for a visa. you have got valid reason to go US and you have ties too. think about it. I applied for visa in may and i was denied, i was totally pissed off. anyways there is always way out. Im having american passport now. got it within 2 months after denial. i was lucky enuf though. anyways mate take it easy.
hey @Francis how did u get an american passport 2 months after ur f1 visa denial….jst gimme a few ideas!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Hi I think getting visa from Saudi Arabia is much easier then India. Because I got my visa from Saudi Arabia itself and prior that I had tried from India, but got rejected(asked only three questions by V.O.). To get Visa from Saudi you need to show certain things that’s it.(why you are going, enough funding and lastly you will return back)
There are more chances of getting visa from Saudi, because Saudi students most of them will come to USA for english courses only and all of them have scholarships from Saudi govt and if you apply for Masters/Phd and bit impress to V.O. then definitely you will get Visa.
Why is this doctor being so desperate to go to the states? It was rightly decided and convicted by the VO that this filthy doctor does not have any emotional ties with his home country; therefore, he must be deprived from a visa meant for the students to the USA
Why would u say that?? you call a doctor desperate? Only Doctor’s patience is tasted and stretched like no other educational program in this universe! 4.5 yrs of MBBS course + 1.5 yrs of internship + 2 yrs of MD + 2 yrs of DM = 10 yrs of edcation just to arrive at the first step of medical profession! real career starts after that!! Plain MBBS is treated like a road-side fake jadi-booti wala, he finds it hard to get even Rs.50/- for the consultation!!
this Dr. is not doing anything wrong if he wish to go to US for his doctorate! he has every right to decide where to go and what to do! for that matter every single person at the US embassy is always desparate to go to US!! why blame him and say VO was right?? and who the hell are you to say he is filthy????????????????? probably u dont get to go to US!
Why he is so desperate? I will be amazed and feel really bad if he is not desperate. Every one should be and must be desperate to move further and advance in life. And thats what this doctor is. I think you are also desperate for going USA or you are in USA that’s why you are reading this blog. This desperate thinking is an asset.
Hi,
you would have put certain things in mind. You have made a mistake by telling that you wanted to do the course for the money or for your salary hike. Doctors should never tell these words and you should feel that you wanted to do this course so that you can enhance your expertise in medical profession by doing the course in USA or may be you can serve the clients/patients there in usa or your own country..
even though you work in saudi or uk..
Hi…I have question running in mind after all these discussions going on here. I finished Masters in Sweden and currently residing here taking small course….In the mean time i have applied fr H1B and my appication is under process now after Lottery..Will it be problem for me if i take Interview from Sweden instead of doing it from India…Give me your valuable suggestions or feedback..:)
.. or I would have to call the security.” What an insult!! if somebody insults me like this, i will lose my temper within a fraction of a second! of course i wont do the silly mistakes as u did!
Dude, in India we guys have this disgusting habit of asking so many countless questions (most of them are silly & stupid) to our parents/teachers/professors/boss / govt. officials of which answers we are supposed to find on our own(which is extremely easy btw, but thanks to our education system & over loving parents we learn to close our eyes & love getting guidence in everything w/o using our logical power), this habit always lets authorities elsewhere in the world to insult us to degrading levels. please always try to read between the lines, take hints from what such ppl say. here, you by asking “what other documents u can show?” forced her to help you to get a visa, which is against the US law (VO cannot help u in any way to get ur visa) and wrong in general. never do such thing even when u begin ur studies in US. i have seen many colleagues impatiently bombarding millions of silly questions to professors / seniors & even non-teaching staff. they behave like a blind person who forgot his brains in the refridgerator. harsh but true!
I totally agree with your point…..that’s the reality of Indians.
This is ridiculous.I don’t see any reason why your visa was rejected.If a Saudi school drop out would have applied for this visa, they would have approved it.Sadly US is the only country for Indians
Am attending for F1 Visa from chennai. I have been to US 2 times on B1 and when I appeared last time for F1 they rejected F1 due to 214(b) and B1 is stamped CWOP.
Now am appearing for my F1 again in few days.
I have doubt that Whether can’t I say that “my salary will be 3-4 times better if I do my masters from US ??
Any suggestions ?
That’s probably one if the last reason I would say why you want to study in USA.
@Raghu, when on earth you gonna start login page & access to profile?? its been months and u r still dealing with the spam profiles!!
Well, first thing is do not boast about school rankings and infrastructure of the place at first hand. Talk about the research work and how you can use that knowledge in India and Saudi.
Getting 3-4 times salary. Who would want to buy that ? If u are going to US for this sole reason than you can earn more in USA than Saudi or India and they know it.
Lastly, I am afraid if they put a remark that you argue a lot. Please be gentle and careful next time.
All the best. 🙂
Am afraid to say, he didnt argue at all, he was just asking so many questions! argument is wayyyy different and inappropriate word here!
Hi I will attend f1 visa interview at London US Embassy will it be the same as this person, I am a student here in London. pls advise me…
I had got the exact same response while i was a student in the UK and had been here for more than 6 months when i applied for a Tourist/ Business Visitor (B-1) Visa from here .. Reason – “No strong motive to come back to the UK”
I am going to attend for f1 visa interview at London US Embassy will be the same case…what u recomend brother. I am a student here in London.
@Arafat Choudhury: Dont do that mistake my friend. Apply from India – That will also add to your case as strong ties to your home country. I was a student from London and VO in Chennai used my prior visas from UK as a means to establish Strong Home Ties.
These are just my suggestions based on experiences / myself and that of my friends that applied for F1 from UK and India/ Good Luck!