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.
