

VISA APPROVED
CONSULATE : HYDERABAD
Token No. : E212
Window No: 16
VO was a beautiful short haired brunette woman
in her early 30's and she rejected two people before me. I was a little nervous
but I smiled it out nd approached with confidence.
ME: Gud morning ma'am
VO : Goo mornimg (she murmured)
Hand over your passport nd put your left hand
fingers over der
*I did so...but she asked to do it again*
VO : sir, your right hand please
*i did it but she asked me to do dat again fr 2
more times..she was animating her hand to show me how to do it*
ME : Sorry Ma'am
VO : *big sigh* why r u gng to US?
ME : to study MS in Mechanical Engineering
VO : how many universities have you applied? How
many admits did you get? Name all the universities.
ME : University of Akron, Cleveland State
University,Wayne state nd univ of texas and arlington. I got admits in UTa nd
WSU
VO: whats your GRE score?
ME : 296
VO : *gave a wide eyed expression with smile*
okey
VO : specialisation?
ME : Machine Design
VO : What courses have you registered for first
sem
*I said the related subjects to my course*
VO: Who is going to fund ur fees for graduation?
ME : my father is going to pay the expenses and
I took a bank loan for grad fees
VO : whts your father?
ME : Professor in XXXX in XX dept
VO :Congrats..your visa is approved
ME : *with a big smile* Thank you ma'am
Visa interview
:
Sorry for uploading my VI after 5 Day's of my
Visa Interview.
Date: 10-10-2014
Consolate: Hyderabad
Slot time:9:30
Entered embassy around 9 and they said to sit in
a chair where they said they will call one by one but Some thing went wrong
inside the consulate as people who have 8:30,10:00,10:30 slot's are also still
sitting with me. where there is no protocol at that time they are sending
people as their wish. Done with my checkups Token no: E182 and waiting for my
interview, But the thing is VO's was late or some thing happen as people who
have 8 o clock are also waiting, on that day people who have come for visiting visa
was high and met 3 people over there.i think there were around 100 people
waiting for interview at that particular time it, after half an hour my token
was displayed Counter 11.He is asking so many question
VO: Gud morning please pass ur passport.
ME: Passed
VO: Which university.
ME: SDSU
VO: What Project have u done at the time of your
final year.
ME: Vice tool ( Didnt expected that question but
said what i have done in mini project )
VO: Vice tool is that a project ?? ( Thought
Uskak iga intiki poyi bisthar vesukoni padukundham ani )
ME: Sir actually i have done 2 project where i
have done one project in XX and done live Project where its automatic gear
system. ( MANAGED )
VO: OK OK OK
VO: Tell me about ur project.
ME: Said.
VO: Backlogs ?
ME: 10
VO: Reason ?
ME: said
VO:Whats ur father?
ME: He is an Govt employee Sir.
VO: where.
Me: Central GOVT sir.
VO: which company.
ME: XXXXXXXX
VO: IS he and army person.
ME: NO sir he works in a small company which
supply small small parts.
VO: what Subjects Your Going to take in 1st sem.
ME: i was tensed at that time and got stammered.
VO: Y are u tensed man COOL
Me: said what am going to study.
VO: what are You going to do after MS
ME: After my Masters planning to come back and
see my self in an Good position.
VO: UR VISA IS approved u can
collect your passport with in 3 days.
ME: Thank you sir. once again thank you sir.
VO: OK OK BYE
See guys dnt expect Your questions. and people
say that be Confident at the time interview but no problem how u are they can
understand but say what u know and what have u done. Actually VISA totally
Depend on your LUCK. thats it.
thanks for the group.
ALL THE BEST
Here goes
the first VISA interview for SPRING 2014 in Hyderabad US Consulate.
Consulate : Hyderabad
Date & Time : 19th Sep, 8:30AM
Counter No : 14, Token : E141
VO rejected 3 VISA's before me.
Interview time : 8:30Am reported at 8:00Am.
Finished security check by 9:00. Interview for just 2Min (As my friends
previouslydescribed it as Rapid Fire :P)
Here goes the interview:
ME: Good Morning officer, How do you do ?
VO: Good morning, I am fine thank you. Pass me
your documents.
(Gave him I20, Passport, SEVIS receipt).
VO: So, Y Embry-Riddle ? Place your left hand
four fingers on the scanner.
ME: Sure ! As I applied for my masters in
Aerospace Engg & ERAU is best of my admits.
VO: What are you going to do in Aeronautical
Engineering ?
ME: Yes sir it is Aerospace Engineering.
VO: No, What is your specialization ?
ME: Its structural Aerospace Engineering sir.
VO: Describe. (Did't expect this question)
ME: I am going to design the Aeronautical
Structures. (VO didnt listen to this actually)
VO: So I think you got a scholarship of $5000 ?
ME: Yes sir, Actually its $10,000 as $5000 for
First and rest for the Second Year based on my GPA.
VO: Ok.. How are you going to pay the rest ?
ME: My family is going to pay it sir.
(VO checking something in his system and took
the copy of my I20 from his printer)
VO: Your VISA is approved. You can
leave.
ME: Thank you sir.
Got tensed a little bit seeing 3 rejections
before me, but finally I made it All the best for all the applicants for
SPRING. Be kool.. The VO's are there to accept your VISA only !!
Visa
Accepted on 4th attempt MS in Management Information Systems for Texas Tech
University. -- Pranith
Visa Interview 1
Date
: 29th May 2012 Time : 8am
Consulate : Hyderabad
Counter no : 11
Visa Officer is a fair guy. Looks like the tennis ace Andy Murray .
VO : What is the purpose of your travel?
ME : To pursue Masters.
VO : Why Northwest Missouri?
ME : I like the course curriculum at NW interesting sir.
VO : Why US?
ME : Sir, US is advanced in the field of Computer Science and hence I chose US
as my destination.
VO : Admits ?
ME : 2
VO : When did you complete your undergraduate study ?
ME : 2012 sir.
VO : What is your Academic score?
ME : 67% Sir
VO : Any Backlogs ?
ME : I had 2 backlogs in my 1st yr sir. However I completed them in the very
next attempt.
VO : Who is sponsoring you?
ME : My father is funding for my studies (Interrupted by VO)
VO : Whats his income?
ME : XX.XX Lakhs sir.
VO: Do you know any1 from your university?
ME : Yes Sir, I know a few seniors.
VO : ( Gave a paper to me and marked X on it and said ) This explains why you are rejected.
ME : Shocked .. Sir can I get 1 more minute.
VO : Yes go ahead ( grabs a cup of coffee and sits )
ME : Sir, my only dream is to pursue my masters. I have worked really hard for
it. ( shivering tone )
VO : I am not convinced this time. You may apply anytime again if you want .
MR : Thank you sir. Have a nice day
Visa Interview 2
Date
: 20th Jun 2012 Time : 9am
Consulate : Hyderabad
Counter no : 9
Again same Visa Officer Andy Murray .
He said he cant take my interview again and sent me to another guy.
VO : Why do you think you were rejected earlier?
ME : Sir, I wasn't confident enough in my 1st interview. I did not convey my
intentions properly sir.
VO : Do you think that is the only reason?
ME : Yes sir, most probably.
VO : What did you change in your profile?
ME : Its been just 20 days after I was rejected sir. I did not change anything.
VO : I think I do not have anything strong to go against the 1st visa officer,
I can't issue you a visa.
ME : Smiling . May I know the exact reason sir ?
VO : This papers explains why you were rejected.
ME : Sir, can I get a verbal explanation?
VO : I don't think you qualify for a
student visa.
ME : Do you have any suggestions for me sir?
VO : Go and get some work experience.
ME : Sure Sir, Thank you. Have a nice day.
Visa Interview 3
Date
: 6th Nov 2012 Time : 9am
Consulate : Chennai
Counter no : 12
VO was an old lady in her 50s.
VO : Why MS ?
ME : Same answer as earlier
VO : Where are you heading?
ME : Northwest Missouri
VO: When did you passout?
ME : 2012
VO : What have you been doing since then?
ME : I've done an internship at XXX company for 3 months.
VO : Which Project did you work on?
ME : Heat Map Analytics
VO : How will you fund your education?
ME : I have savings of XX Lakhs and a bank loan of XX Lakhs
VO : Sorry I cant issue you a visa
this time.
However you may apply anytime again if you wish to.
ME : ok Thank you.mam Have a nice day.
Visa Interview 4
Date
: 7th Oct 2013 Time : 8.30am
Consulate : Hyderabad
GRE -308, TOEFL -104
Counter no : 15
This VO will not leave me .. its Andy Murray again.
VO : So you are the 2nd person going to Texas Tech today. Huh ?
ME : Yea Sir.
VO : So do you know the girl before you?
ME : Yes sir. I know her.
VO : So why US?
ME : Sir the course MIS isn't offered in India. It is offered by few good
universities in US sir. Hence I am considering US as my destination.
VO : Why MS?
ME : After having 1 year of work experience I now know the loop-holes in my
technical knowledge. With the help of Masters I want to pluck these loop-holes
sir.
VO : What all universities did you apply?
ME : I applied for 4 universities sir. Texas Tech, Louisiana State, Oklahoma
State, Northern Illinois.
VO : How many admits?
ME: 2 sir. Texas Tech & Northern Illinois.
VO: Why TTU?
ME : TTU has a very good course curriculum for MIS. I also got good feedback
from my seniors who attended TTU sir.
VO: Why only MIS . Why not CS?
ME : Sir I want to have an in-depth knowledge on databases and also get some
exposure on management of IT.
** ( I thought it was slipping away again )**
VO : Whats your UG%
ME : I've got 67% sir.
VO : Backlogs?
ME : 2 sir. I completed them in the very next attempt. (shivering voice)
VO: Whats your GRE?
ME: I scored 308 in my GRE sir. ( with confidence )
VO : Do you have any siblings?
ME : I have an elder brother
VO : What is he doing?
ME : He is pursuing his masters in Germany sir.
VO: Which university?
ME: University of Darmstadt Sir.
VO: What is his major?
ME: MIS sir.
VO: So both are doing MIS?
ME: No sir. He is into Automation Engineering.
VO : Oh thats so cool. My friend is into Automation Engineering.
ME: Smiled
VO : What are his plans?
ME: He will be completing his masters in another 2-3 months sir. After that he
might be working for 1-2 years and than start his own company.
VO: What kind of a company and where?
ME: Sir, I have no clear idea about it. But I just know that he is interested
in starting his own firm.
VO : When did you passout?
ME: 2012 sir.
VO: What have you been doing since then?
ME: Sir, I worked for the past 1 yr.
VO : Can I see your work documents?
ME: Here are my payslips and my visiting card sir. ( was about to give the
appointment letter but he stopped me ).
VO: What is your dream profession?
ME: From my childhood I had the dream of becoming a Professor sir.
VO: Place your Left hand 4 fingers ... You may take your documents ,.. ( he
then turned around and put my passport in a basket and did not turn back ).
ME : I kept my payslips in my folder and was waiting for his to turn back.
VO : Turned back and said - You can
leave now . Your visa is approved.
ME: Thank you so much sir. You made my day ..... ( jumped and punched the air
while cmg back and people smiled at me ).
Suggestions for Visa Interview
1. Do not loose your hope
2. Change the university. Do not stick to a university
3. VOs generally ask common questions and suddenly ask a tricky question and at
that time they watch for a change in your facial expression. ( happened to me 2
times ).
4. Give practical answers instead of pretending. They know everything about us.
F1 Visa Interview for
Texas Tech University
Visa
approved 
Consulate: Hyderabad
University: Texas Tech University(TTU)
Date: 6th June, 2013
Slot: 10 am
Counter: 13
My visa experience:
Me: Hello madam, good morning.
VO: Good morning, how r u? (with a smile on
face)
Me: Iam good, how r u?
VO: I am good too, pls pass me the passport.
Me: Gave
VO: Which school?
Me: TTU
VO: Y did u choose this school?
Me: Told about the univ and specialisation m
gonna take.
VO: What will u do after passing out with that
specialisation?
Me: Told
VO: How many bklogs?
Me: None
VO: Where is the univ located?
Me: told
VO: What other admits do u have?
Me: Only TTU.
VO: (With perplexity) What all did u apply?
Me: Told
VO: Thats ok, ur visa is approved.(with a bigg smile )
Took the finger prints and said bye with a
smile.
Total interview lasted for 30 to 45 seconds.
Questions rained one after the other. she took some time for entering the data.
All who r going to attend the interview, be frank
and truthful. Dont fake, a guy in front of me did that and he got rejected. All
the best 
F1 Visa Interview - Hyderabad US Consulate
Got Visa to UTD-MSEE Approved after 1week
without 221g
Visa experience:
Consulate: Hyderabad
university: UTD-MSEE
Decision: Approved after 1week without 221g
Date: 23rd may
My slot was at 11.15am and I was allowed to enter the consulate at around
10.45. After entering the consulate, have gone through the normal procedure of
scanning the docs and fingerprint scanning and after almost 1hr later was given
a token number of E202 and counter 11.
My interview was literally done TWICE and here it goes.
COUNTER #11
Me: Good Afternoon Sir, how r u? (smiling)
VO1: Hi, pass me ur passport (not smiling and his age probably in late 20’s)
1st question and its different from what I saw the experiences from past 1yr in
FB
VO1: Did u go to a consultancy??
Me: No sir
He was trying to trick me where watching the system he told me
VO1: No u r lying to me..u went to a consultancy
Me: Certainly no sir, I never approached any consultancy
The VO was frustrated by that time bcoz of the interviews from morning and he
asked the same question and the same answer repeated for the next 2min and he
was literally asking me to get out from there and finally he told me to wait
for 10min in the lobby and that he’ll call me again.
I thought that was the end of my interview and sat in the lobby expecting to
get an another chance after 10min. After 10min, an Indian official was handed
my passport and he called my name and handed it over to me and asked me to
stand in another counter(#12) for the interview again wherein I understood that
the previous officer was not in a mood to take the interview and so left the
counter.
The VO2 was also in his late 20s and he was accepting applicants before me and
my interview goes like this.
COUNTER #12
Me: good afternoon sir, how u doing?(again smiling )
VO2: Hey how r u (expressions better then VO1).Pass me ur passport.
Me: Sure sir.
VO2: (Again the same question) Did u approach a consultancy.Tell me truth bcoz
I had given a reject to one student who went but told me that he didn’t.
Me: No sir I applied on my own and my sis was also in US with her husband till
2011 where she suggested me some universities to apply for.
VO2: she is in US now?
Me: no sir
VO2:Ok fine wats ur agg and number of backlogs?
Me:68 and 1 backlog sir
VO2:gre?
Me:304
VO2: Pass me ur scorecard and tell me which univ?
Me: passed the scorecard and told him UTD
VO2: Why this univ?
ME: Told
He was listening but was more busy typing something in the system
VO2: where did u fill ur DS form?
Me: home sir.
VO2:how many univ did u apply and wat r they?
Me:5 sir and told them
VO2: Pass me ur marksheets
Me: He was somewhat convinced with my answers by this time.
VO2: Who is sponsoring u and how do u pay ur fee?
Me: my parents sir and told the finances
VO2 asked me to show the proof of finances and I passed him the passbook and
FD’s.
He took them and arranged them in order and lifted the bunch when I thought he
was issuing me visa but instead he told me to wait again for 5min
I thought WTF? No one was waiting like that and I was almost the last person in
the consulate whose interview is still going on.
After 2min the VO2 called me to another counter and asked me to leave the
consulate and told me that they would check if the finances r genuine and if
they are genuine, they’ll issue me a VISA. I was not given 221g but my passport
was retained by them which was some positive sign. After all that happened in
the consulate, I was continuously checking my passport status for the next
2days to hear the good news.
Finally on 29th my passport status changed, got an email and also a message at
the same time indicating that my passport is ready and can collect it between
3-4. I was really happy that I had finally got it and it is stamped for 5yrs 
P.S: CONFIDENCE REALLY MATTERS. Both the officers were playing a game asking
whether I approached a consultancy but I was firm on my answer that I dint go
and they were convinced with my answer.
Finally this is what I was waiting for more than 1 yr to post (not the
interview :P)
US VISA 
HOPE THIS HELPS SOMEONE

Got F1 Visa to
University of North Carolina Charlotte in Hyderabad
Student's F1 Visa Aproved for University of North Carolina Charlotte in
Hyderabad US Consulate. Student applied for Computer Science program at UNCC.
My VI Experience #2
Consulate: Hyderabad
Date: 22/05/2012 Time: 11:00 AM
Destination: University of North Carolina Charlotte
Status: Approved
I reached the consulate late at 11:15 AM. After completing all the formalities
I got the token number issued. Sat somewhere and relaxing as I thought I had
plenty of time.But suddenly 2 counters were opened and people over there
directed a bunch of F-1 applicants to those counters including me.
I was freaked out because I was expecting atleast 30 minutes of time for my
token number to appear.
VO is a young guy in early 30's. Approved two girls infront of me. My turn.
Me: Good afternoon sir. How are you?
VO: I am fine what about you? and please pass the documents.
Me: I am fine sir. Passed the documents.
VO: What program are you going to study at UNCC?
Me: Computer Science with a specialization in Game Developmet sir.
VO: How did you come to know about UNCC and your program
Me: told about IGDA and all...
VO: Typed for some time and asked there are several universities offering game
dev programs why did you opt for UNCC?
Me: Told about the game lab and professors. Explained about the student
projects etc.
VO: Types and checks the UNCC site for the info what I said. I saw because the
green glare of UNCC website reflected.
VO: So have you developed any games
Me: Yes sir. I have developed 2 games. Explained him about how those will work.
VO: Laughed and said I too play that game a lot
VO: Except the Indie games. Have you developed or being developed any serious
games
Me: I have a game project running sir. It will take another 6 months to
complete because of the heavy design.
VO: Exclaimed and said 6 months. Why so long.
Me: Officer I am basically a programmer. I need to satisfy the works of artist,
animator, storyboard writer etc to develop a game. Believe me sir games are not
as easy as they look. There are tons of code lines and animated moments inside
a single game.
VO: It's ok. I see that you are a freelancer. How did you gain the experience.
Me: Sir I have been programming since I was 13. That made me projects come to
me without any qualification either.
VO: Examined my freelance profile for a while and types for sometime
VO: So what other colleges did you apply?
Me: Told 3. RIT UNCC CSU-Chico. And told that I was looking only for game dev
courses.
VO: Then Why didn't you opt for those?
Me: Told
VO: Asked me to repeat the university which offered design course as he typed
in the computer and checked for the info I told.
VO: Fine. How are you planning your studies.
Me: I have xx amount in savings and xx amount in fds also explained that I
don't need a bank loan and told that everything is planned for 2 years stay.
VO: Can I have those statements please.(Types)
Me: Passed
VO: What is you father? (Types)
Me: He is businessman sir.
VO: And how did a businessman got xx amount of liquid in short time
Me: Explained about the land that was sold for my education and showed him the
settlement document of the land.
VO: No need. Gave the documents back after clearly checking for the exact
amounts what I said.
VO: What is your father's annual income?(Types)
Me: It is around xx
VO: It was recorded that in the last interview, you said it was xx
Me: Sorry sir previous VO asked me about the business income not annual income.
Explained about other sources and how did it make up to xx amount. Do you want
to see the IT returns and respective documents sir?
VO: No need. Somewhere you said IGDA and that you are a member. What kind of
benifits do you get.
Me: Explained
VO: Whats your membership name?
Me: Said ( as I spell it, he typed it and checked)
VO: Types seriously for several minutes. What type of games do you play.
Me: Action, racing, strategy etc. Mentioned some of my favourite games.
VO: He said ok. Took the passport as if he is giving it back to me. But wrote A
on the DS form and told your Visa is approved and you will get it in a
week.
VO asked other questions also which I really cannot remember. But sure this is
95% of the interview.
I walked out of the consulate with raised head. I felt that I deserve U.S VISA
because of the Interview experiences in first and second ones.
Looked straight into the eyes and spoken loudly. I did not smile much but
maintained professional gestures and attire while I am talking.
Really confidence is the key for VISA interviews. I felt and experienced that.
End of my Interview..............
Student's Successful F1 Visa Experience on 4th
attempt. Student Visa Rejected 3 times. Applies to Visa Interview with Low
Ranked School (Sacred Heart University) and Low GRE - 850.
F1 Visa Rejected in 3rd
attempt
I was rejected twice before this third attempt bcoz of low schol(sacred heart
univ) and then becuasue of Low profile. Then I realized that giving him a point
answers for the questions like Wats ur gre- xxx, %- xxx doesnt show my
confidence nor strenghts of my profile.
Here I realized with these kind of acads and gre, we cannot get a visa. I
thought explaining him my profile in much details than a Consultancies mock
intrvw preparation with defined answers.
Here comes my Interview for the 3rd time-.
VO:gud mrng sir,hw u doing.
me:doing good dear john elvin.
VO:hw come u knw my name?
me:hav seen U at OUCIP and many of ur photos in a blog.
vo
hhh.thats fine.which time r u applying to??
me:3rd time
vo:alright,what ar ur academics
me:57%
vo:gre??
me:850
vo:backlogs::
me:a total of 11,but only 4 belong to my CS course .
vo:sorry,u r'nt qualified with the US laws.u can find in reason in this slip.
me:sir,frm last 2 times,I was given the same 214b slip.But i couldnt find any
justified for my rejection in it.
vo:as u hav low acads and gre,U cannot compete with US students over there.
me
k sir.I agree.Can I speak for 1 min if u
permit??
vo
kk,go onn.
me:sir,for the first time,I was rejected bcoz low school.and 2nd time,I didnt
find any proper reason.But,as I hav already completed my Btech i.e undergraduate,I
cannot improve my UG % or my backlogs.
let me tell u 1 thing that,Our curriculum is a mixture of all engineering
subjects,where an CS student faces electrical and mechanical subjects.To
me,though my backlogs sounds heavy,only 3-4 were of my CS related subjects rest
all are out of my preferred.
As i was rejected for 2 times,to test my capabilities,had given a job trial in
the market and got a job.so that it can proove that am eligible for the skills
a company require.
to over come my GRE,i hav an internship program with a company and it can b
used as wrk xperince.
am saying all these,to proove that am capable in skills required for doing
Master's.here are the proof's for those(passed certificates).
vo:U hav got lot of oppurtunities in India.U hav good universities.y dnt u do u
MS here.
me:gud suggestion sir.but to get an admit in India,ther r many factors which
reflect in india for admission for xample like-reservation quota,locality
preference,recommendations.Where in US,we can get our admission purely based on
our acads and Stmtn of our purpose.and I hav secured my admission only based on
my project related to networking.even my intership is of the same.
vo:hey,got impressed with ur answers.but i cant compete with ur previous visa
intrvw's and go across to theri decision.sorry.
me
with a smile),if so,there are many cases in hyd
who got their visas in their 3rd attmtp,6th attempt,11th attempt.
vo:y u all guys waste ur money.
me:that is our strong zeal for our MS to gain an international MS award frm
prestigious country like US.
vo:there r many univ's here in india itself and u can get more options for ur
careeer growth.am i right??
me:i agreee with u sir.but there wnt b any change frm the Ug and our Mtech
course curriculum.though we get a Degree,its completely related to theory subjs
where we lag in practical knwledge.for example,we r taught hw write a prgm,but
still we dnt knw hw it implement it and what goes goes inside when we gor for
compilation.it matters frm our Mtech to MS.
vo:u hav got prepared well man.gr8 job.but,its out of
my hands.cant do anythng.
me:no problem sir.but to me,Masters is a challenge to proove myslef infront of
my parents and my GIRl.atleast for that i will reapply again.
but where am confused is that,i still hanvt found to what changes do i need to
make atleast for 4th time.this is wat worrying me.anyhw sir,today am happy for
atleast having a long session with U.thanx for ur time.
vo:gud luck sir.hav a nice day.
me:u too.bye.
F1 Visa Interview Approval
in 4th Attempt
After a week of depressions, I've made a recap of my interview for more than 50
times and then got the point for my rejection. All the explanation or the
conversations has started after the decision has been Made. Here I understand
that VISA officer thought of issuing a visa. But cannot cahnge the decision
once it has entered into this syst.
So, Just gave a gap of 6 months gained some work experince and gave a try
again-
Atlast here comes my final entry into the Consulate and came out with teen maar
dance-
Officer- pass ur docs
Me- has given my Ds-160, passport and sevis.
Officer- She scanned my ds-160 and busy with reading my previous visa intrvw
officer comments,
Me- Officer, I would like to reduce ur stress by explaing my case in much
detail.
Officer- Sorry..........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(with a confused expression)
Me- I would like to explain you those comments and my profile in much detail
than it is in your syst.
officer- Ok , tell me.
Me- Frankly speaking this is my 4th attempt for the VISA and yes, atlast I
realized that I was rejected coz of low acads and GRE. I came to know that
these two factors play a key role for qualifying a visa.
To explain u about my case, I'm done with my UG in 2011 and now I cant make any
changes to my % or my count of backlogs. So I'm helpless in this. When GRE is
considered, I think I dont hav to retake it again, when i was given an admit
from an univ with this score.
I agree, its wholelymy responsibility to proove that am eligible for VISa.
without knowing this, I tried for past 3 times but in vain. I was rejected coz
I always tried to support the negatives of my profile but no where, shown the
positives of my profile.
Here I come today, though I had low acads, I'm currently working in Amazon.com with
same aggregate from past 8 months. I have 11 backlogs, But I hav more than 20
extra curricular certificates which makes me special when compared to others.
Here are the certificates. Passeed on my PPT particiapation, Best empoyee
certf, etc etc etc
Today, I'm very much comfortable with my Job. But there is something lagging
caled Knowledge when compared to my collegues and experince, lacking in
practical work. To overcome, I've again decided to apply for only to US visa
and today here I'm.
Officer- she took the certificates and had a stare to them for atleast 2
minutes. Okay, how long r u working with Amazon
Me- From past 8 months. Here are my salary slips and officer Indentiy card.
Officer- wat is ur role in Amazon.
Me- Amazon has recently launched a device Kindle Fire , a competetion for
Iphone. My job is to resolve customers technical isuses with those devices.
Officer- Y did u choose this univ.
Me- My undergrad professor is from the same univ and suggested me this coz
networking course curriculum which helps me for current operations at Amazon.
Officer- How many backlogs do U have.
Me- 11. (and I explained the same reason which I've given at my 3rd intrvw)
Officer- Where exactly r u going to Us.
Me- Commerce, 65 miles away from Dallas. Its in state of texas.
Officer- What are ur plans after Ms.
Me- I havnet resigned my job. I just took a gap of 2 years with my managers
permission and my Job wil b as it is after my renttry into Amazon. So, will b
back after getting certified in US.
Officer- how r u going to manage ur funds-
Me- my father is xxx, having a savings of xxx and for safe side, a loan amount
ofxxxx...............
She took my i20, typed for almost more than 2 minutes and then finally she
said- Sir, am approving ur visa and u'll recevie ur passport
in 3 business days.
I wish U all the best sir.
Me- Thank U mam.
Officer- I like ur frankness.
Me- Thank U . Thank U a lot.
F1 visa Rejection - Bank
Balance Problem
INTERVIEW
:- 18TH MAY
Visa Type: F1 Visa
US Consulate: HYDERABAD
F1 Visa Status: REJECTED
My Experience:
ME:- HELLO , GUD MRNG SIRE
VO :- GUD MRNG
VO :- WAT'S WORK ?
ME:- I WORK IN A COLG TEACHING ENGG DRAWING
VO :- WAT MAKE THIS UNIV DIFF FROM OTHER UNIV'S
ME:- THIS UNIV OFFERS GUD DESIGNING COURSE,
VO :- ASKED THE SAME QUESTION AGAIN?
ME:- EVEN I SAID DA SAME AGAIN
VO :- HE SAID I THINK YOU HAVE MEMORIZED UR ANSWER (WAS A BIT ANOYED)
ME :- NO SIRE NOT AT ALL.
VO:- WEN WERE U PASSED OUT ?
ME :- 2011
VO :- WATS U %AGE "?
ME :- 69.79%
VO:-GRE?
ME:- 298
VO:- SHOW ME UR SCORE CARD ?
ME :- SHOWED
VO:- SHOW ME UR BANK PASSBOOKS ?
ME :- HDFC DONT HAVE PASSBOKS SO , I MESSED I GAVE MY BANK STATEMNETS HAD
NRTHING MUCH MONEY ALL TOGETHER OF JUST 3.5LCS
VO:- HE SAID U
DONT HAVE SUFFICIENT FUNDS?
ME :- I TOTALLY LOST CONTROL OF THE SITUATION HERE ....
VO:- WATS UR FAMILI'S INCOME "
ME :- 9-10 LACS
VO:-UR I-20 shows ur source has 24000$
me:- i said i have FD'S and also a loan of 10 lacs,, but he was not ready to
listen
vo:-Then he saw my postal saving passbooks
me:- he typed sumthing
vo :- da same bloody dialogue sry i cant give u ....bloody f88k and all
me:- bloody asshole (dint say this)
I was rejected visa yesterday I had fixed
deposits of 10 lacs but wat i did was i dint show it in my accounts , i thought
evn fixed deposits are also treatd as liquid cash, so th VO said dat u have in
sufficeint funds , now do i require to cam=ncel the FD'S and transfer to my
account and take the statement, at the end wat he said was " Uodnt have
sufficient balance" plz come again. Help me
F1 Visa Interview - Hyderabad US Consulate
Got Visa to UTD-MSEE Approved after 1week
without 221g
Visa experience:
Consulate: Hyderabad
university: UTD-MSEE
Decision: Approved after 1week without 221g
Date: 23rd may
My slot was at 11.15am and I was allowed to enter the consulate at around
10.45. After entering the consulate, have gone through the normal procedure of
scanning the docs and fingerprint scanning and after almost 1hr later was given
a token number of E202 and counter 11.
My interview was literally done TWICE and here it goes.
COUNTER #11
Me: Good Afternoon Sir, how r u? (smiling)
VO1: Hi, pass me ur passport (not smiling and his age probably in late 20’s)
1st question and its different from what I saw the experiences from past 1yr in
FB
VO1: Did u go to a consultancy??
Me: No sir
He was trying to trick me where watching the system he told me
VO1: No u r lying to me..u went to a consultancy
Me: Certainly no sir, I never approached any consultancy
The VO was frustrated by that time bcoz of the interviews from morning and he
asked the same question and the same answer repeated for the next 2min and he
was literally asking me to get out from there and finally he told me to wait
for 10min in the lobby and that he’ll call me again.
I thought that was the end of my interview and sat in the lobby expecting to
get an another chance after 10min. After 10min, an Indian official was handed
my passport and he called my name and handed it over to me and asked me to
stand in another counter(#12) for the interview again wherein I understood that
the previous officer was not in a mood to take the interview and so left the
counter.
The VO2 was also in his late 20s and he was accepting applicants before me and
my interview goes like this.
COUNTER #12
Me: good afternoon sir, how u doing?(again smiling )
VO2: Hey how r u (expressions better then VO1).Pass me ur passport.
Me: Sure sir.
VO2: (Again the same question) Did u approach a consultancy.Tell me truth bcoz
I had given a reject to one student who went but told me that he didn’t.
Me: No sir I applied on my own and my sis was also in US with her husband till
2011 where she suggested me some universities to apply for.
VO2: she is in US now?
Me: no sir
VO2:Ok fine wats ur agg and number of backlogs?
Me:68 and 1 backlog sir
VO2:gre?
Me:304
VO2: Pass me ur scorecard and tell me which univ?
Me: passed the scorecard and told him UTD
VO2: Why this univ?
ME: Told
He was listening but was more busy typing something in the system
VO2: where did u fill ur DS form?
Me: home sir.
VO2:how many univ did u apply and wat r they?
Me:5 sir and told them
VO2: Pass me ur marksheets
Me: He was somewhat convinced with my answers by this time.
VO2: Who is sponsoring u and how do u pay ur fee?
Me: my parents sir and told the finances
VO2 asked me to show the proof of finances and I passed him the passbook and
FD’s.
He took them and arranged them in order and lifted the bunch when I thought he
was issuing me visa but instead he told me to wait again for 5min
I thought WTF? No one was waiting like that and I was almost the last person in
the consulate whose interview is still going on.
After 2min the VO2 called me to another counter and asked me to leave the
consulate and told me that they would check if the finances r genuine and if
they are genuine, they’ll issue me a VISA. I was not given 221g but my passport
was retained by them which was some positive sign. After all that happened in
the consulate, I was continuously checking my passport status for the next
2days to hear the good news.
Finally on 29th my passport status changed, got an email and also a message at
the same time indicating that my passport is ready and can collect it between
3-4. I was really happy that I had finally got it and it is stamped for 5yrs 
P.S: CONFIDENCE REALLY MATTERS. Both the officers were playing a game asking
whether I approached a consultancy but I was firm on my answer that I dint go
and they were convinced with my answer.
Finally this is what I was waiting for more than 1 yr to post (not the
interview :P)
US VISA 
HOPE THIS HELPS SOMEONE
Got F1 Visa to
University of North Carolina Charlotte in Hyderabad
Student's F1 Visa Aproved for University of North Carolina Charlotte in
Hyderabad US Consulate. Student applied for Computer Science program at UNCC.
My VI Experience #2
Consulate: Hyderabad
Date: 22/05/2012 Time: 11:00 AM
Destination: University of North Carolina Charlotte
Status: Approved
I reached the consulate late at 11:15 AM. After completing all the formalities
I got the token number issued. Sat somewhere and relaxing as I thought I had
plenty of time.But suddenly 2 counters were opened and people over there
directed a bunch of F-1 applicants to those counters including me.
I was freaked out because I was expecting atleast 30 minutes of time for my
token number to appear.
VO is a young guy in early 30's. Approved two girls infront of me. My turn.
Me: Good afternoon sir. How are you?
VO: I am fine what about you? and please pass the documents.
Me: I am fine sir. Passed the documents.
VO: What program are you going to study at UNCC?
Me: Computer Science with a specialization in Game Developmet sir.
VO: How did you come to know about UNCC and your program
Me: told about IGDA and all...
VO: Typed for some time and asked there are several universities offering game
dev programs why did you opt for UNCC?
Me: Told about the game lab and professors. Explained about the student
projects etc.
VO: Types and checks the UNCC site for the info what I said. I saw because the
green glare of UNCC website reflected.
VO: So have you developed any games
Me: Yes sir. I have developed 2 games. Explained him about how those will work.
VO: Laughed and said I too play that game a lot
VO: Except the Indie games. Have you developed or being developed any serious
games
Me: I have a game project running sir. It will take another 6 months to
complete because of the heavy design.
VO: Exclaimed and said 6 months. Why so long.
Me: Officer I am basically a programmer. I need to satisfy the works of artist,
animator, storyboard writer etc to develop a game. Believe me sir games are not
as easy as they look. There are tons of code lines and animated moments inside
a single game.
VO: It's ok. I see that you are a freelancer. How did you gain the experience.
Me: Sir I have been programming since I was 13. That made me projects come to
me without any qualification either.
VO: Examined my freelance profile for a while and types for sometime
VO: So what other colleges did you apply?
Me: Told 3. RIT UNCC CSU-Chico. And told that I was looking only for game dev
courses.
VO: Then Why didn't you opt for those?
Me: Told
VO: Asked me to repeat the university which offered design course as he typed
in the computer and checked for the info I told.
VO: Fine. How are you planning your studies.
Me: I have xx amount in savings and xx amount in fds also explained that I
don't need a bank loan and told that everything is planned for 2 years stay.
VO: Can I have those statements please.(Types)
Me: Passed
VO: What is you father? (Types)
Me: He is businessman sir.
VO: And how did a businessman got xx amount of liquid in short time
Me: Explained about the land that was sold for my education and showed him the
settlement document of the land.
VO: No need. Gave the documents back after clearly checking for the exact
amounts what I said.
VO: What is your father's annual income?(Types)
Me: It is around xx
VO: It was recorded that in the last interview, you said it was xx
Me: Sorry sir previous VO asked me about the business income not annual income.
Explained about other sources and how did it make up to xx amount. Do you want
to see the IT returns and respective documents sir?
VO: No need. Somewhere you said IGDA and that you are a member. What kind of
benifits do you get.
Me: Explained
VO: Whats your membership name?
Me: Said ( as I spell it, he typed it and checked)
VO: Types seriously for several minutes. What type of games do you play.
Me: Action, racing, strategy etc. Mentioned some of my favourite games.
VO: He said ok. Took the passport as if he is giving it back to me. But wrote A
on the DS form and told your Visa is approved and you will get it in
a week.
VO asked other questions also which I really cannot remember. But sure this is
95% of the interview.
I walked out of the consulate with raised head. I felt that I deserve U.S VISA
because of the Interview experiences in first and second ones.
Looked straight into the eyes and spoken loudly. I did not smile much but
maintained professional gestures and attire while I am talking.
Really confidence is the key for VISA interviews. I felt and experienced that.
End of my Interview..............
Student's Successful F1 Visa Experience on 4th
attempt. Student Visa Rejected 3 times. Applies to Visa Interview with Low
Ranked School (Sacred Heart University) and Low GRE - 850.
F1 Visa Rejected in 3rd
attempt
I was rejected twice before this third attempt bcoz of low schol(sacred heart
univ) and then becuasue of Low profile. Then I realized that giving him a point
answers for the questions like Wats ur gre- xxx, %- xxx doesnt show my
confidence nor strenghts of my profile.
Here I realized with these kind of acads and gre, we cannot get a visa. I
thought explaining him my profile in much details than a Consultancies mock
intrvw preparation with defined answers.
Here comes my Interview for the 3rd time-.
VO:gud mrng sir,hw u doing.
me:doing good dear john elvin.
VO:hw come u knw my name?
me:hav seen U at OUCIP and many of ur photos in a blog.
vo
hhh.thats fine.which time r u applying to??
me:3rd time
vo:alright,what ar ur academics
me:57%
vo:gre??
me:850
vo:backlogs::
me:a total of 11,but only 4 belong to my CS course .
vo:sorry,u r'nt qualified with the US laws.u can find in reason in this slip.
me:sir,frm last 2 times,I was given the same 214b slip.But i couldnt find any
justified for my rejection in it.
vo:as u hav low acads and gre,U cannot compete with US students over there.
me
k sir.I agree.Can I speak for 1 min if u
permit??
vo
kk,go onn.
me:sir,for the first time,I was rejected bcoz low school.and 2nd time,I didnt
find any proper reason.But,as I hav already completed my Btech i.e
undergraduate,I cannot improve my UG % or my backlogs.
let me tell u 1 thing that,Our curriculum is a mixture of all engineering
subjects,where an CS student faces electrical and mechanical subjects.To
me,though my backlogs sounds heavy,only 3-4 were of my CS related subjects rest
all are out of my preferred.
As i was rejected for 2 times,to test my capabilities,had given a job trial in
the market and got a job.so that it can proove that am eligible for the skills
a company require.
to over come my GRE,i hav an internship program with a company and it can b
used as wrk xperince.
am saying all these,to proove that am capable in skills required for doing
Master's.here are the proof's for those(passed certificates).
vo:U hav got lot of oppurtunities in India.U hav good universities.y dnt u do u
MS here.
me:gud suggestion sir.but to get an admit in India,ther r many factors which
reflect in india for admission for xample like-reservation quota,locality
preference,recommendations.Where in US,we can get our admission purely based on
our acads and Stmtn of our purpose.and I hav secured my admission only based on
my project related to networking.even my intership is of the same.
vo:hey,got impressed with ur answers.but i cant compete with ur previous visa
intrvw's and go across to theri decision.sorry.
me
with a smile),if so,there are many cases in hyd
who got their visas in their 3rd attmtp,6th attempt,11th attempt.
vo:y u all guys waste ur money.
me:that is our strong zeal for our MS to gain an international MS award frm
prestigious country like US.
vo:there r many univ's here in india itself and u can get more options for ur
careeer growth.am i right??
me:i agreee with u sir.but there wnt b any change frm the Ug and our Mtech
course curriculum.though we get a Degree,its completely related to theory subjs
where we lag in practical knwledge.for example,we r taught hw write a prgm,but
still we dnt knw hw it implement it and what goes goes inside when we gor for
compilation.it matters frm our Mtech to MS.
vo:u hav got prepared well man.gr8 job.but,its out of my hands.cant do anythng.
me:no problem sir.but to me,Masters is a challenge to proove myslef infront of
my parents and my GIRl.atleast for that i will reapply again.
but where am confused is that,i still hanvt found to what changes do i need to
make atleast for 4th time.this is wat worrying me.anyhw sir,today am happy for
atleast having a long session with U.thanx for ur time.
vo:gud luck sir.hav a nice day.
me:u too.bye.
F1 Visa Interview Approval
in 4th Attempt
After a week of depressions, I've made a recap of my interview for more than 50
times and then got the point for my rejection. All the explanation or the
conversations has started after the decision has been Made. Here I understand
that VISA officer thought of issuing a visa. But cannot cahnge the decision
once it has entered into this syst.
So, Just gave a gap of 6 months gained some work experince and gave a try
again-
Atlast here comes my final entry into the Consulate and came out with teen maar
dance-
Officer- pass ur docs
Me- has given my Ds-160, passport and sevis.
Officer- She scanned my ds-160 and busy with reading my previous visa intrvw officer
comments,
Me- Officer, I would like to reduce ur stress by explaing my case in much
detail.
Officer- Sorry..........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(with a confused expression)
Me- I would like to explain you those comments and my profile in much detail
than it is in your syst.
officer- Ok , tell me.
Me- Frankly speaking this is my 4th attempt for the VISA and yes, atlast I
realized that I was rejected coz of low acads and GRE. I came to know that
these two factors play a key role for qualifying a visa.
To explain u about my case, I'm done with my UG in 2011 and now I cant make any
changes to my % or my count of backlogs. So I'm helpless in this. When GRE is
considered, I think I dont hav to retake it again, when i was given an admit
from an univ with this score.
I agree, its wholelymy responsibility to proove that am eligible for VISa.
without knowing this, I tried for past 3 times but in vain. I was rejected coz
I always tried to support the negatives of my profile but no where, shown the
positives of my profile.
Here I come today, though I had low acads, I'm currently working in Amazon.com
with same aggregate from past 8 months. I have 11 backlogs, But I hav more than
20 extra curricular certificates which makes me special when compared to
others. Here are the certificates. Passeed on my PPT particiapation, Best
empoyee certf, etc etc etc
Today, I'm very much comfortable with my Job. But there is something lagging
caled Knowledge when compared to my collegues and experince, lacking in
practical work. To overcome, I've again decided to apply for only to US visa
and today here I'm.
Officer- she took the certificates and had a stare to them for atleast 2
minutes. Okay, how long r u working with Amazon
Me- From past 8 months. Here are my salary slips and officer Indentiy card.
Officer- wat is ur role in Amazon.
Me- Amazon has recently launched a device Kindle Fire , a competetion for
Iphone. My job is to resolve customers technical isuses with those devices.
Officer- Y did u choose this univ.
Me- My undergrad professor is from the same univ and suggested me this coz
networking course curriculum which helps me for current operations at Amazon.
Officer- How many backlogs do U have.
Me- 11. (and I explained the same reason which I've given at my 3rd intrvw)
Officer- Where exactly r u going to Us.
Me- Commerce, 65 miles away from Dallas. Its in state of texas.
Officer- What are ur plans after Ms.
Me- I havnet resigned my job. I just took a gap of 2 years with my managers
permission and my Job wil b as it is after my renttry into Amazon. So, will b
back after getting certified in US.
Officer- how r u going to manage ur funds-
Me- my father is xxx, having a savings of xxx and for safe side, a loan amount
ofxxxx...............
She took my i20, typed for almost more than 2 minutes and then finally she
said- Sir, am approving ur visa and u'll
recevie ur passport in 3 business days. I wish U all the best sir.
Me- Thank U
mam.
Officer- I like ur frankness.
Me- Thank U . Thank U a lot.
Lot
of Student attend for F1 visa Interview in Hyderabad. This article gives
information about F1 Visa Interview information and experiences in Hyderabad US
Consulate.
F1 Visa Interview - Hyderabad US Consulate
Got Visa to UTD-MSEE Approved after 1week without 221g
Visa experience:
Consulate: Hyderabad
university: UTD-MSEE
Decision: Approved after 1week without 221g
Date: 23rd may
My slot was at 11.15am and I was allowed to enter the consulate at around
10.45. After entering the consulate, have gone through the normal procedure of
scanning the docs and fingerprint scanning and after almost 1hr later was given
a token number of E202 and counter 11.
My interview was literally done TWICE and here it goes.
COUNTER #11
Me: Good Afternoon Sir, how r u? (smiling)
VO1: Hi, pass me ur passport (not smiling and his age probably in late 20’s)
1st question and its different from what I saw the experiences from past 1yr in
FB
VO1: Did u go to a consultancy??
Me: No sir
He was trying to trick me where watching the system he told me
VO1: No u r lying to me..u went to a consultancy
Me: Certainly no sir, I never approached any consultancy
The VO was frustrated by that time bcoz of the interviews from morning and he
asked the same question and the same answer repeated for the next 2min and he
was literally asking me to get out from there and finally he told me to wait
for 10min in the lobby and that he’ll call me again.
I thought that was the end of my interview and sat in the lobby expecting to
get an another chance after 10min. After 10min, an Indian official was handed
my passport and he called my name and handed it over to me and asked me to
stand in another counter(#12) for the interview again wherein I understood that
the previous officer was not in a mood to take the interview and so left the
counter.
The VO2 was also in his late 20s and he was accepting applicants before me and
my interview goes like this.
COUNTER #12
Me: good afternoon sir, how u doing?(again smiling )
VO2: Hey how r u (expressions better then VO1).Pass me ur passport.
Me: Sure sir.
VO2: (Again the same question) Did u approach a consultancy.Tell me truth bcoz
I had given a reject to one student who went but told me that he didn’t.
Me: No sir I applied on my own and my sis was also in US with her husband till
2011 where she suggested me some universities to apply for.
VO2: she is in US now?
Me: no sir
VO2:Ok fine wats ur agg and number of backlogs?
Me:68 and 1 backlog sir
VO2:gre?
Me:304
VO2: Pass me ur scorecard and tell me which univ?
Me: passed the scorecard and told him UTD
VO2: Why this univ?
ME: Told
He was listening but was more busy typing something in the system
VO2: where did u fill ur DS form?
Me: home sir.
VO2:how many univ did u apply and wat r they?
Me:5 sir and told them
VO2: Pass me ur marksheets
Me: He was somewhat convinced with my answers by this time.
VO2: Who is sponsoring u and how do u pay ur fee?
Me: my parents sir and told the finances
VO2 asked me to show the proof of finances and I passed him the passbook and
FD’s.
He took them and arranged them in order and lifted the bunch when I thought he
was issuing me visa but instead he told me to wait again for 5min
I thought WTF? No one was waiting like that and I was almost the last person in
the consulate whose interview is still going on.
After 2min the VO2 called me to another counter and asked me to leave the
consulate and told me that they would check if the finances r genuine and if
they are genuine, they’ll issue me a VISA. I was not given 221g but my passport
was retained by them which was some positive sign. After all that happened in
the consulate, I was continuously checking my passport status for the next
2days to hear the good news.
Finally on 29th my passport status changed, got an email and also a message at
the same time indicating that my passport is ready and can collect it between
3-4. I was really happy that I had finally got it and it is stamped for 5yrs 
P.S: CONFIDENCE REALLY MATTERS. Both the officers were playing a game asking
whether I approached a consultancy but I was firm on my answer that I dint go
and they were convinced with my answer.
Finally this is what I was waiting for more than 1 yr to post (not the
interview :P)
US VISA 
HOPE THIS HELPS SOMEONE

Got F1 Visa to
University of North Carolina Charlotte in Hyderabad
Student's F1 Visa Aproved for University of North Carolina Charlotte in
Hyderabad US Consulate. Student applied for Computer Science program at UNCC.
My VI Experience #2
Consulate: Hyderabad
Date: 22/05/2012 Time: 11:00 AM
Destination: University of North Carolina Charlotte
Status: Approved
I reached the consulate late at 11:15 AM. After completing all the formalities
I got the token number issued. Sat somewhere and relaxing as I thought I had
plenty of time.But suddenly 2 counters were opened and people over there
directed a bunch of F-1 applicants to those counters including me.
I was freaked out because I was expecting atleast 30 minutes of time for my
token number to appear.
VO is a young guy in early 30's. Approved two girls infront of me. My turn.
Me: Good afternoon sir. How are you?
VO: I am fine what about you? and please pass the documents.
Me: I am fine sir. Passed the documents.
VO: What program are you going to study at UNCC?
Me: Computer Science with a specialization in Game Developmet sir.
VO: How did you come to know about UNCC and your program
Me: told about IGDA and all...
VO: Typed for some time and asked there are several universities offering game
dev programs why did you opt for UNCC?
Me: Told about the game lab and professors. Explained about the student
projects etc.
VO: Types and checks the UNCC site for the info what I said. I saw because the
green glare of UNCC website reflected.
VO: So have you developed any games
Me: Yes sir. I have developed 2 games. Explained him about how those will work.
VO: Laughed and said I too play that game a lot
VO: Except the Indie games. Have you developed or being developed any serious
games
Me: I have a game project running sir. It will take another 6 months to
complete because of the heavy design.
VO: Exclaimed and said 6 months. Why so long.
Me: Officer I am basically a programmer. I need to satisfy the works of artist,
animator, storyboard writer etc to develop a game. Believe me sir games are not
as easy as they look. There are tons of code lines and animated moments inside
a single game.
VO: It's ok. I see that you are a freelancer. How did you gain the experience.
Me: Sir I have been programming since I was 13. That made me projects come to
me without any qualification either.
VO: Examined my freelance profile for a while and types for sometime
VO: So what other colleges did you apply?
Me: Told 3. RIT UNCC CSU-Chico. And told that I was looking only for game dev
courses.
VO: Then Why didn't you opt for those?
Me: Told
VO: Asked me to repeat the university which offered design course as he typed
in the computer and checked for the info I told.
VO: Fine. How are you planning your studies.
Me: I have xx amount in savings and xx amount in fds also explained that I
don't need a bank loan and told that everything is planned for 2 years stay.
VO: Can I have those statements please.(Types)
Me: Passed
VO: What is you father? (Types)
Me: He is businessman sir.
VO: And how did a businessman got xx amount of liquid in short time
Me: Explained about the land that was sold for my education and showed him the
settlement document of the land.
VO: No need. Gave the documents back after clearly checking for the exact
amounts what I said.
VO: What is your father's annual income?(Types)
Me: It is around xx
VO: It was recorded that in the last interview, you said it was xx
Me: Sorry sir previous VO asked me about the business income not annual income.
Explained about other sources and how did it make up to xx amount. Do you want
to see the IT returns and respective documents sir?
VO: No need. Somewhere you said IGDA and that you are a member. What kind of
benifits do you get.
Me: Explained
VO: Whats your membership name?
Me: Said ( as I spell it, he typed it and checked)
VO: Types seriously for several minutes. What type of games do you play.
Me: Action, racing, strategy etc. Mentioned some of my favourite games.
VO: He said ok. Took the passport as if he is giving it back to me. But wrote A
on the DS form and told your Visa is approved and you will get it in a week.
VO asked other questions also which I really cannot remember. But sure this is
95% of the interview.
I walked out of the consulate with raised head. I felt that I deserve U.S VISA
because of the Interview experiences in first and second ones.
Looked straight into the eyes and spoken loudly. I did not smile much but
maintained professional gestures and attire while I am talking.
Really confidence is the key for VISA interviews. I felt and experienced that.
End of my Interview..............
Shashank Akula
Date: Nov 23rd, Hyderabad
Status: Approved
Backlogs:2
Me: Good Afternoon sir (with smile)
VO: Good Afternoon
VO: Oh u already got a visa for USA
Me: yes sir. I have recieved B1 visa for some
XXXX reason.
VO: Where did u go ?
Me: Places like NY, NJ, Orlando, Atlantic City,
Niagara falls.
VO: Wow Some nice places, u must have enjoyed a
lot.
Me: yes sir
VO: Ok now lets come to ur academics, What's u r
gre score ?
Me: 1110 sir
VO: Toefl ?
Me: 94
VO: Ug percentage?
Me: 69%, Missed distinction by mere 1% sir.
VO: How Many BackLogs ?
Me: 2 sir
VO: thats a good profile.
VO: Why university?
Me: Arkansas Tech University for XXXX reasons
(here i gave 5 reasons and some proff names)
VO: ok,How Many university's did u apply?
Me: 4 sir started telling there names, UHCL,
ATU, LTU, university of Texas,San Marcos.
And i have all the four admits sir.
VO: fine
Started typing and said those magical words
"U R VISA IS GRANTED SIR, U WILL GET U R PASSPORT WITH IN 3 DAYS"
Thats it guys.
Spring 2014 F1 Visa Interview at Chennai
Consulate for University of Texas, Dallas (UT, Dallas).
Spring 2014 F1 Visa Interview for UT, Dallas
Date : 4th Oct 2013
Time : 9:00 AM slot
VO: Hiii
Me: Good morning sir
VO : Pass me your passport
Me: Sir My Passport and I-20
VO: Where are you heading for ?
Me: To pusrue Master's program in University of
Texas at Dallas
VO: When does your program start?
Me: Jan 13,2014
VO : Any other admits ?
Me : Yes Sir 2 more. One from UIC and one more
from Colorado State University
VO: Score cards please
Me: Here Sir... (passed my TOEFL and GMAT score
sheets)
VO: Looked at the score sheets (Eye brows raised
and smiled at me) .No probs your VISA is approved.
Me: Thank you Sir
Interview took not more than 30 seconds !!
Hi friends , Here goes my visa interview
experiences. I got F1 visa in 5th attempt, Rejected 4 times. - Sateesh Konda.
This is 5th attempt . i hope my exp will help
you all , who are rejected before...
1st attempt : Hyderabad----2011---Sacred Heart
University---rejected
reason : i dint catch the question she asked
that am a BONAFIDE student or not.
2nd attempt : chennai-----2011---SHU----Rejected
reason : no particular reason , but i gave a
good wishes to him , while am returning back, with a big smile and huge
disappointment inside.
.
3rd attempt : chennai ----2013---University of
central missouri----rejected
reason : she asked you came couple of times
before,what changes you have made, while am speaking she interrupted and said
her decision(rejected) .
4th attempt : chennai---2013----UCM----rejetced
...
reason : she asked my particularly about my
academics, and typed for 2 mins and still denied ..gave my passport back.
5th attempt : hyderabad ---2013---UCM---approved
...
conversation starts here .
Me : Gg mg mam , how are you ?
VO : am fine what about you ? pass your docs
Me : am fine too , gave my passport I20
VO : she scanned and asked me "you went to
delhi last time ,and your visa got denied , right ?
Me : No mam , i attended in chennai for couple of
times ,( she looked at me suddenly to check my expression)
VO : okay last time , u came wit SHU , now whic
university .
Me : UCM mam .
VO : how many admits you got and how many I20's
you got.
Me : applied for 4 , got 3 admits ,got 2 I20's .
VO : whats the other I20 , why only UCM .
Me :UCM has a good course curriculum , Quality
research XXXXXXXX( id ont know what i am speaking , but confidence was at peek
and used some technical subject names)
VO : which year passed out , aggregate , any
backlogs
Me : 2011,no backlogs 66%.( and i was expecting
a question wat i did all these days)
VO : what you did all these days .
Me : XXXX as a intern , and working with XXX as
paid inter . (true experience)
VO : what you will with this
degree after masters.
Me : i return back to INDIA
VO : i dont care you come back or not , what ypu
will with this degree.
Me : i like to fetch a job in top MNC core
companies like XXX ZZZZ , which is related to my masters specialization
subject.
VO : which company , why that company ?
Me : XXX as it needs a database management
system, it will help to build my career.
VO : who is your sponsor , what your father do ,
whats his annual income.
Me : father , doing business from past 30 years
, 00 lkhs annum,
VO : (silently typed for 2 minutes)
Me : i interrupted and said about my bank loan
and fixed deposit, savings.
VO : tell me that company name again ,that u
wanna work for in future
Me : said ( she started Typing again for 1
minute and asked all the above questions again and took my details into system
.
VO : if you gonna let me down , i will find you
at US,put your right hand , am approving the visa.
Me : thank you mam , i wont let you down,and
said than you again and again while am turing back with my documents.
VO : get out of her , ( i almost crossed the
counter and turned at her again saying thank you)
Me : thank you 
VO : study well there with a happy smile 
Visa
rejected in Hyderabad for California state university East bay.
Hello every one,
I am posting this exp. to get Ur valuable
suggestions. On what are all the changes that I ve to make to apply again.
Hyderabad
25 June 2013
8:30 AM
I have seen 3 interview before me 2 women and a
man. The VO was a young lady good looking of course.1st the man.seems to have
come for 2nd time rejected. 2nd girl for F1 approved straight away without
troubling her much. Next women married must b going as a dependent. The VO
called for a translator and went through the interview, the women could not
even speak but was granted visa. My turn now. Here is how it goes..
Me: Gud mrng mam.(Dint notice or listen so
wished again louder this time)
Vo: Gud mrng. Pass me your passport.
Me: Sure, here mam.
VO: What is the year of your graduation?
Me: 2009 mam.(Short because previously I saw her
interupting a girl when she want to give a long ans)
Vo: What hve u been doin since then?
Me: I have been working as xxxxxxx in xx
company.
Vo: What is your income?
Me: 3 laks per anum.
Vo: You r earning gud then y do you want to
study again?
Me: Mam, I feel my growth is stagnated to a
certain level in my current job and I want to switch to computer network which
is of great demand which help me to establish myself in a gud position.
Vo: Y did you choose this university.
Me: California state university has inovative
and dynamic curriculam which is designed by xxxx univesity, my field of
interest is xxxxx and this curriculam is the same as that of xxxx university. I
want to specialize in this subject under the guidence of Dr xxxxxxxx.(This is
where I ve been thinking I went wrong)
Vo: How many backlogs do you have
Me: None mam.(She typed for some time and gave
my I-20 back)
Vo: Please place your four finger.
Me: Right hand mam?(I thought she approved it)
VO: Yes.
(Now she returned my passport back along with a
goddam brocher.)
VO: Sorry sir I cannot issue the
visa this time.
Me:
May I know if there is any reason for this.
Vo: No sir we wont give any specific reasons. go
through the brocher.
Friends, I was very confident while answering
but I m not sure what went wrong. Now My problem is I want to go to chennai
this time within a week time. I know the first que would b "What changes
have you made." I need some suggestion based on my interview.
Thank you very much for your support and
suggestion guys..
Finally I got my visa approved at Chennai...
Here is the interview:
Me: Gud mrng sir. H r u today?
Vo: Great h r u man?
Me: I gud sir.
Vo: Give me ur passport
Me: Sure sir.
Vo: Which Univ?
Me: California state university, east bay(Dint
change from the last time hoping that would explain my interest in college but
not in place or country).
Vo: What will you study there.
Me: Masters in computer systems network and
telecom sir.
Vo: Hmm.. What is ur undergraduate % or GPA what
ever and how many backlogs?
Me: told
(Then he had gone through my application)
Vo: So, you were denied at hyderabad?
Me: Yes sir on 24th of june.
Vo: And also in 2011.
Me: Yes sir at the Delhi consulate.(He was going
through my application all this time was not typing anything, must have read
the comments of previous interview).
He threw my passport into the basket.
Vo: U get it this time.(It was not clear to me
and I dint bother as well because I knew when its thrown i m done just my
assumption that he said u get it.)
Me: Thank you sir.(Walked away dint look back or
ask for clarification)
Infact I was out of my mind when I see that, I
say "see that" because I did not even listen to what he said and did
not recover for the next 15 to 20 minutes. Seriously friends my long wait has
come to an end..
F1
Visa Interview experience of Natang Salgia in Mumbai US Consulate for USC. His
F1 visa got rejcted first time and approved in second attempt.
F1
Visa Interview in Mumbai Consulate
VISA APPROVED | MUMBAI
CONSULATE (both attempts) | 1st attempt:6th June | 2nd attempt:18th June | USC
| MS CS
DISCLAIMER: ANSWERS GIVEN HERE, FOR FIRST INTERVIEW, MAY NOT BE EXACTLY HOW I
HAD ANSWERED. BUT RESEMBLES WHAT I HAD ANSWERED! Its a long post (4 pages pf MS
Word) It has transcripts of 2 interviews,probable reasons for reject, why i
included certain points in my answers, changes done for second interview, tips,
it is for worst case scenario. not everyone is lucky so not prepare for the
best!
hope it's useful. ignore
typos, spelling and grammatical mistakes.
6th June:
Me: Good morning ma'am.
VO: Please pass me your passport.
(Passed passport with i20 in it)
VO: so tell me why US?
ME: ma'am, curriculum in US is practical oriented. Most of the patents in the
field of engineering are filed in US, which shows the level of research that
takes place there. While in Indian institutes there's not much research done.
Also in worldwide rankings, Indian institutes are nowhere near American
schools, so why settle for substandard school in India if I can get top
university like USC.
VO: What was your GRE score?
ME:1350.(she was staring at me, seemed was expecting breakup, so told her 800
in Q and 550 in verbal. gave a strange look when i said 550 in verbal and
repeated it, "ok, 550 in verbal")
VO: Why master in computer science?
ME: sorry ma'am, can you please repeat the question.
(she repeated the question)
ME: Ma'am I recently gave my computer engineering final exam and would like to
continue in the same field. Apart from that I have a startup company here in
which I have developed few applications, all related to the field of computer
science, so I would like to gain in depth knowledge in this field so as to
fulfill my dream of having my own company.(i think i went overboard here,
shouldn't have given additional details)
VO: Tell me about your under graduate, what was your aggregate.
ME: I recently gave my final exam for Computer Engineering and my aggregate is
72.18%.
(She asked me something about GRE, i didn't get her so asked her to repeat. She
didn't rep[eat question and asked for GRE score card, said I’ll see it by
myself)
VO: Any backlogs?
ME: no.
VO: Parents annual income.
ME: Annual income is around XX lakh rupees.
VO: what do they do?
ME: (told)
VO: How much saving do they have in bank?
ME: $xx in bank, FD and cash (total more than i20 amount). And we also have
other assets worth $xxx and properties worth $xxx.
VO: What assets exactly?
ME: Ma'am, nsc, kvp, shares, jewellery.
VO: But your i20 says $51k for one year so you will need $100k. This will wipe
off all your savings.
ME: ma'am the savings is for one year, in fact more than what i will need for
first year. But we have nsc, kvp, shares, jewellery worth $xxx which can be
converted to liquid cash anytime we need. And we have properties which can
again be liquidated. So ma'am, going to USC won’t affect my parents’ standard
of living here.
VO: just give me your assets summary.
(Checks it properly. typed all details into her system)
VO: i think
going here will wipe off all your savings (i tried telling her again that how
it won't be a problem but she didn't let me speak) and then you might not come
back. So i cant issue your visa right now.
Reasons for Visa Rejection
Probable reasons for being
rejected:
1. Though confident, not concise and precise.
2. Gave out unnecessary details.
3. Complicated my financial report by showing sub-totals of liquid, other
investments and properties.
4. I talk very fast much have confused her further.
5. She was not in a mood because I know financially my parents can sponsor my
education at USC without any additional burden, okay, without any significant
additional burden.
Visa Interview experience in
Mumbai Consulate - 2nd attempt
18th June (have mentioned
reason(s) in parenthesis for why I purposely included certain points in my
answers):
Me: Good morning ma’am!
VO: Hi, good morning!
VO: So tell me why USC?
ME: My interest lies in data mining and web/mobile application designing. USC
has 5 dedicated laboratories for database and related field, and one dedicated
lab for data mining and machine learning. Also, rank wise USC is the highest
ranked university from all admits that I have received. (Though I have only
7/13 admits I mentioned this because all 7 admits are from: USC, NCSU, NEU,
SUNY SB, NYU, UFL with scholarship and one worthless GMU. 6 universities from
where I got rejects are ranked between 1 to 13. So I could have said though I
didn’t stand chance, I wanted to try because MS is once in a lifetime
opportunity)
VO: What after MS? (I went through many Vis and asked many people before
finalizing on following answer, thanks to my couple of friends)
ME: I would like to be part of a research team in my field on interest as a
research analyst. (At least at Mumbai Consulate don’t keep repeating ‘IN
INDIA’, ‘BACK HERE IN INDIA’, and ‘WILL COME BACK TO INDIA’. Who on earth would
believe that after spending $100,000k you plan to come back to India
immediately! They will ask you where if they really need to know)
VO: Where? (As I said
)
ME: Ma’am, wherever my company asks me to. But I would PREFER INDIA. (Here I
conveyed an important message: I haven’t pre-determined any country for my
future job. It’s not me but my company that would take a call about it, but my
preference is INDIA. If you say IN INDIA, they know/think you are being
dishonest. You can’t even say US, so what to do? Well just let them know it’s
not your choice! :P )
VO: Who is going to sponsor you? (I had prepared all questions related to
finance quite well because that was the APPARENT reason why my visa of denied
previously)
ME: my parents.
VO: What do they do?
ME: My dad by profession is a ZZZ and has his own firm HERE IN INDIA named YYY
(interrupts, I think after saying firm in India she must be sure he’s not going
to shift to USA)
VO: You need a $100k for your course, how are they going to sponsor? (Most
awaited question, highly unexpected reaction)
ME: ma’am, my parents have total assets worth $xxx (I purposely started with
grand total) out of which movable is (interrupts)
VO: How much did you say? 0_o
ME: ma’am, $xxx.
VO: Did you just say $xxx? 0_o
ME: yes ma’am, $xxx worth of total assets.
VO: Are you sure?
ME: Yes ma’am, would you like to see the summary?
VO: oh yes, I would like see your summary.
(Passed summary report that I had prepared for her quick review and didn’t get
it attested or whatever the term is by a C.A. All assets in rupees and dollars
@ 56)
VO: who has made this? The bank?
ME: no ma’am I have made this but i have all supporting documents.(immediately
passed all originals. Saw the number of documents and returned it)
VO: oh, it’s ok. (Kept passport aside, I knew I was done here and was all set
to run outside :P)
VO: your test score?
ME: 1350 in GRE…800 in quant and 550 in verbal (if you have scored good why not
give detailed info :P). TOEFL 106.
VO: out of?
ME: (seriously? After approving VISA!) 120 ma’am. Would you like to see the
score card?
VO: No. You visa has been approved. Enjoy
your stay at US.
ME: Thank you ma’am. Thanks a lot (in my mind: I deserved it you ……)
Changes Done for 2nd Visa
Attempt
1. No sub totals in summary
report.
2. Tried speaking like normal people.
3. Tried to restrict my answer.
4. Believed in myself!
5. Kept answering questions in my mind whenever I had nothing to do.
6. Gave mock interviews to friends on phone.
F1 Visa InterviewTips
Many people said ‘be confident’, but not many
said how? Well, you can be confident only if you know s**t coming out. Don’t
mind, but it’s true. We all go and talk s**t there, nothing we say is true.
What matters is how well you know what you are talking. So list points for all
possible questions. 3-5 points depending on question. If you know what you are
talking, you would be confident, 95% if not 100%.
Have specific answer for why so and so university. But don't name any professor
unless you have enough details about him/her. Just talk about your interest and
courses. Ranking if its good.
When it comes to finances, always start with larger number. Example:
Dad’s income?-->Total family income is xyz out of which dad earns abc. If
even total income is low, start with total assets worth pqr and total income
xyz. Let them think you must have not understood the question properly, but you
passed an important piece of information here, that you have good savings, or
total income is more than sufficient. Why I’m suggesting this is that not
everyone is asked further question, to explain savings or income and all. It
might happen that they might simply reject you after listening to your father’s
income which is low.
Any question regarding Savings?--> Total assets(movable + immovable) worth
$xxx thousand. Say this in dollar. I bet your total would be more than above
average American family’s assets. This is what happened in my case, that’s what
got me visa. Continue…out of which movable is so and so. Stop here. Give
specific details like balance in bank and all only if asked. In my case bank
balance was few hundreds lesser than i20 amount. If asked I would have said:
ma’am, in India gold and FDs have higher return values and my parents were
thoughtful enough to invest all their savings in it which is worth $xxx. I hope
you got my point here.
F1
Visa Interview experience of Natang Salgia in Mumbai US Consulate for USC. His
F1 visa got rejcted first time and approved in second attempt.
F1
Visa Interview in Mumbai Consulate
VISA APPROVED | MUMBAI
CONSULATE (both attempts) | 1st attempt:6th June | 2nd attempt:18th June | USC
| MS CS
DISCLAIMER: ANSWERS GIVEN HERE, FOR FIRST INTERVIEW, MAY NOT BE EXACTLY HOW I
HAD ANSWERED. BUT RESEMBLES WHAT I HAD ANSWERED! Its a long post (4 pages pf MS
Word) It has transcripts of 2 interviews,probable reasons for reject, why i
included certain points in my answers, changes done for second interview, tips,
it is for worst case scenario. not everyone is lucky so not prepare for the
best!
hope it's useful. ignore
typos, spelling and grammatical mistakes.
6th June:
Me: Good morning ma'am.
VO: Please pass me your passport.
(Passed passport with i20 in it)
VO: so tell me why US?
ME: ma'am, curriculum in US is practical oriented. Most of the patents in the
field of engineering are filed in US, which shows the level of research that
takes place there. While in Indian institutes there's not much research done.
Also in worldwide rankings, Indian institutes are nowhere near American
schools, so why settle for substandard school in India if I can get top
university like USC.
VO: What was your GRE score?
ME:1350.(she was staring at me, seemed was expecting breakup, so told her 800
in Q and 550 in verbal. gave a strange look when i said 550 in verbal and
repeated it, "ok, 550 in verbal")
VO: Why master in computer science?
ME: sorry ma'am, can you please repeat the question.
(she repeated the question)
ME: Ma'am I recently gave my computer engineering final exam and would like to
continue in the same field. Apart from that I have a startup company here in
which I have developed few applications, all related to the field of computer
science, so I would like to gain in depth knowledge in this field so as to
fulfill my dream of having my own company.(i think i went overboard here,
shouldn't have given additional details)
VO: Tell me about your under graduate, what was your aggregate.
ME: I recently gave my final exam for Computer Engineering and my aggregate is
72.18%.
(She asked me something about GRE, i didn't get her so asked her to repeat. She
didn't rep[eat question and asked for GRE score card, said I’ll see it by
myself)
VO: Any backlogs?
ME: no.
VO: Parents annual income.
ME: Annual income is around XX lakh rupees.
VO: what do they do?
ME: (told)
VO: How much saving do they have in bank?
ME: $xx in bank, FD and cash (total more than i20 amount). And we also have
other assets worth $xxx and properties worth $xxx.
VO: What assets exactly?
ME: Ma'am, nsc, kvp, shares, jewellery.
VO: But your i20 says $51k for one year so you will need $100k. This will wipe
off all your savings.
ME: ma'am the savings is for one year, in fact more than what i will need for
first year. But we have nsc, kvp, shares, jewellery worth $xxx which can be
converted to liquid cash anytime we need. And we have properties which can
again be liquidated. So ma'am, going to USC won’t affect my parents’ standard
of living here.
VO: just give me your assets summary.
(Checks it properly. typed all details into her system)
VO: i think going here will wipe off all your savings (i tried telling her
again that how it won't be a problem but she didn't let me speak) and then you
might not
come back. So i cant issue your visa right now.
Reasons for Visa Rejection
Probable reasons for being
rejected:
1. Though confident, not concise and precise.
2. Gave out unnecessary details.
3. Complicated my financial report by showing sub-totals of liquid, other
investments and properties.
4. I talk very fast much have confused her further.
5. She was not in a mood because I know financially my parents can sponsor my
education at USC without any additional burden, okay, without any significant
additional burden.
Visa Interview experience in
Mumbai Consulate - 2nd attempt
18th June (have mentioned
reason(s) in parenthesis for why I purposely included certain points in my
answers):
Me: Good morning ma’am!
VO: Hi, good morning!
VO: So tell me why USC?
ME: My interest lies in data mining and web/mobile application designing. USC
has 5 dedicated laboratories for database and related field, and one dedicated
lab for data mining and machine learning. Also, rank wise USC is the highest
ranked university from all admits that I have received. (Though I have only
7/13 admits I mentioned this because all 7 admits are from: USC, NCSU, NEU,
SUNY SB, NYU, UFL with scholarship and one worthless GMU. 6 universities from
where I got rejects are ranked between 1 to 13. So I could have said though I
didn’t stand chance, I wanted to try because MS is once in a lifetime
opportunity)
VO: What after MS? (I went through many Vis and asked many people before
finalizing on following answer, thanks to my couple of friends)
ME: I would like to be part of a research team in my field on interest as a
research analyst. (At least at Mumbai Consulate don’t keep repeating ‘IN
INDIA’, ‘BACK HERE IN INDIA’, and ‘WILL COME BACK TO INDIA’. Who on earth would
believe that after spending $100,000k you plan to come back to India
immediately! They will ask you where if they really need to know)
VO: Where? (As I said
)
ME: Ma’am, wherever my company asks me to. But I would PREFER INDIA. (Here I
conveyed an important message: I haven’t pre-determined any country for my
future job. It’s not me but my company that would take a call about it, but my
preference is INDIA. If you say IN INDIA, they know/think you are being
dishonest. You can’t even say US, so what to do? Well just let them know it’s
not your choice! :P )
VO: Who is going to sponsor you? (I had prepared all questions related to
finance quite well because that was the APPARENT reason why my visa of denied
previously)
ME: my parents.
VO: What do they do?
ME: My dad by profession is a ZZZ and has his own firm HERE IN INDIA named YYY
(interrupts, I think after saying firm in India she must be sure he’s not going
to shift to USA)
VO: You need a $100k for your course, how are they going to sponsor? (Most
awaited question, highly unexpected reaction)
ME: ma’am, my parents have total assets worth $xxx (I purposely started with
grand total) out of which movable is (interrupts)
VO: How much did you say? 0_o
ME: ma’am, $xxx.
VO: Did you just say $xxx? 0_o
ME: yes ma’am, $xxx worth of total assets.
VO: Are you sure?
ME: Yes ma’am, would you like to see the summary?
VO: oh yes, I would like see your summary.
(Passed summary report that I had prepared for her quick review and didn’t get
it attested or whatever the term is by a C.A. All assets in rupees and dollars
@ 56)
VO: who has made this? The bank?
ME: no ma’am I have made this but i have all supporting documents.(immediately
passed all originals. Saw the number of documents and returned it)
VO: oh, it’s ok. (Kept passport aside, I knew I was done here and was all set
to run outside :P)
VO: your test score?
ME: 1350 in GRE…800 in quant and 550 in verbal (if you have scored good why not
give detailed info :P). TOEFL 106.
VO: out of?
ME: (seriously? After approving VISA!) 120 ma’am. Would you like to see the
score card?
VO: No. You visa has been approved. Enjoy
your stay at US.
ME: Thank you ma’am. Thanks a lot (in my mind: I deserved it you ……)
Changes Done for 2nd Visa
Attempt
1. No sub totals in summary
report.
2. Tried speaking like normal people.
3. Tried to restrict my answer.
4. Believed in myself!
5. Kept answering questions in my mind whenever I had nothing to do.
6. Gave mock interviews to friends on phone.
F1 Visa InterviewTips
Many
people said ‘be confident’, but not many said how? Well, you can be confident
only if you know s**t coming out. Don’t mind, but it’s true. We all go and talk
s**t there, nothing we say is true. What matters is how well you know what you
are talking. So list points for all possible questions. 3-5 points depending on
question. If you know what you are talking, you would be confident, 95% if not
100%.
Have specific answer for why so and so university. But don't name any professor
unless you have enough details about him/her. Just talk about your interest and
courses. Ranking if its good.
When it comes to finances, always start with larger number. Example:
Dad’s income?-->Total family income is xyz out of which dad earns abc. If
even total income is low, start with total assets worth pqr and total income
xyz. Let them think you must have not understood the question properly, but you
passed an important piece of information here, that you have good savings, or
total income is more than sufficient. Why I’m suggesting this is that not
everyone is asked further question, to explain savings or income and all. It
might happen that they might simply reject you after listening to your father’s
income which is low.
Any question regarding Savings?--> Total assets(movable + immovable) worth
$xxx thousand. Say this in dollar. I bet your total would be more than above
average American family’s assets. This is what happened in my case, that’s what
got me visa. Continue…out of which movable is so and so. Stop here. Give
specific details like balance in bank and all only if asked. In my case bank
balance was few hundreds lesser than i20 amount. If asked I would have said:
ma’am, in India gold and FDs have higher return values and my parents were
thoughtful enough to invest all their savings in it which is worth $xxx. I hope
you got my point here.
F1 visa
Interview in Mumbai consulate tips and advises. F1 Visa for U of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and
Michigan Tech.Experience of two
students.
US Visa Interview in Mumbai
- F1 Visa (UIU, Champaign)
consulate: Mumbai
Date: June 1st, 2012 (7:45 am slot)
University: U of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Program: MS Structural
Status: Approved
Prior to F1 Visa Interview:
After having planned for this day over a thousand times in my head, when it
finally comes to the judgement day, you never know what's in store for you on
that particular day. I had been very thorough as far as my preparation was
concerned- all documents nicely sorted and arranged, over a 100 VI questions
prepared; in fact, i had a supporting document for each question that I thought
the VO might ask. Arriving at the consulate at 6:30am in my best presentable
formal outfit, I realized that I might have been a bit late. (there were
already like a thousand people present) Going through the entire routine, and
after waiting for almost an hour and half, I found myself in the waiting hall
right in front of Counter 37. Now, I had heard about the history of serial
rejections rendered by this counter, but, I tried not to get intimidated.'Bring
it on' i said ! After just 15 minutes and four rejections, I was terrified as
if I had witnessed an accident, or something, and I took my words back..:P My
token number flashed on the screen and I queued myself in front of counter 34.
The VO was this white american (racism not intended) in his late thirties and
he had this scarecrow-like-frown on his face (pun intended)
VI (lasted for a minute and a half):
Me: Good Morning Sir (with a huge smile on my face.....the guy didnt even look
at me)
VO: Pass the documents, please.
(passed I20 and Passport)
VO: Which school are u heading for?
Me: Univ. of Illinois Urbana- Champaign
Vo: How did u pick this school? (dont know why he kept referring to
school...kinda bugged me)
Me: It is the best public research-oriented university of the country. It
offers a very wide intensive Masters program. Besides, it has this ongoing
research on the topic 'Smart Materials' which interests me since I have done
some work on this similar topic... (was about to show the paper that I
presented on smart materials application...but looks like, he had already
bought my answer)
VO: what all schools did u apply to?
Me: NCSU, UFL, UWS, UWM, Purdue, Virginia Tech (dont use the
abbreviations....it may piss the VO off..... I also mentioned all my admits and
rejects)
VO: (staring into my I-20 in a confused manner) Who all are your sponsors?
Me: My primary sponsors are my parents, besides them my mother's real brother
and my mother's real sister have also agreed upon assisting me financially....
(truth is....both my mama and maasi are US-residents and all four of these
names were present on my I-20 document.... I very well predicted this
happening)
VO: So are you gonna pay them back?
ME
I understood the question, but I didnt see this
coming....... I thought between me and my relatives is a family matter... I
never thought this question would be asked even in wildest of all my
dreams....but, just to fetch some time to think about the answer, I said)
Pardon me, I couldnt hear you...
Vo: repeats the question...
Me: Yes, ofcourse I am gonna pay them back (I should have said 'No',
reason....Next question)
VO: How are you gonna pay them back?
Me: (Paused for a second) Actually, this is just like a stand-by option. My
parents have enough funds for entire duration of my course. I wont be using my sponsors'
money at the initial stage. However, in case of an emergency, I might ask
them...(fumbled a bit here...) Do you want to see my financial docs summary..?
VO: Nah... Not needed...(satisfied with my previous answer) How was ur GRE?
Me: ( was about to say.... it was good... but realized that he is asking for
the score) 315 on 340
VO: any backlogs....
Me: No
VO: alright, well, ur visa is approved and ur
passport will be couriered to you in next few days.... Blah blah.... (didnt hear the rest,
collected the I-20 that he passed, kept all the documents in my
folder.....tried to curtail my excitement)
Me: Thank You very much!
Pieces of advice for F1 visa:
1) In case u r going for ur VI in Mumbai consulate, and when u r standing in
queue outside the consulate building, be careful with your documents. I saw
some people barely managing to save their documents from going into the very
well planned drainage system of BKC.....(not kidding)
2) If you have a similar case like mine....ur sponsors being ur relatives..etc....
Dont mention initially whether or not they are citizens of US. If you notice in
my VI, I didnt mention it anywhere....and seems like, the VO also didnt realize
it.
3) Presentation matters.... trust me. Be well organized with all ur docs....In
case, they ask, you dont want to be in a messy situation trying to look out for
it in front of ur VO. Know where all ur docs are kept.
All the Best guys!!
F1 Visa Interview in Mumbai
for Michigan Tech
To be Honest I never ever expected the interview like this.
My interview was scheduled at 0745 Mumbai Consulate and I was expecting a long
queue as everybody mentioned in their experiences.I'll skip the fingerprint and
token part... Here comes the main part. The VO was an African American lady in
her late 20's. She was calm and I was feeling good seeing her. She reminded me
of my Mom 
Me:Good Morning Ma'am (with a smile and passed the passport and I-20)
VO:Good Morning
She saw the I-20 and said Michigan Tech hummm...
I didn't really listen it...
Me: Sorry Ma'am
VO: Which university?
Me: Michigan Technological University Ma'am!!!
VO: Why Michigan Tech??
ME: Told her about the curriculum and CCSR the research center and facilities.
VO: What course?
ME: MS in Computer Engineering
VO: Where are you from?
ME: India
I don't exactly know why she asked this though I was speaking the american
accent may be that's why??
VO: Who's going to fund your education?
ME: My parents are going to take care of expenses in US.
She asked me something I wasn't able to listen to it cuz when she typed
something she moved from the mic. I don't no what happened and I said No
Ma'am!!! and she moved on...
VO: What universities did you apply?
ME: Named them along with the acceptances.
VO: What after master's? (Couldn't listen to it so I asked her to repeat)
ME: I plan do the business back in India when finished with Master's
She looked into the screen for 5-6 seconds and said
I AM APPROVING YOUR VISA.
F1 visa tips:
Don't be afraid of VOs they are there to give us the VISA. I would suggest you
to talk with someone while waiting for your token number this will divert your
mind form the fear of rejection and you'll feel good. I did that I talked with
a guy from Pune he was a J-1 candidate. Find out interesting thing about your
Universities and tell VO why you chose it. There is no harm in preparing for
your interview questions but when you answer them to VO sound it like a
conversation, it should not sound like you have mugged'em up.During interviews
if you're not able to listen just kindly tell them to repeat that's just fine.
I asked my VO to repeat almost every question in the end, but she seemed fine
with it cuz she was not speaking properly into the mic. And Hope for the luck
on you DAY...
I hope this will help guys who have their interviews ahead.
Good Luck Fellas.
US Visa
Interview complete process at Mumbai Consulate and Sample US Visa Interviews in
Mumbai Consulate.
US Visa Experience in MUMBAI BKC Consulate
Date: 17 May, 2012
Venue: American Consulate, BKC, Mumbai
Time: 7:45 a.m.
Before Reaching US
Consulate Mumbai:
Left home at 7 am and reached BKC around 7:30
am. It turned out that there was already a long queue outside the consulate.
But don't be alarmed, because not all of them
will be 7:45ers. So,
Tip 1: Try to reach at least half an hour before
the appointment time, because your position in the queue will dictate how long
you need to twiddle your thumbs in the waiting hall.
Tip 2: When you reach, ask for the 7:45 queue.
The guards usually split up the queue based on time priority, so make sure you
aren't in the 9 am queue.
Tip 3: No mobiles or electronic items are
allowed. Please DON'T take them in, the guards will make you keep them out and
then rejoin the queue. Leave them at home or with an accompanying relative.
Wallets and belts are cool.
Stage 1: Outside the
Consulate
So, back to the queue. While I stood there for a
good half an hour, I was asked to take out my visa appointment letter, I-20 and
passport. I had to fold the I-20 in half and keep both it and the visa app.
letter in the passport. I held the passport all along the snaky queue till I
entered the first building.
Stage 2: Inside - The Token
Counter
I went in, had myself and my belongings scanned,
and went up to the token counter. The guy took my appointment letter and
passport, scanned the passport and stuck a label with my number on it. Turned
out it was 489 (the number running was 280-ish). Hence, TIP 1.
We were then escorted to an open area outdoors
before being allowed into the second building.
Stage 3: Inside -
Fingerprints and Coffee
Entered the second building, noticing the CCD on
the left (you can't miss it). Went right to the last counter in the
nonimmigrant area, and joined the line for fingerprints. Stood for around 5
minutes till my turn came, gave the prints, and took my seat in the waiting
area, just in front of the counters. I had to wait for around an hour and a
half. Drank some coffee while I waited. My turn finally came at 9:45ish.
Stage 4: In front of Visa
Officer
Counter No. 30. The VO was a young guy in his
late twenties.
VO: Number 489. Good Morning!
I: Good Morning sir!
(Handed over my I-20 and passport)
VO (typing all the while): So, where will you be
going?
I: I'll be going to Carnegie Mellon sir, in
Pennsylvania.
(VO nodded all-knowingly)
VO: Is it a Bachelor's or a Master's degree?
I: Master's degree.
VO: What field?
I: Told.
VO: What was your UG aggregate?
I: Told.
VO: Any backlogs?
I: No sir.
VO: Can I see your GRE and TOEFL scores?
I: Sure, sir.
(Showed him the marksheets. A lenient expression
appeared on his face.)
VO: How are you planning to pay for this degree?
I: Parents will be sponsoring my education sir,
and I am currently employed as well.
VO: What does your father do?
I: Told.
VO (distracted, still typing furiously): Is his
company ONGC?
I: No sir, they build rigs for ONGC.
VO: Which universities did you apply to?
(VO handed over my I-20 before I could reply and
kept typing. Didn't seem to care that I hadn't answered.)
VO (after what seemed like an eternity): Your
visa is approved. You'll get your passport within a week.
I: Thanks! Have a nice day!
VO: You too!
Took my stuff and walked out. 'In Dino' from
Life in a Metro kept playing in my head for some reason. The time was 10:00
a.m.
TIP 4: Look the guy in the eye all the while
(even if he keeps on typing and doesn't look at you!), and answer confidently.
Neither a robot nor a stammerer be. There are very few chances he'll ask for
docs if you answer coolly and confidently.
Now for the best part, though it's unrelated!
Went back to work a couple of days after the VI.
Hadn't informed my boss that I'd be extending my leave, and didn't pick up any
of his calls. So true to nature, he gave me a load of BS the day I rejoined,
and I heard him out, smiling inwardly all the while. At an opportune moment, I
took out my pre-typed letter and slammed it on his table. Guy nearly had a
heart attack. Anyway, I got him some water and made sure he was okay, just so
he'd be able to sign my letter!
Best of luck for your VIs! Hope this helps!
One of MSinUS groups members posted F1 visa
Experience. It is just one minute. Usually morning slot students will get short
duration visa interview. And this kind of short visa interviews are very common
in all US Consulates.
F1 Visa Interview
Experience - Shortest Visa Interview - 60 Seconds
Very short one just 1 minute.
At 8:15 am Mumbai US Consulate.
ME: Gd mng how r u mam
VI: ya fine, How many univ did u apply
ME:4
VI:what r they
ME:told...
VI:Give ur GRE and TOEFL
ME: Sorry mam I took IELTS
VI:no problem pass them.
ME:Gave the docs
VI: what's ur final year %
ME:70
VI: which year passed out
ME:2011
VI:how many Backlogs do u have?
ME: NO back logs madam
VI: what's ur father and mother
ME: Told
VI: Ur visa is approved u will receive it in a
week.
I am flying on July 24th.
Hi,
Following is my F1 Visa Interview that took
place on 20th Dec. at Mumbai Consulate.
My interview was scheduled at 7:45. I reached
there by 7 and I assumed I was early but after reaching there, I saw 50-60
people already lined up for their 7:45 am Visa slot. I readied all the
documents as the VFS people outside the consulate told us to do.
I entered the consulate at 7:40 and after all
the security checks, I sat in the interview hall waiting for my number to be
displayed on the info. screen. From 8:00 to 8:25, I was watching interviews of
other people. Some were faltering, some were going great and this made me
really nervous. Finally, my number came at 8:25. Incidentally, my number came
at the same window I was sitting opposite to. I walked up to the window and
waited for my turn. One guy was being interviewed. I couldn't hear him properly
but was shocked when he had passport in his hand as he finished his interview.
The I got the chance to eavesdrop on the interview of the guy who was standing
ahead of me. Here is the brief transcript of his interview
VO: Morning
him: Good morning maam.
.
.
.
. CE degree, pursuing MS in CS. GRE : 1090 and
working in TCS and some other answers which I don't remember now
.
.
.
Final Question VO: What do you intend to do
after MS?
Him: Maam, I am planning to come to India after
my MS. The job opportunities are far better here than in US. The competition,
challenge, the exposure and the value of MS degree
She kept typing something and after 10 seconds
VO: I am sorry. You are not eligible for the
Visa at this point.
Now it was my turn and I was shaking in my boots
because of the two rejections I just witnessed. I was beginning to think,
"Is there a counter where I can get my VO changed?
(The following transcript is almost 99.9%
accurate)
I walked up to the window and before I could say
anything,
VO: Good morning. How are you today?
Me: I am f.... (I got stuck here and could not
finish the rest of the sentence. Just kept nodding. As I was watching the VO's
befuddled expressions, I decided it was better to lay out my cards right now.)
Me: Maam, before starting the interview, I would
like to tell you that I have a slight stuttering problem. So if I hesitate or
..... you know, its because of my problem.
(Suddenly out of the blue, she gave me a
humongous and very very big smile and I could see the heaven doors opening,
popping my passport in, stamping the Visa and giving me back. I was almost 70%
sure at that moment that I will get the visa. I just shouldn't screw up
anything very badly.)
VO: Oh.. It's fine. There's no need to worry.
She kept typing for almost 10-20 seconds.
VO: So which university you are going to?
Me: Colorado State ....(stuck AGAIN. The name of
the university was clearly printed on that but for some a****** of a reason, it
wouldn't come out of my mouth. So I just kept checking my I20. I had my eyes on
my I20 for like 10 seconds unable to say the Uni name.)
VO: It's fine. Could you give me your I20? (I
had all smiles when she asked me that)
VO: Can I have your passport? (I just kept
smiling and trying not to break the eye contact)
VO: Why this University?
Me: Maam, this university has a very good
research infrastructure and a good faculty for courses like Databases,
Networking, Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, XML and its query
processing languages like XPath,Xquery. Also, its one of the uni. that matches
my profile and the primary reason is that it has a very good program for RA and
TA. (I said all this with a little stuttering)
VO: But I see that you have no funding from the
university.
Me: Yes Maam. Actually, I started my application
process a little late and by then all the deadlines for the scholarships were
gone. So I am very much hoping for funding from second semester onwards.
VO: Who is sponsoring you?
Me: My father, maam.
VO: Whats his salary?
Me: Told her the figure.
Then she typed for another 35-50 seconds.
VO: Why this course?
Me: As you must be aware Maam, Computer Science
is one of the biggest boom at the moment. I have already done Comp. Engg.
during my Bachelors from University of Mumbai and want to broaden my horizon in
the field of Databases, Parallel Programming, XML and the same courses I
mentioned earlier.
She again started typing for another ten
seconds.
VO: Whats your GRE score?
Me: My GRE score is 1030 and TOEFL score is 112.
VO: What did you do after your graduation?
Me: I pursued my PG from University of
Edinburgh, Scotland in Computer Systems and Software Engineering. After that I
came back to India, worked with Maxwell Systems for 6 months as System
Developer. In the meantime, I also wrote a fiction novel "Dreams Come
Ture".
VO: Oh... really. (She said with a wide grin)
Me: Yes Maam. Its just got published a couple of
weeks ago and is for sale on Flipkart and Amazon. Countrywide distribution will
take around 2-3 months.
Then she typed for almost a full minute and I
had no idea what she was doing. My best guess was she was checking the validity
of my statement on Amazon or on Flipkart. I still kept looking at her but she
was looking at the PC. Then came the words I was dying to hear all morning.
VO. Congratulations. Your Visa has been
approved. Your passport will be couriered to you in 2-3 days.
Me: Thank You Maam. Thank You very much.
I just couldn't stop smiling the entire way out
of the consulate. The day just seemed more humorous and nice then it was ten
minutes ago and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face all morning. I know the
entire description is a little big but "I couldnt help it"
Tip: Try not to lie unless you are very good at
it. No matter how you speak, try to maintain a healthy eye contact throughout
the interview and just plaster a smile on your face no matter how nervous you
are.
-----------------Hope this helps for your Fall
2012 F1 Visa interview .
F1
Visa Rejected for Sanjose State University in New Delhi Consulate. My Visa
Experience goes here. - Punit Sharma
Consulate : Delhi
Slot : 8 AM
Counter : 15
Date : 11th June
Profile : GRE/TOEFL 300/94, UG 60%, 2.5 Yrs Work Ex @ TCS
VO was serious guy on wrong side of 40's or early 50's. Rejected 2 before me.
Here it goes :
Me : Morning Sir
VO : Good Morning
VO : Pass your docs
Me : I did
VO : Why U want to go to US
Me : To persue Master of Sci in Soft. Engg.
VO : Which uni
Me : San jose state uni
VO : Which uni u applied to?
Me : (All full forms) SJSU, SDSU, UTA, SMU, SUNY- Binhampton, Stevens Inst. of
Tech., UNCC, CSU-LB
(Dint paused but i think i was looking like m trying to recall. Also skipped UTD
coz i cudn't recall)
VO : From Which uni you got admit?
Me : (All full forms) SJSU, SDSU, UTA, SMU, Stevens Inst of Tech, CSU-LB
VO : Why you have choosen SJSU?
Me : Sir, Uni is offerring Cloud computing as specialization which is my area
of interest and also
it a relatively new technology here in India and it a booming technology. So i
ll be having lots of
of oppotunities here post MS.
VO : What you did in Bachelors?
Me : Did B.Tech in Comp Sci & Engg
Vo : When did you passed out?
Me : 2010
Vo : What have you been doing since?
Me : M working with TCS since then
VO : How you are funding your education?
Me : (My knock out answer i guess) M having an approved loan of 25L and amount
of 17L in form
of FD's, GPF, savings balance and National savings certificates of my
parents.(Not sure
what I said exactly but I mentioned loan in the beginning. Also i think i dint
clearly explain
the break up of those 17L)
VO : What your parents do?
Me : Both are in govt. services.(also told their designations and dept)
VO : Do you have any brother or sister?
Me : YOunger brother
VO : What he is doing?
Me : Told
VO : Where is he?
Me : In India only
VO typed something
VO : I dont consider you to be qualified to go to US.
I just went away without having another look at him. Dont know what I was
thinking.
My
Visa interview Experience at New Delhi consulate. - Ishita Jain. Profile: GRE
315 TOEFL 114 Acadaics 72% Major MS Microbiology
Visa
Interview for Rutgers University
Why
Rutgers?
People working in my area of interest, i.e microbio. Best among my admits.
Where all did you apply?
I got admits from SUNY Buffalo, UT Arlington. I'm awaiting UFl and Cincinnati.
But I've set my heart on Rutgers so I'm not waiting.
What specific interest in microbes?
No destructive use, I want to clean up pollutants using native microbes.
Something I've already been working on.
What after MS?
I want to come back and start cleaning up m country first, I wasnt to join a
company doing such work here, like Novozyme and biocon in Bangalore. (which I'm
not sure they're doing)
When did you graduate?
Just graduated.
Don't you want to work?
No I want to complete my education first.
Rutgers is pretty expensive how do you plan to play for it?
My father's family business on paper cutting and packaging and he owns a
restaurant. So it will be managed for sure.
Are you the only child. No, what does he do?
Younger brother, just passed out of 12th, will do college in India.
Ok I'm approving your Visa.
Don't be scared if you fumble, I did a LOT. Cover up if you realize you're
saying something ambiguous. don't give any details, VO will derive questions
from that. TAL is avoidable if you give her enough reason that your area of
interest is beneficial and not doubtful. Speak in complete lay man general language,
speak confidently moving your hands or whatever. Don'd do anything extra,
additionally, be very natural and normal. Don't carry anything extra, it gets
irritating to handle, don't reach too early.
hi! my name is achint and on 13th june, 2013 i
had my visa interview. i applied for master of science in mechanical and
aerospace engineering and couldnt get through but instead they offered me a
place in the professional masters in mechanical and aerospace engineering. I
had enough funds to cover more than 2 years in the US. documentation was also
done properly. my GRE was 295/340 and toefl is 101/120
My visa interview went is as follows:
Me: good morning
VO: good morning, pass me your documents...
Me: gave the docs
VO: which city are you travelling to?
me: chicago
vo: what course?
me: masters
vo: in?
me: mechanical engineering (as mentioned on my
I-20, i didnt say mechanical and aerospace engineering as its always safe to
say whatever is written on the I-20)
vo: which uni?
me: Illinois Institute of Technology
vo: y this uni?
me: the course there aligns with my interests
vo: which other places did you apply to?
me: i applied to 6 places.. (told names of 3-4)
vo: where were you accepted?
me: FIT and IIT
vo: there are so many schools in the US..
me: the professors are doing amazing research
which im interested in... there is this professor named deitmar rempfer and he
is doing a project in which the fluid dynamics of the human system is studied
vo: which year did you graduate?
me: this year 2013
vo: im sorry I cannot issue you a student visa
at this time
me: i left 
he gave me a sheet which had nothing tick marked
as a reason... i think it was section 214 (b) but i really dont know the reason
for the denial
My
Visa Interview experience: Visa Approved
Consulate : Chennai
Date : 20-Apr-2015
Time : 10AM
Univ : VIU
My profile
UG: BE/CSE
% : 76
Backlog: 0
Passed out year: 2012
Work experience: 2 years in HCL technologies
IELTS: 6.5
No GRE
My Visa Interview
Experience for Fall 2015
VO:
Gud morning
Me: Gud morning, how are you?
No reply from VO, I had my I20, acceptance
letter and passport handy and passed it to VO.
VO: So you are going to VIU?
Me: yes sir
VO: why VIU?
Me: I contacted many students currently studying
in VIU, some passed out students and professors. I got positive reviews from
everyone about VIU. It has students from more than 60 countries which wil help
me to gain international exposure. It is located very close to one of most
powerful city in the world Washington DC, so being a computer science student I
will get a chance to stay on top of current technologies and inventions.
VO: How long are you working in HCL? (I
mentioned this while filling out my DS160)
Me: I am working for the past two years in HCL
VO: what kind of job it is?
Me: Explained about my nature of work
VO: I could see that u hav been to Thailand
twice, can u tell me the purpose of visit?
Me: I have been to Thailand, Srilanka and Dubai
with tourist visa.
VO: Do you have any siblings?
Me: I have two elder sisters, one sister resides
in Srilanka and other sister in USA
VO: what kind of visa your sister in US holds?
Me: she holds L2 visa and my brother in law
holds L1 visa both are working for the same company
VO: since how long they are in US?
Me: They are in US for the past 6 months
VO: Did u apply to any other university?
Me: I applied to Devry university and got
admission for devry as well
VO: why did you choose VIU and not Devry?
Me: I spoke with both the university students
and VIU was comparatively good in education standard.
VO: who is sponsoring you?
Me: My parents
VO: what do they do?
Me: we run jewellery business and we do get
income from agriculture as well
VO: your visa is approved, Plz take your I20 and
acceptance letter. You can collect your passport after a day or two.
Me: thank you so much smile emoticon
Some hints and suggestion for visa interview:
1. Filling DS160 with true info is very
important, don't hide if u have your siblings in US.
2. To be on the safer side, have all your
supporting documents handy, but 99% it won't be asked as everyday more than
1000 applicants will hav their visa interview scheduled so VO hardly spends 5
mins on each applicant and there won't be enough time to check all your
documents.
3. Instead of having fake documents try your best
to have all original and genuine documents. Even if u have fake documents and
if suppose it is asked be confident to explain that its genuine.
Me:
Very good morning Sir , How are you ?
Vo : Good morning , fine , thank you , how are
you ? ( With strange face )
VO : Passport please .
Me : Here sir ..(Gave my passport)
Vo: Afzzal Why did you chose to go for Spring
instead of fall ??
Me : ( i was very much suprised with the ques )
..Sir , i was doing my courses that time ..so....( VO interrupted )
Vo: Even everyone are busy ..what special for
you ?
Me: I was doing courses apart from my
academics..but related to my field sir ...
Vo: What course ?
Me: Designing courses sir ..
Vo; ( Thinking and blinking )
Me; (I confirmed that i will get denied surely )
Vo; What's your GPA afzzal ?
Me; 6.39 sir
( Vo was typing for about 15 secs ) i thought he
is typing his 214b form
Vo; Your visa has been approved
Me;( what??????? ) Thanks a lot Sir , you made
my day.
-- Afzzal Afzi
F1
visa experience Chennai Consulate.
Date : 21/04/14
Status : Rejected
Attempt: 3rd time
Profile:
B.tech -2011 pass out - 6backlogs.
Have related Experience.
Gre: 286
Ielts: 6.5
Me: Very good morning Sir...
VO: hey Good Morning man..
VO: pass me your passport please.
Me : passed my passport ..
VO: so why are you going to USA?
ME: for my masters degree sir..
VO: okay.so you completed under graduation in
which stream?
ME: Information technology sir.
VO: then whats your favorite subject.?? ( i knew
i was dumped by this time)
ME: i said C language.
VO : can you please differentiate me between c
and c++
ME: i started to explain the differences between
them...
VO: He stopped me and said wait for some time i
will be back.
Me: okay sir..
He went to talk with a person and the person was
the same who rejected me last time in Chennai.... He came back to me after 2
minutes.
VO: have you ever been to USA?
ME: No Sir
VO: how many times you were rejected USA Visa?
ME: 2 times sir ..this is my third attempt.
VO: so where is this university located?
Me: Hooksett, New Hampshire .
VO: okay.
VO: sorry sir unfortunately i cant issue your
visa now, better luck next time.
( he then handed over the passport and 214b
form)
ME: Thank you sir.
-------------------------------------------
Interview on August 6, 2018
VO: Hi good morning! Pass me your passport please. Where are you going?
Me: Hi! Cornell, NY.
VO: What are you studying?
Me: Systems engineering.
VO: Okay your Visa is approved!
-------------------------------------------
The interview went something like this:
Officer: Hello
Me: Hello sir
Officer: Tell me about yourself son.
Me: I am Pranjal Ghosh. I am a student currently pursuing my B-tech degree in Mechanical Engineering from (name of University).
Officer: Have you been to US before.
Me: No sir, this is my first time.
Officer: What is the purpose of your visit?
Me: I am representing my college in an aerodesign competition in (address of competition).
(Explains him a bit about the competition)
Officer: Great….Can you tell me who is organising the competition?
Me: Sure…. SAE is organising the competition.
Officer: (Carries on a small research on SAE on the internet).
Can you show me your invitation letter?
Me: Here you go sir.
(shows him the invitation letter).
(He shows it to his colleague and then returns it back after discussing something about it.)
Officer: How long are you intending to stay there?
Me: Almost a month from X date to Y date.
Officer: What are the places you are visiting?
Me: (tells him the names of the places along with the hotel address).
Officer : Are you traveling alone ?
Me: No sir, I am travelling with my teammates.
Officer: How many members are there in your team?
Me: 19 sir.
(Points and shows him my teammates who were standing in the line behind me)
Officer: May I know who is sponsoring your travel expenses ?
Me: My father.
Officer: What does your father do ?
Me: He is a Mechanical Engineer in (name of company)
(Again does a small research about the company on the internet)
Officer: Can you tell me his salary?
Me: Sorry sir but he never told me his salary.
(We both share a smile )
Officer: Nevermind son. Your Visa is approved and best of luck for the competition.
Me: Thank You sir….have a good day.
That's it….no drama….nothing. Except for the invitation letter, he didn't ask me for any other documents.
------------------------
Date: 18 July, 2019
Chennai consulate
Rutgers State University, NJ, USA
Me: Good morning maam. How you doing?
VO: Good morning. I m fine . Wbu?
Me: I am doing great
Passed passport, sevis and I20
VO: So Rutgers!!
Me: Yes maam
VO: Which stream?
Me: Information technology and analytics
VO: Why that course?
Me: It's good mixture of business and technology and that's what I am looking for in my masters.
VO: Is it about big data and data analysis?
Me: Yes maam.
VO: Where you will see yourself after 5years?
Me: I would love to see myself as a data scientist in companies like Google or IBM.
VO: Ohh you like big data analytics ?
Me: Yes maam. I did my undergraduate project and mini research on the same topic. So i want to make my career out of it.
VO: Who is sponsoring for your education?
Me: I have a loan of xx amounts and also my father will be sponsoring me.
VO: What does your father do?
Me: He is a civil engineer maam
VO: What's his income?
Me: told
VO: Your visa is approved. Have a great stay at US
Me: Thank you maam. Made my day.
-------------------------
Me: Hi Good morning! How are you?
CO: Good morning! Can I have your passport?
Me: Sure. (Handed over the passport)
CO: Where are you planning to go to in the US?
Me: Chicago
CO: Who are you visiting?
Me: A friend of mine. (Didn’t say his name)
CO: what does he do?
Me: He works as a Internal Medicine Resident at a XXX Hospital in Chicago.
CO: Do you live in Barbados?
Me: Yes. I live and work here
CO: Have you travelled to any other countries for Tourism?
Me: Yes. I have been to U.K., Trinidad, Curacao, Guyana.
CO: Okay! What is your position and where do u work?
Me: I work as a Lecturer in XXXX University
CO: You seem pretty young !
Me: I get that a lot. I teach in premedical Sciences.
CO: Nice. How long have you been working with the XXX University?
Me: 8 months
CO: How long have you been living in Barbados?
Me: More than 2 years
CO: Where did you work before?
Me: I used to work as a lecturer in a university on the island and shifted my job due to universities financial troubles
CO: Oh. What did you do in India?
Me: I used to work in a Tablet Learning Company as a Business Development Associate
CO: Okay! Thank you. I will be keeping the passport. Please collect it at DHL. ( Hands over a slip which states visa is approved)
Me: Thank you! Have a great day.
CO: You too 😊
----------------------------------------
Counter Person: How old are you?
Me (very surprised): 2x.
CP: Are you sure?
Me (puzzled): yes!
CP: When were you born?
Me: 198x
CP: Are you sure?
Me (annoyed): Yes!
CP: Then why did you put 1998 in the application?
Me: huh?
CP: Your application says 1998.
Me (panicking and looking at my printed form): No, it doesn’t!
He shows me the screen - and there it was! Instead of 198x I had typed 9 twice and never realized my mistake.
Me (stare at him): What do I do? It was a mistake sorry.
CP (smiles and laughs at my panicked faced): Give me your docs, I will change it. It will take awhile. Don’t worry, go sit down.
I take a sigh of relief and thanking God for the man’s kindness. Probably took another 20min for me to get called up again. This time to the visa officer.
VO: Good morning
Me: Good morning
VO: Where are you going?
Me: xxx
VO: What are you going to study?
Me: PhD in xxx Engineering
VO: What will you do after?
Me: Come back and teach at University X
VO: When do you leave?
Me: Aug xx
VO: Good luck. You can collect your passport tomorrow.
Me (Surprised): Thanks, does it mean I get visa?
VO: Yes. Good bye!
I had my I-20 with the school paying full tuition and stipend. So I guess he didn’t ask about that. I have had to go back 3 times after that for US visa.
2nd time: very easy, no issues. Just commented on the fact I changed schools.
3rd time: in Europe. no issues, but no seats to sit and wait and no privacy during the interview process. Everyone could hear a Europe national being questioned a lot just because he was a doctor and had been to Iran for a medical missions trip.
4th time: no issues - VO very interested in the work I did.
Anonymous since I would like to renew my visa again. lol
------------------------------------------------
It went thus: (CO means Consular Officer)
C.O : smiling ! Good morning
Me:Good morning ma
C.O: Can I have your passports ?
Me : I gave him our passports
C.O: Are you guys together ?
Me: Yes we are
C.O: Why do you want to go America ?
Me: For Vacation .
C.O: Are you couple /married ?
Me: Yes we are ,for 4 years sir.
C.O: Do you have kids ?
Me: No but we are hoping on God.
C.O: What do you guys do?
Me: We are travel and tourism consultants and own our company .(company Name mentioned )
C.O: Why did it take you long to travel together as a couple while you have been traveling since 3 years ago?
Me: Because both can not leave the business at the same time .
C.O: Now that you are traveling together,what will happen to the business ?(frawn)
Mè: We now have 6 capable staff with manager who can look after the bsiness and moreover ,we can monitor online and also traveling during December Xmas period
C.O: His your wife expecting?(pregnant)
Me: No ,but we are hoping to God for it.
C.O: Where will you stay in the US?
ME: Hotel (name mentioned)
C.O: Have you been there before ?
Me: No sir ,until you give us visa(smiles )
C.O: smiles! How long do you intend staying ?
Me: 6 day only
C.O: what's your monthly income and who is paying for the trip ?
Me: We are both on monthly allowance of N150k and N180k respectively(Nigeria Naira) and this is for us to be accountable to our business as being the owner doesn't mean that We should spend the money anyhow!
C.O : Nice of you. Via granted and come for it in 3 days . Congrats.
Me: Thank you sir. Happy us.
Thanks
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mumbai Consulate
Bandra Kurla Complex
Counter No: 28
Slot: 11 AM
Date: 2nd, August 2019
VO: Good morning Sir.
Me: Good morning Mam!.
VO: Pass me your I20 and passport, please.
Me: Sure. Mam.
VO: What are you going to do at XXX University?
Me: I will pursue my masters in Computer Science.
She got surprised and said "Okay".
VO: Why Computer Science?
Me: I have been working with Amazon as a Data Analyst from the past three years. During this time, I got the opportunity to explore different in-house technologies related to databases which I believe have the potential to become key players in the emerging job market.
VO: Can I see your SEVIS receipt?
Me: Yes Mam. Here it is.
(She was typing something, without giving her a chance to say anything I continued)
I would like to enhance my skillset in the relevant domain and make myself more marketable with this degree.
VO: How are you going to fund your education?
Me: I have a savings of XXX lacs and my parents would be sponsoring me for additional funds if needed. Both of them are entrepreneurs with an annual income of xxx lacs each. (VO interrupted me at this instance)
VO: Sorry! How much is their annual income.. each?
Me: xxx lacs per annum Mam.
(She was typing something and I got tensed at this point)
Me: Sorry Mam, I didn't mention. The University has awarded me a scholarship of $10000 USD per year on a conditional basis. This has been granted considering my past academic achievements and my potential for success at the University.
VO: Okay...
Me: I was looking at her and observing what she's gonna do next.
VO: Why masters now? Don't you think it's too late?
Me: Sorry Mam.. I didn't hear you. Can you say it again?
VO: Why masters now?
Me: Mam.. I was working in the same role from the past three years. The work I am doing currently has limited exposure to technologies (Fumbled... and continued) technologies I would like to gain a solid knowledge base in. I think this is the right time for me to enhance my skill set in the relevant domain to attain a productive career. Right now, I am working as a data analyst. Post this degree, I can work as a data engineer which is far more superior than the work I am currently doing at Amazon.
VO: Great! Thank you. I'm approving your VISA. Further instructions are provided in this slip here.
Me: Thank you Mam... :)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Have given three interviews till date, two in home country (India) and one in Canada, for the most in news H1B visa and here are my experiences:
1st Interview (New Delhi consulate): I was extremely nervous about how will it go and while I waited for my turn, I was constantly checking if I have all the documents in place and properly tagged. Finally that moment came and this is how it followed:
VO (very soft spoken): Good morning!
Me: Good morning. How are you doing today.
VO: Why do you want to go to United States?
Me: Responded, citing my work.
VO: Where will you work in USA?
Me: Responded
VO: What is the work about?
Me: Responded
VO: Whom will you report to?
Me: Responded
VO: (again in a feeble voice): Where does your reporting manager sits?
Me (Nervous and out of nervousness wasn’t able to hear properly since there as another loud gentleman giving interview in Hindi right at the next window): Pardon me sir, can you please repeat.
VO (Concerned looks): Repeats the question
Me (again nervous): My Reporting manager is so and so
VO(Very concerned looks with raised eyebrows): Where does he work, in which city?
Me (Finally came back to my senses): Oh, so and so city (basically same city where I was headed)
VO (to my wife): When did you guys get married?
My Wife: Responded confidently.
VO (Smiled): Your Visa is approved. Can I have your passport
Us (Me and my wife): Thanked him and exited.
Interview 2 ( New Delhi Consulate): This interview was scheduled within couple days of us, landing in India.
Also during this visit, since I have serious dust allergy so my throat was choked and I could barely speak any word so could only whisper and that too after too much pain and effort. So wasn’t nervous but a little bit concerned as to how will it go with someone barely able to hear my voice.
While my turn came, the Visa office (a middle aged smiling lady was having a conversation with someone reg, some celebrity and suddenly she noticed I was at the window with my wife and daughter (1 yr old).
VO (Smiling): Good morning!
Me & My Wife: Very Good morning
VO: Do you know Mika Singh (Bollywood singer), he was here yesterday and I missed a chance to meet him.
Me (whispered with strange but smiling looks): Oh yes, you’d be amazed to know that I actually know him personally.
VO: So coming to the topic, why do you want to go to US?
Me (whispered): I apologize for my voice that I can only whisper. To answer your question, I work there in so and so city.
VO: Oh, you don’t sound well. I can understand Delhi weather.
Me: Yes dust allergies.
VO: May I see your passports
Me: Sure. handed her mine and my wife’s passport.
VO (Pointing towards my daughter): She’s wearing such a cute dress. Where’s her passport. Is she a citizen?
Me: Yes she was born there.
VO: Oh so you guys are back home for vacation. You Visas are approved.
Interview 3: This time we were in beautiful Vancouver, Canada. After gone through this process before, I was confident and wasn’t anxious at all.
After waiting for 30 minutes or so, our turn came:
VO: Good morning.
Me: Good morning.
VO: Why do you want to go to US?
Me: I work there in so and so city.
VO: Which company do you work for?
Me: Responded
VO: How much do you make annually?
Me: Responded.
VO: Can I see your bank statements?
Me (sheepishly): I am actually not carrying those with me but I do have pay stubs and income tax returns.
VO: ya that’d work.
Me: Here you go sir.
VO: Your visas are approved.
Me: Thank you sir. Have a nice day.
So in general here’s what I infer from all these interviews.
The Visa Officer just has few minutes to judge you and one of my family friend’s daughter (who is indeed a Visa Officer with Canadian Consulate) told me that she is trained enough to understand human behaviours and can easily catch when a person is lying or trying to hide something (not sure how much of that’s true by the way).
So of course how you present yourself and how confident you are in responding to what they’ve asked does matter and it gives the VO an affirmation that of course what the person is saying is indeed true and he/she will not misuse their Visas and hence they come to a decision.
Also be sure to be as concise as possible and make sure you just provide specifics of what’s being asked. Don’t go into explanations. You don’t need to explain someone why do you want to go to US if your motive of going there is clear and crisp.
Be honest and be truthful. This is what matters the most.
All the best.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Interview*
Me: Hello, Good morning !
VO : Hello Good morning, english or german ?
Me: Anything works, I’d prefer English though.
VO : Can I have your passport and receipt?
Me: Sure!
VO: Have you visited USA before ?
Me: no I have not .
VO: For how long you wanna go ?
Me: I wanna spend my winter holidays there.
VO: How long?
Me: 2-3 weeks.
VO: Where do you wanna go?
Me: Newyork and Chicago.
VO: Can I have your residence permit, what is your job profile?
Me: Sure, I am an engineer with ** and work as a development engineer.
VO: Okay, you code?
Me: No I dread it, but sometimes situations demand it also, honestly not my cup of tea.
VO :Oh yeah my bestfriend hates it also, what is all that C, B , and snake languages you all have.
*We chuckled- like I found my bestfriend :D *
Back in my head, I thought maybe shes gonna grant me the visa , we both were smiling when she handed me a green slip for 221g, and asked me to send my CV, my papers, my patents , researches and personal documents. I exclaimed, well its a visitors visa, I am not even attending any conference, and what is this slip about?
VO: We do this to all the skilled workers, it is important please send us these documents, you will be informed about your status once the process is completed.
With a heavy heart and broken dreams I came out of the consulate and could never forget how her smile tricked me. After a long wait and tons of patience and rage finally on 21st august I got an email that my visa has been aproved :)
-------------------------------
Visa experience : date: 29/04. Consulate: Delhi. Time: 9:15 am. Status: approved.
Program - Master of Science in Business Analytics
Questions: 1. In Total how many universities you applied to and what were those?
2. From how many you got admit?
3. Why this University ? Explained - the program benefits. ( Curriculum, faculty, old program)
4. Who is funding you? Answer - My family. (Forgot to mention about the money here)
5. What does your family do? Answered
6. Are you taking education loan? (Don't know why she asked me this, since i didn't mention about it) “No, i haven't taken any loan though i am eligible for loan of xx lakhs.” VO- so you are taking a loan or have it sanctioned?
It took some time in this point(i thought the chance is gone since she didn't ask me for any docs too) then i told her “No Ma’am, i haven't taken any loan since my family has required funds (xxx). i just wanted to check my eligibility in case i need it.— (seemed convinced now)
7. What are your plans after graduation? (only mention what you want to become, not where why)
8. Any companies on mind? (Since i didn’t want to take a risk and had did my research, i told here about an Indian firm and also that i can join my current company too)
Finally, she said ok, “your visa is approved.”
Suggestion: no need to arrive before your scheduled time. They won't allow you in, and waiting area doesn't have many seats. So you will need to wait in the sun. They start forming lines half an hour before so come around only 40 mins before your appointment time.
----------------------