The B1 visa is a non-immigrant business visa that allows you to visit the US for temporary or short-term work. It could be for attending meetings, conferences, training, giving seminars, or participating in exhibitions and contests. This blog post will cover in depth the top reasons for rejection of B1 visa and how to avoid them.
- Weak purpose of the visit
Purpose of visit is one of the most important questions asked in the B1 interview. A lot of times this is also the first question, so the way you answer this question pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the interview. Not communicating the purpose of visit properly is also one of the most common reasons for rejection of the B1 visa.
A purpose of visit needs to be strong and genuine; it should not be something which can be done on an email, phone call, postponed to a later date or substituted by someone already in the US office.
To know in detail, how to frame your purpose of visit answer, check out this video on the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHoF7PhCaq0&t=26s
Lastly ensure that your purpose of visit is supported by other parts of your profile like your ds160, financial status, job profile etc.
- Not giving importance to the invitation letter
In B1 visa, the invitation letter issued by the company or organization you are meeting is a crucial document. The invitation should have the following two key features:
- It should be on the letterhead of the US entity
The invite letter that you carry for the interview should ideally be on the letterhead of the US entity you plan to meet or work with during your visit. The US entity can be your own company or it can be any other client or organization.
- Purpose of travel clearly mentioned in the invite letter
Many times invite letters are issued by companies and tend to be generic with a very broad purpose of visit such as ‘business meeting ‘ or ‘attending conference’ However it is better to make it as detailed and self explanatory as possible.
For example if your purpose of travel is ‘New process onboarding’ then ensure that these words and terms are also mentioned in your invite letter.
The invite letter should also carry additional details like dates of your trip, sponsorship information and accommodation details.
Lastly ensure that the purpose mentioned in the invite letter and in your answer in the interview are exactly the same.
- Not knowing the technical details related to your purpose of visit
Since a B1 visa is issued for carrying out short term / temporary work, the details of the work you intend to carry out when you are in the USA becomes important.
During the interview, the visa officer can ask you technical details of your project or work profile and you will be expected to know the same. Try to give these details and explain the same in simple, easy to understand terms so that you communicate these details clearly.
Also prepare a work plan for your intended duration of stay and carry the same with you. For example, If you are planning to stay there for two weeks, then make a work plan prepared for the two weeks with day wise details of meetings, client visits, training etc.
For more information, you can check out the other videos on the YouTube channel or get in touch with me via the links mentioned below.
For more in-depth preparation, book a personalized consultation session with me here https://shachimall.com/1-1/ OR take a practice interview here: https://shachimall.com/interview-preparation/
