Business Visa - B1

Hi,

Excruciatingly detailed account of my visa experience. :)

I'd applied for a B1/B2 visa through my company in Bangalore - which registered as a BEP company with the Chennai consulate. My interview was scheduled for 11:00AM a few days back.

I had traveled from Bangalore and had checked into The Park hotel which is very conveniently situated at a 5-minute walking distance from the US consulate.

I reached the consulate at 10:45AM - 15-minutes in advance, as advised by the interview appointment letter. I wouldn't recommend anyone reaching the consulate too much in advance. The initial wait of 15-20 minutes is in a queue out in the sun. Reaching 30-40 minutes before the interview doesn't help you score additional brownie points.

A tip about dressing. As everyone recommends - dress smartly. Whether it appeals to the visa officer or not, it'll certainly boost your self-confidence and you won't do / say anything silly at the actual interview. However, DO NOT over-do the dressing. For Bangalore folks, remember - Chennai is usually hot and sweaty. I felt sorry for the folks who had turned up in a suit and had to wait under the blazing sun.

Wear smart but airy cotton clothing. Formal trousers, full-sleeve shirt, and optional tie should be fine for men. Carry a handkerchief or two!

Had to initially wait outside the consulate in a queue till 10:55AM. Then was made to join a different queue (again outside). At 11:00AM, an officer checked my passport and visa appointment letter and let me into the consulate. Before you can enter, you're subjected to multiple security checks. Do not carry anything electronic - mobile phones etc. I just had 2 files - one with the mandatory visa documents, another with additional supporting documents, and my wallet.

Inside the consulate, things were a little chaotic. Fortunately, there are officers on the floor ready to guide and assist you. One officer guided me to a counter. At this counter, the officer took my thumb / finger impressions and also looked through my documents. Most documents she returned to me. The passport, visa appointment letter, DS-160 confirmation letter, and BEP letter - these she handed in a separate file.

After this, was guided to another queue for the actual interview. If in doubt, just walk up to an officer on the floor who'll assist. The officer guided me to a specific queue based on (I think) my visa type and maybe the BEP status.

I had to wait about 20 minutes in this queue.

The actual interview was taken by a youngish-looking man, presumably American. I didn't have any difficultly with the accent. He looked at the following documents:
- Passport
- Visa appointment letter
- DS-160 confirmation letter
- BEP letter

Didn't ask me for any other documents. The conversation:
Me: Hi, good morning
VO: Hello Mr. Mohan. How long have you been with <My company name>?
Me: Been there around 2.5 years
VO: Why do you need to travel to the US?
Me: For an external training / seminar being organized by my company. There are also a few business meetings I need to attend
VO: And how long do you plan to stay there?
Me: About 2 weeks
VO: Thank you Sir, your visa has been granted. You'll receive your passport in 3-4 days
Me: Thank you! I need to travel in a few days to make it there in time for the training. I wanted to request priority processing for the visa so I can collect it tomorrow. I have these supporting documents...
VO: Sorry Sir, I cannot confirm delivery by tomorrow. You can check with VFS tomorrow. Thank you

That's it. He handed me back a print-out with some VFS details. I left the building by 11:50AM - so the entire process from start to finish took about 1 hour.

Hope this helps. All the best for your visa processing! :)