Us Visa Indian Entrepreneur Rejected Despite 12m Empire
Great Andhra
Swapnil Srivastav, founder of a sustainable bamboo kidswear brand with $12 million in Annual Recurring Revenue, shared his experience on social media. Despite building a company that employs over
100 people and has backing from top venture capital investors, he said US officials still felt he lacked sufficient connection to India.
Srivastav said he was born and raised in India and continues to have strong family, cultural and business ties in the country.
He said he found it difficult to understand what more officials expected from him.
He added that rejection is not new to entrepreneurs and said he would reapply after some time.
“Apparently, that’s not enough ties. Anyway, founders are used to hearing ‘no.’ Will reapply after some time. If you’ve been through this and eventually got approved, would love to hear your suggestions,” he wrote.
As the post went viral, several social media users expressed sympathy and shared their own experiences with US visa rejections.
One user wrote that a friend who had spent four years in the US and obtained an O-1 visa was later denied a visa on similar grounds after returning to India.
Another user wished Srivastav luck and said he had been rejected five times before finally getting a US visa stamp on his passport.
Some users also suggested possible ways to strengthen a future application.
Another user said they had faced a similar situation and added that they were now planning to travel elsewhere instead of the US.