When a Visa Interview Stops Being an Interview: Reflections on a U.S. B1/B2 Refusal in Nairobi

Abstract

A U.S. nonimmigrant visa interview typically lasts only a few minutes, yet under section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) it carries the full burden of proving eligibility and the absence of immigrant intent. This paper offers a practitioner's autoethnographic account of a B1/B2 refusal at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi on October 1, 2026, and uses it to examine how discretion, proxies for "ties," and the confidentiality of visa records interact in consular adjudication. I do not claim the refusal was wrong, and I do not claim to know the officer's reasoning. My argument is narrower: when an applicant cannot learn what was weighed, cannot appeal, and is questioned mainly on facts already stated in her application while her stated purpose and supporting evidence go unexplored, the process is difficult for applicants and researchers to evaluate. I close with a research agenda and modest procedural recommendations.