Tips For Getting Through The Visa Interview for Family Based Immigrant Visa for the USA
The intensity of visa interview in the US embassy varies depending upon the type of visa you are seeking. The questions are asked based on your case details and cannot be generalized but some tips can be really helpful to all the applicants appearing for family based visa interview. This interview is taking more time as compared to other types of visa interviews. Your documents are checked thoroughly and you are asked many pertinent questions to decide the merit of your case. The most useful tip is to speak truth and the truth only. Once you speak truth, you will be able to maintain your cool all through the interview, which is the most important part.
First of all carry all the documents as required by the embassy in a large transparent plastic bag, as this type of bag is only allowed inside the embassy for security reasons. Any other items like purse, bag, brief cases, and hand bags are not allowed. The visa applicant and all family members migrating with him only are allowed inside the embassy. All other visitors have to wait outside on the road.
Do carry the medical report in the same cover as given to you by the hospital authorities. It would be a good idea to check about payment of your visa fees on the previous day at the embassy enquiry counter. In case, your full fees are not paid due to any reason, you must carry a demand draft towards the said fee. Otherwise, you will be rejected outright and will have to come back after at least two working days. Reach at least half an hour earlier to your visa interview time and present your call letter in original at the embassy gate. You will have to undergo a thorough security check at the time of entry. As soon as you enter, your passport and the call letter in original will be collected and you will be asked to wait in the lounge.
Select your seat near to the interview windows so that you can clearly hear your name, when announced. All the applicants will be asked to arrange their documents in one particular sequence. Just do that and wait. Do not enter into lengthy discussions with other applicants as you may miss your name. You will be called for your documents verification interview first. Present all the documents along with the covers of medical reports to the embassy officer as and when he asks. All your documents will be verified with the originals and your small medical report cover will be opened and checked. The large cover containing your chest X-ray will be handed over back to you for carrying it with you to the USA. If all your documents are found in order and if you are declared fit in the medical report, you will be asked to wait for the second and most vital interview with the visa approving officer.
You wait peacefully and when your name is announced, present your self with your family for second and final visa interview. You will be asked many questions on the status and your relation with your sponsor in the USA. Never tell a lie. My sister did not reveal the event of death of her co-sponsor at the time of visa interview, and the result was she had to get “affidavit of support” documents once again, causing a delay of around 3 months in getting visa. I was asked specifically the reasons for my couple of trips to Iraq. I presented all the documents proving that my visits to Iraq were solely based on technical/professional reasons. This convinced the embassy officer and my visa was approved during first attempt only.
Durations of your various stays in the USA in the past will also be checked to ensure that you have never overstayed in the USA. Finally, if your case looks genuine to the officer, you will be asked to sign in the part-2 of the form DS-230 that you are carrying with you, duly filled in. This signature is considered equivalent to taking oath about the correctness details you have filled in the form. Once this is done, you can relax. Your visa is approved. You will be told to come back at around 4 pm in the evening and collect the visa along with your passport. Only one member of your family shall be required to collect these visa covers in the afternoon. Keep these visa covers in sealed condition only and make sure to carry them to the USA with you in your hand bags.
The entire process takes around 4 to 5 hours in the morning and around 15 to 30 minutes in the evening. This is if your visa is approved on first attempt. I have seen many helpless, old people struggling to get this visa by coming over again and again to embassy office in Mumbai from their native places, just for flimsy errors in their documents. I would urge you all to prepare your documents thoroughly and face the interview with a cool head to get the success at the first attempt only.
