Student Visa Denied After Unexpected Question About Saturday Nights in Boston

An F-1 visa applicant said he was asked during the visa interview what he would do in Boston on Saturdays, and his visa was rejected.

Amid a sharp uptick in the number of student visa rejections in India, former US diplomat Yvette Bansal said it is possible to get your visa denied for an unexpected, informal question that you did not prepare for. Bansal said this as she spoke to YouTuber Pritesh Jagani who said he received a message from a student who applied for an F1 visa at the Kolkata consulate.

The applicant was asked 'What would you do on a Saturday night in Boston?' after the applicant said he chose a college in Boston. He was also asked how well he knew Boston. Basically, the F-1 visa applicant was asked three questions: the name of the university he applied to, how well he knew Boston and what he would do on a Saturday night in Boston.

The applicant said he applied to Northeastern University in Boston; he knew Boston pretty well and by the time his course would start, it would be around New Year. The third question made him a little nervous as he thought of several things and then he said he would visit the library, roam around the campus and probably study.

Yvette Bansal said that if a visa officer asks such a question, then he or she wants the applicant to get off their script. Bansal said they want to check if the applicant researched their city because a serious student would do it. It is also to check if the applicant is thrown off, whether they remain articulate. It is both a tricky and smart question and there is no right or wrong answer, Bansal said.

"There is no wrong answer. It should just show that you are a student and have done basic research about the city where you are going," the former visa officer said.

On the overall increase in rejection of F-1 visa applications from India, Bansal said, "The administration is not keen on immigration, and so there is a tightening from the state side and that trickles down to the consulates and embassies in India. There isn't a large degree of push from the US to approve more visas. There's no pressure on the ambassador to direct the consulates at the embassy to approve more F-1 visas. Probably they are being told that they that you need a higher level of scrutiny on these applications."