greyandparamathma    •   04/14/2013 04:05:32 AM

1      3

Token numbers are flashed on the display mentioning which counter todo, the visa officer was already similing while me and wife walked to the counter. He said "How are you doing? Good morning", i smiled and said Doing great!
His interview questions was more rapid-fire like, very standard which i had seen it in the forum, My and my wife had done a few "Mock rounds" before the interview which kinda helped and was over within 30 secs.

My piece of advice - While the officer sometimes seems to be in a hurry sometimes, you can take a deep breadth while at the counter and respond to his questions. a little elaboration will help, but its mostly the confidence, while the heart beat increases 2-3 times while at the counter, Just relax. If you are clear about what your role is, dont need to fret.

Questions they asked me -

1. How long with your company?
2. whats your indian sal?
3. Who are your cliets?
4. How much will they pay you in US?
5. to my wife - "How long you been married to this gentleman" ?

Few Tips -

1.Carry all the supporting docs, they might just not ask any, But carry it.
2.no need of a blazer / tie, wear it if you like it, but it doesnt matter to the officer. \
3.Reach visa office 20-25 mins earlier,
4.Carry a handkarchief (Its muggy and you sweat a lot while standing in the Q), OR Carry a wet tissue, makes you feel fresh before the interview
5.Carry a bottle of cold water. you can throw it away just before entering the counslate.
6. Cell phones not allowed. you can leave them at the a small "chowki", he charges some 10 bucks or so..
7. Have a good clarity on your role, people reporting to you in US and India, numbers help. throw some approx nos, it shoud be OK, but be confident.

Carry a smile, Be confident, Take a deep breadth. things will be fine.

cheers.

HappyGuy123    •   04/11/2013 11:35:36 AM

10      2

Hi all,
   My L1B Blanket visa got approved at chennai and the information at the immihelp site helped a lot. Following is what i prepared and my experience during the visa interview:

Preparation:

1) I read all the rejection cases of L1B on this site . Some of the experiences were very scary since people mentioned that it depends on the mood of the interviewer, but i didnt find it to be so during the actuall interview.

2) I took the list of all questions they can ask from this site and made sure i had convincing answers for each question. I actually created a word document of the exact answer i would give for each question in the exact narrative style. Most questions have objective one line answers and thus are simple. The important questions that requires subject explanations are:
            i) your current role and what specialized knowledge u have.
            ii) your future roles and responsibilties in USA .
            iii) why is this knowledge specialed
            iv) why cant the USA team member do this
            iv) why cant you do it from india
            v) Why you and not any other team member in India
   
I wrote down convincing answers for all these and rehearsed them in front of the mirror. The actual rehearsing took only 1-2 hours once the answers content matter was ready.

The Experience:

  The OFC started with a bit of bad note since some information was missing on my DS160 confirmation and he sent me back to get it edited from a cyber cafe. I had to run in the heat of chennai to find a cybercafe to edit it and run back to the OFC center. so reach the OFC a bit early and get your documents verified with the person at the door. Actual OFC was done in less than 15 min.

 The Visa interview i reached the gate 30 min ealry. The queue was luckicly small since it was an afternoon slot. The document assmebling etc was done quickly by the person. He asked me why I edited the DS160 (since the confirmation numbers differed for the frist and second DS160). I told him what was missing in the first. He assembled the documents and took my OFC again at the consulate and then I went for the actuall visa interview. I greeted the Visa officer with a pleasant smile (all these tips of being confident and pleasant and polite are mentioned at this immihelp site so i wot repeat them. In general be a good human being and let it reflect in your demeanor at the consulate.) He started with normal questions about what my company does, what salary i would be getting etc. The he came to the specific of the specialized knowledge and asked to explain everything in detail. I explained him in simple terms of what i did. He probed a lot about why it was special, how it differered from our competitors , what programming language i used, who are the customers. Finally he granted the Visa and gave me two documents to carry back and kept my passport. The important thing was being confident with your answers and not throwing in too many technical terms since they anyway wont know all of it. Infact explaing it in layman terms seemed to impress him. The mirror rehearsing helped a lot since I didnt fumble for words during the interview. I am happy that unlike some of the success cases listed here, i got the visa after lot of probing.

rwik78    •   04/06/2013 18:49:34 PM

14      8

Dear All,

I wanted to share some suggestions about what matters and what doesn't during your interview for Blanket L1 interviews...

Matters:
1) The company that is filing the petition. Being in IT isnt necessarily a drawback. But if your employer has a history of visa fraud or has more than 50% of US employees that are not US citizens, it is unlikely you will get approval on a blanket application.
2) Your eligibility under the visa category (manager or specialized knowledge) you are applying. Managing a large team isn't significant. You must demonstrate your skills and value to the organization. Part of that value is the salary and position offered in the US. If its sub-par vs American salaries, you have a problem.
3) DS 160: The VFO has only your employers petition and the DS 160 as immediate reference. DS 160 is the most important as he is going to refer to this online. The job description part of this form is the reference for your interview. In many cases (including mine), he won't even ask for your CV!
4) Communication and English: You are going to work in the US. Atrocious English and not communicating confidently with the visa officer are major reasons for rejections. Also, during the interview, elaborate your answers. Short answers mean either you are hiding something or don't know enough about your job.

Doesnt Matter:
1) Nationality: As I wrote above, if you have the right qualifications under the category applied for, and your company isn't under a watch list, Indian or any other nationality will not impact the outcome.
2) Dress: Dress normally, formally, probably the way you go to work every day. The VFO doesn't care an iota about lingerie he cant see (that post was honestly hilarious) or how dapper/glamorous you look. Tie and blazer (and pearl necklaces and facials:-):-)) are okay, but they aren't requirements for a positive outcome.

--------------------------------
My experience....
I appeared for the interview on 3rd March with my wife and 2 year old son.(Don't carry metal/electronic objects to the embassy for a hassle free entrance.) We went in, presented the documentation, paid the fraud detection fee and settled down for an hour long wait. From my thick sheaf of papers, the doc officer just took the I129s, DS160 copy of blanket petition for me and just DS 160 for my wife and son. NOTHING ELSE. I am also thankful the embassy was kind enough to provide a play area for kids. My son spent the entire time coloring and making a lot of noise, which was tolerated with kindness....

During the interview, the VFO (Vice consul as per his name-card) just asked 3 questions. How long have you worked for this company? What do you do now? What will you do in the US? I took 2-3 minutes to reply to each of his questions. Then he turned at my wife and said, Ma'am, I hope you like the Austin area. He was formal but extremely cordial and kind. I must add that all during the interview, my son was smiling at a cute girl sitting behind the VFO, and she was smiling and waving back. It made all of us smile, including the VFO. Finally, he said that we would get our visa in 3-5 days. We got it in 3. I was dressed in jeans and sweater. No tie. A blazer I wear to work, and that only because it was cold.

All the best,
Rwik

srinijourn    •   04/05/2013 07:17:40 AM

2      5

First of all, thanks a lot folks keeping this forum a lively and useful one. I started preparing 2 months before and know all cases here in this forum :-).

OFC --------

I had OFC on Apr 4 at 1PM. It was a quick and all done in 15 mins.

Stamping ----------
My appointment was on Apr 5 12PM and we went in 30 mins before time as there was less crowded (since it is Friday i guess). I wore a blazer, tie and company ID card

Went to first counter who will arrange and rubber band the docs
Then to another counter for right-hand fingerprint check

Then moved to another building for DD/Check payment

At last moved to counter 17 for interview. Below are the questions from VO

VO : How are you
Me : Good

VO : What visa is this ?
Me : L1A Blanket

VO : Which company ?
Me : Replied (I'm from India's second top IT firm)

VO : What is your annual salary in lakhs
Me : XX, XX, XXX p.a

VO : what is your designation and what are going to do there?
Me: Senior Project Manager and explained about my roles and responsibilities

VO : How many onsite reports ?
Me : XX

VO : All of them are currently in US and in same place where you are going ?
Me : Yes

VO : whom do you report to
Me : Group Project Manager

VO : Is he there at the same place where you go ?
Me : Yes

To my wife and me - some personal questions
VO: How are long are you married (to my wife)
Wife : Replied

VO : How did you meet (to my wife)
Wife : Replied

VO : what is your wife's mom name (to me)
Me : Replied

He stamped all the I-129S and said "your visa is approved. You will get the passport in few days"

My 2 cents : L1A folks, pls invest in a blazer and tie. Also you need to have min 10 onsite reports and good experience with your current company and good US/Ind salary and your designation should be senior enough.

All the best !!!

Charlie    •   04/04/2013 04:39:15 AM

1      3

Had gone half an hour early with my kid. They allowed me inside after seeing me with my kid. Inside I was called at the counter for doc submission. The guy just asked for our passports & my wife's petition copy. After verifying fingerprints, they gave me passports & petition copy tagged together. Went to the next building where I had to wait for 30 min before my turn came.

VO: GM!
Me: GM Officer!

VO: Is your wife working for XXXX?
Me: Yes!

VO: Is your wife currently in US?
Me: Yes!

VO: Sir, your visa's are approved, will be informed via sms or e-mail.
Me: Thanks!

VO din't even ask me for any doc proofs, not even 'Marriage certificate' or child's 'Birth certificate'!!!! I had prepared a huge list of supporting docs :)

Thanks to this forum, I had a smooth experience!

morekuzambu    •   04/03/2013 01:19:38 AM

1      1

Thanks to this forum in helping me prepare for my L1A. The process till interview is the same as what others have mentioned earlier, only that in my case all the DS160s had some update. So, i had recreated them, took them to the OFC and got the appointment updated with new DS160.

We had an infant and a young kid. my wife was asked to drink the water a bit and eat his baby formula to convince the security. we carried a couple of diapers, baby formula in a stack, bottles, base sheet for changing and a dress for the infant. With an infant, it was very quick at the consulate.
There were some queries at the interview (front desk for token and the doc officer) on why I had changed them. I explained the same to them.
Post that, it was finger print verification and DD. Then it was our turn at the VO. queries and responses below

VO: so you work for XXX org, right
ME: Yes
VO: who is your client
Me: Heading a Geography, so multiple client
VO: What is your position in the org
Me: mentioned my desig
VO: who will you be reporting to
Me: XXX, practice head
VO: what is your indian salary
Me: INR XXX
VO: US Salary
Me: $YYY
VO: What is your highest qualification Masters and Undergraduation
Me: MBA and BE

to my spouse
VO: What is your highest qualification
Spouse: MBA

while he was talking he had stamped our I129S and handed over 2 copies to us and confirmed that our visa are approved.

Thanking this forum once again for the wonderful experiences shared.

mobster6789    •   04/01/2013 03:29:14 AM

2      4

Hi guys,

Thanks for your sharing! I learnt a lot from these experiences.

I got one question when I was reading. When the VO asks "who is your client?" what does the client stand for? The employer in the US or the company's clients?

Thanks!

Reehan    •   04/01/2013 01:11:16 AM

1      1

Hello all,

Why no one has posted any experience since march 24th? It's been more than a week!

How is the rejection rate any idea guys?

Thanks,

bendouglas    •   03/24/2013 09:02:38 AM

1      1

Thank you again immihelp. I went for my L1B visa renewal yesterday (Mar 22).

Unlike last time, this time they asked me more questions. Following was my interview questions.

VO: Good Morning.
Me : Very Good Morning.
VO: Your passport please.
Me: I handed over my bunch of docs along with the passport.
VO : So, to which city you are travelling?
Me : xxx
VO : Who is your client?
Me : xxxx
VO : What is your Indian Salary?
Me : xxx
VO : What is your US Salary?
Me : Said my US Salary per month basis. She had a wow look at that. (In my mind, I thought I should have told the split up of Per diem and Allowance)
VO : So what do you do in your company?
Me : Explained that I am a tech Lead and will be working using my specialized knowledge with the Properietary tools.
VO : Awww, so you are a Tech Lead and what do you exactly do over there at US?
Me : Explained with a decent justifcation
VO : So, are you the only person in your company to have this specialized knowledge?
Me : Yes, absolutely.
VO : That doesn't sound right to me. May be you are not telling the truth to me.
Me : No, I am the only one to have this Specialized Knowledge in my company. And I have more than 6.5 years of experience with these proprietary tools.
VO : Not even in your team atleast?
Me : I have team members but either they don't have the necessary Specialized Knowledge or these many years of experience.
VO : That is great. Ok Sir, I am approving your visa.
Me : Thank you mam.

I almost thought she would reject the petition when she told me that I am not telling the truth. But I didn't showed that up while I am talking and I justified it by saying that I am the only one to have this Specialized Knowledge which is 100% true whatever mentioned in the docs. So I got it approved. Be confident and don't lose your hope in anyways. All the best for future applicants.

njain    •   03/23/2013 08:42:12 AM

4      1

Heart filled thanks to all Members to post their experiences. They helped me in preparing mentally. It was a mental block, but glad that VO didn't grill me much and it ended well.

Went to the counter, greeted him Good Morning nicely with my wife and Baby.

VO: So you are working for xxxx company?
NJ: Yes.

VO: How long you have been working with them?
NJ: Answered xx months.

VO: So you will be going to xxxxx?
NJ: Yes, (added state name)

VO: What’s your current salary?
NJ: xxx Lacs per Annum

VO: US salary would be?
NJ: xx K per Annum. (VO verified the same in I129 Form)
Long Pause…

VO: You are good to go.
 
I had already been on L1 for 2+ years, and several times on B1 as well. May be that helped, Also my company is very well renowned and VO looked to be a regular customer of it :P

Well, all was not good before the interview. Here are my tips for case to case basis:

• If you are not taking DD, then Do not trust your Credit card. Take cash as backup as well.

My company asked me to pay the 500 USD fee by Credit card. Some previous employee had an issue with Either DD payable at or USD Exchange rate. In morning, I verified with my bank that I have enough cash balance in my CC. But to make things worse, their machine didn’t read the card. Hence I was asked to go out leaving my wife & baby, to get cash. Unfortunately, had only 1 debit card and No nearby ATM of that bank. Chennai autowala are worst for non-tamils (No Offence). I had to shell out lots of money, to get the Cash. Officer was kind enough to put me on priority list for interview.

• Do not hesitate, to ask for favors to consulate folks.

Since we had a 6 month old baby, I asked at consulate and OFC and did not have to wait long for my turn. You will be certainly be given preference to other folks in your time slots.

• Long B1 stay – did not matter in my case.

I have stayed for 12 weeks and 10 weeks on B1, but during last 2 years (not 2013). We had few rejection cases in 2012 End, but not in 2013 that I know of in my Company. So it’s not a total blocker. But yes, it is highly advisable to have a time gap between your long B1 trip and L1 interview.