F-2 visa got denied

[gcdreamer]

My cousin appreard for F-2 visa at Hyderabad. She was denied visa with no documents being asked. She was advised to wait until her spouse gets H1-B visa.

By the way, she got married early this month and her spouse is on OPT extension with around 5 months validity on his card.

What are her options now.

1. Is it OK to re-apply for F-2 at a different consulate (Chennai or Delhi)?

2. Her spouse is expecting to get his H1 by Mid of 2013. Does she have to wait until Oct 2013 to appear for H-4 visa or can she get visa earlier to that and enter US.

Please advise.

[kabkaba]

My cousin appreard for F-2 visa at Hyderabad. She was denied visa with no documents being asked. She was advised to wait until her spouse gets H1-B visa.

By the way, she got married early this month and her spouse is on OPT extension with around 5 months validity on his card.

What are her options now.

1. Is it OK to re-apply for F-2 at a different consulate (Chennai or Delhi)?
-- Different consulate will make no difference, better preparation may make a difference.

2. Her spouse is expecting to get his H1 by Mid of 2013. Does she have to wait until Oct 2013 to appear for H-4 visa or can she get visa earlier to that and enter US.
-- She has to wait until Oct 1 to travel in H4 status.
Please advise.

See above. Confident, truthful and convincing answers are more important than any documents. Since the consular officer is already aware that H1 is in the future, F2 chances are low.

[naresh.aligeti]

F-2 approved during second attempt

Hello,

Online forums at Immihelp and elsewhere were really helpful to understand and train my wife on possible questions that would be asked during the all her attempts.
I finished Masters in Geography in Dec 2011 and since then I've been working on regular OPT-EAD which expires in Dec 2012. It is a regular firm that I am working with but not a consultancy. When I sent my wife for a F-2 visa interview in November 2012, my OPT was expiring in Dec 2012 and also STEM OPT extension was under process but not confirmed. The officer just looked at her I-20 and asked for a copy of MY visa. He denied her a visa(under section 214(b) immigrant intent) in a heartbeat. NO Questions asked. Lasted for a Minute. Re-applied again on Dec 2012 but now with a confirmed STEM OPT extension. Officer asked her passport, I-20 and MY I-20 and a copy of STEM OPT card.
Asked a few questions like When did your husband graduate, Where is he staying now, Why din't you go with your husband. Answered with enough confidence. She has a visa now. This is an experience at Hyderabad consulate.

Few things that I learned:

1. Please try to be confident while answering questions asked.
2. You should rather wait until you have an OPT extension card and then schedule for an interview should you be in my situation.
3. Don't stop trying until you succeed. Don't change visa categories during visa appointments unless required.
4. Look for a nearest consulate from your home. Don't struggle to schedule an appointment elsewhere thinking it would rather be easy. Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, etc...all are the same. Places don't matter.
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Thank You