A recent student applying for an F1 visa at the United States Consulate in Hyderabad received an unexpected rejection under Section 214(b). After finishing their undergraduate studies in April 2025, they applied to numerous US colleges for a Master's programme in Data Science.
The Visa Officer (VO) began to ask standard questions about their education and university choices but quickly transitioned into a shocking and challenging technical assessment. Despite the applicant's calm demeanour and clear answers, the officer chose to decline the visa and invite the individual to reapply, News18 reports.
Feeling perplexed and unsure about what went wrong, the candidate posted their tale online in the hopes of receiving guidance and assistance.
“I had my F1 visa interview at the Hyderabad Consulate, India. He is a white male VO in his 30s. Unfortunately, I was rejected under section 214(b),” the candidate shared on Reddit.
Talking more about what went down in the interview, they added, “Here’s how it went: VO: Are you still studying? Me: No, I completed my undergraduate degree this year, in April 2025. VO: What universities have you applied to? Me: Indiana University Bloomington, University of Colorado Boulder, Northeastern University, Arizona State University, University of Florida and University of Washington. VO: Tell me about your project. Me: I explained my project, what I worked on, the technologies I used and what I learned from it."
Suddenly, they said that the VO started asking technical questions, such as the difference between Array and Linked List, and the meaning of Linear Regression. He also quizzed the applicant on why they chose Indiana University Bloomington, and Applied Data Science.
The applicant replied that the varsity offered specialisations across different tracks like Applied Data Science, Computational Data Science and Analytical Data Science. Regarding the second question, the applicant explained that the programme matched their professional goals.
Following this answer, the VO informed the applicant that their visa application was rejected and that he could reapply.
Sharing this, the applicant stated he was confused about the visa rejection, as he remained calm and answered the unexpected technical questions without showing nervousness.
Several users stated that it must’ve happened because they did not indicate any plans to return to India after their graduation.
