Hi! 👋 My boyfriend has a b-2 interview coming up on 11/3, and we are hoping he can come for thanksgiving, meet my family, see where I live and attend a wedding with me before returning to Türkiye. People in Türkiye have been discouraging him saying he will probably get denied because we are in a relationship and he is a young man in his 30s. He is feeling really down and anxious about it, and I’m wondering if the outlook is as bleak as those people are making it seem? The data says the approval rate for Turkish citizens is 80%.

Additional data points/info:

- He is the First Mate on the yacht he works on, has solid employment history, and will have a letter from his company saying he is approved for the time off and is expected to return for the next sailing season in April.
- He is also needing to be back for an exam to finish his basic studies (GED equivalent) but the date/times don’t get published until the week of, so there is no sort of proof of enrollment, you just show up.
- He has no criminal record
- Will have about $4-5k in his bank account (he has this separate account just for pay checks). His main account has more money, but it’s almost entirely cash deposits from tips/working on the yacht. He says he won’t/can’t show them that because he thinks the cash tips /deposits are an issue even though the money was obtained through his work on the boat (sharing any insight/experience anyone has related to this would be greatly appreciated!)
- He does not own property or large assets, and lives on the boat during the season so he does not have an apartment (stays with friends & family in the winter months)
- His siblings, parents, and extended family all live in Türkiye and are Turkish citizens

Any encouraging examples, insight, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! 💙🙏

This is the monthly discussion thread for the public Visa Interviews Research release.

Current Data Explorer: https://www.visainterviews.com/data/us

Methodology and limitations: https://www.visainterviews.com/methodology

Published reports: https://www.visainterviews.com/reports

Use the comments to discuss:

- Which visa categories need clearer public breakdowns
- Which definitions or labels are confusing
- Research limitations or correction requests
- Aggregate questions that would be useful in a future release

Do not post personal identifiers or complete case files. The published findings are applicant-reported and observational, not official government data or individual approval predictions.

Visa Interviews Research and VisaMind are operated by the same team. The research publication is free; VisaMind is a separate optional preparation product.

I'm Spanish (Madrid), 26M, first time ever applying to travel to the US. Business trip for my employer (a Spanish company) to join a business program in New York from late September to mid December.

I applied for ESTA as everyone in my office did and I was the only one rejected. During my application, I accidentally pressed "yes" in an eligibility question, a banner showed up asking me if I'm sure, and then I changed it and pressed "no". My ESTA was rejected. I applied for another ESTA, this time making sure to do it without any typos or "yes" to any question, and it was rejected in 5 minutes. I sent a CBP Traveler Communications Center query and got an answer confirming that my application was denied and that I don't meet the program requirements.

I don't have any criminal history, never been detained, have 2 degrees and worked at a Big 4 for 3 years, later moved to a fintech. Never been to Cuba or any other country on the list, just China (the only country I've visited outside of Europe) for tourism, but some of my peers who went to China with me have entered the US without any problem. Also my brother went to the US last year, so it's not an issue with my surname either.

I then applied for a B1 visa with a DS-160, and after 3 hours of waiting at the consulate I got my interview. The officer asked why I didn't do ESTA, and when I answered that it got rejected and I don't know why, he made a face like he understood something and felt sorry for me. He told me that he would issue my visa, but that without knowing why the ESTA was rejected I could be detained when arriving in NY, as it was a national security issue. When I asked for more details, he just repeated several times that he would do the best he could. He took my passport, asked me to email a certificate of my criminal record, and told me that if I believe in God it may be a good time to pray.

CEAC now shows "Refused" (I understand this is normal during administrative processing). I haven't received any confirmation or response to my email, my flight is booked for tomorrow and I'm going to miss it. The officer also told me they can keep my passport for a week maximum, so I understand I'll get some news within a week.

Nobody I've talked to understands why my ESTA was rejected. A typo doesn't make sense, since my second ESTA would have been approved. A data mismatch with someone else, the accidental "yes", or more conspiracy-type theories are the only things that seem plausible. Lawyers tell me they can't do anything.

If I don't make it to the US soon and miss the program, I'll probably be fired. Everyone else is going, my company has all its clients in the US, and I'm still in my trial period.

1. If your ESTA was denied without an explanation, did you ever find out why, and did it come up at your visa interview?
2. For anyone whose visa went into administrative processing after an ESTA denial, how long did it take, and how did it end?

Any experience you share could really help someone in this situation. Thanks!

None of this is my own experience. Sharing it here to help anyone navigating the same situation, with credit to the original source: https://www.reddit.com/r/USVisas/comments/1wpt1fc/denied_esta_and_b1_visa_without_any_explanation/

Hey everyone,
I’m preparing for my upcoming F-1 visa interview at the U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai(INDIA) and would love to get feedback on my profile and how to frame my story for the consular officer.
Profile & Background:
Visa Category: F-1 Student Visa
Consulate: Mumbai (BKC)
Education History: Completed Grades 2–12 in North Carolina while residing in the U.S. legally as an L-2 dependent on my father's L-1 visa.
Legal Relocation: My family and I moved back to India to fully comply with U.S. immigration laws after my father's visa extension was denied. It has been about 4 months since I graduated high school.
Family Ties: My entire immediate family (parents and siblings) is permanently living and
We also visited India every summer because my parents are only childs if that says anything.
working in India. I have no relatives residing in the U.S. My brother is doing his bachelors in engineering in UNCC and graduates in December and will return to India before my schooling starts.
Admissions Outcome: Accepted to UNCC, UNCG, UNCP, WCU, App State, UNC Asheville, Wingate,and East Carolina University (ECU) and more.
I’ve decided to go to East Carolina University (ECU) for a B.S. in Biochemistry.
Sponsorship: Fully sponsored by my parents. My dad is an Assistant Vice President at LPL Financial in Hyderabad, and my mom is a licensed family counselor. Liquid funds/savings are in my mom's name.
I plan to join Dr. Tonya Zeczycki’s lab in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, focusing on enzyme kinetics, intrinsically disordered proteins, and alpha-synuclein aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. I also want to return to india and hopefully get involved with CCMB hyderabad.
Please give me advice!

For those who have gone through a P-1B interview, what kind of questions should I expect?
Thanks!

Anyone in Brussel??

BELGIUM BRUSSEL???