Category: Edu / Immi

New Delhi: A Delhi-based man’s dream of vacationing in the United States was abruptly cut short when his tourist visa application was rejected within just 40 seconds during an interview at the US Embassy.

The man, who had applied for a B1/B2 visa, shared his experience on Reddit, revealing that although he answered all the questions truthfully, his visa was denied under clause 214(b), which typically relates to a lack of strong ties to the home country.

During the interview, the officer reportedly asked him only three questions: why he wanted to go to the US, whether he had ever travelled outside India, and if he had any friends or relatives in the US. The applicant responded that he planned to vacation in Florida, had never travelled abroad before, and that his girlfriend lived in Florida.

Despite his candid responses, the officer handed him a letter of refusal immediately after the brief exchange. The case has sparked conversation online about the unpredictability of visa decisions and how honesty can sometimes complicate the approval process.

New Delhi: The Delhi Police has arrested a 36-year-old agent from Punjab for allegedly forging travel documents and helping individuals enter the United States illegally through the ‘Dunky Route’.

The accused, identified as Naresh Kumar from Matauli village in Patiala, was arrested after an Indian passenger was deported from the US, a police official said on Friday.

Kumar is accused of working with other agents to arrange a fake Schengen visa and later tampering with the passenger’s passport to conceal the forgery.

The incident came to light on the intervening night of April 4 and 5, when the deported passenger, 39-year-old Gursahib Singh, arrived at Delhi’s IGI Airport from the US. During document checks, immigration officials detected glue marks on one of the pages of his passport, indicating tampering.

Police are continuing their investigation to identify other members involved in the racket.

New Delhi: The Congress on Friday voiced concern over a claim by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) that half of the 327 student visa cancellation cases it has documented so far involve Indian students.

The party questioned whether External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar would take up the issue with his American counterpart, urging the government to intervene.

“Will the External Affairs Minister take note of this concern and take up the matter with his American counterpart?” the party asked in a statement.

According to AILA, it compiled 327 reports from lawyers, students, and university staff related to visa cancellations and the termination of records in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).

“Based on these reports, 50 per cent of the affected students were from India, followed by 14 per cent from China. Other countries with significant numbers include South Korea, Nepal, and Bangladesh,” the association said.

Washington: Indians seeking green cards have been hit by a significant setback following the release of the May 2025 visa bulletin by the US State Department.

The bulletin shows a notable slowdown in the employment-based fifth preference (EB-5) category for Indian applicants, pushing the cut-off date back by over six months in the unreserved category.

This delay implies a longer wait for green cards under the EB-5 visa scheme, which allows foreign investors to obtain permanent residency in the US by investing in American businesses and generating at least 10 full-time jobs.

According to the bulletin, the EB-1 category — designated for priority workers — now has a cut-off date of February 2022 for Indian applicants, while China’s is November 8, 2022. Applicants from all other countries remain unaffected, with the category still current for them.

There has been no movement in the EB-2 category, where the cut-off date for India stands at January 1, 2023, and for China at October 1, 2020. The new bulletin has added to growing concerns among Indian professionals and investors navigating the lengthy US immigration system.

New Delhi: At least 19 students of Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MNIT) in Madhya Pradesh fell ill after consuming food served during a party at their college hostel.

According to Umesh Sharda, who admitted the students to the hospital, the students complained of vomiting, diarrhoea and fever. “They had eaten food from the hostel during a party. Soon after, they started experiencing health issues,” he said.

One of the students said they were served pulses, rice and other items. “After eating, many students began complaining of abdominal pain, fever and vomiting,” the student added.

The hospital owner confirmed that all 19 students were treated and later discharged as their condition improved.

Meanwhile, the affected students have urged the authorities to take strict action to prevent such incidents in the future.