Visitor Visa - B2

My mother-in-law (a widow) was recently granted a 10-year visitor visa at the Chennai consulate. This was her second attempt. She had previously attempted (1 Year ago) to obtain a visa but was rejected. The questions they had asked then:

Officer: Why do want to do to the US?
Ans: To visit my son.
Officer: For long to do you want to visit?
Ans: For about 6 months.
Officer: How many children do you have?
Ans: 3
Officer: Where are they?
Ans. My son and younger daugther are in the US. My older daugther is in delhi.
Officer: What does your son do?
Ans: He is completing his PhD in Computer Engg. at the University of Texas.
Officer: What does your younger daugther do?
Ans: She is doing her PhD in University of Pennsylvania.
Officer: Is your older daughter married?
Ans: Yes.
Officer: Does she have any children?
Ans: No.
Officer: Oh, then, you will not come back. Your visa is rejected.

My mother-in-law was rudely asked to leave. We believe that the factors acting against us were (a) We, her main sponsorers, were both still students. Even though we had significant savings due to internships etc, it didn't seem to count.
(b) Her older daughter didn't have any children yet. This seemed to diminish her incentive to return to India. (c) Even though she speaks a reasonable amount of English, My mother-in-law requested a telugu interpreter, who she felt didn't do a good job of translating.

When my mother-in-law went for her interview the second time, my husband had completed his PhD and had started working, and my sister-in-law in India had a baby in July last year. Also, she decided to speak directly to the officer in English.

Thanks to all those who posted their questions on this site, we were able to summarize the main questions and we asked her to familiarize herself with them. The questions she was asked this time were:

Officer: Why do you want to visit the US?
Ans: For tourism purposes.
Officer: Who will you stay with in the US?
Ans: My son
Officer: How long has your son been in the US?
Ans: 7 Years
Officer: What does he do?
Ans: He works with Intel.
Officer: How long has it been since you have seen him?
Ans: 3 years
Officer: Do you work?
Ans: Yes, I am a Telugu lecturer at a junior college.
Officer: What does your daughter in India do?
Ans: She is an architect but has recently had a baby, so is not currently working.
Officer: What does your son-in-law do?
Ans: He is a finanical consultant in TCS Delhi.
Officer: What was your husband?
Ans: A professor
Officer: When did he pass away?
Ans: 9 years ago.
Officer: Very sorry to hear that madam. You may go to counter 1 and pay the
fees. Thank you.

My mother-in-law thanked the officer and completed the rest of formalities.

Thanks once again to all those who previously posted their experiences. It was extremely helpful.

MGV