Tackling Your Visa Interview

You’ve been accepted to your dream school and can’t wait to begin planning the big move. If you are going to a country like the US that requires you to apply for a visa to study, we have some tips to help you prepare for that important interview at the consulate or embassy.

Important tips

• Visa officers pick up on body language

• Visa officers are judged by the number of questions they ask and the time they take for each applicant. The fewer the questions and time the better, so make a good impression early on as they need to make quick judgements of character.

• To practice for a visa appointment, Argo Visa is very helpful because you can prep with ex visa officers. Just make sure to ask for someone who has had previous experience working from whatever country you are applying. Your Ivy Options counselor is also here to help you; we will conduct a mock interview beforehand to ensure that you are comfortable and well prepared.

What to do:

• Make sure you set a strong case for familial ties and future plans to return to your home country or country of residence. This prevents you from getting rejected due to clause 214(b), which is the most common type of refusal. Visa officers want to make sure that you won't blatantly use the F1 Visa to set up a future job in the United States. (For example, you might say, ” Once I graduate, I am coming back to Dubai to work for the family business my dad owns.”)

• Make sure to speak confidently and charismatically

Ensure that you speak respectfully but conversationally; visa officers are people too!

• Make sure you have all of your documentation present when going in for the interview

It is better to be safe than sorry. Make sure to bring any pertinent documentation that might help you. Once you apply for the F1 visa, there should be a page which tells you everything you need to bring to the consulate. A tip is to label the documentation in a folder with tabs since officers only have a limited time window to question you.

• Make sure you are calm and collected

Part of a visa officer’s job is to pick up on body language within a limited time frame. If you seem closed off or nervous, they won’t have the best impression of you. Officers have a prepared list in front of them for “reasons for rejection” and suspicious behavior/body language is on there. Try to not give them a reason to suspect you belong in that category.

• Try to incorporate information that makes you seem literate in English and well traveled

Having traveled more demonstrates your independence and also shows that you are able to get other visas such as those for European countries that are often difficult to acquire. (Sample Question: “What are your hobbies?” “ I love traveling! I have been to Italy, France, Maldives and the UK.”)

What not to do:

• Do not be vague in giving answers

Make sure to stay within the bounds of the questions without giving unnecessary information. The fewer questions the visa officer will have to ask you, the better they will view you. (Sample Question: “Where do your parents work?” “My mom works as the Head of Operations at Facebook and my dad is the Director of Strategic Business at GE.)

• Do not fall bait to closed-ended questions

If a visa officer is having a bad day or is suspicious of you, he or she might try to ask you closed-ended questions (Sample Question: “So you were rejected in your previous interview?”) A very clear formatted yes or no expected response but this just puts you in a specific reject category. Instead turn it into an open ended question (For example: “So you were rejected in your previous interview?” “Yes, however I was a bit nervous last time so I wasn’t able to properly communicate my thoughts and I actually missed out on some critical information.”) This turns the next follow up question to “What critical information did you miss out on?” and based on your rejection clause, you can then come up with a fitting answer.

• Do not sound scripted

At the end of the day, remember that you are a teenager applying for a visa to get a university degree. Go into the interview with that goal: going to study and then come back to your home country. If you try to sound too adult or have obscure pieces of information memorized then the officer will know and it might be a cause for rejection. (An example of what NOT to do: “What is your parent’s salary?” “My dad makes $87,654 annually.”) Most teenagers don’t know this kind of in-depth information, so give a rough ballpark figure instead.

• If rejected, do not get hostile

It is unlikely that you will be rejected but in the small chance you are, make sure to manage your behavior. Officers do watch your behavior once you have been rejected. You will get a slip that states your reason for rejection with the clause stated at the top. Make sure to take the slip and walk away. If you act hostile or aggressively demand another interview, they may take away your tourist visa for the US as well, putting you in a complicated spot.

• Lastly, do not change your answers or get nervous because of the person in front of you

Just because the person in front of you got rejected does not mean you will. They could have had invalid documentation or could have acted hostile. That doesn’t mean that your answers are wrong or the visa officer is on a rejecting streak. Be positive and just breathe. You got this!

Procedure once you enter the Consulate

Once you get to the Consulate, you will need to be prepared with the following:

1. First, you will be waiting outside in a line before you enter the consulate so make sure to wear clothes that are comfortable for the warm weather but also somewhat professional. (A pair of jeans and a nice thin sweater)

2. Once you get to the front of the line, you will need to give your passport for them to stamp and they will ask you to turn your phone off.

3. Once you have entered the building, there is a security check. Make sure to take out important objects from your bag, phone case, or pockets that you will need inside. Additionally, you will be given a numbered chip that you will give back to the security when leaving to collect back your belongings. Don’t lose it.

4. You will be directed to another building which is the official consulate building. A security guard should then direct you to a specific line. If no one has directed you don't be afraid to ask where you should stand for an F1 Visa application.

5. Once you approach the desk after waiting in line, you will be asked for your I-20 and other documentation just to see if everything is correct. THIS IS NOT THE INTERVIEW.

6. Once that has been completed, you will be directed into another line where you will have to give your fingerprints

7. Once you have given your fingerprints, you will be directed to one last line which is where you will wait for your interview.

8. If an officer is free in the counter next to you and the officer in front of you is occupied, you might be directed over to the other officer next to you. This is all part of the process – don’t be stressed.

9. Lastly, give your interview.

Ask your Ivy Options counselor to share some practice questions with you to prepare to ace that interview and begin planning your move!