US visa denied: 'Have you watched yesterday's FIFA match?'

An individual wants a tourist visa to the US to watch the FIFA final. The visa officer asks him whether he watched last night’s match. The answer is negative. Then the visa officer asks whether he watched any match at all. No is again the answer. And no prize to guess that the applicant’s visa application is denied. A Redditor shared his visa interview experience at the Delhi Consulate, where his visa was approved, but he witnessed several rejections in front of him and revealed how obvious those rejections were, as the applicants were not convincing about their purpose of travel — like the sports fan who did not watch any match but wanted to travel to the US to watch the final.The Redditor cited another case where the applicant said he wanted to spend 3 days in New York and 4 days in Chicago. He was asked why he chose New York. The applicant said ‘because it’s famous’. The visa application was denied.Another man, the Redditor said, was rejected for the 4th time and it was such a harsh rejection that the officer told him not to apply again unless he had something new to add. “He started arguing and pleading, and security eventually escorted him out,” the Redditor said.The Redditor gave his background that he is a software engineer in Bengaluru with a Rs 2 lakh per month income. His father runs a well-established business and his family owns multiple properties. He is funding himself on this US trip, where he wants to meet a friend in Seattle.“I want to visit Seattle. I plan to see Pike Place Market and Lake Union, and the highlight of the trip will be skydiving,” the Redditor gave a detailed plan of what he wants to do in Seattle. “Initially, I planned to visit Georgia where my college friend was doing her master’s. She has since graduated and moved to Seattle, where she works as a software engineer,” the Redditor explained when asked why he chose to visit Seattle.The visa officer asked if the friend is a fiancee or a girlfriend. The Redditor said she was just a friend. The visa officer checked his international travel history, which included Canada, Georgia and Azerbaijan.“Confidence matters a lot. Stay calm, answer honestly, don’t sound desperate, and listen carefully to what is being asked. Give clear answers, match the officer’s communication style, and keep your composure throughout,” the Redditor gave his takeaway from the interview.