'Single, unmarried doctor': Former US diplomat says he faced multiple visa rejections even in 1984

Dr Rajesh Vyas, an Indian-origin former US diplomat, said even in 1984, he was denied visa applications -- not once but twice. In a YouTube video, the former envoy said he wanted to visit Los Angeles in 1984 to witness the Olympics, as he was invited by his friends. Dr Vyas said he was from a well-to-do family with his father being a top doctor in Ahmedabad, and his mother a nurse, and he had no plan to settle in the US -- he only wanted to visit. Neither did his parents ever go out of the country at that time.

In 1984, there were no appointment slots, and people just lined up outside the US consulate in Mumbai. Dr Vyas said he had two backing documents because of his father's connection -- one from a top company in India and another from the vice president of a big company in the US. The documents did more harm than good. The visa officer noted that he had strong connections in the US, and he was a single, unmarried doctor. Vyas said the visa officer rejected the visa and said he did not feel that Vyas would ever come back to India.

Dr Vyas recounted that his father's friend, the owner of a top Indian company, did everything possible to get him a visa, and he was made to go to the consulate again. At that time, the embassy did not allow reapplication for five days, but because of the recommendation letters that Vyas had, he was allowed to reapply. But it was the same visa officer who got his second application. The visa officer asked him whether he had brought any extra documents with him, and since he had not, his application was again rejected.



Dr Vyas said he forgot about the US and went to Europe, Asia trips and started his medical practice in Ahmedabad. He was doing well, got married and his practice was also successful, but the thought of doing the same thing every day bored him and pushed him to explore medical education in the US.

At the age of 35, Vyas applied for a US visa again in 1993. This time, he also had his British-Indian wife's passport. Vyas also marked 'yes' in the field that asked whether the applicant had ever been rejected for a US visa before. He also told the visa officer that he wanted to take exams in the US -- if he failed, he would come back to India but he passed he would apply for residency and apply for an H-1B or J visa. He was granted a 10-year multiple-entry visa.

In 1993, Dr Vyas finally landed in Miami for the first time. And thus began his new journey, which eventually landed him in the US Foreign Service -- years later, after he became a citizen.

Dr Vyas joined the US Foreign Service as a Regional Medical Officer in 2006 and retired in December 2020. His previous assignments include MED Washington DC, US Embassies in India, Japan, Bosnia, the Philippines, and Pakistan. He had temporary duty in Chad, Mauritania, Gabon China, Korea, Uzbekistan, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, India, Madagascar, Russia, Vietnam, Armenia, and Mongolia.