I AND my family had applied for a B1/B2 visit visa for the United States last year and our interview call was on April 18, 2024. Previously, we had visited the US for a month during which we went to Chicago, Orlando, New York and some other cities. That visa had expired in 2018. We were hopeful of our chances. The interview went well. The consular officer, a lady, asked about two to three questions from each of us (aged 51, 48, 24 and 22 years), and at the end we were congratulated on having secured our visas. The officer gave us a blue slip.

After three days, I got an email asking us to collect our passports. To our utter surprise and shock, our visas had not been stamped. Instead, our applications had been rejected under section 214b, according to which, I did not have strong ties outside the US. The fact is that I and my wife own many properties and vehicles worth millions in Pakistan. My children are studying in known universities. I am a regular taxpayer with all my assets declared.

Our family had planned the summer holidays, and wished to spend a month in California. Beyond that, there was nothing on the family’s agenda at all. The US embassy should reconsider the case.

Zulfiqar Parvez Butt
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2024