Magsaysay winner Neelima Mishra fails to get US visa

MUMBAI: The American consulate on Friday denied Magsaysay award winner Neelima Mishra a visa as she did not have "strong social, economic and family ties" outside the US. Mishra said she applied for a visa last month after she was invited to address the 9th conference of the Indian Development Coalition of America.

"I sat for the visa interview on Friday, and I was asked why I wanted to visit the US. I mentioned the conference as well as the fact that I had won the Magsaysay award this year. But those interviewing me said they did not know what the Magsaysay award was," she said.

According to the letter, all applying for a non-immigrant visa are presumed to be intending immigrants. In other words, the letter implied that Mishra, who won the award for her work in the field of rural micro-credit in the villages of Maharashtra, intended to sneak into the US, never to return.

However, Mishra got a call from the consulate in the evening, asking her to visit the office with her rejection letter on Monday.