Hey congratulations. We're in a similar boat and have the first application refused. It was for parents-in-law and we put a combined amount of 4.5 lakhs. Similar reason, to just visit after 5 years. How did you address the strong ties in India?
Can you please provide more details on how you positioned your application, cover letter, how much funds, did you change the reason for the visit, etc.
And also to increase funds, did you add a the additional amount immediately, or slowly?