‘Not enough ties’: Founder of Indian startup employing more than 100 people denied US visa, asks what it means | Today’s news
How much does an Indian have to accomplish before the US visa officer believes he will return home? For one Series A startup founder, employing more than 100 people and serving millions of Indian families was apparently not enough to scale back.
Kidbea founder Swapnil Srivastav shared his experience on social media after being denied a US visa, shedding light on the unpredictable hurdles entrepreneurs face even after they make it big.
In a viral post, X Srivastav shared that he was denied a US visa and said the reason was “Lack of Home Country Ties”.
“I built a Series A company from scratch, employ 100+ people, have backing from top VCs and investors, and serve millions of Indian families through our brand,” said the founder, disappointed by the rejection. “Apparently that’s not enough.
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“Anyway, founders are used to hearing ‘no,'” Srivastav said, adding that he will reapply for a US visa after some time.
Srivastav asked the netizens who had gone through it for suggestions and finally it was approved.
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How netizens reacted:
Social media users noted that visa officials are completely indifferent to professional achievements, appreciation of start-ups and job creation. Instead, they focus only on liquid cash assets and fixed assets as tangible evidence of intent to return.
“Good luck with your next application. I was turned down 5 times before I got a US stamp in my passport. They don’t care what you worked for. They just want fixed and cash assets that are reasonable for you to return. Resting them is pointless,” said the user.
Several netizens said that being single is a major red flag for consulates, noting that officers often assume that a single traveler can get married while visiting to secure a green card, leading one user to quip: “Shaadi ka time aa gaya.”
One user said: “I suspect they’re looking for more than financial ties, how racist this administration is, I suspect they’re looking for cultural and emotional ties and you spent your childhood there and all that.”
“For single people, they just visit to see if you can get married. No amount of logic will convince them that you wouldn’t do it without your parents present. Get a fiancee and apply after a while,” said another user.
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To avoid deeply questioning personal ties, one netizen suggested booking tickets for a major limited-time event in the US. This provides a definitive, objective “purpose of visit” and an implicit end date for the trip.
“You’ve seen this trick work in most cases. Book a ticket for any event held in the US, that should be your purpose of visit. This eliminates a few questions and makes the whole process smoother. This ensures that you fly back to your home country after the event,” said a netizen. “For example, you want to experience a FIFA World Cup match.”
