The purpose of the visa interview is for the Consular Officer to confirm your identity and that you are qualified for the requested visa. The Consular Officer will ask you questions about your identity, your U.S. job, and your background. The interview itself will usually last less than 10 minutes.
Tip #1: Answer questions with short answers, but clearly, truthfully, and confidently. The Consular Officer will ask you for more details if they want you to elaborate.
Tip #2: Prepare an “elevator pitch”. Be ready to articulate what the company does and what you will be doing in the U.S. If you are applying for an O-1, you should review the O-1 petition and be prepared to talk about why you are extraordinary. For example, you founded a startup that raised $X million in venture capital funding, you have been featured in major publications such as X, and received key awards such as X.
Tip #3: Make sure you are familiar with the description of your job duties in the petition. You do not have to recite the job duties word-to-word, but your description should be consistent with the petition.
Tip #4: If you are applying for a visa other than H-1B or L-1, you will need to maintain non-immigration intent. What this means is that you must have the intent to depart the U.S. after a temporary stay. For example, if you are applying for an O-1 visa and the Consular Officer asks about your long-term plans, it is important to emphasize that you plan to eventually leave the U.S. However, you must answer questions truthfully.
Tip #5: In the unlikely event that your visa is not approved, stay calm and pay attention to what the Consular Officer is saying. After you leave, it is almost impossible to get information from the Consulate. Ask the Officer:
Tip #6: Go into your interview confidently and positively! The Consular Officer is not looking for reasons to reject your visa, but rather just trying to make sure it passes the “smell test.”
Visit the U.S. Embassy or Consulate website where you will be interviewed for country-specific instructions. For your visa, you will need to present:
For dependent visas, your spouse and children will need to present:
The below is some of the questions the Consular Office may ask you. This is not an exhaustive list, but it is intended to give you an idea of the types of questions you may be asked.