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According to the US Immigration and Nationality Act, section 214(b) states that an international student, employee, or tourist can be a potential immigrant. Unless you show a very strong tie with your country (like a job in your home country or anything similar), the US consulate may assume that you are immigrating instead of simply visiting. This is when 214(b) is imposed, leading to your visa rejection.

Suggested: Question Types in a Visa Interview! 

There are many reasons why your visa can be put under 214b visa rejection. Here are some of the most common reasons of 214b visa denial: 

1. Limited Ties to your home country

If you do not show that you have any strong ties to your home country, like family, a job, a house, or other assets that you may want to return to, there is a high chance that you could be given a 214b slip. 

2. Interview problems

How you conduct yourself; how honestly you answer questions; how you are dressed; your reactions and facial expressions; eye contact; hesitation in answering questions; discrepancies in answers to questions and information contained in the application form; nervousness - all go into weighing your intentions, credibility, and eligibility for a visa. Also, if the visa officer thinks that any document of yours is fraudulent (like a work letter or a bank statement), he will give you a 214b refusal. 

3. Fit overstay profile

There are a set of profiles that have been taken from all the applications that have applied for a visa. These profiles are the ones who have overstayed their visas or applied for extensions in their visas or have illegally immigrated to the US. If your profile matches these profiles, your visa could be under 214b visa denial.

4. Multiple long and extended stays in the US

If you have visited the US multiple times for long periods of time and have also extended your stay there, then the officer may have doubts that you have immigrated there, are participating in illegal employment activities, or have immigrational intentions.

5. Any previous interactions with the police

If you were detained by the police or have been arrested before, then there is a high chance that you’ll get a 214b slip. 

6. Student specific reasons

There are some student specific reasons, which need to be kept in mind as well, like: 

• If you intend on attending a community college or a “non-brand” university
• If you lack economic ties to your home country
• If you show your intention of staying back in the US for an extended period of time after the completion of your course
• If your program has little use in your home country
• If you are an older applicant (30+ years)
• Inadequate knowledge of English
• If you have previously studied in the US and your academic track record and attendance wasn’t good
• Insufficient display of funds

There are some circumstances that may not even be in your hands like human errors by the visa interviewer, or any misunderstanding that may have emerged during your interview, leading to a 214b F1 visa rejection. 

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While a lot depends on your profile, there are definitely a few things that you, as an international student can do to avoid 214b F1 visa rejection. Here’s how you can avoid 214b visa denial:

• Dress well: Formals aren’t compulsory so you should wear anything casual but still smart for your visa interview.

• Establish a strong tie with your home country: Mention how your entire family is here, how pursuing your degree will help you come back and get a promotion at your current job, etc.

• Be confident: It shouldn't seem to the interviewer that you have arrived unprepared.

• Research your program & university: Make sure to be aligned with the profile that you have submitted to the university

• Don’t fake docs: Do not submit any false documents, whether they are job recommendations or bank statements

• Explain college choice: If you have chosen to go to a community college or a “non brand” university, then mention why you made this decision

Suggested:

The first thing that you need to do after your 214b visa rejection F1 is to identify 214b visa rejection reason for yourself. You can contact the consulate in your home country for the same. 

You might also want to consider telling your university about your 214b visa denial reasons, and why you have been late for the entire admission process. 

Next, you should rectify your 214b visa rejection reason, and start the visa application process from scratch!

More than 1 million official US visas are denied every year by the US State Department. This number is HUGE. What are applicants doing that’s leading to outright visa rejections? And what can you do to avoid it? Let’s check some instances below:

Visa Officer: Good morning, Pass me your and your passport, please 

Interviewee: Good morning, sir. Here it is 

Visa Officer: Why are you going to the US?

Interviewee: I'm going to the US to pursue my Master's degree in computer science at George Mason University.

Visa Officer: How many universities have you applied to?

Interviewee: I applied for George Mason University, Minot State University and CUNY.

Visa Officer: How many admits have you received?

Interviewee: I got admits from George Mason, and CUNY. 

Visa Officer: Why did you choose these universities? 

Interviewee: These colleges offer good machine learning programs

Visa Officer: What's your UG CGPA? 

Interviewee: 6.83 on a scale of 10

Visa Officer: Do you have personal funds? 

Interviewee: No, sir, I don't have personal funds. My parents are my sponsors, and in addition to that, I have taken an education loan.  

Visa Officer: What is your parents profession?

Interviewee: Mother is a housewife, and father is a retired government officer.

Visa Officer: What's your father’s annual income?

Interviewee: He gets a pension. He’s not actively earning anymore.

Visa Officer: Place your right hand 4 fingers, and your visa is rejected.

Now reader, tell me, if you were the Visa officer, would you entertain this interview? What would be your opinion and verdict for the interviewee’s visa application? 

I can tell you it won’t be very good. Here are the reasons why:

There are many reasons why your visa may be rejected. It can be an unconvincing argument or lack of proof of financial support, or proof of funds. Let’s look at some of the reasons why the candidate’s 214b visa was rejected:

• Ranking of Universities: Firstly, the universities that the interviewee has applied to are not top universities in the US. Of course that doesn’t mean that unless you’re applying for a top 100 university, you won’t get a visa. But you must have a diverse range of applications - test your potential. Remember, a degree from the US will open a world of opportunities for you. So, try to apply to all kinds of universities. 

• Reasons for Program Choice: When explaining why the interviewee has chosen George Mason University and CUNY, his reasons aren’t justifiable enough. Many universities have good ML programs in the US, so what sets these apart? Research facilities? Specialisations? Faculty? Mentioning these are important to show that you’ve done your research and you know what to expect.

• Your UG Grades: Although many universities don’t necessarily rely on the UG GPA, a 6.83 for an MS in Machine Learning is considered poor. For a top STEM degree, you should have an excellent student profile, a good GPA and work experience. You should be able to provide value to the university, and a 6.83 GPA doesn’t look the best on your application.

• Proof of Funds: Another MAJOR problem with this interview is that they don’t have personal funds. With retired parents, and no active income, it’s difficult to gauge whether the student will have enough funds to finish his/ her degree in the US. This is a very important reason for visa rejection.

It’s important to present not only a solid application, but also a very good interview. The visa officer will evaluate if you’re eligible for studying in the US, and if you are not going to be an illegal immigrant. But does it mean that if your visa gets rejected once, you can never apply again?

Absolutely not! Let’s see how!

After your 214(b) visa is rejected, that case will be closed, and your visa officer will no longer be able to take it ahead. You have to re-apply for the visa. While there is no time limit, you need to let some time pass in order to demonstrate that you have developed a stronger tie with your home country (be it a job, parents, something to come back for). 

Keep the following in mind:

• There is no wait limit for a re-application

• Focus on the issue why your visa was rejected 

• Re-apply with stronger evidence 

• Prepare for the interview

More than a million US visas are rejected every year. Can you imagine how many applications they receive? A shocking number!

It’s important for you to understand how to present your application, provide documents and prepare for the interview so that you can ace it with confidence. A 214(b) refusal can lead to stress, and frustration, but it’s okay - we’re here to help you with it.

Connect with 爆料吃瓜网’s expert advisors, and let us take you through the entire process of the US visa application, so that you can sail through it effortlessly!