Hi everyone, I am facing a difficult situation and need some perspective on how to proceed. My university delegation applied for B1 visas to attend the Harvard Model United Nations in Boston next month. We applied as a group, but our interview was very brief. The officer barely looked at our documents, asked who was funding the trip, and then issued 214(b) refusals to almost the entire group, stating we did not demonstrate strong enough ties to our home country.
I am very worried because I plan to apply for a Master’s degree in the US next year, which will require an F1 visa. I am concerned that this negative record will haunt my future application.
Should I attempt to reapply for the B1 individually to prove my eligibility, or should I just accept this refusal and focus on the F1 later? Will the F1 officer automatically reject me because of this?