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Father diamond businessman in Gujarat, mother runs NGO: Redditor with Rs 49 LPA salary denied F-1 visa for Harvard MBA, says paid agent Rs 5 lakh for appointment

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Ghosh, P. (2026, September 21). Father diamond businessman in Gujarat, mother runs NGO: Redditor with Rs 49 LPA salary denied F-1 visa for Harvard MBA, says paid agent Rs 5 lakh for appointment. Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/father-diamond-businessman-in-gujarat-mother-runs-ngo-redditor-with-rs-49-lpa-salary-denied-f-1-visa-for-harvard-mba-says-paid-agent-rs-5-lakh-for-appointment/articleshow/134389889.cms

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Times of India · collected 2026-09-21 · by Poulomi Ghosh

Quick Summary

A Reddit user claims she was denied an F-1 visa despite being accepted into Harvard for her MBA, even after paying ₹5 lakh to an agent for an appointment at the US Embassy in New Delhi. During the interview, the visa officer questioned why she would leave her high-paying job (₹49 LPA) and pursue an MBA, especially since there were multiple previous rejections that day. The Redditor explained her intention to build managerial skills and eventually join her family's diamond business but was denied a visa anyway, with her existing B1/B2 visa also canceled. Many social media users questioned the legitimacy of the post due to unusual circumstances like the high fee for an appointment slot and the perceived unnecessary nature of pursuing an MBA given her current position.
Written by AI on 2026-10-02, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

A Redditor from Gujarat, whose father is a diamond businessman and mother runs an NGO, shared her experience of being denied an F-1 visa despite securing admission to Harvard for her MBA. The Redditor claims she paid around Rs 5 lakh to an agent just to get the visa appointment at the US Embassy in New Delhi. During her interview, the visa officer questioned why she would leave her high-paying job as a consultant at a Big-4 firm earning Rs 49 LPA (Lakhs Per Annum) to pursue further education.

The Redditor stated that she intended to join the family business eventually and did not plan to settle in the US after completing her MBA. However, the visa officer was skeptical about her intentions and denied her visa application despite congratulating her for being accepted into Harvard. This incident raises questions about the rigorous scrutiny applied by U.S. immigration authorities even when applicants have strong academic credentials and substantial financial backing.

Written for “Visa Denial Controversy” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Visa Denial Controversy
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
21
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
1 of 21 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
59/100
Times of India's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-21 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Times of India · 3982 article(s) · 3 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 3 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Poulomi Ghosh
102 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Also by Poulomi Ghosh
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 102 articles by Poulomi Ghosh →

Topics

Gujarat Harvard NYU Stern New Delhi Reddit

Subjects

Harvard ORG · 6× Gujarat GPE · 1× India GPE · 1× Jamnagar GPE · 1× NYU Stern ORG · 1× New Delhi GPE · 1× Reddit ORG · 1×

Narrative

I think the MBA will help me make that transition," the Redditor said to the visa officer, adding that her father is a diamond businessman in Gujarat and her mother runs an NGO in Jamnagar and she wanted to join the family business eventually -- no plan to settle in the US.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-21
🔮 The visa officer asked her why she would be leaving her high-paying job to pursue an MBA.

Claims (21 extracted, 1 hedged)

A Redditor has shared a detailed account of how she was refused an F-1 visa, though she claimed to have got through Harvard for her MBA. asserted
she → share → MBA
The authenticity of the Reddit post is not independently verified but several details of the post raised many questions starting with the amount the Redditor claimed to have paid to an agent to ger the appointment. uncertain
Redditor → verify → appointment
"I booked my visa slot through an agent and paid an absolutely ridiculous amount (~5Lakhs). asserted
I → book → amount
He managed to get me the appointment," the person said. asserted
person → manage → appointment
The interview was at the US Embassy, New Delhi and there were a lot of rejections before her, including someone who was going to NYU Stern for an MBA. asserted
who → be → MBA
Redditor shares experience of F1 visa rejection despite getting chance in Harvard for MBA. asserted
Redditor → share → MBA
The Redditor said she was asked the basic questions and was also congratulate by the visa officer for getting selected for Harvard. asserted
she → say → Harvard
The Redditor said she is a consultant at a Big-4 firm and earns Rs 49 LPA salary. asserted
she → say → salary
The visa officer asked her why she would be leaving her high-paying job to pursue an MBA. asserted
she → ask → MBA
"I don’t see the MBA as leaving my career behind. asserted
I → see → career
It’s more of an investment in the next stage of it. asserted
It → ’ → it
My current role has given me strong analytical and consulting experience, but I want to build the management and leadership side of my skill set as well. asserted
I → give → set
I think the MBA will help me make that transition," the Redditor said to the visa officer, adding that her father is a diamond businessman in Gujarat and her mother runs an NGO in Jamnagar and she wanted to join the family business eventually -- no plan to settle in the US. asserted
she → think → US
The Redditor was also asked about her travel history, which included 18 countries, and she also had a valid B1/B2 visa for the US. asserted
she → ask → US
"Unfortunately, you do not qualify for a US visa," the visa officer said and also canceled her existing B1/B2 visa with a stamp saying: "Cancelled without prejudice". asserted
officer → qualify → prejudice
Social media users pointed out that paying Rs 5 lakh to an agent to get an appointment was enough of a red flag in this particular case. asserted
paying → point → case
Many doubted whether this actually happened or just a fake post as they questioned that a Big-4 consultant with such a high salary in India does not need a Harvard MBA to join the family business. asserted
consultant → doubt → business
"If I need Harvard or not, that’s honestly my problem. asserted
that → need → Harvard
If I get into Harvard and i’m able to get in, I’ll go, simple as that. asserted
I → get → that
I don’t really see the point in speculating about whether i “need” an MBA or whether the family business needs it. asserted
business → see → it
that’s a personal decision and it doesn’t really have anything to do with the visa," the Redditor said. asserted
Redditor → ’ → visa
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