Refused a US visa under section 214(b)
The sheet you were handed is not a finding that you lied or that you are barred. It means that in the two or three minutes you had, the officer was not persuaded your life is anchored at home, and the law told them to presume otherwise until you did.
Paste your refusal letter. See the grounds they used and the route you have. Free, no email.
What the ground says
Section 214(b), Immigration and Nationality Act
Every alien shall be presumed to be an immigrant until he establishes to the satisfaction of the consular officer, at the time of application for a visa, that he is entitled to a nonimmigrant status.
The law starts by presuming you intend to immigrate. The officer is assessing whether your ties to your home country are strong enough to overcome that presumption, in an interview that usually lasts two to three minutes.
The presumption, in plain words
Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act presumes every visa applicant intends to immigrate. The interview exists for you to overcome that. Nothing about the officer's mood or the queue changes what you have to do, which is answer specifically and consistently.
Why documents did not save you
Most are never read at the window. The officer is reading your DS-160 while you speak. That is why the work before the next interview is on your answers and your form, not on assembling a thicker folder.
What to change before you go back
Something in the facts, and the way you say them. A longer record with the same employer. A completed trip to another country. A specific purpose with dates. An answer to who is paying that matches your form. Applying again next week with the same facts and the same answers usually produces the same sheet.
There is no appeal
None, and no administrative review. There is also no formal waiting period: you may apply again as soon as you have something new. Anyone offering to appeal a 214(b) is selling something that does not exist.
Evidence that addresses it
- Employment letter with role, salary, start date and approved leave, carried to the interview
- Payslips and bank statements, carried but not relied on
- Property documents and evidence of dependants
- A clear, short answer to why you are going, who is paying and when you return
- A DS-160 that matches, exactly, what you will say at the window
Your route
Reapply
There is no appeal against a 214(b) refusal and no waiting period in the law. You may apply again as soon as you have something new to show. Applying again with the same facts and the same papers usually produces the same result.
No appeal
Section 214(b) refusals carry no right of appeal and no administrative review. Anyone offering to appeal one is selling you something that does not exist.
A 214(b) refusal is handed over at the window on a single sheet. There is no appeal and no formal review. The only route is to apply again when circumstances have changed, and to present them better.
Reapply, £49
We read the refusal, name the grounds and the route, check every ground against your documents with the refused ones held open, and write the reapplication letter that answers each one by its reference. Re-runs and second-refusal handling included for 30 days.