My F-1 Visa Interview Experience
Hey Everyone, I’m an incoming graduate student joining MS in Data Science for Fall 2023 in the United States. In this article, I will share my experience with my visa interview. These blogs helped me a lot while preparing for my visa interviews and I hope my experience helps other anxious students as well.
Background
You may have some qualms or fears that could lead you to think that your visa will be rejected. I had them as well, so I empathize with your situation. However, you should not let these factors undermine your confidence or expectations. You have the same chance as anyone else to obtain a visa. Here were my fears:
- My tourist visa (B-2) had already been rejected once in January 2019.
- I have a sibling in the US on H-1B.
- Both my parents have a valid tourist visas (B-2).
Visa Profile
- Interview Date: 25th April 2023
- Interview Time: 9:00 AM
- In Time: 8:15 AM
- Out Time: 10:20 AM
- Interview City: Mumbai
- Student Visa Attempt Number: 1
- Interview Outcome: Approved
- I20 University: Rutgers University
- Program: Data Science
- Counter No: 33
- Visa Officer: American officer in his 50s
Miscellaneous Details
- GRE: 325
- IELTS: 8.0
- Job Type: Data Engineer
- Job Experience: 9 months
Interview Details
Me: Good Morning!
VO (Visa Officer): Good Morning! Please pass me your passport and I-20
VO: Is this your first time applying for a visa?
Me: No I applied earlier as well.
VO: That was for B-2 right?
Me: Yes
VO: Do you have any family in the US?
Me: Yes I have a sister there.
VO: What does she do?
Me: She works as a ______ at _______ (FAANG).
VO: She’s on F1?
Me: No she’s on H1-B
VO: And your parents have a B-2 visa as well?
Me: Yes
VO: Did they ever visit the US?
Me: No we were all planning to but then Covid hit.
VO: So you are planning to go to Rutgers right?
Me: Yes I am
VO: Why Rutgers?
Me: Told him
VO: Who’s going to be sponsoring you?
Me: My parents are going to be sponsoring me completely. They have a saving of more than XYZ amount. And including investments, it’s more than ABC amount. Also, I have an annual 15000$ scholarship as well.
VO: Okay Congratulations! Your visa is approved. You’ll get your passport in a week.
He gave me my I-20 and a white visa approval slip. I thanked him and then left.
Tips
Don’t pay any attention to whatever happens to the person in front of you. In my case, the guy in front of me was rejected but I tried to maintain my calm.
Most importantly, do not lie. Just project confidence. They have all the details in front of them and they are just trying to verify it from you.
Hopefully, this article has addressed any fears you had about the visa interview. If you’re still worried about anything, just ping me on Twitter and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
All the best guys!❤️
To learn about the Biometrics procedure, follow this link. If you are looking for the complete visa interview prep, click here. And if you’re simply searching for sample Visa questions, click here.
