Approved Visa Interview

Last fall I asked a good friend of mine to copy visa interviews from groups. Let me just put it all here.

These are only approved once! If you want to see the rejected once you can see it here.

#001

Visa experience
Date: 31.05.2018
Visa consulate: Hyderabad
Slot: 10:00 am
Visa status: approved
Entered the consulate around 9.05 am and was done by 10.30 am. It was a busy day and I could see people coming out with 214b slips 😑
VO was a young lady in her late 20s.
I was the first person standing in the queue for that counter
Vo: come forward
Me: Goodmorning ma’am (No Response 😐)
Vo: pass me your passport and I20
Me: ya sure
Vo: which school are you going?
Me: University of Utah
Vo: How many schools did you apply?
Me: 7
Vo: Can you name them?
Me: George Mason University, University of Cincinnati (Stopped me)
Vo: Undergraduate Percentage?
Me: 88%
Vo: okay. How are you planning to pay the tuition fee?
Me: I have an Education loan sanctioned of (again stopped me..)
Vo: What is the Collateral?
Me: Told
Vo: How much is the Collateral amount?
Me: Told
Vo: Okay, I am approving your visa
Me: thank you, you made my day

 

#002

Visa experience
Chennai
Counter no 30
Approved.
MS Industrial Engineering, SUNY Buffalo.
11 am slot
Me: Hi Maam how are you?
Vo: pass your i20
Why SUNY Buffalo?
Me: I liked it’s course structure and research opportunities.
VO: what are your interests?
Me: I would like to delve into the manufacturing domain and have hands on experience on industry projects .
VO: how are you funding your education?
Me: my dad is funding my MS.
VO: what are your future plans?
Me: I’d like to utilise my OPT period and after that I’d like to work for the Indian govt.
VO: ( laughing jovially) why do you want to work in the Indian govt?
Me: ( laughing with her) Maam because my dad works for Central government and I like what I’ve heard about his job from him. I’d like to work in the petroleum or manufacturing sector.
VO: wow. I’m approving Daddy’s little girls visa. Keep smiling.
Me: thank you so much ma’am, have a great day!

 

#003

Consulate : Chennai
Date : 4 June
Slot : 11:45
Counter No. : 28
Status : Approved
VO was a lady. Might be in her late 20’s or early 30’s. Approved a tourist visa before me. The person was a student going for a competition along with her teammates who were having their interviews at other counters. I was happy that they were from the same university where I graduated.

Me: Good Afternoon ma’am. (Passed passport even before she asked)
VO: Good Afternoon. Pass me your i20 as well.
VO: It seems you already have a visa?
Me: yes ma’am. B1/B2 visa.
VO: Is it still active?
Me: Yes till 2026.
VO: Why did you choose SUNY Buffalo?
Me: I have already been to US once for competition at Rochester Institute of Technology in 2016. The interactions I had with some of the professor’s influenced to consider this university as my first priority. (Had an unexpected pause for 2 seconds hoping the response was satisfactory. The VO gave a look that she was hoping more). Also I liked the curriculum. It offers 5 major areas of research which includes Productions System which is my area of interest. And also it offers special courses such as Six Sigma Program and Advanced Certificate in Advanced Manufacturing.
VO: How many did you apply for?
Me: I have applied for 4. They are State University of New York at Buffalo, the one where I’m heading to, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Arizona State University at Tempe.
VO: What is your GRE score? (Couldn’t understand what she was asking for almost 3-4 times.VO was so friendly that she smiled and asked again pronouncing each letter clearly )
Me: Sorry ma’am. My GRE score is 299. 156 in quants and 143 in verbal.
VO: What’s your GPA?
Me: It’s 8.44 on a scale of 10.
VO: Who is sponsoring you?
Me: My father is sponsoring me. I also have a sanctioned loan XX lakhs.
VO: What does your father do?
Me: He’s a bank employee.( But didn’t tell that he’s also retired from Air Force after working for 20 years.)
VO: What is your father’s annual income.
Me: It’s XX Lakhs per annum.
VO: What are your future plans?
Me: I will be coming back to India and work in automobile companies such Ashok Leyland, Ford motors, As I have done my internship in Ashok Leyland as a summer intern.
VO: Ok. I’m approving your visa (with a smile).

 

#004

Consulate : Mumbai
Counter Number : 29
Date : 4th June

Interview starts with greeting:
Vo: pass me your i20,sevis and passport
Me:passed
Vo: which University are you going?
Me: i am going California state University Fullerton
Vo: Masters program or undergrad?
Me: masters in computer science specialization machine intelligence
Vo: which other universities did u apply?
Me: SJSU, University of buffalo, csuf
Vo: why csuf?
Me: explained about curriculum, and other factors.
Vo: what research you intend to do in csuf
Me: i intend to work with prof Christopher ryu on project efficient data-centric storage for censor network
Vo: how do u plan to fund?
Me: i have family funds of XX lakhs and sanctioned bank loan of XX lakhs.
Vo: ok after that she starred at her screen for 5-6 minutes and ask
In one of your previous company you worked on two factor authentication ?
Me: yes
Vo: did you work on encryption?
Me: no
Vo: do u know how to bypass authentication system?
Me: no
Vo: tells me to wait for 5 min and goes to another colleague desk and discuss something.
Later gives 221g slip and says we need further verification and returns back my passport.

 

#005

#Visa Experience
#Mine

Status-Approved
Mumbai consulate
4th June 2018
Appointment-9:30 AM
Counter-31

California State University Fullerton, MS in CS

VO-Hi, good morning, how are you?
Me-I’m fine sir. How are you?

VO-I’m good. Pass me your I-20, sevis and passport.
Me-(passed the documents)

VO-What is your GRE score?
Me- 297, 157 in quant.

VO-How many universities did you applied to?
Me-I’ve applied to 9 universities and got admit from 5.

VO-Who is going to sponsor your education ?
Me-My parents are sponsoring and I’ve taken a loan of xx lakhs

VO-What your parents do?
ME-Told.

VO-I’m approving your visa. Good luck.
Me-Thank you so much sir. You have made my day.

 

 

 

#006

Visa Experience
Consulate: Delhi
University: CU Boulder (Mechanical)
Slot: 9:45 AM (was done by 11:30 AM)

(Pro Tip: Reach the Consulate 10-15 minutes prior to your slot timings as its too hot outside! ☺️)

*Greeted her Good Morning!*
VO: Please pass me your Passport and I20.
Me: *Passed both*
VO: When did you graduate?
Me: In June 2016.
VO: So, you’ve been working since then?
Me: Yes Ma’am, I’ve been working as a Vehicle Design Engineer in an Automobile R&D.
VO: Okay, So why CU Boulder?
Me: The Design Track at UCB offers a perfect blend of courses that not only teaches the mechanical aspects but aesthetics as well about how a product is developed from scratch.
VO: Alright, how are you going to fund your education?
Me: My father is sponsoring me and I have some personal
savings.
VO: Okay, What’s your father’s occupation?
Me: Ma’am my father is a pensioner from the Indian Air Force
and he’s been working in the private sector as a Senior HR
Manager since the last 10 years.
VO: Ohh great! I’m approving your visa!
Me: Thank you Ma’am! Have a nice day! 🙂

 

#007

Visa Interview Experience

Appointment Date: 1st of June(Friday) at 10:30am
Location: Chennai(It’s fucking Hot)

College Details:
University of Wisconsin Madison
Computer Science (Traditional MS/PHD)

Interview Details:
Reached consulate at 10am, interview started at 11:15am and was out by 11:30am

VO: Good morning, Please pass me your passport
ME: Good morning (submitted i20, SEVIS along with passport)
VO: So going to Madison?
ME: Yes sir
VO: Even my sister in law studied there and I hate my sister in law (started laughing)
ME: I started laughing too🙃
VO: Just Kidding, UWM is a great college, Congratulations.
ME: Thank you sir
VO: Where else did you get admits from?
ME: Named 5 colleges
VO: Glad that you went with UWM.
VO: So how are you funding your stay there?
ME: Mentioned about savings and Loan
VO: Nice, so what are your plans after your masters.
ME: Mentioned about my intension about coming back to India and working here in Systems domain and explained what systems actually is.
VO: I didn’t understand a word you said about the domain but I believe you😁
VO: Study hard, have a pleasant stay in Madison.
ME: Thanks you, have a good day.

 

#008

VISA Experience
===============================================

Date: 4th June, 2018
Consulate: Chennai
Slot: 9:45 AM
Status: Approved
VO: Chilled out VO of probably 30 to 35 yrs of age
Counter: 30.
In time: 9:45AM
Out time: 11:30 AM

Interview:
===============================================
**Greetings Exchanged with a courteous smile**

VO: Passport please?
Me: *handed over*

VO: F1, Okay.. Please hand over your I20
Me: *handed over*

VO: So, UFL! What other universities did you apply to?
Me: Mam, I applied to 10 Universities and got admits from 7 of them.

VO: (Impressed) That’s great congratulations!
Me: Thank you, Mam!

VO: So you are going to UFL, What was your second preference?
Me: Mam, my second choice was UB.

VO: Any particular reason for choosing UFL over UB?
Me: Mam, to be frank, Course structure, Subjects and Curriculum wise both of them were same, what made me choose UFL over UB was their renowned faculty like Dr. Sahani, Dr. Raka and Dr. Dobra. They are experts in the domains like ML, Data Structures and AI. Also, UFL has a dedicated research lab for Data Science, the specialization I’m highly interested in (Interested in Data Science was cooked up, as I wanted to skip ending up in the TAL list by saying AI and ML again.)

VO: How are you sponsoring your education?
Me: My parents are sponsoring my education, both my parents are doctors in the Indian gov, also I’ve (interrupted by the VO).

VO: What are your future plans after graduation?
Me: Mam, my plan is to return to India and work as a Data Scientist.

VO: Congratulations! your Visa is approved.
Me: Thanks a lot mam, Have a nice day!

===============================================

Notes:
======

* He did NOT check any documents except Passport and I20.

===============================================

* The obvious – stay confident and courteous.
* DO NOT volunteer information. AT ALL. It’s his job to ask what he wants to know. Let him.
* Don’t be afraid to ask/point out something.
* Try to skip getting into the TAL list, i saw 2 students getting the pink slip and 1 getting a blue one.

 

#009

Visa interview experience

Mumbai
Middle aged man in his 30s

Q: hey how you doing today?
A: good morning, a little tired due to the 3 hour delay
Q:what will you be studying at Drexel?
A: I’ll be doing my graduate studies in cybersecurity
Q: how many schools did you apply to?
A: I had applied to seven universities
Q:what was your GRE score?
A: 316
Q: who’s gonna sponsor your education?
A: my mother and my maternal uncle moreover I have a student loan and the dean’s fellowship from Drexel
Q: what does your uncle do?
A: <briefly stated his occupation>

Okay, your visa has been approved, congratulations, have a great day

 

#010

Visa Experience

Date: 1st June, 2018
Consulate: Mumbai
Time Slot: 10 a.m.
Interview Time: 11:15 a.m.
Duration: 3 minutes approx.
University: Clemson University
Program: M.S. Automotive Engineering
Status: Approved

Me: Hello, morning!
VO: Hey morning! How’re you?
Me: Excellent, hope you’re too!

VO: Please pass me your I-20, passport and SEVIS Fee Receipt.
Me: Here they are.

VO: Clemson Automotive, eh? That’s interesting. Why did you make this choice?
Me: Only a few Universities in the US offer a direct master’s program in Automotive Engineering and even fewer offer it with a specialisation in Hybrid Powertrains. Clemson is one of them. Also it has a comfortable student to teacher ratio of 17:1. This program will imbibe within me critical problem solving skills and a business acumen required to thrive in an automotive industry.

VO: Clemson is expensive. How are you going to plan your accomodation?
Me: Actually Automotive Engineering courses are to be taken at a campus 40 miles away from Clemson main campus, in the Greenville City. There the prices are even higher. But I have enough funds and savings and moreover the apartments complexes there allow room sharing.

VO: Great! How’re you gonna manage your funds?
Me: My father is sponsoring me primararily. His annual income is 28 lakhs rupees and we have family savings of about the same amount. Apart from that…(was gonna talk about the loan but he interupted.)

VO: So what does your father do?
Me: He works with New Holland Tractors as All India Technical Training Head.

VO: I’m sorry but what’s that again?
Me: He’s the head of the training department responsible to train the dealers all over India and arranging technical workshops in remote places for the consumers.

VO: So I assume you’re on his line (laughed). I mean as an automotive engineer, he must be.
Me: Totally!

VO: When did you graduate?
Me: May 2017

VO: Tell me about your previous education.
Me: I have completed my Bachelor’s program in Mechanical Engineering at Pune University with distinction. Few of my.. (was about to tell him my important subjects but there he goes again.)

VO: Are you working right now?
Me: Not right now. I was interning at Devise Electronics on Battery Management Systems Intergration in Electric Vehicles. I discontinued my internship in March this year.

VO: So the Personal Funds which you’ve shown in your I-20 are your savings from your salary? (It was actually the loan sanction amount)
Me: No, sir! (We both laughed) I would’ve taken light-years to save that much. That’s the loan.

VO: So what exactly are these amounts in the name of Personal Funds and Family Funds, on your I-20?
Me: Okay so the personal funds is the loan sanction amount and family funds are the savings which my dad is sponsoring me.

VO: Fair enough! So do you have any properties to back up your finance?
Me: Yes my parents own a few properties in Pune and Hyderabad. (He waited looking at me so I started speaking again) Sir, do you want me to show the valuation reports?

VO: Not needed. Just give me a minute. (He typed something in his computer for a minute and talked to me meanwhile). By the way, my younger son studies at Clemson, B.S. Mechanical.
Me: That’s good to know.

VO: So I’m approving your Visa application. Greenville is really a liveable city. All the best and enjoy your stay in the United States.
Me: Thank you, sir. And you have a great day!

The VOs are there to approve your application unless you give them a reason not to do it. Answer positively with specifics to avoid further questions on the particular topic. Try having an active conversation with them instead of a serious Q&A session.

 

#011

Consulate: Mumbai
University – State University of New York, Buffalo. (Master’s Biomedical Engineering)
Slot: 10.45 am a slot
Counter Number: 28
Status: *Approved*

VO- Pass me your passport.
Me- Good Afternoon. (Passed the I-20, sevis fee receipt, passport).

VO- No just the passport
Me- Okay

VO- Purpose of visit?
Me- To pursue Masters in Biomedical Engineering from State University of New York, Buffalo.

VO- What does your parents do?
Me- My mother is an Electrical Engineer working as Additional Executive Engineer (AEE) for Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company and Father is a mechanical Engineer working as Senior Manager- Design and Development for Hercules Hoist Ltd Bajaj group of companies. (Paused for 10 seconds and was going to say about the savings and loan but VO interrupted me)

VO- Don’t need that, your visa is approved (kept my passport)
Me- (With big smile) Thank you so much.

No other documents were asked

 

#012

US visa experience…
Consulate :Hyderabad
Date : 31 may 2018
Slot time : 10 AM
University : University of central missouri
MS : industrial Management
Status : Approved.

I reached there by 9.0 A.M and went in the consulate at 10:00and was out by 10.45 A.M

.Vo: Good mrg, how are you?
Me: good morning Sir. I m great,How r u?
Vo: good.
Vo: So ucm?
Me: yes sir
Vo: which course?
Me: industrial Management Sir.
Vo: Yeah.
Vo: What is ur UG Percentile?
Me: 77 Sir.
Vo: Any backlogs
Me: No Sir
Vo: Whats ur GRE
Me: 296
Vo: What did you do in UG?
Me: mechanical engineering
Vo: How are you Funding?
Me: I have an education loan of 20l sanctioned from vijaya bank, and a savings of 8L.
Vo: typing typing typing…gave my I20
Vo: Good Luck.
Me: Thanks Sir. Have a good day!

 

#013

My Visa Experience.
Status: Approved
Date : 31/5/18
Appointment time : 09:45
Location: Mumbai Consulate
Reached the consulate by 09:10.
Counter no: 30
Interview time : 12:07

Me: Good afternoon sir. How are you today?

VO: Very good afternoon. I’m fine. How are you?

Me: I am fine sir. (Passed the I20, SEVIS fee and passport before he could even say something😅)

VO: Which school are you going?

Me: Portland State University.

VO: your major?

Me: Electrical and Electronics Engineering.

VO: Major in undergrad?

Me: E&TC

VO: Any other schools you applied to?

Me: applied to 6, I got admits from 5 and 1 reject.

VO: Name them.

Me: Named them.

VO: How are you funding?

Me: My father is funding my education. We have savings of RS. XX lakhs and I have taken an education loan of RS. XX lakhs.

VO: What are you doing now? Studying or working?

Me: I was studying for my GRE and TOEFL . And then applied to universities. I am studying now as well.

VO: What does your father do?

Me: He works in the state government of Maharashtra

VO: Congratulations, your visa is approved. Please collect it from the address mentioned on your appointment confirmation.

Me: thank you so much sir. Have a nice day.

Raced out of the consulate😃

The entire interview lasted for only about a minute or two. I was smiling continuously while talking. It was just like a casual conversation. Needed only 3 docs, passport, I20, SeVIS fee. Confidence is the key. Do not speak something that can get you into trouble. All the best to the people appearing for their interviews. 😁

 

#014

VISA Experience.
Mumbai Consulate.
Masters of Architecture.
University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
Slot: 9:30 AM (got done by 11:15)
Status: Approved
Interview Time: Less than a minute. Maybe 30-45 seconds at the max.

Exchanged pleasantries (good morning, how’s you?)
VO: Why are you going to the US?
Me: To pursue Masters of Architecture program at UMNTC.

VO: What is your undergrad major?
Me: Architecture. Bachelors of Architecture.

VO: Who’s sponsoring your education?
Me: My father is sponsoring me and …(interrupted)

VO: What does he do?
Me: He is an architect, and he runs his own architecture firm called X. (Find X)

Long Pause.

Me: Oh I also have a secured education loan (interrupted again)

VO: Your visa is approved, have a nice day ahead!!
Me: Thank you very much!! Have a great day!

 

#015

#VISA EXPERIENCE
Status: Approved
Consulate: Hyderabad
Date : june 4th, 2018
Slot time: 10:00
Counter no: 9
Passport was handed to VO by the volunteer I’ve been waiting in the queue for so long.. Although no one’s infront of me. Then, she asked me to move forward.

Me: Good Morning Ma’am.
VO: Good Morning.(passed i20 sevis etc)
VO: so you’re going to the University of Cincinnati?
Me: Yes ma’am.
Vo: how many universities have you applied
Me:- told
Vo:-how many admits.
Me:- 4 admits and 2 rejects. Ma’am
VO: how are you going to manage your funds..
Me: My father is funding me and i have loan of xx from credila and i have got a scholarship from the university.
VO:- what does your father do?
Me:- He’s an advocate ma’am.
VO: One moment please..
Me:- Yes, ma’am
she was typing something and talking to other person who is also at the counter..He was explaining something on my i20 to her..silence for 5 mins..
VO: is your stream same as that youre going?(CS)
Me: no ma’am its ECE
VO: Whats your Gre?
Me: its 301 with an IELTS score of 7.5.
Vo:- what’s your percentile.
Me:- its 72% with distinction.
VO: any backlogs
Me: no ma’am.
VO: what do you wanna do after masters
Me: i wanna be a machine learning engineer maam.
VO: what is machine learning
Me: told some stuff (though i fumbled)
VO: she’s typing again..
Me: i was just standing there smiling
VO:- dropped the passport into a tub there
VO: gud luck your visa is issued..and said something showing my i20
Me: i couldnt hear anything after listening those golden words..then i said “you made my day ma’am”
she smiled and i ran out of the consulate.

 

#016

Had my VI today. Lasted for 30 seconds including my walk to the counter, 24 I guess, Mumbai Embassy. So I went forward and wished him good morning and after asking me to pass my passport and i20, he seemed to have softened a bit after reading the word Clemson on the i20.
VI: So what do you know about Clemson?
Me: It’s one of the largest universities in the US and one of the best for Automotive Engineering across the world. The ongoing research work at the University in automotive engineering completely meshes with my own research ambitions into diverse fields such as autonomous vehicles and electric and hybrid powertrains. I think that is the future of the car and I want to be very much a part of building it. And studying at Clemson would help me achieve my goals.
VO: So you’re gonna major in Automotive Engineering?
R: Yes, absolutely.
VO: Great. which field did you complete your Bachelors in?
R: Mechanical Engineering. I think specialising in Automotive Engineering would help me achieve my goals, rather general Mechanical Engineering.
VO: OK great. So how are you going to sponsor your education?
R: My father is going to sponsor my education. we have liquid Assets of…(he interrupts me)
VO: What does he do? Where does he work?
R: He is a ABC at 123.
VO: Ok I am approving your visa and you may collect your passport when you receive the SMS in 3 to 4 days. You are going to have lots of fun in South Carolina.
R: Oh I am definitely looking forward to it. Thank you and have a nice day.

#017

#visaExperience

Date : June 1
My slot : 10:30 AM
Place : Hyderabad
Status : Visa Accepted

Reached consulate by 9:15 and completed whole process by 12:00

Waited in the long queue and can see many f1 visa students.
Me : A very good morning officer and how are you?
Officer : I am good.

Questions:

1. Why r u going for United States?
   A. To pursue masters in computer (ds) at USC Los Angeles
2. What’s ur GPA?
   9.18
3. What’s ur GRE?
   310
4. Who is funding ur education?
   A. My parents are sponsoring with savings *** and I got a sanctioned education loan of *** from Andhra bank
5. What does your parents do and there monthly income?
6. Blah Blah Blah

Officer : Congratulations…your visa is accepted…

Me : you made my day…🤩

 

 

#018

Visa interview experience :
Kolkata consulate.
29 May, 9:30 am slot.
Reached at 8:50 am. Huge queue outside. No sitting area or restrooms, and the heat is sweltering. Prepare accordingly. Waited till 9:45 to get the call. DS-160 and passport checked at entrance. Then after going inside, usual checks.
Entered consular affairs building. Got passport barcode scanned and fingerprints checked at the biometric counter. Then was waiting in queue again. 3 counters in total, all VOs female. My VO approved 2 people before me.
VO: Good morning.
Me: Good morning (passed I-20, passport and DS-160)
V: Don’t need this (passes back DS-160)
Okay so what are you going to study?
Me: PhD in Materials Science and Engineering in UIUC.
VO: Could you tell me a bit more about your area of research?
Me: In my undergraduate, I worked on zinc oxide synthesis and it’s application in water purification, so I think I’d like to carry my work further to develop a practical device out of it.
VO: Could you elaborate a bit? Like what is the practical application of your work?
Me: Well, textile industries use a lot of dyes which are carcinogens, and zinc oxide can degrade those dyes to purify polluted water to make it potable. So I think I can manufacture a low-cost device for water purification in underdeveloped countries, as ZnO is cheap.
VO: Okay. So why UIUC?
Me: Well, I applied to 8, 4 admits and 4 rejects, this was one of my ambitious choices, dept well reputed, plus HoD also works in my field and I’m getting full funding.
VO: (laughing at the full funding part) That’s an important thing for sure!
Me: Yeah 😅
VO: From where did you do your UG?
Me: Indian Institute of Technology, BHU, Varanasi.
VO: (types some more) I’m approving your visa, take your I-20 with you when you travel. You’ll get an SMS when your passport is ready.
Me: Thank you ma’am.

 

#019

Visa consulate : Hyderabad
Date : May 31 ,10 AM
Counter : 12

It was a busy day. Although the slot timing was 10 am, I was waiting for my turn till 10:25.
Waiting just amplified the tension in the air. But a light conversion with others around helped . Finally my turn arrived after vo grilled an old man who overstayed his previous trip. (Just the way to spice up things !!she looked indignant)

Me : gud meng mam
Vo : gud mrng. How are we today ?
Me : gud Thnk u
Vo: so when did u graduate ?
Me : 2011
What did u do till now ?
Me : I have prior 4.5 yrs exp in tcs n Wells Fargo n since then m staying on h4 in the US.
Vo : so your I 20 shows scholarship , what is your gre score?
Me : 311 with 163 in quant.
Vo : good. What do u wish to specialize in ur course ?
Me : I m very much interested in data science esp its scope in health sector .
Vo : why health care ?
Me: I worked with davita. The data analytics n machine learning can help better patient outcare and diagnostics .( something along that train of thought..)
Vo: interesting. So ur husband is sponsoring ?
Me : yes. My husband has xxx savings n annual income of xxx and also I have scholarship of 16000$ n offer of Graduate assistantship.
Vo : looks like you are all set. Study hard n enjoy your stay
Me : thank you for the opportunity.

 

#020

Visa Experience –
Delhi Consulate
Status : Approved
Date/Time : June 1 / 10.45 am
Interview Time: 11.45 am

The Visa officer was a tall guy in his late 20s.

Me: Hi. How are you?
VO: Good. Pass the passport and I20.
**passed**
VO: How many universities did you apply to?
Me: 6
VO: How many admits?
Me: 3
VO: why UTD?
Me: Because it has good courses in the program and also only UTD is offering me all the courses that I want to complete. Other universities dont have all the courses.
VO: Ok. How will you pay for the program?
Me: My parents have saving more than twice the i20 amount so that wont be a problem.
VO: Ok congrats! Enjoy your stay.
Me: Thanks a lot. Have a great day.

 

#021

My Visa Experience.
Status: Approved
Date : 31/5/18
Appointment time : 11:30
Location: Delhi Consulate
Reached the consulate by 10.10.
Counter no: 19
Interview time : 11.50

Me: Good afternoon Mam. How are you today?

VO: Very good afternoon. I’m fine. How are you?

Me: I am also fine mam, thank you.

VO: Please pass me your passport and i20.

Me: Sure.

VO: Why do you want to go to US?

Me: I want to go to US to puruse my master’s in Engineering Data Science.

Vo: Why MS?

Me: My dream is to become a data scientist and this degree will help me with it. In this technology evolving world, you need to keep updating yourself. This degree will help me sharpen my technical skills further in this field and will give me an edge over others so that when I return back to India I will easily get a data scientist job. American universities have perfect blend of theoretical and practical knowledge and are globally recognised whereas Indian education system lacks in practical knowledge and is just starting to grow machine learning and AI related fields, the US education programmes are way ahead in Data Science related fields.

VO: Your i20 says the major as Engineering, is there any specific concentration you would be focussing on?

Me: Yes mam. Data Science.

VO: Why did you choose this university?

(I heard – what do you know about this Univesrity)
Me: UB was founded in… (interrupted)

VO: No no, why did you choose this university?

Me: Oh, so sorry mam. The reason I chose UB is because of the curriculum it offers in the area of data and computing sciences.The course revolves around practical aspects of data, computing and analysis and is very much diverse and flexible. UB is a research intensive university and current research work going on there is higly impressive and given an opportunity I would love to learn and conduct researches under such professors.

Vo: Have you been assigned any professor for the research?

Me: No mam.

VO: How many Universities did you apply to and how many admits did you have?

Me: I applied to 6 universities and had admits from 4 and rejects from 2.

VO: Can you name them?

Me: SUNY Buffalo,PennState-Great Valley,IIT Chicago,UTD,Minnesota,CMU (mentioned full names)

VO: Which campus did you apply to in Minnesota?

Me: Main Campus.

VO: What is that?

Me: Stopped for 2 seconds and answered Great Valley.

(I knew it was wrong but I just could not recall. VO started smiling.)

Vo: Why did you choose this university over others?

Me: The course offered exactly matches my interest. The course is really flexible and diverse. Apart from that, the research work being done is excellent, specially by Ken Regan. He is currently working on detecting cheats in a chess Game and I really liked his approach. In other universities, some of the courses are online and I am someone who still believes in Classroom teaching.

VO: What was your undergraduate stream?

Me: It was computer science and engineering.

VO: When did you finish it?

Me: In 2012.

VO: What have you been doing since then?

Me: I worked with TCS for close to 3 years as an ETL Developer and Analyst both. Then I joined Macquarie and worked for 10 months. I joined Dunnhumby after that and have been working with it for past 2 years as an ETL developer.
(explained a bit about what my current role).

(While she was typing for sometime, I recalled the main campus of Minnesota.)

Me: Mam, the main campus of Minnesota is Twin Cities. I got a bit confused earlier.

VO: (with a smile) Yes, I know, don’t worry.

VO: Who is sponsoring your studies?

Me: My parents are sponsoring me. They have savings of XX lakhs and I also have savings of close to XXakhs. Apart from that, my father earns XX lakhs per annum and still has 6 years of job left.

Vo: What do your parents do?

Me: My father works as a Senior Manager in IFFCO (full name) company and my mother is a home maker.

VO: Do you have any siblings?

Me: Yes mam. I have a younger sister.

Vo: What does she do?

Me: She works with Deloitte.

VO: What is your father’s annual income, again?

Me: its XX lakhs per annum.

VO: (making and maintaining eye contact this time)What are your plans after graduation?

Me: My career goal is to become a data scientist, post which I will return back to India and given an opportunity I will join my current company. If not, India has no dearth of opportunities. I will easily get a data scientist job here. Moreover, my family is here and I can’t stay away from them.

VO: Will you be staying On-campus?

Me: Yes mam.

VO: Bring this document(i20) during immigration. Your Visa is issued

Me: Sorry mam.

VO: Your visa is issued. Please bring this document during immigration.

Me: Thank you so much mam. You made my day.

Vo: (with a big smile) no problem. Have a great day.

Me: Thank you again.

 

#022

*VISA EXPERIENCE*

Consulate :Hyderabad |
10 AM slot |
University :Arizona State University
Status : Approved .

Reached there by 8 :45 . And there was a long line  . And was sent inside the consulate by 9 : 15 . Again a queue and again a queue ..😐😑😅
Finally they sent inside.
Visa officer was kevin peterson dopplerganger but bit short and fat . 😅😅

Vo: please come forward

VO: Good Morning and How are you ?
Me: Good mrng sir . How are you
( At this point I understood . I didn’t replied him i was fine . **🤔😌)
VO: So going for Arizona state . huh.
Me: yes sir .
VO: what is your undergraduate Gpa.
Me: 68% sir .
VO: What’s your Gre ?
Me: 310 sir with 163 in quant .
VO: any backlogs .
ME: yes sir . 3
VO : why 3 .
Me : started saying a prepared answer . Interrupted ..😒
Vo: what’s ohms law .
Me: voltage is proportional to curre…Again interpreted . 😕
Vo : who is funding your education .
Me : Both my parents are funding my education . Apart from that I have a educational loan of 31 lakh .
Vo : what do your parents do .
Me: my dad works in a mnc and my mom …. Interrupted .
Vo: Good luck . And gave my i20 .
Me: ** I was like. … thats it. Atleast say congratulations your visa is approved bro ***
but replied thanks and ran out of embassy .

 

#023

Location : Hyderabad Consulate
Date:May 31st
Slot : 10.30am
Interview happened at 11.45am
Counter 12.
VO was a young lady.
Dint get a chance to wish her a good morning.
VO: passed out in which year ?
Me:2013
What have you been doing since then?
Worked for so & so
Vo: what was your salary?
Me: xx k pm
VO: how much for an year?
Me: xx lakhs pa
Vo:so u r going for an MBA ?
Me: yes ma’am
VO: what all univ did you consider.
Me:I mentioned UTD,UTA,UNT,texas A &M commerce …(I used the abbreviations only for the first 3)
VO: points to my folder in my hand and says savings?
Me: yes maam and I also have a loan of 20L from SBI
VO: how much savings
Me: 33,20,000
VO:Do they include FDs and SBs
Me:yes
VO: who is funding your I20 amount..
Me: my parents.
Vo: what does your dad do?
Me: Research officer for so and so
VO: what’s his salary Me:1.5L pm
Vo:so it is an 18 L pa?
Me: yes maam
Vo:what does your mom do?
Me: homemaker
Vo: what’s your dream job?
Me:I want to be a Market Research Analyst
Vo:ok
VO:how are you going to fund your 2nd year?
Me:I have enough funds that cover my I20 amount for 2yrs
VO.Congratulations I am.keeping your passport please collect your I20 you will require it later.
Me:Thank you very much maam

Undergrad: Btech ECE
My GRE 290 (waived off – got an admission based on undergraduate GPA 3.33/4)
My TOEFL 87
Had 5 backlogs in the initial 2yrs which I cleared

 

#024

Date:-04/06/18
Place:-hyderabad
Time:-10:00 am
College:-University of Dayton
Course :- CS
Status:- Approved

Me:- hello officer.good morning.
Vo:- good morning,give me your i20
Me:- sure Sir
Vo:- which year pass out
Me:- 2018
Vo:- Gre score
Me:- 291
Vo:- under graduation%
Me:- 69%
Vo:- any backlogs
Me:- only 1 which I have cleared in next attempt
Vo:- do you have a loan
Me:- yes,20L of education loan
Vo:- what’s your father
Me:- business man
Vo:- what kind of business
Me:- he is the proprietor of snack hub bakers and confectioners.
How many branches?
Me:-2 branches
Vo:- how many works under your father
Me:- 5 in each branch
Vo:- income?
Me:- 7LPA
Vo:- do u have siblings
Me:- no( but I have a elder brother studying MS in Australia)
Vo:- your visa is approved
Me:- thank you sir,have a great day
Vo:- you too

 

#025

Visa experience
Date: 04.06.2018
Visa consulate: Kolkata
Slot: 9.15 am
Visa status: approved
Reached the consulate at 8.30 am and security guards ask me to stand in the queue outside the consulate from 8.50 am . Entered the consulate around 9.05 am and was done by 9.10 am.
VO was a young lady in her late 20s.
Accepted one business visa before me.

Vo: come forward
Me: goodmorning ma’am
Vo: pass me your passport and I20
Me: ya sure
Vo: what is your highest qualification?
Me: M.phil in Economics from the university of Calcutta
Vo: so, you are going for PhD in Economics?
Me: yes
Vo: said something but I couldn’t hear
Me: sorry ma’am
Vo: is it fully funded?
Me: yes ma’am
Vo: okay. Have a nice stay and kept my passport
Me: thank you. Have a nice day
Vo: thank you

 

#026

Visa Experience

Mumbai Consulate
Time:9:45 am

VO was a guy. Could not judge his age.

VO: Pass me your i-20 and passport.
Me: passed. Do you need Sevis fee receipt too?
VO: It’s okay. It’s not required
VO: Sir, you are going for Computational Science at Indiana University?
Me: It’s also called Data Science and i will be going for that course.
VO: So how are you going to finance your studies?
Me: My parents will be sponsoring me. They have savings of X lakhs and I have a loan from Prodigy Finance for $81,800.
VO: What are the conditions of the loan?
Me: Rate of Interest is 9.74% and tenure is 15 years.
VO: Are you considering any other schools?
Me: Nope. I have admits from 6 universities and rejects from 2.

Was gonna explain more about the cirriculum. But VO interrupted me.
VO: Sir, I don’t need to hear anything else. Your visa is approved!

Passed me a slip telling how to collect passport.

Me: Thank you. You made my day!

 

#027

Consulate : Mumbai
Time slot : 9:30
University : SUNY BUFFALO, CS
Visa Status : APPROVED.
Date : 29/may/2018

Visa officer , a lady in her early 30s.

Me : with a big smile ,Hello ma’am, good morning.
VO: good morning , please pass me your passport.

VO: what is your age sir.
Me: I am ** years old.

VO: What is your undergraduate stream :
Me: Information technology

VO: So how long have you been working at Accenture.
(I guess they got this information from my DS160)
Me: For almost 3 years ma’am .

VO: So what do you do for Accenture.
Me : told about my projects I’ve worked on there as a Java resource.
(VO seemed impressed)

VO: Is this your first job.
Me: yes ma’am I joined Accenture as a fresher.

VO: who is funding your education.
Me.: Ma’am my mother is funding my education. I also have a secured loan of ** rs.

VO : what does your mother do.
Me: Ma’am my mother retired 2 years back after working for 31 years as a professor in a state government college. She has a savings of **rs in liquid money and she currently is a pension holder.

VO: so which subject did she teach ?
Me: English

VO: sir your visa is approved. You’ll get a message to collect your passport in couple of days.
Me: Thank you ma’am. You made my day.
(Return back with a big happy smile).

 

#028

Visa Experience (Approved) :
Mumbai Consulate
CMU MS in Intelligent Information Systems (School of CS)

Before going in for the visa I was tensed about the high fees (i20 = $76000, had a prodigy loan), my sister being in the US and my dad being retired. But then again it was CMU, and it was an ML course so I did have good answers prepared about my earning potential and also an objectively strong work profile here. Actually, none of it mattered 😛

VO was an African American lady in her 30s, Greeted her good morning and began. Gave her my I20 and passport.
VO: So, you’ve been to the US before?
Me: Yeah, have been there twice to visit my sister.
VO: What is she doing there?
Me: Working at XX as an HR Advisor.
VO: Which course are you going for?
Me: MS in IIS, it’s curriculum is focused on ML and more specifically NLP.
VO: What’s Machine Learning? Is it related to CAD/CAM? (This was the first person I knew who had no clue what ML was, I guess hearing machine made her go all Mech on me 😛 I hadn’t really prepared a definition of ML, so came up with something a little random )
Me: Uh no, CAD/CAM is actually Mechanical Engineering. My course comes under the domain of Computer Science. ML is a scientific discipline which involves the application of statistical and mathematical modelling towards computer science problems in order to make sense of the deluge of data all around us today.
VO: How’re you managing your finances?
Me: My parents are sponsoring me and I also have my personal savings, cumulatively the savings are worth X(more than the i20 amount). And ..(was going to metion the education loan but she cut me off)
VO: What do your mom and dad do?
Me: Dad was an Executive Engineer at the Maharashtra State Electricity Board and mum wasn’t working. (Strategically used ‘was’, so as to wait for her to ask further questions about his current status. But she didn’t!)
VO: Your visa has been approved.
Me: Thanks a lot 🙂

She pretty much had a straight face for the entire

 

#029

Visa interview experience

Consulate : Mumbai
Slot : 9:30 am
Status : Approved

VO was a guy (age : Late 20s)

VO: Smiles, and said Good morning please pass me your passport, i20 and SEVIS.
Me: Passed the documents.
VO: Oh, so you’re going to UC Berkeley! Which all universities did you apply?
Me: 5 and admitted to 2 of them. (Named them)
VO: How are you going to fund your studies?
Me: Majorly my personal savings, family savings and I also have a loan approved for both the years from Prodigy finance.
VO: Oh, I see you’ve worked at Facebook. Now I see how you would’ve saved so much for your masters 🙂 (said and smiled)
Me: Yes, you got it right!
VO: Alright, I’m approving your visa. Have a nice stay in the US. Berkeley is a beautiful city and UC Berkeley is a great university.

Didn’t ask for any document, nothing about loan nor about savings. Hardly took 1-2 mins.

Just smile and be confident. It works!

 

#030

VISA INTERVIEW

Status: Approved

Mumbai Consulate

Appointment Date: 17th May

IN time:8:45 am
OUT time: 10:00 am

The girl just before me got rejected and the VO is completely straight faced… 🤦🏻‍♂

VO: Good Morning
Me: Good Morning sir

VO: Pass me your i20, passport

Me:Passed

VO: Ohh so u r going to Suny Buffalo it seems. Are you sure… I have never heard anyone going to Buffalo for studies..
(well this was a trick question rather… coz Suny Buffalo is pretty famous)

Me: Sir, I liked the curriculum and I feel its better than the other universities from which I have got admit.

VO: Again asking then y Buffalo..

Me: Coz of the subjects like. …………… which aligns to my intrests

VO: how are u sponsoring your Masters?

Me: Parents and Loan.

VO: What does your parents do?

Me: Told

VO: And in which organisation your dad works? And what they do?

Me: Told accordingly

VO: Have you ever been outside India?

Me: told

VO: Have u bought any financial documents?
Can u show me?

Me: Gave the financial summary sheet to him.. (this sheet comprises of all the funds mentioned together in INR and Dollars, basically made for the convenience)

VO: Took a long long break of almost 50sec. and simultaneously typing and typing…

I am approving tour Visa .. Congratulations… Have a nice stay…

 

 

#031

Consulate – Hyderabad
Visa officer – Lady in her late 20s
Counter no. – 13
Status – Approved

Me: Good morning, ma’am!
VO: Good morning! Pass me your i20 and passport!
Me: Sure, ma’am!
VO: What are the universities you applied to?
Me: Ma’am, a total of 5 universities. UNT, NWMSU, SUNY IT, Wichita and GVSU.
VO: Why UNT?
Me: Ma’am, beacuse there are very few universities in US which offer game programming, and UNT is one of them…*Interrupted*
VO: Game Programming? What are its future prospects(Something similar to this)?
Me: Yes, ma’am. The future prospects of Game programming are huge. Games are being played on all kinds of devices.. like phones, watches and TVs. So there’ll be no fall in demand for game programming in the future.
Vo: What’s the course curriculum like?
Me: Ma’am, to get a master’s degree we have to get 36 credit hours. There are various specializations to choose from, like game programming, database management, cyber security and software development. And in each semester we have to take a minimum of 3 subjects, where each subject is of 9 credit hours…*She interrupted*
VO: 9 credit cours?
Me: Oh, sorry ma’am. It’s 3 credit hours!
VO: Okay! Tell me some subjects in game programming.
Me: 3D game programming, Game math, 2D game programming, advanced game programming!
VO: When did you graduate?
Me: I recently finished my exams, ma’am! I’ll graduate in the month of june!
VO: What are your academics?
Me: I scored 60%, ma’am!
VO: Will it increase in the final year(Something similar to this)?
Me: Yes, ma’am! I’m sure my marks will increase in the final year.
VO: How can you be so sure?
Me: Because, in the final semester we had to develop an app! Everyone loved my app, that’s why I’m so sure, ma’am!(This wasn’t true)
VO: What was the app about?
Me: I developed an app called Gremonics, it’s bascially a collection of Gre words and it’s related meanings and mnemonics.(This wasn’t true either)
VO: Do you have any backlogs?
Me: Yes, ma’am!I have 6 backlogs, out of which 5 were in the 1st year.
VO: Have you cleared them?
Me: Yes, ma’am. I cleared them in my next attempt!
VO: What are the admission requirements of your university?
Me: Ma’am, a minimum score of 147 in verbal and 153 in quants. And also, a minimum of 60%.
Vo: What are the sources of your funds?
Me: Ma’am, I took a bank loan of 17.5 lakh, and the rest of it is being sponsored by my mother!
VO: What does your mother do?
Me: She’s a central government employee, working as a head nurse in NIMS hospitals!
Vo: Which hospital?
Me: NIMS hospital, ma’am!
Vo: Where is it?
Me: It’s in panjagutta, ma’am!
Vo: What’s her annual income?
Me: It’s around XXX lakh, ma’am!
VO: Oh, okay! Is it a secured loan or an unsecured loan?
Me: It’s a secured loan, ma’am!
Vo: What’s the collateral?
Me: A land, ma’am!
Vo: What kind of land?
Me: A XXX sqr yards, open land!
Vo: How did your mother get it? Was it inherited?
Me: No, ma’am! She bought the land!
Vo: *With a shocking look* How did she manage to buy it?
Me: Ma’am, my mom is finacially sound, and also she’s very much interested in buying lands!
VO: Okay! Do you any siblings?
Me: Yes, ma’am! An elder brother!
VO: What does he do?
Me: He’s currently working in US on his OPT, ma’am!(Don’t lie about this if you have a sibling in the US.)
Vo: Oh, in which company?
Me: AT&T, ma’am!
VO: Since when?
Me: Since a year, ma’am!
Vo: Do you have a copy of his Visa?
Me: No sorry, ma’am. I didn’t get it!
VO: Okay, what’s his full name?
Me: Told!
VO: *She then started typing in her computer*
VO: Which state is he in?
Me: He’s in Dallas,Texas!!
Vo: Oh, so you both will be living together? *She became a bit cheerful from here*
Me: I haven’t thought about it yet, ma’am. But most probably I’ll stay on campus!
Vo: What does your brother tell you about Texas? *Smiling*
Me: Ma’am, he told me that the temperature in texas is similar to india… *interrupted*
VO: It snows in texas. You don’t know about the snow? *laughing*
Me: *I was a bit shocked*. I didn’t know about that ma’am(I was laughing, too. Because I wanted the Visa)
VO: What else did he tell you?
Me: He told me about the active music life in the city, and also about the cowboys and stuff!! *She started lauging, I don’t know why.*
VO: So you listen to music, what kind of music?
Me: Mostly Pop, ma’am!
VO: So what about your mother, will you leave her here all alone? *She started smiling*
Me: *Smiling* I’ll have to, ma’am. But I’ll come back for her obviously!
VO: *Smiling* I’m approving your visa, study hard!!
Me: Thank you very much, ma’am!!!

 

#032

My Visa Experience.
Status: Approved
Date : 31/5/18
Appointment time : 09:45
Location: Mumbai Consulate
Reached the consulate by 09:10.
Counter no: 30
Interview time : 12:07

Me: Good afternoon sir. How are you today?

VO: Very good afternoon. I’m fine. How are you?

Me: I am fine sir. (Passed the I20, SEVIS fee and passport before he could even say something😅)

VO: Which school are you going?

Me: Portland State University.

VO: your major?

Me: Electrical and Electronics Engineering.

VO: Major in undergrad?

Me: E&TC

VO: Any other schools you applied to?

Me: applied to 6, I got admits from 5 and 1 reject.

VO: Name them.

Me: Named them.

VO: How are you funding?

Me: My father is funding my education. We have savings of RS. XX lakhs and I have taken an education loan of RS. XX lakhs.

VO: What are you doing now? Studying or working?

Me: I was studying for my GRE and TOEFL . And then applied to universities. I am studying now as well.

VO: What does your father do?

Me: He works in the state government of Maharashtra

VO: Congratulations, your visa is approved. Please collect it from the address mentioned on your appointment confirmation.

Me: thank you so much sir. Have a nice day.

Raced out of the consulate😃

 

#033

Visa: Approved
Delhi embassy
Slot: 09.45. 11th may 2018.
Counter no :17
USC
Computer Science
I20 amount: 61652 usd

VO was a young lady around 30.

Me: good morning.
VO: good morning. What is your purpose of going to US.
Me: I want to pursue Masters in CS in Univ of Southern California

VO: Pass me your I20, Sevis fee doc and passport
Me: passed the docs
VO: USC is an expensive school, how are you funding?
Me: My parents are sponsoring my education. I have some savings and also I have a bank loan sanctioned of 25 lakh rupees.
VO: What do your parents do?
Me: Told
VO: how many people are employed in your father’s company?
Me: told
VO: what are their annual incomes?
Me: told
VO: Do u have any proof of your father’s income and also of the education loan?
Me: Yes and passed the sanction letter along with ITR of my father.
VO: (while checking the loan sanction letter) is this collateral one?
Me: No, this is non collateral one
VO: Then on what factors they give the amount?
Me: it is based on your good gre scores and family’s income and credit score
VO: (Started talking with the the other lady sitting beside and typing in between) What will be your dream job be like?
Me: I want to study about upcoming fields like Artificial intelligence and post masters i want to come back to India and work with startups (told 2 names) which are based in Bangalore as India has very high potential and growth in this upcoming field of artificial intelligence.
VO: (looks convinced but confused while looking at the father’s ITR document. Suddenly she switched off the mike and started discussing about the document with the colleague)
Me: (waited for 10 anxious long minutes while she was chatting with the colleague. From the lip sinc i could judge that she was not able to understand the document. Then she turned the page and there was IT computation which ai believe she understood. She again constantly typing and talking)
VO:(Switched on the mike)
Me:(abruptly). I have other savings document like PPf and mutual funds, if you want to look at
VO: No need. Your visa is approved. Have a nice stay at US.

 

#034

Visa experience
Date: 14-May-2018
Consulate: Mumbai
University: NC State
Course: MS in CS
Slot: 9:30
Counter number: 25
Status: Approved

VO was a male in his late 30s, while I was waiting for my turn, he (with a smiling face) asked me to come forward .

VO: Good morning (smiling)
Me: Very Good morning sir 🙂
Vo: please give me your passport, I-20 and Sevis receipt
Me: Passed everything
Vo: So NC State ? Why NC State ?
Me: Answered ( Keeping in mind all the factors..courses, faculty, reputation of the universtiy, etc etc…I chose NCSU)
( VO was looking into his system and typing something all the time I was answering)
VO: Great ? mmm…so what was your undergraduate in ?
Me: I did my Undergraduate in Information Technology.
VO: Okay..!! Who will be sponsoring you?
Me : My father is sponsoring me and I have taken a loan as well.
Vo: What does he do?
Me: He retired from a nationalised bank…(he wasn’t looking at me so I added about my fathers savings and annual income and since he is retired I told about my mother also who is working in a nationalised bank and told her annual income as well)
Vo: (handing me the I-20, sevis receipt and info leaflet) Congratulation, your visa has been approved. You will get a text message within next few days.
Me: (grinning face with smiling eyes) Thank you so much sir 🙂 Have a good day !

 

#035

Visa experience
Interview Date: 1st June
Consulate: Mumbai
Status: Approved
Slot: 9.30 am

Course: Master’s in Healthcare Administration
University: University of Houston, Clear Lake

I reached the consulate around 9 and was immediately asked to stand in the queue. After all the security check and fingerprint scanning done, and the huge slow moving line, got my turn for interview at almost 11.

VO: (With a straight face) Good morning
Me: Very good morning sir, how are you doing?
VO: Fine, thank you. Pass me your passport, i20 and sevis fee receipt.
Me: Sure sir( passed my documents)
VO: Which course?
Me: Master’s in Healthcare Administration
VO: Have you ever been to US before?
Me: Yes sir, twice. ( Opened my passport and saw the B1/B2 visa page)
VO: What did you study in your bachelors?
Me: Dental Surgery
VO: (couldn’t hear me properly so he asked for it again) Sorry what?
Me: Bachelor’s in Dental Surgery
VO: Which other universities you applied to?
Me: Hofstra University, University of South Florida and Central Florida
(Was typing something continuously)
VO: How did you find these universities?
Me: Sir, from CAHME accreditation websites and then individual university websites.
VO: okay, so how do you plan to fund your education?
Me: From my family assests of about XX crore
VO: Oh, what do your parents do?
Me: Sir actually my father is a construction builder and my mother assists him in his business.
VO: So, how did you decide to study Healthcare Administration?
Me: Due to my internship here in Advanced Multi specialty Hospital, Mumbai since November 2017
(Already put my passport in the box next to him)
VO: So you shifted here in mumbai?
Me: Yes sir, i have been traveling back and forth here.
VO: Ah nice.
Me: ( Smiled)
VO: Congratulations, Your visa has been approved! Have a great stay and good luck with everything.
Me: Thank you sir, have a nice day

 

#036

 

Crazy MUMBAI VISA Experience

Status: approved.
Time :9:30
Reached :8:15

Added into queue outside of Mumbai consulate at 8:45

Then assigned
Visa counter 32

Interview:
Me : good morning
Vo: give me your passport

Me : given
Vo: where are you going?
Me: California State University Fullerton
Vo: oh good good

Vo: how are you going to pay?
Me: didn’t clearly hear So asked what ?
Vo: how are you going to pay?
Me: me and my parents are sponsoring my education and we have taken education loan from SBI.

Vo: oh good,your visa is approved.
Me:thank you sir

 

#037

#Visa Experience
#Mine

Status-Approved
Mumbai consulate
4th June 2018
Appointment-9:30 AM
Counter-31

California State University Fullerton, MS in CS

VO-Hi, good morning, how are you?
Me-I’m fine sir. How are you?

VO-I’m good. Pass me your I-20, sevis and passport.
Me-(passed the documents)

VO-What is your GRE score?
Me- 297, 157 in quant.

VO-How many universities did you applied to?
Me-I’ve applied to 9 universities and got admit from 5.

VO-Who is going to sponsor your education ?
Me-My parents are sponsoring and I’ve taken a loan of xx lakhs

VO-What your parents do?
ME-Told.

VO-I’m approving your visa. Good luck.
Me-Thank you so much sir. You have made my day.

 

#038

Consulate : Chennai
Status : Approved
Time slot : 9:45 Am
Attempt : 2
Date: 23rd may

Waited around 30 mins outside the consulate

Went inside around 9:55 am

Done with security check and moved to other building. Was seeing very confident faces in the hall but i was little but nervous as this is my second attempt

Done with finger prints check at counter 18

Was standing in a long queue behind an old lady and watching the interviews ….. i heard there are more lady VO’s in chennai from some sources but i can see only one lady. i have seen a ~45 aged officer who dressed very well and he is in counter 22 ….

I heard that counter numbers 21 and 22 are famous for rejections (a myth i guess)

So i was thinking that i shouldn’t get that counter bcoz i m nt ready to face one more rejection.

Finally my turn has come

IT WAS 22 COUNTER 🙄😟🤪🤒🤔😕 (my situation at that time)

VO : come frwd gentleman
Me: hello sir good morning how r u doing

Vo: i m doing great. Please pass me ur i20 and passport
Me: here you go … passed

He was checking my previous VO comments and giving a discouraging expressions 🧐🧐🤔🤔😙😏😏

Vo: so u r gng to northwest
Me : yes sir

Vo: why r u gng to this univ ?
Me: my dream is to become a project manager in my organization TCS. And i was looking for a course work which has a blend of management and technology. I believe that this university offers a course work which s a best match for my interests and also for my work profile. I also recoeved a 1000$ scholarship from the univ. They are also offering a realtime project which will be very helpful for software prof like me once i m back to tcs.

Vo: ohh great you recieved only 1000$ scholar ship … dont you think that was a small amount just 1000$ 😏
Me: the amount never matters sir, but getting a scholarship from a US university will encourage me to reach my goals . Its no matter whether it is 1000$ or 100$

Vo : ya thats true , many students dont even get that.
Me: hmmm

Vo:Where r u working now
Me: i work for TATA.

Vo: wht benefit u l get studying ins usa?
Me: undoubtedly an advance degree from usa will strengthen my profile thatsy my company is emcouraging our employess by giving sabbatical leave and they want us to cme back and serve them …. so finally the company is getting benefitted (laughed)

Vo : laughed ya ya many companies do that

Vo: typing typing and again starting at the computer and ok i think your parents are retired now
So wat r u going to tell regarding ur funds
Me: sir my parents are financially strong and i dont think so their retirement will bcom a hurdle for me to reach my dream.

Vo: hmm ya ya ofcourse so how r u funding
Me: my parents are sponsoring me and i have an approved education loan.

Vo: whats their annual income
Me: (last tym i told it as bulk amount combined mom and dad income) my father earns around 7 lpa and mom around 4 lpa

Vo : how come they are earning some much after getting retired ?
Me : as they are retired from a high profile positions their pension is also high.

Vo: u have ur brother in USA?
Me : yes sir he is working on H1b

Vo: then u r also gng there who l take care of ur paremts?
Me: since i m going on a sabbatical leave i have to come back to india and join tcs and will be taking care of my parents.

Vo : ok tel me do u have edu loan?
Me : yes sir its for 25 lakhs

Vo : checking the i20 amount and tying somethingg
Did u ever go to us
Me: no sir this will be my first visit

Vo: What if i reject u now?
Me : i believe that i m eligible and i l re apply again

Vo: typing with right hand and placing his left hand on the 214b and 221g slips …..

Me : (was worried and feeling that i already have a 214b at my home so please dont give another one)

Vo: took my passport scanned it and told that $&:));&;&;&;&&&$&@&78

Me: sorry sir it was not audible
Vo: r u expecting a rejection 🤪🤪🤪
Me : laughed no sir it was not audible

Vo:your visa is approved bro have a nice stay in usa.
Me : 🤪🤩😱😂😂🤒 thanks a lot sir have a great day … btw ur dressing style 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

Vo: hu huuu huu thanku bro 👍🏻

No questions about my change in consulate and no other documents asked other than i20 and passport

 

#039

Visa interview date: 21 may 2018
US consulate Hyderabad
Interview time allotted:10:30.

I reached the consulate by 9:30 and was allowed inside. Had to deposit my mobile phone in one of the paid lockers outside for 100/- was allowed to carry my wallet inside. Once you are inside the consulate, your belongings are to be placed into a plastic tray and they will be scanned and physically checked. You are will not be physically frisked usually. On completion, you will be led to the waiting area after which your fingerprints will be scanned once again. After another round of waiting, you will be allotted windows for your actual visa interview. The officer allotted to me was a Caucasian male in his 40’s in a suit. Most people around me were anxious about their interview but I was anxious about my stomach growling as I was really really hungry. My passport was collected and passed onto the consular officer by one of the volunteers.
Me: Good morning
VO: please pass me your I20
*slipped it through the counter*
VO: what was your gre score?
Me: 313 sir
*VO was typing for a while*
VO: when did you graduate ?
Me: August of 2016.
VO: What have you done since?
Me: I’ve done my internship as a house surgeon from November of 2016 to November of 2017 and I’ve volunteered with Colgate, lion’s club and dente nova to conduct oral health screening camps throughout the city.
VO: what was your bachelor’s degree?
Me: bachelor’s of dental surgery sir.
VO: how did you get interested in public health.
Me: During my internship, we were posted in the public health dentistry for a month and during this month, we conducted oral health camps and educated people on the importance of maintaining oral health, I realised if I pursued clinical subjects, I would be treating one person at a time but in public health, I can educate communities at a large.
Vo: what financial assets do you plan on use for your studies?
Me: my father will be sponsoring my education he has liquid assets of 1.1 crores.
*VO types*
Vo :what does your father do?
Me: He’s a doctor.
*Vo types*
Vo: how do you plan on using your masters in the future?
Me: I plan to work with the ministry of health and family welfare of India and work to reduce the impact of communicable and non communicable diseases in India.
*Vo types*
Vo: congratulations, your visa has been approved.
Me: Thank you very much.

 

#040

*VISA INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE*
Consulate: Mumbai
Status: Approved
Date: 22nd May 2018
Slot: 09:15, was let in by 09:20; Exit: 11:15
Counter Number: 36
University: Clemson University, South Carolina
Course: MS in Industrial Engineering

I was assigned my respective counter for the interview by a staff member. There was a guy in front of me at the same counter. Presumably, there was some issue with his work related documentation. The Visa Officer was meticulously checking his documents. Took around 15- 20 minutes. He got his visa approved, after which I was called.

VO: Hi, please come. Thank you for patiently waiting. Well, if you are going to work in US, you got to have proper documents or that’s how long it’s going to take for your visa.
Me: No problem, sir. I understand.
VO: Alright, please pass your passport and I-20.
VO: Will you be applying for H1B visa after completing your Masters?
Me: No, sir. However, if I do get an opportunity, I would love to work in US for a couple of years with the top companies in my field before returning to India.
VO: Great! So, why Industrial Engineering?
Me: Well, my personal experience with this field came in during a field trip to Toyota Kirloskar Motor in the second year of my Bachelor’s degree where I was introduced to various principles imbibed by Toyota in their manufacturing process to reduce wastes and inconsistencies and maximize the performance. That’s when I started evaluating the possibility to take Industrial Engineering as a career. We also had courses like ‘Industrial Engineering and Management’ and ‘Project Management’ as a part of the curriculum which piqued my interest in this field.
VO: Ah, good! Which all universities have you applied to?
Me: (Told the complete names of all the universities I applied to)
VO: Who’s sponsoring your education?
Me: My parents would be sponsoring my education (Was going to speak about the loan but VO interrupted)
VO: What do your parents do?
Me: My father works as a XYZ at ABC and my mother is a housewife.
VO: Do you have any friends studying at Clemson?
Me: No, sir.
VO: Have you ever been to South Carolina?
Me: No, sir.
VO: Well, here’s your chance. I’m approving your visa. Have a good stay at US!
Me: Thank you, sir!

 

#041

New Delhi Embassy
25th May
10:00 am
University of Colorado Boulder- MS in Telecommunications

Allowed to enter the embassy at 9:45

Counter #2 – passport, i20 and sevis verification.
Counter#6 – fingerprints verified

Interview:
Counter #15 – Lady

VO: Good Morning. pass me your Passport.

Me: Good Morning ma’am. (Gave my passport, i20 and sevis. She got confused😂🤦🏻‍♂️)

VO: When did you Graduate?

Me: I haven’t graduated yet. I’ll be getting my degree in September.

VO: what did you study?

Me: I did my undergrad in Electronics & Communication engineering.

VO: Why do you want to do your masters in Telecommunications?

Me: The Indian telecom industry is booming right now and there is a high demand for highly skilled and specialised engineers. So, I would like to come back to India and work for a Major Telecom operator(Jio) in expanding their 5g network.

VO: How are you going to pay for it?

Me: My Parents are sponsoring me.

VO: what do they do and how much is their monthly income?

Me: My dad is the GM of X which is a govt Organisation. His annual income is X Lacs. My mother is an English Teacher at X and her annual income is X Lacs.

VO: hmm… Typing….. typing….. typing…. *10000 years later*….. typing….typing…..

Me: 😴😴😴😴

VO: your Visa is approved.

Me: 😴😴😴 Thank you😄

 

#042

Counter no. 34
Old but cool guy!

Me: Good morning sir..(smiled)
Vo: Thanks you.(I laughed in mind) 😂
Vo: Please pass your passport.
Me: gave i-20 and passport
Vo: Thank you.
Vo: why uta?
Me: faculty and courseware is excellent for comp sci. Also my senior has recommended this univ who is currently pursuing his masters at uta
Vo: which univs u applied to?
Me: told 5 univs names
Vo: how many admits you got
Me: 5 sir !
Vo: (big smile)
How you will manage your funds?
Me: my parents are going to sponsor me , also I have taken education loan
Vo: education loan too?
Me: yes sir (smiled)
Vo: It’s been 2 years u HV done ur bachelor?
Me: yes sir.
Vo: So you were working since then?
Me: yes, I worked as an trainee software engineer.
Vo: Do you have any sisters or brothers?
Me: yes I have 2 younger sisters.
Vo: younger sisters.. Okay.. Typed something 2 mins on computer
I was thinking might he is going to approve the visa.
Vo: congratulations your visa is approved…!!
Me: with big smile thanks sir HV good day

 

#043

Visa Experience
Chennai consulate
Date: 24-05-2018
Slot: 9:15am
Status: Approved
University: University of Colorado Boulder
Course: Masters in Telecommunication Engineering

I was there at 8:45, it’s more than enough if u go in half an hour early.
The VO was a lady in her late 50s
She approved a visa before me, but not an F1 Visa.

Vo: Good morning, please pass your I20 and passport.
Me: Good morning ma’am
(I passed my passport, I-20 )
VO: oh Boulder, nice…. Which course will u be going for?
Me: telecommunication engineering maam
VO took some time after this question and was looking into the computer
VO: did u apply to any other universities?
Me: yes ma’am, I applied to seven and got six admits.
VO: (impressed) that’s great, can you name them?
Me: sure ma’am(named)
Vo: wow that’s some real good universities!why UCB?
Me: got a great course curriculum all based on the state of art technologies like WiFi and 5g with oldest itp and state of art telecom lab. Also research under prof Kevin Gifford.
VO: Who will be funding you?
Me: parents, scholarship, loan.
VO: (impressed) what do Ur parents do.
Me: said both of them are professor’s.
VO: what’s their annual income?
Me: told her.
VO: great, your visa is approved, have a great stay! (Told me how she lived in Colorado and found boulder to be expensive)
Me: smiles! Thank you, Thank you so much ma’am, have a great day

 

#044

Me: with a big smile, Hello sir, good morning.
(VO asked me to wait and he switched off his Mic and started talking with his colleague, after a minute he started his Mic.)
VO: good morning, how you doing today? Sorry for the wait
Me: Good morning, I am fine, how are you?
VO: Good. please pass me your passport, I-20, and Sevis receipt
(Passed all three)
VO: So you are going to SUNY Buffalo ( he used the short form)
Me: Yes
VO: which course?
Me: computer science and engineering, Master’s sir
VO: (nodded and started typing for few seconds) what’s your GRE?
Me: 316
VO: How many universities you applied to?
Me: I applied to 7 unis. (Did not tell names)
VO: (continuous typing) how you are going to manage the funding?
Me: my father will be sponsoring me and I also have education loan.
VO: you have a loan, sir? (Typing continuously without looking at me)
Me: yes
VO: what does your father do?
Me: he is a lawyer at Solapur district court.
VO: (suddenly stops typing and looks at me) sorry…
Me: He is a Lawyer at Solapur district court(said loudly and clearly without breaking the eye contact with VO)
VO: typing again
After few seconds he looked at my i-20 and said ‘Ohk’…He kept my passport in a separate box and said …’ your visa is approved sir and all the best for your studies. Here you will find information about how you will get your passport’ and gave me a white pamphlet.
Me: thank you, sir, have a nice day.

 

#045

*MY VISA experience*
Location: Hyderabad
Status: Approved
Slot: 10 AM
Counter 10

Reached the consulate at 9AM but went in for the counters at 10:45 AM. The interview hardly lasted for 30 seconds. My passport was already taken by an assistant and given to the VO.

Me: Good Morning. How are you?
VO: Hi! Good morning. I’m Good.
Me: I’m Great.
VO: Aren’t you already staying in the US?
Me: No. I only went there once for my sister’s graduation last year.
VO: Oh cool. Can I have your I-20?
* Passed her the I-20 *
VO: So, Why Indiana University?
Me: Indiana University offers vast focus and research on Computational biology. So I can use the profound knowledge and insight acquired on advancing medical analysis when I get back to India.
VO: Nice. So, 42,000 dollars. Have you taken some bank loan?
Me: No, My father is sponsoring me with savings of xx DOLLARS.
VO: What does your father do?
Me: He’s a xx at xx company.
VO: What’s his annual income?
Me: It’s around xx DOLLARS per annum.
VO: Okay, Good luck at Indiana. Please collect your I-20.
Me: Thank you so much! Have a great day.
VO: Thank you. You too.

 

#046

Visa interview experience
Date- 21st May, 2018
Consulate – Chennai
University- Texas A&M university, college station(industrial engg)
Status – Approved
Time -11.15am
VO- male (age around 30) counter 28

Vo- good morning, please pass ur passport and he looked at my i20 so asked that also.

Me – passed

vo- so you are going to texas a&m. (He was impressed)

Me – yes sir

Vo – so why tamu?

Me- sir, texas a&m’s Industrial engineering program has been consitently ranked among the top 10 for the past 10years. Stopped me here..

Vo- which program?
Me- industrial engineering..

Vo- which other colleges u applied to
Me- ncsu, rutgers, asu, clemson

Vo- ok got it.. so why Industrial ?
Me- having done my bachelors from automobile and worked in the same field for 2yrs.. i had a clarity of what i want to achieve and pursue in life.
Stopped me here

Vo- u did bachelors in automobile?
Me – yes

Vo- u said u worked for 2yrs, where?
Me – renault nissan

Vo- what is ur role there?
Me- i am a design engineer working in BIW closures..

Vo- so what are your plans after ur masters.
Me- sir i plan to start my own company in manufacturing developing automobile components.

Vo- ok got it.. so how r u going to sponsor ur education?
Me- my father is going to sponsor. He has a savings of 24lakhs …stopped me here..

Vo- what does ur father do?
Me- he is the vice president of xx company and his salary is xx lakhs per year.

Vo- ok im approving your visa, have a nice stay.
Me- thank you with a big smile and ran away from there 😁😁

Actually the guy before me was being grilled a lot and he got administrative processing and the beside counters were being rejected so got nervous. But its the confidence that ultimately speaks! The guy before me was not clear in his speech and was talking very fast.

 

#047

Visa experience
Date : 31/05/2018
Time :9:30
Consulte: Chennai
Status : approved

Me : very good morning Mam !
Vo : pass me your i20 and passport.
Vo: where are you going ?
Me : university of North Carolina at Charlotte
Vo: what are you going to study there ?
Me : Information Technology (IT)
Vo: why do you wanna do that ?
Me : well right since from my 2nd year of btech I was very interested in CS subjects and when ever there is a chance for choosing an open elective I have choosen CS related subjects and mainly my major and minor projects are entirely software projects and that’s the reason I have choosed IT
Vo:what does your parents do?
Me: they both have a furniture business
Vo: what is their annual income?
Me : told
Vo : Are you taking any loan
Me : yes ,I have taken xx lakhs loan
Vo : okay . So after Ms what do you gonna do
Me :I am going to come back to India and work as an network security engineer as there is a lot of scope for them as now india is going completely digitalised
Vo: fine ,congrats your visa has been approved
Me :thank you Mam ,have nice day

 

#048

Consulate : New Delhi
Date : 24th may
Slot: 10.30 am
Counter No: 14
Univ: Clemson University (MS in Automotive Engineering)

Interviewer was cold af. Throughout all the counters, there were more rejections than approvals. I prepared myself for the worst.
Interview lasted for 1 min.

VO- Pass me your passport and i20.
Me- Good morning sir (and passed the documents).

VO- How are you funding your education?
Me- My father is sponsoring and I have an education loan sanctioned. (I did not tell the value for either of them).

VO- How many universities did you apply to?
Me- Two – Clemson and UoMich- Dearborn.

VO- What did you write in your Essay?
Me (I was dumbstruck as this was not the question I expected.)- Do you want me to tell you what I wrote in my SOP to Clemson?
VO- Yes!
Me- I wrote about my future ambitions. I want to work on improving the transportation system with an emphasis on electric drives. Clemson’s rich industrial tie-ups will improve my technical skills and give me the right industrial exposure.
(VO raised his eye-brows at the last statement).
(Sensing rejection, I continued) As we know that by 2030 Indian govt is planning to implement e-drives, there will be a huge demand for automotive graduates.
(VO got his eye-brows down and uttered those golden words-)
Alright, your visa is approved!

 

#049

Visa status : Approved
Course : MIS
Mumbai

VO was a young lady in her late twenties.
Conversation :
VO: What’s your undergraduate stream ?
Me: Electrical Engineering

VO: What’s your age ?
Me: 25

VO: How are you managing you finances ?
Me: I am using my family funds.

VO: What does your parents do ?
Me: Both are government employees.

VO: Ok! Your visa is approved.
Me: Thank you .

 

#050

Consulate: Mumbai
Date: 2nd Jan, 2018
Slot: 8:15 am
Status: Approved
The VO was a lady in her early 30’s rejected a visa right before me.
VO: Good morning!
Me: Good morning ma’am! Wish you a happy new year!.
VO: Happy new year, pass me the passport and I-20.
What other clg’s did you apply to other than Southern Methodist University (SMU)?
Me: San Jose State University (SJSU)?
VO: Did you get a admit from there too?
Me: No ma’am, my application is still under review.
VO: Why didn’t you wait for SJSU? You should have waited for it to reply and then decided on the college you want to go to.
Me: Ma’am I did wait for SJSU, I checked their portal a multiple times but they haven’t replied back yet with their decision.
Also ma’am I decided to select SMU mainly bcoz of 3 reasons:
1.They offer specialisation in wireless networks which is my area of interest
2. The student to faculty ratio of SMU is 11:1 which is excellent.
3. The courses are updated every year.
Also the alumni feedback is very good.
VO: (She seemed impressed here) That’s good, what does your dad do?
Me: He is going business from the past 17 years in XX field.
VO: How many people work under him?
Me: XX
VO: Do you have a education loan?
Me: Yes, I have a loan of XX lacs from SBI
VO: How much liquid assets does he have?
Me: He has liquid assets worth XX lacs, immovable property assets worth RS XX lacs.
VO: Okay and then she made me wait for around 2-3 minutes closed her window, was talking to her colleagues and was checking something on the PC and then came the golden words “Congratulations, your visa is approved”.
Me: Thank you ma’am, walked back with a smiling face

 

#051

My F-1 Visa Experience

University – Northeastern Univeristy, Boston
Consulate – Mumbai
Date – 25 May, 2018
Time – 9 A.M
Counter – 29
Status – Approved

I reached there by 7.45 A.M and went in the embassy at 8 A.M and was out by 9.05 A.M

Interview :

VO : Smiled at me
ME : Good Morning Ma’am
VO : Good Morning , please pass me your Passport, I-20 & SEVIS
ME : Passed
VO : How old are you ?
ME : I am 22 years old
VO : what is your highest education qualification?
ME : B.E in Civil Engineering
VO : who is funding your education?
ME : My parents are funding my education & we have an Education loan sanctioned from the Bank.
VO : What do your parents do?
ME : Ma’am they are government employees and working in a Government Institution.
VO : Ok i am collecting your passport. You will get the notification soon to collect your passport.
ME : Thankyou Soo much Ma’am ..!!

 

#052

F1 Visa experience
Chennai Consulate – Counter 26
June 1- 10.00 am slot
MS in CS at University of Southern California
Status: Approved

The VO was a lady in her late 30s or early 40s

Me: Good morning
VO: Hi pass me your passport (passed)
VO: Pass me your i20 (passed)
VO: Why do you want to go to USC?
Me: To do my Master’s in Computer Science

VO: What do your parents do?
Me: My Father is Assistant General Manager in SBI and my Mother is a housewife

VO: How are you planning to fund your studies?
Me: I have taken an education loan sanctioned for 50L and apart from that my family has personal savings worth 40L

VO: What will you do after completing your MS?
Me: After completing my MS I am planning to return back to India and work in one of the Machine learning based companies like MuSigma, Fractal Analytics and Citrix.

VO: (Smiled) Your Visa is approved. Please take your i20 back. You will be notified regarding the status of your passport.
Me: Thank you.

 

#053

Consulate:Chennai.
Time slot:11AM.
So this is my VISA interview experience:
VO was a polite guy and approved another guy’s F1 before me so i was pretty confident 😁
VO:How are you?
Me:Good sir,how are you?
VO:Please pass me your I-20 and passport. (I passed them.)
VO:So,University of Michigan dearborn huh?
Me:Yes.
VO:where else did you apply?
Me:Told him
VO: What’s your GRE score?
Me:305.
VO:Great!Who’s going to sponsor your education.?
Me:My father.
VO:Can you tell me about his income?
Me:He has an annual income of x lakhs,liquid assests of x lakhs,savings of x lakhs.
VO:Any loans?
Me:No,all personal funding.
VO:Wow,great father😂
Me:I smiled.
VO:Have u been to the US before.?
Me:Yes sir on a tourist VISA in the summer of 2014.
VO:You should have started the interview with that😂😂
Me:Yes sir😂
VO:Alright!I am approving your VISA.Thank you.
Me:Thank you sir.

 

#054

 

Name:Ameya Chilwar
Consulate:Mumbai
Date:11 may 2018
Slot:8:45 AM
Univ:University of Texas at Arlington
Status:Approved

Counter no. 36
A young and cool officer!

Me:Good morning Sir..(smiled)
VO:good morning.please pass your passport and i20.
Me:passed the two documents
VO:Why UTA?
Me:The faculty at uta is reknowned and the coursework is excellent.It provides core industrial engg modules as well as management based modules.
Also it is a tier 1 university in the United states.
VO:Which other universities hv you applied to?
Me:Told
VO:How will you manage your funds?
Me:My parents are sponsoring my education and I have also taken an education loan from a bank.
VO:What do your parents do?
Me:Told
VO:So which course are you currently pursuing?
Me:Mechanical Engineering
VO:You have mentioned German among the languages you know.
Can you speak German?
Me:Yes sir.I have done my A1 level certification in German language.But I can speak only basic level German😅
VO:(with a mischievous smile)Dont worry,it is not a part of our visa requirements.I asked you only because you have mentioned it in your application.😛
So do you know any seniors in Arlington?
Me:Yes I know a few of my seniors through whatsapp groups
VO:Are you planning to stay on campus or off campus?
Me:Off campus
VO:Any specific reason for off campus?
Me :Yes sir off campus apartments fit into my budget criteria.
VO:Okay.That’s cool.Have you been to America before?
Me:No sir
VO:(Typed something on the computer for the next few seconds)
Congratulations!Your Visa has been approved!😀
Have a great time in Texas!
And thanks for bearing with me all this while!😆
Me:(With a big fat smile) Thankyou Sir 😃😃!!!!

 

#055

Ashher Shaikh Visa Interview Experience
F1
Consulate General, Mumbai
14th May

VO: Good Morning, can I see your Passport and i20?
Me: Good Morning. Sure (Passed the documents)
VO: You already have a post graduate diploma in finance. Why do you want to go for another credential in Finance?
Me: My post grad diploma is a general finance course. It had courses from all fields of finance but this course that I will be pursuing at the University at Buffalo is a specific masters degree program in Quantitative Finance.
VO: So you are a Math Wiz? (Chuckles)
Me: (With a smile) I intend to become one…
VO: Im sure you already are great at Math. (Gave me a big smile) Im approving your visa. Have a wonderful stay in the United States.

No question on previous rejects for undergrad degree, no question on funding and finance, no question on retired parents, no question on Green Card holder sibling, no question on unused B1B2 visa….. nothing at all….

This was my 6th attempt technically for F1 visa. I had 5 rejects for F1 for Undergrad studies back in 2012.
After that…. in 2016 i took b1b2 visa…. never travelled to states….
Then today got F1 approved for UB MSF.

 

#056

Visa appointment time : 10AM, 30/05/2018 Hyderabad
I reached by 8:30AM, straight away joined the queue.
Interview completed by 9.40AM
** sorry no Visa officer description **
** Greetings **
Q : why sjsu ?
A : coursework is really flexible, the curriculum is up to date with the software industry and also I can choose specializations like data science and cloud computing.
Q: sponsors?
A : mother is sponsoring me, she earns X lakhs per annum, she works for life insurance Cor…stopped !! ( I was about to tell her about savings but I think she’s not interested)
Q: education loan ?
A : yes, 30 lakhs from Avanse.
Q : 30 OR 13 ?
A : three zero 30
Q : is it collateral or non- collateral ?
A : non collateral
Q : why non collateral?
A : they have sanctioned the loan based on my mothers profile.
Q : what other universities did you apply for ?
A : sdsu, u of Oklahoma, KSU, UHMC.
Q : why sjsu over others ?
A : same reason, coursework is flexible, I can choose different specializations.
Q : so you are working in Accenture ?
A : yes, I resigned recently. 24th may was my last working day.
Q : why ?
A : our project got rolled off from Accenture, so I have to start fresh again, learn from beginning. So I thought it was right time to resign and after started learning computer courses from web.
Q : GRE ?
A : yes, 310
Q : so it is 18 months course ?
A : yes ( not sure why I said, but out of nervousness I said)
Q : have a happy stay in san Diego.
A : 🙄😁 thank you ( i thought, she might have mistook san jose to san diego)
She took my passport, that’s it

 

#057

USA F1 Student Visa
Status: Approved
Location: Mumbai (8:45am) 10th May 2018

The USA consulate at BKC is a busy place, there’ll be people queing outside for the first check where the security guard will check you appointment time.
My appointment was at 8:45 am and I was allowed to enter the gate at 8:00am so start queing up well in advance, don’t wait for the last 15 mins.

1. There’s a security check that’s pretty similar to the airport security check. Following which you’ll be asked to sit in the waiting area that has 6 columns of chairs where they ask you to sit according to you appointment time slot.
   2. When it’s time, they will ask you to enter the next section of the building where you’ll have to queue up again. First they’ll do the biometric scanning again, following which you’ll be asked to join another queue.
   3. This queue takes some time to move and at this point you’ll be able to see all the windows and you’ll experience and witness atleast 20 visa interviews. (Don’t panic, you’ll see lots of rejections too, the girl ahead of me was rejected)
   4. I was asked to proceed to counter no. 33, the VO was a very young man and he greeted me with a smile.

VO: Good morning, how are you doing?
Me: Good morning sir, I’m doing well, how are you?
VO: Good Good, please pass me your passport i20 and SEVIS reciept
Me: *passed it*
VO: So… Why do you wish to go to the USA, to the University of Maryland? Why do you wish to be a terp? *Smiles*
Me: *answered*
VO: Isn’t it a very expensive university?
Me: It is sir, but *answered, mentioning about their industry and consumer centric teaching approaches etc* ended with “that’s why it’s worth all the money”.
VO: Who’ll be sponsoring your education?
Me: My father will be sponsoring me sir.
VO: How does he plan to finance it?
Me: He has savings of ₹xyz and his annual income is ₹xyz which will be sufficient to fund my education.
VO: Okay. Which subjects will you be taking in your first semester?
Me: I’ll be signing up for the Elective xyz for sure, but other than this I’m not really sure because I haven’t been assigned a program advisor yet.
VO: Okay. *Types something for about 10 seconds*
VO: Best of luck for your education I’m approving your visa
Me: Thank you sir, have a great day!
VO: You too!!

 

#058

Visa experience
Date : 29th May 2018
Time :9:45 am
Consulte: Kolkata
Status : Approved

VO was a lady in her late 20’s and had a straight face through out the interview.

Me : Good Morning Ma’am
Vo : Good morning
Please pass me your i20 and passport.
Vo: so why have you chosen utd?
Me : utd is one of the best business schools I had applied to. The coursework and the research opportunities perfectly aligns with my interests. Also the location is great *interrupted*
Vo: did you take gre ?
Me : yes ma’am
Vo: what’s your gre score ?
Me : 304
Vo : how many admits ?
Me: 4 out of 5
Vo: which ones ?
Me: ub, iit and tampa
Vo: how have you planned to fund your study ?
Me: I have taken an education loan from avanse of ₹30 lacs and the rest will be sponsored by my father.
Vo : what does your father do?
Me : He’s a mechanical engineer running his own business as a railway contractor.
Vo : okay. Your visa is approved.
Me : Thank you Ma’am.

 

#059

Second Attempt:
Mumbai
14th July, 2017
VO: please pass your i20 and passport.
Passed
VO: So, why UWash?
Me: Explained capstone project part and the non-existence of exams
VO: Which other admit have you got?
Me: UIUC
VO: (shocked) you let go UIUC for UWash? Anyway, your choice (smiles)
VO: How are you funding your education?
Me: Through family funds and I also have a loan
VO: What do your parents do?
Me: Father is a stock broker and Mother is a housewife
VO: Alright, I am approving your visa

 

#060

Attempt 3

Date : 6th June
Time : 8:30am
Consulate : Chennai
Status : Approved
Counter :23

The old lady who rejected me the second time was in counter 22… (started praying that I should not face her again ).. finally the person there sends me to counter 23… Bit relaxed.

VO was a guy in mid 30’s this time (finally .. coz guys r cool n easier to convince)

VO : good mrng , pass the passport n i20

Me : good mrng sir, here they are

VO : which course did u choose nd why?

Me : Sir , I have chosen networking nd security coz this course is aligned with the concepts of my undergrad and also has vast job opportunities in India presently.

(Meanwhile he Scans my passport nd comes to know this is my 3rd attempt )

VO : So when did you actually graduate ?

Me : Sir , Though being placed in two reputed IT companies , I put down the offers to prepare myself for the masters..I was done with my undergrad by June 2016 and after that till sept I was preparing for my gre n ielts .. and from October to march i was learning courses that are really helpful for me in masters.

(I didn’t mention these courses thing in my first interview thinking they will dig more on courses and I don’t remember much about them )

VO : Okay , so why did u put down the offers , you could have worked ?

Me : sir , My goal is to settle down as network security specialist and higher education will fancy my chances and also help me understand the concept in depth .

VO : what courses did u actually do ?

Me : Sir , I was learning python from Oct to Dec .. as it helps me to build the automatic testing and from Jan to march I was learning about Linux coz we need an operating system to connect the servers in networking field

VO : (impressed). So who is funding ?

Me : My father is funding my education and he has savings of **lakhs nd I also got loan sanctioned for 20 lakhs

VO : wat collateral did u use ?

Me : Property of a land which we have in our home town

VO : Searched for my passport , throws it in a tray and says those golden words “YOUR VISA IS APPROVED ”
Me : thank you sir .

 

#061

F1 visa Experience ,consulate: Kolkata

Slot :- 9:45am, 11th may, 2018

Counter:- 3
Utah state University

Reached there by 8′ o clock, was waiting untill i was allowed to stand in the 9:45 Queue, joined the queue went all the way through and joined the final queue(after reverifying my fingerprints )

ME:- Hello, good morning
VO:- Hi,good morning. Did you give your sevis fees.
ME:- Yes
VO:- So,why are you going to USA?
ME:- For pursuing MS in MIS from utah state University
VO:- Can you pass me your i20
ME:- ya, here it is!
VO:- why Utah state University?
ME:- Frankly because of scholarship, GA and technical exposure.
VO:- which other in universities have you been aceepted and rejected ME:- accepted:UTD, OSU rejected: Unuv of Arizona VO:- who is going to sponser you?
ME:- My father and loan taken from Credilla VO: Did you get an OPT option? And have you resigned from your current job?
ME:- yes since its a stem course(answered politely and honestly) and ya i am in notice period. VO:-Your visa is approved,All the best
ME:- Thank you

 

#062

 

Visa experience

Venue : Chennai consulate
Time : June 1 9 am
Status : Approved

Me: Good morning! How u are dng!?
VO: Good morning. I am good how abt u!?
Me: I am dng good thank you.
VO: Pass me your passport and i20
ME: Passed.
VO : U are going to Illinois institute of technology
ME : Yes Illinois tech.
VO: What your going to do at IITC?
ME : I am going to pursue my MS in Computer Science.
VO: Where all u applied?
ME: Named all Universities I applied.
VO: Why IITC?
ME: gave 1 reason.
VO: Who is sponsoring your studies?
ME: My father will be sponsoring my education and I also have education loan of xx L.
VO: What your father does!?
ME: He was working in private sector. Now he is looking into his business and also looking into family lands.
VO: How much your father will earn?
ME: told.
VO: What you are doing?
ME: Working at xxx company as Quality Engineer.
VO: Before? Did u worked somewhere? What was the destination.
ME: Yes, I worked as Quality Associate
VO: YOUR VISA IS APPROVED.

 

#063

Visa Experience
University : Indiana University bloomington
Mumbai Consulate
Time:9:15 AM
Counter No 27

VO was a guy around 25 to 30 years of age Rejected 2 before me
Me: Good morning Sir
VO: Pass me your passport
Me: (Gave it to him)
VO: Pass me the i-20
Me: (Gave the i-20)
VO: So, why do you want to do master’s
Me: Sir, doing master’s in this field will help me to sharpen my technical skills and gain more knowledge in this field. And American universities not only provide theoretical knowledge but also practical experience which will be very helpful to build my knowledge and will be give me exposure so that when I return back to India I will have an edge over others
VO: From where did you completed your btech
Me: I did my btech in IT from KIIT University bbsr
VO: who will be paying for your education
Me: My father will sponser me and I also have taken an educational loan
VO: what does your father do
Me: He is under Secretary to the Govt of Jharkhand
VO: you have filled a wrong information in the form regarding your passport your passport expire in 2025 and you have mentioned 2015
Me: I was like wtf(in my mind). I am so sorry sir
VO: No worries, I have corrected it. your visa is approved
Me: Thank you, sir. You made my day. Thank you so much

 

#064

My Visa experience.
Date : 25 May 2017
Location : Mumbai
Time : 9.00
The visa officer was in his 20s and he looked like Gerard Pique😍😍
I wanted to be interviewed by him and the boy in the line said “Counter number 32”. I was like ‘wow’, now I won’t be giving fake smile😂

Me : Good morning sir, how are you?
VO : I am good, how are you? Please pass your passport and i20.
Me : Here it is (with a big smile)
VO : Which course you are applying to?
Me : Information Technology Management at University of Texas, Dallas.
VO : When did you graduate?
Me : 2015, June 2015.
VO : What have you been doing since then?
Me : I am working as a software engineer in LnT Infotech.
VO : Your GRE score?
Me : 308.
VO : Okay, so why did you choose UT Dallas?
Me : The coursework at UTD for Information Technology Management is too flexible (most common answer 🙈).
It offers me various track to choose from, I am particularly interested in the Enterprise Resource Planning track. The subjects that being offered under this course are ErP, Advanced ErP, SAP APO, Business Data Warehouse. Along with that UTD gives certification to their students, I am interested in the SAP certification, so along with the degree I will be having the certification. ( I was about to say more😅)
VO : okay, so how are you going to fund your education?
Me : My father and my brother are my sponsors.
VO : What do they do?
Me : My Father is in Defence, he works for Indian Navy and My Brother is in Merchant Navy, he works for an Italian company as 3rd Officer.
( I forgot to tell my father’s designation😅)
VO : Ma’am, your Visa has been approved.
Me : Thank you so much sir 😃😃😃😍. You made my day.

 

#065

My Visa experience-
Mumbai consulate
17th may, 10:00 am slot
Me- good morning sir
Vo- good morning, pass me your passport
Me- passed
Vo- why you are going to us
Me- sir I am going in us to pursue my masters in solar energy Engineering and Commercialization from Arizona State University.
Vo- ohh that’s interesting ( meanwhile he took my I-20 and sevis receipt)
Vo- so why do you want to pursue this course?
Me- Sir I have been working as a solar design engineer from the past 1 year and this course would would help me learn both the technical and non technical aspects of solar industry and it will help me to work independently in the solar industry.
Vo- ( typing for 2-3 mins) so you applied last year also?
Me- yes I applied for visitor visa.
Vo- What is the name of your parents?
Me- told
Vo- what do they do?
Me- told
Vo-( again typing for 2-3 mins)
Ok I am issuing you a visa
Me- Thank you.

P.S- My B1 Visa was Refused Last year When I applied for going to an IEEE Conference.

 

#066

My Visa experience
Consulate: Hyderabad
Date: 01/06/2018
Slot: 10:30 AM
Counter: 16
Status: Approved
University of Texas at Dallas

VO: Good morning sir. How are you?
Me: Good morning sir. I am good.
VO: when did you complete your undergraduation?
Me: 2016 from NIT Bhopal sir
VO: What have you been doing since then?
Me: I have been working as a Software Engineer at an MNC.
VO: what’s your GRE score?
Me: 315 sir
VO: How are you financing your studies?
Me: My father has savings worth xyz. I have taken an educational loan which has been sanctioned for xyz lakhs.
VO: I am approving your visa
Me: Thank you sir.

 

#067

Visa Interview Experience:

Date: 17th May, 2018
Consulate: Chennai
Counter: 28
Slot: 11:15 am
Status: Approved
Duration: 1 min

VO was a lady in her fifties. All the reactions of different people can be witnessed very easily. I was confident as I already hold a existing B1 but nervousness started peeping out from nowhere when I was the next one in my queue.

Me: Good afternoon officer
VO: Good afternoon. Pass me your I20 and passport

VO: Why UIC
Me: Course work fits my requirements and matches.. ( VO stopped me)

VO: List out the courses you are planning to take this fall

* Didn’t expect this question at this speed
*

Me: Date base management system, Sql, R language, machine learning (listed out randomly)

VO: Was there a requirement of GRE for this university
Me: Yes

VO: what was your score
Me: 313

VO: Did you receive any other admits
Me: Yes mam total of five
VO: Woow. Which ones (she was little bit amazed)

Me: University of Buffalo , Syracuse, Rutgers, Georgia State University and university of Illinois Chicago

VO: How are you funding your education
Me: I have a bank loan sanctioned for 35 lakhs and my father is sponsoring me the rest

VO: Your visa is approved
Me: Thank you so much mam

 

#068

Visa experience
Consulate: Chennai
Status: Approved
Date: 30th May 2017.
Counter: 20

Appointment time 11am. Reached there by 10. Several queues were there and my interview was finally only at 11 15. VO was a young lady.

Me: Good morning.
VO: Morning. Please pass me your passport and i20
*Passed*
VO: Which university are you going to?
Me: Duke University
VO: What course?
Me: Masters in Engineering Management.
VO: What other colleges did you apply to?
Me: Cornell, UCI, UTA, USC, Lehigh, Stevens
VO: What made you choose Duke?
Me: Duke offers me the opportunity to choose my core area of interest, either in Engineering or in Management. As I am a mechanical engineer who wants to get into the field of management, I feel the courses at Duke provide me the best way to introduce myself to the basics of running a business while improving my technical knowledge at the same time. (cliched I know)
VO: What’s the mascot of Duke?
Me: *shocked for a second* Blue devil
VO: You seem to have done your research.
Me: smiled
VO: *typing furiously* I see you’ve been rejected before for a B1/B2 visa.
Me: Yes. That was in 2004 when my mother and I applied. Due to lack of sufficient documents we were rejected. We applied and got it a week later.
VO: So where did you stay in the US?
Me: New York and Boston.
VO: So what was the purpose of this trip?
Me: My dad is a Civil Engineer. He was invited to attend an international conference in NYC and he wanted myself and my mother to accompany him.
VO: *didn’t respond and kept typing for 2 minutes*
VO: So is yyyy your dad’s name?
Me: Yes.
VO: *looks at computer* I see your dad has been to around 20 countries.
Me: Yes that’s part of his job. He gets invited to give guest lectures at various locations.
VO: He’s been to US several times I see.
Me: *awkwardly* Yeah!
VO: Has he been to Iran?
Me: No.
VO looks at me as though I’m lying. At this point, I was pretty sure I’d get a reject. She keeps typing away for another couple of mins.
VO: Who’s financing your studies?
Me: Dad and mom
VO: What does your mom do?
Me: Told
VO: Annual income?
Me: Told.
VO: So Duke is a very expensive college. Can I see some proof that you’ll be able to afford it?
Me: *showed auditor statement*
VO: *checked for 2 mins* I see you’ve come prepared.
Me: *smiled*
VO: *after some more typing* Now listen, I’m keeping your passport, and I’m giving your i20 along with a yellow slip. Go take a seat and wait till you’re called.
Me: *confused AF and not sure what to say* Okay thanks.
VO: I’ve approved your visa. Now here’s the slip.
*Gives me yellow slip*
Me: Have a nice day. Thank you.

The yellow slip says ‘Please remain seated until you are called to the window by one of our staff’
I waited for about 15 mins and then my name was called.
The staff led me to the exit door where a foreigner was waiting. Had no idea who he was. Probably another VO.
Me: Good morning
VO: Good morning. Let’s go outside where there’s less commotion.
Me: Umm okay. (Became paranoid)
*We go out to the courtyard*
VO: So Duke university eh? Pretty impressive.
Me: Thanks.
VO: Are you free next week?
Me: Yeah (feeling that this was getting more and more weird by the minute)
VO: On June 8, we’re organizing a ceremony for Student Visa Day.
Me: Oh that’s nice.
VO: Yeah, so we’d like you to come that day and receive your visa straight from the Consulate General. This event starts at 3 but we’d like you to be here at 2 30.
Me: Wow cool. I’ll be there.
VO: Don’t worry. You don’t have to give any speech or anything
Me: *laughed* Okay great! Thanks.

 

#069

Date:-23rd June
University:-SJSU (Engg management)
Consulate:-Hyderabad
Status:-Reject
Counter number:-13

VO was a serious looking guy

VO:-Good morning sir how are you?
Me:-Good sir ,good morning.
*Passport and i20 was already given to him*
VO:- San Jose huh? Why San Jose?
Me:-Sir Cal education system is very good and San Jose and it’s curriculum for EM suited my requirements perfectly (here he cut me off before I could tell him about the prof and subjects I liked)
VO:-Laws of thermodynamics?
Me:- told (fumbled a little)
VO:-Entropy?
Me:-confidently told
VO:- UG%?
Me:- sir it’s 58%
VO:-Gre?
Me:-Told.
VO:- why is your GRE good but aggregate less?
Me:- explained how I didn’t perform well only in 4th and 5th sem but was able to do well in the final 3 sems and increased my aggregate (he cut me off 2-3 words before itself)
VO:- Sorry you don’t qualify for Visa. You can apply how many ever times you want you’ll be ineligible. I suggest you do your masters here and apply for H1B.

 

#070

#Visa experience
Visa approved😻
Consulate: Chennai
Date:23/05/2018 , 7:30 slot, counter:27 was out by 8:20
College- San Jose State University
Course- Masters in Electrical and electronics engineering , specialisation in networking

# Reached the consulate at 6 and was allowed to enter only at 7:20
The crowd was not that high since it was the first slot( would recommend morning slot), it wasn’t that hot to wait outside.

Interview:
Visa officer was a young pretty lady in her late 20s. And I was the first student applying for F1 today and the first in the queue
VO: hi! Good morning! Pass me ur passport
Me: hi officer! Very good morning! How are you? Here’s my passport( gave my i20 aswel)
VO: I’m good. So ur on F1?
Me: yes ma’am!
VO: which course ?
Me: master s in EE specialising in the field of networks
VO:which college ?
Me: San Jose state University
VO: what was ur undergrad major?
Me: Electronics and communication engineering
(Very nervous at this point since I could not hear properly)
VO: why San Jose(smiling)?
Me: ma’am this university is giving me 14 different courses relevant to my field of interest whereas the other universities are giving only a maximum of 7 courses.
They provide courses such as-…….. (listed few). And also I’m very keen in studying at the Cisco networking lab, cloud computing lab,…( mentioned few other labs) which would help me gain more practical knowledge in the field that I’m interested .
VO: that’s nice.( she was impressed and continuously types something for few mins and goes inside)
Me: (wondering what I told, Was very scared and nervous. I felt she wanted to ask someone about the course curriculum)
VO:( came back) who’s funding you?
Me: my parents are funding me and also I have a secured education loan of…. sanctioned by…..
VO: what do ur parents do?
Me: by profession my father is an advocate and mother is a sericulture extensions officer(scientist)
VO:their annual income?
Me:….so and so lakhs
VO: what are your plans post masters?
Me: I will be coming back to work as a network engineer in the company that I’m currently working in , and my long term goal is to work at leading telecom clients such as jio,reliance, Airtel, vodafone Cisco,..Intel ..back here in India as a senior network engineer.
VO: nice..( goes inside for another minute .. and returns back)

Then the golden words 😻
I am approving your visa!😻 have a nice stay in US. I will keep the passport….
Me: thankyou soo much! You made my day. Have a great day ma’am
( I forgot to collect my i20, she reminded me and then i hardly heard anything after that, took my i20 and scooted)

 

#071

Visa experience on 31st May
Consulate: Chennai
Status: Approved
Slot: 9.45 am

Course: MS in materials science and engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC)

VO: Good morning
Me: Good morning sir, how are you doing?
VO: I am doing fine. Pass me your passport and i20 please.
Me: Sure sir( passed my documents)
VO: Oh, UIUC! Great school.
Me: Thank you sir.
VO: What other universities you applied to?
Me: Told about the universities to him.
VO: Why UIUC?
Me: Sir, the material science program is highly reputed and its extensive research in solar cells etc. matches my research interests.
VO: Tell me something about materials science.
Me: Told him about polymers, study of properties of materials blah blah blah.
VO: Where did you complete your undergrad?
Me: Nit Trichy
( He then was discussing with someone inside with my i20 in his hand. I kept calm)
VO: What’s your GRE score?
Me: Told him
VO: Who is sponsoring your education?
Me: My father is sponsoring my education. He works as director of operations at XX company
VO: what is his annual salary?
Me: Told him
( He again took a pause and waiting for someone inside. I was getting bit restless but kept calm.)
VO: Your visa is approved! Have a great day.
Me: Thank you sir, have a great day.

 

#72

Visa experience (no told’s)
Chennai Consulate – Counter 19
May 23rd 11:15am slot
MS in CS at USC
Status: Approved

Me: Good morning
VO: Hi pass me your passport (passed)
VO: Pass me your i20 and your SEVIS (passed)
VO: Why are you going to the US?
Me: To do my master’s in computer science at University of Southern California
VO: How many universities did you apply to?
Me: 6
VO: How many of them offered admits?
Me: 2
VO: What is your GRE score?
Me: 320
VO: What will you do after you complete your MS?
Me: I hope to be back in India and work with one of the developing organizations focusing on AI. There are several AI based startups in Bangalore such as SigTuple, Intuition etc that are seeking candiates with a master’s in AI. So I hope to work with them.
VO: When did you graduate?
Me: I graduated this year – 2018.
VO: Who is sponsoring you?
Me: My father.
VO: What does he do?
Me: He works as the Director of engineering in an MNC called XYZ in Chennai.
VO: Your Visa is approved. Please take all your documents. You will be getting an email on the status of your passport.
Me: Thank you.

 

#073

Visa approved
Date- 11 may 2017
Time- 9:00
Consulate- Mumbai.
Counter no.- 25
Visa officer was a woman in 30s.

I reached the centre at 8 AM and was done with the VISA by 09:15 AM.

Me : Hello Mam, Good Morning ! How are you today ?
VO : Im great Thank You ! How are you ?
Me : Im great as well. Thanks for asking. (I recognised the VISA officer. She was the same lady who took the the VISA event at the consulate. While she was typing, I started the conversation) I had attended your VISA session at the consulate on 21 st Apr. I was a great session. Really helpful.
VO : Was it informative for you ?
ME : It was really informative. Infact it really helped me with some of the crucial aspect of VISA.
VO : Thats great! Im happy to hear that. So you want to go to the UTA.
ME : Yes mam! I wish to pursue my masters in Computers and Informations Science from the university
VO : Very well ! Why did you select the university ?
ME : Gave her 2 3 reasons. Research focus. Detailed curriculum. And I also mentioned intentionally that the curriculum is more detailed than my other admits.
VO : How many universities did you apply to and which other admits do u have ?
ME : I had applied to 6 universities from which I got accepted in 4 universities. Named them.
VO : What did you pursue in your Bachelors.
ME : I completed my Bachelors in computer Engineering from Mumbai university in 2015.
VO : What have you been doing since then ?
ME : I have been working with a startup which is an AI based loyalty management platform since june 14 and I resigned from my post as a product manager in August after which I am concentrating on the application procedure.
VO : What made you choose this specific course ?
ME : Gave her 2 reasons – My final yr project and my current work ex were the deciding factors.
VO : Who is sponsoring your education and how is he sponsoring it.
ME : My father is sponsoring my education. He is working with Bank of Maharashtra as a Manager in the Tech Support dept since more than 33 years. He has been save since a long time for my further studies. He has saved XX and in addition to that we have also santioned an education loan of Rs. 30L from Bank of maharastra.
VO : Oh thats great! You VISA is approved. Collect your passport in 2-3 days.
ME : Thank You Mam ! You made my day ! You have a great day ahead ! Thank You !

 

#074

Visa experience
Consulate : Hyderabad
Date : 29-05-2018
Slot : 10:00 am
Counter : 14

My passport and i-20 were handed over to Vo by volunteers.

Vo : Please come forward.
Me : Good morning sir, how you doing?
Vo : Good morning!
Vo: when did you graduate?
Me : This year in April
Vo : What is your undergrad major?
Me : BTech in Biotechnology
Vo : And now?
Me : I am going to pursue my masters in Bioinformatics from Pennsylvania State university
Vo : Who’s sponsoring your education?
Me : My parents are sponsoring me and i have an educational loan as well sir
VO : what is your father ?
He is a tax consultant and my mother runs a boutique.
Vo : Explain me about your major I don’t know about it
Me : Sure, Blabbered something till he interrupted
VO: What are your plan after master’s?
Me: I would like to come back to India and work in premiere institutions like (some famous names)
VO: I don’t know anything about that institutes, please explain what work is Carried out there?
Me : Basically special softwares and algorithms are designed to analyse biological data!
VO: Any plans for PhD ?
Me: No plans yet
VO: Will you work in pharmaceutical industries after your MS?
Me: Yeah, mostly in research wings of pharma and healthcare companies.
VO: what is your undergrad GPA?
Me : 72.88 in percentile system sir!
VO: what is your GRE score ?
Me: 310!
Vo : Your visa is approved, congratulations!( Throws my passport into the basket )
Me : Thank you sir! Have a great day!

 

#075

F1 VISA EXPERIENCE.

Consulate: Kolkata
University – State University of New York, Buffalo. (Civil – Structural and Earthquake Engineering)
Slot: 10.00 am a slot.
Status: Approved

VO- Pass me your i20 and passport.
Me- Good Morning. (Passed the i20 and passport).

VO- What is your highest education qualification?
Me- Mam, B.Tech in Civil Engineering.

VO- So, you are going to Buffalo for the same?
Me- Yes mam.

VO- Any Concentration?
Me- Yes mam, with a concentration in Structural and Earthquake engineering.

VO- How many colleges have you applied to?
Me- 6, I got admits from 5.

VO- What was your second choice?
Me- Mam, Arizona State University.

VO- How are you planning to fund your education?
Me- Mam, I have an educational loan from HDFC Credila of 35lakhs INR, and my parents..(I was cut off here, my parents are also funding me, with their savings.)

VO- And the loan is with or without collateral?
Me- Without collateral. Also both my parents will sponsor me, they have savings of 25lakhs.

VO- Good, what do your parents do?
Me- My father is an architect by profession, he is working at Kothari and Associates, Kolkata for the last 28years. He is also into doing freelancing in his free time. My mother, she’s a tutor.

VO – Your visa is approved. Thank you. (Kept my passport back).
Me- Mam, I attended your USIEF seminar on Visa interviews as well.
VO- (While smiling) There will be more programs at USIEF. Do come. (She signed a USIEF invitation card with my name and gave it to me).

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