Visitor Visa - B2

Finally, my parents got the most revered & sacred visa of all!!!
My parents had separate interviews. I goofed up while taking the appointment....thanx to the very user-friendly VFS site!
Anyway, I was dead terrified as the interview dates approached as my parents had separate interviews the same day but in English! My mother is a home-maker and I couldn't imagine her taking an English interview. I explained my parents about how the interviews are conducted and how important is to lure "Lady Luck" for the day to get visa. I prepared them mentally stating that it's purely luck at the consulate so that none of us was dejected if visa was rejected. My parents had all the documents prepared. I'm married. Me and my husband are on H1's and my brother is on L1. We didn't show that I was in US. Since we wanted to show country-ties, we asked my parents to maintain that I was unmarried and working in India. Only my brother sent the Sponsor documents.

I sent a binder with all the sample documents, photo specifications, personal experiences of people, all the possible questions that may be asked with their near perfect answers, sponsor letters, sample affadavits and yeah, some PRAYERS too!!

I asked my father to prepare my mother on all questions in Tamil and some important and simple questions with answers in English. I even interviewed my mother in English one day and I must say that I was impressed on how confidentally she answered! I was one proud daughter!

My parents arrived to the consulate well in advance. Entered the building after the security check and gave their Passports and DS156 & DS157 for verification. Went to the second building(where the actual interview happens). Since they had separate interviews, they asked a guy(one who makes people stand in queues) if my mother could stand in a Tamil interview queue. The guy said "Don't worry sir! You will be attending the interview together. But don't ask for tamil interviews as the visa officer may get aggrevated. It'd be better if you attend the English interview and don't worry you'll be attending it together". This gave my father a boost as my mother didn't have to take the axe alone!

My father wore a formal dress with a tie (he is a retired Army officer....so u can imagine how well dressed he'd have gone....and my mother wore a fine cotton saree)....Remember, your appearance wins half battle for you!

Anyway, following are the ques/ans:
VO:Next(saw my parents from head to toe....half battle won!)
Father:Good Afternoon!
VO:Good Afternoon

(my father gave the passport and DS156/157)

VO:(To my father) Is this your wife?
Father:Yes

VO:(To my mother)Is this your husband?
Mother:Yes

VO:(smiles and says)Strange.
(to this moment we still don't know what he meant by "Strange"....Anyone???)

VO:How many children do you have?
Father:2.

VO:Where are they?
Father: Son is in USA and daughter is working in India (that would be me, in US.....this answer proved that my parents have country ties).

VO:What do you do?
Father:I'm a retired Army officer.

VO:How much pension do you get?
Father: Rs. YYYY X/month.

VO:How long are you going to US?
Father:4 to 5 months.

VO: Will you come back?
Father:Ofcourse yes. I have an unmarried daughter, i receive pension and got other properties here.

VO:OK. You will receive your passport in another 2 days.

So, in total everything went well. No documents, sponsor letters or affadavits were asked. As for my mother, she had only one question to answer.

I know and understand how it feels to send your parents to the visa interview. To me, it was like sending your first kid to the first day to kindergarden! You feel helpless and yet got to do it!

Just prepare your parents mentally because a rejection means a whole another cycle of the same process and they need to be prepared to take it head on!

I took prints of all the docs, affadavits, letters, tips, personal experiences from immihelp. It was really helpful! Thank you guys at immihelp!! You are doing a great job!!

I wish all you guys applying for visa,luck and remember that a visa rejection is not the end of life, there is always a second chance! I too was rejected a visa at first but got it at second try!

My Mom Dad got their visitor's visa yesterday for 10 yrs. They were rejected 3 times earlier at a gap of 1yr for each application.
They got last rejected on Nov 30th 2006 and we reapplied for 22nd Jan 2007. This time we took all the suggestions from this website and also were able to get a letter from the Senator to the Mumbai Consulate.
It all helped and this time they were treated nicely and were given the visa.
Thanks immihelp.

Hi i am Rajendrakumar. I appeared for the consulate interview on 12th Dec 2006 for B1 Visa and the consular officer asked me the below questions.
1.Who is your client?
2.what is the purpose of your travel?
3.how long you have been working with your
  company?
4.why have they chosen you only from your project?
5.what is the duration of stay?
6.Give me the schedule for your stay?
7.Show me your client invitation letter?
  i did not have the client invitation letter and the visa was rejected.

heya everybody,
My mothe recently applied for a B2 visa so that she could go to the US and look after me while i study. You see, I got my student visa June 2006, but shortly after that I was paralysed with a stroke. I was in a hospital in London for 2-3 months but I did not give up hope of being able to study and make something of myself. I am now starting to recover but still have to be looked after. My mother has agreed to look after me while I am in the US. She applied for her visa. She was refused. She was refused on 214 (b). But the problem is that except a few lands worth some lakhs my mom does not own anything in her own country. My father has businesses in the UK. But my mother does not have any sort of visas for UK as well. So what can she do? How can she prove to the US counselors that she is going to come back after I study. Please could anyone help me. I would really appreciate it.

I have been the frequent vistor of immihelp & has helped me immensely for my preparation. This is wonderful information center abt visa.

Question Asked :

How many years worked for the company?
What is the salary?
What is the purpose of the visit?
How many Days?

Documents are not insisted, though I carried in 2 folders. Be confident & bold, don't get panic or afraid, as most percentage on deciding your factor is based on the one to one meeting.

That's it, hv recd my visa by 3rd day of my interview for 10 years.

Thank you Immihelp.

Rgds / Sri

My parents appeared for their visa interview on the 18th of december 2006.All the documents were in place and the interview went smoothly.My father was given 221g and was told that the consulate would contact him and that they needed to do some additional administrative processing in his case though my mother got a 10 year ME visa.My father is a retired govt official and is also a pension holder.Its been more than three weeks now but we havent heard back from the consulate.Has anyone gone through a similar experience for a visitor visa and if so how much time does it usually take for the administrative process to be completed and whats the outcome.Please share your experience with me.
Thanks

I have thank the people at immihelp for the fantastic website they have created.

My parents visa was rejected twice in 2005, and they applied for the third time in Chennai last night and got the visa.

The questions were very simple and this time intstead of my dad, my mom answered everything.
The people at the consulate were very courteous, and my parents were out in 1 hr.

Thanks again to all at immi help and people who post their experiences, it was invaluable.

Also to people who parents had their visa rejected, just hang in there, I know it feels like the end of the world but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Do try and give a decent gap between a rejection and another appointment. It makes a world of difference.

A very happy mom to be!!!!!

My mother's visa had been rejected twice earlier in 2005 because of our family situation. My mother is a widow and we are two siblings, both in the US. Alhought she has a government job, bank balances and property, it never came to that in the prior interviews. Though unfair, this is reality which many of us have to face.
This time, I had to get my work visa restamping on my India visit so I scheduled her appointment with mine.
Here are some of the relevant experiences which I would like to share -
1st Interview - My mother opted for a Hindi interview because of accent issues and got a Hindi speaking CO (lady), the questions were as follows -
CO - Who are you visiting in the US
Mom - My son and daughter
CO - How did they go there
Mom - Son through a job in company YYYY and daughter after she got married.
I think she should have included our visa categories to leave a better impression.
CO - Are you going to stay there for 6 months
To which, my mother unwittingly replied yes.
In hindsight, we realized that saying no and suggesting 2-3 motnhs would have been better.
CO - You don't care about your job, you are going to stay in the US
Mom - I have 30 yrs of service and accumulated leave
CO - No you don't have enough reason's to come back, your visa is rejected

We were quite shocked that such a thing could happen and immediately booked a new appointment. We went through possible questions and drafted a letter showcasing our extended family in India which we thought would illustrate her social ties in India. Sadly, none of this was even made relevant
2nd Interview - She had again opted for a Hindi interview and got a translator.

CO - Are your son/daughter both still in the US
Mom - Yes
CO - There has been no change in your circumstances, so the visa is denied.

So, all the painstaking documentation (both from me and my sister) and preparation came to zilch

Third interview - This time I was able to go to the consulate with my mother since I had to get my stamping as well.
Annoyingly, some of the admin staff at the consultate ( both at the gate and inside) told us that since our visa categories were different, we would have to give the interviews separately. They wanted my mother to go separately and were trying to give her a Hindi appointment. I pretty much ignored them and told them that she is fine with an English appointment. This turned out to be a good decision because I went up to the CO with my mom and I don't think there is any rule to this effect (just some babu like people trying to exert influence).

There was a long queue and a long wait but the interview itself turned out to be very straightforward and easy.
I told the CO I was with my mom and the visa categories we were applying for (my mom was offcourse B1/B2)
The CO asked me the usual questions on my job/educational qualifications. I also told the CO that my mother is planning on visit both me and my sister. He asked me if my mother had been alone on the previous visits and I said yes.

The only question the CO asked my mother was if she had already retired and all she had to say was no (this was after he had issued the visa - he had already stamped our applications).

The entire process took about 2-3 minutes.

She got a 10yr visa.

So, if anyone is in a situation where their parent's visas have been denied, you can take your own visa re stampings as an opportunity to present their case in a better way.
Even otherwise, i would advise you to stay optimistic. Actually going through the recent immihelp posts, I can definitely say that there are much fewer rejections than in the past (maybe reflective of better Indo US ties). I feel that even if my mother had gone alone, she would have got the visa this time.

This is a very subjective call from the CO's and also a matter of chance/probability. So I don't think there is anything like a definite rejection.

I had applied for a visiotrs visa to US and was sponsiring my own trip. I am single(bachelor) of 27yrs age and stay with my joint family in mumbai in a rented acomodation.Both my parents are US green card holders. They have also filed a green card petition for me. Today i had an apointment at 10 am and i had to wait for my call for 30min. The visa officer asked me following questions...
q1 Purpose of visit ?
q2 wht do my parents do..? they are retired i responded.
q3 wher are they based in US and when did they migrate
q4 Has any 1 filed imigration petition on your behalf ? I answered yes, as my mom has file f2b file for me
q5 when did my parents marry ?
q6 do u have other relatives in US ? i said yes
q7 where do you work? whts your salary pa ?
q8 whts your job profile ?
q9 Visa officer said "There is an issue..since your parents are based in US and have aplied Imigration petition for you and this is a non imigrant category you need to convince me that you wud return back "
Ans 9. I said sir i have visited many countries abroad and have never overstayed my trip at any point of time. I had been to Work in UK for 6 mnths thru my company. I had been to europe as well. Sir I am also pursuing my Exec MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj which is one of the reputed coleges in India. I am working for a Top most Investment bank. This is a sufficient reason for me to prove.

He said ok...i grant you the visa . Your pasport wil come in 2 work days.

Its important to note that we have to be confident in wht we say and maintain a calm composure...although sometimes its natural to be tense but still prefer to be calm.

Bachelors do get rejections most of the time especially those like me who have Green card petition...but be confident as both are separate categories. Try and convince the oficer...and the job is done.
All the best. !
Regards
Anand Mehta

With the help of " www.immihelp.com - read experiences ", I attended the interview on 10th Dec.2006 with 100% confidence and got 10 years stamping. It was nice experience, and I want to share this here for future aspirants. I enterented in the mail gate at 9.45 a.m for my 10.30 a.m appointment. Since there was no rush on that day, I was permitted at 9.45am. Then we have pass through a security gate, where we have to show all the belongs including the documents we carry. Then we have stand in any one of the counter(Guide will be there), where we have to give only Passport, D156/157 forms and HDFC's yellow color Fee receipt. (It will have two dark yellow barcode stickers, which is very very important). After scrutiny of these documents, they will return back with a organge color form, and tied in a rubber band. Approximaste time in this counter is 20 to 30 Min. We have to keep these set separately along with rubber band till last counter, where we will go for interview. Next we have to move to next building, where in counter No 1 or 2, we have to give index finger immpression in a electronic machine( WE may have to wait in this counter for 5 to 10 min). Then we have to stand in a counter(Guide will be there) for Visa issuance interview.
The Questions asked were very very simple, and same as listed in this web-sites like:-
1. Who is Sponsor?
2. Where they lives ?
3. Where they works ?
4. Whether tourist is working/Retired?
5. If working, where they works?
6. How long tourist stay is US?
7. Why spouse is not accompanying?
I answered nicely for all the 7 questions, and for each questions I showed the documents , I carried.
Documents Carried:
I- Sponsors's Documents:-
1. Employer's letter,
2. I-134 filled form,
3. Tax-returns,
4. Salary slips,
5. Bank statements,
6. Share certificate.
II-Visitor's Documents carried:-
1. Self affidavit(format the same as shown in this website)
2. Auditors certificate for network Rs10,00,000/-
3. My bank statements(from 3-Banks: total credit value=Rs.2,00,000)
4. Group photo, showing aged mother(81years, spouce and son)
5 My salary certificate for Rs.37,000/-
The interviewer seen all these 5 documents, and told me that all documents are in order and I am granting visa for 10 Years.
Her statement gave me high happiness, and worth to keep in memory for long time in my life. This was made possible, by the tips availble in this web-site,
Thank you once again for this web-site experiences column.